Warning: Do not trust car gas gages to be an absolute device for measuring fuel levels. I learned the hard way tonight. Kyle and I were heading down to the Tigers game and ended up running out of gas on the inside lane of a four lane interstate. After fighting other cars to get back to the outside, got the car stopped and hiked up the embankment on the side. We find ourselves smack dab in the middle of desolate inner city Detroit. We start walking around to find something and absolutely nothing is around. We end up flagging down a cop, and he decides to help us. He also has no idea where a gas station is, so he says "hop in". I am now experiencing my first ride in one of Detroit's finest rear seats, with the back divider wall and everything. Its so tight back there you can't even really put your feet in front of you. Cop drops us off at the gas station, and tells us good luck and takes off. I was hoping he'd run us back, since its a little over a mile to the car, but we were still greatful, none the less. We buy a gas can, and start walking back. Within 2oo feet of walking back, an awesome black woman stops and ask if we need a ride. (I mention her race, to make a point later in this paragraph.). She runs us back to the car, we fill er up and we're off again heading down to the ball game (20 minute delay total, not too shabby). Here is the point that I'd like to make, after Kyle and I talked about this a bit. If this situation is reversed, black person in heavily white neighborhood, I'm highly guessing that no one would stop and help them, at least not where we live. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Detroit, but I've never experienced a more racist/segregated area in my life. It goes both ways here, blacks feel uncomfortable with whites, and whites feel the opposite with blacks. I believe Detroit city statistically is around 80% black, which just shows you how segregated this region is. Its amazing to hear what coworkers say about the city("I haven't been down there in 20 years"), and I'd like to believe that I am in some little way might change just a few peoples thoughts.
Ok, about the ballgame. By the way the Tigers Are Awesome! 53-25, best record in baseball. I can remember three years ago taking my parents to their 100th loss, the year that they almost set the record for most losses ever in baseball with 119, one shy of the 1962 Mets. How quickly things can change.
Finally saw my first Tigers win after my third game this year. Roger Clemons was pitching, so the place was packed and the crowd was jacked. Tigers ended up winning 4-0 with Clemons taking the loss. Whos your Tiger? (Inside joke here in town, its their catch phrase in all their commercials). There were also fireworks after the game, which was pretty enthralling. If you've ever seen fireworks in a small enclosed area, they are much more powerfull, and reverb quite nicely off of walls. A good start to the upcoming 4th of July holiday.
I had the pleasure of hosting my sisters, Corinne and Camille, this past weekend. I think that it may have been one of the first times ever, that its just been the three of us, without mom and dad. Its pretty cool now that we're all "adults" and the new dynamic that exists. We spent some time in the city, Detroit Science Center, Small Plates (Excellent Tapas restaurant, absolute best cut of meat I've ever had in my life, a 4 oz. tenderloin), and walked around town a bit. I also took them over to Windsor, Canada, since my sister, being all of 20 years old, could gamble and drink here. The legal age for these activities in Canada is 19. Its funny to see all the young kids going over to party on the weekends. We really didn't do much gambling or drinking, but she still got a kick
out the experience. It was weird
buying my sister a legal drink. Ah, the joys of living 15 miles from an international border. I had made a previous commitment on Saturday to attend a Young Automotive Professionals Conference at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, so they ended up hitting the zoo by themselves and then we hung out Sat. night, and they took off on Sunday. Back to the Chrysler Proving Grounds story, in the morning they had speakers, but in the afternoon, the event turned into a huge ride and drive event, with I'm guessing around 50 vehicles. They had guys giving rides in Vipers on a road course at 120, an offroad, mudbogging course, with Jeeps, and a cool event where they had reversed the
steering on a Jeep (left is right, and right is left), where you had to navigate some turns. They also had a ton of vehicles you could drive yourself on a 4 mile loop. I heavily enjoyed any of the SRT vehicles. (Approx 400 hp) Lets just say that the 70 mph speedlimit that we were supposed to obey, may have been slightly disobeyed. Ok majorly disobeyed, but we were still careful. My favorite vehicle of the day: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8, absolutely amazing.
Warning: Do not trust car gas gages to be an absolute device for measuring fuel levels. I learned the hard way tonight. Kyle and I were heading down to the Tigers game and ended up running out of gas on the inside lane of a four lane interstate. After fighting other cars to get back to the outside, got the car stopped and hiked up the embankment on the side. We find ourselves smack dab in the middle of desolate inner city Detroit. We start walking around to find something and absolutely nothing is around. We end up flagging down a cop, and he decides to help us. He also has no idea where a gas station is, so he says "hop in". I am now experiencing my first ride in one of Detroit's finest rear seats, with the back divider wall and everything. Its so tight back there you can't even really put your feet in front of you. Cop drops us off at the gas station, and tells us good luck and takes off. I was hoping he'd run us back, since its a little over a mile to the car, but we were still greatful, none the less. We buy a gas can, and start walking back. Within 2oo feet of walking back, an awesome black woman stops and ask if we need a ride. (I mention her race, to make a point later in this paragraph.). She runs us back to the car, we fill er up and we're off again heading down to the ball game (20 minute delay total, not too shabby). Here is the point that I'd like to make, after Kyle and I talked about this a bit. If this situation is reversed, black person in heavily white neighborhood, I'm highly guessing that no one would stop and help them, at least not where we live. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Detroit, but I've never experienced a more racist/segregated area in my life. It goes both ways here, blacks feel uncomfortable with whites, and whites feel the opposite with blacks. I believe Detroit city statistically is around 80% black, which just shows you how segregated this region is. Its amazing to hear what coworkers say about the city("I haven't been down there in 20 years"), and I'd like to believe that I am in some little way might change just a few peoples thoughts.
Ok, about the ballgame. By the way the Tigers Are Awesome! 53-25, best record in baseball. I can remember three years ago taking my parents to their 100th loss, the year that they almost set the record for most losses ever in baseball with 119, one shy of the 1962 Mets. How quickly things can change. 
Finally saw my first Tigers win after my third game this year. Roger Clemons was pitching, so the place was packed and the crowd was jacked. Tigers ended up winning 4-0 with Clemons taking the loss. Whos your Tiger? (Inside joke here in town, its their catch phrase in all their commercials). There were also fireworks after the game, which was pretty enthralling. If you've ever seen fireworks in a small enclosed area, they are much more powerfull, and reverb quite nicely off of walls. A good start to the upcoming 4th of July holiday.
I had the pleasure of hosting my sisters, Corinne and Camille, this past weekend. I think that it may have been one of the first times ever, that its just been the three of us, without mom and dad. Its pretty cool now that we're all "adults" and the new dynamic that exists. We spent some time in the city, Detroit Science Center, Small Plates (Excellent Tapas restaurant, absolute best cut of meat I've ever had in my life, a 4 oz. tenderloin), and walked around town a bit. I also took them over to Windsor, Canada, since my sister, being all of 20 years old, could gamble and drink here. The legal age for these activities in Canada is 19. Its funny to see all the young kids going over to party on the weekends. We really didn't do much gambling or drinking, but she still got a kick 
out the experience. It was weird 
buying my sister a legal drink. Ah, the joys of living 15 miles from an international border. I had made a previous commitment on Saturday to attend a Young Automotive Professionals Conference at the Chrysler Proving Grounds, so they ended up hitting the zoo by themselves and then we hung out Sat. night, and they took off on Sunday. Back to the Chrysler Proving Grounds story, in the morning they had speakers, but in the afternoon, the event turned into a huge ride and drive event, with I'm guessing around 50 vehicles. They had guys giving rides in Vipers on a road course at 120, an offroad, mudbogging course, with Jeeps, and a cool event where they had reversed the 
steering on a Jeep (left is right, and right is left), where you had to navigate some turns. They also had a ton of vehicles you could drive yourself on a 4 mile loop. I heavily enjoyed any of the SRT vehicles. (Approx 400 hp) Lets just say that the 70 mph speedlimit that we were supposed to obey, may have been slightly disobeyed. Ok majorly disobeyed, but we were still careful. My favorite vehicle of the day: Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8, absolutely amazing.
