The D Gets Some Love

Interesting read in the Huffington Post that rated the most overrated destination spots in the world. 

"#7 ChicagoSpend a little time in the Windy City and you'll come to know a people obsessed with the answer to a question nobody else has ever asked: "Is Chicago a world class city?" As a former local, I can help. The answer is no. Chicago is a handsome, reasonably entertaining provincial capital. This used to be enough for Chicagoans, but then it wasn't, leading to a period of time, beginning around the turn of the new century, during which all manner of foolishness -- from baffling things built by celebrity architects to a slew of obnoxious restaurants -- was unleashed upon the city. Suddenly, everything was pretty much the same, except now it was way more expensive. Yes, the city has some iconic cultural institutions and that beautiful lakefront. But look too far past the glittering Potemkin village at Chicago's center and you'll find yourself near or at the bottom of a sad pile of poor to average.

Instead, try
Go to Detroit. It's more honest. Also, there's a great art museum, a proper public market, some of the country's best architecture, the music scene is fun, the food scene is better than it has been in ages and the beer is better and much cheaper. Everything's cheaper. Also: Detroiters are friendly -- Chicagoans are just polite. There's a big difference."

First Snow Storm of Winter 2012

Winter has finally made its way to The D as we have gotten socked with 4.5 inches of snow and counting.
8300
What made the initial winter storm cleanup better this year is that we have a new tool in the shed and its name is RedMax 7500.

When the dealer told me that he used it instead of his snow blower for light amount of snow removal I was sceptical, but there I was today I looked at the shovel then I looked at the blower then back to the shovel then I finally decided to try it. Sure it's a backpack blower, but I was amazed at how powerful it was and how fast it was. I was out there no more than 10 minutes and I was done.

Worst part of the removal was needing to refuel half way through the cleaning and getting hit with 150+ miles snow being driven from the blower but heck that didn't stop me and it wont in the future.

In hindsight, I should have bought the 8500 series for the added volume it would have helped if we get a bigger storm next time.

Woodward Dream Cruise 2012

Well, it's that time of the year in Motown as The D prepares for another year of muscle and mayhem on Woodward Ave.  It is also another year of the start of the cruise starting earlier and earlier in the week.  This year there were at least a thousand hot rods and muscle cars out on Monday on the way home from work.

Although I love the event and seeing all the classics come out in force, I just wish it would be later in the week when all the traffic jams start.  This year should be no different than the last few years while over 40,000 classic cars cruise Woodward in front of nearly two million people on Saturday.  The event started in 1994 as a way of raising funds for a local Ferndale soccer field.  They had expected to attract only 50,000 people to the event, but after 250,000 actually showed up a mainstay was created.

This week, the event is going to draw nearly 2 million people to the week long event to see classic Motor City Muscle on display.  Don't get me wrong there are also a few imports and pre WW2 classics, but what the fans are out to see and hear is the rumble of a V8 big block as it cruises feet from you.

If you can imagine the car then this is the place to probably see it.  Want to see a Ford GT, Lamborghini or Ferrari's and other supper cars, you'll sure to see a few of them on display.  Want to see the Batmobile, the General Lee, or the Monkeys car... yep they're here.  Want to see a few Mustangs, then you should be able to see a mile of them from classic to customs.  Want to see a few rare Mopars... then this is the best place to see and hear a Hemi.  As far as GM's go you'll see everything from pristine Vetts, to hard to see GTO and of course the classic Camaro.  So if you got some time this week and want to see the finest of what Motown produces then this is the time to head to Woodward Avenue anywhere between Pontiac and The D.

Hot or Not Hot

Kristen Stewert

Open Letter to the Pepper Potts

When I get home, I am glad to see you too, but after I listen to how your day went for five minutes, I would like to talk to the other pack members in the house. Furthermore, just because an appliance makes a noise, it is not trying to communicate with you so you don’t need to talk back to them. They don’t move by themselves, so they are not alive.

The bowls with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate of food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the top or bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Other dogs can and do actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to us, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking your tail straight out and having your tongue hang out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, bark, and try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine attendance is not required.

While we are not subject of bathrooms, I know that you do your business outdoors, but if it is raining or snowing at the time that you want to go outside, I don’t have the power to shut off the water or snow machine.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, and then go smell the other dog's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness Pepper, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT PEPPER POTTS:

Pepper lives here. You don't.

If you don't want her hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.

I like Pepper a lot more than I like most people.

To you, she is an animal. To me, she is an adopted daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.

I have more money and time invested in her then I do in most of you.

Detroit Pistons Will Win the NBA Title

Well, not this year, but I'm sure they will get there if they do the right things this year and continue to draft well and make a few key free agent acquisitions. I didn't miss the NBA lookout at all. It is tuff to relate with millionaires complaining about multi millionaires. So I didn't jump through the roof when they decided to come back and play.

The best thing that the NBA did was start the season on Christmas day and showcase the better teams in the league. Unfortunately, the other 20 teams in the league now need to play and this is where the Pistons will fall this year.

The game between the Pistons and Pacers is unwatchable as the Pistons are being clowned by an average team. It is amazing that the Pistons front office decided to keep so many of the players that stunk the place up last year and didn't deserve another chance. The Pistons were 30 - 52 last year. I would have been much more happy with them going with a heavy dose of the young guys and let them play.

They Pistons lack size and athleticism on their front court. The still have three of the four guards that were on the team last year and several of the players are playing out of positions.

The player that I most disappointed with last year was Tayshaun Prince. The guy made over $11 million dollars last year and was poised to take over the team and be the leader... he didn't. This year he looks a step slower and still doesn't look like he hustles on the floor.

The coaching looks improved in that they don't seem to be yelling at each other or the refs. It drove me nuts last year as it seemed that every time they had a foul, they would raise the hands palms up towards the roof saying that they didn't foul. At least they aren't doing that anymore. The ball movement is average and they don't rebound the ball well. I hope that Joe Dumars is just showcasing some of the veterans so that they can be traded later in the year for draft picks... then again, he did resign Stuckey, Prince and Wallace this year... and two of the three are just stealing money this year.

Christmas in the D

The older I get the harder my parents are to shop for. When did this change occur? I used to get my dad a crazy tie and make something in shop class for my mom and now that I am an adult and can afford anything they would ever need, I can’t seem to find anything they want.

So it is no surprise but they enjoy going to the casino and spending their entertainment budget gambling. I have no problem with this as they set a limit that they are going to spend and they never have a problem with their method.

So I figured that I would buy them some chips so they could go gamble on my dime. I figured, this makes me happy and also makes them happy… the classic win/win situation.

I typically start my shopping on Christmas Eve (don’t ask me why, I just always do this) and this year was no different. I headed to the casino on Christmas Eve to find out that my idea of buying the chips on my credit card became an epic fail as the casino does not take American Express cards. So today on Christmas Day I headed back to the casino with green backs and bought chips with them.

The thing that I found shocking was the amount of people at the casino on Christmas day. I was not expecting to see the amount of people that were spending time there instead of their families. I wonder if they were real hard core gamblers or if they had nothing better to do.

Update... I taped the Casino chips to the bottom of a Santa Clause and gave the gift to the parents. Both the parental units liked the chips and they didn't give me any grief for getting them the chips... I may have struck gold with this gift as I can give this gift year after year. Tomorrow I will need to head out to see if I can find a Santa for next year while they are still cheap and readily available.

Things Wrong With Christmas During The Information Age

It is 2011 Christmas day and the kids are just opening gifts. The air is filled with excitement as the kids open their gifts.

A few minutes later the kids are depressed and are complaining to their parents. What happened???

It is the information age and the way we communicate with each other has changed with the times. When I was a kid we would open our gifts and when we went back to school we would all be wearing our new clothes that we got and a few of us where in awe of some of the other kids that got the cool gift.

Move forward 40 years and things have changed. This morning’s joy of finding out that they are going to a cool concert this summer is broken a few minutes later when one of them found out that their friends are also going to the concert but are sitting closer to the stage.

This would have never happened “back in the day”, but the speed in how information travels makes the mood shifts much more severe in this new age.

Have a Merry Christmas.