Just another Bobcat Banner weblog
I’ve persuaded the Banner staff to keep the existence of my blog. I plan on posting more about my college experience thus far when I have more time, but time is definitely hard to come by at the U of M. Throw a part-time job in the mix and you have a recipe for a schedule so full that it rivals the Big House on game days.
Just returned from work and found a story about a request for federal stimulus dollars to build a new fire station here in Grand Blanc. $3.3 million request would enable the fire department a brand new facility to replace an aging one that has issues with its location on Saginaw Street.
“A fire station is needed,” he said. “At this point there’s no other way. To ask for tax dollars (such as a millage) would be out of line.”
Since when is asking for tax money to build a fire station out of line? Services from the fire department, police department, and educational system are essential to the function of a healthy community. I, for one, would have no objection to an increase in taxes if it meant proper protection, not only for residents and businesses from fire, but also for our firefighters, whose safety and usable equipment and facilities are paramount.
I suppose I simply do not understand the viewpoint of those completely opposed to even allowing the public to consider or vote on a millage or tax.
Dear Playoff Hockey,
I love you! Two more wins between the Red Wings and back-to-back Stanley Cups, but this video is packed full of so much playoff conference finals hockey goodness that I can’t resist.
Sincerely,
Chris
P.S. Life lesson of the weekend: Come late May into early June, there is no sight greater than playoff hockey.
As a citizen of the world’s greatest consumer of energy and major pollution producer, it is discouraging to see easily recyclable bottles, newspapers, et cetera tossed into the garbage. Fortunately over the past week or so, I have noticed that there are places right here in Grand Blanc that allow you to help Mother Earth.
McFarlen Library has a dumpster in the parking lot for recycling paper. Newspapers and regular computer or notebook paper are accepted — I’m not sure whether magazines or glossy paper is accepted here, but if you are already making a stop by the library anyway, it’s a great way to lighten up your trash can and save some paper, not to mention the energy savings that can come from its reuse as opposed to brand new paper. I suppose to make your habits even closer to carbon neutral, you could ride a bike over there to dispose of your waste, but if you are combining your car trips to drive as few miles as possible, then that is fine too.
Kroger has plastic bag recycling. I’m not sure whether any other retailers around Genesee County have this, but I’m sure some others do. There are only a handful of facilities that can recycle plastic grocery bags, even though many are now numbered with the #2 recyclable plastic. Equipment in a normal facility simple jams up on the paper thin plastic bags. But a legit place to recycle these bags is sorely needed, as the world population as a whole uses between 500 billion and 1 trillion (that’s trillion, with a t!) and the bags can take hundreds of years to decompose. Also consider getting reusable bags — these are made out of some kind of fabric and are usually only a dollar or two apiece. Kroger, Wal-Mart, and Meijers all have reusable bags available in their stores, and because they are constructed for repeated uses, they can save hundreds of plastic bags and hold a lot more groceries. Plus, they’re great for toting things around to school or other places, too.
It’s refreshing to see people starting to care about the environment. I am hopeful Grand Blanc will soon have more places to recycle things like batteries or used electronics, both of which are difficult to dispose of properly and can leak numerous toxins into the ecosystem. But in the meantime, even a small step forward is better than no step at all. I look forward to recycling all of my school papers from this year rather than simply burning them or tossing them into the garbage.
Fact: A 2010 Camaro SS with an automatic transmission, starting at just under $31,000 goes 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds.
Halo headlights FTW
It takes little knowledge about cars to see that the face of the Camaro is one of the most menacing growls ever produced onto an automobile. The car’s broad shoulders and aggressive stance make it obvious the car has a look that cannot be matched. Tonight, however, I have learned first hand that this car has a healthy powertrain to back up its appearances. A V8 mated to even an arguably less-cool automatic transmission still awakens the senses and everyone in a 5 mile radius with an amazingly high-octane and powerful roar. Give her some gas and watch the speedometer fly up to the posted speed limit so quickly that it is almost disappointing because it only means you (legally) have to let up on the gas and stop the fun. With all that racket, a life lesson is delivered in under 5 seconds — nobody can ever make a V8 like Detroit.
Went to the girls’ varsity soccer game this past Thursday. Expect pictures and at least an extremely abbreviated game summary on the Banner main site sometime early this next week. It was tough to get decent pictures without a zoom lens, despite our prime location of about three feet beyond the boundary lines. I was, however, able to capture an amazing save by Carman Ainsworth near the end of the game. The angle isn’t the greatest, but thanks to the power of burst mode on the camera, I have compiled an epic panorama through the seconds of the save.
(Click the picture for the full size)
There are two lessons you can take from this: first, bring a zoom lens, and, second, sports pictures where the players move a few feet in each frame are wildly addicting, even without a good angle or powerful zoom.
Time is a funny thing.
Here I christen my Bobcat Banner blog with only 5 weeks between myself and the end of my high school career. In many ways, I am eager to end this chapter of my life, and high school promises to go out with a bang.
Prom, Cedar Point, Post-Grad, and an early summer Tigers game are beckoning me. It’s difficult to wait even an extra minute for all of these things, but sadly enough, the end of the road is hardly a black or white issue for me.
While I am ready to end my journey, I am wildly unprepared for some things (mainly AP tests) that await me in the coming weeks. It’s also a bittersweet ending — after this year, I will no longer roam the halls of GBHS or work hard or hardly work in the Banner’s lair. Nor will I see many of the friends and classmates I have come to enjoy every day.
What lies beyond me as my journey will resume next fall at college is mysterious and unknown.
Sometimes it’s important to realize that even though we anxiously await better times ahead, we need to make sure the times that pass by while we look ahead are not squandered.
But until graduation on June 3, I expect my schedule will remain chalked full. And that means the end of the year could come before I know it. Work and school. School and work. Work and homework. And once in a blue moon a chance to sit back and think about it all.
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