thedreamr's Xanga

Autumn Leaves

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:13:50 GMT

All the colors are so beautiful

But in order for the leaves to change they must begin to die

Yes death in Gods eyes is beautiful

He sent His Son to die for us

He asks us to die daily to ourselves and to sin

He wants us to be a reflection of beauty by allowing our old man to die and others be allowed to see the change He can make in us.

Maybe today as you are looking out your window it will remind you of Jesus sacrifice and death for us and how beauty was made from His death.

Praise Him forever let all nature show forth His glory

Random Stuff

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:56:53 GMT

Ok here is an interesting statue I found while driving around

Can you guess where I found it?

A modern art store?

Possibly a museum? Or maybe a store similar to Pier One?

Nope

This is a collision shop.

Why in front of a collision shop? Who knows

Then I stopped to get my picture with a couple of famous guys

Ok so it's fake and I was too lazy to photoshop it

I did however find something interesting

We all know or have heard about how Steve Jobs started Apple Computer in his garage

And I think Bill Gates and friends also began in a similar fashion.

But did you know that a famous computer website ( a competitor at that ) is being run out of a similar type of location?

Yes it seems that the popularity has diminished and now it is being managed in a small undisclosed location on the outskirts of Flint

Remember you heard it here first. Bad economy affects everyone I guess.

Last but not least here in Michigan it get colder the further north you travel.

I was in my hometown and the temperature dipped down to the low 40s with a frost warning

but a mere 89 miles north in Downtown Flint it got real cold

No I did not photoshop this pic I was getting off work and it did feel cold so I noticed as I passed Walgreens the temp was -115 now that is cold even in the frozen mitten I can't wait for winter to kick in.... NOT!!!!

Nightmare returns

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:29:38 GMT

Flintastical Adventures

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 05:32:02 GMT

Ok so it really isn't Flintastical nor much of an adventure but here we go

One of the things I am still trying to figure out is why are things so different here than other parts of Michigan when I found this

Not so strange you say. I beg to differ with you.

This place reminds me of another possibly more famous place I saw when I was younger. It like Flint was different in a lot of strange ways

Here it will be easier to show you

It was called Lidsville There were "people" who were made out of extremely large hats

You think I am making this up but honestly President Jimmy Carter actually visited once

There were a few other Flinteresting Oops I meant interesting characters there as well

The big guy in the last picture if I remember used to sell cigarettes or something to kids. His name was Puff N Stuff I think that is why they took his show off the air. He was a good friend of the childrens' producers Sid & Marty Krofft

It was the 70s ya know

So I got to thinking this place is JUST like that place

so I started paying closer attention to the people I saw on the street and see if Whigsville was all it's name promised

Bad wig #1 And look at that silly smirk I think maybe he was smoking something besides cigarettes

Here I also saw a homemade wig.

You know a lot of people are laid off so don't judge

I think she worked on one of the restaurants on Dort Highway but not sure

Even the dogs have wigs and weaves

Ok so she wasn't in Flint but it is a bad wig

I really did not see any of those characters actually in Flint But It wouldn't surprise me.

I did one time see a young man wearing a suit walking downtown.

Not so out of the ordinary except he had Fluorescent yellow spiked hair. Now while that may be the norm somewhere else In Michigan it is different.

Life out of a suitcase & further Flintventures

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:57:57 GMT

Ok so I have not really been living out of a suitcase but it sure feels like it somedays

Here is where I have actually been staying

The fabulous Wingate Hotel

It has nice rooms

But it will never be home.

Have you ever been sick when you were away from home?

Unfortunately I have and it is then I really miss home my own bed and blankets to crawl under and sleep until I recover A hotel no matter how nice just isn't the same

On a better note I recently went on a road trip to meet up with some friends I have not seen in #%*$ years.

Of course I took some pictures

Kristin, Joanna, Becca, Me,Carolyn

We had a great time catching up on a long long a time.

I met my friends husband who I like a lot.

That is him on the end in case you didn't figure it out.

They fit very well together.

I also took a trip to another part of Flint I actually found it Flinterseting

Flinteresting A different kind of word. makes me wonder if someone from Flint interrupts you when you talk are they Flinterjecting? Maybe I need a Flinterperter to understand. Maybe I should call the different episodes here Flintervals since I am only here as a Flinterim. And I could call my tours into the city going to the Flinterior and since it is on Xanga it is going Flinternational

Ok enough of that I could go on way too long

Anyway as I was saying I went to the Cultural Center. It was actually nice but let me describe it the way they do

" The Flint Cultural Center is Flint’s crown jewel. Nestled on a 22-acre campus, its offerings include the Flint Symphony, the Showcase Series (professional presentations ranging from comedy to ballet to Broadway musicals), the Flint Institute of Art, and Michigan’s largest planetarium. Sloan Museum illustrates Flint’s history from its beginnings as a lumber town, the birth of General Motors, to its current emergence as a corridor of technology"

I didn't make it to very many of these venues. I spent the time I did have at the Institute of Arts.

I went there because I saw a billboard advertising old rock & roll poster art I even wore my nifty tie dye shirt celebrating the 60th anniversary of Woodstock I fit right in except I was a week early and the display wasn't even there yet. It said on the sign through November 1st but failed to state when it started GRRR

I took some pictures anyway

I have a cheap camera that always flashes Grr not good on glass. This is an indian baby carrier that is used across snow

Intricate ivory carvings from Asia

A waterspout ( gutter) Asian

A samurai sword with changeable hand guards

One of the hand guards

An African headdress

Not sure but might be a prelude to b.o.b. Thought a certain person would like this one lol

Another headdress

A great sculpture I loved the detail in the folds of the marble

It was right about then that the museum police caught up with me.

I was surrounded by several large intimidating guards who tried to strong arm my camera from me

Ok it was only one old dude that told me I had to sign a paper if I wanted to take pictures He also warned me sternly that I could only take pictures of the permanent museum artifacts.( Knock knock Hello the other exhibit isn't open yet). He must have read the same billboard

The we get to the modern art

Loved the use of color here

I always wondered what happened to that bike that got stolen

This looks cool in itself but look closer from another angle

It is a 3d piece It depicts a mother stealing a few moments to be alone in the shower

The wood sticks represent a prison of sorts her family look on from the window and there is a lasso from them to around her waist. I liked the thought put into this piece and how we sometimes feel like prisoners in our own situations and everyone needs some personal space.

Picture does not show the detail of the lines I used to draw this kind of stuff. How did I know I could have been in the Flint Institute of Arts

A student hanging around. Actually a statue but from a distance I thought it was real

Look at the detail in his arm

Looks real even close up

Almost looks like a photograph

Jacket made out of metal looks real until you touch it

Colorful plates

This is a display that is on the wall of the theater it is several colored pieces of glass with directional lighting

It was way cooler then my cheap camera could capture

Here are some miniature metal buildings. I purposely used a flash to make the effect look harsh

Ok so my flash did it's own thing but I take the credit anyway

Oops don't tell the museum police but I snuck this one

Outside courtyard

Wall leading to art studios

Made out of tires

Looks snakelike Maybe a Medusa headdress

3d Art in the lobby

Made out of Dentistry books for teeth

So that was my tour I am going back for the poster art but probably will not be able to take pictures they have my face now so Mr Museum Police will be on the look out I am sure

Maybe there is some good in Flint after all

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:13:22 GMT

Well as you know I have been working in Flint for about two months now. It has not been bad but I am now looking at changing my mode of getting there and back. This last time I was gone I gave my son specific instructions on doing a few things around the house As expected he did ZERO of them but to ake mattes worse he did not do ANYTHING at all no cleaning no taking care of the dogs proprly I am quite upset at his lack of maturity. My house which I spent time cleaning before I left last time is now a very dirty house

Ok so it wasn't this bad but it wasn't this good either

Anyway I feel the need to commute everyday instead of staying at the hotel.

My car is older and I am aware of rising fuel prices. If I could I would ride a bike to work

But since work is currently 88 miles away I will drive

Now Flint being a car town as well as most of the frozen mitten I would love to buy a new fuel improved made in Michigan car

But the sad matter is most of the fuel efficient cars are not made in Michigan or even the United States

I ws thinking of the small smart cars

You can now buy them here but I would not like being so short and small so I saw this model

Both good on and off the road.

But then I saw this car

It is a hybid car ad gets great milage Unfortunately it is only a concept car

Then I spotted this car

I thionk it would be easy to find in the parking lot.

Oh wel I gues I will just drive my old car for now

It gets 26 miles per gallon and some of the newer cars start at 28 mpg.

But I will say I do have my eye on the Prius

The U.S. doesn't have a car with better milage or proven record like this car. Sorry but we dropped the ball again

Old friends

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:27:25 GMT

Maybe I should rephrase that " Friends I have known for a long time."
Aww who am I kidding we are old.
I recently found a few friends that I had lost contact with over the years.
These were people who I was at the time very close to.
But life has a way of moving on and sometimes people you have grown up with move away or situations separate you.
In my travels to and from vehicle city I do not have much time for socializing these days.
Working ten days on and four days off I spend my free time with my kids.
It is a bittersweet situation I already missed their first day of middle school. Not a huge event but one that makes me think twice about what I want to do and where I choose to do it.
Then an old friend ran into my brother in the store. Who then found me using the internet. It was not on Xanga but another personal web page which will remain nameless unless they pay me to advertise lol

Long story short we went for dinner along with my girls who were not born the last time we saw each other.
It was funny how quickly we caught up on everything.
We have other friends in common who we both message back and forth with
We are going to try and meet somewhere centrally in the near future. It will seem like a mini class reunion even though we all went to different schools.
I one time also met a person who I made friends with through the internet.
It was different meeting someone face to face who you never met before but it was nice.
I may one day get the opportunity to meet others I have come to know or lost touch with over the years.
Sometimes the internet can be a good thing lol

Odds and ends in the Vehicle City

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:28:25 GMT

Well still here in Vehicle City and looking around.

Here are a few new things I found.

Looks like an schoolhouse. Most schoolhouses I have seen have been red but in Flint they had blue ones I guess. Doesn't surprise me this place is different. This building is closed down now so maybe the last owner painted it who knows for sure?

This might explain the strange choice of color for this house that is still being lived in. Kind of a turquoise also not in the best part of town. Maybe there was a big sale on blue tinted paint when GM closed down.

Here is where one of the factories used to be.

Now just an empty concrete piece of land

Kind of sad

It is a little restaurant and the food was good.

I also found an old friend Little Ceaser. Thats the name of a pizza chain in Michigan. The deal is two pizzas for one price He says "Pizza Pizza" and has two of them on his spear. Most of the old signs like this are gone but in Flint He is still alive

In my travels I went through a neighborhood I was told that there were well lets say women of the oldest profession there. Now I am not looking for one to do business with lets be perfectly clear I wanted to see the signs they posted up to deter them.

Here it looks like an older not so bad street

Grass is a bit overgrown and houses are all old but some do not look that bad.

Then you go a bit further

There was no sign of anyone on the street. The street is named New York. Yes like the city which I know has the same problem.

It is too bad that crime has no boundaries even when kids are around

I went down a few other streets in the same neighborhood and only one street away I found what the signs were talking about. I did not take her picture.

For two reasons

1. I chose not to violate her space. I figured that has happened enough.

And second when I drove past and saw her thin frame, dirty scraggly blond hair and old clothes it was clear she was not out there to make money for herself. Then I looked into her eyes. It was only for a second but they looked like old eyes, tired eyes, eyes that had no life in them. I wanted to cry because all I could see was the hurting inside of her empty face. She must have never known real love.

Then like the information I heard two guys drove up on bikes. Yes bikes the kind you pedal talk about cheap. My guess is they can get away faster from the police cause they can go where cars cannot. They stopped her and I was too far away to see much else. I turned around but when I got back all of them were gone.

It's bad enough to have the crime downtown but right in your neighborhood has to be hard. Most of the people who I saw looked like good people just not much money. Most took care of their houses and yards. There was a few exceptions like this one

Everyone watched me and I think they may have thought I was undercover police. Well if I helped get rid of the problem for a little while I am happy to help.

Back on the main street I found a few food places that were different.

The first one in case you can't read the sign has the specialty of not only being the Alabama Fish & Chicken place but also have mushrooms and "live" Okra. I wonder what dead okra is like?

Then as I drove down the road I kept seeing people who put converted oil barrel grills out by the side of the road and offered barbecue.

Now I don't know about you but a homemade fallen apart tent with a rusty grill is the first place I would think about getting my barbecue. After all it is the last summer holiday right.

Since I was near downtown I got a picture I would not have been able to take at a different time. In front of the Flint campus of University of Michigan they have a brick and cement logo made into the street. Here is the pic I can always get.

Not too exciting but since it was a holiday and everything was closed I took liberty and drove up into the "faculty only" parking structure and got this pic

Anything for my readers lol.

Now to end on a positive note I saw this sign.

And I must say there IS some Flinteresting stuff around here.lol

Till next time.

Further adventures in Flint

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 19:15:43 GMT

As you know I promised you a story in this next chapter on the thumbpit of Michigan

Well I took it upon myself to talk with a few “flintites” People who live in Flint or at least close.

I asked a person who told me they were raised there and knew many great places to eat.

I know this person to be just like me in several ways. Both of us similar in background and values, so I trusted her opinion.

When asked what type of food I liked, I said I enjoy variety tell me a few different places and I can try them all in time since I am here for a while.

I was given a few names and general directions since I can find my way around fairly well.

The list varied from pizza to sit down steak houses to chinese

I picked Chinese this day a place called The Empress of China I was told they have the best in town

I knew where the street was so it as only a matter of locating exactly where it was on this road.

I drove quite a way down and the further I went the more I was sure I somehow missed it.

I slowed down on my last pass through an area I was certain it could not possibly be in and there it was

It was a fairly small and set back from the road.

The part that stunned me was it was located in the middle of some rather different type of businesses

Yes I was smack dab in the middle of stripper alley Ok that’s what I called it.

There were “establishments on either side and also directly across the street.

It was only 11:00am so they had not opened yet. When I saw her that night at work I asked her how she could send me to “ stripper alley” She got this look of embarrassment on her face and said I have lived in Flint so long I didn’t even think about where it was at. I am soo sorry. I promise none of the other places I gave you are in bad parts of town.

Oh by the way the food was very good. And the reviews match mine

“I love Empress of China but I will admit right off the bat that it is in an AWFUL part of town (situated between a few strip clubs). That said, the food is great! They have the best chicken fried rice I think I've eaten and the chicken with vegetables is great as well. The staff is always courteous. It's worth every penny!”

“It's in a totally grungy part of town, but so worth it to go! We live in NC now, and we can't find anything even half as good here! Anytime we're back home, we try to visit!”

Most large cities have good and bad parts kind of like most people sad but true.

A few other places I saw were this coney island

I liked the sign but didn't eat there

Where I did eat was a place called rib city.

The food was good but the pictures and interior was better

Notice the arches that take after the ones downtown?

I read that the arches downtown looked so nice when they are lit up at night so I went down to check them out

No lights at all That stinks but also no traffic so I took this pic in the middle of the main street

Pretty dead at 12:44 am

Flint also has a dating service for those people who don;t want to waste time

OOps this is a clothing place.

I was also tempted to try the local fare in burgers

Are camel burgers even legal? Maybe it tastes like chicken

I also must make a correction the place I thought was an auto parts store where they park on the roof

Turns out is a bar

Now I understand how the car might have gotten up there.

Here are a few other different signs

Not sure what that means but it was not in the bad section of town as you may think.

Mmm chicken catfish is that like turducken?

In Flint could be.

Here is a place that fixes brass instruments I liked the sign

Here is a little hole in the wall pizza place everyone keeps telling me about.

As you can see you would not find this if you did not know where to look.

Unfortunately it does not open until 3:00 I work at 2:00 Grrr

Now if you remember I saw some strange looking things at a small mall The sinclair gas sign and the HUGE Alfred E Newman

I was told the inside was even better so... here we go

It is called the Dort Mall

The first thing I saw walking in was a revolving door

Not so strange you say but this one you can buy it is not even attached to anything

I thought " I can use a revolving door" but there was no price on it.

Then there was a large fish tank

and a large fish too.

Think this is different?

Look at this

Yes it's a real plane

Why is it here?

I don't know

but it somehow belongs when you begin to look around at the ceilings and walls here

Nice bunz lol

Reminds me of the Terminator or Silver surfer

I swear I have seen this guy somewhere else

It must have been his brother with my son

What can I say he takes after his dad

I asked him if he was helping hold up the basket or grabbing the guys butt lol He said the basket

Care for a tiffany lamp?

Even have exciting rides

Or you can put your own together

COuldn't have a mall without the old FORD Robot

Or Liberty Bell

How about a zamboni

Giant Crayons?

A sign to explain why the meat is so cheap

Ever have trouble finding the right size shoe? They have everything up to Giant here

An old McDonalds sign

Window cloth dispenser Ok just the front no dispenser

Finally a place I recognize I don;t remember the last one I visited having a place to claim lost packages and luggage

Old Burma Shave Sign. Shell tire? I thought they only sold gasoline

Yes it was all quite interesting and I think for sale.

When I was leaving a man in a hurry walking past me commented

"You should have been here before they took all the stuff out"

Hmm wonder what other stuff was here

And of course the outside again

Yes that is Buster Brown and he now has a career blowing up balloons in Flint

I wonder why they trim all the trees like this

Strange yes but it kept me busy for a while.

Wonder what other things I will find in this forgotten town?

Flint #3

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:04:18 GMT

If you had told me a few weeks back I would be writing about Flint for more that one entry I would have thought you crazy yet here we are on number 3

Now Flint has been around for a while so like most older cities they have older buildings I am including but a few here

University of Michigan Flint campus is here

They also have some nice old churches

But as usual they have some buildings which are not used any longer

I did learn something

I never knew America got stronger cause of Food Stamps That explains a lot NOT

But there are surprisingly not as many as Detroit has and they are renovating some of them

I found several with painted signs on the sides of them

I also finally found the river in Riverbank Park

It's not great but not as bad as the part where they tell you to "Rediscover" it

Then there was the what I call the "Historic area".

Brick roads in fact the main road in downtown is still brick

Sorry I forgot to rotate a few of them before I uploaded

Original Carriage Factory Office where Flint got it's fame from.

Duran & Dort Carriage makers who later made and founded General Motors

Strange pink house Not sure why it's pink but it is different

Mr. Durant & Mr. Dort Ok they are statues but why worry about details

Here is the factory where they built carriages

It has a sign that says it is up for sale but the date is expired

So for my loyal fan I mean fans I am taking a risk and sneaking inside for a peek

Main entrance from opposite wall

Looking down the hall

Interesting stairs wonder what is upstairs Opps someone is coming I better get outta here

Ok I got hungry so I stopped in a place called the "Lunch Studio"

Sounded like a place to eat lunch right

It was packed but I found a seat

I got a Tuna sandwich the interesting part is it had almonds in it Why? Hey it's Flint how do I know

Not bad though

Then on my journey out of downtown I found some curious things

An Auto store with parking on the roof

Remember Sinclar gasoline? I used to get a plastic blow-up dinosaur from there when I was young

Why do they have a Sinclair gas sign in front of Hockey World? Again this is Flint Who knows

Ok is it me or does this guy look familiar?

Not sure if it's Howdt Doody or Alfred E Newman

I always wondered where old celebrities go after they are no longer famous.

Then I found something I thought I would never see

Are you ready?

Hello world heres a song that we're singing

Come on get happy

Where is Susan?

I had a crush on her

I'm sleeping
And right in the middle of a good dream
like all at once I wake up
From something that keeps knocking at my brain
Before I go insane
I hold my pillow to my head
And spring up in my bed
Screaming out the words I dread:
"I think I love you!" (I think I love you)

I told you famous people go to Flint This proves it now if I can only find Susan.

Ok I know she is married and living in La but I can dream can't I? lol

I also found this building Look like a place from a movie perhaps?

P.S. look at the title

Yes it is Porky's

I didn't;t see the fat guy or really anyone much at all I guess after Porky had his revenge he sold the place and they moved it to Flint. Good News is it is up for sale again.

This leads into the next adventure when a local person we will call her a flintite gave me directions to a good place to eat.

Until Next time.......