tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72863597794697733582024-02-20T05:00:41.770-08:00Along The PathHopefully an interesting view on our world from a recent college graduate encountering all the obstacles and challenges facing his generation. Here is a place where maybe you can find insight to yourself as well.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.comBlogger198125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-58564663887758862382012-04-03T22:03:00.002-07:002012-04-03T22:16:38.507-07:00Update: Summer Before Spring.Here in Western Michigan summer seemed to come long before spring had ever sprung! It's now the first week in April, and two weeks ago (in the middle of March) we were in the midst of a stretch of over two weeks with temperatures reaching into the 70's and for a lot of that event well into the 80's! It was unprecented, it was un-real and surreal all at the same time. The grass grew green like May, the trees flowered and started to sprout, and the tulips in Holland sprouted two months early!! heck, the girlfriend and I even dipped our toes into a still icy Lake Michigan. <br /><br />It turned out to be the warmest March EVER on recorded history in Michigan. EVER. Sink in yet?? Good, because today is Wednesday, April 4th, 2012. The weather is still ahead of the curve. For a while afterward it got rainy and dropped into the deep 40's. Usual late March weather. It is however back up into the 50's and 60's and will be virtually completely sunny for this entire coming week. Yup, that's what the actual forecast is. It's what's for dinner. <br /><br />Yesterday I not only lifted weights in the morning, but then got a burst of energy several hours later and decided I wanted to go walk around Reeds Lake. That walk turned into a 5K run within 50 meters of my start. The GF and I have been walking the 4+ miles around Reeds Lake a lot lately, and I have taken to jogging around it. It's a marvelous diversion from my normal boring jogging routes. Props to us!<br /><br />All-in-all things are well. Big changes brewing soon. Love to all!!!<br /><br />'JamesPeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-33579824649558883882012-02-16T14:41:00.000-08:002012-02-16T14:59:31.003-08:00Beer Review: Diabolical India Pale Ale - North Peak Brewing, Traverse City, MI.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMYIq-y6c8c3ifyztwGcPrXQ6vnGbOFM1lyrwZGuQHZ6JAnOrWbecUAneJtoinSuveGUEroYU5WwLILlhDYV8ZITsyjsVRXjMXq13TfC7VuiuPX-12Km_DTc23qf3I5Eq7Iw7UiJwXxnw/s1600/IMG_1573.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMYIq-y6c8c3ifyztwGcPrXQ6vnGbOFM1lyrwZGuQHZ6JAnOrWbecUAneJtoinSuveGUEroYU5WwLILlhDYV8ZITsyjsVRXjMXq13TfC7VuiuPX-12Km_DTc23qf3I5Eq7Iw7UiJwXxnw/s200/IMG_1573.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709871893295839698" /></a><br />So the other day I decided to grab a mixed sixer of some beers I had either never tried, or hardly drink. I had always seen North Peak's stubby little bottles and wondered how it was. Knowing I like IPA's, I thought this one would be a good try. <br /><br />A- The appearance is amazing. The pours a hazy, bright yet deep amber color. The haze hangs around in the beer wonderfully clotting the clarity. The head pours huge! This thing started at four-fingers tall and took forever to fall. A huge, pillowy, white head with great retention stuck around forever! <br /><br />S- The aroma is nice, but not overly done. I get a lot of citrus and floral smells, and it's light on the pine. Is that the presence of Cascade hops? This thing smells quite juicy, let's see. <br /><br />T- One word; Yum. This IPA has a "juiciness" about it that is right up front and lasts right through the after-taste. I get a lot of orange citrus, some grapefruits start popping immediatly too. It's sweet, with a definite bite. Then the grassy flavors start coming mid-palate, ooooh and theres the pine/earthiness. What a good flavor, this one is pretty well balanced as I do get some malts in there too, but you know it's an IPA. Delicious. <br /><br />M- Very coating mouthfeel. The beer is in no way cloying and you can certainly tell there is body to this beer. You can also get a sense for the creamy head in the mouthfeel of the beer. <br /><br />D- Very drinkable beer. 6.66% ABV and 66.6 IBU's of bitterness (hence the name??)ensure this IPA packs flavor while allowing you to session it. <br /><br />Overall this is quite an impressive "ordinary" American IPA. It's certainly not watered down, and they know what they're doing with this beer. I would recommend finding some for yourself and giving it a whirl!PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-2675857394976677472012-01-29T15:23:00.000-08:002012-01-29T15:42:45.701-08:00Beer Review: Leinenkugal's Big Eddy Imperial StoutThis beer is quite the beer. I've always been very impressed that despite having ownership and distribution rights over the Leinenkugal brand, Miller-Coors still allows them to crank out some really good ales, especially this beast! I had the opportunity to try it a few years back for the first time and haven't had the give-a-dang to since. So, for posterities sake, here we go. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJthVVAQHTag4fWoSozEpmZcyljybyszJolZkJrConZJBGVfe_6OyR-USMkwn9rbMTpsyQX9o22QhomzMND5fSuU3LlxZQfLUepoycIe5S12Gah3SiudefpNc4MFD-dhjgyKFPYogcnf2/s1600/IMG_1572.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJthVVAQHTag4fWoSozEpmZcyljybyszJolZkJrConZJBGVfe_6OyR-USMkwn9rbMTpsyQX9o22QhomzMND5fSuU3LlxZQfLUepoycIe5S12Gah3SiudefpNc4MFD-dhjgyKFPYogcnf2/s200/IMG_1572.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703203467597785490" /></a><br /><br /><br />A- Pours a molasses-thick, inky black. Am I going to drink three-year old used motor oil?? This stuff lets no light penetrate, period. Dark, sinister and forboding to those too afraid to approach, Big Eddy looms deliciously. A small dark-brown head forms and quickly dissapears.<br /><br />S- Malty aromas slam my nasal passages in less than a second. Dark roasted coffee beans, rich, dark earthy smells evoke that of hard, crusty black-bread. deeper still rich cocoa lies deep within. <br /><br />T- Wow what an explosion. I get cocoa-bean and bakers chocolate first. It's dark, super rich and definitly not for the prepared palet. As you let it sit on your palet roasted notes show up to the party. While late, here comes coffee. he's roasted too! Is that toffee with a major malty edge?? He's brought a friend, dark molasses-infused rye bread! Good to see you all here! Yes, they are all indeed here. Take your time on this one!<br /><br />M- What a deep beer. This one is molasses and it's a good thing!This one is sweet, almost cloying toward the end if drank too quickly. It sits on your tongue and lingers as well. Quite pleasant if you like coffee though. <br /><br />D- This beer is mainly for the months of November through April in colder climates. Pick a snowy night and a fire, hopefully a pooch curled up at your side, a good book on your lap. Relax, it's all good with this one. <br /><br />9.5% Alc. by Volume, sold in four-packs or singles. Consult your highest-quality locale to get one that's been treated properly.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-16872830084658066992012-01-13T15:43:00.000-08:002012-01-13T17:10:48.483-08:00"Whatever It takes To Win"That's the montra in a lot of sports circles, especially amongst fans. That montra is even further evident in the realms of big-time DI-A college football. Athletic department budgets near and over $100 million, multi-million dollar coaches salaries, 100,000 seat stadiums, the best money can buy. <br /><br />What fuels the need for all this? The money and revenue involved. What fuels that revenue? A crazed, obsessive (to put it mildly) nation of sports addicts who need a 24/7, 365 fix of whatever their allegiance is. They eat, sleep, work, defacate and most certainly bleed their team's/school's colors. This has made God-like icons out of the biggest names in college sports. It's suppost to be clean, moral and "for the love of the game." Well, we all now know it's far from that. College athletics are vulnerable to all of the most ghastly and immoral criminal behaviors that found on the streets of South Central LA. Last fall we got a rude reminder with the Penn State scandal. <br /><br />Now in the article I am about to post, from Yahoo Sports writer Matt Hinton, it goes on to explain the sheer levels of anger and rage from PSU alumni about the firing of Joe Paterno. Now I'm not going to set the scene and preface this with 3 pages of background you already know, but JoePa (once one of my biggest idols in sports) had complicit knowledge of Mr. Sandusky's behaviors, and covered it up. It's the truth. It happened. One of the most invincible sports figures of all time was felled from his lack of moral action in the situation. <br /><br /><a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/still-under-fire-penn-state-bothers-explain-why-235756266.html"></a><br /><br />How anyone, after all the facts had come out, could be so blind and single-minded as to not only think it was wrong, but to be ANGRY that Coach Paterno was fired is beyond me. I try to think how, and it's so impossible my brain literally stops. It's un-conscionable that he would be allowed to stay. These angry alums demanding "explanations" are likely donors, some of whom exceptionally well-heeled. Regardless, the Nittany Lion fan-base ought to be hiding in fear and shame. Instead, they're mad that a man complicit in the continued of rape of an un-told number of children for years lost his job because of it. Instead of mourning the victims, the Penn State students went to the streets to riot in opposition to Paterno's firing. Well, that certainly reflects well on their moral standing, regardless of religious affiliation. <br /><br />What I'm getting at here is that we've reached such a level of fan-dom and blind-ness in the face of winning, that even in the face of such an un-speakable horror as that incident some people say "<em>Screw the victims, who cares if they were children who's innocence was ripped and lives harmed forever! I want my coach whether he's guilty or not!" </em> It reveals a side of our fan-dom that is even uglier than we expected it could be. Dare I say that each one of those people advocating for the guilty be put to the same sexual abuse. Maybe their tones would change after...<br /><br />God help and have mercy on those students and alums. As Jesus said while being slapped to the cross "Forgive them father, for they know not what they do!". Let's hope more conscienable heads prevail and apologies are given.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-27526547722209876632012-01-12T16:50:00.001-08:002012-01-12T17:26:42.753-08:00New Year, More Random RamblingsHey All!<br /><br />December 30, 2011 came to and end in most spectacular and amazing fashion at the Inn at St. John in Plymouth, Michigan. One of my closest friends from college was getting married on New Years Eve, and man was that an incredible night. The most wonderful girl to ever grace my life and almost all of my college friends joined in the celebration, and I can say with total certainty that it was the best NYE I have ever had. Congrats Matt and Shannon!<br /><br />Speaking of that wonderful girl, we've been together just about a year now and come February 5 it will mark the circle to the most amazing year I can remember, with hopefully many, many more to come! She is my better half and true final puzzle piece to my heart. <br /><br />As you can tell, we're deep within the haunches of winter in Western Mitten-land. So that means it should be 4 degrees F with 12 inches of snow on the ground....right? While it is FINALLY snowing tonight, GR has had the single most absured and downright strange (almost creepy) start to winter I can ever remember. Aside from two inches of snow that melted immediatly (day after) it's been dry, partly sunny and in the mid-40's most of the last two months!! Conspiracy theories abound, but winter might just finally be here. We shall see about that...<br /><br />Now on to what you usually expect from me; sports. Way to go Tigers, AL Central Division Champs and you beat the Yankees again in the playoffs. The Wings are the Wings and are where they usually are this time of year. The Lions had tons of hope to start the season and...MADE THE PLAYOFFS?!?! PLAYOFFS!?! Yes, the Detroit Lions went 10-6 and made the playoffs, losing however to New Orleans in the first round. The rain-man cometh apparently. <br /><br />My GVSU Laker football team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since my senior year of HIGH SCHOOL. They still managed to go 8-3, have a torrential 7-0 finish to the season where they bent people over the proverbial railing. On that note, Wayne State (whom we did not play) made it all the way to Florence, Al to the D2 national championship game. Yes, THAT Wayne State in Detroit. Despite returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, they eventually gave-way and the 6th-seeded Warriors (Tartars) fell to powerhouse Pittsburg State of Kansas. But still...what a statement for the conference. A team that made it into the final regional round of six to make the playoffs, played four rounds on the road all over the country and then finally Alabama. Why can't D1-A have this? <br /><br />Speaking of D1-A, what an interesting year. Brian Kelly's sophmore year at Notre Dame started terrible, just as his first. he righted that ship and finished 8-4, and gettng to the Champs Sports Bowl, only to let a 14-3 halftime lead over Florida State dissapear and lose 18-14. <br /><br />Welcome back Michigan football! 11-2, They destroy Nebraska, beat Ohio for the first time since 2003, make the Sugar Bowl and beat Virginia Tech in one heck of an ugly game. Brady Hoke is the new ruler of Ann Arbor. Despite getting to the B1G's first championship game, Michigan State was relegated to play in a lesser bowl game, the Outback Bowl. Sparty-nation was rampantly angry and declared UofM to be the blame for the BCS system. There they notched a rare win over an SEC team for the B1G in overtime. Kudos to Sparty and coach Dantonio. I wish you all the best, except when you play my Irish and Cortney's Maize and Blue. oh yes, that's right, my South Bend boys handed you your worst beat-down this season. <br /><br />Speaking of that BCS system, this year was one for the record books...of screw ups. You realy took Michigan and Va-tech over Boise State and Kansas State/Baylor for the Sugar Bowl?!? WTF is wrong with you?? Oh that's right, it's about money. I forgot for 2.5, my bad. Can you tell I just got done reading Death to the BCS?? Not that I needed that book to get me going on that anti-trust lawsuit of an organization, but DAMN is it ever a good read! <br /><br />On that note I want to share this:<br /><br />Dear Alabama Crimson-Tide, <br /><br />You have an amazingly scary, big, fast and powerful team. The BCS has deemed you best in all the land. However there is a small problem with this logic. Shouldn't you have to beat a team from ELSEWHERE in the country to be a NATIONAL champion?? I understand that because you over-recruit, over-sign and over-commit right up to the very legal edge of what the NCAA allows (and other conferences don't to your extent) your conference has had the lead for the better half of a decade. I know, "If you're not cheating, you're not trying."...well aside from Ohio State and USC, the rest of the country seems rather content with at leats TRYING to stay safely within the rules and until something changes (AKA a playoff) you will remain there. <br /><br />How on EARTH two teams from the same crime-ridden conference were allowed to play for something so criminally called a "National Championship" is beyond me. Which, BCS-Cartel Committee, was the lowest and worst-ranked in TV ratings yet. The money-grad bas gotten that bad folks. It really has. Why AD's in the MAC and SunBelt aren't crying foul and organizing protests and threatening to walk-out I do not know. It's not like the BCS allows you to drink from that trough which you support, they openly and overtly keep you out while you kneel at their precence. <br /><br />Back to Alabama. Folks, my alma-mater has won four REAL national titles in your beautiful state. I respect the tradition and the fan-base. However this year, all you are and will EVER BE are SEC champions...until a full 16-team playoff at on-campus locations is in-place like in all other divisions. Enjoy the crystal ball SEC Champs...God Bless.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-23999407889753565272011-12-06T18:19:00.001-08:002011-12-06T18:49:59.484-08:00BCS: Beauty Contest SessionWell it's true. You know it, I know it, and EVERY SINGLE DI-FBS school, administrators, atheltic director and coaches know this. They all signed on completely aware of the flaws, the inequities, and the ugly truth that it is nothing but a giant cash grab for the most popular teams. The system is designed to make money for itself. If your school and fanbase is deemed to not be profitable and there is another choice that would provide a bigger crowd, more hotel rooms sold, more merchandise and better TV ratings guess what; you're getting bounced!<br /><br />The only ones who are satisfied with the system are those who are currently profiting from it hansomly. Well, at some time down the road they will get screwed over. The time will come. <br /><br />So my frustrating is now boiling over with a certain school and it's fan base. Yes, you did get the shaft on this one. However Michigan State fans need to leave Michigan out of their mouths right now. Michigan did not curse you, they did not cause you some mystic harm. You beat them four years in a row. The University of Michigan did not create the BCS, not the circumstances that have prevented you from getting a rightful invite the last two seasons. Just like UofM, you Michigan State, signed on the line which is dotted. You went along like the rest of the FBS programs, like it or not. <br /><br />There has always been a thing with Michigan State fans (see: massive generalization) and a complete fixation and obsession with the University of Michigan. Despite beating the Wolverines four years running now, there are two things that prove to me that Sparty has not yet "arrived" as some believe. <strong>One</strong>; you still talk constantly about the school in Ann Arbor. It is THE most important game on your schedule. You could go 1-11, but if you beat Michigan it was a good year dang it all! When you were left out of the BCS schedule this year, you immediatly deflected all of your anger and frustration toward Michigan. <strong>Two</strong>; despite winning the Legends division and losing to Wisconsin by only three points you were STILL the ugliest of the three sisters. Despite beating UofM four years running, the BCS still grabbed the Wolverines in a no-brainer financially. <br /><br />Someone posted on their Facebook Sunday night "Don't thank your coach Michigan, thank your fan base...". Well...he's partially right! Michigan's fan base is partially what got them that bid with the system being what it is. Come on Sparty, get your fans out of the tailgating lot when the game starts and into the stadium. You can't even sell it out every game now! No wonder a profit-based system looked you over twice. <br /><br />Chris Petersen, I wholly agree with you! If you want the system changed you have to speak out and ACT. If not you have no right to complain. YOU signed on for it. <br /><br />Just thought this was funny:<br /><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383948_10150409285029157_558529156_8462713_1687061847_n.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 543px; height: 546px;" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/383948_10150409285029157_558529156_8462713_1687061847_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-67827891361746562952011-12-04T10:15:00.000-08:002011-12-04T11:31:17.052-08:00Their Own Worst Enemy: Michigan StateI know I'm going to take a lot of heat for this, but it's how I feel. It's my opinion. I don't want Michigan State fans I know to take this personally, because it's not personal, it's what it is. So sit back, and enjoy. <br /><br />So yesterday 6th ranked Houston was upset at home by #24 Southern Mississippi, ruining the then undefeated Cougars chances of going to a BCS game. As expected, #1 LSU destroyed 12th ranked Georgia in the SEC title game. Third-ranked Oklahoma State embarassed #10 Oklahoma in the bedlam game in Stillwater last night 44-10. Why does any of this matter so heavily to Sparty-nation today? Well last night 13th ranked Michigan State had a 36-28 lead going into the 4th quarter of the inaugural BigTen(12) Championship game against 15th ranked Wisconsin. The Spartans had already beat the Badgers earlier in the year on a last-second hail-Mary in East Lansing. They had also beaten Wisconsin last year, gotten a piece of the BigTen crown title. Well last year Wisconsin went to the Rose Bowl, and MSU got left by the side of the road with the Capital One Bowl. The discontent in East Lansing was growing, especially after getting railed by Alabama in that game.<br /><br />Now going into the innaugural conference championship game in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Spartans took the first ever Legends division title and beat Michigan for the fourth consecutive year. On top of all of this was an added pressure. The Michigan Wolverines had a 10-2 record, and were ranked 16th in the BCS listings as of Dec. 3rd. Yup, they were right there, the BigTen's only other ten-win team, so close that MSU could feel them breathing down there neck, despite having beaten them 28-14 back in October. What if MSU lost? They were a 9.5 point underdog going into the game despite having beaten Wisconsin the last two times they faced them. Sparty was feeling disrespected and they had every right to be. On ESPN's College GameDay all four anchors picked Wisconsin to roll the Green and White. <br /><br />So here we sat at the beginning of the final quarter of play. Sparty has the lead and the chance to end all criticism, end all curses, end the disrespect and shove everything down the media's throat. It was there, for the taking. The next fifteen minutes the Spartans would have only themselves to blame for how it all ended. <br /><br />First task: All MSU had to accomplish was stop a driving Wisconsin team. Russell Wilson and Monte Ball drove down the field and pulled within two, 36-34. Showing signs of hope that things would break their way, Wisconsin's two point conversion attempt failed. the feeling that this would haunt the Badgers later hung heavy in the air. <br /><br />Second task: Respond. Kirk Cousins and his offense had to answer the Wisconsin score in like-fashion. Not only that, but they needed to grind some time off the clock. They ate up 4:57 off the game, but having gotten down to the Badger 8-yard line and facing a 3rd and 5, Cousins threw an incomplete pass to KeShawn Martin. 4th And 5, eight yards away from six points and a two-score lead a decision had to be made. Do you take the points with a field goal and trust in your defense, or go for it and have good field position if you fail? Coach Dantonio and Sparty went for the points. An easy FG made the game 39-34 8:28 remaining...an eternity.<br /><br />Third Task: Stop Wilson and Ball and the Badger offense. Prayers were not answered on this drive and MSU could not stop the Badgers on two third down plays and they converted a fourth down play which set up the go-ahead score with 4:43 remaining. Wisconsin 42, MSU 39. Still tons of time.<br /><br />Fourth Task: Respond again. :54 Seconds later the Spartans had only moved the ball two yards in three plays. Stuck on their own 39 yard line facing 4th and 8, they seemed to have capitulated the game and punted with 2:51 remaining. Sparty-nation fell silent and ill. <br /><br />What happened next brought renewed hope for MSU. With just over two minutes left, the Badgers had been stopped cold! The MSU defense has risen to the occassion! Had they been given a last breath? Was this the epic final turning point? Was this the legendary drive that would propel MSU into the history books?? <br /><br />At about 1:57 Wisconsin punted the ball away from their own 24 yard line. The next few seconds witnessed Sparty-nation explode into a frenzy of exuberance. They had taken the kickoff and returned it all the way to the Badger 10 yard line!! the script for Michigan State's coming-of-age was being written. A sure ESPN Classic was in the making. Only ten yards for all the marbles!! Then yellow was spotted on the field. Silence among the green and white...a block in the back? Holding on the return team? A late hit??? Worse...Michigan State's Isaiah Lewis broke through the line on the kickoff and his momentum carried him into the kicker. Whether purposeful or more likely on accident, a roughing the kicker call was issued. That was it...it was over. From exhaltation to sheer pain and shock. It was over. Wisconsin was going to the Rose Bowl and Michigan State had no one to blame except themselves. <br /><br />Sparty-nation's anger and pain was evident in the minutes that followed on Twitter and Facebook. "The kicker flopped!!" "He dove!!" "Total B.S.!! The refs decided the game!!"...all sentiments were flying fast and furious. Right or wrong, you have to admit, that if the setup was revered MSU's kicker would have done the SAME THING. <br /><br />What could be worse than this?? There is something that East Lansing fears that may be brewing tonight. Remember all those other scores I layed out at the start of the story? Here's where they matter. They matter because along with a Michigan State loss, those were all things that needed to happen to help MICHIGAN possibly move up in the rankings and snag an at-large BCS birth, while MSU is left with possibly the Outback Bowl, or worse, the Insight Bowl. The biggest insult could come around 8:15 tonight. The final pound of salt into an open, bleeding and festering wound. What was a wonderful opportunity for MSU might actually set the program BACK if their nightmare scenario is played out tonight. Michigan waits...and licks it's chops. <br /><br />Such is the backwards world of the BCS. It's a beauty contest they've put together. The prettiest, wealthiest and most popular profit from the system designed to keep any smaller programs from eating at the dining table of FBS success. That being said, Michigan State has no one to blame but themselves. Michigan State hasn't been to a BCS bowl since 1987 when they beat USC 20-17. That 25-year streak will very likely continue tonight.<br /><br />Best wishes to all, and to all a good night!PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-44858084872695921792011-11-09T18:00:00.000-08:002011-11-09T18:36:17.080-08:00Into The Depths of WinterHi there blogging friends, it's been a while hasn't it. <br /><br />I've been randomly drafting lots of different things this week but haven't been happy with enough of it to throw it on here. I figured I needed something so I guess you could call this the usual comment on the current state of affairs. <br /><br />A month ago the weather was amazingly warm, sunny and dry for October in Michigan. We're talking 70's and even 80's here kids. I was a month back into subbing, yes I am still in that occupation and wondering if I will ever get a job other than that *shakes head*. <br />A month ago GVSU football was still in some forms in dire peril. My wonderful and amazing girlfriend still had a month left in the GR metro before she moved back to Holland. That move came and went like a flash in the pan. <br /><br />A month ago Artprize was still going strong. We now have a winner for the third year of the event and almost all remnants of the 2011 showing are gone. Downtown is now back to it's normal self for this time of year. <br /><br />In the span of time since my last entry here, MSU pulled off an incredible last second win against Wisconsin, the 2012 Presidential campaign has become even more flustered and confusing, the economy is still weak, OJ is still free and in the past few days Penn State and Joe Paterno have succumb to the worst tradgedy in college football history. Oh and by the way the hockey season has started and instead of being 2-3/3-3 GVSU football is now 7-3. It is pretty much assured that even with a blowout win (which likely won't happen) the Lakers will miss the post-season for the first time in 10 years. How slim the margin of error...how cruel the mistress of fate. The hated and worthless SVSU Cardinals come to Lubbers Saturday for the last regular season game on real grass at the stadium before artificial turf is installed as part of a stadium expansion after the 2011 season. <br /><br />It makes one think back to my first ever GVSU football game in 2002. That was the home opener...the #1 ranked Lakers squared off with the then ranked #2 UC-Davis Aggies (they are now DI-FCS/DI-AA). Next year will mark a decade and a coming full circle in a sense. It's really weird to acknowledge that landmark, as it's one of the things that I mark my age with. <br /><br />I guess I should stop rambling randomly tonight. It seems like it was just summer, and yet it's two weeks from Thanksgiving and there are snow showers over Lake Michigan tonight...Time is a cruel mistress. <br /><br />Goodnight All.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-16443420802916789732011-10-06T15:20:00.001-07:002011-10-11T06:15:35.987-07:00Founder's Releases Statement Concerning Specialty Ale Canadian breakfast StoutThis is taken from MLive and the Founders Blog and is written by Mike Stevens, Founders Brewing Company President and CEO. This article addresses mounting concerns over availability of the product, state-by-state distribution, and retailer price gouging of CBS. <br /><br /><em>From our company president and CEO, Mike Stevens:<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Folks,<br /><br />We feel that it’s necessary to address a few of the concerns surrounding the release of our Canadian Breakfast Stout (CBS). We understand the frustrations stemming from the lack of availability of this beer and are looking forward to the day when we can produce much more of our specialty brands. As some of you are aware, we have been undergoing constant expansion for the past few years and have been working toward a master plan that will increase our annual brewing capacity by four times our current level. We are happy as hell to share that our new brewhouse is now on line and that we just recently started brewing into the new system. We plan to use this new system in 2012 to increase production of our specialty items to better service the demand for them. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the next couple of 750ml (Backstage Series) releases as well as the 2012 KBS release will still be scarce, because these beers were brewed on the old (smaller) system. But after that we should be off and running toward much greater availability.<br /><br />On another note, there seems to be some concern or confusion on how are beers are allocated per state. We are proud to be a Michigan-based brewery and all specialty releases take this into consideration. We at Founders will never forget our home state market. In terms of CBS, the state of Michigan received an allocation of 21% of the entire batch of CBS. No other state saw more than 12% of the total availability. That being said, no state is treated more fairly than another (including MI). Distributor allocations are simply based on a representation of total number of accounts they represent for Founders. Should rumors of this exist to the contrary, know that they are just that: rumors.<br /><br />Lastly, we’ve noticed that retail price gouging is also being discussed. I can only give you the brewery’s position on this, but please know that, legally, once we sell our products to our wholesaler, they in turn sell it to retailers throughout our states of distribution. We have no control over what this retailer will charge for the beer. We do establish our suggested retail pricing, but we cannot enforce this whatsoever. When we hear of retail price gouging, it annoys us as much as it annoys you. Our recommendation to our wholesalers in dealing with retailers that are gouging is to communicate that, if the retailer does not stop overcharging, they will jeopardize their ability to receive Founders specialty items in the future.<br /><br />In short, we just want to set the record straight on these few items floating around on the blogs and make everyone aware that we are working day and night to fix the capacity concerns with our specialty products. We make this beer because we are extremely passionate about creating the best liquid we know how to produce. We started this business as home brewers and still look at ourselves as such. We know that some of you might never get your chance at a CBS bottle, but we feel it would be a greater disappointment to have never shared this product at all.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Mike Stevens | President & CEO</em><br /><br />To me, this is one of those "good problems" to have. Props to Founders for being classy and addressing something that they really didn't have any obligations to talk about in the first place.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-59552825499125402322011-10-05T08:06:00.000-07:002011-10-05T08:09:57.051-07:00The More Things Change...The more they stay the same! A year ago today things in my life were eerily similar in a lot of ways, including my job, the sunny, warm weather and the fact that I had an inadvertant day off work. Yet so much has changed in that time. My outlook on life, my relationship status and how busy my schedule has become day-to-day. <br /><br />Take a look back today. 365 Days ago how was your life similar and different?PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-86953114210702181102011-09-12T08:47:00.000-07:002011-09-12T08:56:45.202-07:00The Effects of 9/11 on NYCHere's a short clip from the Associated Press talking about the new Ground Zero memorials and the effect that the attacks had on NYC, and some of those who were involved. <br /><iframe width="560" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mx8WfXeXVjI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />Obviously the numbers mentioning the population in the one square mile around Ground Zero are awesome, and it proves that the resolve and will New Yorkers was not only un-hurt after 9/11, but it was strenghtened in many cases. <br /><br />Now there is one example where it is apparent how profound the fear was and is that was created from that day. After 9/11 many of those who were present during the attacks and survived needed to leave New York City to mentally cope and move on. However in Janice Collins' case I totally disagree with her fear of her kids being victims of a subway terrorist attack. The chances of them being killed by cancer, or killed in a traffic accident driving in their suburban community is far higher. <br /><br />Living your life in fear of even stepping outside your door is a terrible way to go about after an event like that. What's worse is "cities are dangerous places" message she seems to be passing on to her kids. Sheltering your family in hopes of keeping them safe, I don't know how I feel about that. <br /><br />My own opinions aside, it just goes to show how traumatic those events were on those involved, and the extremes people will go to in order to mentally cope.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-15636114113722298752011-08-29T20:26:00.000-07:002011-08-29T21:06:27.016-07:00SF to Division Ave. No, I didn't go to San Francisco, never have been. I have however seen close to a dozen shows and films documenting the scene in the Mission District and "The Haight", or Haight Ashbury as it's properly called. These areas were "hippie" enclaves in the '60's and beyond, and evolved into having seedy, homeless populations permeating they're existance. Despite the fact that both have a growing underground, hipster gentrification scene, the seedy underbelly side has remained giving the districts a very unique, edgy and in some lights dangerous atache.
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<br />In 1996 the Van Andel Arena opened in Grand Rapids, Michigan's Heartside district. This entire area had been beaten down for several decades, was in complete disrepair, and while not quite to the "Bronx is burning" stage, was home to mainly the homeless and drug-addict population of downtown. In fact, the night before the first act at the arena, the Grand Rapids Police did a complete sweep of the area to "move" all of the "undesirable" (homeless) populations out of the area so the white suburban populace would not feel threatened. Yes, that's a little known fact of GR history for you.
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<br />A decade and a half later that very arena is still at the top of it's game, and is continually ranked the number one mid-sized entertainment venue in the country. What has happened in downtown Grand Rapids in the decade and a half since has been breathtaking. Rarely does an arena spark a total revival and rebirth, but in GR's case, it did. Downtown GR is now THE place to be and THE place to be seen in West Michigan. It's a beautiful mix of occupied classical buildings housing offices, apartments, condos, restaurants and bars, with glassy, modern new motel, office and condo buildings fill in the mix. Gentrification to the Nth degree. From September to April, college students flock downtown. In the summer, the mix is just as heavy and palpable. The growth and gentrification has stretched all bounds of downtown Grand Rapids, and that includes Division Avenue. Yes, THAT Division Avenue.
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<br />It's an unlikely mix in a conservative, right-wing portion of the Great Lakes. Homeless, down-on-their-luck, recovering drug and alcohol addicts, missions and shelters and clinics. In their midst the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids and Catholic Central High School, and of course Van Andel Arena and what it has spurned. New bars, clubs, restaurants and apartments mix with the old population on a daily basis. Suburbanites, college students, and the new (and growing) young urban residents mix with the underbelly that city leaders sought to hide so feverishly just a decade ago. Hipster vinyl record stores, tattoo parlors, a modern Goodwill store and even a bank branch. Division Avenue is a force within a region of total change. Completely repelling change, while begrudgingly welcoming it at the same time.
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<br />The second decade of the 21st century will tell if the changes continue and push out the seedy underbelly of West Michigan in favor of a more commercially lucrative venture. Until then, the balance that has been struck in the past couple years has a striking resemblance to something that only San Francisco could offer up. Is this our gray area? Is this where our line blurs from the predjices of old generations to the more adventurous ones of the new in West Michigan? Is this a temporary arrangement, set merely for a few years to one day be talked about in local hostory books? Or is this our worm hole. Our visible and invisible zone where the total have-nots and haves mingle side-by-side with predjudices aside? Do we momentarily tolerate each other enough to have this mixing in our midst? Is this a flash in GR's evolutionary pan, or is this our Haight Ashbury and Mission District? Time will tell.
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<br />The UICA (Urban Instituate for Contemporary Arts) just opened it's new location on the corner of Fulton and Division, and September is two days away. What does that mean? ArtPrize #3 is a month away. Is there a breaking point, or simply co-existance?
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<br />Let's pray for co-existance.
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<br />PJPeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-38149753479275417772011-08-24T06:08:00.000-07:002011-08-24T06:16:36.997-07:009-11 - A Decade LaterHas it really been that long? What's happened in that time, that ten year gap from that shocking day to the ten-year memorial. In the time since that day a lot of things have happened. I've graduated high school as well as college, had a couple internships, witnessed two wars, two elections, two presidents, numerous scandals, 1.5 economic depressions, a massive power blackout, Katrina, the tsunamis in South Asia and Japan, the near death of the Big Three in Detroit, the Lions went 0-16, the Red Wings won two Stanley Cups, the Tigers went to the World Series, and Grand Valley becaome the predominant athletic powerhouse in Division 2. Wow has a lot happened! Let me hear your memories from the last decade since one of the most defining moments in our generation's existance. PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-16605158983495907042011-08-16T10:48:00.000-07:002011-08-16T10:49:42.792-07:00Ron Paul 2012I like Ron Paul's responses here. He seems even less of a conservative than Obama does. I do hope he can get some backing, but unfortunatly I see Bachmann, Perry and Romney getting backing before Paul does.
<br /><iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OkqZKwCx5jU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-57422758824991160672011-08-01T13:17:00.000-07:002011-08-01T13:36:00.500-07:00A Perfect Weekend for PlanespottingThis past weekend's weather was superb, and in-lieu of our beach plans (which deteriorated due to to-do lists) my girlfriend and I hit GRR for some fun planespotting. What a great couple cloudless late-July evenings with the my better half. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzrI5Xl4N7A8KCP4MCgogKpoNhuR9eKnZvp-itoSoNc_uf6re8ITwUupOQr-FTKsNFGzQYxVIAyxFmz0FIY_rkyONf5L8XHqnQym8W3RURNgpt7Hu7URXL7Vo5VWrm2is6cSjJ9j-TSiZ/s1600/IMG_1497.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzrI5Xl4N7A8KCP4MCgogKpoNhuR9eKnZvp-itoSoNc_uf6re8ITwUupOQr-FTKsNFGzQYxVIAyxFmz0FIY_rkyONf5L8XHqnQym8W3RURNgpt7Hu7URXL7Vo5VWrm2is6cSjJ9j-TSiZ/s320/IMG_1497.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635987596023863698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs31Zh35gZG0nlGxCcus750p0XSjG0upDfpvOGF5bBPbcYWEAwtQMONViTymPPdzog5aCdV_4BHUoE-E8xJ5o7jz68Axj2Jy-tXMma_NA_v8P5j2xG64rRoLXnNESOa2h40TXsbd9V9MDa/s1600/IMG_1499.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs31Zh35gZG0nlGxCcus750p0XSjG0upDfpvOGF5bBPbcYWEAwtQMONViTymPPdzog5aCdV_4BHUoE-E8xJ5o7jz68Axj2Jy-tXMma_NA_v8P5j2xG64rRoLXnNESOa2h40TXsbd9V9MDa/s320/IMG_1499.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635987770880708002" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKW7JkSUkR8BHDiu9MRhbF4j49YKJ7zayAIB95QoU73XEoJHnxmGPzJBM1vwcD5BN2kNW-YHOuP3H2kgktvWHd6aahxKgtybphcwoTf2McGNyTUw-ouQkaSmOMY2N68Db1-7hXcu-Dxvqh/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKW7JkSUkR8BHDiu9MRhbF4j49YKJ7zayAIB95QoU73XEoJHnxmGPzJBM1vwcD5BN2kNW-YHOuP3H2kgktvWHd6aahxKgtybphcwoTf2McGNyTUw-ouQkaSmOMY2N68Db1-7hXcu-Dxvqh/s320/IMG_1506.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635988077371463202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZcGJNmRanDKNLK0y8kyi1vJrj05amQv8_2jZ19DxDBOyEhrKkXTiNOAyXyeReS8BwUX2Obio-S5skXlVkZCT8Cl_S73ktiVnvFmHncM0-oag6ne2jEMf92uUFtyWN0UgM3ZLpIDZMTA_/s1600/IMG_1512.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZcGJNmRanDKNLK0y8kyi1vJrj05amQv8_2jZ19DxDBOyEhrKkXTiNOAyXyeReS8BwUX2Obio-S5skXlVkZCT8Cl_S73ktiVnvFmHncM0-oag6ne2jEMf92uUFtyWN0UgM3ZLpIDZMTA_/s320/IMG_1512.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635988221918845042" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOp6yWCj8OOO3ldjdS-36aRGFFQBTDfnDCCxdIqC4YWksnPzoCKXSuGZutB8gyJGgSZRXzYzQcapNyg4-nkwGzBlsbTpiBJ4GrJX-0n8I_WQHK2AkyvkeiUTCBdpKewkXmZKVEjGmkEb_Q/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOp6yWCj8OOO3ldjdS-36aRGFFQBTDfnDCCxdIqC4YWksnPzoCKXSuGZutB8gyJGgSZRXzYzQcapNyg4-nkwGzBlsbTpiBJ4GrJX-0n8I_WQHK2AkyvkeiUTCBdpKewkXmZKVEjGmkEb_Q/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635988506157233874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTfvcgsC66TydLfpgv56-q6XEUYpk7K_f0kXdhgmqOQE6dQTkmFufMqgKq8r58MdkY56FmZcPg_R7tV_Ui0bhgHkCb1C3XPWcDSK9Ei_H5nhZxFUsKJDF7E57QqqmDKP0qeNTri316cuQ/s1600/IMG_1517.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinTfvcgsC66TydLfpgv56-q6XEUYpk7K_f0kXdhgmqOQE6dQTkmFufMqgKq8r58MdkY56FmZcPg_R7tV_Ui0bhgHkCb1C3XPWcDSK9Ei_H5nhZxFUsKJDF7E57QqqmDKP0qeNTri316cuQ/s400/IMG_1517.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635988814096869426" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-88482751019767671912011-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:002011-08-01T07:40:31.997-07:00Unholy (Savings) Angel.<a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzysCtKfzoI4buDkQ5zYyNnZtaV0qSH-WZ5pQ-F8iGnOa3qCVytQ"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 44px;" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTzysCtKfzoI4buDkQ5zYyNnZtaV0qSH-WZ5pQ-F8iGnOa3qCVytQ" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />So what makes this angel so unholy? A mixture of unrealistic expectations for the normal person's schedule, and the lack of actual product on their own website. <br /><br />What does this mean? Well it means that Savings-Angel does not actually contain the coupons that they advertise. Once you have spent 45 minutes to an hour searching the list(s) of specials they have, you can create your "list" and print it. Have you actually printed any coupons however? No, not a single one. You now must need to go out and subscribe to the publications, newspapers and websites/email lists that contain these coupons simply to get them. If you have the time and patience to do this, then it may work for you. The normal human being in this country is not a stay-at-home mother/father, so the time needed to invest is rather unrealistic for anyone who works a normal schedule, let alone the person who works more than 40 hours a week. In only 15 minutes my girlfriend was able to clip 8-9 "normal" coupons from a weekly ad mailer. Having paid $5 for a two-week membership and invested three to four times the actual time and effort of "normal" coupon clipping, we were empty handed. <br /><br />Savings Angel presents itself as a time-saver as well as a money-saver. The first variable I would say is quite misleading. While it can save you some money, the amount of time and effort it seems one needs to invest is completely unrealistic. If you are a normal family of four, BOTH parents work at least 40 hours a week. In MOST cases, neither of those parents have the time to sit online for an hour or more to search for and print coupons. There are random exceptions, but if I had two kids, I don't think I would have much time to devote to a website that simply adds to the time it takes to search for coupons. <br /><br />In my own opinion, if you require me to pay a membership to your coupon website, you'd better have all those coupons available on your site and let me print those coupons right from your website, other than that you haven't really done me many favors worth my money.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-21281195591989936252011-07-29T06:52:00.000-07:002011-07-29T07:20:57.344-07:00The District Through my Eyes.Here's a small photographic sampling of my wanderings around downtown Washington D.C. during my trip. Remember, you can click on each picture for a larger, more detailed version. Thanks and ENJOY! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wElbueNT0x6iMYH653uVOj6C7RJc0b7Lto6h36xKb1TNB1Nu-COcjY_xmb_J9thg6BE1jAAAAgDunDY_0I9HAruqDzHsGiLnYsrWrsFDQ1jnCtKL_btyGToyaWfAz8Ft_9ibap-TsOcY/s1600/IMG_1465.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wElbueNT0x6iMYH653uVOj6C7RJc0b7Lto6h36xKb1TNB1Nu-COcjY_xmb_J9thg6BE1jAAAAgDunDY_0I9HAruqDzHsGiLnYsrWrsFDQ1jnCtKL_btyGToyaWfAz8Ft_9ibap-TsOcY/s320/IMG_1465.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634778623695630082" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6q6KngI2wYnC_4EXVeHV2RbFMnF1fzzn2fQoxjBdMZGSPwJiprStsRzXZrzjelSd8lbTfCnHhrsZ1yrLvpL5_Y35w01uVJO3ASHMVdYeE_sEV6TL0Zz4MWQEYqSqHPrbwT1C3ol8hXIV/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6q6KngI2wYnC_4EXVeHV2RbFMnF1fzzn2fQoxjBdMZGSPwJiprStsRzXZrzjelSd8lbTfCnHhrsZ1yrLvpL5_Y35w01uVJO3ASHMVdYeE_sEV6TL0Zz4MWQEYqSqHPrbwT1C3ol8hXIV/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634778528932827362" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Gs0dPzU9vk7153BJ3k5KDAMF_NzMDaKYLRDwXv3SQXuZyQS9JiCHkn970aVDhe7_zXB0HKxWw7t_W0e1R9yrq0bqI7tPFs_2v6mGKWgqqIGkcllfxrtC2xGLp3dx0m8eLXhzg4xwQ8_7/s1600/IMG_1468.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; 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cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqB30Ftd_lrlMO0RFCJMNSrDo9AjPNyl6CwetUx8bPXBqi73P9rrENCvouPTAbCj6jSd2W02adkktOjVeAL7TKP7xRd8XqSfprfGOWAUKjBEdF638YKCcejwqeLlSj8J1Y2vki5i_v4n0U/s320/IMG_1312.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634772370891376834" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-4867743750120517522011-07-27T09:31:00.000-07:002011-07-28T04:33:15.329-07:00The Return Leg: AirTran BWI-GRRSo after a quick few days in the Washington D.C. metro region, it was time to return to 'The Mitten'. Good times, great family, amazingly delicious bbq and middle-eastern food and more than a few tasty East-coast craft beers were had. <br /><br />On Sunday, July 17 we began our journey up the 295 Baltimore-Washington Parkway toward BWI about 1:15pm EST for our 3:30pm departure. Immediatly upon entering the parkway we encountered bottlenecked and clogged traffic travelling at only 5-10mph. My concerns began to grow each minute we were stuck in the mess with no forseeable end. Soon enough however (in about 15 mins) the clog mercifully cleared at the exit for the (now closed) Goddard Space Center. No accident, no construction, no lane closures. I guess beltway people like to gawk at off-ramps ;). At any length, we arrived promptly curbside about 2pm sharp. I immediatly got myself checked in at a kiosk and then proceeded to show my technology-deficient mom how to use the kiosks, haha. A small backup in the TSA lines were no problem, and by 2:30 we were walking toward gate D23. <br /><br /><strong>Sunday, July 17, 2011.<br />AirTran Airways<br />Flight #484 BWI-GRR<br />Equipment: Boeing 717-200<br />Seat: 23A - Window<br />Dep. 3:33 PM<br />Arr. 5:06 PM</strong><br /><br />On time departure saw us launching to the West, which sadly meant no banking out over the Chesapeake. One could immediatly see the heat haze in the small-popping clouds as we ascended over the mid-atlantic toward the great lakes region. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjo4m2h7-eL3D5atqVRUU0gW_Y8Nn2YgbzC_hxVm-sQHATkZZALd-8y0N3_uwuRNGGo4zsj-9kv1jnwKtncytbJbCVX_M0z4OBVLN5NA9gRP-i-ElJwHHJZVj27MaB37WPkpN0-z5UxAI/s1600/IMG_1477.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLjo4m2h7-eL3D5atqVRUU0gW_Y8Nn2YgbzC_hxVm-sQHATkZZALd-8y0N3_uwuRNGGo4zsj-9kv1jnwKtncytbJbCVX_M0z4OBVLN5NA9gRP-i-ElJwHHJZVj27MaB37WPkpN0-z5UxAI/s320/IMG_1477.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634075345556294146" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v_5LzJ-s-zHDo1Fzy63nitFeHW3rj19AY22uG5oybb_WbrVQ8aKzQmQ4al1p5lKdsSwb0Nvf_dkdPrkloayqLYE0IAQeuQs7S4ZG_LCAX52S8H2zbfMUKsXdTL6LbAodcE_6Nds4wGe1/s1600/IMG_1478.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2v_5LzJ-s-zHDo1Fzy63nitFeHW3rj19AY22uG5oybb_WbrVQ8aKzQmQ4al1p5lKdsSwb0Nvf_dkdPrkloayqLYE0IAQeuQs7S4ZG_LCAX52S8H2zbfMUKsXdTL6LbAodcE_6Nds4wGe1/s320/IMG_1478.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634075675096915490" /></a><br /><em>Super-quick climb-out. You can simply tell how warm and volatile the air is from the clouds. </em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUN2Szj5IQCW6QQe-pjl7ERK_iGLFpO0I_r3eUYRhodMasHrE7-B007_nfOLyrgCBEc8rtQ379HgifoBVeuURxWn5OaaD3zX1dIV-bcLDcgqSB-0rFqKtRq5hAUmNd-IS9ek6J4xDJGKD/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUN2Szj5IQCW6QQe-pjl7ERK_iGLFpO0I_r3eUYRhodMasHrE7-B007_nfOLyrgCBEc8rtQ379HgifoBVeuURxWn5OaaD3zX1dIV-bcLDcgqSB-0rFqKtRq5hAUmNd-IS9ek6J4xDJGKD/s320/IMG_1479.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634076060025145650" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCuodEEllaqW4grcHMYYyiAOPXphx0ATNO-uH-aOsR45pAjoBOXCs05U8qQGCe7RV14PiGXfgWJ6FtA1y21Np24VhDbqOjai6kEidaw0mj8LKWHhxTqr4xnhJh8DkvDWyRC4ZiLjELJIr/s1600/IMG_1480.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZCuodEEllaqW4grcHMYYyiAOPXphx0ATNO-uH-aOsR45pAjoBOXCs05U8qQGCe7RV14PiGXfgWJ6FtA1y21Np24VhDbqOjai6kEidaw0mj8LKWHhxTqr4xnhJh8DkvDWyRC4ZiLjELJIr/s320/IMG_1480.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634076194417746738" /></a><br /><em>The last shot over Lake Erie really let's the viewer see the heat-haze I speak of. Pictured is the start of the Toledo River. Upon landing in GRR it was well above 90 Degrees F.</em> <br /><br />During the flight I would have said the load was only between 60% and 70%. We were seated in row 23 on the left side, right behind the second exit row. Behind us there were only 5-7 people. Both seats in the exit row in front of us was empty, so yours truly jumped forward and grabbed some extra leg room for a little bit. <br /><br />All too quickly I recognized the Northwestern Ohio coast of Lake Erie below us, and soon after decent began. The quickness of that hop seemed odd to me, as all my travels in the last several years have taken me to California. It was however over all too soon and we landed parallel I-196 on rwy. 26L in GRR. A quick taxi in and my amazing girlfriend was waiting for us at the end of concourse B. I could not think up a better welcoming comittee! <br /><br />As mentioned in the out-going trip report, the only flaw of AirTran was the dang destroyed arm-rest. Boarding was event-free and even though I was in zone 5, I was on in under 6 minutes! Now I use Delta (and formerly Northwest) for most of my flying needs. It seems as if on all of my Delta flights, no matter where, the gate lice and line-jumpers are everywhere. The gate dragon calls for first class only, and 40 people run to the gate, or during the call for those needing assistance four able-bodied business men/women head up. I don't know what the difference is, it might have just been random circumstance, but it was pleasant to see! <br /><br />Apologies for the lack of photos on this leg, I think I was more focused on the chores to catch up on at home upon return, as well as being somewhat sad of the vacation's end. <br /><br />I hope all have enjoyed, even though the experience is short and ordinary. <br /><br />Thank you and happy travels!PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-75963046330709798242011-07-26T10:40:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:04:10.360-07:00AirTran Airways and BWI/Baltimore-Washington International Airport.At the end of June a relative of mine living in the Washington D.C. area contacted my mother and I about coming down in a few weeks for a visit. Since I had not been to the D.C. area since middle school I was immediatly up for the getaway. I would travel down on Wednesday, July 13, my mother would travel the day after on July 14th and we'd both travel back to GRR together on Sunday, July 17. With the dates set, travel logistics needed to be figured out. When travelling into the Washington D.C. area you have a choice of three airports. The first, and largest, is Washington Dulles airport in Northern Virginia which is a ways from the center of the metro, but is a major hub for United Airlines and serves as the regions international gateway. One needs access Dulles by freeway or shuttle, or likely bus as the Metro rail does not reach out to it yet. Second is the most convenient, Washington Reagan National airport. This airport is very similar to NY-LaGuardia, it sits in the center of everything, right on the Potomac and more than a mile South of the Pentagon on the Virginia side. It's land-size is small, but it's extremely busy and congested, again similar to LaGuardia. It's usually a more expensive airport to fly through as it's used a lot by businessmen and politicians due to it's location and ground/public transportation options. <br /><br />From GRR, you have a non-stop flight to Reagan National (DCA) by Delta, but it's often expensive as mentioned earlier. There exists no direct flights between GRR and IAD (Dulles) as of yet, so one must likely take United and connect in Chicago. Until the last year, the third choice wasn't much better. The third choice being BWI, or Baltimore-Washington International. BWI sits South of Baltimore and is only a half-hour's drive from D.C.'s Northern suburbs. In May of 2010 low cost carrier AirTran Airways began several daily round-trips between GRR and it's BWI mini-hub. BWI is not only home to AirTran, but it also serves as a massive East-coast hub for Southwest. Fares here are usually heavily disounted compared to choices one and two. As an example, both my mother and I had ticket prices that were below $200 R/T, likely 1/3 of what it would have cost to fly into DCA, the most convenient airport. With my relatives living in Greenbelt, Maryland (North of D.C. proper) BWI made the most sense. We found out there was a shuttle running every 40 minutes between BWI and the Greenbelt Metro station (the last stop on the Green Line and a mile from my relative's residence!). It was sealed and all was booked with AirTran, an airline I had never flown with previously. <br /><br /><strong>Wed. July 13, 2011<br />AirTran Airways<br />Flight 959 <br />GRR-BWI<br />Seat 26 A - Window<br />Dep. 2:34 PM<br />Arr. 4:04 PM</strong><br />I arrived at GRR around 11:00 in the morning due to it being my only option for a ride to the airport, and I wasn't going to pay for parking so it was worth it in the end. After sitting around for a while I made my way through security and down the B councourse to gate B-5. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdddKyo6cMIniwyGWSdYE9N5YHIGUk_uvCAPvHt7MCaS9fJtnbSIvKtlkT3qjJn55PWG61zb4bJ_fatsfJVb-bwUI5fmnZY7_ShG-5TfU-kbO7C1M9pve3fc4G0ptrXXknLyusCysWZJP4/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdddKyo6cMIniwyGWSdYE9N5YHIGUk_uvCAPvHt7MCaS9fJtnbSIvKtlkT3qjJn55PWG61zb4bJ_fatsfJVb-bwUI5fmnZY7_ShG-5TfU-kbO7C1M9pve3fc4G0ptrXXknLyusCysWZJP4/s320/IMG_1289.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633724657793783538" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqlBRxWaTXatSWN4R-M6aekvIvkmO_AjtMvk9QOOxNVgY58Hs3UIiSQfD8FCZkE7BHSEECsgYMRuLryg-1lKriDVllTDRBgksjbYvEl8uG7N67MhSTm_aTb3oTIXdHe1X-tAhr2ctaJ5E/s1600/IMG_1291.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqlBRxWaTXatSWN4R-M6aekvIvkmO_AjtMvk9QOOxNVgY58Hs3UIiSQfD8FCZkE7BHSEECsgYMRuLryg-1lKriDVllTDRBgksjbYvEl8uG7N67MhSTm_aTb3oTIXdHe1X-tAhr2ctaJ5E/s320/IMG_1291.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633724851862330658" /></a><br />My Boeing 717 awaited me, my first Boeing 717 experience. It turned out to be very similar to a DC-9, just 40-years younger. Before boarding the gate dragons were announcing an upgrade to business class for $49, not bad at all. I gave it some thought, but decided against as it was only a 1hr. 15min. flight. In no time my zone number four was called to board. I am very impressed with AirTran's boarding process, both times we loaded fast, orderly and without gate-lice and line-jumpers. <br />We pushed back and taxied out for an Easterly takeoff from rwy. 8R. We proceeded out over the Michigan countryside, over Lowell, MI, passed over DTW and Downriver Detroit, and Lake Erie. We made land-fall around Cleveland and continued on our Southeastern heading over W. Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Upon our arrival there had been storms in the area that were moving South and it was a rainy approach over the Chesapeake Bay into BWI. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntczsBTlyIB7U1RxiD7SbC97AhHbAESJy_fxdNtzwgW6M2ENhJt-h2h2ix2wffb_rCbhHADHdJsW3r4I9FFCejyIbeaaiSazPS6MSeof8-u3iN1iPmCMVRf2gF7oQlRWJ5q4Sy4jyXHN2/s1600/IMG_1294.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntczsBTlyIB7U1RxiD7SbC97AhHbAESJy_fxdNtzwgW6M2ENhJt-h2h2ix2wffb_rCbhHADHdJsW3r4I9FFCejyIbeaaiSazPS6MSeof8-u3iN1iPmCMVRf2gF7oQlRWJ5q4Sy4jyXHN2/s320/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633727193898603010" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4p6fhQCAFeRVfqOiGMbqrGaK0gSxXVm5zYXaGLaF5UnAaOORoviE_pCpVKBb-1CuXNHeJRP9Wje3GJkmTiRsdXXvR9ikfCY09sQKVSDefVenaH6ymAMfMBw0S8w42jdlaxnYA3r7aBb-/s1600/IMG_1295.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj4p6fhQCAFeRVfqOiGMbqrGaK0gSxXVm5zYXaGLaF5UnAaOORoviE_pCpVKBb-1CuXNHeJRP9Wje3GJkmTiRsdXXvR9ikfCY09sQKVSDefVenaH6ymAMfMBw0S8w42jdlaxnYA3r7aBb-/s320/IMG_1295.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633727386090700898" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoy1BH5Xj5IQ1l2bvL3qI2YXywH_BG9kowRm3FK-b9cOb7RXSCMCW1bFSVefrQ00s1tMH-XRZHKzlCbPRy1APs8wl_RupDGx7aQYmB8_TGxR8k7lCzQX5qialuLJiwnxHXHCJQufIU-8w/s1600/IMG_1296.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJoy1BH5Xj5IQ1l2bvL3qI2YXywH_BG9kowRm3FK-b9cOb7RXSCMCW1bFSVefrQ00s1tMH-XRZHKzlCbPRy1APs8wl_RupDGx7aQYmB8_TGxR8k7lCzQX5qialuLJiwnxHXHCJQufIU-8w/s320/IMG_1296.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633727541978511970" /></a><br /><em>Detroit Metro Airport below!</em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IB9QRX7POK5VD3NfeVvuwLrCFXDSV4Qq2SdTikZtR55K9WL4L6cWwHlyBD4kRZoWBdb0B0bk8hela-1a9qAuyf0Vr_zYCljFLO5OBN0Qp5ojoDUks63HrW6_31u_jdZB9pDnmBFfbv-v/s1600/IMG_1299.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IB9QRX7POK5VD3NfeVvuwLrCFXDSV4Qq2SdTikZtR55K9WL4L6cWwHlyBD4kRZoWBdb0B0bk8hela-1a9qAuyf0Vr_zYCljFLO5OBN0Qp5ojoDUks63HrW6_31u_jdZB9pDnmBFfbv-v/s320/IMG_1299.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633727829734578658" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfNRKTm6sBmM5esV0BJkXY9m318D6orxNou9qdA96U0WvHS_B7IRQUaoWsXxjZsuaZLlCmjT0fk4DJ__LfUEMVcul63Cyav6XrNpLBgcTwLUDtuJHSUqnlvVJKQISCH0ET4b4XMTzy8CP/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfNRKTm6sBmM5esV0BJkXY9m318D6orxNou9qdA96U0WvHS_B7IRQUaoWsXxjZsuaZLlCmjT0fk4DJ__LfUEMVcul63Cyav6XrNpLBgcTwLUDtuJHSUqnlvVJKQISCH0ET4b4XMTzy8CP/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633728012449994098" /></a><br /><em>Obligatory legroom shot. My legs are almost stretched out all the way, when you're 5'3", even coach isn't bad. </em><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6DtpK5FrNUGZmxfFtYUi0Y5SnoLbo98XG12_vQPiQKJB-Ahnxtgik10HwUHNUi3fxJ2NxJxzfcNYQG3QyERhb3c8TMjHWP0yTVaQ7Wxfh7ybowWYBmcNrnI7BIGkU3Y6vaTdbk4Nnq2O/s1600/IMG_1304.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6DtpK5FrNUGZmxfFtYUi0Y5SnoLbo98XG12_vQPiQKJB-Ahnxtgik10HwUHNUi3fxJ2NxJxzfcNYQG3QyERhb3c8TMjHWP0yTVaQ7Wxfh7ybowWYBmcNrnI7BIGkU3Y6vaTdbk4Nnq2O/s320/IMG_1304.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633728403973760034" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK-q9Avp7_YtyFAlfnf3S6k0qtdJGsHP9FPu4iWs7Ijs1a6px2oimEaBR9_MTRnqDaEGzDvRMEMooCVfC-ydRksg3nBIrRRpBSXpYrABB5pTcQoiqXC1PqJusW-e0v-LoJHeTDIIS6OY3/s1600/IMG_1305.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigK-q9Avp7_YtyFAlfnf3S6k0qtdJGsHP9FPu4iWs7Ijs1a6px2oimEaBR9_MTRnqDaEGzDvRMEMooCVfC-ydRksg3nBIrRRpBSXpYrABB5pTcQoiqXC1PqJusW-e0v-LoJHeTDIIS6OY3/s320/IMG_1305.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633728527414987074" /></a><br /><em>Our rainy approach over the bay.</em> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd10tbyspoeQCpTuixkHN2Bm8I2oRQbEofwGJigV57qmInMcZ_NJZVBgpSFz8IRwU5t0yP0NL3O2EY-JYW9shDVGwJuERiVjtWhGgJAcPozycofcHCrCB7sd0XbKmPytw7m2g7fvBPuyXL/s1600/IMG_1306.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd10tbyspoeQCpTuixkHN2Bm8I2oRQbEofwGJigV57qmInMcZ_NJZVBgpSFz8IRwU5t0yP0NL3O2EY-JYW9shDVGwJuERiVjtWhGgJAcPozycofcHCrCB7sd0XbKmPytw7m2g7fvBPuyXL/s320/IMG_1306.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633728843748829746" /></a><br />Upon landing it became very clear to us that the storm had just passed through BWI and was headed South toward Dulles and Reagan. These two United Boeing 777's and the SAS Scandinavian Airbus were all diverted to BWI on their way to Dulles. The flight crew also informed us upon landing that BWI controllers had issued a ground-stop to all departing aircraft. As we taxied in, we passed a holding que with no less than 8 Southwest 737's, a US A320 and two AA 737's waiting for clearance to get outta dodge. <br />We taxied around from the South side of the terminal over to the North side where concourse D sits, and where AirTran resides. As we pulled in we were one of only a handful of jets at the councourse nearly 30 gates large; a couple US E-145's waited with a US A320 to Phoenix, a lone United 757 stood by waiting to head back to Chicago. We were the only AirTran flight present when we arrived. BWI, aside from the gorgous and relatively new Southwest Airlines terminal, is somewhat lacking. It has a very 1980's spartan feel to it, but it's efficiently utilitarian. Concourse D has sufficient food and dining, but is nothing to write home about. If connecting between concourses and terminals, one must leave security and then re-enter as one cannot traverse between the airport concourses without leaving the sterile airside area. I failed to take any pictures either in-bound or out-bound of the terminal and gate areas, my appologies. In Lieu of photos, here is a gate map:<br /><a href="http://www.bwiairport.com/files/images/bwi_maps/GateMap_March2011.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 765px; height: 700px;" src="http://www.bwiairport.com/files/images/bwi_maps/GateMap_March2011.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />AirTran is overall a pretty decent low-cost airline. The price is right and they seem to have things down to a pretty efficient science. Modest cabin crew and clean, new planes. My only real complaint was that on both my flights I encountered a severely broken armrest in my row. When I say severely broken, I mean actually busted/physically broken and coming apart. Even though you are an LCC, this is not the image you want to leave a customer with. Would I fly with them again however? Certainly, if they have a price and schedule that works for me. <br /><br />With the pending merger of AirTran and Southwest, it is un-clear what changes are in store for the airline. There has been a lot of speculation about SWA cutting some service(AirTran) to smaller cities like Grand Rapids. I for one am really hoping that does not happen, but I will remain dubious until official news arrives. With the merger in mind, I will leave you with a picture of AirTran's future. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7jzbt2Z5S_cXuwcVH7RMFYKFVGj6jvK4msAO9FDyKd2QwPlxb52kXvg8pLRBbYiANyV_7DuI_7yYiV_WlarmfQ8-OWRxqxmdaiPCCS7X0O_NM2WYWjAQeMMq2sZt3r6NaDNty8LoBue_/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV7jzbt2Z5S_cXuwcVH7RMFYKFVGj6jvK4msAO9FDyKd2QwPlxb52kXvg8pLRBbYiANyV_7DuI_7yYiV_WlarmfQ8-OWRxqxmdaiPCCS7X0O_NM2WYWjAQeMMq2sZt3r6NaDNty8LoBue_/s320/IMG_1308.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633735758466369522" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-88020997363165490532011-07-20T08:31:00.000-07:002011-07-20T08:39:06.358-07:00Airline De-regulation TodayThis is a GREAT article and in it they even cite my hometown airport of Grand Rapids, MI at the end as a perfect example. This really gives you some insight on the price of oil and cost of running an airline. De-regulation at the end of the 1980's saw some routes to tin towns federally subsidized, now even those EAS (Essential Air Service) routes may be cut due to fuel prices. I for one can't fault the airlines one bit, even though it is sad for these communities. <br /><br /><em>Joe Sharkey<br />-New York Times<br /><br />"24 Towns may lose air service - Delta Air Lines says it's losing $14 million a year serving the small airports.<br /><br />Rural America, already struggling to recover from the recession and the flight of its young people, is about to take another blow: the loss of its airline service. <br /><br />That was underscored last week when Delta Air Lines announced that it “can no longer afford” to continue service at 24 small airports. The carrier says it is losing a total of $14 million a year on flights from places like Thief River Falls, a city of 8,600 in northwest Minnesota that fills only 12 percent of the seats, or Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, where Delta’s two daily flights are on average less than half full. <br /><br />Nationally, all major airlines have been reducing and sometimes eliminating flights altogether in small cities, as the industry concentrates much of its service in 29 major hubs, which now account for 70 percent of all passenger traffic, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. <br /><br />Delta’s announcement was especially acute because the airline operates in most of the small airports that receive a total of almost $200 million in federal subsidies to maintain air service under the Essential Air Service program. The subsidies are scheduled to expire in 2013 unless revived by Congress. Delta acquired many of those small-city markets in the Midwest when it merged with Northwest Airlines. <br /><br />Airlines say that simple economics are driving them out of small-town America. With fuel prices high, carriers have been reducing domestic routes and seating capacity to focus on the flights that bring in the most revenue per plane — typically those in larger cities, especially major hubs. At the same time, airlines are removing less fuel-efficient aircraft from their fleets, including the 50-seat regional jets that have been the backbone of air service in small- and midsize markets. <br /><br />“We just don’t have airplanes that can serve small communities economically anymore,” said Michael Boyd, the president of the air-service consulting firm Boyd Group International. “And unless somebody wants to pay a whole lot of money to carry a few people out of the airport at Thief River Falls, it just ain’t going to happen anymore for a lot of those places.”<br /><br />One of those places, it appears, is Muscle Shoals, a town of about 13,000 along the Tennessee River in northwest Alabama. About $1.7 million a year in federal subsidies maintains two Delta flights a day from Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals, one of the 24 airports Delta wants to stop serving unless it can receive larger subsidies. Those flights are operated under the Delta name on Saab A340 turboprops flown by Mesaba Airlines, a Delta subcontractor. <br /><br />Barry Auchly, of the Shoals Chamber of Commerce, said that the airport has enough market vitality to justify keeping commercial service. However, he said, passengers have fallen off since Delta decided this summer to redirect its two daily departures to Memphis, rather than to Delta’s global hub in Atlanta where the flights went last year. <br /><br />Delta says its flights from the airport are an average of 35.7 percent full, which compares with the national average on Delta’s domestic flights of 81.9 percent in June. <br /><br />“Last year, the first year with the Atlanta service, we exceeded 8,500 passengers and were well on our way to 10,000,” said Mr. Auchly. That growth proved, he said, that the local airport could eventually operate without federal air-service subsidies. He said Delta told him the destinations were switched because Memphis, though far less in demand, had more efficient turboprop service facilities than Atlanta. <br /><br />“We want to be a self-sustaining airport,” Mr. Auchly said. “We think we have the demand; we just need to be able to depend on consistent service.” <br /><br />Delta would like to continue flying from some of the 24 airports it designated last Friday as “underperforming” — but only if the federal subsidies were increased to cover the additional costs of serving them with regional jets. Meanwhile, Delta said it plans to abandon other airports where load factors were deemed too low, and assist those airports in finding replacement carriers. <br /><br />Replacing a 34-seat turboprop plane with a 50-seat regional jet would seem to be counterintuitive in markets where the problem is too few passengers. Kristin Baur, a Delta spokeswoman, acknowledged that 50-seat regional jets, besides having 16 more seats, also are less fuel-efficient. <br /><br />However, she said, regional jets are more popular with passengers, and can increase overall bookings in some markets where people will drive to more distant airports rather than fly a turboprop from the local airport. <br /><br />Officials at some of the 24 small airports slated to lose Delta service said the airline has not flatly told them when it is stopping the flights, though at subsidized airports Delta said it would withdraw when the current contracts expired. <br /><br />In some markets, depending on load factors, Delta would like to either receive new Essential Air Service contracts or get more money for the ones it currently has. Slightly more than a third of the airports Delta identified on its list would be in that group, it said. <br /><br />Pierre, a scrappy city of 14,000 that sits smack in the rural center of South Dakota, got the news that it might lose Delta service just as weary residents were hauling away the last soggy sandbags as they recovered from major flooding of the Missouri River in May. <br /><br />After years of receiving federal air-service subsidies, the airport now has four unsubsidized departures a day — two by the Delta subcontractor Mesaba and two by the regional carrier Great Lakes Airlines. <br /><br />The city was recently so optimistic about its prospects that it began construction on a $12 million passenger terminal at Pierre Regional Airport. <br /><br />“We’re rural America,” said Laurie Gill, the mayor. “It’s hard for me to understand a business decision to eliminate commercial air service based on the growth that we’ve seen here.” <br /><br />Delta flew 4,840 of the total 6,833 passengers who boarded flights at Pierre this year through June, and Delta’s planes left with 47.4 percent of the seats filled on average. If Delta leaves and no other airline comes in, most travelers from the South Dakota capital would have to drive to the closest bigger airport in Rapid City, 140 miles away. Time-constrained corporate and government travelers dislike that idea, Ms. Gill said. <br /><br />Welcome to the tough new world of commercial air travel, said Mr. Boyd, who thinks the Essential Air Service program serves a vital need for those communities that are far from an alternate airport with better service. <br /><br />“It’s not like people are going to get cut off from the world. You may be able to have your local air service, but maybe it’s an hour’s drive away,” he said. <br /><br />For example, Muskegon, in western Michigan, has a few daily flights operated by United Airlines, subsidized with $600,000 a year from the Essential Air Service program. Meanwhile, the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, 40 miles away, had two million passengers last year, and is served by eight airlines.<br /><br />The savings from the short drive can be substantial. On Monday, for example, the lowest round-trip fare on a United flight to Kennedy Airport in New York from Muskegon, connecting through Chicago, was listed at $1,149. Drive to Grand Rapids, though, and you could find a flight to Kennedy for as little as $600 on various airlines. <br /><br />'Muskegon has great air service,” Mr. Boyd said. “It’s called Grand Rapids."</em> "<br /><br />Link:<br />http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43814049/ns/travel-business_travel/PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-16063536063685595872011-07-18T08:17:00.001-07:002011-07-18T08:20:54.465-07:00The District: PreviewHey Folks, Last night I returned from a 5-day trip to the nation's capital. Here's a quick teaser of a photo journey and commentary to come:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpBIDEX6HkqgPdgkgnkYLslT5eU8QevZCoFMA6aRxwKcfkW7x0s8OffTFUoRz5-hz_6XfajeNgZVF7r4yZEWuLEW9NvcQimyqHeXFJVwVF30wjQoc9LzoERVUg_6cMSUnvsuKmbSiHWCb/s1600/IMG_1338.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzpBIDEX6HkqgPdgkgnkYLslT5eU8QevZCoFMA6aRxwKcfkW7x0s8OffTFUoRz5-hz_6XfajeNgZVF7r4yZEWuLEW9NvcQimyqHeXFJVwVF30wjQoc9LzoERVUg_6cMSUnvsuKmbSiHWCb/s320/IMG_1338.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630712587037113458" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-70617081488936323882011-07-07T07:01:00.000-07:002011-07-07T07:37:55.362-07:00Why Do People Hate Airlines So Much?<a href="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/delta.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 774px; height: 245px;" src="http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/delta.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />From the guy on the ramp loading bags onto the plane, reservations agents, ticket and gate agents and flight attendants, it's a thankless job working for an airline. That's the immediate impression I get from this new survey done by The Atlantic. <br />Four US airlines were listed as the most hated companies in our country, Delta, US Airways, United and American. One might think of appalling safety records or some ghastly goings-on in their procedures was what the public saw as being so terrible to "hate" them. Delta Airlines, recently listed by Fortune Magezine to be the most admired US airline, was placed at number two, yes #2, on the list because of extra baggage charges and people having to pay for food and alcoholic beverages. Yup, the exact things that every other airline in this country does. <br /><br />That listing really blows my mind, but at the same time it doesn't surprise me at all. Flying has become one of the less glamorous experiences out there. It's a lot like taking a Greyhound bus, but with more TSA frisking in the process. The customer comes into contact with a lot of unpleasant variables long before he or she even steps foot onto the airplane. There is also a slight twist in my comparison to bus travel. <br /><br />You see while flying has become a lot like bus travel, so has it's ticket price. Right now on Delta I can fly round-trip from the Great Lakes State to Los Angeles for $309 total. Do you know what jet fuel prices are right now? I'll give you a hint, they ain't makin' a profit off my sorry ass flying me near-transcon for $309. So if you think you're gonna get a three-course meal on china and alcohol included in that you're nuts. The airlines simply can't afford to do it, so they need to find other ways to compensate for the fact that the average vacation traveler in the US nowadays wants a $200 fare to Vegas for the weekend. They need to make a profit to, well, survive and pay their employees!! <br /><br />On the topic of poor customer service, well, you get what you pay for. Why do you think the front-cabin is so sought after by frequent flyers, genius. As I said, people need to understand that when they want rock-bottom fares and then show up at the airport in a tanktop, cut-offs and lacking sufficient amounts of deoderant, you're simply creating your own situation. The public's expectations are not in line with what they demand. If you want it to be like 1975, go look up the price of a round-trip trans-con fare on Pan Am or TWA in that era. Betcha it's completely off the charts in comparison, inflation included. <br /><br />What's ironic about all this? The four airlines listed are the four remaining "legacy" carriers in the United States. That being that not a single LCC (low-cost-carrier i.e. Southwest, AirTran, JetBlue) was included. Could it simply be all in the customer's head? The stats are interesting. <br />http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/07/the-19-most-hated-companies-in-america/241344/#slide18<br /><br /><br />Your reaction?PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-88971648739837946862011-07-06T10:58:00.000-07:002011-07-06T11:44:41.219-07:00The VerdictYesterday afternoon is seemed that every person between the ages of 18 and 75 and stay-at-home mom's everywhere were glued to their television sets. Emotions ran high, female television hosts were crying live on the air, and everyone had an opinion. If one didn't know better this could have been a landmark civil or human rights act. One might have thought we had found the definitive cure for cancer. Maybe OJ had gotten re-aquainted with his old white Bronco. It all turned out to be none of the above actually. Instead of worrying about our children's education in such a manner, real and meaningful employment, the national debt or other real issue we bind ourselves together in a court case involving people no one had ever heard of even a month ago. Some young mother had been accused of killing her small child and covering it up. Despite what mass public opinion was the jury found this young lady, Casey Anthony, not-guilty of murder in a Florida courtroom. In that same amount of time more than 1,000 children in Africa died due to hunger and disease caused by war and poverty. <br /><br />If you can't tell from my opening statement, I hadn't followed more than 5 seconds of this trial until the moment yesterday afternoon (apparently when the verdict was read) that my Facebook news-feed absolutely exploded with hatred, outrage and disgust. "What the hell just happened?" Happened to be my immediate response. The only way I realized what on earth anyone was going on about was by going to my local TV news homepage and recognizing a picture of the acquitted. <br /><br />"Have you been living under a rock?!?" One may very well ask me. That all depends on your perspective. I don't like drama, daytime TV nor courtroom television. I don't like watching JerseyShore/Kardashian-style "reality" TV. I'm more of an ESPN/Travel Channel/History Channel/Discovery Channel kind of guy. If it's what you like, it's what you like. Not that only people who love JerseyShore like watching stuff like that trial. <br /><br />So with all that said, I will give you my one take on the topic. Was justice served? Maybe and maybe not. As you know by now I didn't watch a moment of the coverage nor read more than a single sentence about it, before or after the verdict. The best explanation I can give for why she was acquitted was, of all things, geographical. Follow me on this. Florida is a death-penalty state, and they certainly take pride in executing (ahem -pun- ahem) their policies. As we know, innocent people have been sentenced to death and their execution carried out. In a case such as this that jury likely had that in mind. A Florida jury will be much more methodical and apprehensive to convict someone of first degree murder than would a Michigan jury, based solely on the weight of the implications of their verdict. In Michigan, I am confident she would have been found guilty because we are not a capital punishment state. If that jury had even an ounce of doubt, or if something in the prosecution's case wasn't 110% air-tight, that jury will hesitate and double-clutch the "death" decision (if they are being responsible with the power vested in them by the court-system). A little girl is dead, whether by cold-blooded murder or neglegance you and I will probably never know. If Casey Anthony is indeed guilty she will be judged in the end by her creator, that we can be sure of. That is my only explanation for why the verdict was decided in such a way. <br /><br />Many folks are sickened by the outcome yesterday and emotions obviously were high, even on the internet. Like much of our attention to this instance, this case will soon fade into the annals of the history of our popular culture. We so smother and exhaust ourselves with these real-life soap-operas that we blind ourselves to the greater issues in our world which sadly have always been and continue to exist. If we however took the same emotion and outrage made visible for something like this and transferred it to say, global human rights, energy and efficiency, truth in government and economical security we could really accomplish some things beyond the water-cooler. <br /><br />Good luck.PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-25376257501805181712011-06-22T09:11:00.000-07:002011-06-22T09:19:24.477-07:00StormsYesterday evening the Grand Rapids area was hammered with severe storms just after rush hour. 2-4 Inches of rain were widespread in just an hours time, along with some heavy winds and minor damages. Today see's some new storm and rain development, although the risk for severe development is on the East side of the mitten today. <br /><em>Photos below taken at noon in Grand Rapids.</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeEr4pQfJOZxKh48_9RSmx5f7-gBMn-00bsbVX-L-HIQD_kxTTOWLZh_85TU04AwFiVuvTL1DBBTR_j3gdUgddN0tR7zWfcMCSpCP2y9Xj88xN6CGN4GMvjRdkZ_alwntWU2HXdtJBmzo/s1600/IMG_1268.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeEr4pQfJOZxKh48_9RSmx5f7-gBMn-00bsbVX-L-HIQD_kxTTOWLZh_85TU04AwFiVuvTL1DBBTR_j3gdUgddN0tR7zWfcMCSpCP2y9Xj88xN6CGN4GMvjRdkZ_alwntWU2HXdtJBmzo/s400/IMG_1268.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621078348796771506" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVxdgVROwS9tBV2cJhOyXD2FIba6i6VBomuG3QoEN7g1Q5abk3amWnISyo3lWvEyUNuEKnp67R2BT3gJ9mllm96mKxsgQXuK0IiZuT1IWZaJH73-yvM66Qdg3QhNvrcyxys-nWz0CzCf4/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVVxdgVROwS9tBV2cJhOyXD2FIba6i6VBomuG3QoEN7g1Q5abk3amWnISyo3lWvEyUNuEKnp67R2BT3gJ9mllm96mKxsgQXuK0IiZuT1IWZaJH73-yvM66Qdg3QhNvrcyxys-nWz0CzCf4/s400/IMG_1269.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621078478101267186" /></a>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7286359779469773358.post-2517865198933397612011-06-21T12:03:00.000-07:002011-06-21T12:13:50.809-07:00Photo Of The Day: SummerThis being the first official day of the summer and longest day of the year, I wanted to post something that would put us all in the summer mood. Warm air, a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, and cystal blue tropical waters. <br /><a href="http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2009/sleeping/IMG_8257.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 800px; height: 500px;" src="http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jensenl/visuals/album/2009/sleeping/IMG_8257.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><em>Note this is not my photo**</em>PeterJameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834586935014422226noreply@blogger.com0