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August 31, 2005

FORD CHURCH'S UPDATE ON NEW ORLEANS

The only person I know who has an active connection to New Orleans is my friend and mentor Ford Church. Ford grew up in the great city of New Orleans, Louisiana, and his Mother (who I've met and worked with on a book proposal) and Father (who I've spoken with on the phone many times since knowing Ford)--along with some aunts, uncles, and cousins--still live there. I tried to reach Ford yesterday afternoon (he now lives in Boulder, Colorado) to let him know that his family was in my thoughts, but his cell phone's in-box was full, so I left a message for him on his home phone instead.

Just a few minutes ago Ford sent the following message:

======================
Hi Guys,

Thank you for all of the phone calls, emails, thoughts, and prayers. I wanted to shoot out a quick update to let you know what I know at this point. After not hearing from my parents for about 36 hours, they finally got through to me last night.

To give you a little background, my parents were in Dallas visiting my Grandmother when the storm was brewing. When they learned of the mandatory evacuation, they caught one of the last planes on Sunday morning to get back to New Orleans so they could board up the house, move the cars to higher ground, and move some of the valuables on the first floor to the second floor. By Sunday afternoon it was too late for them to evacuate or they would have been caught in gridlock traffic. They decided to go to my Dad's office, which is connected to a hospital. The building is solid concrete and steel and was a good place to hunker down, so they grabbed their camping gear, about 10 gallons of water, and some peanut butter and crackers and set up camp.

I spoke to my parents at about 8am their time on Monday just before the worst of the storm passed through New Orleans. They seemed to be fine, high spirited, and ready to ride out the storm. After listening to the news Monday night, it seemed like New Orleans had dodged a bullet with the worst of the storm passing over the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I breathed a slight sigh of relief, but still had not heard from my parents or from my Aunt and Uncle and their kids who retreated to their farm in central Mississippi.

On Tuesday morning I went to go teach and scout out some routes in the mountains for a course, so I did not have access to mass media. Around 4pm as I was coming down I was flooded with voice mails on my cell phone and turned on NPR to see how things were going. This was the first I learned that the levy system had been breeched, that 80% of New Orleans was flooded, and all of the crazy stories about rescues, looting, violence, etc. At this point, I had still not heard from my family and was beginning to worry.

At 9pm on Tuesday evening, I finally received word that my mom and dad were ok. They had escaped by car by heading over the Crescent City Connection, going west, and eventually picking up 310 and then 55 north towards Jackson. With the access points into and out of the city severely compromised, they were lucky to get out of the city. Before they left, they checked on our neighborhood and the Church/Reese/Mumford/Bjork compound seemed to be spared from major flood and wind damage. They high tailed out of New Orleans and headed north to try to meet up with my Aunt and Uncle who sought refuge at their farmhouse in Mississippi. After almost running out of gas, they made it to the farm in Mississippi, but Marianne, Alan, and the kids were not there. They continued North and tried to find a place to stay for the night, which happened to be Blytheville, Arkansas. They are safe and are heading to St. Louis to stay with my cousin Heidi and her husband Mark.

My brother John Mark and his wife Dottie (pregnant with twins) and Dottie's parents are at their house in Mobile, AL and are doing fine. It is hotter than Hades down there and they are still without power (and probably will be for a while). I still don't have any word about how Marianne, Alan, and the kids are, but we suspect that they headed towards Dallas to be with Alan's parents and are doing fine.

Think good thoughts about all of the people along the Gulf Coast who have been affected by this storm and keep in touch.

Nothin' but love,

======================

While Ford's family appears to be safe and sound, nearly one million of their neighbors weren't so fortunate. If you're wondering how to go about making a donation, here are a few options to consider:

-Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW or https://www.redcross.org
-Catholic Charities: 1-800-919-9338 or http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org
-Salvation Army: 1-800-SAL-ARMY or http://www.salvationarmyusa.org

Posted by Mikal at 1:04 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 27, 2005

RECENT CONVERSATION #3

LAST NIGHT

Me: Do you mind if we watch football during our show's commercial breaks?
The GF: That's fine.
Me: Thanks!
GF: Would you watch a football game with my Dad if we were at my parent's house?
Me: Sweetie, I'd watch a football game with Pat Robertson!
GF: Who's Pat Roertson?
Me: I'd watch an entire football game with Saddam Hussein!
GF: Oh, okay. Got it.

EARLY THIS MORNING

The GF: HEY, were you comparing my Dad to Saddam Hussein?
Me: No way; I think your Dad's awesome.
GF: Okay, good, because I thought you were comparing him to Saddam Hussein.

Posted by Mikal at 10:26 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

August 26, 2005

Q1: When eating in a sit-down restaurant, do you refer back to your menu when a waiter or waitress comes back to take your order? In other words, after you've closed your menu (which for most people is a way of indicating to the waitstaff that they're ready to order), do you reopen and refer back to your menu when ordering, or do you not need to do that?

Q2: Do you read more, less, or the about same amount blog-related content today as you did one year ago?

Q3: What's the temperature like in your office/place of work? If you're not comfortable with the temperature, what have you done--or what could you try to do--to do something about it, or does indoor temperature not matter all that much to you?

Q4: Have you ever placed a classified advertisement in a newspaper? If so, what did you advertise?

August 25, 2005

As many readers already know, back in October of 2003 I joined a medically supervised health and weight management program called Lifestyle Strategies of Indiana (now called Health and Nutrition Technology [HNT]). My goal at the time: lose 40 pounds by my 40th birthday.

With less than 30 days to go before the auspicious occasion of turning 40, I'm happy to share that I'll easily hit my goal. In fact, as a direct result of following the HNT plan, I lost my 40 pounds by the first of December (of '03), and thru reeducating myself about nutrition, exercise, and weight management, I've managed to keep the weight off ever since.

One of reasons why I've succeeded in reaching my goal is because I regularly attend one of HNT's optional weekly classes where topics are presented and discussions ensue about managing weight and overall health in a realistic, long-term way. Since so much of what HNT teaches relates to caloric intake and expenditure, this week�s homework assignment is one I�m looking forward to completing: Bring to next week�s class recipes for a 300, 500, and 800 calorie snack or meal.

If anyone�s interested, here�s a 500-calorie meal I created for dinner just last night:

This recipe allows me to create a diverse and satisfying meal. The �beef� in the title is a bit misleading; rather than use real ground beef, I incorporate a meatless beef product from Boca that�s low in fat/high in protein, and contains no cholesterol and only 3g of net carbs. The vegetable fried rice comes from Trader Joe�s--as does the shredded Parmesan cheese�while the eggs are a fat free, low calorie, and cholesterol free substitute from Papetti Foods.

- Two pouches of Boca Meatless Ground Beef (240 calories / 0 from fat)
- One cup of Trader Joe's Vegetable Fried Rice (150 calories / 10 from fat)
- One-half cup of Papetti Foods� Quick Eggs (60 calories / 0 from fat)
- Two tablespoons Trader Giotto�s Shredded Parmesan Cheese (60 cals. / 30 from fat)
- Pam All Natural Butter Flavor Cooking Spray (0 calories / 0 from fat)

1. Spray an 8- to 10-inch frying pan/skillet with Pam�s Butter Cooking Spray.
2. Preheat the frying pan for one (1) minute on medium-high.
3. Add two frozen pouches of Boca�s Meatless Ground Beef to the pan.
4. Sautee beef for approximately two-three minutes.
5. Add one cup of Trader Joe�s Vegetable Fried Rice to the skillet/pan.
6. Stir ground beef and rice and vegetable mixture for two-three minutes.
7. Pour one-half cup of Papetti Foods� Quick Eggs into pan with beef and rice.
8. Reduce heat to medium; simmer frying pan�s contents for one minute.
9. Remove skillet from heat, stirring all ingredients into the mixture.
10. Top with two tablespoons of Trader Giotto�s Shredded Parmesan Cheese.

August 23, 2005

Bored at work? Check out Wi-FiTV (www.wi-fitv.com), a free web site featuring real-time TV feeds from around the world. Launched just last week, the site, which provides one-click access to news, sports, music and general-entertainment channels, is super easy to use, and features around 200 channels that can be accessed using a cable, DSL, or T-1 connection. While I found session quality varies depending on the channel and connection speed, the sound is crystal clear. Channel feeds include stations from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, China, Brazil, Japan, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, Latvia, Greece, Iceland, Iran, and Russia, just to name a few.

August 22, 2005

My friend Beth, who just started a two-year stint as President of the Board of Directors of Storytelling Arts of Indiana, recently sent the following message:

Beth, I'm happy to help! To everyone from Indy who reads my blog, here's the skinny:

The City-County Council will be meeting this Thursday, August 25th, to finalize the Parks and Recreation Department's budget, which is where the Arts Council of Indianapolis gets the funding it distributes to Indianapolis' arts-related organizations. Given that the "IndyWorks" proposal did not pass and that the budget is tight all the way around, Mayor Bart Peterson has suggested a five percent (5%) cut in the budget, which includes funds earmarked for many of Indy's fine art-related organizations. As it turns out, the City-County Council might accept the Mayor's 5% recommendation, or they might cut more from the arts in order to cut less elsewhere.

If you believe that arts are an important component of the community we live in, please take a few minutes to find out who your City-County Councillor is (visit http://imaps.indygov.org/GovntProfile and fill in your address) and then send her or him a note (e-mail or hard copy) supporting no more than a 5% budget cut for the arts. (A sample letter that can be used as a starting point appears below.) In addition to writing to your particular City-County representative, you can also send a note to any or all four of the At-Large Councilors. Since the most effective legislative advocacy comes directly from constituents, make sure your Councilors hear from you before Thursday! And, if you yourself have an Indianapolis-based blog, please consider posting a similar message on your site encouraging your Indy-based readers to weigh in as well.

***BEGIN SAMPLE LETTER***

August 19, 2005

Q1: What were the last food and/or drink items you bought from a vending machine?

Q2: If you were brave enough to change the color of your hair, what color would you change it to?

Q3: Do you belong to a membership-based DVD fulfillment service such as Netflix? If so, what titles are you currently waiting to receive/watch? If not, what was the last DVD or video you watched?

Q4: At the age of 13, Mitchell Johnson was sentenced to serve 7.5 years in prison for the murder of four of his schoolmates and a teacher in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Last week, Johnson, now 21, was released from prison. According to Arkansas state law, Johnson will not be on parole nor will he be monitored in any capacity whatsoever. And because he was tried as a juvenile, there won't even be a record of his conviction. In short, Johnson will be afforded opportunities given to every young U.S. citizen. He is free to vote and can even purchase guns, if he so chooses. Taking his age into consideration, in your opinion, was justice served in the Mitchell Johnson affair?

August 18, 2005

Whatever you think of Cindy Sheehan's politics, you've got to grant her this: She supports her convictions unlike most others. Sheehan is the mother of Casey Sheehan, a 24-year-old soldier who was killed last year in Iraq. This month, she followed President George W. Bush to his home in Crawford, Texas, and vowed to camp nearby until he emerges to meet with her and answer a simple question: Why did her son have to die?

As U.S. support for this farce of a war in Iraq falters, Sheehan has come to symbolize the wide chasm between the war's fervent supporters and its demonized critics. The symbolism is potent. On one hand, there is a grieving mother, standing on a blistering Texas roadside, making a plea for straight talk. On the other, there is a president who continues his familiar line, that freedom's on the march and that we need to stay the course. Though President George W. Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan, he has declined to meet with her. Instead, he cites his need to stay healthy and get his exercise while on five weeks worth of vacation. "I've got a life to live and will do so," Bush says.

Casey Sheehan also had a life to live. He committed it--foolishly, it turned out--to President George W. Bush's farce of a war... an unprecedented, discretionary attack, launched without due justification by the President of the United States and without critical oversight by the United States Congress. In Cindy Sheehan's own words:

Sheehan has been fiercely attacked by conservative pundits. This was to be expected. The Bush team and its supporters are masters of the art of attacking the questioner instead of addressing the merits of the question. It must be said that the grieving mother has made some intemperate statements. Bereaved people can be that way (go figure). Cooler heads should understand this.

Certainly, though, Sheehan's reported remarks about a "neo-con agenda to benefit Israel" are worth noting and rebutting. Some of her statements seem to mirror the talking points of left-leaning groups. Such baggage will limit her credibility and efficacy among those who don't already agree with her. Brave and articulate though she is, Sheehan might not be the best spokesperson for her cause.

None of that, however, changes the fact that Cindy Sheehan's central question deserves a reasonable and serious reply. But her question remains notably, contemptibly unanswered. The chance that George W. Bush will actually sacrifice a bike ride or jog to meet Sheehan approximate a snowball's surviving a hot Crawford, Texas, afternoon. Even if by some miracle he consented to a meeting, the chance is even smaller that Bush would actually address her question. He's never shown the inclination or the ability.

The President will soon end his vacation, and Cindy Sheehan will fade from view. In other words, this, too, shall pass. But the truth remains. The President of the United States dragged the nation into a horrid, badly bungled, hugely expensive and ill-justified farce of a war. For this, he must be held to account. For her attempts to accomplish that, one mother deserves our thanks.

=========================================
Copyright 2005, The Daily Camera and Boulder Publishing, LLC.

August 15, 2005

Yesterday, after a scary drive down to the south side of Indianapolis in search of a well -advertised flea market (which, by the way, turned out to be the innards of an entire trail park repackaged as a flea market), the GF and I decided it was as good time as any to take in The Great Indiana State Fair. The weather was perfect for a large fair. The humidity was low, as was the temperature for this time of year (low 80's), and much to my delight, there was a nice lawyer of clouds conveniently blocking the sun's rays from causing too much trouble.

The last time I attended a state fair, I was something like 10-years-old, and if I remember correctly, I was slightly more than a handful for my Mother and anyone else unlucky enough to take me to a large outdoor event with rides I wasn't tall enough to go on. From 1869 until 1981, The Danbury Fair (which at the time was the State of Connecticut's state fair) thrilled and delighted adults and children of all ages. It was called the most unique fair in America, because it had so many spectacular attractions. After it shut down, The Danbury Fair Mall was built on the fairgrounds, and photos of the Fair, along with original Fair signage, can be found in the mall's Food Court.

Speaking of food, I'm convinced that 90 percent of the people who attend The Great Indiana State Fair do so just for the food, and only for the food. From Roasted Sweet Corn, Elephant Ears (fried dough), Cotton Candy and Chicken-On-a-Stick, to Mammoth Turkey Legs, Sausage & Onions, Hamburgers and Hotdogs, and Pulled Pork Sandwiches, there's something for everyone. And if the traditional State Fair fare isn't to you're liking, there's always these scrumptious treats:

- Deep-Fried Oreos
- Deep Fried Pickles
- Deep Fried Twinkies
- Deep Fried Snickers Bars
- Deep Fried Milky Way Bars
- Deep-Fried Italian Bowtie Pastries
- Deep-Fried Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Apparently, if you can think it up, The Great Indiana State Fair's vendors can deep-fry it! As for me, I was good. In the 4+ hours we spent at the Fair, all I had to eat/drink was half of a small cup of sweet lemonaid. How about? If you attended The Great Indiana State Fair (or another state's fair), what did you have to eat? I'd love to know what some of those deep-fried items taste like!

August 12, 2005

1: Are you able to watch a movie or an episode of a television show you've never seen before not from the very beginning but from a quarter or halfway thru?

2: When you put gas in your car, do you attempt to put in an amount that equates to a specific dollar amount (say $19.00 even), or are you okay with paying whatever amount pops onto the screen at the time the gas first stops flowing from pump to tank? Said differently, if the initial charge on the pump reads $18.67, do you stop right there, or do you continue pumping until the meter reads $18.75 or $19.00 even?

3: On average, a hurricane produces more energy than the entire world's power plants put together. Which scares you more, hurricanes or tornadoes?

August 5, 2005

Q1: Do you think law enforcement officials, i.e. police officers, state troopers, sheriffs, etc., should be allowed to drive police cars during their time off (say to the mall or supermarket on the weekend)?

Q2: Whose autograph would you be willing to stand in line for an hour or more to receive?

Q3: How many ice cube trays do you have in your freezer, and have you ever used them to make anything other than traditional ice cubes?

Q4: If your personal safety were guaranteed, what two or three things would you do that right now you would not even remotely consider doing?

August 4, 2005

While driving home from the gym this morning, I noticed a couple of large banners hanging from a fence in front of the Indianapolis Water Company's Fall Creek Parkway location (note: all of the city's' waterworks-related operations, including maintenance, billing, construction, and customer service are managed by a publicly-traded company named Veolia). One banner reads "ISO 9001 ~~Compliant~~ Certified" while the other proclaims "ISO 14001 ~~Compliant~~ Certified" ~~(and actually, I'm not 100 percent positive about the word "Compliant", so next time I drive by I'll make sure I've used the right word)~~.

Nonetheless, even if the word "Compliant" (or some similar word) were absent from the banners, I know enough about the world around me to know that an ISO [insert number here] designation has something to do with an organization meeting certain standards, and then having been certified or accredited for having met said standards. But exactly what "ISO 9001" and "ISO 14001" are reflective of, I have no idea; and what's more, I'd bet donuts to dollars that 99 percent of the people driving down Fall Creek Parkway at 8:30 a.m. have no idea either.

Wanting to know why these designations were on display, and exactly what they were reflective of, I contacted Carolyn Mosby-Williams, Veolia's Vice President of Communications & Community Affairs for Indianapolis. Carolyn told me that the water company is proud of its recent ISO-related designations, and therefore felt it was appropriate to announce them using the fence in front of one of its more highly visible locations. Carolyn was also kind enough to tell me that the ISO 9001 designation was received in July of this year for Veolia's 'Quality Management System' related to its production, water quality, field services, customer service, shared services, environmental, contract management, and maintenance at 10 or so of its Indianapolis managed locations, including Fall Creek, and that the ISO 14001 designation was received because the 'Environmental Management System' related to the same factors and locations (also received in July of this year).

So there you have it... if you happen to see the large banners on display in front of the water company's Fall Creek location, you'll now know what they refer to. But what if you don't read this blog (a category which 99.999999 percent of the people who drive down Fall Creek Parkway fall into)... what about those people? Will they care enough to look for themselves to see what "ISO 9001" or "ISO 14001" mean? No, of course not. Why then do companies like Veolia insist on hanging their laundry out to dry in such a highly visible location? I'll tell you why... because it's clean laundry that's hanging off of that fence, and companies like Veolia feel a need to share their good news with the public, even if 99 percent of us don't have a clue as to what it means.

Mosby-Williams told me that the ISO designation of its Indy-managed facilities demonstrates Veolia's commitment to the community of Indianapolis. My sense is that while that's certainly a true statement, Veolia's primary motivation for seeking ISO designation has more to do with the lowering of its insurance premiums (and the maximizing of shareholder value) than anything else. Still though, if as a result of the ISO designation our city's water is cleaner and safer to drink, I tip my hat to everyone who works at Indianapolis Water.

August 3, 2005

What kind of American English do you speak? Click Here to take a test and find out for yourself.

As for my own score, I've lived in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Hampshire, Colorado, and now Indiana, so aside from my non-existent 'Midwestern' ranking, the percentages seem to make sense. That being shared, if you ever hear me refer to all soda as "pop" or "coke", shoot me, ya'll, please!

August 2, 2005

It's a busy day here at 902 North Penn. (what with all the great jobs I'm finding and applying for... yes, cat's out of the bag--I am searching for a new job), so rather than blab on and on about how disappointed I am with John Bolton's appointment to the United Nations, or about just how transparent ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's The Today Show, and CBS's The Morning Show are about providing 'coverage' for Hollywood movies produced by the studios that own ABC, NBC, and CBS, I figured I'd share a photo of what I looked like as a baby.

August 1, 2005

I'm a big fan of Indianapolis. America's 12th largest city, Indy is the perfect mix of mid-city sophistication served up with a side of genuine midwestern hospitality. With its arts, sports, culture, culinary delights, history and heritage, Indianapolis truly is the best-kept secret of the heartland!

That being said, someone needs to do something about the smell of raw sewage that permeates our air. It's particularly strong on hot and humid days (but not exclusively), and can be found by rolling a window down while driving along Fall Creek Parkway (between Meridian and 38th Street), as well as up around Broad Ripple Park (near Evanston Avenue and 65th), and downtown between Pennsylvania and Meridian on Washington and Maryland streets.