"Luck ‘O The Irish", My Arse…

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Corktown went well. Sonya and Leigh headed down about 2 hours early to join a friend of Leigh’s in the parade walking a pack of Irish Setters. This left me to gather up the kids myself and head to our usual spot along the parade route across the street from Nemo’s. Not unexpectedly, they dragged out my timeline and bit. After doing a mountain of dishes, a bit of tidying around the house, and gathering some chocolate milk for the kids, I argue with Liam a bit to get moving and we hit the road about 1:30. We grabbed some Taco Bell on the way to be sure the kids get some protein before inhaling the piles of candy they were sure to gather along the parade route and a 6 pack of Guinness for me and whomever else we should meet up with.

We got there about 10 minutes into the parade. About 40 minutes after my anticipated arrival time, but still typical for us, and not missing much. Liam desperately wanted to wear his roller blades to the parade. I wasn’t keen on the idea at first, knowing Michigan Avenue is brick paved and bumpy, and fearing skinned knees or a bumped head marring the experience. I eventually acquiesced, and I’m glad I did. He’s apparently got this roller blading thing down pat. It sped up our movement from the car to the parade, and he spent the whole time zooming up and down within about ½ block on either side of our spot, laughing, cheering, meeting other kids, and snatching up candy and beads without a single scratch or bruise. We met up first with my sister Val’s old flame Stephan and his girlfriend, and later with Val, and eventually my best friend Lou and his fiancé.

Though I forgot to borrow the camera from work, Val got a few great shots. You can see them on her Flickr page here: Val's Flickr Page

As the parade was wrapping up, I spotted a guy in a leather jacket with “Teen Angels” emblazoned on the back. They being my favorite local A Cappella/Doo-Wop group, I stroll over and ask if he’s in the group. After chatting him up a bit, discussing barbershop and A cappella music, I find out he’s the brother of a good friend of mine in another quartet! We have a few laughs as the parade comes to a close, and the small mob of us that had coalesced head to Sonya’s parents’ place to gather and decompress.

The rest of the evening was spent between watching the Balduck Mountain Ramblers at Nemo’s, chatting at the house, drinking, and munching on take-out Botana from Xochimilco’s. I passed out in a chair, letting Sonya take the kids home and figuring on a short nap before heading home. I woke up about midnight (MUCH later than I had planed), and drove home, with a quick stop by AJ’s Café in Ferndale to participate in their world record attempt to sing “Danny Boy” non-stop for 50 hours.

St. Patty’s Day proper was spent at work, then home to watch the kids while Sonya took some much needed time out to hang with her family at Nemo’s to watch the Ramblers some more and have a beer. That’s about where the fun and supposed “Luck O’ The Irish” ran out…

Just where the hell did that phrase come from anyway? Snakes, famine, and religious oppression at home, hatred, bigotry, indentured servitude, and deplorable living conditions here. Where in the hell did ANYONE get the idea that the Irish were lucky?

Well, even only being about ¼ Irish, it seems that sour brand of “Irish Luck” is coursing through my blood again. The car I bought for such a deal about a month ago is fast becoming a giant mutant albatross around my neck. First the heater core doesn’t work – a $400 repair I haven’t done yet. Then I notice the stereo has a few glitches, which, having no garage, I can’t get to until this interminable cold weather breaks. I still have to find a bed liner for the hatchback area. The front driver’s tire has a very slow leak. Then, most recently, it had been running a bit rough and the “check coolant” light came on. No biggie – probably just needed a top off on the radiator fluid, right? That took care of it for about a week, then the light came on again. This time my car’s thirst was quenched for all of a day before the hood started to steam. The temperature gauge was still within the realm of “normal”, but I figured I’d take it in for it’s first oil change under my care and get $15 worth of free advice from the grease monkeys there.

I drive in with a pleasant smile, hoping they’ll say it’s a slipped hose or something. Well, faith ‘n begorah, if it wasn’t the water pump. On top of that, my serpentine belt is in tatters and on the verge of disintegration. Great. I head to the local discount auto parts store for a $45 water pump, $20 serpentine belt, and a $15 timing belt (which you may as well replace if you’re doing the water pump), and I take it to my trusted mechanic, Tony, at BYOP (Bring Your Own Parts) Auto Repair.

I left it with him first thing yesterday, knowing he probably wouldn’t be able to get to it that day. He usually encourages appointments so he can plan his schedule better. I hop a bus to work from there and wait…and wait…and wait. About 3:30 he calls me with a grim tone in his voice. He knows I ain’t Rockefeller and try to do the minimum needed to get from point A to B. Apparently my thermostat wasn’t reading correctly and sometime (probably Saturday) I had blown a head gasket.

This can often be a death sentence for a car, depending on how the engine’s built. While my Mercury Tracer (basically a Ford Escort) has a good rep and being a Ford product, parts are relatively cheap, it wasn’t exactly designed for durability. It’s the kind of domestic Econo-Box you buy in a six-pack and hope to take good care of to get to about 150k miles. Mine's at about 102k. He runs down the litany of procedures for the work and as my heart beats faster in my chest, having assumed I just dumped $1500 down the drain buying this overrated go-kart, he gives me the total…$500 (give or take $100).

That’s it? I was figuring on about $300 for the water pump anyway. Was I happy? Hell no, but at least that repair brings my total cost of the car to around the Blue Book value (so far – I still have to get to the heater core before next winter). While it’s not a repair I was financially prepared for and will suck my account down to the dregs, it’s not a panic-inducing situation (knock wood).

So I’ll be without a car…AGAIN…for about a week or so while I get the necessary work done. God willing, this will be the last mandatory repair I’ll have to do for a while.

Spring barbershop convention is looking less and less likely…

Wearing of the Green (and other such nonsense)...

Could the evil spell of the cantankerous Winter Warlock finally be losing is hold on us? Could it be that he may finally be bidding a long overdue retreat into his desolate, frozen crypt for the year?

This winter has been particularly long. Between the schizophrenic weather with record-breaking snowfall and several fake, all too brief thaws, stir-crazy kids in desperate need of outdoor activity, a desolate economic watseland stretching our resolve to the breaking point, and the world in general being in seemingly unending turmoil, we FINALLY come to the seasonal turning point for me and my family...

...Saint Patrick's Day!!!!

Easter is often looked upon as the symbolic beginning of Spring for most. Bright flowers (greenhouse grown, riddled with pesticides, then cut or potted), festively colored eggs (chemically dyed), and the Christian time of renewal (oddly enough, replete with Pagan iconography). While I like and appreciate Easter for all of its well-intentioned symbolism and faith-based sentiment, it's not Easter that symbolizes the beginning of Spring for me - it's St. Patty's Day.

Each year for the past decade or so, on the Sunday before St. Patty's Day, my family has headed down to Corktown in Detroit by the old Tiger Stadium for the annual Detroit St. Patrick's Day Parade. For some reason, for all of the parades that I can remember, the weather has always been spectacular. After 4 months of the cold, gray Michigan winter, the parade weather has always been bright, sunny, (relatively) warm and just down-right Spring-like, seeming to turn on a dime and go from blizzard the week before to near Utopian the day of. This year seems to be no exception.

Last week we got pummeled with snow, sleet, ice and a bit of rain, throwing temporal constants to the wind and making winter seem perpetual. Over the past couple days, as if Mother Nature wanted to be sure to get the last remnants of the ice patches (formerly thigh-high piles of snow) out of the way by the start of the parade, the sun has shone and the temperatures have crept up into the tolerable range. The outlook for Sunday: sunny and mid to upper 40's. Not exactly tropical, but a damned sight better that what we've dealt with for the last 1/3 of a year.

The Annual Corktown Saint Patrick's Day Parade, held along Michigan Avenue between the Lodge Freeway and the old Michigan Central Depot train station is a spectacular, festive celebration of everything Irish, Detroit, Spring, and just plain fun. The feel is almost like Mardi Gras, with costumes, music, beads, baubles, and treats being thrown from every passing unit, and of course, a drink in almost everyone's hand. Despite the traditional presence of a myriad of alcoholic beverages, the scene is remarkable family-friendly. Being held always on a Sunday afternoon, most folks tend toward moderation (if not at least keeping friendly respect for the 'sobers', families, and designated drivers). The crowd is boisterous and lively without being rowdy, and it's a safe, fun time for all.

For those of you who have never been, a few tips for your first time:

• Come early.
  The parade starts at 2pm sharp (after church with time enough to get the corned beef boiling), but don't wait till the last minute. The parade route isn't hard to find a spot, but parking usually is. You're likely to find a spot within 3-4 blocks of the parade route, regardless, but you may spend time winding around every block in search of it while you are constantly maneuvered by police around the parade and marathon routes. Besides, there's lots of great people-watching to do, the bars open at noon, and Corktown has some absolutely GORGEOUS architecture to admire as you wanter the local streets. Get to one of the bars early enough and you may score some beads, buttons, or other swag.
  
  
• Bring a flask of your favorite Irish drink/cocktail.
  Not the whole damned bottle or a full case of beer. Just enough to sip on, keep yourself a bit warmer, and maintain a mellow attitude and shit-eatin' grin. Popular favorites include Irish whiskey, Irish cream, Guinness, Harps, Smithwick's, Killian's Irish Red (if you must - it's not Irish, but made by Miller in Milwaukee), or best yet, prepped Irish Coffee in a thermos. We usually bring hot chocolate for the kids. Be sure to put the hot chocolate in a notably different container than the Irish Cream and don't mix them up!
  
  
• Bring a camera.
  There is SO much variety in the parade units, you'll be sure to want some snapshots. The weather is always so bright and sunny (a wonderful happenstance, knock wood) and the groups and floats so colorful, that any picture you take is bound to turn out publish-worthy, if not near iconic.
  
  
• Wear green!!!
  Obviously. You may be subjected to a light pinch by drunken college girls if you don't.
  Hmm... Come to think of it, some of you may want to leave the green at home, after all.
  
  
• Leave room in your pockets for some stuff.
  You'll be coming home with beads, candy, maybe even a Danish or two (wrapped, of course) thrown from the groups in the parade.
  
  
• Warm up your pipes.
  And brush up on your Irish drinking songs. Inevitably the crowd will break into singing one of the songs piped out by a passing band, community group, or float. Don't worry about how you sound. Most of them won't remember tomorrow morning anyway. ;)
  
  
• Go to one of the local bars (Nemo's is best) after the parade.
  And on St. Patty's Day proper. The huge tent Nemo's has up in their parking lot will be full of colorful characters, friendly faces, and the best Irish Folk band in the area, the Balduck Mountain Ramblers. The Ramblers are there from noon until the last Leprechaun has spent the last of his gold on both parade day and St. Patty's. Learn the words to "The Unicorn Song", "Black Velvet Band" and "Danny Boy"- you'll hear them a lot (much to the band's chagrin).
  
  
• Find Me!!!
  I'll be camped out around Nemo's, most likely, and right by the street. While my cell phone may be out of commission, I shan't be hard to spot. Just look for my kids scrambling for candy and beads, my white Irish sweater, and ever-present Red Chucks.

This is the best parade in Detroit - hands down. The Thanksgiving Day Parade may have giant balloons and bigger floats, but is too cold, too crowded, and too early in the day. The Labor Day parade is warmer, but too politically charged, often too hot, and rather boring. This parade has everything, plus a great afterglow.

If you're thinking of going, drop me a line and we can gather in the same spot, hang out, and catch up! If you're a barbershopper, be prepared to sing a few tunes! We may even be able to get up on stage at Nemo's and give the poor guys in Balduck Mountain Ramblers a break! Given they'll be singing for about 18 hours over 2 days, they're usually more than happy to let someone else hop on stage while they grab a beer!

Corktown St. Patrick's Day Parade
Sunday, March 16th, 2008
2pm
Along Michigan Ave., between the Lodge Freeway
and Michigan Central Station
(by Old Tiger Stadium)

For some great pictures of last year's parade, go see my sister Valerie's Flickr set here: Corktown St. Patrick's Day Parade 2007

Luck of the (mostly) Irish...

The annual Corktown St. Patrick's Day Parade. A tradition in our family. Weather permitting, we go almost every year. Staged on Michigan Avenue, there are floats, bands, clowns, horses, dogs, politicians, and candy flung at the kiddies in the crowd, like in every parade, but the nature of the holiday just seems to lend itself just as well to the adults. Running between the Lodge Freeway and the old train station, in the shadows of the looming, decaying hulk that used to be the glorious Tiger Stadium, the Corktown St. Patrick's Day Parade is every bit as much a joy for the kids as adults.

It's kind of a mix of Mardi Gras and the Fourth of July parades. There's all the aforementioned sights, spectacles, and treats for the kiddies, but also bustling Irish pubs and LOTS of alcohol for the grown ups. Starting at 2pm (enough time to get home from church and start the corned beef and cabbage boiling on the stove), the street is lined 10 deep in most parts (especially in front of Nemo's Pub and the Gaelic League) with locals of the oldest and traditionally Irish neighborhood of Detroit, ex patriots of the city looking to relive the glory days of Detroit, and a bunch of suburbanite college kids looking for an excuse to get drunk (like they need one).

The participants include Irish politicians, Celtic Dance groups, Irish civic organizations, half a dozen pipe and drum corps, and several marching bands sporting as much green as their uniforms can afford, as expected for such a holiday. Beyond that, however, there are TONS of other groups that make this well worth braving the increasingly drunken crowd. There are karate dojos, DFD Clown Brigade, limo-busses sponsored by local pubs (occasionally throwing Jell-o shots), youth groups passing out flyers and throwing strings of green beads, and my favorite – a Star Wars club that marched in FULL costume. Not the cheap $25 costumes, mind you, but the professional quality stuff that usually costs hundreds, of not thousands of dollars. Those are the kind of geeks I can relate too (or could had I the finances for such frivolous purchases).

The weather was unbelievably accommodating this year. Just enough chill to justify a light jacket (or in my case, Irish wool sweater), but BRIGHT sunshine and blue skies. Sonya, the kids, Leigh and I piled into my car after Leigh spiked Liam's hair and painted green tiger stripes his face (the theme this year was the Celtic Tiger) and got there just in time to catch the beginning. Open alcohol is not only common, but almost expected at this parade, so I brought the flask Sonya got me for Christmas full of whisky, which I was more than happy to share with the rest of the crowd that gathered with us across the street from Nemo's (THE place to be for the parade and the holiday itself). By mid-parade, there was myself, the kids, Sonya, her parents, her brother Jeremy, his neighbor Frank, Leigh, my sister Val, her friends Stephan and Nikki and a few others. We had an absolute blast watching the kids scramble for candy as it shattered to powder in its wrappers on the ground, catching beads, and drinking beer, whisky, and the homemade Irish cream Sonya made.

From there we went to Sonya's parents' house a couple blocks away and all spent the next several hours there, drinking, chatting (loudly), laughing, and eating corned beef, cabbage, potato soup, and Irish soda bread.

Aside from neglecting to do our taxes once again, it was one of the best days I have had in a long time. Next year, the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day, you MUST plan to come down and join us. Ask anyone who's ever been, and they'll agree – it's the most fun you can possibly have on a Sunday afternoon in March!

Sunday, March 16^th, 2008!!! Mark it down now!!!

PS. If you want to see some great pics of the parade and how much fun we had, check out Val's Corktown Parade Pics on Flickr