good harbor grill
good help wanted
—
‘whatever you are, be a good one.’
-william makepeace thackeray
—
glen arbor, michigan, usa, October 20
Oct12
Category Archives: Life
Oct7
her place.
she had found her place at long last
confirmed by the thumbs up
(happened upon in the streets of Ann Arbor)
—
‘she could not then know that, even for the squarest peg,
the right hole may ultimately be found’
Oct6
‘it is what we know already that often prevents us from learning.’- claude bernard
i’m always fascinated
by how we continue to learn new things every day
it’s a part of what keeps life so interesting in my opinion
while all of us know people
who believe they already ‘know it all’
I learned a long time ago it’s just not true
I also learned that for all of the many things I learn
there are also things that I forget
so hopefully I learn more than I forget
should I just call it even then?
or odd?
—
“if we remembered everything,
we should on most occasions be as ill off as if we remembered nothing”
-Aaron S. Benjamin, Successful Remembering and Successful Forgetting
—
image credit: Harvard Medical School, Daydreaming Brain
Oct4
we have the choice.
in honor of the passing of Jane Goodall and National Poetry Day
—
stand on the bridge
hem of heaven
holding beauty, awe, reverence, wonder
daily decisions to engage, bother, contribute, care, participate, listen, be alive
actions more than words but they both count, add up or diminish
be kind, offer a smile, a warm embrace, enthusiasm, delight, empathy, connection
gift of life
open daily.
“we have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place
-or not to bother”
-Jane Goodall
—
gallup park, ann arbor, michigan, usa – october
Sep11
unexpected situations can be avoided.
Icelandic Writers Union sent its members an email about this Artists Residency in an uninhabited island in Åland. There is no running water, no electricity, and apparently another issue. But they promise that “as long as you are aware of this, unexpected situations can be avoided”
Källskär Artist in Residence
Källskär was the residence of free lord Göran Åkerhielm in the years 1958-1983. Åkerhielm transferred his part of the island to the government of Åland in 1984.
On Källskär there is a log house designed by architect Reima Pietilä and a magnificent garden surrounded by stone walls created by hand, as well as some smaller cabins at the harbor on the south side of the island.
One of the cabins in the southern port of Källskär is today used as an artist in residence and is administered by the Åland Cultural Delegation.
The artist in residence is primarily given to performing artists and cultural workers in all art areas and journalists who in their creation can be expected to have a special benefit from the environment the facilities offer, but who also can offer Åland new experiences and inspiration in the cultural field. A residence is usually granted 1 or 2 weeks during the period end of May-September.
The cabin of about 30 square meters holds two beds, has a gas stove and refrigerator but no electricity. Here you live according to motto simplicity. With the help of solar panels you can charge mobile phones and laptops, and can connect to the network via a telephone modem. There is also a fixed telephone connection in the residence.
The artist must bring linen and towels and food for the stay. Food can be purchased on the main Kökar island or in Mariehamn. The supervisor arranges for water in the residence.
Theres is no indoor toilet but an outhouse. The dishes are done outdoors at the sink located on the back wall of the residence. If necessary, there are three extra beds in the small boathouse next door.
There is a small fee that each residence guest must pay in advance to cover the costs of gas and waste disposal. You also pay an extra fee for accompanying family member.The artist pays for the travels to and from the residence.
There are quite a lot of snakes on Källskär but if you move carefully and on the walking paths and as long as you are aware of this, unexpected situations can be avoided.
question: what might those unexpected situations be?
asking for a friend.
noooooo…
—
‘if you do not expect the unexpected, you will not find it,
for it is not to be reached by search or trail”
.- Heraclitus, ancient Greek philosopher
Sep10
crime school.
in 2011, a man in a Gumby suit attempted to rob a 7-Eleven store but became nervous and escaped with only some loose change. Initially, the clerk thought the man was joking, but when the robber announced he had a gun and began fumbling with his Gumby suit, he changed his mind. When the robber’s accomplice in a car outside honked the horn, the suspect fled, dropping his take of 27 cents on the floor. (San Diego Police Department )
TWELVE THINGS I LEARNED AT CRIMECON
All cults share some common characteristics, including the CAT DOOMSDAY CULT where people were led to believe that cats (where you had to have at least 30 cats in your house, among other things), were your avenue to the afterlife.
Five motivated moms were capable of solving a complex case involving their daughters that the police did not even believe was a case.
Body language is a dead giveaway when trying to detect if someone is lying. (now that i’ve seen examples and an analysis of them, I’ll seem even more guilty when innocent as I’ll be trying to outthink what I should or should not be doing with my actions and will appear more suspicious and self-conscious.)
Transitions are the time when you are most vulnerable, in a parking lot, going from place to place, car to inside, etc. carrying things, 8 grocery bags, phone, coffee, small child, busy, thinking about what’s next,… best time to be aware and focused. also in remote spaces when alone. after learning about how to best avoid unsafe situations, realizing I’ve done all of the unsafe things numerous times and feeling glad to be here to attend this session.
There are still lots of missing people out there, and seeing a large board with pictures and names of people up there, to get as much exposure as possible to people from all over the country, sobering to see how many are still lost.
If parents are searching for a baby taken in the past they are now sometimes able to find them using technology that can use their baby picture to recreate what they would like at their current age, and vice versa if an adult finds out they were taken as a baby and wants to find their real family, by using the tech to use their adult picture to go back in time to what they might have looked like as a baby.
Always, always, always trust your instincts and heed the red flags. did I say always?
Criminals most always think they can get away with their crime.
Many law enforcement and legal system presenters spoke of the toll their job took on their personal lives and their mental and emotional health. pushing for more support in the future for themselves and others in the field. some spoke of importance of having friends and interests both inside, to talk to about the job, and outside of the field, to talk about anything else, to find a balance.
Hearing cases discussed that I remember from years ago, filled in a lot of blanks, what was real, what was not, what happened behind the scenes, and justice was not always served.
Lots of people came to crimecon for different reasons and they were interesting, sincere, eccentric, and bright. I enjoyed talking to them all and there was truly never a dull moment.
My last seminar called ‘is there a serial killer among us?’ made me look around at the people sitting in the room with me, and I’m quite sure they were doing the same.
—
‘the most difficult crime to track is the one which is purposeless.’
-arthur conan doyle
*Arthur Conan Doyle, Scottish writer best known for his creation of the detective Sherlock Holmes, one of the most vivid and enduring characters in English.
Sep9
finale.
in a wonderful wrap up to the Crimecon conference
who should pick me up at my hotel
but blogger writer/poet friend
Sarah Russell
https://sarahrussellpoetry.net
who I had never met in person before
but felt like I’ve known forever
from reading and commenting back and forth
over the years
sarah and her husband roy
created a lovely zen garden waterfall dinner and dessert
and wine and good company evening for me,
complete with chauffeur service
wonderful all around.
then of course
in the very early morning hours after
at the airport
that darn coffee place
still could not quite
make out who I was
and I knew i was home.
—
‘curtain! fast music! light! ready for the last finale! great! the show looks good, the show looks good!’
-florenz ziegfeld
*Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the Ziegfeld Follies, inspired by the Folies Bergère of Paris.
Sep2
union.
Detroit Labor Day Parade 2025
yesterday, we, and many others
came together from all over, spoke out, and marched
in solidarity with the unions.
“And finally, I am here because I know we share a deep-seated belief in free collective bargaining, and in the growth and development of free and responsible unions – and unlike our opponents, we do not believe in this only on Labor Day.
I welcome the support of the working men and women of this country. I am proud of the fact that I was endorsed by the AFL-CIO. For I know that the American Labor movement wants for America what I want for America: the elimination of poverty and unemployment, the reestablishment of America’s world leadership, the guarantee of full civil rights for all our citizens. I know the American labor movement opposes what I oppose: complacency, unemployment, economic stagnation, racial discrimination, and national insecurity.
Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours, and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. But their work goes beyond their own jobs, and even beyond our borders.
Our unions have fought for aid to education, for better housing, for development of our natural resources, and for saving the family-sized farms. They have contributed funds and talent to improve our oversea relations. They have spoken, not for narrow self-interest, but for the public interest and for the people.
For the labor movement is people. Our unions have brought millions of men and women together, made them members one of another, and given them common tools for common goals.
Their goals are goals for all America – and their enemies are the enemies of all progress.
The two cannot be separated. The man who opposes a decent increase in the minimum wage is not likely to be more generous toward a badly underpaid schoolteacher. The man who opposes proper medical care for the aged has no more compassion for the small farmer or the small businessman or the hungry families in this Nation and around the world. He likes things the way they are. He sees no need to change – no need to grow. His theme song is: “You never had it so good.”
– From John F. Kennedy speech
in Cadillac Square, Detroit, MI, Labor Day Parade 1960
Aug29
no cart and buggy.
During the Great Depression in the 1930s, most Americans were just trying to get by, and few had the luxury of coming home from the grocery store with extra items. But that didn’t stop an Oklahoma grocer from coming up with the idea of a shopping cart, an invention that started out almost as disdained as it was practical.
The man behind the idea was Sylvan N. Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty grocery chain. Interested in increasing his sales, he often paid close attention to how people shopped. One thing stood out: Customers would stop shopping once their handheld baskets got too heavy. Goldman started thinking: What if there were a way for shoppers to carry more with less effort? As an experiment, he took a folding chair, added wheels to the legs, and placed a basket on the seat. He then attached a platform between the chair’s supports to hold a second basket, creating a two-tiered cart that shoppers could push.
When he rolled out these new grocery carts in 1937, he expected a runaway hit, but the reaction wasn’t exactly enthusiastic. Women, already used to pushing strollers, weren’t eager to push another one at the store. Men, on the other hand, preferred not to push something stroller-like at all, they felt it was too feminine. To get people on board, Goldman got creative. He hired store greeters to hand shoppers a cart, and even paid female and male actors/models to walk around shopping with them. Slowly, the idea caught on, and once it did, there was no going back.
—
‘why do I always choose the shopping cart with the squeaky wheel?
it is my bad luck, or are all the carts dysfunctional?’
-rachel nichols
—
source credits: history facts, npr, mallory yu
Aug25
spirals.
“the whole universe is based on rhythms. everything happens in circles, in spirals.”
– john hartford
*John Hartford was an American original. He was a musician, songwriter, steamboat pilot, author, artist, disc jockey, calligrapher, dancer, folklorist, father, and historian.
—
source credit: cast-light.com
I didn't have my glasses on.... 