Any ounce of sunshine is a good enough excuse for ice cream. In order to satisfy my craving I was hoping to find out where to get the best milkshakes in Detroit . . .

Crain’s Detroit Business has just published their “Top 20 in their 20s”. It is really nice to recognize faces and names of those making a difference in the area. I am very proud of Annie Martin who works here at Wayne State University Press, but I’m more excited that it was me who helped drown her in books for the photo shoot. Crain’s “Top 40 under 40″ is now accepting applications.

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Easter Chocolate, originally uploaded by mainegal.

Can you believe the weather? Saturday was about as perfect as they get.

A busy but good weekend for me. I hope yours was just as nice.

And look what the Easter Bunny (aka GD’s mom) gave me. Isn’t he amazing? For the first time in my life, I don’t want to eat my easter chocolate. But then again, the bottom broke off so I can just eat the little chocolates that were inside.

(Hand-painted chocolate came from Le Petit Prince in Birmingham. Disclosure: I am dating one of the sons of the Le Petit Prince owners.)

A press release was just sent out this weekend for the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (Movement 06). Within it is a partial lineup and the announcement of their title sponsors. The Hart Plaza festival is fast approaching with just about a month to go.

April 14, 2006 Contact: Shannon McCarthy shannon@demf.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Chrysler Jeep Superstores and Motor City Dodge Dealers Back Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival; Paxahau Promotions debuts artist lineup and confirms Hart Plaza as Festival’s home.

DETROIT- Just three weeks following their selection by the City of Detroit to produce Detroit’s Electronic Music Festival in 2006, Paxahau Promotions Group today announced Chrysler Jeep Superstores and Motor City Dodge Dealers as the event’s title sponsors, revealed a lineup of artists and confirmed that Hart Plaza will remain home to the international event slated for May 27-29.

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Sorry that I have been so scarce lately. This last month has been stupid busy. I ended up going to Phoenix AZ to visit my friend Daniel, and was just in time for the first round of illegal immigrant marches. It is very different down there with relation to the whole immigration debate. I don’t want to paint in too broad of strokes, but overall it seemed to me, the outsider, that there was less tolerance for the illegals. It will be interesting for all of us to see how this shakes out.

In other news I recently went to a poetry slam at Beans and Bytes after class on Tuesday with my hipster friend Rachel and the equally hip Kara. I actually enjoyed it a lot. There were the conspiracy theorists that were rapping slash flowing on how the Man invented AIDS (kinda like that CHris Rock sketch, but not funny); but most of the poetry was very forward thinking and positive. There was a call to stop black on black violence and an emphasis on home ownership. I will post a little later on the home ownership movement. It was cool.

Then today I saw a Sikh parade as they marched through the center of campus. Now that I am going on my third year at WSU, this annual parade let’s me know that summer in drawing nigh. The food is great too!

Anyway, I am looking forward to posting more and glad to get back in the saddle!

I absolutely love the People Mover and now I love it even more. Posted in all the stations for the month of April, the People Mover will run until 2:00 in the morning on Friday and Saturday nights. This means I can bypass the $8 or $10+tip parking to get to the clubs and also have an excuse to get out of the club before the madness of last call. I had never ridden the People Mover at night and was pleased to see that there were rotating police officers riding and getting on and off at stops. Apparently they are posted on the line after a certain hour.

This past semester I have been taking the best English class ever at Wayne State University. I thought I should report on it before I take my final and change my mind. The class is called Concepts of the Modern and explores modernity, modernism, and modernization through literature officially, but also through art, history, and philosophy. My professor has been really great in taking advantage of our location in Detroit and referring back to the city in most of our classes. As Detroit is the “quintessential modern city” we were able to take a walking tour of Lafayette Park to explore modernism, and then over to the Renaissance Center to decipher post-modernism.

i know it’s still early in the season… it’s too quick to come to any conclusions about this team… but i would still contend that they are a better team than they were the last couple years… after starting the season with 5 straight wins, they’ve lost 4 straight… but even if they lose tonight, if the first 10 games are any indicator on how the season will go, i can live with it (for now)…
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I just spent the last three working days taking a grant-writing course at Marygrove College. The enclosed campus is truly a treasure amidst its surroundings. The stone buildings are utterly stunning and romantic.

DETROIT – The senseless violence needs to stop! It needs to stop here and now. Guns are not the solution to any problem. Guns don’t protect your honor. Guns don’t make you a bigger person. Guns make you a coward. Too many people are dying over stupid crap.

I keep asking but no one answers. What are we teaching our children when we use guns to solve our problems? Where is the outrage over how badly we are failing our children right now with all this senseless violence? What are we teaching them besides lack of respect for others and themselves?

Put the guns away, Detroit. There are other ways.