random memes }

Displaced Californian

Near Detroit, Michigan for a few days. High here was 25° (Fahrenheit) today. On the way to the hotel there was fluffy frozen water falling out of the sky (pretty cool -- well, cold). At home I run the heater a few times every winter, and generally keep windows open pretty much all the time. This is a little different. Though it was colder than what I am used to, never did bother unpacking the jacket.

Have not flown any since before 9/11, so naturally I was slightly curious to see first-hand the new security measures. Was slightly disappointed there wasn't another "Preston Bannister" on any of their secret lists -- passed through security without any special notice. Guess there are not a lot of terrorists with names similar to mine.

Last time I was in Detroit was twenty-odd years ago, on a visit to the (then) Burroughs World Headquarters. (Our project got tangled in company politics -- and we lost). I suspect we were closer to downtown on that trip. What got my attention were the many once-nice brick houses in what looked to once have been nice neighborhoods, and were then absolutely neglected and decayed. It was as though everyone who cared - the kinds of folks that keep up their house and their yard - had moved away. I do not know anything about the history of the neighborhoods in Detroit, and wonder just how this came to pass.