I’m home, back in Germany, without any major problems—both of my flights were early. Door-to-door, including shopping and eating in Indy before the trip, took 18 and a half hours.
Good
I got a whole lot of work done. Unfortunately I have a boatload of headaches to deal with related to a project this week.
Indianapolis’s gay coffee house, The Abbey, relocated. It used to be on Mass Ave, but the building it was in was torn down and turned into condos with, presumably, really expensive retail space. The Abbey is now located on Pennsylvania, in the 800 block north, across from the Indianapolis Central Library that is under construction (I happened to see something on IndyStar.com—apparently that’s a disaster). Thanks to the people at Outword Bound Books for cluing me into its new location.
Thanks to the alignment of the stars, I saw a large number of friends who I hadn’t seen in a long time—specifically Jay, the Cynical Queer, Jerry, and John. It was also great seeing Koko, MT, Gary, Mateo, Rex, Danny, Gloria, and the rest (either I’ve temporarily misplaced your name, or I’m omitting you for a legitimate reason). It was also nice meeting some new friends—Barry, David, and Nome.
Bad
What happened to the US $10 bill? And no, I don’t mean the multicolored rendition that renders the term “greenback” an anachronism. What I mean is that there appears to be a shortage of $10 bills in circulation—there were many times when I gave people twenties for purchases that would generate at least $10 in change—and more often than not I would get two fives or ten ones—I think I got tens only five or six times during my entire stay in the States. Was it just me or does my casual observation ring true to you?
Ugly
Whilst driving down the road, hitting the deer was the worst thing about the trip to the States. Strictly speaking, the deer hit me, as it ran into the front left side of the car I was driving. The deer managed to shatter the piece of plastic covering the left turn signal—an item that my passenger guessed would cost $30, I guessed $90. Actual cost: $85 with taxes. The dent in the fender still needs to be fixed.
What was a disaster? Because the Abbey is now across from the new library? Yeah, I noticed that I have been getting a lot of fives lately, but I don’t know why.
I’m already sad that you’re gone 🙁 *sigh*
Though I haven’t noticed the whole lack of ten dollar bills, probably because I never carry cash money and always use the plastic money. Now I need quarters…must do laundry.
Glad you made it home without any major problems 🙂 Me and boy miss you tremdously I’m already sad that you’re gone 🙁 *sigh*
Though I haven’t noticed the whole lack of ten dollar bills, probably because I never carry cash money and always use the plastic money. Now I need quarters…must do laundry.
Glad you made it home without any major problems 🙂 Me and boy miss you tremdously I’m already sad that you’re gone 🙁 *sigh*
Though I haven’t noticed the whole lack of ten dollar bills, probably because I never carry cash money and always use the plastic money. Now I need quarters…must do laundry.
Glad you made it home without any major problems 🙂 Me and boy miss you tremdously I’m already sad that you’re gone 🙁 *sigh*
Though I haven’t noticed the whole lack of ten dollar bills, probably because I never carry cash money and always use the plastic money. Now I need quarters…must do laundry.
Glad you made it home without any major problems 🙂 Me and boy miss you tremdously
Ed, I perhaps was not specific enough with my discussion about the library in Indianapolis. It’s not bad that The Abbey is across from the new library. The disaster is the new Indianapolis Library–it’s $50 million over budget and at least a year behind schedule. There’s a grand jury investigation.
Adam, what’s your opinion of the new Abbey on Penn? Does it retain the charm of its previous location on Mass Ave?
I’ll always remember the Abbey with fondness because I originally met John there, but I feel sad about the travails of Mark and Moises, the owners. They had expanded to four locations in the late 1990s, *just before* Starbucks entered the Indy market, and eventually they were forced to close the other locations. Then a police-pursued vehicle crashed into their Mass Avenue store, shutting it for some time. 🙁
Jerry- The Abbey’s new location is cozier–the ceiling is a lot lower and the space is more divided. I would say the charm is different–but its still funky. I’m thinking it might have moved too far from its original space to retain the same crowd.
You lucked out with the dear. The one that attacked my car (also in Indiana) destroyed the passenger side of the car – fender, and both door panels.
When he jumped up from the river bank to greet me I handled the situation expertly. I screamed like James Brown, swerved to the left and had my car “dearly kissed.”
I took it to the repair shop and the owner showed me a car (exactly like mine) brought in the previous week. That deer went through the windshield and killed the driver.
Never drive a silver Toyota Tercel in Indiana.
I was incredibly lucky with the deer–both in that it was a baby, and in where it ran into the car–again, strictly speaking it hit me, not me hitting it.
It’s funny, as I think back on the whole thing, I imagine it taking about 15 seconds from when I saw the deer enter the road to the time I hit it–yet I was going about 50-55 mph and I suspect it took less than five seconds for everything to happen–me slow down, deer hit.
The car behind me had a uniformed off duty police officer (also speeding, considering where we were), and the other direction the deer just missed a truck, which also stopped.
Beyond the shattered piece of plastic and dent in the metal, there was a bit of deer fur on the surface of the car where it ran into the car (e.g. at the scene of the dent), plus a small (really tiny) amount of blood on the windshield (and only on the windshield, nowhere else on the car).