The Double-Edged Sword that is the Media

The media... good or bad?

I say both. Though probably more on the bad nowadays. After all, it brings better ratings.

On the plus, they spread necessary news. The best wast way to inform people is in mass form, which is the media (in all forms - print, radio, TV, and internet).

But the bad? They over dramatize EVERYTHING!! And it's all for the ratings.

Perfect example... the Swine Flu thing. People... it's just the flu. A different strain, yes, but no worse than the seasonal flu. And just like the seasonal flu, the very young and the elderly are at most risk. But the symptoms are the same. You treat it the same way (Tamiflu, etc.). It spreads the same way. It has the same duration. You can prevent it the same way. And just like the seasonal flu, there can be complications that put you in the hospital.

So why the panic? Because the media has turned it into a frenzy. You hear about the few that have died. And I do mean few, because relatively, it is only a few compared to the hundreds that get over it - just like the regular flu. Again, perfect example... the media got into a frenzy because a Notre Dame student had a confirmed case of the Swine Flu. Out of all the local media outlets, only ONE also mentioned that she's already over it. 100% better.

So sadly, yes... the media has gotten to be just another outlet for drama. A person shot on the east side of town brings in much better ratings that the high school student that won some national competition. So the shooting will be the "Top Story", even though there's nothing more to it that "someone got shot and they don't know who did it." Meanwhile, the kid who worked his butt off to even get to nationals, let alone win, will be a filler story at the end.

So next time there's a 'panic' brought on by the newscast, take a step back and think, "Does this really deserve all this attention?" Probably not. So just wash your hands, and go about your daily business.

Pictures

So I realized that I've been slacking the past few months regarding pictures. I throw a few up on the blogs, but then haven't been posting or linking to my Fotki page. I apologize for my slacker ways... I was busy hibernating!

So for those who don't have my Fotki link, here you go... just click here for pictures from blogs past, including last weekend.

Some Microbrew, a Legendary Cheeseburger, a Beach, and a Ball Game

Anyone who has been around me lately has heard how I've needed to get away lately. And I finally did this weekend!

Eric and I started with a trip to Munster, IN, home of Three Floyds Brewery for their annual 'Dark Lord Day'. What is that, you ask? Well, it's the only day they sell this particular type of beer (Dark Lord) that is supposedly one of the best beers in the world. And let me tell you, it has a following!! There was an INSANE amount of people there! Eric and I stopped because he had some friends heading up there for this event, and it was on our way further north. We thought it'd be a festival of sorts... no... it was just a really, really, REALLY long line that actually spiralled into a parking lot. We didn't wait. We headed out after hanging and talking with the group for a bit. It was a little crazy for us, especially considering neither of us even knew what this beer was all about!

From Munster, we headed to New Buffalo, MI. After a slight wait (complete stand still - engines off type of wait) on the Indiana Toll Road (bad accident), we got us there in time for a late lunch at Redamak's. For those who keep up with my blog, you know this is a great place! We went up there last year, too, and it is an insanely delicious cheeseburger! After filling ourselves till our heart was content (and full of cheese), we drove around the coast, looking at the wide range of houses - from tiny cottages to HUGE mansions! As we got back into town, we stopped at the park where the little New Buffalo beach is and went up the boardwalk that goes along the top of the sand dune. I wish the sun was out, cause it would've been an even better view - but it was still pretty cool.

It was near the end of this that we realized the 30 degree change in temperature the Chicago weatherman talked about really was going to happen. In Indy, the weatherguys never get it right. But it happened here... went from about 77degrees to 47degrees in a matter of two hours!! Luckily, we had something to tide us over until the next day, when it was going BACK UP to 80-something degrees. In the meantime, though, we thought we'd end the night with a few drinks at the Stray Dog.

The next day we woke up and had breakfast at one of the little cafes on the downtown strip before heading to the Windy City of Chicago. We took our time driving over to the City, taking a lot of surface streets instead of the interstates, just because we had some time. We even stopped at one of the pull off parking areas along Lake Shore drive to enjoy the view. But it was still kind of cold (around 49degrees), so we didn't stay too long. We decided it wasn't such a bad idea to get to Comiskey Park a little early before the game.

Yes... you read that right... I actually went to a White Sox game. In all honesty, if the Cubs had a home game that day, we would've gone there. But they didn't. And Eric grew up as a split fan (his parents were White Sox fans, his grandfather was a Cubs fan), so he thought it'd be a worthwhile trip to see the park. It was a VERY different atmosphere than Wrigley Field, both in the fans and the actual park. Not at all in a bad way... just different. Regardless, it turned out to be a good game. We walked around for about half the game to check the whole stadium out - it had even changed some since the last time Eric was there. And it was while we were here that we literally felt the wind shift and warmer air start to blow in the from the south. By the time we left, it was in the 80's again.

On the way back to Indy, we stopped at Fair Oaks Farm for a fresh grilled cheese sandwich and chocolate milk. Good, as always. We managed to make it home right around 8pm on Sunday, which game us plenty of time to unwind and go to bed relaxed.

It was exactly the type of weekend I needed!

Race for the Cure 2009

This morning was the annual Race for the Cure here in Indianapolis. This has obviously become a cause near and dear to my heart after my Mom's courage and strength got her through breast cancer. I didn't start participating in the Race until last year, however, when I walked it with Eric's Mom. It was a great bonding experience for us and we had a blast doing it! And that was the plan again this year, as well.

Until Friday. Eric's Mom's got sick, so Eric had to fill in for her. It was an amazing turn out this year, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with the perfect weather we had for it. Last year it was dreary, rainy, and cold! This year, it was bright and sunny, near 60 by the end of the race. So this awesome weather brought out at least 40,000 people this year!! (this is a preliminary count, of course) If you look close at the picture of Eric and I, you can see all the people crossing the bridge behind us. It always amazes me to see such a huge crowd come out for such a cause - it really sends a statement of support to everyone else out there watching.

On a personal note, thanks to everyone that supported my fundraising efforts for the Race this year. I didn't hit my goal, but I'm happy to give anything and help raise something!! Especially with today's economy keeping so may people from being able to donate. So THANK YOU!!

That's a Lot of Miles!!

I marked another milestone with my Baby Bleu today... she rolled over 150,000 miles on my way into work this morning. All of them put on by me... well, except for, like, 16 miles when I bought her.

It amazes me that (1) I've had the Xterra for this long (bought her in June of 2000) and (2) I drive this much! it's mostly commuting, unfortunately - nothing too exciting. A few long trips thrown in (like when I picked Nan up in PA and drove her to JAX for Thanksgiving a few years ago) and some weekend road warrior type trips - but nothing too crazy.

It may not be another 150,000 miles I put on her, but I do plan on many more miles to come!

Happy Easter!

First off, I hope everyone out there that reads my blog had a wonderful Easter!! Mine was great!

I spent the Easter holiday over at Eric's with his family. This is the second year for this to happen, with many more to come, I'm sure. Eric got a fresh leg of lamb from Goose the Market (a local butcher) and cooked it per their directions, and it was wonderful!! This place gets the best local meet that makes you rethink how fresh meat is supposed to taste! So that, paired with some sides made for a great dinner.

Of course there was the traditional baskets (put together by yours truly, the Easter Bunny) and an egg hunt. Eric's Mom did a neat thing and made it more of a scavenger hunt/Blues Clue type of hunt, where one clue led you to the next, with an egg at each point. It was a lot of fun! And since it ended up just being AJ in the hunt (Eric's step-niece wasn't there this year), it was perfect.

And for those wondering if my baking turned out... it did. For the most part. There was a mishap with the Lemon Meringue pie... left my house great, but I learned that you can't keep a citrus based filling seals up - it looses its gelatinous texture. But it still tasted good. :)

Baking, Baking, and More Baking...

I spent just about all day today in the kitchen baking for Easter. It made for a LONG day and I have to say, I'm exhausted.

I started with some Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookie Bars. Fairly simple to make and if you like chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake, this is a perfect combo!

Next, I made my first ever attempt at making a Lemon Meringue Pie. From scratch. This was a big ordeal because this was ALL from scratch... pie dough, squeezing lemons, everything. It looks like it turned out good and the few licks of the filling I took off the spoon during clean-up tasted good. But we'll see tomorrow.

Finally, I ended with 'from the box' cupcakes. I figured I'd better have something kid friendly - the other two things are kind of a specific taste. Which is also why I ended with that - it was the easiest of them all to make.

So now I am beat. I'm heading to bed now so I can get up and enjoy what I hope to be a subdued, relaxing Easter Sunday. Hopefully.

Stuck in the Mud

So I'm at work today and I find out there's an issue at one of the sites that I inherited. Extra dirt. They need to know where to put in and not effect the drainage. So off I go to Noblesville!

Now mind you, it rained A LOT yesterday, which actually made it a perfect time for this determination - you can tell right away where water already stands and where it needs to go. So I stop off at the house and change into some jeans and boots before going to the site. Good thing, too. Because when it rains in a farm field in Indiana, it gets M-U-D-D-Y!!! I remember when my house was being built, and even when I first moved in (before I grew my backyard), I would walk around and come back into my garage standing a couple of inches taller because the mud would just cake itself onto my shoes!

But today was a little different. I'm walking around the site, observing things and checking out the standing water when I step into a bit more of a muddy puddle than the rest of the area, and I (try to) continue to walk as normal and *pop!* my shoe stays in the mud while my foot comes right out!! Thankfully, I was walking the site by myself, so there was no embarrassment. But it took some effort to pull it out of the mud, and it didn't happen without getting a little water IN the shoe! But eventually I did (you try doing it without putting your socked foot completely in the rest of the mud around you). I shoved it back on, but now I had a soggy, muddy shoe to contend with while I was finishing up.

Oh, and did I mention it was near freezing when I did this? There were snow flurries in the area!

I was much more careful where I stepped when I went back to the car. And now I have a big mud spot on my floor mat I'll have to clean off. But in the meantime, it makes for a fun story to share. So hopefully I at least made you smile. :)