Made In Detroit

So a few years ago, a book was published called Made in Detroit that was a completely honest, candid account of what it was like to live near 8 mile back in the 1970s and 80s. The author attended a different Catholic school, but most of the people, places, and occurrences of that time ring so true. I suppose I read it less for his taken on racial relations of that decade--honestly, living in that little white enclave sheltered by firefights, cops, and Catholics, it never was something I thought about as a kid--than the little things that struck me about that neighborhood, Heilmann, the barber shop, the culture. Not that the racial issue did not resonate with me--I recognized what Coleman Young did to help destroy the city. But being only 14 when we left, I was still really just a kid.

I've been thinking a lot about Detroit lately--maybe it's the football team, or Mitch Albom's column, or facebook, or the fact that I'm a homeowner now near a part of the city that is still Detroit-esque. In a way, after not thinking about it for years and years, I'm trying to come to terms with things, find a peace and a forgivenss for those years, and think about what would happen if I am lucky enough to have a family at some point. What I'd do differently, or the same. How much a neighborhood culture affects you, or doesn't really matter at all.

It is odd that all of these faces from your past seek you out on these social networking sites. Like it's been nearly 19 years!! Argh. And my curiousity, which has always been latent, is still there and eager to discover what the hell has happened to so many people for so long. And a part of me is like, who cares? And a part of me wants to show off, that I'm not ugly and married and successful and educated. And a part of me wants to lurk in memories only.

I want to accept the invitation but also stay guarded. I want connections to the community, and I want to be remembered. Doesn't everyone?

Travels, Books, Movies

I just got back from my first trip of the year, the annual sojourn to the Ronald Reagan Library. There is something energizing about being amongst fellow Republicans and President Reagan admirers. There is something almost spiritual about the place, in beautiful scenic Simi Valley, overlooking the mountains all of the way to the water. Peaceful. I suppose the admiration and affection that conservatives feel for President Reagan is akin to what liberals feel for President Obama. His funeral was the closest I've felt to that, I suppose. I think being there reminds me of being a kid, too, the good part of growing up in the 1980s, at least. Look how it's inspired and driven me in my life.

Enroute, I finished up Peter Rodman's Presidential Command. Rodman passed away on our wedding day, and before even knowing this, I felt a kinship to him. He seemed like a decent man, and googling his obituaries upon completing the book, everyone said he was kind, earnest, and yes, decent. The book portrayed a fascinating, mostly first person account, of presidential foreign policy since Nixon. Fascinating for a public policy grad like me, even the more esoteric details on how a secretary of state's bureaucratically oriented perspective differs from the more executive-friendly National Security advisor. I finally bought Al Regnery's Upstream. Much of this I know, but I thought I'd benefit from some of the anecdotes and the short bios of some of the conservative forefathers who've inspired the movement that I am less familiar with.

I also saw two movies this week: Forgetting Sarah Marshall on DVD, and Death Defying Acts on Houdini. Both eh. I only saw the second because it was on the plane coming back from Southern California.

Shameful

And one more thing: it was SHAMEFUL, absolutely SHAMEFUL, that any American would boo President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney. They deserve our respect. As much as I disagree with Presidents Carter and Clinton, they served our country, and we owe them our respect. SHAMEFUL.

President Obama

It is a little odd being a Republican in DC today. The city has an energy today that reminds me of very few other days here. There have been some memorable "DC" days for me... Reagan's funeral, and 9/11.

It was almost eerily quiet on our block, despite the fact that we were only one mile away from the pomp and circumstance. A day ago, things were hopping, and I saw our new President at the Sascha Bruce House a short trip down the street. And now he's the leader of the free world.

I really pray for our new president, and that he has the wisdom and strength to do both what is good and what is morally right. I pray for President George W. Bush and thank him for his eight years of service to our country. I thank him for keeping us safe since 9/11, and for protecting life, and for his courage in making some really difficult decisions on the international stage. And I pray that the years and decades he has left will serve our country well, too.

I know people are energized, and paraphrasing the First Lady's words "proud of their country for the first time in a long time today." But I've always been proud to be an American, and inauguration day always proves that. We have been lucky and blessed that strong leaders have served, and I hope that is always true. God bless America.

Random comments

Grey's Anatomy is totally turning into the Practice.

So awesome to see Bill Buchanan and 24 again.

Really liking the M. Ward CD streaming online. New fave song: Stars of Leo. Am enjoying the new Neko Case I downloaded online. Oscar Wilde by Company of Thieves is pretty cool, too.

Personal training went well. I need to work the core!

I need to develop the menu for the party on Saturday. I like the goat cheese quesadilla idea. I think I just want an excuse to buy and eat more goat cheese. It sure was tasty on my grilled chicken salad today. Yum.

I can't believe Ariane was eliminated last night on Top Chef. I think Stefan will be a finalist, definitely. Maybe Jamie too? That Italian guy too.

That plane crash today and the survival was remarkable, and a total miracle. The pictures are absolutely unbelievable.

I am so ready for my four day weekend. I want to read and watch movies and work out and do nothing. NOTHING. Cook. Drink wine.

Detroit

Interesting column by Mitch Album:

And yet Detroit was once a vibrant place, the fourth-largest city in the country, and it lives in the hope that those days, against all logic, will somehow return. We are downtrodden, perhaps, but the most downtrodden optimists you will ever meet. We cling to our ways, no matter how provincial they seem on the coasts. We get excited about the Auto Show. We celebrate Sweetest Day. We eat Coney dogs all year and we cruise classic cars down Woodward Avenue every August and we bake punchki donuts the week before Lent. We don't talk about whether Detroit will be fixed but when Detroit will be fixed....

And yet to live in Detroit these days is to want to scream. But where do you begin? Our doors are being shuttered. Our walls are falling down. Our daily bread, the auto industry, is reduced to morsels. Our schools are in turmoil. Our mayor went to jail. Our two biggest newspapers announced they will soon cut home delivery to three days a week. Our most common lawn sign is FOR SALE. And our NFL team lost every week this season. A perfect 0-16. Even the homeless guys are sick of it...

And yet we live among ghosts. Over there, on Woodward Avenue, was Hudson's, once America's second-largest department store; it was demolished a decade ago. Over there, on Michigan and Trumbull, stood Tiger Stadium, home to Ty Cobb and Hank Greenberg and Al Kaline and Kirk Gibson; it lasted nearly a century, until the wrecking ball got to it last year. Over there, on Bagley, is the United Artists Theater, which used to seat more than 2,000 people; it hasn't shown movies since the 1970s. The famous Packard plant on East Grand Boulevard -- the birthplace of the auto assembly line -- used to hum with activity, but now its halls are empty, its windows are broken, and its floors gather pools of water. On Lafayette Avenue you can still see the old Free Press building, where I was hired, where those letters once arrived in a mail slot. It used to house a newspaper. It doesn't anymore...

When people ask what kind of sports town Detroit is, I say the best in the nation. I say our newspapers will carry front-page stories on almost any sports tick, from Ernie Harwell's retirement to the Detroit Shock's winning the WNBA. I say sports is sometimes all we have, it relieves us, distracts us, at times even saves us. But what I really want to tell them about is that stretch in 1997, when the whole city seemed to be nervously pacing around a hospital waiting room. I can't do it justice. It's not that we watch more, or pay more, or cheer louder than other cities. But I will bet you my last dollar that, when it comes to sports, nobody cares as much as Detroit cares.

Big Hollywood

Love the new website by Andrew Breitbart focusing on Big Hollywood.

As DC gets innundated by the Obamacons, it's nice to see the other closet righties are emerging on the left coast to voice their views on politics, celebrity, hollywood, etc. It would be nice to find some right-leaning musicians, too, though I am not aware there are many. Maybe Five for Fighting? At least Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammar, possibly Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Heaton, and the handful of others on the right (or those who don't always perfectly walk the left's party line) are speaking out and countering Huffington and other liberals. I plan on visiting this new site often!

Welcome 2009

Well, I survived another family Christmas. Literally. Everyone was sick with the stomach flu, so I got roped into helping cook for the crowd. Cheesy potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, the works. Poor mom. Nothing must have been worse than not seeing us and little Joey on his first Christmas. Of course, Paul was hit worst of all with the plague, and at the worst conceivable timing: a few days before his wedding.

Luckily, we all made it to St. Augustine healthy to witness their beautiful New Year's Even nuptials. It is a strange feeling seeing your little brother get married. A part of me was playing the comparisons game, but they had so many nice touches: advice to the marrieds, sushi, terrific sea base and filet, cookies and milk shots, a great two piece band, a fantastic color scheme, etc. The day started with a run, and there was something particularly poignant for me to go for a run with my brother on the morning of his wedding. And to outpace him but getting sick will do that! I really enjoyed those moments with him.

Megan was a beautiful, happy bride, and they make a great couple.

Other moments from last week I will remember:

--Little Joey's stylish outfits: His Little Mr. Detroit t-shirt, his Preschool t-shirt, his pudgy arms and legs, and his ability to open up gifts and then promptly stick the paper in his mouth.
--Steve beating everyone, literally, at Seinfeld scene-it.
--My new Old Navy coat.
--Noisemakers and hats and Journey at the stroke of midnight.
--Searching for chik filet and finding it!
--Never-ending trivia pursuit.