Random thoughts

I was listening to the Best of Styx while driving through Chicago, and as I approached the city center with its dense population of skyscrapers, the distinctive Hancock building to the left, the Sears Tower to the right, all the buildings were shrouded in mist (very mysterious and romantic looking) and the song playing was "Grand Illusion," which seemed oddly appropriate.

Also oddly appropriate, in a broader sense, was "Blue Collar Man," which is about a man trying to get off unemployment and have a job, certainly appropriate for our economic decline and record breaking unemployment numbers.

I went to Belle Isle today, which is an island in the Detroit river and a city park. I imagine it is pretty nice in the summer, or even on a winter day that isn't incredibly windy. It was windy enough to rock my car (giving me unpleasant flashbacks of the hood-flipping-up-and-smashing-the-windshield-while-driving-at-freeway-speeds incident (spring of 1999 in the white volvo)), windy enough to whip the river into white capped waves, windy enough to blow all your body heat away as you make the 10 minute walk to the William Livingstone Memorial Lighthouse, which is why I went there, windy enough that some of the pictures are blurry because a gust came up and almost knocked me off my feet as I was taking the picture. Its a fun lighthouse, made of marble in the art deco style; definitely unlike any other lighthouse I've visited. I took some pictures of myself with it, in which I look cold (for a reason) but I forgot to bring my card reader with me to Detroit, so I'll have to post them later. I also took a picture with a large anchor to add to the 'me and large anchors' album. Overall a fun excursion.

This motel 8 isn't too ghetto, but there are signs it used to be more ghetto; the shortage of outlets, the edges of the new paint job where you can tell it was peeling underneath, the multi-paint-coated light switch cover, and the lack of a closet. There is a wardrobe now, but it seems strange that the room was designed without one. Perhaps they didn't think anyone staying here would ever need to hang stuff up? Maybe I am the first multi-night guest, though this seems unlikely.

When Jessica and I road-tripped to PEI we noticed a lot of big american cars on the roads, especially in Ontario, and we didn't know why. Now I realize that Detroit is within spitting distance of Canada, close enough that you could wet-back it across the river (though you'd have to swim through a shipping lane, which seems like a really questionable idea) if you really wanted to, which means that the canadian market is as close or closer than the american market for cars. Michigan is actually fairly isolated as far the the US goes, but quite close to some of the more populated areas of Canada. It all makes sense now...

Speaking of big american cars, I've never shared the road with so many of them. Usually my gray CR-V is just one of many, but here not so much. Maybe citizens of Detroit get a zip code based discount on locally made vehicles.

At the resident dinner someone asked if Detroit is as bad as its reputation; he replied that there are nice pockets but that "it is what it is." Apparently the ex-mayor is on trial for killing a prostitute, and half the school board are felons. Supposedly Royal Oak, where this program is located, is better, safer, more vibrant, undergoing an urban renewal, etc...