Poverty in the Not So Big City

The Brookings Institute did a study on poverty in large US cities. According to the Star, they found that Indianapolis has more of the kinds of businesses that target poor people - businesses such as pay day loan, rent-to-own, and instant tax refund stores - than other large cities. Grocery stores in poorer Indy neighborhoods [...]

Seduced by Sad Puppy Eyes

Rosie convinced me not to crate her this morning while I went to run an errand. As I was leaving, I eyed a box of manuals and cables that came with my motherboard and considered moving them to a higher spot. But she was laying on the floor in a ball and when she flashed [...]

Zucchini Carrot Oatbran Muffins

Ness and I have been the grateful recipients of three large zucchini from a friend’s garden. Last week Ness made whole wheat pasta with brown butter sauce, fresh herbs and cherry tomatoes from our garden, and grilled zucchini. Saturday night we did zucchini, roasted red pepper and hungarian wax pepper sandwiches. Last night I made Zucchini [...]

Same Old Story

The Star has printed several articles recently about the mismanagement of our county’s juvenile court system. The court was overseen for many years by Judge James Payne who recently moved on to a state job. I was only Judge Payne’s guest for one night, but I could’ve told anybody who cared to listen that [...]

Making Sense of the Middle East

Back when 9/11 happened, I sought to understand the events of that day in the larger context of why they happened. Two resources that I used quite extensively were BBC News and Counterpunch. If you want a better understanding of what’s happening between Hezbollah and Israel right now, I recommend checking out these two sources.

A Dog Lover’s Call to Action

I’m getting a lot of hits on my post regarding alleged inhumane treatment at the Good Dog Hotel & Spa in Broad Ripple. It seems we aren’t the only ones who had a bad experience. We no longer take Rosie to Good Dog. She now goes to Barkalounge in Beech Grove, and she absolutely loves [...]

Yum

I can’t wait to try out my new kitchen plumbing. Here’s what’s for dinner tonight:
Cucumber and Kalamata olive salad topped with a sun dried tomato and feta cheese dressing
Penne with grilled chicken, zucchini, and tomatoes in a basil and parsley brown butter sauce

Meet Rick Parsons, Southside Plumber

We found a killer plumber. He installed a new kitchen faucet and shut-off valves for the kitchen faucet supply lines yesterday. Today he vented our kitchen drain. No more gurgle! Yeah! He replaced the valve on our main shut off, too. It was totally stripped, but neither of the two plumbers who’ve worked on our [...]

The Joys of Urban Living

It’s been a crazy afternoon. After I got home from lunch, I noticed a half-dressed guy hanging out in front of my neighbor’s house. He took off up her driveway and cut through my other neighbor’s yard. I ran after him and yelled, but he either didn’t hear me or ignored me. By the time [...]

No Dice

I’ve been spotting for days, but I hoped that it was implantation bleeding. I took a pregnancy test last Friday, and it was negative. It was so disappointing that I vowed not to take another one until my blood pregnancy test at the doctor’s office this morning. By mid-afternoon today, though, my period was full force. [...]