I've heard of "blended seasons", but...

You tell me something's not quite right with these two photos:

The one at the left was taken across from City Hall, of all places. You might say it's an early snow for Michigan, but actually our first measurable snowfall of the season came about a week later than usual; we normally get it around Thanksgiving. What the heck are leaves doing in the middle of snow? Remember: leaf collections are over for the year.

This is going to make for a very interesting winter season. Never has it taken so long for leaves to fall. This fact actually made the front page of the Free Press about three weeks back. This photo was taken right after the previous one. Can you believe that the leaves on the bottom of the tree haven't even changed color yet?

And, since the camera is finally fixed, allow me to show you visual proof of what I wrote in the blog last year about one certain house simply going overkill on Christmas decorations. Here it is:

Just how many lawn ornaments can one lawn hold? Or has there been an eviction sale at this house?

If my father is reading this, I know what he'll think: "Son, remember when you, your mom and I went down 11th Street (in Wyandotte) every year and saw that whole block done up?"

Yes Dad, I remember. But the point was, that was stretched out over the whole block; eight houses. And it was in the day before all those stupid inflatable lawn ornaments. And also in the day before cities became politically correct and didn't want symbols of the true meaning of Christmas to show up in public.

The commercial icons all in a row are simply disturbing. Now watch this house win the city's decorating contest later this month! Figures, doesn't it?

Best Buy carries miracles

Okay, you can go ahead and question the means of my acquiring my digital camera last year. A co-worker at the airport had it given to him by his son who worked at Northwest; found it on the plane. No one claimed it, so he sold it to me for $50.

It lasted precisely one month before the battery gave out. It was a special battery that had to be purchased for a huge price. At this rate, I was wishing Steve didn't break my traditional AA-battery camera two years ago in the Phillipines. So it sat dormant for 18 months.

After getting swiftly kicked in the rear at work the last few days, which did result in three straight $100 cash days, I finally went to Best Buy, just hoping that I wouldn't get laughed at for having more outdated technology. Surprise! Not only did they have another battery, they had a charger for the brand. So as of tomorrow morning, I will have two fresh batteries, and the pictures, as you've seen above, will just keep on coming.

It's hard to believe that someone who puts so much stock into photo albums holding family history can go nearly six years with only thirty photos taken. That's what's happened, up to now. Best Buys obviously sells miracles!

But tell me about the turnover in technology regardless: I bought the house phone earlier this year... their computer didn't have any record of the battery model from just this year! The salesman said I had an outdated phone. I walked over to the display rack and showed him that very same model they were still selling!

Best Buy also sells migraine headaches, I guess.

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And an unfortunate inner tradition continues with calendars: I buy a wall calendar every year, and the first thing I do is write in everyone's birthdays. I made a few mistakes in getting dates right in 2007, but every year it seems like I fudge up cousin Jeffrey's birthday, by either putting him in the wrong week, putting someone else on his date, or having that entry become the lone smudge because I can't spell names right.

It happened again: the date and name were right, but the blue highlighter I used to highlight birthdays smudged once: at Jeffrey's birthday. Perhaps my luck can change if I promise him a Rolls Royce in theory...

Jeff & Sheila are supposed to be in town at Raymond's Sunday, according to Rose. I've been wanting to go, especially with my "new" camera, but looks like the weather's going to be slop. I'm the most far-out-of-the-way relative, and I know they'll understand my reluctance to drive in that weather.

Fifty-eight percent said what?

A FOX News survey shown just now on the channel asked participants: "Is the country better off now than it was twenty years ago"?

A shocking (to me) 58% of the respondants said that it was. Just 38% said the country was worse than in 1987.

Let's see, what did we have in 1987? President Ronald Reagan underwent prostate surgery, and then got embroiled in the arms-for-hostages deal... Senator Gary Hart's involvement with Donna Rice became headlines... Reagan tells Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall... Northwest Flight 255 crashes in Detroit (mechanical failure, not terrorism)... Black Monday hits Wall Street in October... and yes, we did have the bombing of the USS Stark in the middle of the Iran/Iraq war, but we were basically offering assistance, not caught in the middle of things.

In 1987, were we into our fourth year of being buried in Iraq? Did we have a president who made consistent boneheaded decision after boneheaded decision? Did we have national headlines just because Michigan wanted to move up its presidential primary date? Was the security of the country in question? Was the United States embroiled in every matter in the Middle East? Were gas prices above $3 per gallon?

How can it be said that we are better off?

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At least the household things are better off today: budgeting is done, laundry is done, the car is fixed (it had no heat for a couple days), and Steve is actually using a car to get some running done at his sister's house.

* I'm worried about Jenni: we haven't talked much lately and she is under undue stress. I am hoping she calls soon. A conversation would be good therapy even if I didn't deem it the necessity it is. It's not good to bottle frustration up. We'll have to work on it.

* Garden City has its Santa parade today and the municipal channel is covering it live over cable. Boy was I tempted to walk over there and talk to some of them about possibly getting back into TV again. Alas, even if hired on-the-spot, what would that result in? I just tuned in the channel and it's scrambled more than a pay-per-view channel is! So much for any hope of a video resume begun, even in the best-case scenario.

* Thanksgiving at work was super-busy; I booked more than I do in an average day. What was more surprising was yesterday: only one run in 12 hours involved bringing Christmas packages, etc., home from a store. The parking lots were crowded, but the roads were relatively smooth.

That's unlike how I remember most of the shopping days after Thanksgiving. I'll be unbiased and call it "Super Friday". When did the term "Black Friday" become vogue? "Black Friday" has racial undertones... if not that, "Black" days, I thought, always referred to bad stock market days. A better term for the day would be nice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm preposting this to wish everyone a happy turkey day.

It just seems strange that we're going to be treated to all the works today, while looking around and still seeing some trees with green leaves on them. Plus a 60-degree day yesterday, complete with snow forecast for later today. Michigan weather is MORE than living up to its name this year.

My father and stepmom are heading to California to spend a week over there. I hope they have a wonderful and safe trip.

Jenni is expecting a true houseful today, and she gets to do all the cooking with no help from anyone else. She sighs and accepts this, and that's a shame. She needs all the help she can get and I hope she delegates some tasks today. I would offer my assistance in a heartbeat, but if you check out last year's Thanksgiving entry to look at my horror stories, you'll see why I retired the baster.

I volunteered to work today, anyway, even though we're not expecting anywhere near the chaos we had yesterday. Part of it is because I'm so used to working holidays, coming off six years at the airport, that it seems to be a natural gut reaction.

I would actually prefer working holidays than working regular days. On holidays, you can't get much business conducted. I'd rather have an off-day where I can use "regular business hours" to get everything done. And Lord knows, there's a lot that needs to get done on my plate.

Every party has a pooper, my mother would always say... that's why they invited me.

But the "pooper" will stay with me. My best wishes for a safe and happy Thanksgiving go to all of you, and stay with you as well. Enjoy!

For a business to move forward

Think "capital improvement" and "basic improvement" as just a start.

When you're a business trying to move up, don't you use these two terms as a goal to improve operations and get more business?

I'm not out to criticize the company I work for. But cab companies abound in this area. We are only one of about five companies that strive and fight for every fare. Every transaction we earn is just that: we earn it. But shouldn't we show quality behind the transaction?

It's no wonder we let our mechanic go this week. Personally, the guy was a goof from the word go, even working on his own car on company time before working on the cabs that make the business and earn the paychecks.

One of our newest cars had to be disabled twice this week due to bad ball joints. The SAME one both times. It was fixed, and then the fix had to be fixed. A trained mechanic would have fixed it right the first time. So that's one cab off the road.

My cab was disabled last week for four hours to get new brake pads. Only half an hour was spent doing actual work. Apparently, it took him 2 1/2 hours to isolate the problem. Then another hour at the store trying to figure out what part he needed. Was I steamed? Kinda... it was my potential money I was losing just sitting at the office.

Today, four cabs out of a fleet of ten weren't running. I had to make a 2-hour, 70-mile run to Troy to pick up a fare and a driver who were stranded due to a bad - surprise - ball joint problem. It's fixed now by a different mechanic, but who knows when the problem will crop up again? After all, I'm hearing a thumping noise when my cab travels now, and the cab wants to veer right if I do anything beyond just tapping the brakes.

At the risk of having five cabs out of service, I decided to press on. I made good money. I also had to do the work of three drivers. Sound familiar?

The need is there for good, reliable service. I hope in the future that we can deliver like I'm sure the owner wants us to.

* What good is there left to say about Inkster? I was threatened with a $500 summons for trying to pick up fares there today. We service every community in the county. We do not need a license to pick up anywhere except at the airport. That's why we are classified as a limo service, not a cab service. Trying to explain this to the guy only got me another threat of $500, so I let it go at that.

If they don't want us, why don't they just tell us? Oh wait, they already did. They do have their own company, located two miles from my house. But they couldn't service me because I was "too far" from their target area.

And Inkster says they're recovering? Sounds like another "R" word is in effect there... as in "relapse".

De-sensitizing

There was a fatal shooting earlier today at the Coney Island in Lincoln Park, where former roommate Mike and his mother often dined. The head cook, as well as the owner, may have been the unfortunate victims.

I found out some of the details from one of my fares today. Apparently, a man dressed in a trenchcoat pulled out an AK-47 and shot the people for no reason... also injuring a waitress during the skirmish. One of the customers caught in between the crossfire actually made his way out of there and went down the street to another restaurant. Out of breath, he tried to tell people there had been a shooting at the Coney Island.

He wasn't believed. And as a result, help did not arrive at the Coney sooner than it ended up being.

Are people desensitized by these events due to the environment around them? Or have people become a society of liars, to where the punchline to the "boy who cried wolf" story is retold? The trust is evidentally gone in society. Trust in safety is totally gone, as patrons around that area now can't feel comfortable patronzing the Coney, or any other restaurant in that area. Supposedly, the crackpot is still on the loose.

But what if these two lives could have been saved, if someone in the other restaurant had sent for help upon hearing the news? They wouldn't be persecuted if it was a false alarm. False alarms happen constantly. But could they have saved lives with quick thinking?

It's possible. It's not definite, because the incident is still under investigation. But you always have to wonder about the possibilities of any situation.

Years ago, this would probably have illicited more response. Just as car alarms would have done when they first came out. Now you hear the alarms everywhere, and do you see people running for them to try to catch any potential vandal or burglar? Not a chance. Even I just shrug the alarms off as an everyday sound effect, ranking up there with the birds.

Perhaps it's just another sign of the times, times which seem to be growing more violent and spreading from the city core. But it just doesn't seem right to me to have people's lives fall under such a general term as "sign of the times".

I thought each individual was worth more than that.

How much more proof is needed?

A-ha! Could've told you so.

Barry Bonds has been indicted by the authorities, apparently due to lying and obstructing justice in this baseball steroids scandal. Also, it's becoming apparent that his personal trainer (Greg Johnson, I believe), recently released from prison in the hopes he would testify against Bonds, is going back to the slammer because he still refuses to testify against his "friend".

Do you need any more proof of guilt? They're trying to hide what's ending up being obvious fact, transparently!

As Bonds was chasing the home run record this summer, the issue annoyed me so much that, yes, I finally decided to do my own video on YouTube about it. Being the kind person that I am, I decided to cut Bonds some slack and tell both sides of the story: the way he would look at it, and the way the public in general is looking at it.

Well, no one can accuse me of not at least trying to be fair. But being fair in this case was only courteous lip service. When you have this so-called superstar who brings negative public relations upon himself, and suddenly finds himself a free agent who absolutely nobody wants (and nobody would cheer), there's a problem.

Johnson, meanwhile, is facing a third term in prison for not opening his mouth when he should. This man does not know the meaning of the word "cooperation" and deserves the time in prison. He's causing as much of a distraction and is impeding justice as badly as Bonds is.

The question remains, as far as the home run record is concerned: keep it as truth, place an asterisk by it, or eliminate it entirely? Don't scoff when I say it should be eliminated entirely.

Done scoffing?

I base it solely on the following:

1. If you can ban Pete Rose for simple gambling and never have him in the Hall Of Fame, why NOT punish Bonds for something more serious? Gambling is a weakness, but remember, it's not illegal. What he did is as legal as one of us buying a lottery ticket.

2. Remember the Chris Webber / Ed Martin / University of Michigan story? Remember the end result? U of M had all their basketball stats from that period literally wiped clean. Now, literally no mention of all the success the Fab Five had during that juncture. Was there a backlash against the university? Nothing major that I can recall, or at least that made headlines in the news. Heck, Martin died a couple of years ago, and the local sports pages reported it as just a blip on the radar.

Baseball is enjoying record success, as reported by Bud Selig. This is happening in spite of the Bonds sideshow. It may not taint the game itself, but it will taint Selig's tenure (not that it hasn't been already), and fans' fascination with stats and records.

Bonds, to this point, is just one huge "K" for the game.

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(The above would normally have been posted on my baseball blog... but I'm saving that for real news-worthy events, if you catch the drift.)

In 2017, will we know more?

It's four days before the 44th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.

Even the die-hard assassination buffs who feverishly pursue this case will admit, after this time lapse, that we will never know the truth about how events unfolded that tragic day. That is the lure of the mystery and makes it even more interesting to research.

Thumbing through the Wikipedia entry on the Warren Commission, which oversaw the initial investigation into the crime, there was one thing I don't understand... Though over 90% of the assassination material is now in the public domain, it is stated that:

"The remaining Kennedy assassination related documents are scheduled to be released to the public by 2017, twenty-five years after the passage of the JFK Records Act."

How is this possible, given the advent of the Freedom Of Information Act?

It's true that one may ask what the big deal is... that if we know basically all we're going to know, what's the last bit of sealed information going to tell people?

I don't know much about official document declassification and how the process works. But wouldn't the public interest be served better if all the information were out there? Think about this: it's been 44 years since the tragedy. Most of the witnesses are getting on in age, if not deceased. Many of the prime players were actually done away with in the first fifteen years afterward.

Who's left around to challenge and say that this information should still be covered up until 2017?

The delay of the information release obviously meant a lot more in the 1970s than today. This gave the public its first concrete evidence that something was going on in government that officials didn't want to address. It's gone on for 44 years now and the research has passed on to a second generation.

The impression I get is that there are still those reluctant to share the information. Unlikely as it may be, what if that remaining 2% of information actually contains the golden nugget that finally puts the mystery to rest? It's possible the answer has actually been hidden for 44 years.

And then, the only question is: why? Why keep the public puzzled? Why keep their own government puzzled?

If indeed this was the intended reason, then it's done a great dis-service; not only to the researchers, but to the remaining Kennedy family and those that came before them.

JFK truly cared about the American people. It would be an utter shame for him if he ever knew of a blatant coverup that has lasted this long.

We're killing ourselves for petro

... literally, as happened in Detroit yesterday.

This takes the term "killer competition" to a whole new level. And this time, it's not an "only in Detroit" thing -- it's a nationwide problem.

(You can read the story here.)

So we'd lose some of our unlimited access to corn so that ethanol can be produced. So what? Ethanol can't come quick enough.

And speaking of autos and ethanol in general, why are car companies so reluctant to begin building cars that meet the fuel standards that the government wants to require? What's wrong with a 40 miles-per-gallon mandate in the next few years?

We all know that SUVs have taken a huge hit, and we know auto companies want consumers to buy more of them (and cars in general) to help out our economy. They would certainly be more appealing to consumers if something were done to increase fuel standards and help the consumer's pocketbook in the long run.

Single-sided or double-sided?

That was the question that brought in all the dough for me yesterday.

I had my best earnings day at the cab job yesterday thanks to two round-trips I made between Taylor and Ypsilanti. A truck driver received a rather new truck, minus keys. Why it had no keys, I have no idea. Being a regular person, I should have suggested they change the locks on the truck; if the former driver was disgruntled, he probably kept the keys in order to exact revenge on the truck later.

But being a cab driver overruled me being a regular person, and I kept my mouth shut. Good thing.

Talk about flimsy computer records: the computer said the truck took a double-sided key; the code book said a single-sided key. Being a regular person, I should have suggested he have both types cut.

But again, being a cab driver overruled me being the regular person, and I kept my mouth shut. Another good thing. It ended up being a $100 run, which enabled me to gross enough to pay off one bill of mine entirely.

Where am I getting knowledge about trucks anyway?

* George has proven to be a good fit so far at the house. He's like me the past eighteen or so months: a hermit around here. Self-proclaimed, so he's telling the truth. Steve and him get along, at least so far. I haven't had the courage to tell him that Steve uses up all the hot air around the house.

Steve had to take the bedroom adjoining mine again, like it was when we moved here. I had to wear industrial earplugs the last time because Steve's chronic cough kept me awake all night. The landlord couldn't sound-proof the room, so I had no choice. When Mike moved out, Steve switched to the front bedroom, which allowed me to sleep normally.

In the time between then and now, Steve's budget has him smoking those stupid little $1 cigars. As a result, his cough has gotten much worse in time. It's likely the couch for me tonight. He'll ridicule me for the choice, but deep down I know he'll understand, just like before.

* When my mini-van was broken into in Detroit in 1999, the thief took all my cassette tapes. Included in them was a tape made when I was three years old, with old Sesame Street songs in the background. On YouTube yesterday, I unearthed an old Ernie & Bert song called "La La La La...." about the letter "L" that I enjoyed at that age.

The damn song's been on my mind all day, and unlike hearing it on that classic cassette, it's annoying me to all hell today.

* And, talk about late updates, I never mentioned: Nick (Jenni's middle son) is off the eye patch, and his vision is almost 20-20; thank goodness. Basic treatment corrected his vision problem. He's also done well in math lately, getting a 100% on his latest test after he kept saying he failed. Jenni's been very concerned about his progress over the past couple years, but this week has given her relief. And I'm very happy for the both of them.

Jenni & I haven't seen much of each other recently thanks to events popping up on both ends. But we know each other to the point that we accept it, brutal as it may be, and we tend to what's on our individual plates before starting a shared one of our own.

Just another of the many reasons why this relationship has so much more potential than the others put together: simple acceptance.

Unsecured eyesores

Could someone please rewind for me the tape of Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's last mayoral campaign speeches?

The particular part I want to hear again is what he said about neighborhood blight. The media is over-reporting about the shacks and burnt-out hulls scattered around every neighborhood, he said. It is not impossible, he added, to be able to get rid of nearly 50% of all dilapidated buildings before the end of his current term.

Did he actually demolish 50%, while leaving the other 50% to fester in areas I drive the cab around? Or did he bury the tape in convenient rubble?

Joy Road east of the Southfield (M-39) freeway is horrendous. Many of the kidney dialysis patients I transport to treatment live there. Across from the gaping field that used to be the Herman Gardens housing complex are two complete blocks of abandoned, burnt-out strip malls.

I've made two trips to Memorial Street, south of West Chicago Rd. in the past two weeks, and I took house inventory. Out of approximately 45 homes in the block, 30 are abandoned or unliveable. And only about 10% of those 30 are actually boarded up to keep the vagrants out. Only about half the aforementioned strip malls are secured in that fashion as well.

And the press made such a big deal about the remains of New Orleans after Katrina. Those bad parts of New Orleans look like an average part of Detroit these days. And don't forget about Inkster, the Detroit suburb I made mention of last week. Everyone knows a chunk of town known as "Little Saigon" for obvious reasons. You automatically forget the fact Inkster is home of the Marvelettes, who only put the Motown music scene in motion by earning the record label its first gold record.

But at least Inkster boards up all its bad buildings. Detroit, on the other hand, is literally unsecured.

The people aren't asking for, and can't expect, 100 demolition companies to come from all parts of the country and take on Detroit for one solid week, although that would be nice. We also can't expect The Home Depot to donate all its plywood to just one city, although if we could do it, they could help...

But are people going too far to simply ask for safer neighborhoods for them and their kids? We have affluent suburbs such as Livonia and Canton. They have their bad parts. But the bad parts are masked and their grounds are made inaccessible to those who wish to trespass.

Detroit recently got news that their latest census figures were actually wrong: the population surged back up above 900,000. What Kwame wants to see is a million, or over.

The surge was due to a numbers fluke, sir... not because you've carried your campaign promise from election time to now.

Downtown is one thing. It does look better. But how much of that cleanup was done thanks to Super Bowl XL locating here?

As a cab driver, it's not my policy to limit myself as to where I pick fares up, and at what time. They don't like me limiting myself, and neither do I. I hate to turn down a run and have management think I'm scared to do the run.

Truth is, I am. It's a scare that I wish I didn't have. A scare I really shouldn't have.

But a scare that's not being dealt with; plain & simple.

The Sunday Pathetics

Finally saved a Sunday paper for the purpose of combing through all the hard-news articles, trying to judge how good or bad this world is. Many friends say they don't even bother watching the news anymore, because it gets worse and worse by the year.

Back in its early days, Superstation TBS had a Sunday morning program called "Good News". Before I actually watched it to find out it was another religious show, I actually thought it was a one-hour time slot of nothing but good news in the world. Judging by some of the news articles, it would be difficult to fill a 15-minute TV time slot per month with any good news that would place faith & hope in humankind from media alone.

* Pakistan and the former Soviet state of Georgia are under emergency rule, with militants at the ready to attack whoever they don't like. Surprise surprise, these people are against our government. Who isn't these days? Add to this the fact that Turkey wants to attack Kurds in the northern portion of Iraq, the only stable portion of Iraq to this point, and you wonder: how many wars are we going to be fighting in the next 50 years?

* Cassville, Missouri: Two men, aged 32 and 20, are wanted for the death of a nine-year old girl who they brutally raped before strangling to death with a cord.

* Pat Robertson of PTL and CBN fame backs Rudy Guiliani for president in 2008. Let's see: Guiliani's been married three times... supports abortion rights... and supports the war to a degree. There couldn't be more of a difference between the two people. Has Robertson, who always preaches about morality, changed his tune and confused everyone, including his loyal followers?

* Homeowners are behind on equity payments. These sad-sack mortgages they were victimized by years ago are causing them to fall behind on much more than just house payments.

* The full-page ad on the following page begins: "If you've been waiting for the right time to buy a home..." We're waiting... and still waiting.

* And let's not forget, there's a reason television is called the "idiot box": among other things, it can distract a person who's tired of hearing all this bad news. But there's a blasted writers' strike going on! Nothing new being produced, even Letterman & Leno are likely to go into reruns.

Overall, it's nice to be wired, and it's nice to be connected to the world as we are. Sometimes, especially now, though... it would be nice to find the "off" switch once in awhile.

Super-natural internet (and accomplices)

Wasn't Halloween over a week ago? Or is this house the victim of carry-over?

The past few days, the internet and telephone have been acting eerie. The phone will ring by itself, with no one on the other end. My custom then is to hit *69 (in lieu of not having caller ID) to see who hung up on me, but then there's no dial tone. The phone stays off the hook for about five minutes, then comes back on.

At the exact moment it comes on, the internet goes off, and we have to reset the modem. Then the internet will come back on, but the phone will go off again. And the process repeats itself a few times... and it normally happens between the hours of 8 and 10 PM.

I'm surrounded by people who believe in ghosts; Steve and Jenni in particular. Steve can visualize occurrences in advance; Jenni also can to a greater degree. I myself can see spirits drifting in and out. While theirs are shapeless, mine have form and definition.

There's still talk, even years later, about ghosts haunting this house. Steve and I conducted a mini-seance two weeks ago. Our attention keeps getting drawn to the vestibule closet, whose walls are made from the same type of wood as you would find on pallets.

Unless the closet was a later addition, there is a peculiarity here. The two houses to the east of me have the exact same room design, have the vestibule closet in the same place, and have either plaster or drywall inside them. Why pallet wood in ours?

Anyway, Steve and I got a far-out sense during the mini-seance, that this house is actually not the original house. Steve commented there may have been a gruesome fire here in the 1950s, with deaths of two children. I do sense some youthful angst around the house, though I'm still not sure if that's the exact story. Plus, Diane and Dawn have never mentioned anything about an incident; Diane has lived here since before this house was built.

Wow, did I get off track! Mind you, there won't be any second burning of the house. Items don't mysteriously get picked up and moved. We've had rodents under the back deck over the years as well; a ground mole twice chewed up our water meter cable. The other cables, save for the electric, hang by a thread near the foundation of the house. Perhaps wind is overtaking the ones that service our phone & internet.

But this year's been a very windy year. So why has it taken up to now for these things to become haunted? After Halloween, mind you?

Three's company, too

It became official today: We gain a roommate by the weekend.

The winner is George, who throughout the "screening" process showed enthusiasm (not desperation) in getting another place. He currently resides in a bad part of town, where all the things you read about are reality. Words won't be minced: he lives in Inkster, which, by all sights, is NOT recovering the way the politicians say it is.

Wow, what a surprise, given that it was said by the politicians.

The house will more resemble a warehouse the next few days as Steve and I rearrange and move furniture (rearrange? Why don't we eliminate?... I know) to accomodate our new arrival. With this, our bills will be cut an additional 25% per month, which helps everyone's bottom line.

So much for a relaxing weekend on my part. But if it relaxes the wallet, it will still be a productive weekend nonetheless; a trend-setter.

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Boy, did people ever speak up for change at the polls yesterday. My old Southgate mayor was re-elected, but in no less than four Downriver communities, new mayors will be brought in.

Melvindale's mayoral change was a no-brainer. Twenty-five years ago, the city got into negative PR when a chemical leak gave them the nickname "dirty city". It happened again in October as a chemical leak went untreated and caused the evacuation of 3,000 of their residents, with faulty response from the mayor at the time.

One might consider it as a case of short tempers among the citizens. Whatever it was, they recognized the power of their vote, which is what everyone in this country should dream and make a reality.

Do you sequester them?

Michigan grows broke, part 157... and it only gets more pathetic.

Still at issue with the government is the realization that hey, we may have made a mistake with imposing this service tax we passed without voter approval in October. They're talking about transposing that to an addenum for the state business tax.

However they get their money is up to them. But following a missed deadline in October which resulted in the government shutting down for a few hours, and narrowly averting a second shutdown just days ago, they're fighting a negative fate here again.

At least, during their deer-hunting seasonal break.

With the state at a crossroads, does our government, accused (and rightfully so) of doing nothing until the last minute, give themselves a reprieve in the Michigan wilderness with unfinished business (and the livelihoods of many) on the docket? The proposed break lasts for 18 days. Supposedly, it's said somewhere in the state constitution that this 18-day "holiday break" is for the hunters in Congress.

Out of all the congressional people in there today, it was reported that only two have applied for deer-hunting licenses. Spokespeople also say that the politicians need to "get back in their districts" to serve their constituents.

Over what? Taxpayer-paid coffee?

If the government is now all of a sudden concerned about supporting their consituents and want to make a difference to put some *gasp* honesty in politics, the best thing they can do is forego their break, or at least cut it to one week, and only AFTER this latest tax bug-a-boo is solved.

The average person these days probably doesn't care if they see their congressperson in November. What they want to see are results. They want to see an economy on the rebound in the not-too-distant future. They want to see an economic base begin to stabilize.

Wise companies budget for the entire fiscal year, at the start of the fiscal year. They don't want to invest in white-out as they keep recalculating income and expenses, namely taxes. With all the ideas assured of passage, and then revoked, nobody can work a budget except through a pencil.

These pencils should not have to last an additional eighteen days if a solution can be reached in half that time. Wouldn't the politicians consider it better for their egos (trying to use some reverse psychology here) if they could enter a reasonable week-long break knowing they passed a solution that will keep this state solvent into next year? With election season virtually ending today and having no one to campaign for, December gives them plenty to time to go back to their districts.

First things first is the business at hand, which is to solve the budget situation so that we can breathe. The papers are already pessimistic about the holiday season making less money as consumers buy less.

Why fan the flames any longer, figuratively letting Mrs. O'Leary's cow to cross the lake to set our hopes ablaze?

Full service is REALLY gone

Yes, the days of the gas station attendant pumping your gas, checking your oil and other vital fluids, and offering to change your windshield wipers are long gone. The last full-service station that I saw was during my 1996 trek down to Myrtle Beach, at an old-fashioned Mobil gas station on some out-of-the-way road somewhere.

But what did I see today while driving in Taylor? A new gas station price display. There's a price for "regular with car wash" and "regular without car wash"!

Sorry if I may seem naive, but I couldn't believe this. Believe it or not, it would cost you more at the pump to NOT have a car wash. I wonder if they get you for the difference once you do enter the car wash... many of those auto-washes charge you $3.00 or more for just the basic wash: no wax, no underbody treatment, nothing.

How long will this latest breakdown in prices last? Mobil was the first station to offer cheaper gas if you paid cash, versus using a credit card (even theirs). This lasted, I believe, three years with other stations joining in. What happens three years later? Signs displayed all over the place: "Cash or credit, same low price."

Shouldn't the opposite be true at the BP gas station I'm referring to, especially with our natural resources dwindling? With lake levels at record lows, and the never-say-die rumor that our water would have to be pumped to parched areas of the nation? Communities insitute water restrictions or outright bans on summertime usage during hot weather. Why encourage car washes under these conditions just to make gas a few cents cheaper?

But you never know. With gas prices as they are, people may be tempted to see past the fine print and save a few pennies for a clean car.

I just want a car that holds itself together, clean or not.

Another historical moment attended

Just got back from the 2007 PBA event at Taylor Lanes. I've only attended a handful of events in all the years I've watched bowling on TV, but I've attended some good ones.

* Today, Walter Ray Williams extended his PBA titles record to 43 with today's win, and I was there. Also witnessed the potential rebirth of the ladies' tour.

* I was there when the late Earl Anthony became the first to win 40 titles.

* I was there when the current Player Of The Year, Doug Kent, won his first title.

* I was there when Hall Of Famer Marshall Holman won his 22nd and final PBA title.

* I was there when the seventeenth televised perfect game was thrown.

There weren't many extra-cirriculars out there. Norm Duke & Brian Voss made things great last year with their Skills Challenge segments, which they don't have this year. No bowlers made their way to the bar to drink and shoot darts. Everything was basically cleaned up over there by 3PM.

But I did call ahead this year... which means I got in for free, got the program for free, and got the VIP seat for free... and my face was all over ESPN yesterday as I boldly predicted!

I have never seen so many 10-pins left by one person over two games as was the case with Walter Ray today - nine of them covering 20 frames! Unbelievable. Being able to shoot spares as well as he does is what carried him.

And guess what - Erin gave me four free games to bowl when all was said & done - Walter Ray even watched me bowl a frame or two. How about that - the greatest bowler in history watching me. Of course, by the third frame, he left, so I figured he got scared and didn't want my bad habits running off on him!

I was rooting hard for Eugene McCune - he's won one title in 23 years of competing and falling just short. I hoped he would win, but I don't mind seeing the titles record continue to fall.

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One reason I left earlier this year, other than the bowlers disappearing this year versus being more accessible this year, was that November's rent payment was in Mike's hands, as he was holding money Steve loaned him.

As of now, you guessed it: no money from Mike, and no way to get a hold of him because he's not answering his phone. So, six years late, I'm going to pull revenge on his father - by taking some of Mike's stuff like Dennis did to me in 2001.

There's no guilt complex I'm feeling... after all, when a guy messes with you and threatens your shelter, it's good reason to try payback. I've gotten more liberal in this regard lately.

I'm still happy he found true love. But love can blind, just as much as it can be blind itself. You don't let it blind yourself from the friends you've known since Day One. I wish him happiness, but Steve and I are done with him otherwise. Just waiting on Steve to get done with work so I can take him over to Mike's.

Three months rush in one day

Wow, what a task... finally completed!

Though not updated every day, I have virtually caught up on all entries since I went on hiatus in July. The timeline is pretty much complete and accurate and I apologize for not being around lately. I was actually in a writing mood today... this has been fun.

Speaking of not being around lately, one of my top favorite blogs here on blogger, Malls Of America, which I linked to before, has not been updated since the end of August. One moment, Keith Milford was adding pictures and everything most every day, then BLAM! Nothing. Exploring malls from the past are something I really enjoy (I have one on my computer desktop) and Keith had a good thing going. I hope he hasn't fallen off the face of the planet.

The PBA Tour makes its annual stop in Taylor tomorrow. I am planning on being there earlier this year, at the 11 AM door opening. I called two days ago and told them to leave a message for Erin, the GM, that I was going to be there. So I fulfilled the promise to call ahead of time to where I might get MVP seats and be seen on ESPN. I've told Jenni and my dad to watch tomorrow to see if they can sight me. They threw a 300 game at last year's event, and Walter Ray Williams, the 42-time winner, is the tournament leader. It would be a pleasure to meet him.

Jenni's doing pretty good... work was better yesterday (starting a new streak of accident-free days)... Tyler's acting up again... still working on choosing one of two people to move in here... watching YouTube videos of The Price Is Right with Bob Barker (since Drew has no clue)... hoping my consecutive days of a headache gets snapped at 17... and waiting for the potential first snowfall on Tuesday. My life is very active by all stretches, and thanks to an honest sit-down, now you know, as Paul Harvey says, "The Rest Of The Story."

Thanks for your patience in waiting for new material, and I promise to update more frequently.

Things that go "bump" in the day

Today I was involved in my first auto accident after fifteen years of driving.

I got smacked in my cab by a Mack truck, literally, on Telegraph Road in Brownstown. I was stopped in the left-most lane trying to make a left turn into a mobile home park with signals on, when suddenly I felt a "WUMP!" and next thing I know, this tanker is right behind me.

About thirty seconds after the impact, the passenger I had with me started complaining about neck problems. Upon inspection of the car, I noticed very little damage sustained with the hit, which I think was at 30 MPH. At this point, my mind wrote off the damage and I became more concerned with the welfare of my passenger. So I had a little discussion with the tanker driver and arranged to have his supervisor contacted immediately. The last I saw of Scott (the passenger), it appeared he was having whiplash. I asked him three times if he needed treatment, and he turned me down three times -- even when I asked "are you sure?"

I had a very heavy heart when I left there... and just want tomorrow to pass quickly so that I can get to this weekend that I desperately need. Of course, the boss went nuts and asked "how can I send the car out in this condition?" Damn hard plastic bumpers; if they had been chrome as in the good old days, you might notice a little discolorization, but nothing else. I had to laugh to myself as he said this; my attention turned to the cab next to me which had a nice green streak of paint stretching from the rear bumper to the rear passenger door. His father-in-law's cab had a big gash on the bumper. My damage was cosmetic in nature only. Why does he fly off the handle at something minor?

Days like this make me wish I never took the job. I barely made any money today, and with the stress about Scott, I know tonight won't provide much sleep.

I just can't understand how that stretch of Telegraph Road (which looks a lot like the road layout in the photo below) can function with the increase in traffic - without a left-turn lane or more signals throughout the area.



Hopefully this doesn't show a sign of me becoming accident prone. The night blindness thing notwithstanding, it actually is a great stress to take some of these passengers along, simply because you know someone else's life is in your hands. Even at the airport, what we did affected only us, not a paying customer.

The accident was not my fault. Nonetheless, I'll be starting on Monster.com all over again. Something tells me this stepping stone is about to sink.

Busloads! Boxcar loads! Planeloads!

All told, one hundred fourteen (114) trick-or-treaters came to the door last night in a 90-minute period. And this came after I was fifteen minutes late getting home from work tonight.

I'm still trying to catch my breath. I bought four bags of candy, thinking Steve could snack at two of them. In forty minutes, 3 1/2 bags were gone. So I started handing out nickels. I must have handed out almost $6 worth of nickels alone.

At one point, I walked into the kitchen to cut open another bag of candy (this year, they were Butterfinger Caramel Cremes I think -- and no, I'm not about to root through the garbage to verify that), which took thirty seconds. Eleven kids congregated on my driveway in a line in just that time. I thought, where were they bussing these kids in from?

Then I remembered: for twenty years, we lived on a dead-end street. Even to drive from the street in the complex behind ours to the home street would take five minutes. Thirty-nine homes, only half of which had kids. Any year we had thirty kids, I would marvel at their desperation.

I remember my dad's mom saying she would have a ton of trick-or-treaters every Halloween. The exact numbers escape me... but I wonder if I beat her record this year.

What I considered strange is that I didn't hear much hubbub about candy safety checkpoints like in previous years. And Detroit's "Angels Night" mission, held again over the holiday, garnered very little news. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not, but as long as it's not more bloody PR for the city, I guess it's all good. (Though one of the drivers told me the entire Angels Night thing is pure propaganda -- it wouldn't surprise me.)

Remember this entry from last November 12, entitled "Consolation Prize For Linus"? It detailed a pumpkin patch near the airport, when I was complaining about real pumpkins laid to the side and gone to waste. As it turns out, the house on that property burned two days ago, and according to the same driver who mentioned "propaganda", all seven occupants of the house perished. Strange that I've never read that.

I passed by there today and saw the gutted shell of the house; yet there were people in the patch, picking out pumpkins without a care in the world or one cent out of their pocket. I reserve comment on that image for a moment... it's too deeply disturbing to even fathom. Death lurks by (if that's indeed what happened), and the people don't care?

Guess we need to make those gory horror flicks mandatory viewing.

They've evolved from Underdog

Some photos to share of Jenni's kids in all their glory... Halloween is shared by all of them as the best holiday of the year.



To the left is Zack, dressed to the nines in a ninja costume. For some reason I think the ninja costume is going to be the hit this Halloween - again. I guess they like holding those fake weapons...






This is Nick in a black??? Spiderman outfit. Spiderman is something he's wanted to be all year. But Spiderman's outfit is done in red, isn't it? Or does he have a dark side? Wow, what an appropriate time of year to be opening that can of bats - er, worms, eh?...




And here is Cheyanna, dressed as a witch, one year after insisting she wanted to be a princess. As the old song goes, "I've seen the world from both sides now"... I wish I could see a picture of her in the princess outfit.

And Jenni? She herself went as a witch for the holiday too. She loves the holiday and is well known for watching a marathon of scary movies. She started on that a bit late this year, but she's in the process of catching up.

No fake outlaw costume for me this year. Had I been able to stay at Janice's halloween party last weekend, what would I have been? The Burger King. That would not have been pretty to say the least. I'd have hidden underneath my old Underdog costume which sits in some landfill somewhere.

They had a lot of fun at various functions, and they've shovelled in the candy supply big-time. Though I won't catch Halloween spirit like they have, it's got me tempted to hand candy out this year - first time since 2003. People will tell you that even at a young age, I enjoyed giving candy more than working for it...

... too many free treats for my dad!

Third roommate, takes 1 and 2

The search has been on for quite some time now to add another roommate to the mix here in order to lower individual spending bills. For three months I've been running an ad on the website adpost.com advertising the benefits of the house. However, the ad disappoints (and I admit it) by not having enough photos. (But why would I want to photograph Steve's room? I don't need to show the public photos of natural regeneration areas - HA!)

In that time, we've received one response from a British native that was to locate here on a work fellowship program. Everything seemed ready to go until the lack of photos was addressed. I sent a reply stating the problem would be fixed soon, but I've not heard hide nor hair from him since. I've not bothered to fix the problem, thinking it will take another response to the ad for me to fix the camera.

The ad may be completely worthless, but my PR skills may not be. Today one of my passengers expressed interest in moving in, saying it would save a lot of money. For one month in an absolute DIVE of a motel on Telegraph Road runs him almost $700. Geez, for $150 less per month, he gets use of a house with rent and utilities paid. He's shown some interest, but it's been tough trying to get a hold of him on the cellphone.

As I reiterate, the late though welcome severance check from Spirit has bailed me out this month. It seems to be a recurring theme to Michigan government, too. But I would hope my good days outnumber my bad days money-wise at work. It's the risk you take when driving a cab. I don't want any more close calls come rent time.

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ADDENUM: Possible second candidate interested in the house, showed more enthusiasm and says he will call by the weekend of November 3 and 4. Again, it's thanks to good PR skills I've obviously developed over time.

A success (while I was there)

Just came home from spending last night at Janice's with Jenni and the kids, helping prepare for a kid/adult Halloween party. I would have stayed for the whole thing (it ends tonight), but I wanted to be safe. Some members of the family aren't sure about me and I'd rather not start World War IV around the kids. (However, the only way they can be sure about me is to ask me, not make comments when they've never seen me.)

Things were chaotic, as can be expected when you have a household full of kids. The trip up was rather chaotic as well.

That darn night blindness thing I must have threatened to bite me throughout the 35-mile trip up there. The car has been running much better lately since I've figured out the last of its tricks. But it hadn't been tried for such a long distance at one time before (Flat Rock to St. Clair Shores). To make it worse, it began to rain slightly while waiting for Jenni in Flat Rock. Telegraph Road was going to be very tricky to manuever up.

I simply laid down the ground rules: when they saw me strain forward, all talking was to stop, as I had to concentrate hard to get around areas with either amber streetlights or no streetlights at all. Passing was a hazard. The kids obviously didn't get to say much during the trip, but I hope they understood why.

The car held up surprisingly well; didn't stall once, and we ended up at Janice's about 9 PM. The kids were up until 1 AM, Jen & me until at least 3 AM, which made for a 22-hour day for me. The kids, when together, are literal firecrackers. They're happy to see each other, and at the same time, fight for space. They fight over everything. Every half hour, something happened in that basement that required an adult. There were many threats of party cancellations.

Part of the reason Jenni and I were up so late was because the kids couldn't get settled downstairs. There were two pup tents, one larger than the other. Arguments ensued over who should get the bigger one, the smaller one, and the rug. Heck, I'd have preferred the rug just staring into the Halloween lights I strung on the ceiling!

Angie, one of Janice's friends, bounded down the steps and virtually waked the neighborhood up yelling at them. When it got to be too much, I went downstairs to handle it.

I've found the last thing these kids need is another adult yelling at them. That's partially why they act to the degree they do. I wanted to settle it diplomatically. Without raising my voice, I spent ten minutes in discussion planning their sleeping arrangements for that night as well as the next. Jenni came downstairs and saw immediately they were calmer. The others wondered how I was able to handle it so well. I kept the reasoning to myself, leaving it to the other adults (minus Jenni and I) to grasp the proceedings - and maybe learn something from it.

All else went well during the time there, and my car actually rewarded a rare showing of guts -- by travelling seventeen miles of expressway in a row - without stuttering or anything! I got home in a little under half-an-hour. Remember, the one time I tried to take Nine Mile Road, I spent an hour on that road alone.

Finally, it looks like the car is somewhat reliable now, which doesn't come a moment too soon. And from what I hear, things didn't end up so hot at the party after I left, so my going home averted World War V.*

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* Remember, George W. Bush started World War III in 2003.

One move I had bet against

Cousin Mike moved to Oklahoma City the other day. Unbelieveable. But good for him.

Right now, his trailer sits vacant with most of the furnishings & fixtures intact. The trailer has to stay in his father's name because his father plans on spending nights there while he's in Michigan. Apparently, all Mike's necessary items went down in one carload, a nineteen-hour trip that went without a hitch. And suddenly, his older brother Johnny and I are the only ones on that side of the family still in the state.

I would never have predicted Mike to make this move, even as recently as seven months ago. I never could have believed that Mike would have actually left Spirit. He was so gung-ho about the place until recently. Through my experiences there as well as what he witnessed in those last few weeks, however, obviously changed even HIS mind.

I used to joke with him that he wore a shirt with an "S" underneath... but the "S" didn't stand for Superman, it stood for Spirit. He was married to that place, for all we knew. Now it comes as a shock when we realize even Mike can get turned off by a bad work environment.

Steve worries about Mike in particular, because he hasn't landed a job in OKC yet. Mike's not been one that's been wise about money, we must admit. Too many bills and not enough paychecks. But the fact is, he's been following his heart.

He was able to reconnect with his hidden high school sweetheart, Cindy, through MySpace. By "hidden", it means he had a secret crush on her; and after the reconnection he found out she had that same secret crush on him. The crush went unanswered for over 15 years. Now they are together and I have seen him in photos more happy than I ever have.

He (along with Steve) used to tease me about all the girlfriends I had in the past. Mike went 32 years without one, so I would even sense some resentment in his teasing. Steve was a little more critical about Mike than I was; I always believed anything was possible. Still, it's shocking to a point when it actually happens. You can prepare for something all your adult life, and when it comes, you feel as if you never prepared for it at all. Yet sometimes, the shock can be a good thing.

Mike realized at the same time as I did that Michigan has no hope for the immediate future. Yet I didn't think either of us had the guts to do something about it. Lack of money is not a crutch, it is a sad fact of life for us. I always thought I would make the move first, but look what happened. And I feel happy for him.

Sure, I wish I could say it was me that could move, but every move I make is stamped with "Proceed with Caution". I don't think he's blown the caution to the winds, like some of his friends say. Steve and I both worry about him. But you cannot defeat the heart, or the mind when it agrees with the heart and provides the determination and inner gut to do this.

If anyone deserves a better life (outside of me), it's Mike. It's been 33 uneasy years for him. Now he gets to shake that off and start the new life he's always wanted, but had doubted he'd ever get -- before now.

Bravo, cousino.

Don't call Sam -- call Terry

Whatever lawyer is out there, famous or not, I'm about ready to call them. Short, sweet and to the point: Spirit's severance check to me is STILL not in the mail and is STILL not deposited into my bank account, as promised by the station manager back on August 29.

Phone calls have been made, and have either not been returned, or been treated to lip service. Apparently, nobody in the department (which comprises one single room) ever sees each other. How can this be, when they are scheduled to work the same hours and the same days?

Not having what was promised to me is proving to be heart-wrenching. Rent is a never-ending fiasco at the 1st of every month. With my cab fare share, I can get the rent, but what about the utilities? Steve still owes me money, and to his credit he's been working his can off. He's been giving me what he can, and it has helped. But the budget I had in mind for the rest of 2007 was based on the pair of checks Spirit would give me. I got one of them at the beginning of last month.

Who knows if they're even going to send it through?

This could prove damaging, I think, if it keeps going like this. Throw a lawyer on the case, and they'd be out more money than if they just paid me now. The station manager wouldn't look too brilliant, either.

Actually, now that I'm on the outside looking in as far as the airline goes, near the tops of the Google list for Spirit is this blog by blogger Alex Rudloff, simply saying not to fly Spirit (NOTE: This link puts you at comment #436; please navigate that page for links back to the initial page of comments if you so choose).

I added my two cents into the responses from the public, which at the time labelled four hundred people. Four hundred! Third on the Google list for most hits. Absolutely amazing. Does anybody look brillant over there now?

I've seen the redesign of the planes (another messy, loud color look), and that their uniforms are even going to have sponsors. Did I really want to be sponsored by Geico? Wouldn't that equate me to the Caveman?

If that's the way management thinks of me when they decide, or they forget, to send me what was promised me through a corporate email, hopefully a few calls from me will change that in a hurry.

Why do they promote bad runs?

Cab passengers better not think that their driver can't guess what's going on when they're into something suspicious. They also better not assume that their driver won't report what's going on, in exchange for the proper fare being received.

I had my first ugly fare today, a young couple who were obviously going on a drug run to Delray in southeast Detroit. Myself, I have no interest in transporting people to get a fix. But it's a necessary part of the business, and per the contract, you can't refuse a fare, so I had to take them.

Safe to say I will try to avoid the immediate area around the office during mid-day.

I think they were worried half the time that I was going to blow their cover, which I wish I could have done. Because a cab driver can be held liable for trafficking if caught. Thank goodness for them I stick to the rules of the road on a regular basis.

If these drugs are illegal, why do cab companies let drivers transport the pushers and the buyers to do their thing? The dispatcher can locate areas on a map, but can't see the area the driver is going to, so I guess the judgement is left up to the driver. On a bad money day, you're more tempted to just transport them. But I just wonder why we're allowed to do that? Shouldn't we be busting ass and taking names, following the law to its letter?

This particular transport left something to be desired - even conning the company out of half the cab fare. Guess that what happens when they don't get their regular driver - who they can't trick. I'll call it "lesson learned" and file it away for a rainy day.

The rest of the week is going okay so far, by the way.

And it all comes back to term limits

Newspaper readers, take note of the fine print: What Michigan averted on October 1 could likely happen again on November 1.

I had to explain to a couple friends that October 1 didn't end the budget crisis in this state: they only agreed to a one-month extension of the current teetering budget.

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and House Speaker Andy Dillon are taking much of the heat from this. There are some fledgling recall campaigns being organized for at least five state congressional people. At the center of the rhubarb is how to close a billion-dollar deficit without making cuts to their special interest groups.

The newspapers won't tell you that. They won't mention the groups. Maybe they don't need to, because the average Joe knows what's going on better than some of these staff writers let on.

Criticism runs the gamut. But one point they cite, now more than ever, was the term limit package voters approved several years ago. I for one was a term-limit supporter at that time. Too many career politicians in the state, too much cronyism, too many people voting for them time & again because of name recognition... voting based on past service to the state, not thinking about their current rate of service.

However, the term limit system has had a few elections to flow freely. And people are now pointing out that those on the House and Senate floors lack the experience, the authority, or the respect from their peers to muster an acceptable budget package without shrouds of doubt behind them.

Who are some of the dinosaurs still lurking? Not on a state level, but U.S. Congressman John Dingell still resides on Capitol Hill. Opponents running against him used to call him "Bigfoot". He was their main target of their campaigns to get term limits imposed. There's been a Dingell in Congress forever, they said. The call for fresh blood was obvious, and the state citizenry bought into it.

Now, Dingell looks wise compared to some of the people from Michigan. On a personal note, he even helped Jenni greatly, dealing with a corrupt social worker who was denying Jenni the services she deserves and needs. With an Andy Dillon there in Dingell's place, would the same thing have happened?

It's been said that the people in state politics now don't have a backbone and cannot vote their clear conscience. They have to rely on a state prototype that's no longer effective. They can't get out of the shadows of their predecessors, so they vote likewise to continue the tradition.

Michigan's government, as a result, looks very weak to us, and to the nation in general. The union consists of 49 states plus Michigan, according to one survey I read.

If they were laughing October 1, there'll be sides splitting all over the place on November 1.

Think of the state of Michigan and its citizens for a moment, folks. The citizens, NOT the companies.

And save us from final damnation on November 1.

Choose your strike target

Welcome to the land of the strike, folks.

General Motors just recovered after a brief strike against the UAW. Chrysler is their next target, and odds are they could go on strike too. Last on the list is Ford, which has gone through the most turmoil of any of the Big Three the last couple years.

Now there's rumblings that one of the three casinos in Detroit could end up on strike as well, slashing the tax rolls of Detroit day-by-day. Remember that all three casinos were threatened with shutdown during that marathon to October 1 the state just had.

In Michigan's blase economy, it stands out as no surprise that these strikes are so imminent. But they couldn't have come at a worse time regardless.

The state needs stability fast... which is all that can be said.

They played "Chiffon" once too often

I loved that commercial for Chiffon margarine in the 1970s. You know, the one known for "It's not NICE to fool Mother Nature!"

By chance, was it played over and over and over again in the 70s and 80s? And did Mother Nature get so fogged up over it that she's exacting revenge on the planet now?

I should read up on Al Gore. I need to make it a point to see An Inconvenient Truth one night - Steve has a copy on his computer. I've heard Gore has plenty of good points to offer on the future of this planet.

Look at what has transpired here in the last couple years. The last days of my time off for my condition coincided with the crashing of Hurricane Katrina into Louisiana; not to mention Rita and Wilma later in the year. This years' California wildfires. The alarming lack of water around suburban Atlanta. The constant reports here in Michigan that our lake levels are dropping to record low levels. The video footage of the great ice barriers crumbling due to increased warmth in the Arctic. The tsunamis we've heard so much about. Last year's Michigan winter was virtually non-existent; very mild and rather dry.

Maybe I can make a better educated guess on what's causing the weather to go haywire after watching Gore. My reasoning could end up anywhere between Ozone Layer and auto emissions to the Second Coming.

How many acres are burning as we speak? How many have burned in the last ten years? How many more acres of forests do we have country-wide? And how long before we burn every last tree down to the ground? Even Michigan had a wildfire in its Upper Peninsula this summer, so we are not immune by any means.

The last two years, we've been spared catastrophic hurricanes. But who's to say the Gulf Coast won't get socked in the near future? Hurricane amounts come and go in cycles, and meterologists say we are only in the beginning stages of the next cycle.

What happens when all the pipelines and wells run dry in the southeast? We've seen what happens (2004) when all the power goes out, but do we ever think of a world without water? It seems impossible, since 70% of the earth is water. You can bet some pundits would suggest we transport Great Lakes water down there, but we must pay attention to our own dropping lake levels.

The ice barriers hold so much water potential in their solid form and help promote the current temperature planet-wide. You lose those, and the water evaporates away, we lose something else: the overall stability of the planet, perhaps.

I'll watch Gore's video as soon as I can. And I must admit they don't sell Chiffon anymore, I use Parkay... so hopefully I don't fool Mother Nature one more time.

On a serious note, though, it's the truth: none of us can afford to.

More YouTube finds

There have been some great finds I've seen on YouTube in the last couple weeks. Chief among these is this clip celebrating Bugs Bunny's 51st and a half birthday. I think it was made for one of the Golden Collection releases of Looney Tunes classics a couple years back.

Much the same way that Steve mourned the death of Muppet legend Jim Henson, I felt bad about the death of Mel Blanc, the man of a thousand voices. I didn't think anyone could duplicate that talent, but whoever's doing it now is doing a fine job, as you'll see in the video.

The exception: Elmer Fudd... but only Arthur Q. Bryan ever did Fudd quite well. Fudd's current voice sounds much like the voice Blanc provided Fudd in the rare instances Bryan was not available... which made him sound a little more punch-drunk in my opinion.

Some other favorites:

* "Hard working George" from the last presidential debate... This adds ample proof that the man repeats himself (only his request for more war funds are more annoying)...

* "ABCDEF... Cookie Monster!", probably my favorite Kermit The Frog moment. This was done in the early 70s. Kids didn't use a teleprompter. The ending is so sweet; you'll know it when you see it.

I also see more bowling videos posted - great trip down memory lane.

I only wish there were more sports shown on YouTube; that is, the non-brawl ones.

---------------------------
* Work went okay this week. I still shudder whenever I'm dispatched to Detroit for something. Some of those neighborhoods still look like fodder. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick says there's improvement. Where? Around his office? Geez. No wonder morale in those neighborhoods are so low. And I guess I shouldn't worry if I screw something minor up. Some of these drivers are boneheads, have no respect for anyone, and tell the boss point-blank how they feel. It's not good to go to the boss point-blank for anything unless you have your safety net in place.

* Nothing definitive yet about Nicky and his eye. He's used to the patch and I guess he's deflecting criticism admirably. He's going through a lot. I only wish I could be there to help out.

* Paying rent's gonna be a circus again; nothing new.

* And I think it's close to being time for me to get that severance check from Spirit that I was promised, in exchange for not working the two-week notice off. Damn, wish I had some visual evidence... but all I think I'll get is a run-around. Suffice it to say though that this is one issue I will not let die on my watch.

You don't know what you got...

I made it a priority after work today to check on Dawn, following the events I described in the previous post. Now add to that the fact that Irene (her grandmother) has just been released from the hospital and now must rely on Hospice care, and everyone knows what that means, symbolically at least.

Now everyone in that family seems to be crawling out of the woodwork, saying my gosh, where has the time gone, and what's happened to her? Being a neighbor for four years, I know what's been going on with her. I always try to check on her at least once a month. I'm only a neighbor. Where's her extended family been all this time?

Dawn now has the role of my late mother in 1989-1991, when she was literally the sole caregiver for her mother, afflicted with Alzheimers. She may have gotten help from her brother and his wife, but that was it. There was a big family split in the late 1960s between my grandmother and her younger brother which cut everyone in half. We didn't expect to hear from the adversaries, but what about the ones who didn't split off back then, and what about their offspring?

My grandmother was the matriarch of her family back then. In many cultures, the matriarch or patriarch are revered. My mother should have had more than part time help from two people. I would have done more if I knew how to work with an Alzheimers patient.

My mother spent more time at her mother's house than she did at ours. It was a lifting of a burden for her that I was 19 years old at the time and could be trusted at home alone, with my father working afternoons. And my mother didn't cut her hours at her job, either; it was straight from Dearborn to Wyandotte. I might have seen her an hour a day at our house. And even when we hired Roma to be the full-time housekeeper over there, my mother was there every day. Everyone else? When it was convenient for them.

I harbor no regret now. It's been sixteen years since grandma's passing. The hurt has healed also because the family just split up permanently; everyone picked up their balls and left. No arguments could possibly take place if the combatants weren't in the "ring". It was just a feeling of resignation my mother felt about a year into the ordeal; she was thankful for help, but she knew better than to expect a consistent effort from supporting members of the family, and that was a damn shame.

The minute Grandma hit Hospice and was near death, then we starting hearing from her friends at the church, at the Polish Club, and elsewhere. The funeral home and service turnouts were astoundingly huge. Grandma had a lot of people who loved her.

But where were they when my grandmother was going through the worst of it at home? You could count it on one finger: my mother.

Now Dawn takes care of her grandmother more than her own Mom does. Relatives are there now for brief visits. I've been here four years, and I've never seen any of them before. This means Irene's visitors list is very small, and like it was sixteen years ago... a damn shame.

Does this paint the picture of family who really cares, or family who turns out just to fulfill a basic, bare-bones committment?

Dawn knows Steve and I have her back if she needs it. I hope she goes one step above my mother and demands it from those who need to provide it.

The first week takes time

It's the end of a grueling first week at the new job. All I can say is, put some of these 60-hour weeks on a long consecutive streak, and the minute this job gets replaced by a typical 8-hour job, I can say "8 hours, that's all?" That would have improved my outlook for overtime at my airport job, but thankfully that's all in the past.

Turns out my strengths on knowing streets still sticks with Downriver. Almost six months after stating here that I don't know the businesses within a mile of my house (after four years), I STILL don't know them. It turns out I don't know businesses, and some side streets either. Luckily enough, I bought a good street map of Wayne County, so all I have to do is look things up, in lieu of one of those $400 GPS systems. Truth be known, all cab and limo companies need those things. I remember my last college exam was in a GPS class, where the technology was just starting. It's come a long way since and is so localized... the technology is just amazing.

I probably had one or two so-so passengers out of the fifty-plus I carried this week, which is not a bad ratio at all. I'm sure I'll get some regular fares along the way who will get to know me, so that won't be a problem. But to come in out of the blue and have that ratio be as good as it was, it bodes for a good start.

Tuesday I raked in more than I would at an average day at the airport! Hopefully there will be more good days like that.

If the house and its condition weren't falling behind before, it certainly is now, however. I get "car lag" very easily and after I get home, I usually talk to Jenni and then plop down for the night. I have sane days off for once (Saturday/Sunday) and will have to get the household stuff done during that time. Steve is planning on working more off-days so he can hit the Phillipines later this month... hopefully the house doesn't get in too bad a shape.

I'm worried about Dawn's son Tyler, who's getting a little overly-aggressive in the way he talks to his family, and specifically the way he handles his little brother Dylan. It seems like he's changed overnight, that aggression he was holding suddenly became uncaged. It doesn't appear that Dawn saw this coming, and she's still reeling from the shock. I think Tyler needs some coping skills and more avenues for which to channel his anger -- his brother is NOT the place to start.

And laundry is once again getting to be a real un-fun chore. The new plastic PVC pipe trap in the floor is jammed as well, so we'll have to resort to the portable tub again. The landlord will say "I told you so", but fact is, when I placed a screen on the discharge pipe, it bubbled up through a trap and soaked the carpet anyway. Hopefully snaking the drain out doesn't become routine; one snake out can cost over $100 per visit according to an estimate. I was like "whoa! Snaking out should only cost $40..."

Uh, that was in the 1980s, Kev.

New job starts tomorrow!

Before heading out to Elizabeth Park in a few hours, just wanted everyone to know that I got a new job at Metro Express Cab Company which begins tomorrow.

Some of the iffy parts of my former cab job in 2001 are still there: 60 hour work weeks, and if you're standing waiting for a fare, you're not paid by the hour. I certainly hope it's a bit different than '01 was, where I had to live off the tips and bring home a weekly paycheck that rarely exceeded $110.

But obviously, I became more schooled in personal public relations between then and now. The owner's father-in-law was sold on me from the very beginning, and said he campaigned months to get me on board. Unfortunately for now, it has to be as a driver, and I wisely made the decree that I go to day shift. Developing night blindness (which is something my late mother had) results in an inability to see street sign and house number details too well. True, I could circle around several times, but why look like an idiot when I don't have to?

Potential fares need not worry however; the night blindness doesn't affect my ability to see where I'm going - unless it rains. Another reason to go day shift!

At this rate, my body could use a sit-down job. True, it's still not in my career field and it's not in a cubicle either, but sitting down is sitting down. Plus, you meet all sorts of people, and variety plays a huge role in my liking of a job. I get bogged down by never-ending routines from punch-in to punch-out.

Wish me luck, everyone!

Carnival 2007

The odds this year worked perfectly. With a semi-decent car at my disposal and in-between jobs, there was no scheduling conflict this year: I just finished four days of full duty at the church festival calling bingo yesterday.

It's amazing in a church community that people don't forget who you are, even if you're not there in the twelve months between festivals. Why the general community as a whole can't share this friendliness is beyond me, but since there is a huge church vs. state thing as we all know, I won't plunge into an argument.

Training for callers was on Thursday. Everyone who tried did well. Bingo chair Rachelle said I didn't need to go up there to prove my worth, so I didn't even have to try out.

Unfortunately, bingo was not too well attended this year, which has been a problem. Even with the added hour from 1-2 PM, it didn't make much of a difference in the bottom line. Going as a spectator in the early 1980s, when they still allowed kids to sit at the tables and at least play with the chips, I recall $100 first prizes on coveralls by nighttime. This year, the highest amount I remember was $60. Still, it got oooos and ahhhhs from the audience. What's happened to the value of the dollar anyway?

Oh yeah... see "US Economy" on google for more...

Only one real "incident" in the three days I called... someone shouted out "bingo" at the wrong time, and I was quick to catch it. Even Rachelle told me later she would never have caught that. The rule is, when you get bingo, you have to shout it out before the next number is called. Otherwise, it's the "you snooze, you lose" mantra. Maybe because it took place on church grounds, the ruling was accepted without any further problems... nice to see when we look at the lack of tolerance in today's society.

Aunt Lori made it down there and we had lunch in the entertainment tent. She was not happy at all with me losing the airport job, and it took ten minutes of explanation to calm her down. She's just worried about my welfare, but I told her things would take care of themselves.

Over the years, musical bands that play there have received tepid audience reaction. Especially since the Polish bands have become scarce (I'm sorry; when I think "festival" I think of Polish bands), nobody gets a standing ovation anymore. I heard a great ovation for the group today and I said "man, I haven't seen a group get this much support since the Polka Towners of the 1980s." Turns out, under a different banner, these WERE the Polka Towners of old. In the 80s when they played, they were very festive. EVERYONE stopped at that tent at the close of the festival to watch them play "God Bless America", followed by a strobe-light show. And I mean EVERYONE attended. How nice to see them back, with the audience enthused like they used to be. They set a standard for that festival that is still there today. They even have small clips of their playing on YouTube, and they have a website devoted to their history here.

Unfortunately, my troublesome hip took the joy out of my final day there, which I had to cut short. But still, a very good four days. And the car chipped in with cooperation too! Can't ask for much more.

And plans are in the works for me, Jenni and the kids to go to Elizabeth Park in Trenton this coming weekend. I've finally understood the need to convert from "all work and no play", a challenge I am accepting with relish!

Pruned by natural means

This was the damage done to the Branford Pear Tree in my backyard, within five feet of my south bedroom window, recently. No wind, no downpour, no tornado... we just had a light mist falling all night. I heard a whoosh about 2 AM and figured it might have been paper falling off the cabinet in my room. Steve came out that morning and said "how did the weed (growing alongside the deck at that time) grow half-way across the yard?"

Simply put, I was amazed that this branch, 5" in diameter and nearly 20 foot tall when stood up, only grazed the house. It didn't damage the window or the siding, and didn't even affect the window air unit in my window at the time. This branch was the main offshoot from the trunk and comprised 30% of the tree foilage.

Countless times, I remember smacking my head on it when trying to mow the lawn, while saying "that branch needs to be sheared off." If that's exactly the words I used, there really is such a thing as a genie, because it did shear off... allbeit roughly.

It took nearly two weeks to find the utensils needed to clean up from this spot (amazingly, no grass died). It is still in holding on the side of the house, waiting for the landlord to dispose of it.

I had an estimate for a clearing of the branches earlier, and I was amazed at the guy's attitude. He looked at me like I was the last on Earth to know that Branford Pears had a rough time this year with splitting at the trunk. This was not news to him, but hello -- this tree has not plastered the cover of Home & Garden magazine, has it?

In spite of its low clearance, it has been a good shade tree. I only hope that it doesn't go through shock between now and next spring - there is a pretty nice gash in the trunk - to where it will need to be replaced next season.

In flight, far from the airport!

Drum roll please...

I FINALLY HAVE LEFT THE AIRPORT!!!!!

Yes, six years of drama has finally been completed - I am no longer employed at that bitch of a job. And I can say with confidence that although it has given me stability on a resume, and I put all my effort into that job, this move was long overdue.

"Fan reaction"? All positive, even from my father. One of the reasons I held onto the job for so long (and I've told him this) is that dad looked at me in a very disappointed light in 2000 when I left Calder's for the first time after just three months. It was one of those cases where I lit into the boss and left. He basically told me that wasn't the right way to do things. That is known fact; the way he presented it, however, stuck with me.

I wanted to prove him differently, and I believe I did. Dad worked in the same place for 30 years, though... I only put in six years at Spirit. But this day and age, a person's not going to last for 30 years in one location too often. The average person changes jobs over nine times in a lifetime. My dad had it good because he lived in a time where job security was virtually guaranteed. Times have changed, and I think between 2000 and now, he understands that.

Though he and I don't talk too much, his support still means a whole lot and always will.

But let's go ahead and set the stage for the final confrontation which happened last night:

I had an hour break between flights, so I figured I'd go chat with Lisa. I always scan the watch wherever I am and I'm always aware of where I'm supposed to be. Then, Dianne from baggage came to me and said the rampers were looking for me, that I'm supposed to be out there. What, 45 minutes before the plane? I bid Lisa adieu and went back out there.

Turns out they rotated crews and threw my crew on a new plane five minutes before it landed. If you're told you've got an hour break, what do you do? Some go to the concessions. Some go outside to smoke or walk around. I decide to talk to a friend. And whereas some crews miss people when flights are rescheduled, and don't complain about it... oh, when I'M missing, they virtually send TSA out to look for me. Doesn't this hearken to my July entry about management having it in for me?

What blame could I take? None, other than sincerely apologizing for missing this detail, though questioning why we only get five minutes' notice. I even had the two-way radio and heard nothing. But the gate lead wouldn't even give me a chance to explain and initiated a tirade that ended up being two workers shouting at each other. There's two sides to every story, and I wasn't being heard. A six-year worker against a two-year worker should have some pull for me.

Guess not.

The supervisor was working the flight, and after the argument, I told him I was finally done due to this blatant disrespect. He told me to write a letter of intent, and after the flight was offloaded, I did so. He fired it off to the station manager and I went on my business, not telling anyone what I'd done (a two-week notice).

Hearken the July entry again: Finishing up the last flight, I was told to come into the supervisor's office, where the supervisor told me of the reply from the station manager: I would get the two weeks' severance pay, but that I would not be working for it. In other words, I would be paid to stay home.

Lol, I really loved that idea, and at the same time my mind was satisfied and at peace, knowing that six years of saying they had it in for me was true, after all. What a bunch of peons. They escorted me out, took my equipment, wished me luck, and closed the door behind me.

THANK GOD! That's all I can say. And here I am, making this entry, shaking a little in the legs, realizing not only the actual decision to leave was made, but the scope of how important it will be to me, given everything that's happened since 2001.

I look forward to the disintegration of Spirit Airlines in the forthcoming years, especially with me not there. I wasn't prepared to be the anchor of the sinking ship in this instance. And I won't be.

Mid-August: an update

Thought I'd log on real fast (on my sixth anniversary of my hiring at Spirit) to let you know everything is still the status quo at work. It's getting harder to walk around and I find I'm doing things at a much slower pace than even I'm used to, but the work's getting done nonetheless.

I'm still devoting too much time to sleeping, I think. Sleep patterns are still scattered and my dreams are more warped than ever. They always have been, and no one knows why. The most annoying thing that happens in every dream I have, is that I can be anywhere, doing anything, and all of a sudden a taxiing plane crosses my path in much the same way a black cat can cross your path. All of a sudden, I find myself wearing a uniform and doing some menial airline task.

Sheesh, I do one better than bring my work home with me: I bring it into my DREAMS.

My housekeeping skills are suffering. You should have seen when I lived at my grandmother's in 2000. One basement flood aside, the place was as pristine while I was there as my grandmother kept it for years. You'd never know when I'd break out the vaccum and clean the carpet... 10 PM, 2 AM, it didn't really matter.

Now I'm starting to look at this house, and for the first time, its sheer size is getting to me. Seems pathetic when you consider this house is only 800 square feet, while my parents' was 1,700. Then again, at my parents' house, you had three people working to make sure things were in order. I'm cleaning for two as I may have said before -- and even Jenni's kids do more to try to help at their house than Steve does here. Mostly, it's been dirty dishes. Overall, it's becoming overall filth. In lieu of hiring a maid service, I wonder where the housecleaning help will come from.

The landlord likes us as tenants because, among other reasons, we do a great job keeping the place up. I hate to fall back on my reputation, but it's just getting too hard. At least at the apartment in Dearborn, I didn't have to worry about yardwork.

The car is still acting up the same way it was; I hate it when it stalls out of its own accord. However, I make it work by using it as solely a work car only. Seventeen miles round-trip per day plus a trip to the gas station every once in awhile is all I need it to do. If it works even seven times out of ten, consider myself fortunate.

And in trying to add some spice to my life, I find procrastination is getting in the way of that, too. The church festival (where I call bingo) is three weeks away, and I've found I've done little to try to get my name on the duty roster.

I wish for a different routine. This is the way it's been for six years. Is it just overt tolerance, or is it a fear of change, given the way this world is turning out lately? I wish I knew.

Motivation -- everywhere

Why am I sticking at that job even through all the crap that has happened?

One reason:

Here's my angel with her suddenly blonde hair... I like it.

But back to motivation: Everyone needs perks to succeed. Sports players do it with money. CEOs do it with severance packages, ha ha. I truly had no one on my side at that airline through all these years. Now, Jenni is giving me the strength and support I need to carry this thing through. Where it will all go and how long this latest injury-filled work time will last is known to no one.

But the real motivation is there for the first time. While not allowing myself to let myself down in the face of all the stupidity I've faced, I won't allow myself to let this lady down.

Geez, I only wish I could update this blog more frequently than I am...