Historically speaking

A saying I subscribe to is "Family History is Local History, and Local History is Family History.." I am a huge fan of history, especially Detroit History. As I am working on my genealogy and going through the pictures and other possessions of my late parents and news articles on the internet, I come across numerous photos. news articles and memorabilia that document the city's history over the past 100 years. Mom's family has been in Detroit since 1920, and Dad and his family has been here since the late 1940s and early 1950s. To learn of Black Detroit during this time is extremely informative. Conditions may not have been ideal at work and other areas, but Black Detroit made a way through schools, church, clubs, and other activities. Through all my research, My grandmother's family lived on the southeast side of Detroit, but frequented the North End  and parts of Northwest Detroit before moving west in the 1950s to raise families and grow personally and professionally. Dad's family was here starting in the late 1940s. Dad and his parents were up here in the early 1950s. They first stayed near downtown Detroit (I ran across an old classified ad from the 50s for "Colored" apartments near the old Black Bottom section of Detroit), then moved northwest. Many of the institutions that my family have frequented in the past are no longer around, but they live on through the memories of those who lived through these experiences, various archives online and at various institutions,  and other resources, 

 

Well Documented

 Documentaries are some of my favorite types of programming to watch. I have a whole playlist of them on YouTube, which are mixed in with a few made-for TV movies. I always enjoy learning something new and refreshing my memory on things that I have learned before. One of the first I remember viewing was about the Dionne Quintuplets, produced by the Film Board of Canada in the late 1970s. It recalled the life of the five sisters in Ontario during the Great Depression, and how their lives played out until the late 1970s. Five of the documentaries that I enjoy are from the ESPN 30 for 30 series. The first one is Broke, which I mentioned previously in this blog. It is about professional athletes who go broke after retiring, and the athletes who speak on the issue describe their spending habits (cars, houses, clothes, bar/restaurant tabs, etc) and think about what they could have done to avoid going broke in the first place. The second is Benji, which is about the late Ben Wilson (1967-1984), who was one of the best basketball players in the city of Chicago, if not the state of Illinois. He was shot and killed in November 1984 while walking with his girlfriend during lunch hour at school. Another favorite is Pony Excess, which is about the football program at Southern Methodist University going through the NCAA's "Death Penalty," which took away scholarships and television coverage for the team in the mid to late 1980s. The documentary "Ghosts of Ole Miss" is a favorite of mine, as well. It talks about the 1962 University of Mississippi football team and the activities around campus surrounding James Meredith's enrollment in the school. The fifth documentary in this series I like is Without Bias, which tells the story of Len Bias, who played baskeball at the University of Maryland. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics in June 1986, and later died of a cocaine overdose. What are some of your favorite movies/documentaries? 

Helping Seniors with Smart Watches

 I have been thinking recently about the use of Smart Watches, such as the Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch, to help Senior citizens who live on their own stay safe. A coworker of mine had mentioned this past summer about how the Apple Watch has a function that can detect falls and can contact emergency services and a trusted contact (family member, close friend, neighbor, etc.) if you are injured or cannot get up for some reason. I have also seen posts about  this a few times floating around Facebook on the feeds of friends and groups/  This is great for anyone, but for especially seniors who live on their own, and their family would need to keep an eye on them to keep them safe and avoid placing them in a nursing home/assisted living facility if it is not needed.  Also, with the GPS function on all phones and watches, if a senior with special needs or memory issues tends to wander or get lost, you can easily track them with the Find My app on iPhones, the Where's My Droid/Where's my Device apps on Android phones, as well as the Life360 app and other family tracker apps. 

Watch Your Kiddos

Many of us are getting back to work at either our current jobs or at a new job after pandemic restrictions have lifted in most states, and babysitters, nannies or other childcare is needed for kids while we are at work or school. One of many daycare options I have noticed while working within the past few months is College Nannies and Sitters, which offers child care services for any number of kids for any occasions, from work functions, meetings/workshops, to having someone watch your kids while on summer or holiday break from school. I have also noticed the service Hop Skip Drive, which is a transportation service for kids  similar to Uber or Lyft. This is different, because Hop Skip Drive is exclusively for kids, and Uber and Lyft cannot pick up anyone under the age of 18 in their vehicles without someone over 18 with them. Hop Skip Drive drivers are thoroughly background and driving checked and have to have five years or more of childcare experience. I had heard of them back in either 2018 or 2019, when one of my fellow volunteers and I got to talking about rideshare, and the fact that no one under 18 could get an Uber or a Lyft alone, even under their parents accounts. 

Drafted and Oriented

 The Major League Baseball Draft has been going on these past few days, and as I see the newest Major Leaguers getting drafted, I hope that they are getting oriented appropriately by the clubs that have drafted them on every aspect of Major League and Minor League life. Every year, a few of the top prospects from each team are selected to attend the Rookie Career Development Program, sponsored by the Major League Baseball Players Association. This program is held in January, and helps the young men to navigate life in the majors, handle their finances, how to eat right and exercise, and many other aspects of life. I think there should be an orientation program for all who are both drafted and undrafted, as they all would be similarly oriented. 

The Cost of Traveling

 I have been noticing a lot of things here recently, since many Coronavirus restrictions are being lifted and people are traveling again. Many people who are traveling are experiencing higher prices when they book hotel rooms and vacation rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo, airline flights and rental cars. I have noticed that some rental car companies have raised prices to near $1000 a day due to pent up demand. If you are thinking about travelling this summer, be careful, be safe and look for bargains while making reservations. Whenever I travel, I use my discounts for hotels and airfare, as well as for Amtrak if I am traveling by rail. 

Supreme gowns

I was stunned to hear of the passing of Mary Wilson, founding member of The Supremes on Tuesday morning. The Supremes are one of my favorite Motown groups. The picture I post with the entry today was from my 2019 trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. These dresses were donated by Mary Wilson, who with Florence Ballard and Diana Ross, was inducted into the Rock Hall in 1988. They appear on the album cover of the Supremes and Four Tops' Return of the Magnificent Seven album from 1971