Today while driving, I heard the oddest thing. While at a red light at State Street, I heard the song "Slaying the Dreamer" by Nightwish playing from the car next to me. For those of you who don't know (i.e., all of you), Nightwish is a symphonic power metal band popular in Europe but not especially well known in the United States. From my experience, metalheads seem to be a rarity, so it was quite a surprise to hear it emanating from somebody's car, let alone for that to have happened in Saginaw, Michigan.
And for it to have been a song I recognized too? What a strange and serendipitous coincidence. Soon I'll be hearing 80s Chinese pop music on the radio.
Showing posts with label Saginaw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saginaw. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Bangs and Booms
For the Fourth of July, I usually go to both the Saginaw fireworks and the Bay City fireworks because Bay City has three days of fireworks and usually has the biggest event not on July 4, but on a day closer to the weekend. This year, however, July 4 was on a Saturday, so I had to decide between the two. Normally I would have picked Bay City over Saginaw, but the traffic is always bad, and I heard that Saginaw's fireworks display is the largest in the state (surprisingly). One thing that cautioned me against going into the city, though, was what happened last year. It was nothing big, but some people from the hordes of teenagers from the East Side created some sort of disturbance, and the Anti-Gang Task Force (i.e., the police) responded with pepper spray that had the unfortunate effect of blowing towards the hundreds of bystanders farther up the bridge. Collateral damage I suppose? With that in mind, I still decided to head downtown and take my chances, even as I wondered, What's the chance of something happening this year?
I found a good parking spot only a few blocks away from the Court Street bridge and headed up the bridge towards the middle. I thought we had come early, but there weren't any spots near the railing, so we had to settle for second-row spots a little farther down the bridge towards the East Side. I was doubly disappointed because I had brought my camera along but no tripod, and it would be difficult to get good pictures without some sort of support.
It seemed like it was going to be a good fireworks display and an uneventful night, but then suddenly the horde of teenagers began running up the bridge, screaming. Everyone was unsure of what had happened, but the panic slowly dissipated, and the police gradually made their way up the bridge.
I learned later on the news that the police were investigating reports of gunshots on the bridge during the Fourth of July celebrations. I guess that's what it was.
I don't know why I always stand on the bridge closer to the East Side. Maybe next year I'll be a little less adventurous.
I found a good parking spot only a few blocks away from the Court Street bridge and headed up the bridge towards the middle. I thought we had come early, but there weren't any spots near the railing, so we had to settle for second-row spots a little farther down the bridge towards the East Side. I was doubly disappointed because I had brought my camera along but no tripod, and it would be difficult to get good pictures without some sort of support.
It seemed like it was going to be a good fireworks display and an uneventful night, but then suddenly the horde of teenagers began running up the bridge, screaming. Everyone was unsure of what had happened, but the panic slowly dissipated, and the police gradually made their way up the bridge.
I learned later on the news that the police were investigating reports of gunshots on the bridge during the Fourth of July celebrations. I guess that's what it was.
I don't know why I always stand on the bridge closer to the East Side. Maybe next year I'll be a little less adventurous.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Free As in Speech, Not As in Beer
For Independence Day, I went to the Detroit Zoo for the first time in at least four years. It seemed a little smaller than I remembered and I don't seem to be as excited about exotic animals anymore, but overall I liked it. I got some great pictures of a polar bear pooping above us while we were in the underwater tunnel. I also found the mysterious plant growing in my backyard that I've been trying to identify for the past several years growing at the zoo and took a few pictures of it. It's some sort of thistle, but I can't figure out which one, though I'm sure I could figure it out if I actually put some effort into it.
After the zoo, I decided to head all the way down town to Belle Isle. I also hadn't been there for several years, and I wanted to take some pictures. The island/park was completely covered in huge crowds of people picnicking, and the streets were filled with cars, both parked and unparked. I eventually found a spot and walked around the tip of the island. The weather could have been less gloomy, but I got a few decent pictures of Detroit, Windsor, America, and Canada. Before heading back home, I decided to drive the length of the island, just to see it, and saw a police officer having a field day ticketing car after car illegally parked. I passed by the old small zoo and aquarium -- the aquarium has been closed for several years now unfortunately, but the zoo has been restored -- slowly made my way through all the traffic, and decided to try a new way back onto the freeway.
I thought I would quickly find the street I was looking for, make a left, and then head onto the highway, but instead I passed through a neighborhood of formerly splendid mansions that now were simply larger examples of urban decay. Only a few miles from downtown, these houses were on spacious plots not to be found in any other major city. If this were any other city, these houses would be worth at the very least $2 million, but being Detroit, you'd be lucky to get $100,000. I passed by many more houses that had been boarded up, and even several house-less plots of land. Only two miles from downtown, I found myself passing through empty fields. In a city of a million people, I didn't think urban prairie could lie so close to skyscrapers and office buildings.
Failing to find the street I was looking for, I turned around and eventually went down Gratiot Avenue, one of the main roads leading to downtown. The wide boulevard lay completely unused. As I passed by the barred liquor stores and the abandoned gas stations, I saw one or two cars here and there. It was eerie. But when a million people move out of the city, this is what happens.
I found the onramp to I-75 at last, and I drove 75 miles an hour away from the crumbling Art Deco skyscrapers and the condemned row houses, past the wealthy, segregated suburbs, through the forests and farmland, beyond the struggling, decaying city of Flint, and back into the gritty, dying town known as Saginaw. I drove past the boarded up houses of this mini-Detroit, past the closed car dealership, past the sign praying God for hope on our city, towards the safety of well-manicured lawns and houses with all their windows intact.
After the zoo, I decided to head all the way down town to Belle Isle. I also hadn't been there for several years, and I wanted to take some pictures. The island/park was completely covered in huge crowds of people picnicking, and the streets were filled with cars, both parked and unparked. I eventually found a spot and walked around the tip of the island. The weather could have been less gloomy, but I got a few decent pictures of Detroit, Windsor, America, and Canada. Before heading back home, I decided to drive the length of the island, just to see it, and saw a police officer having a field day ticketing car after car illegally parked. I passed by the old small zoo and aquarium -- the aquarium has been closed for several years now unfortunately, but the zoo has been restored -- slowly made my way through all the traffic, and decided to try a new way back onto the freeway.
I thought I would quickly find the street I was looking for, make a left, and then head onto the highway, but instead I passed through a neighborhood of formerly splendid mansions that now were simply larger examples of urban decay. Only a few miles from downtown, these houses were on spacious plots not to be found in any other major city. If this were any other city, these houses would be worth at the very least $2 million, but being Detroit, you'd be lucky to get $100,000. I passed by many more houses that had been boarded up, and even several house-less plots of land. Only two miles from downtown, I found myself passing through empty fields. In a city of a million people, I didn't think urban prairie could lie so close to skyscrapers and office buildings.
Failing to find the street I was looking for, I turned around and eventually went down Gratiot Avenue, one of the main roads leading to downtown. The wide boulevard lay completely unused. As I passed by the barred liquor stores and the abandoned gas stations, I saw one or two cars here and there. It was eerie. But when a million people move out of the city, this is what happens.
I found the onramp to I-75 at last, and I drove 75 miles an hour away from the crumbling Art Deco skyscrapers and the condemned row houses, past the wealthy, segregated suburbs, through the forests and farmland, beyond the struggling, decaying city of Flint, and back into the gritty, dying town known as Saginaw. I drove past the boarded up houses of this mini-Detroit, past the closed car dealership, past the sign praying God for hope on our city, towards the safety of well-manicured lawns and houses with all their windows intact.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Greek Fest
Yesterday I went to Saginaw's annual Greek Fest, held at the Greek Orthodox church not too far from where I live. I have to say it was a little surreal at first, being among the crowds of people there for the beer (at a church too). I, on the other hand, was there to see a friend who would be dancing on stage at 8:30.
I was a little afraid that I wouldn't see anybody I knew, but I should have known that that would be impossible. Less than three minutes after I entered, I fortuitously met my friend Adam who I was actually going to see next week after not having seen him for over two years. He was leaving for a five-year tour with the Navy in less than two months, and I made sure to see him before he left. Adam was with Drew, a year younger than us, who I had not seen since high school. Amidst the throng of unnaturally tanned girls and beer-guzzling former frat boys, I didn't see anyone else I knew, but Adam and Drew seemingly could pick out every guy there who's played baseball within a 20 mile radius of Saginaw... which makes sense, I suppose, if you've been playing baseball throughout high school and college.
For them, it was like a bad high school reunion. As my friend on stage started dancing with the other kids to loud, incomprehensible Greek music, there was the former baseball teammate not seen in years, the old friend in high school they never spoke to again, the guy who dropped out of college and works at Subway now, the girl who's had two kids already.
Adam and Drew wanted a beer, and so we headed to the gyro tent, but then Drew quickly discovered he couldn't find his driver's license. He couldn't buy a beer anymore, but that wasn't the point -- "I'm so pissed! I never lose anything!" We scavenged the grounds and interviewed the workers and even explored the porta-potties, but all in vain.
Finally, Drew realized, perhaps he hadn't lost his ID after all; maybe it fell out of his pocket in Adam's car. Unfortunately, Adam foolishly parked the car a mile away at a friend's house, but luckily for Drew, I had taken advantage of free parking behind the church and volunteered to take him to Adam's car. Along the way Drew and I chatted briefly about my lack of a future and Drew's busy summer with work and school and baseball. We reached the car, and though we found two plates, a fork, an old McDonald's bag, a few T-shirts, and several dollars in change, we could not find his ID, so we headed back.
Eventually, my friend who I had originally come to see finished the last step of his dance and departed the stage. We paid no attention, though, and paid for our lack of attention with a string of text messages -- "left of stage" -- "our left or your left?" -- "near the tables" -- "which tables?" -- but at last we found him, left of the stage near the tables. We talked for ten or fifteen minutes and he resolved that we would soon hang out, but knowing him, that probably won't happen anytime soon.
The festival swelled with people as the night went on, even though lightning was flashing now and a small drizzle dampened the grounds. Adam had been texting a girl the entire time and hoped to meet up with her soon, but to no avail; earlier she said she was near the porta-potties, but we didn't find her, now she said she was waiting at the entrance, but we were waiting at the entrance too and couldn't see her. At least she hadn't given up yet.
As the rain began to fall harder, we took to the roofed entrance to the church and sat on the steps, watching the people of Saginaw scurry by. Adam still hoped to see this elusive girl, but we were less sanguine. A group of people we knew passed by and stopped to say hi. One of them invited us to come over to their house and get trashed because, you know, there's nothing else to do. We politely told him maybe.
When it became midnight and the music stopped, God forgave our transgressions and ended the rain. I realized suddenly that there was more than one entrance to the festival, and we quickly walked to the other side. There it was, next to the porta-potties was the other entrance, the entrance Adam's girl had been waiting at. By now though it was too late. The girl and the opportunity were both gone.
We walked slowly across the grounds through the minefield of puddles and tossed beer cups. The quiet drizzle returned. Unwilling to let them walk a mile in the rain, I told Adam and Drew to get into my car. I drove them back to their car and we said our goodbyes. I don't know if I'll ever see them again.
I was a little afraid that I wouldn't see anybody I knew, but I should have known that that would be impossible. Less than three minutes after I entered, I fortuitously met my friend Adam who I was actually going to see next week after not having seen him for over two years. He was leaving for a five-year tour with the Navy in less than two months, and I made sure to see him before he left. Adam was with Drew, a year younger than us, who I had not seen since high school. Amidst the throng of unnaturally tanned girls and beer-guzzling former frat boys, I didn't see anyone else I knew, but Adam and Drew seemingly could pick out every guy there who's played baseball within a 20 mile radius of Saginaw... which makes sense, I suppose, if you've been playing baseball throughout high school and college.
For them, it was like a bad high school reunion. As my friend on stage started dancing with the other kids to loud, incomprehensible Greek music, there was the former baseball teammate not seen in years, the old friend in high school they never spoke to again, the guy who dropped out of college and works at Subway now, the girl who's had two kids already.
Adam and Drew wanted a beer, and so we headed to the gyro tent, but then Drew quickly discovered he couldn't find his driver's license. He couldn't buy a beer anymore, but that wasn't the point -- "I'm so pissed! I never lose anything!" We scavenged the grounds and interviewed the workers and even explored the porta-potties, but all in vain.
Finally, Drew realized, perhaps he hadn't lost his ID after all; maybe it fell out of his pocket in Adam's car. Unfortunately, Adam foolishly parked the car a mile away at a friend's house, but luckily for Drew, I had taken advantage of free parking behind the church and volunteered to take him to Adam's car. Along the way Drew and I chatted briefly about my lack of a future and Drew's busy summer with work and school and baseball. We reached the car, and though we found two plates, a fork, an old McDonald's bag, a few T-shirts, and several dollars in change, we could not find his ID, so we headed back.
Eventually, my friend who I had originally come to see finished the last step of his dance and departed the stage. We paid no attention, though, and paid for our lack of attention with a string of text messages -- "left of stage" -- "our left or your left?" -- "near the tables" -- "which tables?" -- but at last we found him, left of the stage near the tables. We talked for ten or fifteen minutes and he resolved that we would soon hang out, but knowing him, that probably won't happen anytime soon.
The festival swelled with people as the night went on, even though lightning was flashing now and a small drizzle dampened the grounds. Adam had been texting a girl the entire time and hoped to meet up with her soon, but to no avail; earlier she said she was near the porta-potties, but we didn't find her, now she said she was waiting at the entrance, but we were waiting at the entrance too and couldn't see her. At least she hadn't given up yet.
As the rain began to fall harder, we took to the roofed entrance to the church and sat on the steps, watching the people of Saginaw scurry by. Adam still hoped to see this elusive girl, but we were less sanguine. A group of people we knew passed by and stopped to say hi. One of them invited us to come over to their house and get trashed because, you know, there's nothing else to do. We politely told him maybe.
When it became midnight and the music stopped, God forgave our transgressions and ended the rain. I realized suddenly that there was more than one entrance to the festival, and we quickly walked to the other side. There it was, next to the porta-potties was the other entrance, the entrance Adam's girl had been waiting at. By now though it was too late. The girl and the opportunity were both gone.
We walked slowly across the grounds through the minefield of puddles and tossed beer cups. The quiet drizzle returned. Unwilling to let them walk a mile in the rain, I told Adam and Drew to get into my car. I drove them back to their car and we said our goodbyes. I don't know if I'll ever see them again.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spring Break
You know, I always say to myself that I will update this blog soon and never do, but at least it's only been three months instead of five months since my last update. My goal still is to update more frequently, and I'll make a bigger effort at that.
It's currently spring break. Luckily for me, I get two weeks off instead of one. I spent the first week at home, not really doing anything, staying up very late still. I've been hoping I could break out of this habit, which has been ongoing since summer, but I haven't been very successful. I've come back to New Haven for the second week, not really doing much either except for working. Unfortunately, because I signed up to work at 12, I don't have much time between waking up and working. But at least I'll be working around 25 hours this week, which is a lot.
What else is there to say? I'll try to think of something and post again tomorrow(!).
It's currently spring break. Luckily for me, I get two weeks off instead of one. I spent the first week at home, not really doing anything, staying up very late still. I've been hoping I could break out of this habit, which has been ongoing since summer, but I haven't been very successful. I've come back to New Haven for the second week, not really doing much either except for working. Unfortunately, because I signed up to work at 12, I don't have much time between waking up and working. But at least I'll be working around 25 hours this week, which is a lot.
What else is there to say? I'll try to think of something and post again tomorrow(!).
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
My intention was to update more often than once every five months. From now on, I hope to update at least once every few weeks or so. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what I could talk about. I guess I should give an update of my life since my last post.
I went on a vacation with a Chinese tour company that went across the East Coast. We went to New York, Philly, DC, Corning (in upstate NY), Niagara Falls, and Boston. Overall, it was a good trip.
I went back to school the end of August and just finished the first semester of my senior year. I am currently looking for a job, but this is going to be a terrible year for job hunting. I am signed up to take the LSAT in February, but I haven't studied for it at all. I haven't even read the first page of my LSAT prep book. A part of me wants to move it again, to June, but I've postponed it twice now, and even if I were to postpone it, I probably wouldn't study for it anyway.
I am currently at home, where it has been very cold and snowy, though today it rained for a bit, and there's rain forecasted for the rest of the week. I'm home on break for two and a half weeks (now only two weeks left), but I just know that I will be pretty unproductive. I can already feel the lethargy pulling at me.
I've finally gotten around to clearing my inbox, which now has only 30 emails. It's taken me over half a year to get my inbox back down to normal size. Unfortunately, my Gmail inbox is still overflowing, with nearly 200 unread messages. They're newsletters, and I intend on reading all of them, but I have newsletters going back to the end of May, and each one typically has around 10 articles to read, so I have about 2000 articles between the end of May and today to read. That'll probably take at least a month, even if I read seven or eight newsletters a day. Well, at least I've made some progress; I've read about five newsletters in the past two days.
It's now Christmas. Merry Christmas. Maybe I'll post something more interesting soon.
I went on a vacation with a Chinese tour company that went across the East Coast. We went to New York, Philly, DC, Corning (in upstate NY), Niagara Falls, and Boston. Overall, it was a good trip.
I went back to school the end of August and just finished the first semester of my senior year. I am currently looking for a job, but this is going to be a terrible year for job hunting. I am signed up to take the LSAT in February, but I haven't studied for it at all. I haven't even read the first page of my LSAT prep book. A part of me wants to move it again, to June, but I've postponed it twice now, and even if I were to postpone it, I probably wouldn't study for it anyway.
I am currently at home, where it has been very cold and snowy, though today it rained for a bit, and there's rain forecasted for the rest of the week. I'm home on break for two and a half weeks (now only two weeks left), but I just know that I will be pretty unproductive. I can already feel the lethargy pulling at me.
I've finally gotten around to clearing my inbox, which now has only 30 emails. It's taken me over half a year to get my inbox back down to normal size. Unfortunately, my Gmail inbox is still overflowing, with nearly 200 unread messages. They're newsletters, and I intend on reading all of them, but I have newsletters going back to the end of May, and each one typically has around 10 articles to read, so I have about 2000 articles between the end of May and today to read. That'll probably take at least a month, even if I read seven or eight newsletters a day. Well, at least I've made some progress; I've read about five newsletters in the past two days.
It's now Christmas. Merry Christmas. Maybe I'll post something more interesting soon.
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