driving in the rain

Sunday night we drove back from Dorothy's in Portage through the remnants of Rita.

I've never seen so much rain in my life.

It was like driving through a snowstorm keeping my eyes focused on the tailights of the car in front of me.

I went home and found the latest radar map and the entire state of Indiana was being rained on.

the night the lights went out in Georgia?

is that a song?

or do I have that confused with "Midnight Train to Georgia" and the "Night they drove old Dixie down"

Anyway, whenever a lightning storm strikes tht north side of Indianapolis the power will go out on my block before anyone else is effected.

As I saw the storm rolling in around 6:30 I started shutting off the TV, radio, and computer. I saw what was coming. Sure enough as I was heading downstairs to feed the cats the power went out. 10 seconds later, the power flickered back on, but I knew better we were going down. 20 seconds later I was in the basement greeted by the sounds of the perpetually miaowing felines and the sound of the UPS going off. We were power-free.

Across the street the power was on, a block to the east the power was on but on my little circuit the power was out. This always happens. I wish I knew someone at IPL who could explain this phenomenon. A few years ago we were without power for 2 days while the other side of the street was uneffected.

Immediately I swung into action. Having gone camping 2 weeks earlier and pondering the fate of New Orleans I set forth. Candles were blazing, lanterns set up and MRE's were distributed to all those in need. I think I saw Michael D Brown speeding down the street in a Suburban.

When my wife came home I quickly downed my dinner and sped off to the QuicMart and scored 5 bags of ice. I got home, frozen goods were iced down, ice was stockpiled in the basement freezer, MRE's were distributed again.

Suprisingly the power was restored around 8:20 pm. I was shocked, this is a record for the IPL crew on my little circuit.

So thus I am enable to blog and tell you my tale....

good night.

JCK

My friend Steve

has a blog and it is here

Steve's blog

and yes, I posted to it so it gives me something to say:

I congratulate you! The candle making marketers have found your site. I am jealous.

Up to this point My blog has only been graced by those dealing in Russian, Ukranian and Belorussian brides.

From my perspective the undergraduates always get screwed. For the most part Althetic programs, grad school programs are paid for off the backs off the undergrads.

When I graduated from Johns Hopkins in December of 1989 I was told there was no ceremony and that my diploma would be sent to my parents address in June of 1990 when the "official" graduation took place.

I was overseas at the time and wondered why my degree never showed up in Ohio. A few years later I happened to be in Baltimore and with the help of a few people in the admissions office found my diploma in the back of a utility closet with a huge "Return to Sender" stamped across the tube.

Indeed they had attempted to send it to my home address as "6291 South Brinker Avenue". Oddly enough, my home address was 291 South Brinker Avenue where my parents still lived.

For four and a half years they had never made that mistake when it came to sending tuition bills and report cards, yet somehow my diploma had missed the mark.

I have often thought of how much time, money and energy went into getting that degree and yet not one person in the JHU admin could take the time correct the "6291 Brinker Ave" into "291 Brinker Ave"

Needless to say I have not donated one penny to that institution.

Bottom line: From what I know colleges don't give a damn about their undergraduates as long as they foot the bill.

oops, I did it again

i mean, i posted it on Indy Scribe

Aristocrat Indianapolis

I've lived within walking distance of the Aristocrat for the past 12 years. It's a nice place.

Often our attachment to these places has to do more with all the experiences we accumulate in them than with the food. If you've come to visit me in Indianapolis then you've probably been to the A'cat (I just made that up).

I remember once when my parents came to visit me in 1994 and we went there. When the server took our order she asked my Dad what side he wanted with his turkey club.

My Dad always suspicious that people we trying to rip him off because of his thick German accent despite having been in the USA since 1954 said he did not want a side order.

My Mom quickly retorted, “Harry, it comes with the sandwich!” I remember staring glumly at my plate as my Dad relented and requested seasoned potato chips with his Turkey Club.

The incident registered such an impression on my Mom she felt compelled to write me about it a week later.

My father has been gone for over 5 years now but whenever I set foot in that place I think of that story.

Aristocrat Indianapolis

I love Soundtracks, I love I-tunes

I enjoy downloading the Soundtracks because it means I won't have to listen to the same artist.

It's a good way to sample a wide variety of music.

some of my favorites;

Almost Famous -- love the 70's tunes, sadly the collection lacks "Freebird"

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- especially the Jon Brion tunes he writes music the way my brain thinks

Garden State -- love the music but have not seen the movie.

Lost in Translation -- love the music, love the movie

Sideways -- I enjoyed the movie, music done by the same artist so I get a little bored with it

Thicker than Water -- the music is good, has anyone seen this movie

and just today I downloaded part II of "Six feet under" -- I'm digging it. I've never seen the show but seriously thinking of making my first "Complete season of" genre-purchase.

I used to work in a funeral home.

Doctor (John) Robert(s)

I found my old Beatles disc and imported the song into ITunes.

Now I can sing along and say "John Roberts" for every occurence of "Doctor Robert".

I feel much better now.

I think this line is the best

Take a drink from his special cup, John Roberts

Also I posted on IndyScribe

regarding this article:


Set in Indiana: Close to Home

to me the picture looks like it came out of some cheesy video game. Perhaps the "midwest module" for Grand Theft Auto.

it doesn't look real. Yes, I recognize the skyline but the perspective is odd. Too low to be shot from a helicopter but too high to be shot from a roof. Also the cars look like matchboxes.

from the Hollywood perspective it's prolly easier to just to grab a stock image of downtown Indy and autogenerate some sort virtual suburban reality. Why pay someone to drive out here set up equipment and make a real shot when you can fake it.

my two cynical cents worth...

JCK

ein Zufall? a coincidence

very strange.

I was watching ESPN classic tuesday morning. Normally I would be locked into Washington Journal on C-span but I've gotten pretty burned out on the whole John Roberts things. I just keep hearing that Beatles song "Doctor Robert" from in my head.

I just dug up the lyrics, I think they should play the tune at the start of the hearings....I did change a few things around.


Ring my friend, I said you call John Roberts
Day or night he'll be there any time at all, John Roberts
John Roberts, you're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can, John Roberts

If you're down he'll pick you up, John Roberts
Take a drink from his special cup, John Roberts
John Roberts, he's a man you must believe
Helping everyone in need
No one can succeed like John Roberts

Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you... John Roberts

My friend works for the national health, John Roberts
Don't pay money just to see yourself with John Roberts
John Roberts, you're a new and better man
He helps you to understand
He does everything he can, John Roberts

Well, well, well, you're feeling fine
Well, well, well, he'll make you... John Roberts

Ring my friend, I said you'd call John Roberts
Ring my friend, I said you'd call John Roberts
John Roberts

here's a link about the real Dr Roberts

http://aboutthebeatles.com/song-doctor_robert.html

damn, I really want to hear that song right NOW! and you can't get Beatles songs off the Itunes store because of that bickering over the "Apple" trademark. I prolly have it on CD somewhere but that would involve a major basement reconaissance effort which I'm not up for right now...

anyway back to the ESPN classic

they were replaying a game between Pittsburg and Houston back in 1978 which I'm sure I watched as an 11 year old growing up in Columbus, OH. I always remembered the place kickers because my Dad was always correcting the pronounciation of their names as most of them were European soccer players. Toni Fritsch, an Austrian soccer player was the Houston place kicker and when I saw the old footage I remembered the name immediately. And tonight I was out parsing the Wiki obituaries and Herr Fritsch died of a sudden heart attack yesterday in front of a restaraunt in Vienna.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Fritsch

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Fritsch