New Year's YouTube Friday: Auld Lang Syne

This is a special YouTube Friday for New Years. I decided to add Kenny G's version of Auld Lang Syne (commonly Known as The New Years Song) as today's selection, courtesy of Mezzogal's YouTube Channel. I hope you all enjoyed reading my blog entries this year, as well as seeing all the pictures from different parts of town,different events, and the YouTube Friday entries of different things I noticed on YouTube this year. Hope your new year is off to a prosperous start. Also, don't be afraid to comment on my entries (just keep them clean and sanitary!), and offer new ideas of things I should put here on my blog. Happy New Year from TWaSbL to you!

Year in Review: Frozen Four 2010

The Frozen Four collegiate Hockey Tournament came to Detroit in April, and many hockey fans came into downtown to experience the action at Ford Field. There was a FanFest at the RenCen and there were many fans in and around the area taking in the sights and scenes, and even a Tigers game (the Tigers were having their first weekend home series from April 9-11). I hope to see more major sports tournaments, both at the professional and collegiate levels, in the next few years. What are your favorite sports to see played in tournament fashion? I like seeing Baseball and Hockey.

Year in Review: Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Thanksgiving Parade is always a great event to attend. The whole community either watches on TV or lines Woodward between Mack and the downtown area. The Turkey Trot races usually occur before the parade. The Turkey Trot is a marathon-style race through the streets of Downtown Detroit before the parade. My favorite float in the parade was this one for Ford, with its car and the sun. My favorite balloon was the Uncle Sam Balloon, sponsored by the Detroit News. It's always a popular one, and Uncle Sam always has his permanent smile on :-D. The Big Heads are another of my favorite sites in the parade. This lion and the Tiger "Big Heads" are my favorites, but I like them all.

YouTube Friday: Manheim Steamroller- God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman

In Honor of Christmas, Today's YouTube Friday segment is a christmas song perfomed by Mannheim Steamroller, from OSUISCOOL's YouTube Channel. I like this version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". I probably won't write in TWaSbL tomorrow in honor of Christmas, so I just want to wish you all a great holiday.

Year in Review: Veterans Day Parade

The Veterans Day Parade occured on November 6 this year. The Detroit Veterans Day parade was formerly one of the largest parades in the country honoring veterans from all different branches of the Armed Services and vets from different wars. I talked with my Dad about the parade, and he remembered the parade being pretty huge back in the 1950s, with many recent World War II and Korean War veterans, and probably some World War 1 and Spanish-American War vets then, as well.. The Parade was stopped in the mid 1970s, and was continued again in the last decade. This was my 2nd year going to the Parade, and it was nice to see all the veterans marching in the parade this year from all over the metro area. I'd like to see more people attend this event in the future to see all the veterans.

Year in Review: Labor Day Parade

Labor Day held many events in the Downtown Area: The Jazz Festival, the Tigers/White Sox game, and the Labor Day Parade on Woodward, whose pictures are shown here. Many local unions marched in the parade, from Auto Unions, to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra Musicians union (shown here), who are still in the middle of a strike with the management of the DSO. There were also bands, and other organizations in the parade this year. The union presence that is in the parade is always a large one. Detroit has always had a large union presence, with the auto unions having the most coverage.

Year in Review: Detroit Jazz Festival

The Detroit Jazz Festival is a yearly event held during Labor Day Weekend that has ben going on for over 30 years. It always has the best in Jazz music, and many guest artists come to perform. From what I hear, it's the largest free Jazz Festival in the nation. This year's festival was amazing, with many student jazz bands, and many other professional Jazz musicians and bands. There were also some tap dancers there to dance at the festival. I enjoy listening to Jazz, and it's become one of my favorite Genres of Music. Many people come from all over the country and the world to experience the festival, and they all seem to have a great time.

Year in Review: Detroit Back-To-School Parade

The Back To School parade is a relatively new event in the city. It started in 2009 as a way to help register and motivate students for the new school year. This year's parade was on August 26, 2010, and stretched down Woodward from Grand Circus Park to Hart Plaza, where a Rally took place with singers and motivational speakers. I enjoyed seeing all the different schools and community resources that turned out for the parade. Many onlookers lined Woodward to see the Parade and what all was going down along Woodward. The Spirit of Detroit was even outfitted with a new T-shirt for the occasion, which was worn until school started in September. The blue "I'm In" truck ventured into neighborhoods to register new students that may have been lost to Suburban, private, religious, or charter schools in neighboring communities. I think that the Back-To-School Parade will have more people out there in the future.

Year in Review: Woodward Dream Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise is an annual event that has been taking place since 1994 in the metro area. It usually goes from Ferndale on the south end to Pontiac on the north end. This was my first year attending the event, and I enjoyed seeing all the cars and other classic vehicles out and about cruising Woodward. This bus and car were two of my favorites in the Cruise. I remember hearing about the cops having to clear Woodward a few years ago because people were hanging around Woodward until the wee hours of the morning the week before the cruise. Otherwise, it's a good turnout each year, and people enjoy seeing all the cars from years past and present, as well.

Year in Review: Ribs and Soul Fest/Lions Open Practice

This summer seemed to be the summer of festivals, with the Ribs 'n' Soul festival occuring this past August. There was a lot of good music and fun, and also lots of wares being sold there, as well. I enjoyed hearing the music and also seeing all the people there. Later on in the day, after having a delicious lunch, I went up to Ford Field to see the Lions at their open practice. Many fans attended this event to get autographs from the players and from "Roary", the Lions Mascot, and to see the Lions practice and run through drills at their home field. They usually practice in Allen Park, a Detroit Suburb, but they practice at Ford Field once or twice during the training camp period. It's good to see the Lions doing this for their fans.

YouTube Friday: Avon Commercial: Face of the Eighties (1982)

For YouTube Friday today, I ran across this ad for Avon cosmetics from the early 1980s, via JadoreLulu's YouTube Channel. I get a kick out of seeing many of the old ads for companies that are still around and for others that are no longer in business. I remember a neighbor of my grandmother selling Avon way back when, and I also remember seeing some Avon/Mark catalogues being left by Avon reps in various places (school, Doctor's offices, on the bus, etc). I thought you all might get a kick out of seeing some "Ol' School" ads

Year in Review: Independence Day "Staycation"

I took a staycation this year during the Independence Day weekend to the Henry Ford Museum to take a look at some history. It's always a good time to go see the historic artifacts at the museum, such as this antique school bus, and artifacts from the past. I liked seeing all the old cars, and moments from the past. Many people come to "The Henry Ford" and Greenfield Village at all times of the year to experience life from a bygone era, and to take in one of the state's cultural gems. Many people also go to the IMAX theatre to see movies, as well.

Year in Review: River Days 2010

River Days has been going on along the Detroit Riverfront for the past few years now. It's an event to showcase the riverfront and the new developments along the river. This event, along with a riverfront festival across the river in Windsor, lead up to the Freedom Festival Fireworks, which are over 50 years old. It's always a great time participating in all the events during River Days. My favorite event is the Diamond Jack Cruise and listening to the choirs, bands and other entertainers performing for the crowd. I also liked the USCGC Bristol Bay, which was docked at the RenCen so people could take a tour of a Coast Guard Cutter.

Year in Review-Near Perfect game: the day after

The beginning of June bought with it a rare, yet seemingly common occurence. On June 2, 2010, Armando Galarraga, a pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, took a bid for a perfect game (which would have been the first perfect game in Tiger History) into the bottom of the ninth inning. In what would have been the 27th out and would have sealed the Perfect game, Jim Joyce, the umpire at First base at the time, called the runner safe. The scene at Comerica Park was of shock, utter disbelief, and from some fans, outrage. Some fans were very livid, and started directing their anger towards the umpire. I saw the game on Television that night, and was pretty shocked myself at first, but then realized a few mintues later that it was a mistake, and forgave the umpire. I attended the game on June 3, 2010, the day after this all transpired.
Before the game, Armando Galarraga was presented with a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette for his class and Sportsmanship amidst all that went down the night before. I think he handled it all as a professional and a gentleman. Six months after the fact, this still holds true.

Year in Review: Techno Festival 2010

The Techno Festival celebrated a decade here at Hart Plaza this Memorial Day weekend. It started as a free festival in 2000, but started charging in either 2004 or 2005 . They changed names, as well. It was previously known as "Fuse-In" and DEMF (Detroit Electronic Music Festival), as well as Movement a few times. From what I heard, the charge was for the upkeep of Hart Plaza during the festival, and that the city would be paid for it. The price seems to be going up and up since then, but I digress. There are numerous acts there that perform, and many people show up from around the world to dance and listen to good music. My favorite kind of electronica is Drum 'n' Bass. It's good to dance around to, and is an interesting mix, too. Many people usually show up for this festival. I'd recommend this festival, as well, and I just hope that the organizers would consider dropping or eliminating the charge altogether for both one -day and weekend passes.

Year in Review: Downtown Hoedown 2010

The Downtown Hoedown is one of my favorite festivals of the year.I've been going to this festival since 2003, when I was 19, and looking for something fun to do on a Saturday. I enjoyed seeing all the Music acts, as well as people in their western wear and selling different things at Hart Plaza (Cowboy hats and boots, belts and belt buckles, etc). There was even some folks line dancing out there. Country music is one of my favorite genres of music, besides Pop, Rock, Electronic, and Jazz. I took a picture of this sign as I was leaving the hoedown at about 3 PM to go get some lunch (tip to the new festival goer: the food is usually expensive, so if you can, find somewhere cheap to eat). I'd recommend the Hoedown to anyone in town looking for a good time in mid-May.

YouTube Friday: 'Snowmageddon' hits Washington area

Since there's a snowstorm coming to the Metro Detroit area over the coming weekend, I decided to post this video from AlJazeeraEnglish's YouTube Channel. It's about the snowstorm earlier this year in the Washington, DC Area, dubbed "Snowmageddon" by many. I hope the snow has been good to you if there is already some on the ground where you are.

Year in Review: Losses of Tiger Greats

This year, we lost two of the most popular figures in Tiger/Michigan History. We lost Ernie Harwell, whose statue is pictured here in today's Year in Review entry, on May 4, and we lost "Sparky" Anderson, who passed last month, on November 4. Many people have fond memories of the both of them, especially of the roles they played in their lives of many people across the country, especially the Metro Detroit area. Ernie Harwell broadcast for the Tigers for 42 years, from 1960-2002, with the exception of 1991, when he was fired, which was an unpopular move by the Tigers front office. People got angry and started boycotting the Tigers and Domino's Pizza (this is back when the original owner of Domino's owned the Tigers), until the Tigers re-hired him before the 1992 season. Sparky Anderson was the manager of the Tigers from 1979-1995, and led the Tigers to the 1984 World Series and the 1987 playoffs, as well as managing the Cincinnati Reds from 1970-1978, including back-to-back World Series championships in 1975 and 1976. He founded the charity CATCH for kids at Childrens' and Henry Ford Hospitals here in Detroit back in the '80s. I read somewhere on the internet or in a book that he got the nickname "Sparky" (his real name was George) after arguing with the umpires during games when he was a player back in the days. Both Ernie Harwell and Sparky Anderson will be missed amongst all Tiger fans, wherever they may be.

Year in Review: Tigers Home Opener

The time of year all baseball fans anxiously await arrived on April 9 of this year. The Tigers Home Opener is always a big event around Detroit and the metro area. Many folks call in from work to go to to the game and various other festivities celebrating the return of Tiger Baseball to Detroit. The bars, clubs, and pubs downtown open about 7-9 AM to accomodate the crowds that show up for the day. I've been going to the party at the Fillmore the past few years (no cover at this party). The Grand Circus Park Block Party made a return this year after being absent from the scene since 2007.They have different concerts and entertainment at this party, as well as food, drinks, and a game viewing party, as well.

Year in Review: Motown Winter Blast

The Detroit Winter Blast was held this past February, where free Ice Skating always occurs, and the winter is celebrated. The Winter Blast started as an event surrounding the 2006 Super Bowl, which was held in Detroit. It proved popular even after the Super Bowl left town. I enjoy seeing all the concerts there, and also the ice skating exhibitions and demonstrations at the Campus Martius ice rink. This year was a pretty good year. Many people showed up for the entire weekend (Friday-Sunday), which is usually the case. I hope the 2011 Winter Blast will be great.

Year in Review: TigerFest 2010

Here's a picture that I took at TigerFest back in January of this year. TigerFest is the annual Fan festival for the Tigers. It was a cold day for the event, but everyone enjoyed (and behaved) themselves. People could get autographs and pictures from their favorite Tigers, listen to the "Tiger Town" Radio show, and participate in a "Fan Conference" Q and A Session with the Tigers. They also had an area for the young Tigers and Tigresses, where they had kid-friendly stuff and a "Kids only" autograph line. I hope that the Tigers consider making TigerFest into a weekend instead of just one day. I say this because people can come one day or all three days, and won't feel rushed or intimidated by the long lines in a certain area. Another area I think that they can improve on is getting the lines to move better, and have people that have already received autographed to move along to another area if they seem to stay there the whole time, because when I went through a few of the lines this year, I had to ask "Are you in line?" in some areas (and some people had to mention to others "I'm not in line, I'm just waiting"), because people waited in the corners for the next Tiger player or coach to show up and sign autographs or take pictures with the fans. This ice sculpture was really nice. I like the two Tigers on the side there, because they remind me of the Tigers on the Witherell entrance of Comerica Park, as well as the Tigers on the scoreboard.

YouTube Friday: Jewish Traditions : How to Light the Menorah

In Honor of Hanukkah, which is in its third night tonight, I decided to post a video about lighting the Menorah. This video is from the eHow YouTube channel. Hanukkah, or Chanukah as it's called at times, is a holiday that remembers the dedication of a temple after a war in the 160's BC (more info on the holiday on the Judaism About.com page). I remember when my school district used to get out for Jewish Holidays in the late 1980s-early 1990s, when there was still a pretty good number of Jewish students. Around 2nd grade or so, we got out for Christian holidays, and Jewish students and staff members could take a personal day off for religious observances.

Year In Review: Autos for All

I'll start my year in review today, since the end of the year is here already. The picture I post for today's entry is from the 2010 Detroit Auto Show back in January. The Auto Industry has taken a hit in the past year, but the "Big Three" automakers are showing signs of coming back and making a profit while they're at it. General Motors and Chrysler are really coming back after being in bankruptcy to start the year. As of today, the Big THree is making over a billion dollars in profits. Their cars, especially the electric ones, are beginning to sell again in the states. In the past month, General Motors came back on the New York Stock Exchange. Overall, things are looking up in the auto industry

World AIDS Day 2010

Today is World AIDS Day, which is a day to help people to find out more about Auto Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome, commonly known as AIDS. Many places around the country and the world are sponsoring AIDS testing clinics, and people are getting educated about the disease and what they can do to prevent it. I think that Abstinence should be practiced so that people won't get it or any other STD. Also, people should watch out for themselves when they go about their daily lives, so that they may take precautions in all they do. What are some of your thoughts about the spread of AIDS recently?

Greenery in the Grand Garden

I saw this sign as I was taking an afternoon walk a couple of months ago. I happened near the MGM Grand Casino in Downtown Detroit, and saw this sign. The Greening of Detroit and the MGM Grand are teaming up to plant flowers and all sorts of greenery in a lot near the casino. This was located near the Parking deck for the casino. I think that it'll be really nice to see the "Grand Garden" when it "Blooms" next year. It's especially nice to see that little Robin there, especially in these cold-weather months. It makes me hopeful that the Spring will be here before we know it.

Parade PhotoBlog

Here are some of my pictures that I took during the Thanksgiving Parade. Hope you enjoy them

Here are some old Model T's in the Parade from Greenfield Village. They followed the Absopure truck, which was an older model, itself.
This penguin is always one of my favorite balloons (one of my favorite animals is a Penguin, the other is a Tiger). This is the "Hob Nobble Gobble" balloon. The Hob Nobble Gobble is a fancy party before the parade for all the sponsors and benefactors (in other words, for those who paid a whole bunch of money) of the parade . The sign ahead of it thanks all the sponsors for their contributions
This float is new. It's from Flame Heating and Cooling here in the Metro Detroit area. It has a pig sliding down a slide in nice weather around the back, while another pig is shoveling snow up front at the "Hog Heaven" house. This reminds us all to check our heating and cooling systems before it gets too hot or cold, and you need your heat or air conditioning the most.
The Jolly Ol' Elf himself, Santa Claus, for the kiddos. He always receives the key to the city by the mayor each year.