So I just have a few things that have been bouncing around in my head that I want to throw out there. I'll try not to ramble on about any one thing too long (because that would mean it needed its own blog), but I just wanted to get stuff out.
First off, my hair. Some of you may know that I recently made a 'discovery' that my hair is no longer straight. I think it's been gradually happening over the last few years (I blame the water in downtown Indianapolis), but I finally gave up and during my last hair appointment, I stated as such, and asked for help. 
I knew that my hair was now giving way to a natural wave/curl, and I just didn't know how to work with that. At all. So I asked her to show me what to do. And she did, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it could be. Of course, this was before I actually attempted it. Ever notice how you can never get your hair to look the same way a stylist does?? Anyway... it's been two weeks now, and I'm still going with the more natural wave/curl look that I know have. It's way easier than trying to straighten it (or assume it's going to dry straight and then get a funny wave to it that just looks weird). Eric calls it 'crazy hair' because he's not used to it. But he's not the one trying to deal with it. I'm still getting used to it to, but it's a lot easier to work with now!
Second thing... I know it's World Cup time... but when did so much of the nation jump on the soccer bandwagon?? I mean, seriously?!! Here in Indy, they're shutting down a street and putting up a huge screen to watch the game tomorrow. And it's in the middle of the day - are people taking off work to watch it, too? Don't get me wrong - I get it. Soccer is the world's sport, and, in general, it's becoming more popular in the US. But it seems like, overnight, everyone has decided they're a soccer fan. Initially, I thought it was just Indy since they've been hyping our new team... but then I started seeing all the posts online and the fact that Google is even on the bandwagon... wow. That's all I can say... wow.
Finally, just a simple statement. I hate waiting. That is all.
Wow. I'm almost speechless. Almost.
Today, Indiana started to allow same-sex marriage. But, sadly, this wasn't by choice. Apparently, the quickest way to make same-sex marriage legal is to try to constitutionally ban it in your state. Then it gets ruled by the federal government as 'unconstitutional' and you have to then allow it. That's how Indiana got there, at least.
But I have to say I was quite happy to see all the local county clerks jump on board with actually issuing marriage licenses as soon as the ruling came across the wire. And even conducting ceremonies. They didn't hide behind the state government, that was quick to say it was going to appeal. They just started doing what was right all along. It surprised me, honestly, to see them so quickly jump on board with that - so much of Indiana has a habit of hiding behind the state government when it comes to stuff like this. I know in Marion County (which is where Indianapolis is), the clerk even pledge to stay open late to accommodate the line that was out the door for marriage licenses. Good for her!
Hard to believe that Indiana is still just part of a handful of states that it is allowed in (for the moment), still... you would think that after the umpteenth time the federal courts overruled a state ban that all the other states would just allow it at this point. And just let 'same-sex marriage' become 'marriage' everywhere - no need to distinguish it differently.
So thank you, Indiana, for not embarrassing me with your politics, for once. Not to say you won't again sometime soon, possibly even on this subject still. But for the moment, thank you.
Those who know me know that I'm a big Dave Matthews Band fan. I've been going to concerts for nearly 20 years, and since I've been in Indiana, I've gone to both shows on most years he comes through town. Because the shows are never the same, after all... but then a married a non-DMB fan. He's been a good sport and gone to both shows with me the past few years. So this year, I compromised and only got tickets to one show... just last night's show. Which was very difficult for me to do.
This year's tour is a unique one, in that there was no opening act and instead, DMB opened with an acoustic set, then took an intermission and came back with the full plugged in set. I was pretty excited to have the variety in play and I was not disappointed. There were a lot of songs played, and a lot of songs that don't get played often (though I still haven't heard our wedding song, 'Steady As We Go', played live). There was a killer version of 'Halloween' played!. But, as usual, it was very apparent that they love playing this venue - they get a lot of love from fans here. They even commented to that fact. 
Even though the venue is not one of the better ones for sound quality (which is why you probably have no Live Trax from here, despite having two shows here, every year since I can remember).
So next year, I told Eric I'd compromise again, only this time, I'd compromise by going to a different venue. As I said, I just want to see Dave live... I don't care where. And I know there's a lot better venues out there then Deer Creek. So... next year... we'll see where we go.
Everyday live 6/21/14
So... another thing I preluded to in a previous post... the bikeshare program we have in Indy. It's been officially dubbed as the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare locally, but the parent company is called B-Cycle. Which I was surprised to find had locations all over the US. All of which we can use our Indy membership with.
So for those who have no idea what a bikeshare is, it's actually quite simple. You can pay by the day or by the year (or, in come cities, by the week or month is also an option). The membership fee includes rides up to a half-hour at a time before you need to either dock it, or get charged an additional fee for the next half-hour. The rates are really reasonable, too, and if you live in an area with them, it's worth it. Eric and I have our own bikes, but still chose to join.
So why, if Eric and I have our own bike, do we use a bikeshare? There's advantages. First off, the cruiser style bike is easier to ride in the urban landscape. Secondly, we don't have to worry about locking up our own bikes at our destination. We just un-dock at one station near our house (or wherever), and re-dock it at a station near of destination. And finally, we don't maintain these bikes, which also means less maintenance on our own bikes.
Eric likes to use his membership to get to/from meetings since he works downtown and most of his meeting are downtown. He doesn't typically go to meetings that require a tie, so it's easy. I'm a more leisurely user, mainly on the weekends when we want to go grab something to eat. It's just so easy! There's even baskets on the bikes that allow for you to haul some small stuff, like a small grocery bag, or books, etc. Again, just easy!
This was not our first encounter with a bikeshare. Chicago has had a few forms of a bikeshare now. Ours is like a sixth generation version of a bikeshare... and I think they finally have it figured out. So if you're ever in a city that has any form of a bikeshare, don't be afraid to check it out... it's not just for locals, nor is it just for the tourists. It's for whoever wants to ride.
So there was a prelude in my last blog about the wedding I was in Texas for. Well, that's this blog, now.
Chris Coons... one of my first friends made when I moved to Indiana, and one of my dearest friends because of some things we lent each other's shoulder to lean on for. I could always talk to him about anything, and we did talk about everything. In fact, I remember him telling me about Karin (his beautiful bride), 
and how he thought he lost his chance with her because he had blinders on. I told him to go tell her that... and ask for a second chance. I remember getting his giddy text about how he did talk to her, and how she was giving him another chance. And the rest is now history.
I was so excited to hear of his proposal and have the follow-up wedding invitation. If anyone deserved this type of happiness, it was him. Getting to go to Texas for the wedding was just a bonus!
The wedding hotel was a block from the venue, Brazo's Hall, making it easy for a girl in heels to get there. And the wedding and reception we all in the same place (bonus!). I actually didn't know to many of the other guests - Eric and I were some of the few from Indiana, aside from his family. Other had once lived in Indiana and/or went to school with him at Purdue... but most of the wedding guests were from right there in Texas, where Karin was from and a conglomeration of all the new friends he had made. But of course, the wedding wasn't about who I knew, it was he and his bride that were the focus.
They kept the ceremony nice and light, including the bridesmaids high-fiving him as they took their places, and the officiant even had a bit of a comedy routine since he knew the couple personally. There were actually quite a few laughs throughout the ceremony. It was very Texas, too, as the bridesmaids all wore cowboy(girl) boots. But it was still simple and while they took pictures, we went up to the roofdeck for a few cocktails.
The reception was back downstairs and it was nice to have room to spare in the hall... which means they had a nice sized guest list. After the buffet dinner, they went about much of the traditional things in a wedding reception... first dance, cake cutting, etc. 
The venue was one of those cool, rehab'd factory/warehouse places, which makes for cool backdrops, but sucky lighting for pictures. I kept having to make adjustments and then even more as I edit photos. But that's what photo editing software is for!
So, all in all, it was a wonderful wedding for a wonderful couple. Karin is just the sweetest girl and absolutely perfect for Chris, from what I can tell. They compliment each other in every way and I couldn't be happier for him. For them. I think he knew his soulmate was in Texas when he moved there... I know his heart has been in Texas for as long as I've known him. It always nice to see something work out so perfectly for someone, especially after seeing them go through so much in their life that wasn't the best. But as I always believe, things happen for a reason and you always end up where you're supposed to be... it's just a matter of which road you take to get there.
So, I've done my fair share of traveling. But in all that time, I've never made it to Texas... except for a brief layover in Houston one time. But I never left the airport, so that doesn't count. But this past weekend, I finally made it to the state.
Now, the reason I was there was for a wedding - that's for another blog. If for no other reason than it'll get too long if I include it all in one... but more so because there's lots to say about the trip/travel through Texas, itself.
It all started in Houston, which is where we flew in and out of. Houston was your pretty standard large city, except that it was really hot and humid for a June day. We had some time to spare before we really needed to head out, so we did some exploring before getting on the road to head to Austin. Eric had a couple of places he wanted to scope out for work reasons, as he always does. But since we had the time, no big deal. But from what I could tell, while there were hints of what you commonly think of when you think of Texas, it was more big urban city than anything else.
When we finally head to Austin, we jump on I-10, and the urban sprawl that was Houston quickly diminished to ranches and not much else. Just large, expansive, dry land. Not dry as in desert, but dry as in it doesn't see much rain. And it got even more expansive when we got off the interstate (Unless you want to go out of your way through San Antonio, there's no direct link between Austin and Houston via interstate). it was crazy to drive for over two hours without seeing so much as a gas station, let alone a real town. Which is why we made a stop when we did see one... because we just didn't know! Of course, not long after that stop we did come to an actual, apparent town, Bastrop. But we didn't stop again (though there will be more in Bastrop later).
We finally get into downtown Austin, right at check-in time at our hotel. So we checked in and then decided to explore a little. We scoped out a few areas to walk to, and started our little jaunt. We didn't get far before we saw a bikeshare station, and I noted it was the same brand as the one in Indy ('B-Cycle' - this, too, will likely be another blog on it's own sometime). That's when Eric told me he thought we could use our membership here (and others of the same brand). So we gave it a shot, and sure enough, we had bikes at our disposal. Well, this should make exploring a little more fun! So we checked out the map and, sure enough, there was another station near where we wanted to go.
So our first spot to check out was a little area recommended by my old boss, who was just in Austin about a month earlier. He couldn't remember what it was called, but we quickly learned it was known as 'Rainey Street' and it was just as cool of an area as he described. And it must have had quite the appeal because they were, literally, wrapping up the filming of a move there, as we saw them packing up trucks with Universal Studios branded on the door. For the most part, Rainey St. is little cottage type homes tucked between the interstate, the convention center, a creek, and the Colorado River, that have been converted (for the most part) to little restaurants and/or bars. And there's a permanent food truck area with a stage at the south end of it. There's live music in the evenings, and that was just starting to get underway. 
We found an actual 'new build' bar that appealed to Eric called 'The Container Bar' because it was built from... yup, shipping containers. It was actually pretty damn cool. So we grabbed a drink and explored the individual 'rooms/containers' throughout the bar.
After we finished out drink, we got back on a bike and headed towards the river, where there was a trail along the waterfront. There was a bit of a buffer of trees/brush between us and the river, but we weren't anywhere near a road, as it was actually below the road, elevation wise. So we road along it until we thought we were near the City Hall, where we jumped back to the surface streets and found another station to park the bikes. Then we walked through the 2nd Street District, which I guess is their revived downtown shopping district. There were some cool shops through here... but we were just window shopping.
At this point, we were getting hungry. We started to head to a dive burger joint that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives some time ago, but quickly learned it was located in the heart of the festivities of the Austin Bike Rally that was going on. No bueno. So we skipped out and ended up at the extreme opposite end of the dining experience, The Capital Grille. We justified it by saying it was our anniversary dinner... so, it was good.
Saturday we woke up and decided to do some exploring by car. Again, Eric had his list of places to check out for work research, so we had to head out of downtown to do that. Again, we had the time, so why not. We actually found a pretty cool shared maker space, which, if you don't know what that is, you're not alone. Picture a workshop that has every machine available for your use, from 3-D printers, to industrial sewing machines, to waterjet cutting machine. And you pay a monthly membership fee (like a gym) to have access to all of it. Pretty neat idea if you're a start-up company. 
Anyway... after we were done with that exploration, we found a new In-n-Out Burger that had just opened and decided to grab lunch there. It was good... though not sure why it gets hyped so much. It's still just a burger.
We got back to the hotel and still had some time to spare before we had to get ready for the wedding. So we hopped back on some bikes and rode up to the State Capital Building, We had driven past it earlier, and it was really a pretty building, not to mention the campus around it. And, to our surprise, not only was the campus open, but so was the building, itself. 
It was as beautiful inside as it was outside, and the detail was amazing! Worth the bike ride up there.
Finally, it was time for the wedding. The details will be in the next blog, but we'll just leave it at the fact that it was a beautiful evening.
Sunday morning, we slept in a bit before packing up to head out. We had to drive back to Houston, but again, we had a lot of time to spare. We thought about doing brunch in Austin, but thought it was best to get on the road. We decided the one town we passed through on Friday, Bastrop, would be a good stop for brunch and found a place online that had good reviews. It was called Maxine's on Main and it was SO good! 
Their griddle cakes hung over the edges of the plat, and I don't know what the batter recipe was, but it was perfect! Definitely filled out tummies for the rest of the trip.
Which, since we had until nearly 6pm before we had to be at the airport, we decided to drive past Houston and explore Galveston a bit. Now, I have to be honest... we got there, and were a little disappointed. We've bother been spoiled with FL beaches, and, naturally, we went all the way to the beached because we figured that's where it was nice. It is NOT nice. The road is literally on a seawall that was built in the early 1900's and there's not much beach along the wall. The other side of the road was pretty nasty looking commercial developments. So as we turned back at the northern tip of the island, we noticed the cruise ship port, and decided to check out that side of the island. 
As we cut across the island, that is when we discovered the nice part of Galveston... a lot of historic, 'Coastal Colonial' style (is that a thing??) houses, and even a little downtown shopping district. it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, at this point, we didn't have time to look around too much.
So back to Houston it was, to catch our flight. It was really the first time for both of us to really explore any of Texas. And even though we only got to see a little piece of it, I can understand the appeal. Houston it that big city with everything you need. Austin is that smaller city with a cool vibe about it, making it the trendy place for the younger professionals. And if you just want land and a big truck, well, that's everywhere in between. I'd go back. But maybe when it's a little cooler.
I knew that my hair was now giving way to a natural wave/curl, and I just didn't know how to work with that. At all. So I asked her to show me what to do. And she did, and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it could be. Of course, this was before I actually attempted it. Ever notice how you can never get your hair to look the same way a stylist does?? Anyway... it's been two weeks now, and I'm still going with the more natural wave/curl look that I know have. It's way easier than trying to straighten it (or assume it's going to dry straight and then get a funny wave to it that just looks weird). Eric calls it 'crazy hair' because he's not used to it. But he's not the one trying to deal with it. I'm still getting used to it to, but it's a lot easier to work with now!
