52nd Street

We were visiting Uncle George and Aunt Nancy in Traverse City. It was winter in 1978. The song I kept hearing over and over on the radio was "My Life" by Billy Joel. Apparently, this Billy Joel dude was doing all right in his career. He was a year removed from his breakthrough album, The Stranger, and 52nd Street was doing all right itself.


Still a classic today. I guess that's what a classic is!

I asked if I could get the song. We went to Meijer's Thrifty Acres on "the other side of Traverse City" and ended up buying the album. Aunt Nancy was nice enough to let me play the new album on Dick's turntable. "But be careful." It wasn't so much a warning as it was an order.

By the end of the afternoon, I actually knew every song on the album, even if I didn't understand them. In fact, for many songs it was years later that I actually understood the concept.

"Got a call from an old friend, we used to be real close
Said he couldn't go on the American way
Closed the shop, sold the house
Bought a ticket to the West Coast
Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A." ("My Life")

I didn't understand much of the of the first verse, but I liked the music and the song. From my point of view, the song was different. But years later, it began to make sense. It probably made more sense to my older cousins, Tom and Dick, at that time. Both of them were in college.

That night, though, both of them said I could have made a copy of the album because both of them had a copy. In fact, I could have had one of the albums. Music is timeless. It's cool to a seven year old, a 20 year old, and as I listen to "My Life" right now ... it's still a great song 30 years later.

Reform, re–form, re form ...

What does "reform" mean? Haven't American schools been under the "reform" gun since 1983? I know some of my readers would be able to comment on that. But what does "reform" really get at? Wouldn't reform be akin to recreate? I'm not trying to pick a fight here or anything like that, but when you change a couple of things here and there and try to keep your structure untouched, is that really reform?

This post will not argue for the "fixing" of school finance. This post will argue for the fixing of the system? When you review the proposals for ReImagine, many of them include incorporating Mandarin Chinese into their school systems. The last time I checked, many of our students cannot even perform basic English Language Arts functions ... let alone Chinese. If you use the MEAP scores in Michigan as a yard stick, schools have a long way to go as far as reading and writing proficiency. (Maybe we were teaching Japanese back in the mid-80s as reform, I don't remember).

Anyway, I would suggest there are three things that can be done to "fix" or "reform" education. Or, at least begin the journey. (These are not necessarily in chronological order)

1. We need to take a serious look at a year–round school model in Michigan. Sure, the legislature made it illegal to begin before Labor Day, but that does not apply to year–round school systems. Our 150–year old system no longer services our kids. If we really want to make change that is good for kids (retention of information!), then a year–round model makes sense. Many states have year–round, so there are many models to choose from. Is it summer you're concerned about? Then build your model around July and see what you create.
2. Believe the research and embrace a guaranteed and viable curriculum. But don't stop there. Teach principals, administrators, teachers HOW to monitor that curriculum. Evaluation is under attack and it should be. Every school (not just every district) does it differently. The focus should be on improving instruction and highlighting great teachers, but it's become an inconvenience for principals and teachers. It's cumbersome. Evaluation should be able to be done in conjunction with the teacher to provide some type of feedback that helps instruction. If a school embraces a guaranteed and viable curriculum, incorporates best practices (example: Robert Marzano's nine instructional strategies that work), we will see assessment score skyrocket.
   
3. Embrace and work with our communities to provide programming that schools may not be able to provide for many more years. Discussions need to begin now about how schools will offer sub–varsity sports, transportation options, etc. Funding rates will never be what they were only five years ago, according to Michigan's State Superintendent Mike Flanagan. So we have to begin to understand that, while our expenditures will continue to rise, our revenues may not. What can we do, working with the community, to continue to offer options. Granted, our communities are decimated as is the funding situation in the State and at schools.
   

Start with curriculum (backbone of the institution), fix the calendar, and work with your community. Sure, that then leads to another set of questions: are the right people on the bus?

Brand New Morning

There may be no better rock 'n' roll album than Bob Seger's seminal classic "Live" Bullet, released in 1976. To fully appreciate the "greatness" of this classic vinyl, one has to travel back to '76 and realize who Bob Seger was at the time. (Warning, this post will not focus on Bob Seger for very long. Or music. It will focus on life.)



Seger was an unknown, everywhere except Detroit and Traverse City. Seger was huge in Detroit. It's said that he could pack the Silverdome (i.e. Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium) but draw 700 people in Chicago. "Live" Bullet contained 16 songs, all rocking jams. It also contained the single greatest line in live album history.

I have always gone through "periods" of music. At times, it's been John Cougar, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Bob Seger, Kix, KISS, etc. For the past several years, it's been Kid Rock. I've been to many concerts. But, Bob Seger is a musical theme I seem to come back to now and then. I've never heard his album Brand New Morning, from 1971. I've never even seen a copy.

I've read about it, mostly in the new book about Seger's early years. (Travelin' Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger by Weschler and Graff was published on October 1, 2009, by Wayne State Press. According to Weschler, the book features "lots of photographs nobody has seen before and plenty of stories from the studios and the gigs on the road." It's an incredible book!) With the release of the book, and my new interest in Detroit, I'm in classic Seger mode.

I like the title. Brand New Morning. It's refreshing. Lately, I've been taking pictures of our brand new mornings. We're getting toward the time of year when the sun doesn't necessarily come up and it doesn't get much more than dawn or dusk in Michigan. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but still ...

Life in Michigan is rough right now. Families are moving out. They're likely not coming back. School districts, ones that were doing well only a couple of years ago, are looking at laying off 50 people ... in the middle of the school year. Some days it's hard to face the new day for many people.

Right now, many people are disgruntled, concerned, frustrated. I face it every day. Some days, I think I'm becoming disgruntled, concerned, frustrated. I try to keep in mind that, with vision and planning, you can get where you need to go. But, when the world that surrounds you is in survival mode, is vision even an option?



I'm not a fan of slogans, e.g. "Yes we can." I think slogans are empty. I'm a substance person. I'm not the kind of person who jumps on a bandwagon. In fact, I like to see the bandwagon emptying before I close enough to join the ride. I am a believer in positive thought, though. If you believe something or believe in yourself (or others), that makes a huge impact.

We found out yesterday, that our daughter has to have major surgery next week to remove a nearly five inch dermoid cyst from her ovary. We don't know where it came from, but it's grown quickly in the last couple of months. We've had her to the doctor about it only a couple months ago, and the physicians' assistant blew it off, saying it was mostly likely a temporary bowel obstruction. That's frustrating. Her stomach started hurting in May, by August she had been to the doctor. Now, it's going to be major surgery on a large cyst.

Our other daughter is having blood work done because of enlarged lymph nodes and a sudden loss of weight. We had the blood work done at the same doctor's office as the August visit. Again, they're doubtful it's anything major, "but we'll do the blood work." Symptoms. I'm concerned. Lori and I are both concerned.

We try hard to not become disgruntled. It's a tough place to be right now, Michigan. Middle of Michigan. Wherever, Michigan. Where is Michigan going? Where are any of us going? It's hard to retain perspective right now.

All I know is that I greet every day and hope for the best. I maintain a positive outlook. Lori, she maintains the negative outlook. We balance each other that way. My blog is not about me usually. It's about the world that surrounds us. Think positive thoughts. It will be all right.

Now, go greet the day. The sun will shine. On all of us.

Detroit Photo Essay

The movie Red Dawn is being filmed mostly in Michigan. Detroit has been home to the new movie since early October.


"They" are tearing down the historic Lafayette Building in Detroit. It's another in a series of buildings or places that are torn down in "the D."


If you want to enjoy a real, honest to goodness Detroit Coney Island, you have to try them at Lafayette Coney Island. It's a Detroit staple.


The Packard Motel, right in the shadows of the Packard Plant, which closed in 1956. It's still there.


The inside of one of the many buildings still open to the public at the Packard Plant. Very interesting piece of Americana ...


The sign in the road at the Heidelberg Project.


The "car of the future" and ... an old, abandoned car.


The Heidelberg Project.


Lori was able to think outside the box and paint on the Dotty Wotty house in Detroit.


An American icon.

Star at the Packard

Star at the Packard
Originally uploaded by Rick Rock Radio

"I hear 'em singing about shutting Detroit down ...
I'll never leave because this is my hometown ..."

– Kid Rock "In Times Like These, 2009

For years, I was one of those Michiganders who would drive in to Detroit, attend an event, and drive back out. People said, "Stay on the main drag and don't go anyplace else."

A few years ago, I was good at driving in and driving out. I would get off the exit and visit Tiger Stadium, maybe snap a few pictures, and head down Michigan Avenue on my way to Comerica Park. But, I didn't sway. It was Michigan, maybe Trumbull, Cass, and Woodward.

Then, I wandered. I wandered to Henry the Hatter. Not a bad walk. Corner of Broadway and Gratiot ("Gratiot, that's a real rough route ..."). Wandered a little more, walked down to Lafayette, bought myself a Coney Dog.

I became curious about Detroit. Its history. It has a rich history, you know. Wait, let me go back. Back to 1976, when Spider–man was at Cobo Hall and my family drove in and drove out, but lost our car in the Cobo Parking Garage. Stress? Yea, my parents were stressed. We were in Detroit and this was the '70s. That was my first history with the 'D'.

On Flickr, I started to view other people's awesome images of Detroit's decay. It's amazing that decay could be so beautiful ... but you have to go beyond the decay and see the history, the "what was."

I started learning about Michigan Central Station, the old Packard Plant, the Fisher Body 21 plant, etc. It all started with the decaying Tiger Stadium. Some of these photographers had other "cool" pictures on their Flickrs. And I became curious. I wanted to see "first hand" what they see.

And a journey began. Lori and I have explored all kinds of Detroit places. She doesn't even say, "You need to let it go now," about Tiger Stadium. She and I even toured the Heidelberg Project and learned its vast history from Tyree, the founder, Saturday. It's said that 25 years ago, you wouldn't walk that neighborhood in the daylight.

I would venture to guess that Detroit can become a great city again. It will take some work, some vision. Some people are going to have to realize that the history so prevalent in the city has relevance.

Sunset Along the Montcalm County Road

Sunset Montcalm County #2
Originally uploaded by Rick Rock Radio

Sometimes days are lousy, but the trip home and the reflecting one does makes a long day worthwhile. Most of the trip home today, I tried to convince myself to stop and take five minutes to shoot the gorgeous sky. I battled between frustration and disappointment. You know, some days just don't go how you want them to.

I turned down a dirt road, grabbed my camera and tripod, and walked out into the middle of a field. I spent about 10 minutes taking a few shots of the sky, burning brightly behind the trees.

Exhausting. Glowing.

The Touchdown Club

The Touchdown
Originally uploaded by Rick Rock Radio

Central Montcalm travels to Saginaw Swan Valley tonight for a second–round playoff game. Last Friday, the Hornets knocked off the top–seeded Essexville Garber Dukes on their home field. Maybe they can do it again tonight.

The weather should be better, if not colder. What's worse as a fan: the rain and wind or the cold?

League opponents Big Rapids and Morley, two of the teams that beat the Hornets during the regular season (the team was 2–3 at one point) are also in second–round contests. It's even possible that the Hornets could end up playing the Big Rapids Cardinals next week. We'll see what happens.

It's Friday. It's football time. Go Hornets.

CM Dukes it Out in Essexville Hampton

Central Montcalm went on the road all the way to Essexville to play the Garber Dukes. When they arrived, the hosts said, "We're hear to 'put up our Dukes.'" And the Hornets responded by taking it to the Dukes.

The Dukes, favored to win in their home, played the Hornets tough, but the tougher team prevailed. Battling lousy weather, lots of wind and rain for the first half of the game, Central Montcalm battled hard and won with barely a minute left in the game. Great win by the Hornets, who will travel to Saginaw Swan Valley next week for a second–round game.


The official's signal says it all: Central Montcalm has taken the lead with barely one minute left in the game. It could be the play of the year. Great job, Hornets!


The battered and dirty helmet of one of the Hornets.


Ready to go.



Nice attempt, just a little short.


Come on, guys, let's get this one.


Shaking hands. Essexville thought they had this one.


After the game. Emotion.


Brothers. Hornet past. Hornet now. Always a Hornet.


Fans.


Even the assistant principal and principal got into the action. Great win by the Hornets.