Post-Christmas Travels

And the driving continues!

Leaving Jacksonville, we weren't planning on going straight home. We were taking a 'detour' and adding an extra day to our trip home. And our 'detour' wasn't so much a detour as it was an extension of the trip because it was hardly 'on the way' home for us. But that was the plan all along.

We left from our hotel and heading SOUTH on I-95. (Told you it wasn't on the way) First stop was to see Eric's parents and his sister and the kids, who were visiting their condo on the west coast of FL. We were just planning on stopping by and having lunch there... but we had to get there, which meant a relatively early rise (for a vacation day) and a drive on I-4 through Orlando (always fun). We stayed relatively close to our schedule, despite my desperate need to find a Starbucks and some traffic (surprise!) between I-Drive and Disney. We got there around 12:30pm, and there was plenty of time to visit and grad some lunch.

But our trip south wasn't done! We then jumped on I-75 SOUTH to go down to Naples to visit some more friends. We planned a little more poorly for this segment of the trip and didn't get to see as many people as we would've liked, but we still had a nice dinner with some friends and were reminded of how much the Doubletree at Naples still loves (and remembers) Eric from all his stays there when he worked at Kite. Kind of funny, actually. We also saw a pretty beautiful sunset, which I always love to catch if I can when I'm near the ocean.

The next morning, we woke up and had a tasty breakfast at the hotel before finally starting our journey home. Eric suddenly had this lofty goal to do the entire trip to Indy in one day - just push on until we were home. I told him, "we'll see" and asked him to keep an open mind about staying overnight somewhere along the way. I had in my mid we'd make it to Atlanta, maybe a little further. Florida is a LONG state, and seems even longer when you start where we did. But we got on the road and started north. It was mostly uneventful until we got closer to GA. Then, as I started checking traffic on my phone, I saw trouble ahead. And sure enough, around Valdosta, we came to a standstill. A guy decided to steal a semi in northern GA, only to crash it into a bridge pier in south GA. We eventually detoured through Valdosta and got back onto I-75 just north of town, but not before losing at least an hour sitting in traffic.

During that hour of down time, though, I convince Eric we weren't making it all the way back to Indiana and we needed to book a hotel room. We figured we could make it to Chattanooga, so we booked a hotel just west of downtown. Shortly after getting past Valdosta, we came into a lot of rain. Did this rain just sit here for a week?? I know it didn't, but still found it interesting that it started close to where it ended for us on the drive down. We got into Atlanta and decided to stop at The Varsity for dinner. So horrible for you, but so yummy! And from there, we got back on the road to get to Chattanooga for the night. Which we finally did a little after 10pm. And it was a good thing we made a reservation, because they were booked solid for the night, likely due to crappy weather.

The next morning was an easy drive to Indy. Only about six hours, or so. I-24 was pretty empty until we got into Nashville, and then I-65 all the way to Indy was a pretty typical drive pattern for that road. The rain ended shortly after we started our drive in the morning, and we were left with some foggy patches through the mountains. But all in all, not bad. We were home around 2pm-ish. Had the evening left to unwind from the drive and relax.

So will we drive again. Yes - we will. We had some of the worst possible driving conditions (rain for at least 75% of our travels), but in the Armada, it wasn't so bad. We lucked out with gas prices, for the most part - we were thinking prices would be closer to $4/gallon when we started planning all of this. But the biggy was that it wasn't nearly as stressful as trying to fly. We could take whatever we wanted, both in our suitcases and just in general, plus, there was no shipping of any gifts, down or back. No security to deal with, and we weren't on anyone's schedule but our own. It was a win-win! At least this trip felt that way for both of us.

Besides, I so rarely get to play the license plate game anymore. I almost got all the States (and DC)!! I was only missing Hawaii, Vermont, and Wyoming (still not sure how I never saw Wyoming - I almost always see it!). Maybe next year...

Christmas

I will honestly say, I thought this Christmas was going to end up all botched up. Going into it, there were so many last minute changes of schedules, that I just kind of assumed it was all going to go bust.

Nan wasn't able to make it down because of some last minute bad weather that kept Andy and Jan from driving to PA... Kristin and the fam were understandably worried about leaving her MIL home alone for Christmas, since this was the first without her husband, so they were looking at coming up EARLIER now and having Christmas on Christmas Eve and leaving first thing on Christmas Day. This meant all the usual post - Christmas traditions we had with her and the kids were kaput. Which really bummed me out. About the only thing that didn't change was Eric's and my schedule for heading to Florida. Granted, some of those weren't finalized until two weeks before... but they didn't change at the last minute.

I'm quite happy to say, my worst fears were superfluous. While it happened earlier and was a much shorter visit with 'my' kids, it was one of great quality and full of good memories. The time shift ended up not being too big of a deal. In the past, we have celebrated Christmas after Christmas Day, if not the morning of, so I was really worried the 'magic' of Christmas would be lacking by opening gifts on Christmas Eve. That was probably my biggest worry. But since we waited until after it was dark, and went to an earlier mass, the magic was still there. Plus, Santa still didn't come until Christmas morning to fill the stockings... so we still had them on Christmas morning.

We still really missed Nan, though. She's been part of our Christmas for as long as I can remember. Last time she didn't want to fly down, I was the one that picked her up and drove her down to Jacksonville. Wasn't a bad trip, really... just wasn't in the cards this year, I guess. I still did her annual photobook and managed to get that sent to her before Christmas. She said she cried a little when she opened it. I also sent her a photo calendar... she have loved ones to look at all year, that way.

The best gift of all, though, had to be my t-shirt quilt my Mom made me from all of my old Auburn UPC t-shirts. Best. Gift. Ever! I had given her the shirts years ago, but with work and other projects, she never had time to work on it. And while I didn't forget about it, I quit bugging her about it. So it was a big surprise to open that for Christmas. And they even played a little trickery by telling me the gift was for Dad, at first. That's why I love my family...

So all in all, it was a great Christmas. Even though I was afraid it was going to be botched up. Hopefully, this will be the only one that gets all crazy close to being botched up... guess we'll see next year and in the years to come!

Christmas Travels

So this year, Eric and I decided to travel to FL via my Armada. That right... we drove. I figured the travel was worth a separate blog from the actual Christmas blog...

It wasn't out of necessity. We actually wanted to. In fact, Eric brought it up after our drive back from Atlanta back over Labor Day weekend. He enjoyed that drive and thought he might actually like a full trip driving, even all the way to FL. I had no problem with that - I had done the drive numerous times before. And besides the fact that my Armada slams down the gas, it's actually a nice ride!

Since we already did a big holiday celebration with his sister and her family before her husband was deployed (and they didn't want to do a big family thing without him), we knew we were 'free' to do this drive when we wanted. It was the perfect year to try this option out. We left on Saturday (the 21st). We planned to make it a two day trip down, with our overnight spot being at the State Park in GA we found over Labor Day (Amicalola Falls). It was a lofty goal to get to that point, since it was off the road a bit and up a mountain... but we had faith in ourselves.

Of course, you can plan for everything but weather and other people's car accidents. It was raining when we woke up Saturday morning. We didn't let it dampen our spirits, though. We loaded up and we still on the road before the sun rose. Well... from what we could tell... the sun never did come out for us that day. This was no little rain, mid you... it was a torrential downpour that was slated to leave behind a lot of flooding in central Indiana. We saw about three slide-offs along I-65 before we were even a hour away. And this was JUST rain - not ice or snow! But we trudged on.

Despite the rain, things really weren't all that bad. We were making pretty good time, even with an extended Starbucks/bathroom stop just north of Louisville and a stop around Nashville for lunch. Even I-24 was an easy drive... until we approached the I-59 interchange. Near stopped traffic. It sucked! We were crawling for about three miles... but at least it finally stopped raining! And once we started moving, we saw the accident pulled off in the next rest area, with a State Cop assessing the damage.

Needless to say, this killed our goal of getting up the mountain in GA before sunset. Not that it mattered... probably wouldn't of seen much since as soon as we go into GA, we had rain again. And then as we climbed up into the mountains, it got really foggy. I truly learned the benefit of fog lights during this trip.

We got up to the lodge in time for dinner, though, and we didn't want to do much more than eat and crash for the night. Even if it was nice out, I'm not sure how much hiking I could've done. Traveling just wears a person out! We had a nice big room in the lodge, at least, so we were able to relax and get some good sleep for the next leg of our trip.

The next morning, it was still raining. And foggy. We decided to just get on the road and we'd figure out if we really needed breakfast once we got going. So we loaded up, again in the rain. At least it was just suitcases, this time. And we were off. Down the mountain we drove, into and through Atlanta. Once we got on I-75, it got crazy, though. I think everyone decided to start travelling at this point. It was stop and go all the way to Macon! I think the rain was the main culprit, though we did see an accident or two. But I think they were because of the rain.

Earlier, we had debated about going to Savannah, since Eric had never been there and it was the type of thing he liked checking out. With the rain, we debated more. But after looking at the radar, we figured why not. We should becoming out of the rain around Macon and, sure enough. a lunch stop in Macon and then we were actually out of the rain for the rest of the trip! The sun even peeked through the clouds a few times!

Savannah turned out to be the right option for us. We got on I-16 and there was NO ONE on it! Traffic was so sparse the entire length of it and between that and the lack of rain, our faith in driving was restored. Not that we had really lost it, I guess. And Savannah, itself, turned out to be the perfect stopping point. We go there a little after 3pm, and since it was Sunday, most places closed around 5pm, which gave us a definite end time to get back on the road. And from there, it was a straight shot down I-95 to Jacksonville. Traffic on I-95 moves so much better than I-75... I think it's a direct result of where the traffic is from. How else do you explain the difference?

We go to the hotel, checked in, and went over to my parents for dinner. We were weary travelers, but we made it in once piece and were quite happy with the overall driving experience. So far, no souring to driving.

Trip Anxiety

I'm not sure why... and it really seems to be for no reason... but before I travel, I get very anxious. Doesn't matter how big or small the trip is, though the bigger it is, the worse it is... but I feel like I'm forgetting something, or I'm racking my brain about any problems, or I just get plain excited. And except for foreign country visits (or cruises), I shouldn't care about any of that!! I can buy something once I'm to my destination!

But I do. It doesn't matter if I make a list, lay things out a week beforehand, plan every detail myself... it just lingers there the day/night before a trip. it doesn't matter if I'm driving or flying... makes no difference. Here I am today, leaving for FL tomorrow, and I even have the day off work. But I feel like I'll never get what I need to do done, and that I'll forget some vital piece that needs to go with me.

And then there's the weather forecast. It's supposed to rain. How big of a damper will that put on things. Will Eric get anxious if it's raining. How much time will it add to our trip?

Kind of sad really. Eric laughs at me. He thinks it's hilarious that I get so worked up over trips. I even admit it's a little crazy. I got over this briefly, when I was traveling a lot for Kite. But that was so long ago and I've travelled minimally since then.

Oh, well. What can I do, right? As long as I realize that's all it is, I'm fine. And once I'm into my travels, I'm fine. Just something in my mind won't click before that point to tell me , "Everything is going to be all right..."

First World Problems

I found myself complaining earlier this week... I had more PTO time that I had planned for at the end of the year, and I was being told I had to take an extra day off.

And this was bad, how?? And this was a problem, why???

It wasn't. I just hadn't planned for it, and fully anticipated being at work the entire week (since I was off all last week). I had things to do at the office!

But all of my 'first world thoughts' got me thinking about how much people really do complain about these first world problems of ours. It's kind of sad, actually. If you're ever heard any of Louis CK's comedy bits, you'd understand even more of what I'm talking about. But we, as the American society, and become so spoiled with instant gratification of EVERYTHING, that if we don't get it, we complain. Loudly, quite often. I'm just as guilty as the next guy and am in no way trying to single anyone else I know out. Sadly, it's just a fact of life.

If you live in the United Stated of America.

Even other first world nations don't complain and expect things the was we do. So when the economy crashed and a lot of luxuries for a lot of people we taken away, did anyone take responsibility? No. And more often than not, they only had themselves to blame for the 'loss' that they felt obligated to. The whole living outside of your means, thing...

I don't know. I just found it interesting to hear myself complaining about something so many other people in the world don't even have. Being spoiled has it disadvantages, obviously.

White Stuff

I just gotta say... I'm already so done with snow this year!  And it's barely the middle of December!

I'm sure part of it was the fact that I was in the Caribbean last week. We left here, it was freezing and snow was still on the ground. We came back to Indy, snow was still on the ground. And then today... yuck!

Not a lot of it (relatively), but it hit at the wrong times and just seemed to keep coming! The roads completely sucked this morning, and even though I have a large 4WD vehicle, there are still those who don't, and you have to watch for them. And the rockstars who feel invincible in their 4WD's... no... I am not one of them.

And no amount of coffee or warm food can warm you up on a day like this. Believe me - I try! Again...maybe a side effect from last week... but it still sucks! Maybe because I didn't grow up with it? Maybe because I still don't have a garage?

Nah... I just don't like the cold. I am, and will always be, a FL girl at heart. Snow's a novelty and great for skiing... but I could do without seeing it every year. I think I'd be just fine with that.

Just Another Caribbean Cruise

The 'Girls Cruise' has become an annual thing. And I'm okay with that. In fact, I'm great with that! I look forward to it every year now (I know... this is only the third year...) and it seems to get better every year! Not sure if it's because I'm just becoming a frequent cruiser, or if we're honestly just having a better time!

This year was a five night cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on the Liberty of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). This was our longest one yet. Well... for us girls, anyway. Jen, Karla, and I waiting to book until about 2 months out this year, hoping to get the best deal. Turns out the deal DID get better before we left, but we just got an upgrade cabin since they did that to us! So it all turned out good. We ended up with one of the forward most cabins with a balcony... they don't have balconies if you face the forward... but we had glass that we could see it, so it was pretty cool. The only downer was the sofa bed instead of the drop-down pullman bed. That kind of got in the way... but now we know for next time.

The entire first full day was at sea, which for us, meant a day out on the pool deck doing a whole lot of nothing. And I think we perfected that... We did a little ship exploration, too, since none of us had been on this class of ship before. It was the biggest I've been on, to date. Oh, and I got my full body massage in - I really needed that!

Day two was in Belize. This was a new port for all of us. We decided to take advantage of some of the Mayan Ruins here... there have quite a few site. The site we went to, Lamanai, is still an active archaeological site. In other words, they're still uncovering stuff. Granted, we didn't see any of that... but we got to climb to the top of the High Temple, which was quite a feat! Those were some steep steps, but the view was so worth it!

Day three we were back at our familiar spot in Cozumel, Nachi Cocum. This is just the perfect 'chill beach' since it's so far from the port and they limit the amount of people that can come to it. So much like the day at seas, we just mastered the art of relaxing in the sun. It was about as perfect of a day you could ever ask for!

Day four was another sea day. Believe it or not, by this point, we were almost tires of relaxing. And more so, we were beat from the previous days hiking and just being in the sun. So while we started up on the pool deck, we didn't last as long... though we still quite enjoyed the relaxing time. But then it started to get a little overcast, so we ended up back at the room a little earlier and just took our time getting ready for our last dinner on the ship. But we were just fine moving at that speed.

Just as we did last year, we took full advantage of the ship photographers. We ended up with nearly 200 shots this round! It's always the most fun the last night - by that time, you kind of know some of the photogs and they start really having fun with you. But then, we always have fun with them, if they let us.

But, just like that, we woke up the next morning back in Fort Lauderdale. These cruises seem to go by so fast... but this one did give us the length of time I think we all needed to unwind fully. I think the hardest part was having to come back to all the snow in Indy. However, I think all three of us were glad to come home and, hopefully, just ride that relaxation spell through the holidays. Guess we'll see!

Time to Make French Toast

It happens every year. That first big winter storm 'freak out' that causes everyone to panic and do the standard run to the store to get stuff to make French Toast. Because that's the best way to survive a storm, after all...

This one comes right on schedule... early December after an even more freakishly warm spell. They've been talking about 'Winter Storm Cleon' since the weekend. Forecasters watch as it pounds Colorado and other states known for high amounts of snowfall, and always predict we'll get much of the same.

But we usually don't.

In fact, I've watched as the predictions of snowfall amount go down since the early rumors of this great storm. At one point, I heard we might get up to 12". Now we're don't to half of that. And we'll likely get half of that prediction. They always over hype snowfall amounts, especially for the first 'big one' of the season.

In the meantime, everyone's panicking. I don't even want to go near any store that sells 'the big three' items that you must have for a snowstorm. Why must we get milk, bread, and eggs? What do those items really do for us? And can we really not survive without them? And do we really think we won't be able to get to the store for another week??

Oh, well. Maybe I'm wrong. It just better not impact my plans for getting on a plane Saturday morning, or I will be very upset!

Iron Bowl Day!

So we have a rare instance of an Iron Bowl really meaning something this year. Not just in the SEC, or even just the SEC west... but for the National Title! If you don't care about football, then you won't care about this blog. These are my pre-game ramblings (as I know I'll be too emotional, one way or another after the game). But I've gotta do it.

Auburn surprised even its own fans this year with an amazing run, to date. When they lost to LSU, I, and many others, figured that was the beginning of our down slope. Until then, we hadn't really played any big teams, and definitely no ranked teams. We had a long road ahead of us that included Texas A&M, Georgia, and, of course, Alabama. Who would've thought that LSU would be out only loss by the time we made it to the Iron Bowl?

But here we are, going into one of the biggest Iron Bowls in history, and generally one of the biggest talked about games in recent college football history. No one could've possibly predicted this at the beginning of the season. And as if these two teams don't already hold one of the biggest grudge matches every year, this year, no matter what conference you typically watch, all eyes will be on Jordan-Hare Stadium at 3:30pm (EST). If you're not watching, you just must not care about college football. But even if you don't, I'm sure you've at least heard about this game.

I'm not one to make predictions. I feel like that jinxes things. Yes... I get superstitious about my team. I love my Auburn Tigers, and after last year's disappointing season, this season has me more hyped than ever. I'm just hoping that, outside of us fans (on either side), things aren't getting OVER-hyped. That tends to happen with these games... the media over-hypes things, and the game, itself, is a let down compared to the hype.

Regardless, I'll be watching with my Auburn Club. We'll be making a ruckus in the restaurant, but we don't care. That'll just be our Auburn Pride coming out.  I so wish I could actually be in Auburn for the game... this'll be a hell of of a game to watch in Jordan-Hare.

War Damn Eagle!!  Beat 'Bama!!!

Black Friday

Is it just me, or has Black Friday lost it's true fun?

Hear me out.

For starters, I don't now too many people who actually go out to shop first thing, anymore. And that's the thing... "first thing" no longer means 6am, like it did when I was young... it means Thanksgiving night, or midnight, or something so NOT Black Friday (in some cases, quite literally NOT Friday). Not only that, but the scouring of the ads while the turkey is in the oven has gone away, too... not only do the ads get delivered separately on WEDNESDAY (at least up here they do), but you can find them online days, or even weeks, before Black Friday actually occurs.

And, yes, online shopping has become a HUGE factor! Sure... you still have special deals, but you don't have to literally fight for them. You just have to be the first 500 (or whatever the number is) to click 'buy' and check out with your virtual shopping cart. I remember quite a few Thanksgivings back where I didn't go home and spent the entire day getting ALL my shopping done online!

True, some retailers have wised up and have something things available only at stores, or only online. But the bottom line is, the 'deals' you find on Black Friday aren't as big of a deal as they used to be. Quite often, it's the same big 10 gifts that are popular, and all retailers, in some form or another, have a deal on it... so it comes down to which is the deal for you. Straight discount? Gift card to that store that is essentially a straight discount because you shop there all of the time? A buy one, get one, scenario?

*sigh*

I remember my sister and I getting up early to go to one of the outlet malls a few hours away to get some deals. We actually had fun doing that. Sure... half the stuff you buy ends up being for you... but it was still fun to do.

This year, Eric and I stayed up a little past midnight to catch some online deals, then we had a normal Friday morning. I eventually got online and bought a bunch of the Black Friday deals that were at a few of the stores... but I was buying things that I knew I wanted to get for people, and wasn't really tempted by any of the gimmicky stuff or that shiny thing on the end cap. In the afternoon, we went and picked up one of those deals in the store (they had it waiting for us at the counter), and proceed to wander to one of the malls. We didn't buy a thing while we were there. Which I'm still baffled by - very unlike me, because I love just abut every store in this particular mall. But we did scope something out and, literally, went home and bought it online with a better discount. And then I proceeded to do some more online shopping.

So is Black Friday even Black Friday anymore? A bunch of stores opened up at 6pm on Thanksgiving with Black Friday Doorbusters, even though it wasn't even Black Friday yet. A lot of retailer even claim in advertisements earlier in November that, "These Deals are better than Our Black Friday Deals." Traditions of family members going shopping together on Black Friday on going away, just because there's other options now. So how long before the term "Black Friday" actually goes away? Do retailers really have to wait until then before their annual sales hit the black anymore? Or do they really hit it now on Cyber Monday?

Oh, well. I guess that's for the masses to decide. I kind of like Small Business Saturday more now, anyway. Of course, when you have some of the cool local retailers like we have here, it helps. Funny thing is, that has been made popular by a corporate giant (American Express). But at least you can respect them for this move.

Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  And even though this year was the latest Thanksgiving could be, it seemed to come way too fast!  And more so, be gone even faster!

Since we celebrated a little early this year, we had a relatively small Thanksgiving with just Eric and I and his parents. And we actually had Thanksgiving DINNER... you know, at dinner time, not mid-day. Which I must say, made it quite nice, as there was no rush to get things done, and we could even sleep in and not worry about having a slow turkey.

Yes... we did still have a full turkey, with a 24+ hour brine and all. It's the only way to have a turkey. Shoot... probably something every meat would taste better by doing. But the Thanksgiving Turkey, especially, is way better when brined. We still had mashed potatoes and green beans, and stuffing and cranberry sauce (fresh!). So still a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Complete with apple pie for dessert, which I made for the first time in a few years. I've been having fun trying other desserts. But that doesn't mean I completely stayed on the tried and true route. I made a few tweaks. And no regrets there - turned out awesome! Dare I say, perfect?

It was also the first Thanksgiving for all four of us with no kids around in quite awhile. That, too, was a uniqueness to this years Thanksgiving. The kid to adult ratio seems to have grown every year Eric and I have been together, so to have just adults to sit around and chat with was quite different! But at the same time, the kids were all missed.

All in all, another nice Thanksgiving. Still crazy to think that Christmas is even closer than normal, now... lest than 4 weeks!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Blockbuster FAIL

I'm sure you've heard by now that Blockbuster, as a company, is going away, 100%. A company that much of my generation grew up with and, despite the change in formats, seemed like it would survive, as all other similar companies failed. I remember when I got MY first Blockbuster card... it was a big deal, for some reason... not sure why.

So where did they really go wrong? Their downfall obviously started awhile ago, since they filed for bankruptcy back in 2010. And I can tell you, it has been horrible customer service since then, on the DVD by mail front. You could tell Dish Network really didn't care about that part of the business. But I think anyone who watched the whole bankruptcy filing and buyout happen saw that coming.

So what then? Did they try to hang on to the DVD/Blue-Ray format too long? Were they too slow to change? Did they not have enough options? They claimed to have movies a full 4 weeks sooner than any other the other services (ie Netflix, Redbox). But if they can't actually get the movie out to you within those 4 weeks, what's the point? So was it bad customer service? Did they just focus on the wrong outlet for too long (DVD's/Blue-Rays vs. digital download)?

I think it was a combination of all the above, actually. I think they underestimated the popularity of people who wanted to just stream movies as TV/Gaming Systems and other devices became capable of doing that. And they were slow to jump on board, where as Netflix was all over it. Instead, they tried to compete with Redbox by putting kiosks as gas stations. And when they finally got on board with the streaming, a majority of devices were already right restricted by Netflix. In the meantime, they continued the hard format route by trying to allow people to interchange the store and mail experience, to 'make it easier with no fees'... but by getting rid of fees, they got rid of a revenue source. And hence, the downward spiral quickly escalated.

Pretty sad, actually. At one time, Blockbuster was on top of it all, squashing any other video store and making movie theatres nearly obsolete in the process, as more and more people would just wait for it to come out on video. And now, by the end of 2013, they will be no more. Just a memory for my generation to yammer on about to our grandkids.

Bye-Bye, Blockbuster.

That's What I Call a Storm

So leading up to this afternoon, all the meteorologists were warning of potential severe weather. I am of the opinion that for it to be 'severe weather;, I have to be too scared to go near a window. That's never happened here, yet. Shoot... I played in the tropical storm winds that came through Auburn, remnants of a hurricane that blew up through the gulf when I was in college. So it takes a lot for me to believe 'severe' weather is coming. I know it exists... but I also firmly believe that the meteorologist over dramatize stuff.

But today was interesting. Downtown wasn't too 'severe', so to speak. Nut it's not one I would've wanted to be stuck out in, a any way. At least for about 15 minutes of it. There were actually two bands that came through. The first was just a lot of rain. Then the sun came out. Then the next band came through, ad this one they were saying 'could get bad' with severe wind gusts and heavy rain. Well... that part was true. There was a couple of minuted where it was white out conditions because the rain was coming down so hard AND the wind was gusting (they said areas were getting up to 7-mph gusts). I know this because I was glues to the front window watching it. Then there was a blue flash, and pop, another bright flash, and a crash. There was so much going on, I wasn't sure what it was at first, and the wind was so loud, you weren't quite sure where the noise was even coming from.

Then I saw it. The tall tree that Eric and I have been saying needed to come down had, indeed, came down. And I have no idea how, for as big of a tree this was (at least 30'), it hit nothing. No cars, no buildings (directly, anyway)... it fell right down into the tree lawn. It took some shingles off of the condo building next to us and damage the gutters a bit, and bent up a outside stair railing... but that was it. As soon as the big gusts were done, all the neighbors were out looking at it in amazement. Wow. That's all we could say.  Wasn't just a limb, but it cracked near the base of the trunk and just fell.

One the storm fully subsided, Eric and I decided to drive around to see anything else that might have damage, specifically any building his CDC owns. He was lucky... none of Riley's properties were damaged. Not even an awning out of place, which were ripped off of a lot of other buildings. But then we heard of some buildings that were damaged. The first was one his CDC was looking at helping to restore... the brand new roof was ripped off of it. It blew up and off, all over the street it fronts. While there, we heard of another historic building down the street that completely collapsed in the storm. So we drove down a bit more and sure enough, completely crumbled. We went by another building that we knew of that was being renovated... it's roof had collapsed in on itself. And yet another down the road, where they were trying to save the historic facade... well, it fell over like a domino. These were brick building, mind you... not little wood sheds. That's how crazy the wind gusts were.

That was just the damage in the downtown area, and I'm sure we only saw a fraction. There were reports of tornadoes coming in from other parts of the state. A Starbucks just to the northwest had a car blown into it. Roofs were lifted off of buildings up in Kokomo. And who knows what other damage will become apparent tomorrow, when people head back to their places of business.

That was a hell of storm. I might even say the meteorologist were in the right to warn us so adamantly about these storms coming through. This time.

Advantage to Living Downtown

I don't talk much about living downtown, and some of the advantages of it. Of course, for just about every advantage, I can find a disadvantage. But that 's just me, probably. It's not to say that I don't like living downtown (I do), it's more the fact that I can see the positives of both downtown living and suburb living.

Case in point... Eric and I can decide to go to a game or event at the last minute, and it really doesn't make a big deal, as far as planning goes. Last night, for example, we decided to meet some friends out at the Pacers game and then go for some drinks afterwards. Not a big deal. Ordered some tickets, picked them up at will call on my way home from work, and then we just walked over to the game. We didn't have to worry about what time we were going to leave to have time to park and/or eat dinner. No worries about how much we could drink before going home (not that we drink a lot, anyway). Just throw on a coat, grab a house key, and go. It's really nice to not have to drive.

 Similarly, we went to the Colts game last week after we were given some tickets to us last minute. Hardly a blip from out normal plans. We just walked down to the game, watched Indy completely implode, and left a little early because it was just sad.

But it's not just sporting events (though they are the primary last minute decisions)... we can decide to go out to eat, and not think about where we can park close to the restaurant. Decide we want to visit a museum. Whatever. And, if we choose, we can pretty much walk to where ever downtown from out house. The only sticking point, usually, is the weather. But even then, at least for big events, we'll still choose to walk because parking is such a pain.

So I will say that is definitely an advantage to living downtown. We wouldn't go to half of the events we do if we lived in the suburbs - just too much of a hassle. Now if only I could make the trains go around the City instead of through it.

Family of a Soldier

Not really sure if I ever mentioned this before, but Kelly's husband, Kimber, is an Army Sergeant. He was assigned to a nearby base when they met, and that's how they are not living in Kentucky - he was reassigned to Ft. Knox.

He coming up on 20 years in the Army, but he obviously not out yet. That fact became clear when he found out he was going to do another tour overseas. Thankfully, this tour is focused on getting the troops out of Afghanistan. He will actually be stationed in Kuwait, with just day trips into Afghanistan. Still a realm of danger, but could be worse. Anyway... the actual deployment date was up in the air for awhile, but then he finally got his orders... and, unfortunately, he was shipping out before Thanksgiving.

Which brings us to this weekend. Since he will not be here for the holidays, it was decided that there would be a big family gathering to celebrate early and send him off with warm fuzzies of family memories. Kimber's parents were there, as were his brothers and their family, and then Eric and I headed down with his parents. We had the full holiday meal, turkey, ham, and all the fixin's. Lots of talking and just family hang time. It was just like a holiday should be.

Near the end of the day, he donned his dress uniform to take some pictures with the family. It was interesting listening to him explain all his medals and ribbons to the kids. I think that was the first time I saw him in any uniform of any kind - I just know him as Kimber, the brother-in-law. This is as close as I've been to someone in the military in a long time, when them being in the service could actually impact me and my family. Kind of humbling.

As we all started to head out, hugs were given, with lots of words of encouragement and support. He leaves the week after next, and it's only for nine months. Of course, I say that, but can only imagine how long that nine months will be for Kelly and the kids. All we can do is be there for her and the kids if she needs us. That is what family does, after all.

Will Power

Will Power. Some people have it. Some people don't.

Eric does not. I love him to death, but if there's junk food in the house, he'll find it. And he doesn't know how to stop once he starts. If I don't buy junk food, he'll go out and buy some and eat it. I kid you not, I feel like I need to hide stuff from him and give it to him as a reward for good behavior. Well, maybe not that bad... but I do need to only allow so much in his sight at one time. But that might just be his vice. We all have them

I think I have good will power when it comes to junk food. I can buy a bag of candy and it'll last a month or more. I'll see it in the pantry, but just don't care. My vice is more likely the computer. But even then, it's more of 'once I get on, I can't get off the internet' type of things. If I never get online, I don't feel the need to. Or maybe it's my lack of ability to not procrastinate...

A true test begins today and I start a bit of a cleanse. Eric said he'd do it with me, much to my surprise. But it's only 15 days, and only the first five days are really restricting. All you're really doing is jamming a lot of fruits and veggies into your body in the form of smoothies you make from fresh fruit/veggies, greek yogurt, protein powder, etc. I wouldn't do it if it didn't seem doable like some of the all liquid things out this. This one, you're just taking solid food and 'smoothifying' it. Yes... I just made that word up. I'm looking forward to it.

So we'll see how good my will power really is. And maybe I underestimate Eric's.

Trick or Treat?

Halloween 2013. Can't say it was a big one this year. No parties this year... though there wasn't one last year, either. But that's no big deal to me. It just causes me to stress about a costume. But I love getting trick-or-treaters! After living in Fishers for a decade, in a neighborhood full of kids, I started looking forward to handing out candy.

Then I moved downtown. The first year, the weather was decent enough that Eric and I sat outside and handed out candy from our porch. I think we had a total of 4 trick-or-treaters. The following year, it was just me, and it was colder, so I just turned the light on. I think I had maybe two that year. Last year, I got a group of kids near the end of the trick-or-treat hours... so maybe 6 kids. This year. One. One little girl dressed as a pirate in the first fifteen minutes. Granted, Eric made us leave a half-hour before it was officially done, and we saw a big group across the street as we left. But he had promised to stop by an open house.

I have to say, it's a total bummer from what I was used to. I'd go through about two bags of candy in Fishers. Is it because no one want to climb our stairs? No... I think it's just because we don't live in a 'family' neighborhood. Oh, well. I have hope. I see more strollers being pushed around... maybe they'll be old enough next year.

Blackhawks Game

Eric has talked about going to a Blackhawks game since we got married.  Actually, probably since before we got married!  He grew up a big Blackhawks fan, and they great success in the past few years has only increased his excitement.  The past two year, in particular, the season would start, and he'd say, "We should really go to a Blackhawks game this year."  But the season would progress and his travels kept him overly busy (or just gone).

I, myself, have never been to a true professional hockey game.  I've been to a minor league game, I guess, and an amateur/feeder league... but I heard that nothing compares to a professional hockey game, especially a home Blackhawks game.  Fane get loud and rowdy... but not in an obnoxious way.  Needless to say, I've been intrigued for a few years now.

So with them coming off of their Stanley Cup win last year, the anticipation was, once again, burning inside of at least me.  We watched pre-season hockey start up, and murmurs of going to a game again this year surfaced.  But this time, I decided to take control.  I jumped online and searched out some tickets, myself.  That would be the most perfect thing I could give Eric.  So, I surprised him with them.  And as much as he hates surprises, he liked this one.

So that was what we did last night.  I know... long story to lead up to the actual event. But I felt the back story was important.  It was a primetime game, which made it nice for us, as we didn't have to rush up to Chicago early in the morning.  So we mosey up to Chicago, and actually go to Ikea first.  Eric needed a few things for his office.  But it was a quick stop and then we headed to the hotel, where we had just enough time to check in and freshen up.

We rode the "Blackhawks Express' bus over there, which really turned out to be the way to go.  Pretty much drop you off and pick you up at the front door!  We get inside the United Center and dirst things first, I had to get a jersey!  Sounds weird, but jerseys at a hockey game are a must!  I kid you not, 90% of the people there have a jersey on... all ages!  Of course, it was crazy in there!  But I found an away (white) jersey I liked (Hossa) and we were on our way to our seats.

Now, due to their popularity, tickets aren't the easiest to come by for games.  And what you do find are usually through broker sites, and can get expensive!  but I felt pretty good about the deal I got on some first row, upper deck seats.  So we grabbed some Italian Beef sandwiches and took our seats, just in time for the pre-game stuff to begin.

First thing I noticed about getting loud... they get loud during the National Anthem!  It's a trip!  Not singing the Anthem, but the roar just starts to get going.  And it flows right into player introductions.  You can't help but get hyped up!  This game was against the Minnesota Wild, which is a decent team.  And they showed that.  But just as is the case with most sports, it is WAY better to see hockey live verses watching it on TV.  It's gotta be the atmosphere you're in.  I loved watching the game and getting into the scores and the power plays.  We were sitting next to a family, and I thought it was interesting that the mom was the one explaining everything to the kids.  Quite well, at that - she was definitely a fan.

So the game was a blast, obviously.  I definitely want to go again.  I could do this every year, just like we do Cubs games every year.  Unfortunately, the Blackhawks lost this one, 5-3.  Wish they could have won this first game for me.  But it doesn't detour me from wanting to go back.

That was pretty much the only reason we had to be in Chicago.  The next morning, we got up and found this French Bakery that Eric had read about, La Fournette .  It was REALLY good!  You could easily over indulge here, though... but worth the ride on the CTA to Old Town to check it out, even if the temp was right at freezing outside!  It actually made for a nice, relaxed morning.  Afterwards, we strolled back to the red line station, and headed back to the hotel to check out.  And that was it.  Our trip to Chicago was short and sweet.

Annual SEND Meeting

With Eric's new job, his past association with the Southeast Neighborhood Development Corporation (SEND) stay intact and may have even become more important for prospective partnerships, since they are a CDC, as well. So he stayed on their board, at least for as long as he could handle both. Not a bad thing - there's a lot of good connections there.

Tonight was their annual fundraiser event. We went last year, too - it's kind of fun to get dressed up a bit for a night out. I had to actually meet Eric there, as I had to be in northern Hamilton County until late afternoon at a site and barely made it home in time to change. But I did, and I made it just in time for the event to begin. Out table had a mix of people I knew and didn't know... Eric was trying to play both the role of board member and of Riley Director. So, needless to say, he was running all around. But I'm used to that.

This year was a big deal, though... 30 years for SEND! They had a fun slide show going showing some 'then and now' type pictures. Plus, the even was in the historic Fountain Square Theatre, which is such a beautiful venue!

The event itself, though, didn't seem to go as smoothly as last year. Or maybe it's just because I felt so rushed in the beginning. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood? But when the speakers spoke, most of the room continued with their own conversations and it was kind of loud. The food was good, though! Especially the red velvet cake we 'won' with our table donation. mmmMmmm LOVE red velvet cake.

Snow?

Since last week, the weatherman has been saying it might snow this week. The temps were right, and moisture content was forecasted to be there. They weren't saying a snow storm was hitting... but there was a really, really good chance we'd see flurries.

Really, guys? Already? It's only mid-October!

Well, it did snow a bit overnight. The ground was still way too warm for anything to stick, but cars had some accumulation... up in the north suburbs. So I saw no snow! (yay!) But, in all fairness, they were right... for those north of us. We did feel the cold temps, still (obviously), but all that did was reinforce the fact that fall is really here. No more pop-up Indian Summer was going to show it's face. Which is kind of a bummer.

I do like fall once I know there's no hope for anymore warm weather. It's nice to see the last burst of color before the world goes gray for three months (which is completely depressing!). And it is kind of nice to cozy up in a sweater... at least for the first few weeks. If fall/winter only lasted about one month, it would be perfect, as far as I'm concerned. Just enough to jump through the seasons. If spring started on January 1st, that would be fine with me!

That said, this video is of one of my favorite roads to drive in Indy, especially this time of year. But honestly, any time of year it seems to have a calming effect. There are a few roads like that, but this is one of the few I'm near on a regular basis. Enjoy the ride.

 



War of 1812

So there was a little football game in town last night. But don't say that around here... here in Indy, it was the game of the century. It was being called "The War of 1812" because it was Peyton Manning (#18) versus Andrew Luck (#12).

Did the hype expand out of this City? Can anyone tell me?

Can we say "Over Hyped", regardless if it did or not??

You would of have thought it was the coming of Jesus the way people were acting around here. It was stupid insane. And so not warranted. There was even controversy during the week leading up to it when Jim Irsay made some comments that basically was the equivalent of saying, 'he was happy that they let Peyton go since he wasn't needed at his level of play anymore.' Of course, Peyton being the classy guy he is, just let it go. At least publicly.

Over. Hyped.

Don't get me wrong. It actually turned out to be a good game. Any one of normalcy expected a pretty lopsided game in Denver's favor. But apparently, the hype seeped into the Colts players' blood and they came out pretty amped up. And won, surprisingly. Granted, the Broncos kind of beat themselves with some of the stupid mistakes. But regardless, it made for a better game that I thought it would be.

And I'm sure the greedy NFL ate it all up. I'm sure all the hype left them foaming at the mouth for more. Maybe they'll make everyone buy a cheap windbreaker next year, and not let you wear your own jacket to the stadium. I'm sure they'll figure out another way to make fans spend more money.

And Just Like That, It's Done

So my title is a bit of a teaser. You're probably thinking I'm going to write a blog about the end of the government shutdown. Yes... it has come to an end. And somehow, it cost us a lot of money to end. How did having the government closed cost more money than if it stayed open? And it was even less impactful, since they plan on giving all the furloughed employees their back pay - which is a good thing, don't get me wrong. But I know I'm scratching my head trying to figure out what the point really was, other that to thoroughly piss off the American People. Which I must admit, mission accomplished.

I go back to my previous blog... lesson learned - vote every single senator and congressman out of office at the end of their term. I don't care how long they've been in office. Obviously, it's been too long to have something like this drag out.

No... what my blog is really about it the end of our I-65/I-70 South Split road construction! Can you believe that was the top story on our newspaper's website?? Not the government 're-opening' and coming to terms... but about the fact that trucks can drive through downtown again. And I, for one, couldn't be happier! It opened two weeks early!! No more trucks throwing on their engine brakes and they go through my quiet little residential area at 1am. No more lines of traffic out my front door. No more complete lack of preparation from INDOT on a project they already had practice on when they 'fixed it' the first time.

As I sit here tonight, in the normal quietness I've become used to (granted, still not as quiet as the suburbs), it's a nice quiet to listen to. If nothing else, the construction project made me appreciate what silence I do get downtown. Also, next time they plan on shutting the interstate down near my home, you can guarantee I'll be at any public hearing, making sure I see their FULL maintenance of traffic plan.

Pumpkin Spice

Is it just me, or is pumpkin spice flavored EVERYTHING overly abundant this year? Was there an explosion of pumpkin farms in recent years. Or did they come up with the perfect pumpkin spice flavoring in a lab somewhere in the past year?

Seriously. I don't really get it. But I've seen it EVERYWHERE already, and in EVERYTHING!

It starts every fall at Starbucks. Maybe they're the cause of this chaos? They hype up the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte every year, and the past few years it has seemed to be even more hyped. I think last year they even had a contest for certain cities to have it released there early. The 'big release' came as it usually does this year. But then, shortly after, I stared seeing it in everything. Dunkin Donuts does a donut every year, too... no biggy. But Panera has a bagel, too. And I saw a Pumpkin flavored yogurt at one of those self-serve yogurt shops.

Go to the grocery store and it gets crazier!! Pumpkin Spice flavored English muffins, breads, coffee creamers, coffee syrups, Hershey Kisses, M&M's, cookie dough... the list goes on! And then you get out of the food realm and into the scent realm.. how many things can you make smell like pumpkin?!?

Thankfully, I like pumpkin flavored (and scented) stuff. But this overload might kill it for even me! I do believe there is too much of something good. And what does this lead to next? An overload of peppermint at Christmastime? Let's not kill all of the good flavors and scents out there.

Government Shut Down

Wow.  So our government is shut down now. What exactly is this going to accomplish?

I say nothing. Sure, there will be some debates and eventually it'll re-open. Well, I guess it is just a partial. But then, how much of our government really works anymore, anyway? The part they 'shut down' is solely the part that affects the public. Like websites. For work, I often have to pull up soils maps, something that hasn't changed in CENTURIES! Yet, on Day 2 of the shutdown, when I went to the website, it was down. And right on the page, it said it was because of the shutdown. All because the is a division of the USDA, I couldn't go to the GIS map and find soil types.

The other big component of this shut down? US Parks and Monuments. Again, only affecting the public. I get not being able to go inside something and tour it, but I can't walk up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial? Really??

Now I'm not going to point my finger at one party or another... I still say the whole party system us broke, but no one is will to give up their cush job to do anything about it. It needs to be 100% revamped because these damn politicians no longer know how to be there for the people... they're just puppets for their party. I really despise what our political system has become.  All parties are to blame for this one.

Maybe these politicians will have accomplished something. Maybe they will wake the people of this nation up with this charade and maybe the people will vote out every single congressman and senator at the end of their current terms. Every one of them should be taken out of office after this. Because none of what this shutdown is doing is for the people. It's just the two main parties, of what we call a democracy, too full of themselves to work together on anything that will be good for the people.

The damn system is broke, people. Am I really the only one that sees this so clearly?

Paw Paws

So here's a question for you... do you know what a Paw Paw is?

I found out what a Paw Paw is last night, when Eric and I had dinner out at a local restaurant. It was a noshing kind of dinner with a couple of small plates, and then for dessert, we got homemade blueberry waffles with fresh Paw Paw. We ordered it, with no idea what Paw Paw was, and didn't even think twice about it until after we ordered it. Then we looked at each other and wondered, what is Fresh Paw Paw? Is it like a compote? Some sort of fruit hash?

Google to the rescue! Turns out, a Paw Paw is a fruit all on its own! Ever hear of it? It actually a native TROPICAL fruit of North America. Go figure! And it's not native to the tropic region, like you'd expect, but actually native to the eastern US, even up into Michigan! It has a very short fruit bearing season (like, NOW for only about 3-4 weeks), but the fruit it produces is quite tasty! I don't want to just write what everyone else writes about it... but it's hard not to describe it the same way. It's sweet, smooth taste similar to a mango and banana mixed together. Unique, yet familiar.

So anyway... I will likely stalk the stores and farmers markets for Paw Paws over the next couple of weeks. And I told Eric, in all seriousness, I want to get these in our backyard. We'd have to get two trees for pollination, but they're not huge trees. We'll probably have to wait until after the garage is built, though... don't want to shock them with construction! But if we could grow these in our backyard and just have them whenever we want in those few weeks, that would rock!

Arrival of Autumn

Autumn finally arrives today... and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that.

I say that because, quite frankly, after fall comes winter and I KNOW I'm not ready for that. I could skip winter all together this year. Don't need 'the season' and don't want the cold.

Besides that, we didn't have much of a summer! It was so mild until August, and even then, we only had about a week of a real summer!

So what will this Fall really bring? A lot of the trees started dropping leaves because we had such a long dry spell, so I'm guessing the colors won't be that great this year. I, personally, don't tie fall to football, other than dates - I don't feel a need to 'bundle up' to watch a football game. And the drop in temperatures? Well, we never really had a hot summer, so that gets negated.

I guess I do like wearing my sweaters and boots. But my office is so cold in the summer, that I've been wearing some of my lighter sweaters for awhile now. And wearing my boots means I put my sandals away, and that actually kid of bums me out.

So I'm just having a hard time about getting excited about the change of seasons this year. I just see nothing positive ahead... maybe Christmas. But I'd much rather just keep my warm temperatures around a little longer. Must be the FL girl in me just trying to get out.

Football - Yay?

Last year was an absolutely horrible football season for me, both in college and pro. So bad, in fact, that I stopped watching both in October. Sad, I know. Makes me seem like a very unloyal fan. That wasn't the case in my heart - I still loved both teams dearly... but watching two teams just play so horribly was killing me. I had nothing to look forward to.

This year, as football season approached, I've been cautiously optimistic. On the college side, Auburn was coming in with a new coach, and therefore, a whole new look. Not too many people were talking about Auburn, which was making us an all around underdog. And I was okay with that. On the pro side, however, I wasn't ready to even be cautiously optimistic with my outlook on the Jaguars. Rather, I was ready to brace for another miserable season that was, dare I say, going to be even worse than last year? Was that possible?? Not much had changed and they still refused to admit that they needed a NEW quarterback. They could change around all the other positions as much as they wanted, but at the end of the day, if you don't have a guy that can't get the ball down the field, then it doesn't go anywhere.

So here we are, a few weeks in on both teams. I'm thrilled to say, Auburn is 3-0 and even have their first SEC win after yesterday's win over Mississippi State! We are already off to a much better start than last year, as we only has 3 wins all year, and had NO wins in the SEC! I don't see championship material on the field yet, but I don't feel like I need to hide my Auburn Pride, either. Unfortunately, my Jags are already 0-2, just as I feared would happen. Are they just trying to get the first pick for next year - are there some good quarterbacks going into the draft this year? I have to say, I'm almost glad that I don't get the Jag's games on TV up here, unless they're playing the Colts. But really... just give me a couple of wins... GOOD wins, not just lucky wins.

*sigh*

At least I have Saturdays.

Colts Game

Strangely enough, I think Eric's new job in the non-profit world is bringing us more opportunities for 'meet and greets' than he ever had in the development world. A lot of it might just because people want an opportunity to meet him, and with as busy as calendar get these days, sporting events, or the like, are the best way. I'm not one to argue... so long as I get to go, too. Kidding.

So today we got to go to the Miami and Colts game. In the suites. It was kind of cool. Well, more than kind of, I guess. I have to admit, it's nice to not have to go far for food and drink... and get it for free. Yes... I know someone paid for it. But it wasn't me. Now I'm just sounding like a D-Bag... or at a minimum, spoiled.

Anyway, it was a perfect day, weather wise. So perfect, that they even opened the roof! They paid so much for that damn thing, yet they rarely open it for games. Other team battle it out in an open stadium in the dead of winter, no problem. But if it's not a perfect 72 degrees in Indy, it stays closed. So sad. But it was open today, so we got to enjoy not only a football game, but the weather, too!

My goal was to enjoy and make the most of this game. It might be my only Colts game this year. We normally go to the Jags game here, but for some reason, they switched it up this year and played the first of the two division game down in Jacksonville instead of Indy, like it has been for as long as I can remember. So the jaguars don't come to Indy until the weekend after Christmas. And I may not even be in town then. Bummer for me. So I definitely wanted this to be a fun time. At least it was still a FL team!

So the game itself was actually quite good! Where did this Dolphin team come from?? They made some great off-season decisions, apparently. Either that, or the Colts severely underestimated their talent this year! I have to say, I was kind of cheering for the Dolphins - they just looked better today! Of course, I didn't cheer out loud. It was just kind of nice to see the Colts nation humbled. Which, yes, means they lost. It was a close game, though... and I'm sure there were some lessons taken away from this game. But there will be no perfect season for the Colts this year.

Facebook Rant

Every so often, I just get absolutely frustrated with FaceBook. I just don't think it's functioning the way it was originally meant to be used.

I get that things evolve and become what people supposedly want... but do people really was to have other political agendas forced on them? Do people really want to know what someone else is having for dinner? Do people really want to know what what Bobby Jr. is doing every minute of every day... especially if it's not a kid of a close friend or family member?

I really think the answer is 'no' to all this... and more. What even more sad is how much advertising is done through FaceBook now. Not just what you see as an actual ad, but all the companies that only allow contest entries through Facebook, or sample requests, or coupons. Even worse? All the other websites that let you (or force you to) register and logon using your FaceBook account. All they're doing is tracking you and you're interests. Yet, even though I think a lot of people get that, they still use the function. Because it's easy. I really don't think it's a good idea to tie everything you do back to one single account.

More and more often, I find myself considering leaving FaceBook. But then I realize that I almost can't, because of all the other things that require you to have a FaceBook account. Complete BS. But I'm so sick of seeing people post all this crap I don't care about on Facebook. Or just stuff I don't want to see. So instead, I'm finding myself on the site less and less. I use it for what what it is now... and engine to run other things.

FaceBook... you used to be fun. Now you're just farce.

A Little Construction Project

So, this pictures depicts my front yard for the next two months.

Okay, so it was actually a little worse last week... this would've been all semis instead of cars in gridlock last week. They've since directed the semis to 'the shortest route' through, which doesn't include Fletcher Ave. in front of my house. But last week it sounded like I lived at a truck stop!! There were trucks going through 24/7!

So what the hell am I talking about? The I-65/I-70 connector through downtown is CLOSED for reconstruction of a few areas. Specifically, it's through the south split, where trucks kept hitting bridges (they somehow were only about 13' in clearance). So INDOT, in all their wise glory, thought all this semis would follow the detour around on I-465, because all truckers follow signage like that, especially when their in a time crunch. Yeah, right. Because who completely closes an interstate, right?

So how did this happen - why were trucks 'suddenly' hitting these bridges so often? Yes, it is more than one, though there's one in particular that appear to have been hit far more than others... Well, I don't think it was 'all of the sudden' that this was happening. INDOT just happened to put a camera on one of the bridges after one of the big hits that closed a good portion of north bound lands to repair the bridge. Then they saw how many trucks hit it that DIDN'T cause closure. Lots of sparks and debris was flying, though! Check out this video...



Anyway... they closed down the interstate last week. They're going to lower the road through this section where there were problems. And last week was actually quite a bit worst than this week in my front yard. But now, at least, it's mostly cars. Not that I'm happy with that additional traffic, either, but most of them are, at least, locals. I actually saw one trucker lean out his window and ask for directions from the car stopped next to him last week. Not what I want to see.

Back to these low bridges... it is completely my opinion (though I think some other agree) that INDOT actually f'ed up when they did the FULL connector reconstruction about 8 years ago... I'm talking full depth reconstruction - it was closed for like 90 days or something. I didn't work or live downtown yet, so it really didn't affect me AT ALL. But I don't think they paid enough attention to clearances, as they were more concerned with drainage and the pavement themselves. So while it may not have started immediately, trucks have probably been hitting some of these bridges for years! But that's just my opinion.

So this lovely construction zone just blocks from my home will be around for the next two months, including the detour through my front yard. I can only hope the weather holds out and they get done early, because quite frankly, it sucks!

An Evening with Penrod

One of the biggest and best art fairs in the area (and I think the nation) is called Penrod, and it's always the weekend after Labor Day. At least is has been since I've known about it. It's held on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, so I think it even still grows a little bit each year.

This year they 'expanded' by have an event the night before, called 'An Evening with Penrod' to give a 'preview' of Penrod for the next day. I guess they were calling it a preview since only 150 of the artist were set up. But they were set up to sell! The event, itself, was a 21 and up event with food being served (small plate style) by a lot of the real nice area restaurants (one place was serving up oysters) and free beer and wine. They had a band playing and it was, in general, just a nice evening out (though it started a little muggy). Part of the ticked price included admission to the fair the next day (today).

So Eric and I used the evening as our 'date night' for the week. We showed up fashionably late (after the crowds had entered and there was no wait) and came right into the food area. We grabbed a few different small plates, which were some amazing little samplers these restaurants had worked up. Finally, after grabbing a couple of drinks for ourselves, we wandered through the artists' tents. As always, there were some cool pieces. I'm always drawn into the various photography, which so many artists now print on canvas. There's always a few painters that draw me it, too... depends on the subject or method, though, on how well it keeps my interests. The jewelry is always fun the look at and you always have those few unique artists that just draw a crowd because of the unique aspect of their art.

it was quite a fun evening and, yes, we did buy something. I think we've bought something every time we've gone to Penrod together, even if it's something small. Not because we feel obligated... but just because we always find something. Since we did out art buying last night, we gave our tickets to Eric's parents to use today. They were wanting to go, so it worked out well. We'll probably do the preview night again next year... there's not as much of a crowd and the atmosphere is just more relaxed. Makes a good date night, too.

Just a Peach

So the rest of Labor Day Weekend... I did promise you more, and I will not disappoint.

Eric and I hope on a plan on Sunday morning to head to Georgia. The intent was to see Darian playing in a soccer tournament, the Publix Atlanta Cup, near my old stomping grounds, interestingly enough. I was kind of excited to see the old homestead, actually... it's been since 2001! Unfortunately, her team was out of the tournament by the time we landed. But that just meant more time for us to do things we wanted instead of hanging out at a soccer field. So to start, Eric and I made a side trip on the way to the north side with a stop to Ikea. Eric wanted to look at a few things for his office, and we were both kind of hungry. I swear, Ikea's Swedish meatballs are addicting. Atlanta has, by far, the most urban Ikea I've seen, right in Midtown. And Midtown has changed quite a bit since I lived in Atlanta... yay for them!

After Ikea, we finally got on 400, just in time for a massive downpour. I'm talking a all lanes of traffic stop type of downpour! I was driving at this point, which I'm kind of glad. I may not have live there for awhile, but I was comfortable dealing with Atlantan drivers in the rain. But the rain was just downtown, and as we drove north to Roswell, it was dry. The hotel we were staying at (the same as where the Pitts were) was just across 400 from my old office (before they moved us to Midtown). Somehow, though, I forgot how much topography was in this area. I guess Atlanta is the third highest (in elevation) large city in the US... duh! Eric and I checked in, and then found the Pitts' room. They were all being lazy at this point, not that I could blame them with the early morning they had. So after some motivation, I convinced them to go for a hike in one of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Areas nearby.

Well, it ended up being two of the CRA's nearby - the first one didn't give me the experience I wanted. The second one did, though... should've went there, first, and done more of the trails. Regardless, it was a good time. The Canadian Geese have taken over the Atlanta waterways much the same way they're all over Indy. (Why can't we hunt/kill these things again?) But we also saw some herons out in the Hooch. It was a nice time.

After working up a hunger, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then go get some food. I stumbled across a local pizza place through one of my apps that was in 'downtown' historic Roswell, called Diesel Pizza. We really didn't know what to expect, but found the area t have quite a few restaurants and was slammed, as far as parking goes. So we finally found a place to park and walked to the restaurant. It's wasn't slammed, but we did have to wait a few minutes to get table big enough for us. It was really good! Eric and I both walked away talking about it. Definitely a good 'go to' if you're in the area!

That pretty much wrapped up the day for all of us. Since even Eric and I were up early for our flight, the long day was hitting us all. So we just planned on meeting for breakfast in the morning (at the hotel) before heading our separate ways.

We tried to make the next morning as early as we could, without killing ourselves to get us and moving. After we had a nice breakfast, we said our goodbyes, and went back to the room to finish packing up. It didn't take long, and then we headed out. Eric and I planned on detouring through the GA mountains rather than jumping on the interstate - kind of the main reason for us driving home instead of flying... might as well make a memory than hang out at the airport! So after a quick stop at Publix to grab some snacks (including some fresh GA peaches), we headed north on 400 until it was just 19 and you felt as if you were truly in the foothills. I had done a little research on a good place to do a little hike, and navigated us to the edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest and the beginning of the Appalachian Trail, just north of Dawsonville. While it was raining on us for the first part of the trip, we came out of it as we headed north, which it was I was hoping so we could hike.

After about an hour or so of driving, we reached our destination... Amicalola Falls State Park. I saw some good comments on it and it looked like it had short enough trails that we could easily enjoy the falls without putting us way behind schedule. And while this isn't the true trailhead for the Appalachian Trail, you could start at the falls and follow the marked trail to the true beginning of the AT. I've done enough hikes in the Appalachians that I've been on parts of the trail as it weaves through the mountains, but Eric hasn't. But now he kind of has.

But back to the falls. These were, by far, some of the most beautiful falls I've seen, at least in this area. And they've set up trails and boardwalks so you can really see and enjoy them. Sure... it takes a bit away from the pureness, but I think they did a good job keeping that intact as much as they could. The falls are quite tall, if you look all the way from top to bottom - the main viewing platform is a little higher than the bottom of the falls. It kind of made me wish we could stay a little longer and hike some more of the trail along the lower portion. but it got Eric and I talking about maybe doing more driving for our trips and making detours like this, so we'll see.

We jumped back in the car and got back on the road. Kind of. On our way in, we saw Burt's Pumpkin Farm, already full of huge pumpkins for the fall! You couldn't help but see the sea of bright orange as you drove by. And judging by the size of the parking lot, this place probably gets slammed in the fall by Atlantans! It looked like it would be cool to see up close, maybe snap a few pictures. Some of these pumpkins were huge! But even more cool was all the varieties he had. He even had the Blue Moon pumpkins, which I just recently learned about... they're actually a light blue! Had to buy a small one of those. Grabbed a butternut squash, too... why not? They were $2! But now we really had to get on the road.

We stayed on backroads all the way into Tennessee, bypassing Chattanooga. Not long after we got on I-75, we kind of realized that the snacks weren't going to cut it, as far as food goes. So we found a place to stop, went to Home Depot (yes... even in TN, Eric thinks about home improvement), gassed up, and had some chicken fingers at Zaxby's. But then it was back on the road, for real. We planned on staying on I-75 to Cincinnati, and then a straight shot to Indy on I-74. Which meant driving through mostly mountains in Tennessee and Kentucky. And we were making great time until the middle of KY, when we hit quite a back-up coming out of the mountains from an accident... after crawling for about 5 miles, it broke loose - the accident was already cleared up. But that was it. It was quite an easy drive for the rest of the trip! We made it home just in time to return the rental car, and just like that, the Labor Day weekend was over. Now to plan the next trip!