Tulip City Dispatch

 They're converting the old 5/3 Bank/Peoples State Bank building into a hotel .  We don't need another hotel in downtown.  Parking is already at a premium in downtown Holland, and the primary aim for The Vault Hotel is to share a parking lot with Pillar Church .  Since I've been hanging around Downtown Holland starting around 2012, parking has become increasingly convoluted and inconvenient, especially for downtown employees.  BUT - parking is not my issue here. As mentioned in a previous entry , Downtown Holland has no culture.  For being a town whose primary tourist draw is Tulip Time and our Dutch heritage , there sure aren't many restaurants that offer traditional Dutch fare...There's a few objects here or there, DeBoer's on the north side offers their "Taste Of The Old Country" lunch sampler ; Big Lake Brewing offers Dutch  bitterballen  (a drinking/pub snack) ; Wooden Shoe Restaurant offers  Balkenbrij (scrapple) ; but that' about it....

Not pertinent to anything, but I don't have any other proper outlets to write this. I've been making a conscious effort to listen to my entire record collection lately - rough estimate, I own somewhere around 100 to 120 records, most of which were purchased over the years at thrift shops for $20 or less (my favorite era was the 2010-2020 era when records were as cheap as 3 or 4 for $1).  I've got them arranged alphabetically by artist, then title (or simply title in case of a compilation/anthology or soundtrack), and marked with a sticky note in the corner to show which ones have been played:  I'll remove the little sticky note flag when I play one.  As vinyl has had a recent resurgence, I have maybe a dozen new purchases from merch tables at my Year Of Concerts , or online from various podcasts about music . I started buying records right around 2013 or 2014, searching thrift shops for specific titles which I'd cut into guitar pickguards, as seen in this Etsy pos...

On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost in Lake Superior.  With her, the souls of 29 sailors were lost as well. Lakeshore Drive, Marquette Michigan, autumn 2009 Being a graduate of Northern Michigan University, I learned to respect Lake Superior and the weather she brings with her.  There's something awe-inspiring about seeing waves cresting over a 5' tall breakwall and breaking over a road.  There's something awe-inspiring about seeing waves crash over the Black Rocks geologic formation at Presque Isle.  There's something awe-inspiring about SCUBA diving beneath those waves and feeling the chilling water swirl around you.  Lake Superior can be beautiful and serene; she can also be a tempestuous bitch.  But, I guaran-dam-tee you that if I could arrange a job back in the UP, I'd take it in a heartbeat. The reason the Edmund Fitzgerald is so important is because of how modern it is.  This ship was lost in 1975!  We had RADAR and color t...

 Congratulations to Abby Klomparens and Tim Marroquin for unseating the incumbents on the Holland City Council, and congratulations to Tim Vreeman and Scott Corbin for retaining their seats!  Mayor Nathan Bocks held on to his seat, roundly defeating his challenger, Brian Everitt.  Sources cited are 2 MLive articles .  It's been fun following Ms. Klomparens and Mr. Bocks on Instagram for the past few years.  I loved Bocks' "...and we get to live here" hashtag on his posts especially during the CoVid era.  Klomparens ran against former mayor Nancy DeBoer in the Michigan State House election last year (2024). It's always interesting to see the more  progressive  candidates winning Holland city elections, while outerlying Ottawa County tends to swing HARD right-wing most of the time. 

  On Friday, August 4, 2023, Amagansett Press hit the mean streets of Holland, Michigan for purposes related to auditing the First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Basically, the dude stands in front of storefronts or on public sidewalks and just...films people.  The people are either entering or exiting businesses, or just walking down the sidewalk.  His goal seems to be to get police to interact with him , then he'll sue the police departments .  Heralded as a folk hero by some , he's pretty financially successful on his Youtube channel , having monetized it to almost $300,000 per year according to this Redditor . A quick Google search for "Amagansett Press" shows a library of news articles about him suing variou...

 As I was driving around West Michigan today, I got thinking about old - the concept of old, the abstract idea of the good ol' days , the stories and experiences of those who came before us, and just how the hell we all got here.  Hemingway said “Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name,” and when I consider my own path here, and the reasons why I made this blog, I want to uphold that idea as best as I can. Part of what draws me to thrift stores and antique stores is wondering about the stories of the items around me...part of why I did the $50 Thrift Store Golf Challenges was to take something I enjoy (golfing) and explore the experience of using old clubs that I'd find.  Let me tell ya, you really gain an appreciation for modern metallurgy and computer design after playing with some of those old stinkers...yet, those are the clubs I learned on back in the day at Rolling Hills Golf Course in Hudsonville; those are...

  Use this information how you see fit.  If you take a Burger King Double Stacker and pull the patties apart, they fit perfectly on top of a Burger King Long Chicken sandwich.  Pictured above, there's a Double Stacker on top of a Mexican Chicken Sandwich. It's a sodium bomb, which left me feeling swollen and sluggish.  For the remainder of the day, I smelled  greasy.  Between the cheese and spice of the Mexican Chicken, and the savory bacon of the Double Stacker, the flavors were...uh...interesting.  I wonder if there would be a way to modify the Chicken Sandwich to make it work better with the Double Stacker sandwich.  The overall experience was something that would've been cool when I was 17 or 18, but...man, eating this at 35 was a poor decision.

  Right away, opening the bottle, I'm hit with an aroma that reminds me of childhood; Play Doh and grocery store bulk candy.  As I take a sip and roll it around in my mouth, I'm hit with a heavy sweetness - similar to Pepsi Vanilla, but with a cloying nature...and as I drink it, I still  get that Play Doh aroma on the nose.  As I've continued to drink and the beverage has warmed up a bit, the cola flavor has subsided and the Peep flavor has become more prominent - little science content:  The carbonation in a soda actually tricks your brain into thinking it's got a very slightly bitter taste...that's why sparkling water tastes  different than still water; that's why Nitro Pepsi (and nitro beers) taste different than their carbonated counterpart.  So, as this bottle of Pepsi x Peeps (Peepsi from here on out) warms up and gets flat, the flavor is going to change. Pepsi has often played with flavors - so this Peepsi is nothing new in the grand scheme of t...

 Once again, I busted out the ol' PVC cutter and chopped up some golf balls!  I've accrued a small assortment of golf balls over the last year, so in preparation for the 2023 golf season, I thought I'd share my findings with Teh Intarnetz! Comparing 3 of the "Poor Man's ProV1" ball - top is a Cut Grey, middle is a Top Flite Gamer, bottom is a Kirkland Supreme V2.  Of these 3, the Top Flite Gamer works best for me.  The Kirkland feels really good to hit in the middle of the season (warm temps, dry weather, etc.), but many an Internet Forumite have talked about how spinny Kirklands are. These are a couple golf course finds - top is a Srixon Softfeel, bottom is a Precept Powerdrive.  Notice the 2-piece construction, which is pretty typical for a golf ball that sells for less than $20 a dozen (not that that's a bad thing by any means, it's just not something that's seen on tour-level balls) More 2-piece balls - top/orange is a Wilson Ultra 50, bottom/b...

 The 2023 West Michigan Golf Show has come and gone.  This is my 4th year attending, so I've become accustomed to the regular booths and vendors - Maple Hill has the biggest booth in the show, Treetops Resort has their Hole In One challenge , etc. The 2022 show left me with an email inbox full of spam, so this year, I created an alternate email account specifically for golf spam.  Trouble is, in 2023, they rolled out a feature at every booth wherein you'd scan your ticker (pre-loaded with your email address) in order to enter their contests and giveaways, so my golf spam email address was moot. Speaking of, in years past, I walked out with a bag full of trinkets - ball markers, tees, stickers, coupons, etc.  The 2023 show seemed a little low on swag.  In fact, it felt like there were fewer vendors overall. There was one guy who had spent time at the PGA Trade Show in Florida who brought a bunch of PGA merch and pre-production balls up to sell...In 2022, I bought...

  Hey, it's pretty decent!  Hot and fresh, so it was a delight to eat...much better than the cold, slightly stale Big Mozz burger I had at Sheetz when I was out east.  Seriously, a burger like this must be served piping hot for maximum enjoyment, and the Wendy's on South Washington in Holland delivered!  The giant lump of mozzarella was a bit weird - I did expect something more like individual sticks, but whatever.  The sauce was a touch more creamy than I expected - it was something more like a Franco/American or Chef Boyardee sauce than a real, handmade Italian sauce, but c'mon, it's freakin' Wendys...temper your expectations.  It's a fast-food burger drivethru for cryin' out loud. It was a unique enough menu item that I was interested in trying it.  I'd definitely order it again!

Skelletone's is a venue that was iconic for a certain demographic of West Michigan music fans.  As an all-ages venue, they played host to much of the straightedge hardcore scene back in the day.  Located on Division Avenue in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, they played host to bands like  August Burns Red, UnderOath, and A Day To Remember .  My first experience at Skelletone's was seeing Mental Infestation back in 2006 .  The venue closed in 2009 , then reopened again during 2021.  I'm very glad I got the opportunity to view the rebirth of an iconic venue with some great bands! The opening acts were Joker's Republic out of New Jersey, and Oi!L Change out of Grand Rapids.  Joker's Republic wonderfully blends Gen Z nihilism with a 90s ska-punk sound.  I seriously dig it!  Keep an eye on these guys!  Oi!L Change also has a 90s punk sound, though theirs is more reminiscent of Pennywise and that sort of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 ...

Alternate titles: Judging Art In The Context Of Which It Was Made Cancel Culture Comes For Tulip City "I'm not saying you're racist, just everyone who enjoys the same things as you is racist."  This was told to me by a so-called "woke leftist" on a progressive Discord server a while back - I wound up leaving the server because it got incredibly toxic and inflammatory during the 6-9 months I was active on there.  The topic at hand was the TV show The Dukes Of Hazzard , and how the series is seen (in a post-George Floyd world) as "Confederate Propaganda," for a myriad of reasons:  There are no black main characters; it shows impoverished white folks having a good time and living a positive life in the South; it glorifies the image of simple/rural/farm living (and therefore is anti-progressivism).  When asked to show me a good, wholesome, approved TV sitcom from the early 1980s, the other person could not.  When I pointed out that the series depicted ...

 Recently, I encountered a situation wherein I was exposed to a person who tested positive for CoViD-19 Omicron Variant...the version that is more highly contagious because of an extended incubation time, as well as reduced initial symptoms.  This was on campus at Grand Rapids Community College.  Part of the requirements here were to report to the college, then isolate while awaiting instruction from health officials at the college. Meanwhile, I was at work in Allegan County while all this was going down.  I was receiving text messages and phone correspondence from GRCC.  Per Allegan County Health Department standards, which my employer followed, I was mandated (still am, TBH) to wear a mask while at work for 10 days after my exposure, but otherwise everything is as normal. Because I've gotten both initial doses of the vaccine, as well as the booster, GRCC sent me a flow chart based on the Kent County Health Department, the State of Michigan, and the federal CDC...

 Somewhere along the line, I've mentioned my "diverse" background of work experiences - across a vast swath of industries , and a proven track record of reliability against many challenges.  I've worked a lot of jobs, filed a lot of 1040 and W2 forms, have taken a lot of interviews, and have been the fucking new guy more times than I care to count.  As a result, I've collected lots of bits of information and advice; some good, most terrible.  So, let's take a little deep dive into the poor, bad, unworkable, or downright shitty advice I've gotten through the years: Just Leave Your College Years Off Of Your Resume  The premise here is that if you're applying for a job that doesn't require a college degree, don't put your college on there.  I've had tons of interviewers tell me that they won't hire a project manager without boots-on-the-ground experience...but, contractors and tradesmen won't hire a guy with a degree to swing a hamme...

 In an effort to refocus my aims on this entire blog, I'm trying to consolidate a few things and pave a solid path forward.  I've labelled a few posts with the new tag "Future History."  These are the posts filled with my own thoughts and opinions.  History as a broad topic, as we know, is the collection of events that have happened, as well as the sociological aspects of the people and their opinions.  I fully realize that I lost steam on my aims of being academically sound, and got to a lot of editorializing...that's on me.   With that, I'm deep in thought about rebranding: -The logo I did up was supposed to be a tribute to the Holland Sentinel, and was made from a picture I'd taken of a tulip, then messed up in Photoshop.  I've got a few ideas in mind for a new logo that I can use for avatars on Twitter and Instagram. -Developing a "mission statement" or "plan of action based on 3 key modules:  Branding, my ideal reader, and my niche....

 Memories are a tricky thing.  Frustratingly fallible and easily swayed, I've heard it explained as though every time you're recalling an event, you're actually recalling the last time you've recalled that event - you're remembering a memory.  Each time a memory is brought up, details get fuzzier and fuzzier, losing fidelity over time.  This is one of the reasons that, for example, criminal lineups are notoriously unreliable . Memories are also formed around specific events and anchors.  This can be utilized and manipulated to your benefit using a Memory Palace .  By creating something tangible, your brain will latch on to more and more information, allowing for more clear recall.  And, if memories are all we have, isn't recall the best part of anything? The September 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York City, Washington DC, and Somerset County, PA, became the first of many "Where were you when..." moments for my generation.  As I was thinking abo...

I've had a lot of jobs.  I've been the new guy at work more than I care to admit.  It was losing a job that inspired me to start writing this blog.  It's bleak, but I've learned that nothing is permanent, and that companies expect absolute loyalty from their employees while giving nothing back.  In 2014, when I was let go with an injury, I spent a lot of time in my own head - introspecting, praying, and trying to work out a new plan.  It was then that I came to realize that life is a series of moments.  I was at a crossroads of every single moment in my life - if any of those previous moments hadn't happened, I wouldn't be where I was that day.  I was (still am, TBH) the result of every single moment in my life; every single decision I'd ever made.  And, I was exactly where God wanted me at that moment. The first job I was forcibly removed from was a job at a factory producing plastic wrap.  When I got a call from a temp agency, I thought tha...

 On Friday the 14th of May, 2021, the State Of Michigan issued the following statement: Dear Friend, For more than a year, we’ve been following the best data and science to slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.  The vast majority of us have trusted the scientists and experts to keep us safe during the pandemic, and it has worked. With millions of Michiganders fully vaccinated, we can now safely and confidently take the next step to get back to normal. Today I announced the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is updating the Gatherings and Mask Order to align with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s latest guidance on face coverings. On Thursday, the CDC released updated guidance recommending “fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and wor...