Thursday, May 21, 2009

Stuff (including a ball game)


Work’s so busy that I decided I could take off today and head to Detroit and watch the Tigers beat up on W’s old team, the Rangers. (Actually, I'd planned this two months ago.) What a great day for baseball, beautiful skies and warm but not too hot (it was 79 degrees when the game started, 85 when the Tigers turned a double play to end the game in the top of the ninth). We got to Detroit around 11 AM, in time to have lunch at the Hockeytown Café. I decided to live dangerously and ordered a veggie burger (their black bean burger was excellent!). But I’m sure I broke some kind of unwritten guy rule by eating vegetarian at a place with hockey jerseys from so many great players. But the cute waitress with her dyed red hair told everyone that it was her favorite, so I felt vindicated as everyone else chowed-down on Reubens and ½ pound hamburgers. After lunch, we headed over to the game. Jackson, the starting pitcher for Detroit, got off to a bad start. He gave up a homer in the first inning (but so did the Rangers) and for the first few innings was only tossing the ball around 93 miles per hour. But as the innings continued, he began to smoke it with 97 and 98 mph strikes. The Tigers swept the Rangers this series!
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The Redwings are still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup, but as I’ve said before, I don’t really understand hockey. However, this guy is a real fan!

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It was sad to see the monument to the Big Three automakers in the outfield. Just behind them, down on the river, is the GM tower…


There are many development opportunities available around Detroit. This fixer-upper has nice ventilation. It was a successful trip; we got home with four tires and an equal number of hubcaps! Life is hard in Detroit and if you haven’t read the Walking Man’s poetry about the city, you should.

On the home front, my daughter’s award banquet for school was yesterday and she is nearly done with elementary school. I was proud of her. Unlike when I was in the 5th grade, she received several academic awards and was one of the recipients of the Presidential Academic Achievement Award that included a pin and a signed certificate by Obama (or someone on his staff working a printer). She was probably the only kid at her school excited to have something signed by Obama! Unlike me, she was also recognized for making it a full year on safety patrol. If you remember, I got court-martialed! I had to be proud even though she didn't follow in my steps.

I hope to have my second story about being a Country Boy (working in a grocery story) posted by Saturday.

15 comments:

  1. This fixer-upper has nice ventilation.LOL Oh man, you caught me off guard with that one.

    Maybe he's not a hockey fan. Maybe he bought the car used and the back window won't roll down so he can't take the flag off. Or maybe he bought it used and cute hockey groupies starting whistling at him when he drove down the street so he decided to keep the look.

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  2. Hey the best of it is the daughter doing so well academically. That is the age where the pattern is set.

    It was a beautiful day in the city yesterday, weather wise and sports ways.

    See the thing is when it comes to food in Detroit, because we don't have any special item like say Chicago and their deep dish pie or Philadelphia and their cheese steak we never abuse anyone for their menu choices. We're all confused about what we want to eat.

    Most landlords are too cheap to put in AC so that is our way of cooling the building down.

    And Bone...yeah man, the guy is a fan. Sports teams are just about all we have left to root for around here and the Red Wings have been playing for almost a hundred years now. We are so close to Canada that even the disenfranchised Toronto fans are split 50/50 in their loyalties.

    Now if it was painted with Lions football logo's he probably would never make it out of his garage.

    Thank you so much for the nod Sage.

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  3. Bone, I loved the detail to the hockey car--the sticks you can step on when getting into the back...

    Walking Guy, it was a nice day and the Tiger's are doing well. Interesting insight into the food of Detroit. If you get a chance, check out the link on my knowledge of hockey--it was written from a UT newspaper back in 2002, when I was shocked to discover not only that my home state (NC) had a hockey team, but that they were playing in the Stanley Cup finals (against the Redwings)

    To Everyone: If you want to really see the "ventilation" in the building, click on the pic to make it larger and you'll see there are no windows in it.

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  4. Hey, next time you're in my backyard, stop by.

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  5. Great daily life update. I've never seen a black bean burger offered and am a bit jealous

    I was wondering what life in Detroit is like these days when you said...

    And I'm so proud of your daughter!!!!! It's hard for me to believe that kids in her school aren't excited to have something printed by this president. To the kids I know he's the biggest pop prince in the world. Which is I think the way you should feel about a president when you're graduating elementary school

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  6. Fantasy, and we had an extra ticket that we got $6 for from a scalper (better than losing $26)

    Pia, the black bean burger was spicy and delicious. As for the President, this is conservative country here and many people think he's Lenin reincarnated

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  7. Baseball & half pound hamburger..excellent!

    NetChick sent me here.

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  8. Life there is a very different environment. My uncle is 65 and has been unemployed for the first time in his life...2 years on now.

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  9. Fun times- a sunny ball game is great. Strange to see the GM sign out there- who knows for how much longer. And congrats to your daughter!

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  10. I love to go to baseball games. When I lived in Colorado, my boyfriend had season tickets to the Rockies, and we would go whenever we could. A hotdog, coke, and, later, popcorn would was always an important part of the experience. I'll bet that veggie burger was good, though.

    I've always said that the American auto makers being hit so hard by the economy is the most heartbreaking because they've always been sort of a staple in this country.

    Congrats to your daughter on all of her achievements! I'd be very proud too!

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  11. Great photos of the game and I'm glad you enjoyed your day off.

    I'll have to check out the Walking Man's poetry as I've stumbled upon a few of my favorite poetry blogs through you, including Venus and Cycopseven.

    Congrats to your daughter and I hope to hear more Country Boy stories from you!!

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  12. My husband and I know nothing about baseball, which makes it hard to impart the joy of the game to my little boy. Thank goodness for the Wii! We're actually playing it together. Next thing you know, we'll go to a real game!

    NetChick sent me today. Take care!

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  13. Baseball bores me to tears on television but for some reason I can go to a actual game and enjoy myself.

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  14. Oooh, I'm soooooooooo glad you had time to take in a game! :) I hope to be doing that myself again sometime soon. I love a game at the ol' ball park.

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