#3: New car… sooner than I had expected.

Letting the geek flag fly proudly. If you want a cool TARDIS frame too, click the photo.

Sure, purchasing a new — or at least new to me — vehicle was on my list; I had been driving around a 2000 Honda Civic coupe since 2005.  It was a fine little car, but was starting to show signs of age. I figured it had a good 3 or 4,000 miles left on it, and imagined getting a replacement would have been one of the last things I’d do on this list.

Well, that all changed on November 16, when, as I left my apartment headed for a video-shooting gig in Washington DC, I was met with an empty space in the carport where the vehicle was just seven hours earlier.  I’ve never encountered any real crime here in the humble burg of Royal Oak, so it was all the more unsettling.  Indeed, at first I walked out to the front to make sure I hadn’t parked the car on the street.  But no, the streetside was as empty as the carport was.  Then I recalled how the previous night in preparation for my gig I had taken a couple bags of gear outside to load up the car.  They went in the trunk, but … someone must have been watching (creepy enough), and specualted the gear and the car must have been a good target.

So, after talking to the police and the insurance guy (he informed me that 2000 was the last model year before Honda made anti-theft standard equipment in all of their cars… great), I hustled my way to DC via plane and did the gig.  The videos are here, by the way.

In the plane I had an idea about what to drive upon my return to Detroit. I’d ask if I could borrow my mom’s car for a few weeks while the insurance claim was processed — they won’t start to process the claim for at least three weeks, as most stolen cars are recovered in that timeframe. Luckily, I have a fantastic and very accommodating mother, and I made plans to rent a car from DC and drive down to Myrtle Beach and get her car… thinking I’d return it at Christmastime.

Well, a one-month loan stretched into four, as I finally got around to getting a new car in mid-March. Ford Credit was generous enough to lease me a brand-spankin’ new 2012 Focus.

While visiting the Green Mountain State…

I couldn’t be more pleased with the car; it handles well, looks good and is easy on the gas… during one of the trips out to New Hampshire I got almost 40mpg.   If I had been driving right at the speed limit I’m certain I would have.  Amazing how going 65 instead of 70 will impact your mileage.

As people have asked… “Why the Galileo plate?”

A few reasons:

1) Galileo is my favorite scientist. Astronomer, physicist, philosopher, heretic… there are many ways to admire him.  But I think the reason I like him the best is that by all accounts he possessed a biting, satiric, wicked sense of humor.  He is one of the four people I’d invite to my “dinner for five.”

2) Galileo was the name given to a shuttlecraft on the original Star Trek series, and my car sort of shares the stubby, wedgy look of that vehicle. As it did for thecrew of the Enterprise, it gets me where I’m headed quite reliably. Plus, it fits my geek nature quite well… although if you are reading this you probably realized that already.

Of course, my shuttle is black, but you get the idea.

#41: Tashmoo!

Yesterday my brother and I paid a visit to a very unique and uniquely Detroit institution: Tashmoo Biergarten. Even with Detroit getting such media coverage that it’s the place where the “cool kids” are congregating nowadays, it’s great to see that hype made tangible.

Tashmoo is a temporary, european-style biergarten set up on a couple of vacant lots in the West Village area of Detroit. Rows of long tables (made of old doors) and benches,  facilitate conversation with both friends and complete strangers alike.

In one corner there’s a makeshift bar serving Michigan brews — thanks, Tashmoo, for introducing me to Short’s ControversiALE – in another a couple of food vendors (we sampled some delicious pierogies including a special-for-Tashmoo pulled pork variety), and in another corner folks are playing games on the lawn.  Scattered atop the tables are checkers, chess and backgammon, plus several decks of cards.  Clearly, the intent is to hang out.

Cornhole tourney under way.

And that makes perfect sense given Tashmoo’s namesakes.  Tashmoo is: a native american word for “meeting place,” the name of an amusement park on Harsen’s Island, and a sidewheeler steamship that was at one time one of the fastest ships on the Great Lakes. The SS Tashmoo dropped off Detroiters at Tashmoo Park on its route between Detroit and Port Huron. Sadly, the amusement park closed in 1951, and the boat sunk off Amherstberg in 1936.  But Tashmoo lives on.

The brainchild of  Suzanne Vier and Aaron Wagner, the biergarten operated for three weekends last fall, but this Spring gathering was a one-weekend affair.  More weekends are planned for the fall, and I’m certain to be back, and thristy.

Just ’cause something is checked off doesn’t mean I won’t stop doing it…

OK, so #60 is Vacation with Friends in Another State. Well, that was among the first things to check off, but most of the same group got together again in Chicago for our annual Winter Weekend, and it was a great time. That shot above is from our big dinner at Quartino — a very scrummy Italian small plates restaurant. Great food, and perfect with a big group. And we celebrated Eric’s 50th and David’s 49th birthdays to boot.

Visited the Apple Store to restore a sick iPhone.

But the weekend was filled with good food — pizza at Gino’s East, cupcakes at Sprinkles, even the Anaheim Scramble breakfast at Corner Bakery. Throw in trips to the Art Institute, the Magnificent Mile and drinks at the 95th floor of the Hancock Building. Even though the wind chills were at times less than balmy, hanging with all of these guys made the chilly Windy City quite warm after all.

America Windows at the Art Institute

Some Monet lilly pads for ya'

And all sorts of folks checking out Seurat.

Water Tower

The Signature Room: drinks at 95 flights up... waaay up.

Frankly fantastic cupcakes!

And lots...

... of peeps

... all having

... a great time.

Mr. H, the 50th earth-orbit celebrant, with a new piece of graffiti at Gino's (hey, everyone in attendance has been part of a Sunken Anchor production one way or another)

But this is my favorite photo of the weekend. The Affinia was a nice hotel, and the mirrored elevators were perfectly sized for cramming our group into... Let's title this one Reflections of Fun.

FDR helps with #’s 2 and 94

Spending some time out East while teaching at Antioch offers the opportunity to visit some friends (Jay and the CIA [no, not that CIA]), and hit a few more NPS units. Hence, a trip to Hyde Park, NY to the FDR Home and Presidential Library and Museum. It’s a unique presidential library for a few reasons… it’s the first library to be used by a sitting president, and as it was in use during his administration, the offices and rooms where FDR broadcast several “Fireside Chats” are preserved as they were during that time:

This desk (pictured below) from the Oval office was built in Grand Rapids, originally for Coolidge or Hoover.  FDR continued to use it, even as he re-constructed the Oval Office to the room we know today.  He moved the Oval to the corner of the West Wing and added those doors to the outside veranda for greater accessibility in a wheelchair.  To think I had thought they were just there so President Bartlet could go out for a quick smoke.

The globe is, well... large. Perry Gaglio would be jealous.

There’s a large collection of impressive artifacts on display, such as this note from Theodore Roosevelt eagerly agreeing to walk his niece down the aisle for her wedding to Franklin. Apparently the area was fairly lousy with Roosevelts!

No photos allowed inside the house, but it's where FDR was born, where he watched all four election nights, where Churchill and others planned war strategies; an amazing amount of history.

I also took a tour of the Vanderbilt Mansion, which was also very impressive… but no photos allowed inside. Oh well.

#22 is Complete… sorta.

With the addition of three more UM venues, technically item #22 – to see six sports in six new venues – is complete. However, given that this task has taken on a life of its own to include ALL UofM home varsity sports venues – much work in Ann Arbor remains to be done. But, it’s fun to cross things off the list at any rate.

And John C. and I attended four sports in seven days… Wrestling and Women’s Tennis on Sunday, with Men’s Lacrosse and Men’s Swimming on the following Saturday.

Wrestling was in Cliff Keen Arena, home to Men’s Gymnastics and (Women’s) Volleyball, so it didn’t count as a new venue per se, but the place was packed for a senior day contest with Michigan State.

Click here for a larger, interactive panorama. Pretty cool stuff.

The Wolverines defeated the Spartans by a score of 26 to 9.  Never having attended a wrestling match before, there was a bit of a learning curve, but the announcer was good at explaining things as they went on and we got to see an overtime match and a six-point fall, which equates to the grand slam of wrestling.  Impressive.

And you thought football referees had a lot to do...

Then it was on to Women’s Tennis (indoor, of course) vs. Yale. We watched a match won by a UM junior who was the Big Ten freshman of the year a couple of years ago. The crowd was sparse, but enthusiastic – mostly parents and friends.

Games take a while 'cause the players have to chase down balls themselves. No ball kids here.

On Saturday we were treated to a massacre in the pool.  The UM-MSU dual meet (dual means both swimming AND diving) was a one-sided affair, with Michigan taking all 16 contested events.  It was the 35th year in a row that Michigan has beaten MSU in swimming. Curious how the newspapers never bring this up when Rivalry Week rolls around each year.

Filtered a bit with Instagram

Finally, Lacrosse, which moves from a club sport to a full-fledged varsity sport in 2012. The women start varsity play next year. This was an exhibition match against Denison (Ohio), and while the regular season games will be held in Michigan Stadium, this match was held inside Oosterbaan Fieldhouse ’cause 1) it’s an exhibition and 2) it’s early February. But that made it all the more exciting, as we were standing literally on the sidelines with some 850 other curious onlookers. And the action is really like hockey without ice.  I’m sure we’ll check out a regular-season game in April on a nice spring day, but for now… consider this a preview.

If you thought I was ignorant about other sports... I have a lot to learn about Lacrosse. Like, what's this scrum-type thing at the face-off?

And here’s another cool panorama. See the whole thing in smooth interactive goodness at this link.

One last thing… we ate at Quickie Burger in A2, so that’s another new Michigan restaurant for me.

Michigan’s Contribution to #2

One of the more important battles of the War of 1812 is now a newly-established National Battlefield in Monroe, Michigan. River Raisin National Battlefield is the site of the Battle of Frenchtown in January of 1813. The conflict from January  18 to 23 was the deadliest ever on Michigan soil, and the casualties included the highest number of Americans killed in a single battle during the War of 1812.

Despite an initial victory over the combined forces of the British and their Native American allies, a counterattack four days later, combined with a celebratory massacre by the Native Americans resulted in over 400 American deaths.

Until an act of Congress established the National Battlefield status in 2010 and started operation in 2011, the area was under Monroe County Parks jurisdiction, and the current visitor center is to be replaced with a more modern visitor center like other National Battlefields enjoy.  But it’s nice enough as it is now, with some worthwhile exhibits and educational displays that tell the story of the Battle as well as the rest of the War of 1812.  A better visitor center would be nice, but that might take a while, given the struggles the park service is having with funding right now.

A painting that helped incite sympathy for the American cause after the massacre.

#94 Update: Carter and Toledo

While in Atlanta in May making a video of Charlie Brouwer’s Rise Up Atlanta, I found a couple of hours to visit the Carter Center, which was just a few blocks away. It’s a beautiful building, half museum and half activity center, which the Carter foundation operates out of. The museum part begins with a biographical movie — narrated by Martin Sheen, no less — and includes lots of well-designed exhibits and displays. The highest praise is reserved for the Camp David peace accords, but there’s a lot of other worthy info about the Carter years as well.  For example, when the President announced the U. S. boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, it was in part because a significant number of Olympic athletes wanted him to do just that. Didn’t know that…

Recently I had a chance to visit the Toledo Museum of Art, a place I have never been to before, even though it’s just an hour away from my home.  I met my friend Jay down there (nice lunch at the museum cafe) and was really surprised as to how expansive the facility is… it’s really a world-class museum in terms of size and collection.

There's a whole separate pavilion for glass items only!

Detail from a VanGogh piece:

There’s a cool cloister that is comprised of four different types of columns, sourced from four different locations in Europe. The setting made me think of the cloister in the early scenes of The Sound of Music, but maybe that’s just something for movie dorks like me.

All in all, it’s really a great museum; perfect place to spend a day…