Saturday for the most part was uneventful. In the morning, we did our household chores (vacuuming the house and mowing the lawn). In the evening, we were to go to my concert held by my band (Indianapolis Symphonic Band, where I play the flute) that was supposed to be at Fort Harrison State Park. Since it was raining pretty hard, however, it was moved to a nearby Ivy Tech Community College. This was the second time the concert was moved over there. I was not able to attend the first one, as I was ill.
Our theme this time was a tribute to Sousa, TV shows and a little bit of patriotic music in preparation for the 4th of July concert. We played music from the TV show "Glee", as well as a medley of old shows, such as "Happy Days" and "I Love Lucy". My favorite one was the tribute to Spike Jones (I had never heard of him until we started playing his music). He liked to use different percussion instruments in his music, including rubber ducks, cymbals, and other odd things. Our band's version was hilarious, but you just have to be there to see it. RR told me that he enjoyed the concert, and I told him that he will have to come to the one on June 21 because he still needs to take pictures (we forgot the camera this time). That will be held on a field outside an elementary school. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate that day, so that we actually are able to play outside.
After attending church this morning, we gathered with A & Y for another round of rock climbing. Y had a Groupon for a rock climbing gym in Brownsburg, called The Crag. Since it was at a different place, we decided to buy gloves at Wal-Mart. We thought that it would be similar to Climb Time Indy, but it was not. Here, they provide you with shoe rentals and harnesses; however, each person has to learn how to tie the figure 8 knots. Also, the person who is belaying really needs to make sure that he/she is tied down to the ground so that he/she does not fly upward when the climber falls. I learned this the hard way. I did not tie myself low enough to the ground and was pulled upwards when RR let go of the wall. It was a hilarious sight, really. Perhaps if a video was taken when it happened a second time, I could have contributed it to America's Funniest Home Videos and won something. Regardless, I vowed that it will not happen again. In general, this place seems a little more suited for experts. There is less variety and most of them just seem more difficult than the ones at Climb Time Indy. It was fun, nonetheless.
After we were all sore from the climbing and belaying, we decided to go for sushi at Ginza Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar on west 38th Street. One waiter asked us if we wanted a table and we said yes. It was only later that by "table", he meant a table with a sizzling hot plate where the chef makes hot dishes right in front of you (we would have liked to try that sometime, but not today). Since we were going to be ordering and sharing among the four of us, we decided to switch to one of the regular tables right in front of the sushi bar. The sushi was quite decent though the price was a little bit on the expensive side.
Overall, despite all the rain we had, it was another fun weekend.
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Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Crazy thunderstorm last weekend
Big news in Indy! We had another crazy thunderstorm last weekend. This one actually happened in the middle of the night on Friday. This one, however, was probably the biggest one and more damaging than the previous ones I have experienced. First, it caused one of our neighborhood's houses tree branches to fall off and block the front entrance of the house (see pictures below).
Second, it decreased some productivity at my workplace. I normally like to go to work early so that I can come home early. On Monday morning, I went to work early as usual, but I noticed that my access card did not work. Luckily, someone had already propped open one of the doors with a trash can. Of course, when I got in, I could not access my e-mail or the company server. There were two other people in my department who were early birds, so we all started chatting because there was nothing else we could do. The IT department did not get in until an hour later. We later learned that the storm had impaired our security system as well as our servers. The backup generator did not help, either, so it was a very big mess.
Anyway, it turned out fine in the end. I just hope that our systems are revamped and is protected from another big storm such as this one.
Second, it decreased some productivity at my workplace. I normally like to go to work early so that I can come home early. On Monday morning, I went to work early as usual, but I noticed that my access card did not work. Luckily, someone had already propped open one of the doors with a trash can. Of course, when I got in, I could not access my e-mail or the company server. There were two other people in my department who were early birds, so we all started chatting because there was nothing else we could do. The IT department did not get in until an hour later. We later learned that the storm had impaired our security system as well as our servers. The backup generator did not help, either, so it was a very big mess.
Anyway, it turned out fine in the end. I just hope that our systems are revamped and is protected from another big storm such as this one.
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| Tree branch that fell at a neighborhood home |
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| This is the damage that big storms in Indiana can cause |
Last weekend!
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| RR, A & Y rollerblading at Fort Harrison State Park |
Friday evening was movie night. We were going to rent from Red Box, but opted instead to watch one of the movies we had bought from the Borders sale. The movie was called, "Old Dogs". The comedy stars John Travolta and Robin Williams, an unlikely duo, if you ask me. I'm not sure if I have ever seen John Travolta in a comedy before, but he was actually pretty good in this one. It is about two best friends who also happen to business partners. One of them finds out that he has twins from his ex. It's hilarious to see how the two middle-aged bachelors try to deal with the kids when they try to close out a business deal with a Japanese company.
Saturday
Saturday afternoon, we went with our dating couple friends indoor rock climbing at Climb Time Indy. We'll call them A and Y. It was our second time coming here. It was A's first time and Y's second or third time. Y came prepared with climbing booties and harness. Since we knew that one of my belaying problems last time was that the rope would burn my hands, we asked for gardening gloves from the same guy who gave us instructions the first time. To begin, we had another quick lesson from another instructor and began the climbs. We each took turns climbing and belaying each other. RR and I both had more energy climbing the second time around. RR even managed to climb a slanted wall.with ease. Overall, we all had a lot of fun.
After the climbs, we headed back to our place to have a barbeque - it was a terrific day for one, as it wasn't all too hot.
Sunday
On Sunday, we went rollerblading at Fort Harrison State Park for some rollerblading with A & Y and Sirius. RR and I had not roller bladed since last summer, so it was nice to do it again. RR and I took turns, as one of us had to watch Sirius. We decided that I would start first. Now, I am still not that comfortable going down a steep hill only because I haven't quite learned how to stop. Unlike roller skates, roller blades have their stops at the back, which makes stopping much harder to accomplish. So when there was a steep hill on one of the main trails, he walked down with me holding on to his shoulders. It was a little bit scary, but fun, nonetheless. After rollerblading, we cleaned up and headed over to our friends' (R & O) house for a barbecue. Another friend and colleague of RR was visiting. It was a cool, but as it got darker, it turned so cold and windy that it no longer felt like summer. That's Indiana weather. One can never predict how hot and cold this place can be...
Overall, it was a fun weekend.
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| A & Y rollerblading from afar |
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Traveling by air these days
RR was supposed to be coming home last night. His Delta flight was to land at 9:47PM last night and I was to pick him up at the airport. If everything went as planned, I wouldn't be writing this in my blog.
The main problem was that Indy was hit by a amazing thunderstorm last night. Our weather radio gave a warning that a thunderstorm was coming from Carmel. After a week without rain and temperature yesterday around 35 C/95 C, I suppose rain was expected. However, I did not expect it to be this bad. When I left the house, it had already started raining. I returned my Red Box DVD at our nearest Kroeger and decided that if I left for the airport then and drove very slowly, I could make it to the airport by 9:30PM. The road on 86th Street was extremely flooded. I was only going 30 MPH on a 40 MPH road and I would still make a huge splash over the road. Going on I-465 wasn't so bad, though I still drove under the speed limit at 50MPH. On the way, I saw some amazing lightning and even passed by some motorcyclists! I thought to myself, "Ok, they are either very brave, or very stupid to be riding out in a motorcycle in weather like this!"
When I was close to the airport, it was raining so hard that I literally could not see while only driving at 20MPH! Since I have not had much experience driving in extremely rainy weather, I wasn't sure where I could park to wait for the rain to stop. However, I saw two other cars put on their hazard lights and pull over to the right side, so I did the same. When the rain dissipated a little bit, I started again for the parking garage. I pushed the button for a ticket, but the all parking levels were full except for the one on Level 3. I arrived at about 9:30PM, only to find out from the monitors that the plane was going to be an hour late. All the flights that were supposed to land at 9PM or later, were delayed. Many people were just glued to the monitors, as if it was a life and death situation. Half an hour later, I was surprised to hear from RR and I thought that they had an emergency landing. He explained that the Indy airport was closed and that they were in South Bend refueling. He said that he would let me know if there was anymore news. We hung up and I was still hoping at that time that they were going to be here at 10:47PM. The monitor changed 30 minutes later and it said that the flight was diverted to South Bend, Indiana, but there was no estimated time of arrival. The majority of Delta flights had the "diverted" status.
Many of us were confused about what the "diverted" status meant. Since RR had already mentioned that they were in South Bend, I knew that it just meant they were diverted in South Bend and would be flying from there to Indy. Fortunately for me, I was not totally bored waiting for RR to come home. I met two men who were eagerly waiting for their wives to come back from the Ukraine. Their wives were on the same flight as RR and one of them explained to me that with the weather this bad, planes are often diverted to other places to refuel. It used to be that when gas prices were low, planes would have a full tank of gas and the pilots would circle around until the storms dissipated. However, since airlines are cutting costs, planes are not filled with a full tank of gas, but only enough to make the trip. Also being a native Hoosier, he explained that decades ago, Indiana used to have 80MPH trains from Indy to Kokomo. However, since no one rode them, they just went out of business. It was interesting to learn this piece of history. I hope that one day, trains can be brought back.
I continued to check the monitor for status changes and at the very end the whole flight was taken out. I wasn't sure what this meant so I asked one of the guys and he said that his wife told him that they were going to board at another gate. The monitor never updated and we were left to rely on updates from our loved ones. The flight eventually arrived at 1AM this morning. I was so happy to see RR and he was happy to see me.
Overall, it was an interesting adventure for both of us, but not one that we would like to have again.
The main problem was that Indy was hit by a amazing thunderstorm last night. Our weather radio gave a warning that a thunderstorm was coming from Carmel. After a week without rain and temperature yesterday around 35 C/95 C, I suppose rain was expected. However, I did not expect it to be this bad. When I left the house, it had already started raining. I returned my Red Box DVD at our nearest Kroeger and decided that if I left for the airport then and drove very slowly, I could make it to the airport by 9:30PM. The road on 86th Street was extremely flooded. I was only going 30 MPH on a 40 MPH road and I would still make a huge splash over the road. Going on I-465 wasn't so bad, though I still drove under the speed limit at 50MPH. On the way, I saw some amazing lightning and even passed by some motorcyclists! I thought to myself, "Ok, they are either very brave, or very stupid to be riding out in a motorcycle in weather like this!"
When I was close to the airport, it was raining so hard that I literally could not see while only driving at 20MPH! Since I have not had much experience driving in extremely rainy weather, I wasn't sure where I could park to wait for the rain to stop. However, I saw two other cars put on their hazard lights and pull over to the right side, so I did the same. When the rain dissipated a little bit, I started again for the parking garage. I pushed the button for a ticket, but the all parking levels were full except for the one on Level 3. I arrived at about 9:30PM, only to find out from the monitors that the plane was going to be an hour late. All the flights that were supposed to land at 9PM or later, were delayed. Many people were just glued to the monitors, as if it was a life and death situation. Half an hour later, I was surprised to hear from RR and I thought that they had an emergency landing. He explained that the Indy airport was closed and that they were in South Bend refueling. He said that he would let me know if there was anymore news. We hung up and I was still hoping at that time that they were going to be here at 10:47PM. The monitor changed 30 minutes later and it said that the flight was diverted to South Bend, Indiana, but there was no estimated time of arrival. The majority of Delta flights had the "diverted" status.
Many of us were confused about what the "diverted" status meant. Since RR had already mentioned that they were in South Bend, I knew that it just meant they were diverted in South Bend and would be flying from there to Indy. Fortunately for me, I was not totally bored waiting for RR to come home. I met two men who were eagerly waiting for their wives to come back from the Ukraine. Their wives were on the same flight as RR and one of them explained to me that with the weather this bad, planes are often diverted to other places to refuel. It used to be that when gas prices were low, planes would have a full tank of gas and the pilots would circle around until the storms dissipated. However, since airlines are cutting costs, planes are not filled with a full tank of gas, but only enough to make the trip. Also being a native Hoosier, he explained that decades ago, Indiana used to have 80MPH trains from Indy to Kokomo. However, since no one rode them, they just went out of business. It was interesting to learn this piece of history. I hope that one day, trains can be brought back.
I continued to check the monitor for status changes and at the very end the whole flight was taken out. I wasn't sure what this meant so I asked one of the guys and he said that his wife told him that they were going to board at another gate. The monitor never updated and we were left to rely on updates from our loved ones. The flight eventually arrived at 1AM this morning. I was so happy to see RR and he was happy to see me.
Overall, it was an interesting adventure for both of us, but not one that we would like to have again.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Ticks this summer!
A couple of days ago, Sirius had a case of ticks. I was petting Sirius and felt bumps on his head and neck. They were yellowish and the size of corn kernels. Now, I had never seen or encountered ticks in my life, so I did not know they were ticks. I thought that they were cysts. I called RR (who was still away) and after seeing pictures I had taken, he deduced that they might be ticks.
I called our vet's office early the next morning and found out that though our vet was not available, if the problem was ticks, then the vet technicians could take care of them. The vet technicians tried to find the ticks that I had seen, but the ticks had already dropped off by that time. However, they did find a tick in his ear, as well as a baby one on his body. Once they picked them off, I authorized the vet technicians to apply Frontline Plus. This is a monthly dose that would kill the existing ticks and eggs on his body, and prevent future ticks from coming on to him.
When I got back to the car, I saw one of the ticks that had fallen off of Sirius. It was fat, white and the size of a kidney bean. At first I thought it was dead. However, when I looked closely, it was crawling ever so slowly. I went back to the vet's office and they gave me a plastic bag to pick it up and they would dispose of it for me. I still do not know where the other tick dropped off - it could have dropped off when we were outside or inside our house?? It gives me the shivers thinking about it.
I am not sure where Sirius could have picked these up. We did go to Eagle Creek Park on Monday, so he might have picked them up there, or even just from our daily walks. He had never had these before. A colleague of mine said that ticks are prevalent in Indiana, and this year has been particularly bad. It has very warm lately, so maybe that's a good environment for both ticks and fleas.
Anyway, with Frontline Plus on him, Sirius is safe from fleas and ticks. I am still a little bit nervous about bringing him outside, but that's just me.
I called our vet's office early the next morning and found out that though our vet was not available, if the problem was ticks, then the vet technicians could take care of them. The vet technicians tried to find the ticks that I had seen, but the ticks had already dropped off by that time. However, they did find a tick in his ear, as well as a baby one on his body. Once they picked them off, I authorized the vet technicians to apply Frontline Plus. This is a monthly dose that would kill the existing ticks and eggs on his body, and prevent future ticks from coming on to him.
When I got back to the car, I saw one of the ticks that had fallen off of Sirius. It was fat, white and the size of a kidney bean. At first I thought it was dead. However, when I looked closely, it was crawling ever so slowly. I went back to the vet's office and they gave me a plastic bag to pick it up and they would dispose of it for me. I still do not know where the other tick dropped off - it could have dropped off when we were outside or inside our house?? It gives me the shivers thinking about it.
I am not sure where Sirius could have picked these up. We did go to Eagle Creek Park on Monday, so he might have picked them up there, or even just from our daily walks. He had never had these before. A colleague of mine said that ticks are prevalent in Indiana, and this year has been particularly bad. It has very warm lately, so maybe that's a good environment for both ticks and fleas.
Anyway, with Frontline Plus on him, Sirius is safe from fleas and ticks. I am still a little bit nervous about bringing him outside, but that's just me.
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| tick on head |
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