The Xbox 360 avatars are actually kinda cool. Here is an updated picture of what I did a while ago with jjafuller, vanberge, vanbergs, and farquja. BONUS PIC - ELLIOT AND CECHG.
Today I made the fabled travel down Lake Michigan Drive to meet up with some of my former co-workers from GVSU CTS. Our gathering this time was at Main Street Pub and I had a pretty standard pizza catching up with friends and genually just shooting the shiz. After the meetup I decided to take a walk though the old stomping grounds that is the GVSU Allendale campus.
This was the first visit I’ve taken since April 2006. At the time I was taking masters courses to fill my time and thinking where I was personaly since the last steps I’ve taken on those grounds and where I’m at now is just staggering. Even just looking at the lay of the land is enough to shock a grad even from 2003. So much is different where so much has stayed exactly the same.
My walk started in Laker Village. When it came time to park I realized I didn’t have any money to pay a meter so using my dutch skills I figured my least past of resistance to getting a ticket would be in housing parking. The first thing I noticed walking around LV is how much hardly anything has changed. Around some of the back yards there are pillars blocking the back yards but the buildings are exactly the same, the community centers are unchanged, and the buildings still clash with all other structures on campus. I ended up passing 17-C, 17-D, and 28-E. Three of my favorite apartments still appear to be standing and not burnt to the ground. So many amazing memories and times happened in those locations and revisiting was odd.
After walking around Laker Village I made my way to the new Lake Ontario Hall. When I was a student this building didn’t exist. It’s also wierd how this building clashes with eveything surrounding it. I took a walk inside and instantly found this wonderful computer lab filled with thin white intel imac’s. Instantly I was furious because that is the Mac I should have purchased if I wasn’t a total idiot. I was also furious because a lab like this didn’t exist while I was a student. Lucky asses….
After that I took the loop over the bridge (cechg rocks), though the commons and over to Mackinac Hall. Apparently they added a new addtion and how they ended up building it is again wierd. If i could find any pictures I would post them but if you look at the two forks they totally clash. The best part was going in the middle of the forks and they put up this nice little vista and there is seating and is inclosed. I ended up sitting down and relaxing taking in all the oddness and changes that surround me at a place that used to feel so familar.
After checking out a few places it was time to go. For grads or former students that haven’t walked around campus in awhile I can highly recommend it. It was fun to revisit places that were so unchanged and some that are unrecognizable. Now I wish I brought a camera because it’s tough to find pictures of what I saw. If time permits take a drive out to Allendale..
Yesterday my co-worker Tim who works downtown at the Spectrum Butterworth sent me some great pictures of the demolition of my old work building 21 Towers on Michigan AVE.
My first real job after college was working at 21 Towers on the fifth floor. When I finally obtained residency in DTGR it was time for me to be moved off to 60th street. For years I’ve been saying when they tare down Towers I was going to be there to watch it fall.
Yesterday the fall begun.
Below are some photos of the first phase of the demolition. Last night I took a walk down to the site to put my own eyes on the beginning of the end. It’s a sad building and for the most part it will not be missed. Personally I loved working there. When the old parking garage was next to the building going to the top was an amazing lookout over downtown. Also, at the time I was working there I got to see an old town favorite Burger King brb, a Heart Center created and the beginnings of a Cancer Pavilion.
I’m hoping to get more pictures and I wanted to share these with my readership….
Here’s a link to the set of all six pictures on flickr.
UPDATE: I have added four new pictures to the flickr set. Here is my favorites of the new ones being passed around.
UPDATE 2: Got ahold of another group of pictures and have been placed in the photostream.
This morning I climbed out of bed and walked to cast my vote for the next president of the United States.
It’s a beautiful day. Grand Rapids as long as I can remember has not seen a more beautiful fall then we are seeing right now.
In line waiting to vote I believe I stood next to two older men stinking of cheap booze. Trust me the thought crossed my mind to have a few before attending if work wasn’t calling my name later in the day I would have.
In my precinct was very eclectic group of individuals. Not as many young people as I was hoping but it could depend on the time of day I attended. In line nobody really talked other then complaining about cell phones. One man thought it was fine to not allow cell phones where another though it was “ridiculous” to now allow outside contact while having to wait “forever”.
All in all my entire “voting” experience was slightly over an hour including my walk to the church and that included a turn down the wrong street.
Proudly wearing my “I voted” sticker Flo, Willets, and myself attended the omelette shoppe and I powered down a bagel and a cinnamon roll.
Now I’m at home FINALLY updating my website hoping for something powerful to say about this election season. Sitting in my back yard typing on my eee and listening to speed metal breathing in the best fall air Michigan can offer I really don’t have anything prophetic to offer that hasn’t already been said.
Today is a very important day for the 25-31 age group. Hopefully everybody made the effort to get out there take an hour of their lives for something that will impact the next four years.
working vanlandw: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ticytEUvVhQ
jjafuller: He is in part correct
jjafuller: The underlying issue is a market failure, in that there are information asymmetry issues, and not everyone did their due diligence
jjafuller: These issues were exacerbated by government mismanagement (they would not have been as bad if the govt had not been involved”
jjafuller: The continual bailouts in the financial industry which have been occurring since ww2 have introduced a moral dilemma (type of market failure) which continued to build up the scale of the issue
jjafuller: Had the gov’t simply allowed the market to under go self corrections there would have been a little turmoil a long time ago, and the issues would not be affecting us today
jjafuller: Sheer no response
working vanlandw: sorry
jjafuller: :-p
Recent Comments