So after about six months of bugging the crap out of AT&T (it started with IPL), the guy pole that was in our back yard is GONE!
I know this sounds like a trivial thing to all of you that have never had to deal with this... but you have no idea how huge this is! This means we have no excuse to NOT start our garage finally! There can't be any foundation issues, now.
Except that our permits haven't been issued yet. They're in for approval, but not yet. And since we in a historic district, we have the added step of having a pre-con meeting with an IHPC person. Bleah!
It's weird, though.... the pole took up very little space, and the guys, themselves, have been gone for months. (The picture shows where the pole once was...) But when I look out back, our yard seems bigger, somehow. It was just a pole... and, at one time, a wire.
Of course, that 'big feeling' will be short lived, as the garage will quickly close our backyard in. But it'll be worth that sacrifice.
Tonight was the first home game of the Pacer's new season. They had a pretty great season last year, and seem to finally be getting back in fans' good graces. There was definitely a period, there, where they just had a bad reputation. And they weren't playing so hot, either.
This year, they did a mini-season pack called 'Perfect 10' where you could actually pick whatever 10 games you wanted. Eric and I decided to go for it and, so we didn't feel completely obligated or feel guilty if we gave them away, we chose the cheap seat. Yes, semi-nosebleeds. 
We're less than 10 rows up in the upper deck for any of the games (I think there are as many as 30 rows), so it really isn't as bad as it sounds. Besides, it was more about getting to see the good games (or at least the games we thought would be good).
We did go to tonight's home opener against the 76er's. It was kind of sad to see how many empty seats there were for a home opener, especially as strong as they finished last year, making it to the playoffs and all. Even more so because we know how cheap it really is to go to a game, if you really want to. We spent less for 10 Pacer's games for than what we would've spent for ONE COLT'S GAME if we were still buying those season tickets. Seriously... what do you think the better deal is? If we chose the nosebleeds at Lucus Oil Stadium, we could've squeezed two, maybe three games in for what we paid for 10 Pacer's games. But I digress.
One of the reasons people might be staying away (and I hope this is all it is) is because three starters are injured right now. When you only have 5 guys on the floor, that can make a difference. But I have to say, I was impressed with some of our second stringers, and even third stringers. The Pacers still pulled off a pretty nice win (even if it was against the 76er's). I'm looking forward to our next nine games, scattered throughout the season!
Eric's birthday was actually on Tuesday, but with it being in the middle of the week, we didn't really celebrate until tonight. I asked him where he wanted to go, and he said Hollyhock Hill.
Now if you're not from the Indy area, me saying that means nothing. So let me tell you about it... Hollyhock Hill is one of those places that's been around for over 80 years, that is essentially an old house converted into a restaurant. It's a true family style restaurant. They're specialty? Fried Chicken. And how's this for old school... when you make you reservation, you tell them THEN you having the fried chicken dinner. And it's not you KFC style... no... it's true family style. As in, multiple course of home cooked food brought to your table on serving platters and bowls. So there's the standard fare... mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, biscuits... but then there's the oddities that you know are served as part of tradition at this point. Like pickled beets, cottage cheese, and a 'salad' that is essentially just lettuce with their special dressing on it. After your meal, they bring out hot wash clothed to clean up with, and then, if you're still hungry, you get dessert. 
What else but vanilla ice cream with a trio of sauces to top it with, including mint! So while this is all kind of odd if you've never been there, it's pretty damn good.
So back to Eric's birthday. To his surprise, Hollyhock Hill now serves alcohol. This was an 'improvement' from the last time we were here, and we guessed that they jumped on the opportunity when the state was literally auctioning liquor licenses off a couple of years ago. They had to know it could only be a benefit. So Eric ordered his Sun King and then had to snap a picture of it on one of the doilies on the table. Our food came out, one course at a time, and we enjoyed each course thoroughly. I think Eric enjoyed having his birthday dinner there, kind of like being a kid. They even brought out some brownies with candles when they found out it was it birthday celebration. Again... he enjoyed it more than he'll admit - you could see it on his face.
I didn't think that we'd end up at Hollyhock Hill for Eric's birthday. But I can say it was likely the best place to end up. Eric just seemed to really unwind and relax for once. And actually enjoy his birthday.
So ever since my life at Kite, and even somewhat through Eric's time with Kite, traveling to FL to visit my family was not an unusual thing. It was almost par of course... you know... expected at some point throughout the year, if not even multiple times. But now that neither of us travel for our job on a regular basis, the thought of getting on a plane for just a basic visit has become almost foreign.
Last month, Eric suddenly finding two different conferences on his schedule. The first one was just down in Nashville, TN - no big deal. Even though there were more days to it than the second one, which was in Philadelphia. Which meant a flight. Now Eric may have been initially joking around, but at one point, he said, "you should go down to FL and see you family and fly out the same time I do." Umm... okay!
Of course, when I go to book my flight and start asking abut his, he conveniently forgets this was his suggestion. But it was still a go. So I looked at flights and ended up having to book flights on 'off days' in the realm of travel to keep prices reasonable, which meant it would be a short trip, or a longer trip than anticipated. I opted for the longer trip. I had the PTO that needed to be used by the end of the year, anyway. So I proceeded to book things... and decided to keep it a surprise for the niece and nephew. Just for fun. They're teenagers... don't get to have fun like this as much as I used to.
So last Wednesday morning, well before the sun rose, I was up and on the way to the airport with Eric, whose flight left just fifteen minutes before mine. Still before sunrise... (saw that on the plane!)
Of course I had to go through ATL... which has a runway closed for construction... which means delays. This concerned me a bit, only because I had a tight connection. I just didn't want to spend hours in the Atlanta airport. Who does?? But, even with the hold at IND, we still made it in time... I just had no time to do anything else besides get to my next gate. But it was worth it to be in FL well before noon. And the vacation truly began.
Now mind you, I had absolutely no agenda. None. Nothing was on my radar of things I wanted to do, other than just relax with the family, and maybe a little shopping for Christmas. Yes, Christmas shopping. It is just over two months away, so why not?? Quite frankly, I think my 'no agenda' agenda worked out just fine.
The rest of Wednesday was spent catching up with my parents, and then we went out to dinner. I crashed pretty early, then, since I was up so early for my flight. Thursday, my Mom and I went shopping out at St. John's Town Center... nearly all day. Easy to do, there, and a good day to do it, since it was a weekday. Didn't actually buy much, but it made for a nice long day of walking. 
Friday, we ran some errands and got ready for the Pitts' arrival that evening, including a new recipe for dinner from Publix Aprons (Asparagus Shiitake Chicken with Sesame Rice). it was absolutely amazing! I will be cooking that again, soon! And the kids were surprised to see me... thought it wasn't nearly as exciting as it was when they were younger. Teenagers...
Saturday, my Mom and I were actually able to talk BOTH kids into going out shopping so we could get ideas for Christmas. They were both reluctant, at first, giving us no ideas. It was looking to be a frustrating day... but the second stop, they got more into it and actually found some ideas for us. Yay! So after a bit more shopping and a nice lunch a Panera, we had a successful afternoon with them. This was doubly good since they had to leave right after breakfast the next morning. But we even kept it short since one of them had homework to do.
So Sunday, after the Pitts left, the house seemed all too quiet. My Mom and I decided to go down to the St. Augustine outlet malls, since she had something to return. So we did some more shopping there, and got a little more done for Christmas. I like this early Christmas shopping deal... I used to do this all the time! On Monday, after one more quick trip with my Mom, I wrapped up those Christmas gifts so they're all set for the tree when it goes up. Then I packed for the trip home.
My flight got in LATE last night. Sure... I've gotten home later, but it's been awhile and I've been wiped out all day. Not used to this travel thing anymore. But I still miss it. It was great to see all my family down there, and it was way overdue. I'll be back down in a couple of months... but for now, I've had my family fix and that makes me happy.
So I've talked about the Indy Eleven before... Indianapolis' professional soccer team. This has been their inaugural season, with the fall series wrapping up in a few weeks. They've won a few games... none at home, but there have been a few... and numerous draws (ties). But the home crowd has been aching to see a win at home... hence, the 10,000+ sell-out crowds every home game.
In fact, the 'legend' of our fandom has gotten out. Not too many teams in the NASL can boast a single sell-out crowd, let alone an entire season (if not every game, it's been pretty damn close). Plus, we have the Brickyard Battalion, which sings, cheers, and chants the entire game behind the west goal. 
It's an absolutely cool atmosphere to be in. It's been fun being a season ticket holder.
So anyway... last night was their second-to-last chance to score a home victory for they fans. They were playing the Minnesota United, though... the top ranked team in the NASL. But the Eleven came out strong, scoring early in the first half in the 8th minute. And the Brickyard Battalion did its thing to celebrate. 
The remainder of the first half was a lot of hard playing by both teams, but never the less, went into halftime with Indy up by one.
The second half started off with a bang, with the Eleven scoring their second goal in the first minute (or, as soccer enthusiast would recognize, the 46th minute). I think it happened so fast that a lot of people weren't even back in their seats yet! But the cheering commenced, just as loud as usual. The rest of the half was much of the same hard fought battle, with an additional (unheard of) seven minutes being tacked on to the end of the match. But Indy held on, much to their fans delight.
And after the final whistle blew, those fans 'Stormed the Mike' - they ran on the field like it had been their calling all along. The smoke bombs went off, the cheering was more of a roar, and the high fives with the players seemed never ending. It was such an awesome thing to see and be a part of. The historic, first home win in the inaugural year of the Indy Eleven. We believed that they would win... and they did.
There's a problem plaguing many museums nowadays... their patrons are dying. Literally. So the museums (at least a few here in Indy) are scrambling to get, and retain, younger patrons and members (since that's how they stay funded). In doing so, they are coming up with new ideas, often in the way of a party/fundraiser that appeal to my generations and younger.
Case in point... last night, the Indiana State Museum had an event called Indiana Spirits, and they even tied it to one of their current exhibits, The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. Eric and I are members, but we were given tickets to this event through The Pattern Store, since they were doing some promoting for both the event and the exhibition with the museum. Which was cool, cause I really wanted to go, anyway.
Part of the fun was dressing up for the part. You didn't have to, but they were really wanting to get people to dress up in likeness to the these (prohibition era). Pattern had a really cute dress to go along with the them that I picked up to wear to the event - totally worth it (since it really wasn't a splurge) and I'll easily get a couple more wears out of it, this year, alone! Eric didn't get into the theme thing... but for guys, it wasn't as big of a deal.
So the event itself was pretty nice. The ISM is a pretty sizable museum, and they utilized quite a bit of the space... which has it's plus and minuses. It's almost a shame, because the lower level, which most people enter from, since it's where the parking garage is, is seemingly wasted space, as a whole, as it really serves as just an entry into the whole museum. Occasionally they'll have a teaser exhibit, and I guess the IMAX entrance is on that level... but in general, I think more could happen there. But for last night, it served as just a spot for a greeter and, oddly enough, an ID check (for alcohol). The 2nd level served as the main check-in area, and the VIP room. There was also the cocktail competition finalists here, with samples of their cocktails for you to taste and vote on. But the main event, including the exhibit, itself, was on the 3rd level. So while nice to have lots of room to roam, it made for a lot of space to cover. So I'm a little torn on if the layout was a good or bad thing.
My only true complaint, which actually comes for just about every one of these events, is the lack of 'free' seating. In other words, non-sponsor and/or VIP areas that anyone can sit down at. Doesn't have to be table and chairs.. just some place to sit. They had a few here... but they make it hard for a girl to keep her cute shoes on all night when she has to stand in them for four hours. That's a long time to stand without tall heels! 
We did manage to find a sponsor we knew, so got to sit for awhile there. And then managed to find solace in one of the few free seating areas a little later... but I noticed, easily, half of the girls carrying their shoes by the end of the night. I was not one... I managed to hang on until we got back to the car, where I had some flats waiting. But that did not make my feet happy.
We even went to the after party for a bit at Plat 99. I think if it was anywhere else, we probably wouldn't have gone. But we like that place, and it's also just two blocks or so from our house. I just had a drink before heading home, myself. Eric stuck around for another to chat it up with some friends. I was too beat to stick around.
All in all, though, it was a fun night! I love going to these types of events, and when it's a fundraiser, it's just a bonus.
I know this sounds like a trivial thing to all of you that have never had to deal with this... but you have no idea how huge this is! This means we have no excuse to NOT start our garage finally! There can't be any foundation issues, now.
