Indianapolis, IN

The NBA draft is typically one of the marquee events for the National Basketball Association. It is the dawning of a new era, something where teams start dreaming towards the future and these brand new saviors that will be able to help them eventually hoist the championship trophy.

Last night, the draft not only provided this inspiration for GMs everywhere, but it also had a distinct Indy flavor to it. Greg Oden, Mike Conley Jr., and Josh McRoberts, all from the Indianapolis area, were selected during the two-round process. Oden was the number 1 pick for the Portland Trail Blazers, Conley went 4th to the Memphis Grizzlies, and McRoberts went 37th to Portland as well.

This is something to be very proud of, because not only is it tough to make it in the NBA to begin with, it’s hard to be drafted. (The NBA has the smallest draft of any professional sports) Oden and Conley played for Lawrence North, and McRoberts, a Carmel grad, represented 3 of the 60 players taken from all across the world. It’s something to be prideful of and to build off of with such great exposure!!!

Congrats to all of the families, and kudos to the players. Your hard work has paid off. Don’t forget about your roots!!!

nba, basketball, hoops, nba draft, greg oden, mike conley, josh mcroberts

Fri 29 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut is among many native Hoosier writers that include James Whitcomb Riley (from Greenfield), Theodore Dreiser (from Terre Haute), and Booth Tarkington (from Indianapolis). Vonnegut grew up in a German-American family in Indianapolis and went to Short Ridge High School (near 34th and Meridian). He was very proud to be a Hoosier and felt pride for Indianapolis and Short Ridge. He later went to Cornell University and fought in the Army during the Battle of the Bulge. He was taken prisoner and only one of seven Americans who survived the bombings of Dresden, which is the main influence behind his most famous book, Slaughterhouse Five. WFYI aired a special last night on Kurt Vonnegut, including the speech he was supposed to give at Clowes Hall (Butler University). It was actually read by his son, Mark Vonnegut. The Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library has many activities for teens and adults as part of the “Year of Kurt Vonnegut.” Some of the activities include a teen print workshop, book discussion of Slaughterhouse Five, creating traditional German holiday ornaments, a film on German American-life on the Southside of Indianapolis, the folk art of papercutting, German-American genealogy. There might be more activities throughout the year. For specific times and locations, visit the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library website or visit your local branch.

: Kurt Vonnegut, Indianapolis, Short Ridge High School, Year of Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five, Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, literature, Dresden, WWII

The battle of epic proportions is nearing its end. The teams are bloodied, tired, but nonetheless trying to move on with the next move. Shots have been fired left and right, but the war is possibly reaching its climactic finish…..Is this an excerpt from the War in Iraq? Nope. A play-by-play of a Colts game? Strike 2…So what is it?

The Indiana Supreme court ruled that Carmel, the booming mecca suburb north of Indianapolis, can annex the Southwest Clay Township, as well as Home Place. What’s the big deal? Well, consider this–Carmel already has a worth of over 6 billion dollars–and by annexing the 8 square miles that Southwest Clay represents, they increase that worth 25%–to almost 8 billion.

Now that’s a lot of zeros.

This has gone on for quite some time, as Carmel has repeatedly worked with community groups to work in the two areas’ best interests, but the main concerns of the wealthy neighborhood of SW Clay is that the property taxes will “skyrocket”. But what isn’t being really noted by many of these individuals is that why they have had to pay for their taxes (somewhat) into the school and park system, they have been able to take advantage of the excellence of these two major items while Carmel residents have gotten the same things at a higher cost. So, my feeling on the matter is–it’s about time.

You want to whine about your property taxes going up? That the services you pay for aren’t really your “bag” or what you even use? Pucker up, buttercup. If it means you take one less vacation to Europe or decide to go with the H3 instead of the luxury Lexus SUV, so be it. If you can afford the multi-million dollar homes in the first place, the property tax hike (which really is an increase of 1.74 to 2.09 per 100) overall is not something to go into foreclosure for.

However, critics have warned that this is history repeating itself, and that the wealthy will seek refuge at another place where the taxes and what not are lower. I’m not really following that concept, because realistically here in this town, you can’t beat the things that Carmel offers. This is a city that has grown by leaps and bounds in services and things to do, and it’s reached a level of national prominence. No longer is Carmel competing for business with other Indy suburbs, but they are actually volleying against other midwestern large-scale cities. You can’t ask much more of a “burb”.

Clay residents can take solace in the fact that they won’t have to pay the full municipal tax for another 5 years. I’m sure during this time that sound you will hear from that area will be the moaning of groaning of what’s to come, and not what they’ve already gotten for it or will get. Talk about looking at the glass half-empty.

Carmel Indiana, Indianapolis, annexation, Clay township, Carmel, property taxes

Thu 28 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about the law against taking pictures of federal buildings. I recently heard a story on Channel 13 about a guy who was visiting Indianapolis from Texas. He was taking a picture of some public art. One of the things that I like about Indianapolis (well, the downtown area mostly) is that it has a lot of public art. I forget the name of the display, but it’s the one that looks like a city that’s about four or five feet tall. However, it’s in front of a federal building, and due to an issue of national security, you evidently can’t take a picture with part of the building in view. So, according to the story, a couple of police officers came up to this man and took his camera and deleted his pictures of the art. My thing is, why are you going to put up public art (that you know people are going to take pictures of) in front of a building you CAN’T take pictures of? On one hand, the man was understanding about security issues (he happens to work for NASA, so yeah, he would understand), but on the other hand, he was wondering if his civil rights had been violated by the police officers confiscating his camera. Ever since 9/11, we have become a fear-driven society. The government created a plethora of laws now and granted themselves the authority to do “whatever they need to do” in the name of national security. But does it really make us feel safer or more secure? I don’t feel any safer than before 9/11. I’m just more inconvenienced now. We’re just more aware of what’s going on, that’s all. Because the truth of the matter is, no matter how tough we make it to do certain things, there is always a way to get around it, if you really wanted to. I abide just because going to prison isn’t on my list of things to do. I’m far too busy. I don’t feel safer because someone couldn’t take a picture of the outside of a federal building. (I can understand about the inside, but the OUTSIDE?) I don’t feel safer because I can’t bring my bottled water (which I bought at the airport) onto the plane. Come on, now. We’re not safer; we’re just more ticked off. And I get mad at the people who would willingly wait in line for 6 days to have all of your belongings dug through like a Columbian drug lord and submit to a full body cavity search in front of 500 people if they were told they’d be safer for it. But what can we do? It’s just a matter of national security.

: Indianapolis public art, photography prohibitions, national security, Department of Homeland Security, civil rights, federal buildings

Ahh, the state fair. Can’t you just hear the midway music? Feel the searing hot, balmy humidity floating up from the blacktop? Just see all of the thousands of people walking through the different displays? Smell the guilty pleasures of all that the traveling caravans offer as “fair food”?

Well, all of those things will be present yet again this year–with a twist. Indiana State Fair officials, taking a cue from the pressure that the nation has placed on business to be more “health-conscious”, has banned anything with trans fat in it to be served at the Fair from here on out. While at first you may go “What? No Fried oreos? No Fried snickers? No fried chocolate strawberries?”, don’t get too excited. These items will still be served, but the makers have found a reasonable substitute for them in place of those ingredients that offer trans fat. The only exception is popcorn, and the only reason it is being allowed is because makers could not find a substitute with the time constraint of the decision, so officials are allowing it as an exception.

What does this mean? Well, I kind of understand that this is the “lesser of two evils” approach, where it’s kind of the same philosophy of offering “ultra light” cigarettes, which are not good for you but not quite as bad as the, say Marlboro Red variety, but this is a definite step in the right direction. I myself have struggled with weight, and while I understand it’s my responsibility to control my intake, whatever producers can do to make things easier on the consumers through processed food is welcomed in all ways possible. It also follows in the steps of Governor Mitch Daniels’ approach to “Get Fit, Indiana!”, so from a city and state standpoint, I am very glad to see something like this come about–again, it may be just a drop in the bucket, but it’s certainly a sign of things to come.

indiana, indianapolis state fair, fairs, trans fat, weight loss

Wed 27 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about the housing market in Indianapolis. We have been renting for three years now, living two years on the east side and now one year on the north side. We have a child now, and we would really want to have a place of our own, where she can run in the backyard, a place where we can grill out, a place where we don’t have to climb stairs to get to the front door. And it doesn’t make any sense that our rent goes up every year when the place doesn’t change (and usually the maintenance crew is slacking). We’d rather pay a mortgage and know that it’s ours and know that it won’t go up. So, we started looking for homes that we would like to live in. I just can’t believe how many of these new housing communities are popping up. And we HATE them. They all look alike (aka cookie cutter houses), there is usually no backyard, and the houses are really close together. I’m also not cool with having retention ponds nearby, especially with having a toddler. We have been looking at existing homes: brick, ranch style, 3 BR, must have a garage, some kind of yard, trees nearby. We found a house like that for $65,000. They wouldn’t even work with us, because my husband has a bankruptcy that has only been discharged for a year. A few years ago, he was involved in a car accident that was caused by a Fed-Ex truck that turned left in front of him and his friend (who had the right-of-way). His friend ended up suing them and won, even though she will live with pain the rest of her life. My husband will live with the pain of having a bankruptcy for many years to come. I can see that they would deny us if his bankruptcy was caused by credit cards or something like that. But caused by something that you didn’t have control over, like a car accident or by medical bills? I don’t think that’s fair. It must be true what they say: No credit is worse than bad credit. They won’t even look to see how much money we make in a month? (And we’re on Social Security. That should push us in automatically, but it doesn’t.) I can also understand that they’d deny us if we were trying to get a $175,000 house, but we’re looking at homes under $100,000. Come on, now. And there are tons of houses up for sale all around the city. Why can’t we get into one? There’s a listing of foreclosed homes that might be good to try for, but they charge you for the list. (I’m cheap—I should have to pay for the list of properties they don’t even want on their books.) I don’t think the waiting period needs to be two years. And I think the resources needed to get into a house need to be more accessible. We make too much money to qualify for home assistance (probably, I don’t know for sure), but we don’t make enough to put a whole bunch down on it. According to the Indiana Housing and Community Development and Authority, there are first-time homeowner deals, but we probably don’t qualify because of the bankruptcy thing. (I know, I know, I shouldn’t say that if I haven’t tried with them yet. But I have requested a brochure.) We always seem to fall right in the cracks. Well, I guess I just better get used to living in my cramped space with no yard. At least for one more year.

: housing market, foreclosed homes, bankruptcy, home loan financing, Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority

I was extremely forlorn to read today that one of the prized members of the Indianapolis Zoo, a bottlenose dolphin named Phoenix, had died due to unknown circumstances. My family and I have enjoyed watching the dolphins perform for a while now, and Phoenix was an integral part of many of the shows. She will be missed!

I was also shocked to find out that my son’s favorite dolphin, Jett, is now located in Chicago. They will certainly ask where he is the next time we go For those of you who have not seen or gone to the Indianapolis Zoo, you are missing out on a stellar, classy collection of animals and the overall scene. The Zoo boasts several different types of animals that tickle the fancy of even the most-demanding animal lover, and the daily shows, including the dolphin shows in particular, are world-class.

For more information on the Zoo itself, visit http://www.indyzoo.com to see the latest and the greatest events going on. If you visit the Zoo and don’t have a good time, check your pulse!!!

indianapolis, indianapolis indiana, indy, indianapolis zoo, dolphins

Tue 26 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about school uniforms. Recently Indianapolis Public School officials voted to adopt school uniforms for next year. I don’t see what the big deal is. I used to work in a middle school, and even I was tired of seeing thongs sticking out of lowrider jeans on 7th graders. I wouldn’t even wear that to a club. And I was also tired of seeing guy’s boxers hanging out of their pants. If you have to hold your pants up just to walk down the hall, don’t you think it’s time to invest in a belt? I’m tired of guys wearing clothes that are three sizes too big, and females wearing clothes that are three sizes too small. Some people argue that by making students wear uniforms, then it stifles their individuality. Whatever. Just because you wear the same thing, doesn’t mean you think the same way. If parents knew what their kids were wearing, and took control and took…what’s the word?…oh, yeah! RESPONSIBILITY over what their kids wear to school, then maybe it wouldn’t ruin it for the kids who do dress appropriately to school. School is a place where you learn the necessary skills to be part of the work force and part of an educated society. It is not a fashion show. It is not a country club. It is not a sports camp. It is not a place to go during the day because there’s nothing on daytime TV. The new dress code consists of khaki pants with blue or white shirts shirts. It’s not that hard to find those. Wal-Mart sells those kind of clothes; the GAP sells those kind of clothes, so pick your price range. Personally, I had to wear uniforms when I went to school in Japan, and I didn’t think it was a problem at all. (And those uniforms were a lot worse off than the proposed uniforms here.) No, uniforms are not going to solve all the problems in public schools, but it will solve some. Besides, how many jobs out there require a uniform or at least a dress code? My guess is about 98%, so they might as well get used to it. Here’s my message to the parents who oppose the uniforms: Get your head out of your rear. You don’t have to fight with your kids on what to wear in the morning. And wearing a uniform does not mean your child suddenly is a different person who cannot think on his/her own. To the kids who oppose uniforms: Get over it. You’ll have to wear some kind of uniform (or follow some kind of dress code) for the rest of your life. Learn to show your individuality through art, music, technology, writing, building trades, etc. Once you get home from school, you can change back into your over-priced skimpy (or ridiculously large) outfits that make you look like the thugs and streetwalkers that you portray.

: Indianapolis Public Schools, school uniforms

When someone attends an Indianapolis Indians game at Victory Field, they get a little more than your average experience; for one, the design of the stadium is one of the best minor-league attractions in the country, and the feel of everything is major league. The promotions and fun are almost always centered around the family, and you also get to watch some pretty darn good baseball, as the Indians are the AAA level of the farm system for baseball, just one step from “the show”!

And now, this weekend, you can also help make others happy–dogs and cats! For Saturday night’s upcoming game versus the Richmond Braves, fans are asked to bring all kinds of helpful things for three local area animal shelters. These items include dog and cat food, rabbit and rodent foods, dog and cat toys, nail clippers, pet carriers, cleaning supplies, cat litter, basically anything you can think of that would help in the care of these animals!

If, in fact, you are wanting to donate something other than what I have listed above, you can visit http://www.indyvet.com for more details. This is a great promotion and you will be helping a worthy cause while enjoying the fun atmosphere of Victory field and cheer the Indians on to victory! Yeah!

indianapolis indians, baseball, minor league baseball, animal shelters, pet lovers

Mon 25 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about Slamology. Slamology (the Study of Slam) is a custom (car) show sponsored by Gauge Magazine that’s held at the Marion County Fairgrounds (near Wanamaker). We went there last year as a spectator. It’s more than just a car show; there are motorcycle stunt shows, music contests, how loud is your sound system contest, bikini contests (aka scantily-clad women who don’t mind being exploited) and some other stuff going on, too. There was actually a nice turnout of classic cars as well as new custom cars and trucks. This year we are entering the show with our custom truck. My husband has a 2000 S-10 truck that he has customized himself, with a little help from his friends (lowered, added a better sound system and custom paint job with graphics). This year, it rained most of the weekend. Yeah, it would stop for a while, but it would start again later. And it was windy and cold! (Well, I thought it was.) What I thought was supposed to be an 80-degree day turned out to be around 68. I think the rain kept the bikini contest girls up near the stage where I gratefully didn’t have to see it. I only saw one that ventured out among the clothed. There were 39 bands/groups that performed on the stage over the two days. Some were pretty good. And some were really horrible. I was a little bothered by the fact that there was absolutely no censorship in the music performances. Now, I don’t mind a few curse words here and there, even the F-bomb. But some of these guys were using it so much, that it almost made me feel a little uncomfortable. But overall, there were a lot of people who stopped, talked to us about our truck, and took some pictures. And the sun did eventually come out for the last two hours of the last day. Even though we didn’t win anything, I think it was a fun weekend, even in the rain and cold and bands that sounded like 6th grade band practice.

: Slamology, Gauge Magazine, car shows, custom cars, custom trucks, custom motorcycles

The 19th annual Fisher Freedom Festival has kicked off this weekend in style. This event draws over 40,000 people each year (or about the equivalent of the traffic rush hour from 465 to 69 on a daily basis), and 5,000 are not from the Indy area. What makes this thing so special?

Well, first of all, there’s literally something for everyone. There are craft tents, fireworks, a 5K race, parades, video games, even scuba diving for adults!! And what’s one of the best things about it?? It’s FREE!! Guests are encouraged to give back for all of the events that are available to them, but if you don’t want to, you don’t have to! How cool is that?

What’s more is that even pets can get in on the act! There is the International Dog Disc competition, which is basically a competition to see if one Fido can catch a frisbee more times and with more panache than another one

There are approximately 250-350 volunteers that run the entire festival, and thousands more contribute perishable and non-perishable items to assist. If this year is this cool, I can’t WAIT until the 20th anniversary festival next year!

Come on down and have some fun!!!

indianapolis, fishers freedom festival, fishers, parades, fairs, summer fun

Come on, you know the song….I found myself singing on the way to work “Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head…” and it wasn’t a bad thing…well, maybe it was for those who could hear me, but you get the point. After a seemingly desperate plea from the Indianapolis area for there to be some precipitation, we FINALLY received some blessed rainfall last evening and it will hopefully carry over for a while.

For a week or so, many towns around and including Indy have either called for a ban on watering lawns or at least asked for a reduction in water use. This came after the normal amount of water that is consumed on an average basis started to soar with the excrutiatingly hot weather and it stress on the local reserves. People even got so uptight about it that there have been reports of anonymous tips going to the police departments tattling on others who had been using the water “illegally”. I was wondering what kind of response that would bring? Would the SWAT team flock down upon the offender and dive into the sprinkler, dashing towards the spicket to save every drop? Would the alleged criminal be shackled behind bars without food–and ironically–water, while they waited out their sentence? (What kind of jail cred would that bring, anyway? “What are you in for?” “Murder. You?” “Illegal watering.” (Cue crowd oooooooooooooooh)

I really do understand the need to contain natural resources, especially in a time like this when it’s bordering on a drought. And I applaud those who have tried to standby and help build back these reserves during the time of need, while those who have offended the rule–while I don’t agree with there being severe penalties enforced in terms of criminal offense (obviously)–I have to question those who were rebels…Is a plush, green (or even a light shade of green) lawn really worth that much??? Are you all that shallow that you will turn your nose up to public requests like this??

It especially irks me that some people have been this insensitive, especially due to the fact that myself personally have a new sodded lawn that was installed in mid-April, and my lawn is in desperate need of some help–but I won’t do it at the cost of what has been imposed. Some may say that it doesn’t matter in the vast scheme of things, but I think it does–let’s work together on this as the summer goes on…it may just a drop in the bucket as far as issues go, but it’s something worth noting.

indianapolis, water shortage, ban on watering, drought

Fri 22 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about Cabela’s. The city of Greenwood, about 10 miles south of Indianapolis, just announced that land around County Line Rd and I-65 has been bought to house a new Cabela’s store. Cabela’s is famous for outdoor, camping, hunting, and fishing gear. There are only 19 Cabela’s stores across the U.S., with 13 that are coming soon, including the one in Greenwood, one in Hammond, IN and one in Canada (the first outside of the US). The site in Greenwood has plans to include a hotel and a water park as well. Now, I’ve never been to a Cabela’s store, although I drove by the one on I-35 just south of Minneapolis (Owatoona, MN). From what I’ve heard, it seems like a store that thinks it’s a museum, an aquarium and a theme park. These stores are absolutely huge. The one in Greenwood has proposed to hire nearly 200 people. One of the things about Cabela’s stores is that they are placed far from the next one (unlike Starbucks or CVS); that way, people will be more likely to drive a far distance to go to their stores. Greenwood officials wanted to lock in the location, so that they won’t build another Cabela’s within 100 miles. Well, Cabela’s said no to that, but did agree to a 50 mile radius. So, that way, they can build a store, if they choose so in the future, near Cincinnati or near Louisville. But to tell you the truth, say they build one near Cincinnati, and you live in Greensburg (which is more or less halfway between the two cities). I would think you could go to the one in Cincy, AND you can also go to the one in Indy. I hardly think that those people are just sitting there on their thumbs trying to figure out which Cabela’s to go to. Besides, the next nearest store north is in Dundee, MI; the nearest store west is in Hazelwood, MO; the next nearest store east is in Wheeling, WV; and the nearest store south is in Ft. Worth, TX. I still think we’ll have a lot of people who will drive a few hours to get to the one in Greenwood, even if they build another within 100 miles. So, I guess I’m just gonna have to wait until the fall of 2008 in order to get my hiking sandals.

Cabela’s, outdoor sports, fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, outdoor gear

The Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) system recently came out with a new “strict” dress code that basically puts it in the category of Catholic schools and their long-time dress codes for what seems like forever. This has been met with both praise and furor in the local community, and even myself personally have listened to the debate on the radio, where I’ve heard people saying “No way! This is a form of censorship!” all the way to “It’s about time. This will help people to concentrate on Math and History rather than T ‘n’ A.”

Ok…well, here’s my two cents–and more! Aren’t you lucky? (No groaning allowed). I understand that people at jobs are required to follow a dress code–some are very professionally-oriented, some are just simple business casual. However, when people start to liken this to how things should be at a school environment, I beg to differ with you–I’ve read studies where there is actually an improvement in performance for those who “dress the part”, but I think it’s foolish to really put that in the same breath as kids in schools–it is not even apples and oranges, it’s like comparing rice and rum. Mmmm…rum. Oops, sorry about that. My point is, kids are not expected to perform at a level where professionals are, and it’s also a situation where a company PAYS a person to do a job–it’s really not even close.

However, as a parent of two boys, I take full responsibility for what they “present themselves as”. I think that, for the most part, and I may get some major flamage here, that many people are hiding behind IPS’ decision instead of having control of their children–if you are going to praise this action because of the lack of control your child has, there’s more problems underlying than the fact that they wear a midriff showing their “outie” every day. Take responsibility, IPS parents–while this may help overall in terms of making things more consistent, it is not a savior and won’t suddenly change your child’s behavior–it’s one of those things that my mom used to say to me–”If you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it”…So, if there is ill intent, it will happen in another function or capacity–so a dress code, to me, is something that, for this case, is more of a case of a desperate attempt to show effort is being made to curb behavior than what is the problem at hand–lack of parenting.

Indianapolis Public Schools, IPS, dress code, debate

Thu 21 June 2007

So, I’m thinking about Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Q. Last weekend, after we spent the day at the zoo, we were really craving barbeque (We make horrible vegetarians, don’t we? Sorry, PETA.) We drove all the way to Smokey Bones in Castleton only to find that it has been closed. We were downtrodden. Our hearts cried out for charred meat topped with sauces that make fire run away with fear. But then, I had a revelation: Famous Dave’s opened a new restaurant on the northwest side (at 3645 Vincennes Rd—near N Michigan Rd and I-465). (I had previously eaten at the restaurant near Cincinnati and the one in Mishawaka.) What joy! Our hearts leaped! Because we went in before 5 pm (which I would suggest), we were immediately escorted to our table. I was really surprised that our food came pretty quickly (which was good because I was famished). I really thought that the catfish fingers were awesome! In fact, I’m salivating just thinking about them. I ate just like a pig. I bet that’s why their logo has a pig in it. Subliminal messaging? Or is Famous Dave’s just reflecting the national state of our waistlines? And to top it off, the bread pudding was a wonderful finale to our symphony of gluttony. The only thing that got me was that the waitress told us that we couldn’t have a high chair if we sat at a booth. Hmm… So, we ended up using a booster seat. (That’s stickin’ it to the man! or lady in this case) To top it all off, the cost of our whole meal (plus tip) was still cheaper than our entrance and parking at the zoo. Now, if there is only a way I could combine eating my catfish and watching the dolphin show, that would combine both events into one fabulous afternoon. I’ll have my people contact their people.

Famous Dave’s, barbeque, gluttony