Breast Cancer

Did you ever see the award-winning "Band of Brothers" on HBO a couple of years ago? In one episode the GI's are dug into their foxholes while they are being shelled by the German artillery during the winter in the Battle of the Bulge. There was nothing they could do except pray that one of the shells did not land in their respective foxhole. It was horrific even on the small screen.

The Mrs. and I have commented numerous times how blessed we are to have avoided the numerous things that happen to other people while we escape with a scratch here and bruise there.

Well, one of the shells just landed in our foxhole. She went in for her annual mammogram last week and things did not look normal. After a biopsy it was confirmed that she has breast cancer. We are now in the discovery phase of what her subsequent treatment will be. Fortunately, we have discovered it early which gives her a variety of options for treatment, but I suspect we are going to have another one of those character-building journeys.

Medic!


For updates, check out Julie's blog here.

Big 3 Dilemma

All of the players in the Big 3 crisis are doing their jobs. The execs are spinning a story they hope will convince Congress to come up with enough cash to keep them out of bankruptcy until they need another handout. Mr. Gettelfinger, who by the way is a native Hoosier, is trying his best to preserve what his UAW members have received over the past 60 years, which is too much. And, our dutiful elected officials in D.C. are trying to squeeze anything out of the whole process which will enrich them or their constituents to get themselves re-elected.

I think it is time they "stop" doing their job and "start" doing what the right thing. Do not be so greedy and save the economy from a calamity. Just fix it!

Best Pizza in Indy

Bazbeaux? Nope.
Uno? You have to be kidding me.
Donato's? I wouldn't feed it to my dog.
Dominos? Industrial waste.
Pizza King? Inspiration for the Frisbee.
Pizza Hut? Buy it only if you own the stock.

Who makes the best pizza? It is someplace you probably never heard of, but it's been in Indy for over forty years. They don't advertise. They don't have coupons. They don't deliver. They have a bad location for a pizza place, and they have no parking lot.

Still wondering?

Maria's Pizza.

Absolutely no contenders. Best crust. Best cheese. Best toppings. And, they are located in Fountain Square just northeast of the fountain.

But, the best thing they do is make every pizza just for you. They treat you like a member of the family. They not only care about your business, they care about you. When you order your second pizza, they will know you. Try it. You'll be hooked.

One-way vs. Two-way Streets in Indy

It sounds like the city planners are starting to mess with more changes (Heaven forbid!) in Indianapolis. I guess the nice thing is that it won't cost the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Changing a few one-way streets into two-way streets will primarily be the cost of re-lining the streets and making the stop signs face both ways (kind of like a moderate politician).

What would we possibly gain by doing such a heinous act? Why not find out? Let's try something different to grow our downtown other than handing out millions of tax subsidies to corporations which pay less than their fair share of the property taxes.

I am not an urban planner, but let me at least reflect on what I do know from living in this city for 58 years. When I was a squirt running around downtown in the '50's, the sidewalks were packed with people. We had a vibrant shopping district that had the finest of everything. It was actually exciting to be downtown even if you didn't have any money. I know because all I had when I left home was enough bus fare to get there and back home.

On the other hand, Indy had a bunch of traffic and interstates did not exist. so, the planners came up with the idea of re-directing a bunch of streets one-way north, south, east and west. It worked. Everyone could get home to the burbs in less than a half hour. Of course, back then Broad Ripple was the north end of the city, Irvington was the east, the Speedway was the west, and Southern Plaza was way, way south of town. Eventually, the interstates were built in the late '70's and things downtown have been gradually dying ever since. People have moved farther and farther from downtown to the point where a very low percentage live or work in Center Township. Hence, our tax base is a mess.

So, what would two-way streets do to help? What I do know is that whenever I visit my oldest son in New York City he shows me unbelievably expensive residences located on two-way streets. When I visit my #2 son in San Francisco, he shows me the same. By the way, they both rent. Neither can afford to buy. But, they love living there. There are shops, restaurants, and entertainment surrounding them in all directions within walking distance.

Furthermore, how many times have you found it necessary to give confusing directions to someone you are trying to meet at St. Elmo's which is on one-way north street Illinois but they are headed south on Capitol, but miss the turn to one-way east on Maryland and need to turn back north on on one-way Delaware to get to...

See what I mean.