My History With Cars

Do you remember your first car? I think most everyone remembers the car they drove when they first got their driver's license. Mine was a 1983 Oldsmobile Firenza. It was actually my sister's car for awhile before she finally got a new car. So the Firenza was a hand-me-down for me, but I didn't mind. I didn't really go too far with it; basically back and forth to school. I think I might've used it for roughly a couple of years before I got a better, newer car of my own. But as I said, it got me to where I needed to go and I didn't really have a whole lot of trouble with it, either. That car was a rear-wheel drive vehicle, probably the only kind I'll ever get to drive in my life. The motor was only a four-cylinder, too; which made it relatively good on gas. I remember not needing to fill it up all that often. And if I only drove it locally, that meant I didn't use all that much gas. It wasn't the most fancy car; the interior and exterior were both a brown color and it was a fairly small car. But it was good for what I needed it for.

In 2000, I had just graduated from high school and was looking to go to college in the fall. The Firenza was a good car, but it was getting pretty old and becoming more and more unreliable. So my parents went out and got me a newer car. It was a 1990 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight with a V6 Engine and slightly bigger than the Firenza. There wasn't a whole lot of mileage on this vehicle and the exterior of the car was in immaculate condition, considering it was ten years old at the time. The interior and exterior were both red; a much more tolerable color than brown. Honestly, do you see many brown cars on the road these days? It was probably a good color for the time but in the late '90's, it sure seemed out of touch. Anyways, the Oldsmobile proved to be a very reliable car. I drove it a lot more than the Firenza and I didn't really have too many problems with the vehicle. Probably the most challenging thing about that particular car were the headlights and the automatic door locks. I can't tell you how many times I locked the keys in my car or left the headlights on and ended up draining the battery. There were many times where I didn't catch it in time and the battery of my car was dead. I think I only got lucky once where the car actually started up after leaving the lights on. The reason why I ended up leaving the headlights of the car on so frequently when I left the vehicle is because the warning sound that's supposed to ding when you left the lights on never sounded. And I was never able to keep it in my head that I needed to shut the lights off after leaving the car because there was always something on my mind. This only happened during daylight because at night, the headlights would automatically come on, much like cars do these days. But that was probably the most frustrating thing about that particular car and it was one thing I didn't miss once I got rid of it.

The Oldsmobile was needing some work so I brought it in to get serviced. My brother-in-law is a mechanic and he usually does the repairs on most of my family's vehicles. While doing an inspection of the car, he discoved a crack in the frame of the car. The car was essentially deemed "shot" because if I hit one bump in the road, the car could split apart. So we junked it and soon began searching for a different vehicle. Actually my search for a new car did not start right away because I used my dad's work car for about a year before I was in a dire need for a car of my own. His car, which was also an Oldsmobile, the transmission went bad during one of my drives around home. So I basically had no car at the time. Luckily that happened in the spring and around my parents home, even though the car was still drivable at about 25-30 mph.

So I spent about a week using my mom's car driving around college and going to and from work until my dad and I went car shopping. We looked at one car my brother-in-law recommended we look at, but it wasn't worth it for the price they were asking. So we went on to another dealer just a short drive down the road. That was where I found my current car, a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. When I first looked at it, I literally fell in love. It was painted a beautiful silver on the outside and everything inside was black. The dash looked so fancy with all of the lighting and everything looked so modern. It was really a step-up from what I was used to and the price wasn't all that bad. So after about three in a half years with the Grand Prix, I still have it and it continues to be a good car. I need to have new tires put on relatively soon and with over 100,000 miles on it, I'll need to look for something different sometime down the road. But I am in no rush to get something different as long as it continues to be reliable and trouble-free (knock on wood). Hey, it's the only car I have and without it, I've got no wheels. And that's my relatively-short vehicle history. Not too exciting, now is it? lol

Roller Rinks

I don't know if it was a common thing across the country, but for many years, we had a roller skating rink here. For those unfamiliar with what a roller rink is, it's basically a big, oval shape concrete pad in which to roller skate or roller blade on. Think of it as a hockey rink, sans the ice. Ours here in town has been closed for over ten years now, but it was such a fun place to hang out and to be a kid. The total atmosphere of the building, from the colors of the building, the lighting, the music they played during the skating, the games available for those who didn't want to skate, and the true party atmosphere that existed during the event is something I won't ever forget. The building still remains but the local Salvation Army bought it and turned it into their main local headquarters. The building serves a very important purpose in our community, but for many people, it also has a history of being known for something else, a place where people of all ages had a blast doing something that has gone out of style nowadays, roller skating.

I can't remember how many times I had been to the roller rink when I was a kid. I know it wasn't a whole lot, but whenever we got the opportunity to go, we went. And for the longest time, I didn't actually do a whole lot of skating. I wasn't a very good skater to start out; in fact, I don't know if anyone really taught me nor did I have the courage to actually glide out into the middle of the floor and start to skate. But for the longest time, my idea of skating was to go along the perimeter of the wall, grab onto it where I could and palm it the rest of the way and basically hang on to the wall as I skated. I thought it was enjoyable, but I didn't exactly know what I was missing out until someone took me by my hand and forcefully made me skate out in the middle of the rink. I think it was my sister and her friends who officially taught me how to skate. After that, I became a true pro.

The roller rink would host area schools for one night and during that one evening, all of the students from the school along with the faculty were invited to come out and have fun at the roller rink. The skating was free but everything else the roller rink offered was still full charge. Still, to see most of your friends from school all there at the roller rink and having a blast was always such a good memory for me. I don't believe the parents got to skate for free if they decided to stay. I know my parents often left us there while they went out and did their shopping and other errands. But still, the whole event was like one big party atmosphere. The music was blaring; a fast, upbeat song always played and all kinds of lights flashed onto the rink itself. A couple of songs that I remember being played at the roller rink and which seemed to be quite popular at the time were Kylie Minogue's "Locomotion" and "I Saw Her Standing There," a Beatles classic but remade by some musician of the '80's (and I can't remember whom right now). But that goes to show you what kind of songs played at the roller rink - very fun, upbeat songs that you could dance to, if you didn't have skates on your feet! It just made roller skating that much more fun. Sadly, there's no place like that around here anymore.

I'll admit, I probably was never the greatest skater but before the roller rink closed up here, I was much better than when I first started. It was a place that allowed you to unwind, have fun, and to do something that seems so ancient nowadays. Ah, the lost art of roller skating. Heck, you really don't see a lot of people out on roller blades anymore, which was basically supposed to revolutionize roller skating. Both forms of entertainment seem to be fading from our landscape each day. Roller blades don't seem to be in short supply these days, either. Whatever the case, one thing remains strong for me. My memories of the roller rink are rather vivid and will be something I'll recall for many more years to come. Even though the building may no longer have roller skating inside of it, each time I drive by, I'll still be able to remember the fun times I spent roller skating with friends and family. Nothing can beat that.

A Moose Killing

I once thought I saw a moose where I was growing up many years ago. I was probably about 10 years old and riding my bike. One of my usual destinations was at this old abandoned bridge which was pretty isolated and it was very rare to run into anyone else there. I'd always skip rocks or just watch the water flow along and underneath the bridge. I was attempting to ride down this small hill and at the bottom was the bridge. But what I then saw stopped me in my tracks. It was a moose - a large, menacing creature grazing on some tall grass. I was still far enough away that I was in no danger. But still, it scared me silly and I booked it out of dodge. But nowadays, I'm not sure if that event really actually happened. I'm only half-convinced that I saw that moose and it more than likely was a dream. The reason I say this is because there had been no reports of moose being sighted from anyone else in the area. Sure, the area where I grew up was very rural - but there are houses within the immediate area from where I "saw" the moose. It's not like it would've been missed by anyone else driving or walking through. That was the only time I allegedly seen a moose and no one else in the area has ever spoken of seeing a moose - so I am not sure if the animal even exists within the area where I grew up. So you can see why I might be skeptical as to why that event even happened.

The reason why I bring this story up is because a moose sighting created a big stir in one Upper Peninsula community yesterday. Ishpeming, Michigan is a town of about 6,000 people located in the central U.P. A moose and her two young calves were spotted in and around the town. Moose make their appearances from time to time in Upper Peninsula communities so it's not uncommon for these kinds of events to occur. It's not like the area is overran by moose and they are actually pretty rare here. But they are around and when one is spotted, it definitely creates a lot of local buzz. They are amazing creatures but also very large. If they get angry enough, they can easily kill a person. It's something I learned early on from school - that animals such as moose are very unpredictable, especially when around their young. It's best to try and view them from a safe distance and at the very least, leave the scene so as to not disturb the animal. From the sounds of it, this did not happen during the moose sighting in Ishpeming yesterday. And unfortunately, it ended in one moose being killed.

The Ishpeming City Police Department and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources made a decison to have the mother cow killed after the animal became agitated and stressed from being ran about town. The police claim they were trying to direct all three moose out of town, only to have their efforts hampered by throngs of spectators trying to get pictures of the moose. At the time the police and DNR took the initiative to have the animal put down, the mother cow was separated from her two young. The two agencies claim tranquilizers would not have worked in this situation because the animal was so large and transporting it would've been extremely difficult. The moose was already distraught and they felt the tranquilizers would've only caused it to overheat and die. Also, because it was on the move, it would've been very difficult for a tranquilizer to take effect unless it was completely still. They wanted to avoid a possible safety issue and avoid a moose/human interaction, so they decided to shoot the animal down. That is one decision that is not sitting well with very many local residents today.

The city of Ishpeming's Police Chief is pointing the finger at the public for the untimely death of the moose cow. He blames the public for following the three moose and causing the mother to be ultimately disoriented. Here is a quote from him from the local newspaper: "In the end, all this moose was trying to do was to get away from the people who were chasing it and reunite with its calves," said the Ishpeming Police Chief. "We would not have had to kill that cow moose if the public did not act like the paparazzi chasing it around like it was some type of Hollywood movie star. I may have given the order to shoot it, but I hold the public who were chasing it responsible for its death, and the ultimate deaths of the two abandoned calves that will not survive without their mother." But the public is pointing the finger at the Ishpeming City Police and the Michigan DNR. If the moose was to die anyway, then why not try the tranquilizers. Or simply, let the animal do what its natural instincts allow it to do. I realize there's a chance that it could end up being killed by a car or encountering the public in one of the local neighborhoods, but the animals need to be given their space and eventually they will leave. It has happened in other local communities here, so I don't understand why it couldn't have occured in this instance. Instead, the animal was chased and proded by the police and the DNR. Sure, the crowds of onlookers probably did not help matters, but the police could've done a better job of crowd control. Call in nearby police departments for back-up if that's the case. All in all, this whole situation could've been handled a lot better than it was. Now, it has practically an entire community in an uproar.

This story is even getting attention from one of the major statewide newspapers - the Detroit Free Press. It is currently the top news story on their website. Many people are calling for the firing of the Ishpeming City Police Chief for making this decision and some residents of the town are even going so far as to saying they are embarassed to be living where they live because of what has happened. I am sure those who live in the more urban areas of our state - and if this story catches on nationally - will think we're nuts for making a big story out of this situation while their major news headlines involve murders, the financial crisis, and major accidents. But the truth of the matter is, a story like the moose killing IS a big story around here because murders are rare and other stories you see in major metropolitan areas do not occur. Heck, moose sightings in towns and cities is a rare thing, too. The killing of a moose because it was becoming a "safety issue to the public" is an even more rare event. From the sounds of it, this news story isn't going away anytime soon.

For ongoing updates involving the moose killing in Ishpeming, please visit these local media websites: WLUC-TV6.com and The Marquette Mining Journal .

Songs I Dig - 11

See? I told you I'd have a new "Songs I Dig" blog out in a relatively short order after the previous one. This time around, only one artist had appeared on a previous SID blog. So you'll see mostly new artist in this edition and five very enjoyable songs. Some of them have been out for awhile already and one was released within the past few weeks. Whatever the case, they are all great to listen to and they make up the songs I listen to pretty frequently as of late. So here we go, in our 11th edition of the songs I dig, here are my picks:

"Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry - Our only returnee to the Songs I Dig blog in this edition; Katy Perry has another smash hit on her hands with this song. Obviously "I Kissed a Girl" grew into a mega-hit despite the taboo topic of a girl kissing another girl and liking it. "Hot n Cold" deals with a male protagonist who is wishy-washy over his relationship. If you haven't yet seen the music video for this song, the plot involves a couple who is at the alter saying their "I do's." When it gets to the groom, he is having doubts in saying "I do" to marrying his fiance. The groom then runs off, with the female antagonist following after (this being Katy Perry). Basically, he can't make up his mind whether he wants to be with her or not. Is she the right one for him or would he be better off with someone else. So the female would like him to make up his mind quickly for once. The chorus is made up a bunch of parallel opposites including hot and cold, yes and no, in and out, up and down, etc. It's a really catchy song and before you know it, you're singing along to it. At the end of the video, the groom wakes up from the dream he was having (all of the events within the video are mostly a dream sequence) and finally says his "I do" to marying his bride.

"Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade - I have a feeling many of you have heard this song for awhile now, but the radio stations around me just recently started playing this within the last month (either that or I was completely unaware). When I first heard it, I thought it was a song by Simple Plan or one of those other emo-punk rock bands. But Secondhand Serenade is a relative newcomer to the pop-rock scene. The song opens up with a gentle and soft piano intro. It gradually builds into a rock ballad. One of the things that truly drew me into the song was the chorus with the lines "Because tonight will be the night that I will fall for you." That is incredibly touching and I really think it hits a soft spot for anyone listening to it. It's the perfect love song and it no doubtedly will be playing at wedding receptions across America. The basic premise of the song is about a young couple who has definitely gone through their stuggles as of late. They are beginning their reconciliation and on this particular night, they are re-discovering themselves all over again and falling in love with each other like they did when they first met. The male figure in the song most certainly cannot live without her female companion because "a girl like (her) is impossible to find."

"Shattered (Turn the Car Around) by O.A.R. - This band, also known as "Of a Revolution," may have been considered a one-hit wonder by some. But with their newest hit which has been out for a few months now - that claim can be refuted. Some of their more popular hits from past albums include "Hey Girl," "Love and Memories," and "Heard the World." "Shattered" is a more softer sounding rock song, but it definitely deals with a heavy issue. Most songs tend to deal with love, lust, break-ups, etc. This song is no exception except here, the male figure would rather push the female antagonist out of his life and in fact, that is what he tends to do until the end of the song when instead of driving his car away and out of her life, he turns around. The complete attraction that he feels towards her is too much and it becomes like a gigantic magnet. Even though he's burned out from his entire life, the attraction he feels for her is just too much to simply walk away. He's basically asking himself how many times can he keep doing this to himself. What will it take to finally get her out of his life? Obviously it is going to take a lot because he simply cannot push her away.

"Warwick Avenue" by Duffy - The singer who hails from Wales has made a huge impact not only in her home region of the world but also here in America. Her first hit "Mercy" became a smash #1 hit and "Warwick Avenue" might not be far behind. "Mercy" was such a retro-sounding hit that it drew in people of all generations. And I talked in the previous song profile about most songs dealing with love and other relating topics; well "Warwick Avenue" deals with a painful break-up. If you've seen the music video for this song, Duffy herself is seen in the back of a car, completely distraught and destroyed over a relationship gone wrong. She is crying with her make-up running down her face from the tears she is shedding. It's actually a pretty powerful scene, even though the video is rather bland. She's basically having one last meeting with her male companion to hash things out one final time but they will never be together as a couple again. I think the video is a bit of a contradiction to the song because in the second stanza, the lyrics state, "You hurt me bad, but I won't shed a tear." All she's doing in the video is crying. Just being a bit nit-picky, because overall, I think it's a great song. Certainly a very powerful break-up song from one of the newest world-wide, up-and-coming singers.

"Better in Time" by Leona Lewis - Leona is quickly becoming one of the newest female divas in the music industry, and I truly mean that in a complementary fashion. She first burst on the scene by winning "The X Factor" show in the U.K., a singing competition similar to "American Idol" here in the states. Her debut album has been #1 here in the U.S. after breaking onto the scene in America in early 2008. "Bleeding Love," her first song released from the album here in America quickly shot up to #1. "Better in Time" is on pace to do the very same thing if it hasn't already. It's another break-up song but I don't sense as much hatred and despair over this particular break-up in this song like I did in "Warwick Avenue." Essentially the female figure in the song has just gone through a break-up and is in the initial stages of the healing process. Everything is still pretty fresh, so it's going to take her awhile to really trust and get over things. At this stage of the break-up, she's seeing many different reminders of him. Everything from watching TV to having constant thoughts about him. It appears she still has feelings for him but it's probably for the best that they separate and move on. After all, things will "only get better in time."

So that wraps things up for this edition of "The Songs I Dig." I hope you enjoy these selections just as much as I and if you haven't checked them out, please consider doing so. It's easy to find all of these artists on myspace and listen to their music, and you don't even have to be a member to do so! I haven't started on a list of new songs quite yet for the 12th edition of the Songs I Dig, so it may be a little while before you see it. But sometimes, it doesn't take very long for me to come up with five songs that I find enjoyable enough to listen to. Be sure to check back to "Luke's Ponderings" very soon for the next "Songs I Dig."

Four Eyes

Those who know me personally are aware that I wear glasses and have sported them for some time. They are part of who I am and help form part of my identity. I don't remember very much anymore as to why I needed them in the first place; probably because I had difficulty reading the chalkboard back in elementary school. I first started wearing glasses once I reached the fifth grade. But I didn't like wearing them - in fact, I wore them very little. I don't know what my issue was with glasses; maybe because they made me look completely different and they drew added attention to myself. I wore them as needed in school, but that was about the only time I really wore them at first. I had a relatively small prescription, anyways, so it's not like I could barely see without them. When I entered the sixth grade, that's when wearing glasses got even more difficult.

Once the new school year started and I was in the sixth grade, I was in class with a mix of different kids - all of them I knew very well since I attended a small school district. Some of them hadn't yet seen me wearing glasses yet, so once again, it was drawing attention to myself so I never wore them - not even for seeing the chalkboard. It got to the point where I was squinting to see the board from even ten to 15 feet away. Those with vision problems had to have an eye exam taken every year, and I was pulled from class to get an eye exam. The nurse looked at my records to see that I needed glasses but saw I wasn't wearing any. She questioned if I was wearing contacts and I wasn't. She asked if I had any glasses on hand, which I replied I did, but that they were back in my classroom. She instructed me to retrieve them, to which I did. But upon reaching the door of my sixth grade classroom, I held up. Our sixth grade class was split into two different groups because our class-size was one of the biggest in the school district. Sixth grade wasn't considered part of junior high when I attended school, but we did a "junior high" concept, where we would have classes with the other sixth grade teacher in the elementary. So in my classroom was all of the students from the other room, being taught by my teacher. I hesitated to enter the room; I was REALLY creating attention to myself by entering the room with these different faces, even though I knew them all and grabbing the case that held my glasses and exited the room. I wasn't able to gather enough courage to do it, so I retreated back down the hall to where the nurse was at and explained I had forgotten my glasses. She didn't seem particularly happy; and I didn't blame her. Needless to say, I failed my eye exam and was instructed to wear my glasses immediately. I still didn't comply.

Then came the parent-teacher conferences. In elementary school, it was mandatory for a parent to attend a conference with your teacher. My mom knew I didn't wear my glasses all that often and asked me if I was wearing them at school. I lied and said that I was. Apparently she didn't believe me, because she told me she was going to ask my teacher if I was. I knew my goose was cooked then. I didn't even fess up to my mom that I had lied about wearing my glasses. I just allowed her to go to the parent-teacher conference and find out directly from my teacher. Eventually I had to face the music with my mom; naturally she was pretty upset. She also forced me to start wearing my glasses with regularity. It was still a struggle - and I still didn't even wear them at school. My teacher ended up moving my desk towards the front of the room so I didn't have difficulty seeing the board. It helped, but in the back of my mind I knew I wasn't doing the right thing. I had a feeling my eyes were getting worse, too.

I couldn't even wear my glasses around my cousins for fear of what they would say. And I hung out with my cousins quite often when I was growing up. I knew them very well and knew they wouldn't have a negative thing to say. But I still couldn't do it. Finally I gradually started wearing them; even bringing them out to watch a movie when I was sitting across the room. They started to get comfortable for me and when I started the seventh grade, I wore them all of the time. At that point I needed to wear them regularly as my vision worsened. I made an effort to get contacts; but they just weren't for me. The woman at the eye doctor at the time wasn't very helpful to me in the whole contact process. She made it rather uncomfortable and I never ended up trying a contact in my eye and to this day I haven't. To be honest, I am actually pretty happy being an avid glasses-wearer. It takes away the struggle of having to insert this piece of plastic/glass onto my eyeball, which I don't think I would've had any luck doing. Would I like to get rid of my glasses forever and eliminate that part of my identity? Sure, I wouldn't mind. But it's not the end of the world if I don't. And to be frank, wearing glasses IS part of my identity now and I've grown so used to them. I think it would create a period of adjustment all over again just getting used to not wearing glasses.

I will say this though; if I could do it all over again, I would've worn my glasses with regularity when I first had to start wearing them. That's not to say I wouldn't still be stuck wearing them to this day; but at least my eyes probably wouldn't be in as worse shape as they are now. I let whatever negative thoughts I had get to me and I refused to wear glasses when they actually really helped me. When it comes down to it; most of my classmates probably would've said positive things about me having glasses on rather than negative. I realize that now; but when you're a young kid just entering your teenage years, you think a lot of people are against you. Looking back on it all, I wish I could've changed the way I went about things. But all in all, things worked out; and I have a belief that I look pretty stylish wearing glasses. There's definitely nothing wrong about that.