Hitting Home

My home is dying, yet at the same time, there are signs of hope. Earlier this week and it seems everyday now, another one of the Big Three announce layoffs, buy-outs, and closings. 105 of 305 years Detroit has survived and succeeded almost solely on the automotive industry, and the jet streams of globalization are blowing in and really truly injuring the city that jumpstarted it all. Call it the invisible hand or my own realization of the global economy, but I don't like it and it scares me. Detroit's my home and my immediate, employable future, and it's dying. What a sad day it will be if that Jap company ousts GM from the number one spot - and it's coming, probably much sooner than I would like to think.

On the other hand, signs of hope springing up around town. The Tigers are in the playoffs for the first time in 19 years. I can't begin to say how excited I am for that team. Talk of the World Series is somewhat bothersome though - partly because there is still a lot of baseball to be played first. I'm not doubting their capabilities and I await the aniticaption of post-season Detroit baseball, but it's a long way away. Don't worry, I say the same thing about hockey playoffs - this isn't me being negative about my Tiggies. Also - the Grand Prix is coming back to Belle Isle. Thanks to Mr. Penske who saw great things when he chaired Detroit's Superbowl committee, he decided to renew the lapsed contract and bring back racing. Yes, it's great. But my museum is on the back side of the island and I don't know what the race track was before. If they race around the whole island, the Dossin might not be able to operate that day. But that's eleven months away and so we will just have to sit tight for awhile on that.

I read the news headlines everyday and I know what is going on in the world. Sometimes I hear a song on the radio that screams patriotism or I see something (a flag at half-staff, a clear blue September day, a low flying airplane, a soldier in uniform, planes practicing maneuvers at Selfridge at all hours of the day) that reminds me of our current state. Images of 9-11 and the war flash through my mind so vividly I am almost distracted from what I am doing. For a little while, that's all I can think about. I often find so much hate within myself for the people that did this to my country that I end up with tears in my eyes. I partly know that we brought this result on ourselves, the big, greedy superpower who needs to spread it's evil way of life on those cultures so completely different than ours it would never stick anyway. I know there are thousands of men and women abroad fighting for American freedom. Until now, it wasn't as personal as it should have been and when that thought actually crossed my mind, I feel like such a horrible person. Thanking God everyday that my brother is out of the Army makes me even more horrible of a person. My tears can't apologize enough for thinking like that. And it doesn't mean I don't care or it doesn't bother me because it does. Now it will bother me more because now it's personal and the war has hit home. It might be awhile before I stop dead in my tracks when I'm reminded of how dangerous a world we live in. I might not pray consciously everyday, but maybe I should make it more of an effort. Until then, all I can do is hope that the election this November drastically turns the table on Iraq and wish it doesn't get worse before it gets better.

A slight pick-me-up of sorts: I've had a rite of passage today. I saw the envelope from "University Advancement" and knew it was U-D bugging for money. The only reason I'm excited about it is because it's my first one. Haha. And no, I'm not giving them any money because every three months for the next seven years, I'll be giving them a rather large repayment. So who knows, in ten or so years when all my loans are paid back, I might consider giving them money because I know it was through other people's donations that I was able to go to that school. Hopefully they don't lose faith in me but I think I have a rather valid excuse - I'm not being some cheapass, I'm just paying back my loans. Pardon my lack of wanting to give more to that school than what I already have too.