Jim DeLine's Website / Blog

Yep. It is another new year. 2012

It is starting off with an MSU Spartan bowl game win. That could be a good sign.

Let’s remember the past and use it as a spring board. Grow. Prosper. Build.

I have a right to be a vacation snob.  I have clever stories to tell you about New York City hotels and Broadway shows, about my 3 trips to Europe, about cruises and about fun places like Toronto and Puerta Vallarta.  But hey, I just got back from a less-than-24 hour vacation / road trip that was just so very cool and it was to … wait for it … Mesick, Michigan.

Yep, this is a pic of my sons, Corey and Anthony, during our only pee break on the two-and-a-half hour car trip.  It had to be a quick trip as I worked Friday and Corey had to be back early Saturday.  Why Mesick?  A middle school kid from the youth group at church in the early nineties is now a grown-up teacher in Mesick and I thought it would be cool to see him and the high school play which he was directing.

It was so cool.  David Johnson (now “Mr. Johnson”) had the gumption to try to put on “Into the Woods” with small town high school kids.  Boy did he pull it off!  The play was perfect.  Kids gave it their all, that’s for sure.  Okay.  When I say “perfect” I mean it was the perfect high school play … and it was even a musical.  Some kids could barely sing, some were amazing.  The boys that found they pleased the crowd with a little slapstick, enjoyed milking it for all they could.  They had the scenery, the lighting, the costumes and the sound system.  The whole town pitched in to make this a success.  Yes, kids forgot their lines but they recovered well.  The prop tree fell over and they just worked it until it was back up.  They were having a wonderful time.  You could tell Mr. Johnson was a great teacher.  It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.  Thanks, David.  I mean Dave.  I mean Mr. Johnson.

And now on to our swank hotel, or rather the Comfort Inn in Cadillac.  Actually, you could not ask for more.  A comfortable room and, as Anthony slept in and Corey was on the computer in the “business center,” I used the fitness room for a workout, and then hit the whirlpool and swimming pool.  It coulda been $225 a night for all the amenities.  While sipping my Comfort Inn complementary coffee, I read in the “Wall Street Journal” about the CEO of Starbucks getting a $3.5 million dollar bonus.  I’m thinking the person who makes the Comfort Inn in Cadillac, Michigan so nice is probably getting a tad less.  Too bad.

After our complimentary Comfort Inn breakfast, we hit the road back to Lansing, the big city.  Next time you need a quick luxurious theatre getaway, head to Mesick.  Seriously.

I remember, as a kid, visiting Aunt Dorothy and Uncle JL (known as Uncle “Jelly”) on the farm.  They did not have indoor plumbing, so if you had to go to the bathroom, it meant a trip to the outhouse.  The milk was thick and had probably just left the cow yesterday.  Butter was not so thick and sat on a plate on the dining room table 24 / 7.  Today, of course, I drink 2% milk and my “spread” is from soybean oil.

It’s not that I would ever want to go back to the days without a gazillion choices at Kroger, but how cool that I lived at a time when I got to experience life with Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Jelly.

FYI - The gold rods at the top of the page are from a photo I took of artwork at the Hishhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.    An amazing art collection that you should make time to see on your Washington D.C. itinerary.

Boy, the turmoil. Us government workers at every level are facing the absence of funds in our employer’s bank accounts. My church is also running on empty and the bookkeeper / Treasurer bailed leaving a lot in my lap. And my aging parents are facing one health crisis after another. But, hey. Having made it to my late fifties, I know life goes on. If I allow my stress to take over and forget the beauty and love that is right before my eyes, I am the big loser. Pause. Be thankful for the bounty that is life.

OMG, it is fall already.  I joined Twitter and heard a great talk the other day from Eric Qualman on social media.  Convinced me to get off my butt and work harder on this website / blog.  Watch for new things soon.  Really.

I am on a two week “vacation” at home. Actually, it was a week long vacation that turned into two weeks due to the Mayor’s proclamation that City Hall is closed between Christmas and New Year’s and the employees are on unpaid furlough days. Funny that he waited until after the election to announce this.

Anyway, it is nice to wake up, have my coffee, read the paper, surf the web a bit, workout at the Y, read and / or watch a movie and putter around the house. I could get used to this. If only all those bills didn’t need to be paid.