One More Time, With Feeling

I came back from our June trip to Detroit pretty despondent. I practically refused to talk about the house with Chai. She was ready to plan out next steps and I couldn't see past the dollar signs blocking our path. Most of the time, I was so stressed about it that I felt like throwing up. Every time Chai would bring up the topic, I'd get defensive and pissy--mostly because it was hard for me to have any sort of back-and-forth when I didn't know myself where I stood anymore.

I mean, I still loved the city and I still loved the house. I couldn't see giving up on the prospect of a life there--especially considering that our West Village neighbors already felt even more like real neighbors than any place I had ever lived before. But the cost of the renovation was freaking me out. I couldn't see where the money was going to come from and what kind of long term impact that debt would have on our lives.

What would it mean for us if we didn't go? I mean, aside from the fact that we would let all of our new and old Michigan friends down. Aside from that we would have blown at least $35K in cash so far and would still be saddled with what would then be an albatross of a house. We'd still be stuck with the problem that we don't want the life we have in Colorado anymore and something has got to give.

Cleanliness: The National Past-time

What better place to begin to relive the year 1914 than in 1913. Every December, year-in-review lists are in vogue, and 1913 journals are no exception.

The most popular method of offing oneself was
carbolic acid (a disinfectant, readily available at
pharmacies, that causes severe chemical burns
and Oscar-worthy death scenes--think "drain
cleaner" from "Heathers").

Of the more tantalizing stats, the Detroit Free Press reports some record-breaking highs in "necrology" (obituaries) in the Detroit area for 1913. In particular, there were 569 lives lost violently; 106 suicides (both numbers a bit higher than the national average); a doubling of drownings, homocides, and automobile deaths (which, for the first time, exceed injuries by any other vehicle, horse-drawn or otherwise); and a rise in train and miscellaneous fatal accidents (including drinking poison mistaken as medicine).

Just to put the stats into perspective: Detroit in 1913 is already a prospering manufacturing center and is about to get more so thanks to the coming boom in the automobile industry. The city has been growing by 3,000 people a month for a few years, and has reached 80% of its 2010 population, but packed into 1/3 of the space.