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I have been an elections…

I have been an elections official in Michigan (Ypsilanti Township) since 2020.  It makes for a long day - but it is very satisfying work - and as Seth pointed out - extremely important.  It can seem very difficult to grasp all the laws, regulations and processes that you need to follow - but there is great support.  And at the end of the process - you will feel likely feel good about the state of elections.  Or at least better!

 

To sum up..."What Seth said..."

Fantastic work and a great…

Fantastic work and a great read!

I had heard that the tappan…

I had heard that the tappan oak tree was a safety hazard for students who walk by it.  It is next to one of the busiest paths on the Diag.  

Supposedly, they check for squirrels when they take it down.  There was a cavity nest high in that tree (likely others) - here is a picture from 2018.  They were likely wondering who this fool is who is taking pictures of them...

 

 

The trees at Ross are doing very well.  The one that moved got a ton of TLC and looks better every season.  

I kinda feel for the tight…

I kinda feel for the tight end...only kinda.

I totally agree.  They seem…

I totally agree.  They seem to be similar to MSU - except with absolutely no luck.  MSU might be the luckiest team out there.

I cannot think of an example where a coach got one more year and it actually worked out.  The timing seems bad.

I agree completely - this…

I agree completely - this was one of the most amazing performances I have seen on stage. At first, I was not enthusiastic - but I started listening to the music and was blown away about how smart and clever it is. If you like this - you will also like In The Heights.

We all need arts in our life - especially when the outcomes might be a bit more reliable.  And there has never been a show ruined by a Big Ten Ref - as far as I can figure....

 Alexander Hamilton Statue in Central Park (New York City) - February 18, 2017

Thank you for giving MGoBun…

Thank you for giving MGoBun Leo a great home these 3+ years.

 

We adopted a puppy earlier this year - he turns one next week.  I cannot imagine a world without him right now.  Lets me put all sorts of issues in perspective.  A pet is a special member of the family - and one that I hope everyone gets benefit from.

Thinking of you and I will hug our Runyon a bit tighter tonight.

Hoosier football games

Like…

Hoosier football games

Like all your dentist visits

More downside than good

Uhm....I believe this…

Uhm....I believe this squirrel is saying that JT was short

Juvenile and Adult Fox Squirrels on a Snowy Day in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan - November 18th, 2019

This is exactly why we…

This is exactly why we cannot have nice things...

These are the best!  Thank…

These are the best!  Thank you for pulling these together and Go Blue!

These are the best - thank…

These are the best - thank you so much for doing this!

 

I like Royal Caribbean the…

I like Royal Caribbean the most.  It is a great line and they have a ton of options for the Caribbean and Mexico.  Celebrity is also nice and they cater to adults more than families.

It is not a bad idea to work through a travel agent.  You can get some perks (like a free meal in a specialty restaurant on board) and maybe an extra gift or two.  Using a travel agent might be counter-intuitive - but I have been happy I did.  I can give a recommendation of someone in the Ann Arbor area.  

There are a ton of options out there - hope you find one that matches with what you are hoping for.

In terms of ports, some people do not love Nassau (it can be crowded).  I have liked every stop I have made - but was particularly happy with Key West.  

Long week....for the…

Long week....for the squirrels...picture from yesterday on campus.  

231/365/3883 (January 28, 2019) - Fox Squirrels on a Cold, Snowy Day in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan - January 28th, 2019

Been on campus 13 years (staff - not horrible student) and this is only the third time school has been canceled.  I think they are opting for better safe than sorry approach.  

My favorite use of the slow…

My favorite use of the slow cooker is a great pulled pork recipe.  

BBQ Pulled Pork (very easy and you can make enough for many meals)

I also like this one for Chicken taco filling - which is great with tacos and with quesadilla's 

It is great to come home from work and dinner is mostly done.  

 

More importantly - we need…

More importantly - we need to let him know the squirrels in Ann Arbor are bigger than the ones he might be used to in Arizona -
29/365/3681 (July 10, 2018) - Harris's Antelope Squirrels - Desert Botanical Gardens (Phoenix, Arizona - July 10th and 11th, 2018)

I am surprised this…

I am surprised this political discussion has not been locked yet.

 

Here is a very simple gravy that we use for chicken dishes and chicken pot pie:

https://coreyrecipes.blogspot.com/2015/03/chicken-gravy.html

It is very quick to make and can be done with stuff you likely have in your house.  There are no lumps when I make it.

 

I was thinking the same…

I was thinking the same thing...

As with any collectible, the…

As with any collectible, the value is what you can get someone to pay for them.  I have way too many cards that I collected around 20-30 years ago.  I was going to keep a small number and get rid of most.  I gave away a bunch to libraries a few years ago, and my go the Freecycle route (just looking for someone who is interested.  One of the hard parts is that they are expensive to ship.  

If you have enjoyment with the cards, then they are worth something.  Tales of financing anything with these are likely one-part truth and one-part fantasy.  Having said that - if you want a box or two or ten of baseball cards from the 80s and 90s, let me know.  I can hook you up!

I think the Stanford…

I think the Stanford-California was moved here because of the wildfires.  Neither were going to be playing in the Pac-12 Championship game when they did it.  Lots of postponed games for weather and disaster problems this year.

Now that is a bold strategy…

Now that is a bold strategy...perfect for someone on the job market.

I think it will be Michigam …

I think it will be Michigam -7 or so...but I do not think the game will be that close.  

I am personally rooting for…

I am personally rooting for Michigam.

 

Thanks for everything you…

Thanks for everything you have done for this community - through good and bad.  I hope you get better soon.

I got the OSU add also - and…

I got the OSU add also - and am pretty sure that I have not gone to the osu.edu site.  Though periodically, I get strange banner adds - but mostly they are for cruises and camera stores given my search history.

 

 

That show is hilarious.  I…

That show is hilarious.  I am catching up - and saw the season one finale featuring Rick Mahorn (for all you Pistons fans).  For people with Comcast - You can see them all on demand.

I love the Gandy Dancer.  I…

I love the Gandy Dancer.  I have eaten there periodically over the last few years and have not noticed any decline.  For seafood - I like it more than Real Seafood (but that is also good).  

 

Lots of good choices in town.  And happy anniversary.  

The Henry Ford is a…

The Henry Ford is a fantastic museum - as is the DIA.  Both are definitely great parts of any tour of the area.  

If you have flexibility, eat at Ann Arbor restaurants on Monday and Tuesday - not Sunday after the game.  They can get really crowded - even for modest places.

 

 

Pizza Squirrel > Pizza Rat

Go Blue!

Pizza Squirrel on campus in 2014.

Squirrels on Very Cold Winter Day at the University of Michigan (February 27, 2014)

The ceremony was nice - but a speaker would have been nicer

My son graduated yesterday and it would have been nice to have a big name speaker.  It was my first graduation in the Big House - so I have nothing to compare it to.  To pull out the famous quotes from all the last speeches was nice - but this year's class will not have that experience of hearing something original from someone interesting.

 

There certainly did not seem to be less people there:
Graduation at the Big House with Chris at The University of Michigan (April 28th, 2017)

My understanding about rents as the parent of a student

Hi - I am the parent of a student who is graduating at the end of April.  This is my understanding of the off-campus market (he has been living off campus for his junior and senior years):

Security Deposit - 1 month.  I have not heard of anything pushing more than that.  Given the cost of rentals, especially for houses where there will be around 8 people living there - going with more than 1 month will likely be more than anyone can afford.

Payment: My son has had a landlord last year who charged extra for online payments.  This year he has a better landlord and each student pays their pre-established share to the rental office via online payments.  I am not sure what happens when a student does not pay - luckily, did not need to know that.  It would be good to have both online and check payments available.

Contracts: Students (and parents) would rather have an 8 month contract - but almost all of them are 12 month (starting in late August).  Finding a sub-letter can be a pain.  

 

 

 

Same 2 Wolverines Might Take Tonys this year also

UM grads Justin Paul and Benj Pasek also have an amazing new show on Broadway - Dear Evan Hansen - which could very well be getting this pair a Tony Award.  They even yelled out "Go Blue" at a recent Broadway.con panel.  

See - http://dearevanhansen.com/

VolunteerMatch

Just stumbled across VolunteerMatch (http://www.volunteermatch.org/) which has some nice opportunities listed for both local and online/virtual volunteering.

Someone mentioned literacy programs before and they are very common.  I volunteer in a no-kill cat rescue and they are always looking for people to help. I do not clean out cages or anything like that. I take pictures so they can have higher quality (than phone pics) images for adoption sides and marketing.
328/365/2519 (May 5, 2015) - Kitten Season is Here!  Kittens and Cats at the Crafty Cat Rescue (Ann Arbor, Michigan) - Tuesday May 5, 2015

Kinda a neat mix of opportunities out there.  

I would also reach out to your local public library and see what is on their community board.  They are doing wonderful thing all over and a volunteer can help expand their reach.  

It's Better than today's game

They are showing the 2014 Michigan hosting Maryland game....ugh.  On at 12:30 and 7pm.

 

Then again...it is one of Maryland's few shining moments of late.

Use the Library

Please tell your daughter to contact the University Library where she is a student (Hope College - right?).  This way - she will be able to get the resources that are licensed for her as a student.  Going directly to JSTOR and ProQuest - especially from off-campus - will not get the full text.  You have to follow the links on campus or through the library.

Everyone in Michigan also has access to the Michigan Electronic Library (http://mel.org/) and they will have articles as well. 

Does this help?

 

 

 

Optimistic

and delusional (but happy that way)

52-17 Michigan

Thanks for the great ride

They had a great ride this year.  They were the best kinds of overachievers.  Disapointed for today - excited for the future.    

Glad we did not have deja vu

When Tennesse was down by 3 - I just had this vision of an ending like last year's Sweet 16 game.  

Glad there wasn't - but it is all about playing on Sunday.  And they are.

Thanks for the laugh

Love the picture.  I needed that today. 

Best post ever

Thanks & Go Blue.  Let's hope we can protect our court tonight!

Challenge Accepted

Best of Luck

It is really hard to wish anyone poorly who dons the Maize and Blue.  I will be happy to wish him well as he moves forward.

Well put

It is easy to be disapointed - but those guys gave it their all.  

Great news and a great story

This is the Michigan Difference...

Gallon and Gibbons

Watching the game last night - I am just reminded about how far both Jeremy Gallon and Brendan Gibbons have come since their though freshman years.  Gallon seemed to fumble every kick that went his way and Gibbons couldn't hit the side of a barn if he was 2 yards away.  Having seen them both develop into amazing elements of this team is great.  When you figure that type of growth with time - just makes you excited about this young team under such great coaches.

My Pictures from today

Lots of pictures of the setup from today.  

 

Always a fan of Pizza House, Red Hawk or Original Cottage Inn

There are so many good choices on campus for dining.  I love the Pizza House, Red Hawk (on State Street near the State Theater), and I love the Original Cottage Inn (which is really close to the Student Activities Building - where the tours start and end).  The Cottage Inn has a great lunch buffet with pizza, an entree or two and a nice salad. If you like Japanese food - Sadako on East University is also great.  The best options are the restaurants that you cannot go anywhere else...

The Law Quad is open if you come at it from Tappan or State.  It is beautiful and you can get into the library (might be part of the tour).  Art fair is next week - so things might start to be setup as early as Monday.  Have a nice visit to Ann Arbor.

 

 

Somewhat on topic - A-Z Michigan Squirrels

Pardon this comment - only sorta on topic....but it is a Michigan-based A-Z picture book.

Still working on getting this as a book somewhere...

University of Michigan Squirrel A-Z - A Web Picture Book

http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/~cseeman/archives/2011/12/university_of_m.html

You could also use adjectives like speed, quick, strong, leaders, captain, kicker, fumble to tell the story.  That is what I did here because I did not know the squirrel's names.

To write something for one's own children is a great thing - kudos to you.

 

We learn so much

On this board!  

Brilliant post.  

Loved seeing the B-2s over my house on gameday

My house seems to be on the approach route for the B-2s flying over the stadium these last few years - that has always been very cool. My understanding was this was good as a training exercise. Oh well...

This is from September 8th of last year (the Michigan Air Force game). 89/365/1550 (September 8, 2012) - B-2 Stealth Bomber Flying over Saline, Michigan

Here are the other shots that day