November 16, 2024: Uncle Steve's Garage Band

 

Found out today that my Uncle Steve Carpenter used to play the drums in a garage band called "The Barons" in Grand Rapids, Michigan back in the mid 1960s.   Found some more history on the band online the internet.  His band opened for Chubby Checker at one point.

Friday, October 8, 2021: It's Friday

I woke up this morning early for work.  Since my doctor's appointment this week, I have been going to sleep at 10 p.m. and sleeping through the night which is wonderful.   I got up early this morning which is unusual for me.   I guess I was excited because it's Friday.

Tonight, I won't be going to Barnes & Noble as Kay and Karen can't make it.     I will have to come up with something new to fill my Friday night.   

September 30, 2021: Blake Shelton Concert

My friend Sue Arnouts and I went to the Blake Shelton concert at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.  Parking cost us $20 for the night.   This is the second Blake Shelton concert we have attended. The first concert was fantastic and was about 4 hours long.    Tonight's concert was also 4 hours long.  It started around 7:15 and got over about 11:15.  Martina McBride performed tonight, as well as two older guys that I had never heard of before.    I sent my cousin Kelsey a text that I was at the concert and she said she was at the concert, too, so that made me happy.

September 29, 2021: The New Fruitport High School

My Mom and I have been going on period tours of the building of the new Fruitport High School that were paid for by our taxes. We went to two other tours while they were building the school so you could see how they were coming along.   The school is finally completed and students have been attending the new school.     I was quite impressed with all of the safety measures in the school.  They made special walls in each classroom for hiding behind if there was an active shooter.  They also painted the walls in the classrooms a certain color that is supposed to promote learning and paying attention.     The builders really thought through everything in this project.    

February 4, 2021: Covid Vaccine

Today, I finally got my 1st dose of the Covid vaccine.  I had my name on several lists and was so excited to get a call for my shot.   After my shot, I had to be monitored for 15 minutes for any reactions.  I had a sore arm for 2 days.   

March 13, 2020: The Start of the Covid Pandemic

My Mom and I had gone shopping at the Woodland Mall in Grand Rapids.    There were hardly any people in the mall. I took pictures of the nearly empty mall, as I knew this would rarely happen.   I wasn't worried about Covid across the world, as I didn't think it would affect me. 

Mom and I also went to the Old Goat Restaurant in Grand Rapids which was delicious.

Then, we went to the Leigh store by Talbots on Burton St.    I was wandering around the upscale store.    My coworker, Angie Cregg, called me on the phone to tell me something big was going to happen at work.      She swore me to secrecy.     We were texting back and forth.   Then, the big email came out from the Administrator saying the County Offices would be closing the following Monday for 2 weeks, as the Covid disease was starting to hit Michigan and people were not sure about this new disease.     At first, I thought it was so awesome to not have to go to work for 2 weeks.   Another week went by and we were told only essential services would be open which included the Sheriff's department which made me so mad, as I saw all of the other departments closed.  I didn't think it was fair to us.   In the beginning, Angie and I worked two days a week.   This happened for about 2 weeks.   Then, we got further emails asking us to be at work every day, but we couldn't be at work the same time.    It was one week on and one week off.   Each of us had to do the other person's jobs while we were in the office and I thought there is no way we could do that with the amount of customers we had in our office.   Angie was doing the Freedom of Information Requests and impounds and I was doing the criminal histories, jail files, and background checks.      

We were given this special spray to spray down everything in the office which we did everyday.    I still wasn't too worried about this unknown disease.    On the other hand, my coworker Angie was deathly afraid of getting it, so she wanted our mail to be put in different rooms of the office each day and then we would give it to the inmates.   I thought that was such a dumb thing to do.  I wasn't going to spray down the mail and everything and move mail to a different room each day, but we did it for a short time.   

The Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, would give updates on the TV about the number of new positive Covid cases, as well as the number of deaths.    

August 16, 2019: Ernest Hemingway Bus Trip

That’s

June 30, 2019: Ride Along

I had been looking forward to doing my ride along with a City of Muskegon police officer.   I was supposed to ride with Chad Wilson, but he got tied up with a call so I rode with Deputy Logan Copeyon.   He is 21 years old.   He has worked for the City for almost 2 years.   Starting salary is around $43,000 and after 4 years, they make $69,000.   

Our first call was a medical call at a gas station.   Each officer has a neighborhood they are assigned to for road patrol.  Logan’s area was 117 which is the central city near Wood St and Irwin.    The officer has to log each call, as well as write a report that is reviewed by a command officer.   

We stopped at liquor stores known for drug activity and used binoculars to look at license plates and run the plates in LEIN to see if they had insurance or any warrants.   If one person had no insurance, we would drive after them real fast and put on the flashers to stop them and give them a ticket.   

We got a call for a violation of a PPO order, stopped to serve a subpoena on someone, and arrested a girl and drove her to jail so I saw part of the booking process.  It was quite an interesting evening.   I know I couldn’t do that job.  You don’t know what kind of situations you will get into.   My shift was from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.  The officers do 12 hour shifts.   

May 29, 2019: Graduation from Citizen’s Police Academy

My friend Rhonda Collins and I graduated from Citizen’s Police Academy at the City of Muskegon.  It was a 10 week class held on Wednesday nights.  We took a tour of Central Dispatch, the County Jail, and learned about road patrol.   

April 2019: CItizens Police Academy

My co-worker, Angie Cregg, mentioned to me that there is a Citizen’s Police Academy class offered through the City of Muskegon so I thought it sounded interesting.   I told my friend, Rhonda Collins about it and she was nterested in it so all three of us signed up for the class.   Originally, we signed up for the fall session but it got cancelled due to not enough people signing up.   I was happy when the class was a go for this spring.   It’s a 10 week class that’s meets every Wednesday night from 6-9.  At the end of the class, we have the opportunity to ride with an officer for his shift which is what I am looking forward to doing.   Our first class was a visit to Central Dispatch.  We learned about the operations and that there is a year long training before you become a dispatcher.  I think this job would have to be a high stress job.  Each dispatcher alone has 5 computer monitors on their desk long with a telephone and responds to our 911 calls.  The first thing you always want to give the dispatcher is the location of your incident.  Tonight, we learned about traffic stops and what to do for them.   Police should mark their hand on the suspects trunk so the DNA is present in case they are shot.   That shows who responded to the incident.  Also, stand near the car so you can see what’s inside the car such as weapons and drugs.   There is a lot to think about when you are an officer.  It truly is not an easy job.  

March 2019: 2019 Honda CRV

I went into the Honda Dealership for a car wash and came out with a 2019 Honda CRV Touring edition.   Mom has wanted to turn in her car for a while and not have car payments so we decided to share a car again.  We both turned in our cars for this new car and plan to keep it u til the warranty expires in 8 years.   This CRV is my dream car so I was quite happy being able to get this one.  It has all the bells and whistles.   It has remote start, heated seats, Honda Lane Watch, Navigation built in, moon roof, and Sirius XM radio.    It really is a fun car to drive and feels safer than the cars we turned in.  

July 27, 2018: 25th High School Class Reunion

Today was my 25th high school class reunion.  There have been so many changes in our lives in 25 years.   There were about 50 classmates out of close to 300 who came to the reunion.  In the afternoon, Molly Piersema and I went to Crystal McWilliams Hall’s house for a small gathering.   Sarah Meisch, Missy Hawrysz, Crystal, Molly, and I came to the party.   I found out that Sarah Meisch was diagnosed with terminal cancer in April and given 6 months to live.   It’s very sad to hear about f someone so young suffering no from cancer.   She was a great writer and lived in Philadelphia for a short time before coming back to Muskegon.    
Then, we picked up Sue Arnouts and went to the reunion which was on the World War II ship LST in downtown Muskegon.   
Joe Kinnucan provided the music and Jason Mumford provided some of the food.   The people who came were:  Crystal McWilliams, Lezleigh Berkel, Stasia Kurtz, Molly Piersema, Sue Arnouts, Mark Douglas, Charles Bengston, Seth Vanhoeven, Andy Bitzer, Dan Burlingame, Jon Huizenga, Mandy Roczyki, Lisa Wolters, Jens Carlson, Brent Hylland, Adam Sobczok, Julie Courim, Jill Koniarski, Dana Jenson, Jason Thielbar, Anne Whittington, Matt Kuzyck, Aaron Tracy, Ivan Ivanov, and me.   I’m sure I forgot a few people who I don’t remember.  
Had an interesting conversation with Andy Bitzer whom I have never talked to before.   He’s a loner and was like that in high school.   He’s unemployed and lives in Roosevelt Park.   He said he doesn’t really like to be around lots of people and prefers to be home.  He asked if I remembered him flicking off in the last reunion photo.   It was quite a funny conversation.
During the reunion, I heard a big crash.  Matt Kuzyck fell back head first onto the hard ground on the boat.  He fell pretty hard and lost his pulse.  Luckily, Joe Kinnucan, who is a firefighter, resuscitated him.   Adam called 911 and the fire truck and ambulance came within minutes.  It was quite a scare to see.  I found out later that he was diagnosed some time ago with Parkinson’s.    
At night, we let off some Chinese lanterns in memory of the students who have passed away which were Joe Wadsworth, Renee Wilbur, and Troy Vanderstelt.  They had a hard time getting the lanterns to fly.  I thought we would catch the boat on fire and have to call emergency again.   
It was nice to see everyone but sad to see Matt collapse and hear about Sarah.  It made me realize just how short life can be and to make sure to do the things you want now and not wait until retirement.

May 7, 2018 Changes

Change is becoming hard for me lately.   My favorite clothing store, Younkers, is closing and my hangout place, Barnes and Noble, has cut their hours during the week.   Then, my friend Matthew Conlin, is moving to the state of New York in another month.  

I’m glad I have a new coworker, Angie Cregg, who started in my department on April 23rd.   She’s very helpful and a fast learner.   We are helping each other out as a team at work which is nice.  That change is good.

This weekend,  I was introduced to streaming TV through AT&T.   It is called Direct TV Now.  Shows can be played on the TV, cell phone, or tablet.   

Praying now that I can handle changes coming my way.    

April 28, 2018: Lost Interest

The past year has been difficult for me as I have lost interest in things that used to bring me excitement.   Money issues have always been a problem for me.I have spent more than I make and then leave myself with no money for trips or basic living expenses.  It’s been an ongoing issue my whole adult life.   I have a full time job, a nice home, and the car I’ve always wanted, yet I feel more stressed and uninterested in things.   I talk with my counselor about my struggles.  I feel like I am going nowhere.   I feel anxiety towards my job and handling the abandoned vehicles.   I don’t mean to wish my life away yet I cannot wait for retirement.   I want to apologize to anyone I may have hurt over the years.    I want to move forward in my life just not sure how.

February 22, 2018: Departmental Clerk

It’s been a few months since I last posted an entry.   My coworker Arlene retired so both Jeanne and I applied for Arlene’s old job but Jeanne had more seniority so got the job.  I decided to apply for the departmental clerk job which I got.   It hasn’t been an easy transition to this new job as I am the only one in the office.  I’m working on a training guide for myself as well as future employees that will have to do my job.   My biggest complaint with working for the county is the lack of training materials for jobs.  

I’m quite apprehensive about the abandoned vehicle and auction process.  Praying that in 6 months to a year,  I will be more comfortable.   There have been many times I wanted to just quit, but somehow I keep going each day.    

October 27-28, 2017: Stranger Things

This weekend was a fun weekend.  On Friday night, went to Barnes to hang out with the gang.   Then, went to Josh and Olivia’s apartment to watch Season 2 of the show, “Stranger Things”.  

This thrilling Netflix original drama stars Golden Globe-winning actress Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, who lives in a small Indiana town in 1983 -- inspired by a time when tales of science fiction captivated audiences. When Joyce's 12-year-old son, Will, goes missing, she launches a terrifying investigation into his disappearance with local authorities. As they search for answers, they unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries involving secret government experiments, unnerving supernatural forces, and a very unusual little girl.

The show is set in the 80s which is the era Josh and I grew up in.    The writers did a great job with details of the 80 and have many references to other 80s movies such as “Ghostbusters”, “E.T.”, and “Goonies” in this show.

I am not usually into science fiction shows but this series sparks my interest in many ways.    

On Saturday, went to breakfast at Villa in Whitehall.  Olivia made a delicious meatloaf for dinner and on Sunday, Josh and I went for breakfast at Carmen’s and sat at the counter which reminded me of the days when my dad and I sat at the counter at Jerry’s Roosevelt Roost in Roosevelt Park.  Dad and I would go on Thursdays to meet his guy friends and I would get a bagel with cream cheese and hot chocolate and get a free sucker.      

October 13-16, 2017: Joy’s 40th Birthday

My cousin Joy turned 40 years old on October 16, 2017.   She wanted to do something special for it so Heather, Kim, Wendy, Joy, and I went up to Traverse City for the weekend and went to the wineries,  spent time in the hot tub, and went shopping.   I like the Black Star winery and Ciccone’s.    The singer, Madonna, helped her parents start their own winery near Traverse City.  It was a cloudy and rainy weekend but we did get to see a rainbow.    We all had a good time hanging out together.

September 30, 2017: Pumpkin Run

My friend, Rhonda Collins, is a runner.  She has run in many races.  She got me to participate in the 5K Pumpkin Run in Greenville, Michigan which is north of Grand Rapids.   I didn’t run in it but walked.  I was doing it for the exercise and the finisher medal.    

September 27, 2017: Art Prize in Grand Rapids

The big winner of Art Prize was the Abraham portrait made out of pennies.  It was on display at the Amway Grand Hotel.   I took a day off during the week in order to go to Art Prize.   There are too many crowds there on the weekends.   I wasn’t as impressed with the art work this year as in other years.   Usually, I go twice to see the art displays but this year only made it there one time.  

October 7, 2017: Michigan vs Michigan State Game

I finally made it to the Big House!   It was on my bucket list to not only go to the Michigan Stadium, but also to a Michigan vs Michigan State game.   I was so excited when Sue said she got tickets as they are not easy to get.   Sue gave me a homemade gift certificate for my birthday maybe 20 years ago that said good for a Michigan vs Michigan State game.  She paid the $125 for my ticket.   What a great friend!
Chris Gerling, a classmate from high school, has been to 40 games in Ann Arbor.  He said to park at the Sheraton at Briarwood Mall and take the south shuttle to the game for $3 each.  It was the best way to go as traffic is bad around the stadium.
Two high school classmates met me at the game which was fun.   Christine Deluca Anderson lives in San Jose, CA and her brother, Steve Deluca lives in Atlanta, Georgia.  We were all in marching band together in high school.  They both went to college at the University of Michigan.  They flew to Ann Arbor for the game.  Christine has season passes to the Michigan game and sells the tickets to the games she can’t go to.
There were 112,432 people in the stadium for the big game.   It rained beginning in the third quarter.   Michigan State ended up winning the game 14-10.