boxing night

It occurred to me as I was waiting in the line of vehicles to enter the Indiana State Fair grounds that I was probably the only person listening to NPR on the way to Fight Night.

I am an amateur boxing fan, which surprises a lot of people. I have season tickets to the Golden Gloves matches. The Golden Gloves are great; the playing field seems leveled between race and class lines. Some clubs obviously have more resources, and others share gloves and water bottles.

Tonight I went to the professional fights. I don’t enjoy them nearly as much. Most of the GG matches are only 3 rounds, so the kids are putting their all in to the match from the beginning. The Fight Night matches range from 4-10 rounds.

I went with a group of guys that play softball with Stuart Lanford.
Stuart is a six-time Golden Gloves champion. He’s an Army veteran (Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom). Stuart won his first professional title tonight, NABC Cruiserweight Championship.
The whole coliseum was stomping and cheering for him.
I was glad to be there to see it.

long time no see

Remember that dish rack I bought at Ikea?
In October.
I finally put it together.
Turns out, four months is plenty of time to misplace the screws that came with it.

sicky mcsick

I’ve been sick for the last four days.
Not the tucked-under-a-quilt-on-the-sofa-sick, the too-dizzy-to-read-or-write-sick.

This would be a good time for cable.
~gottta go.

cold turkey from blogging?

No, but I'm a cold turkey.

I walked to the newsstand. It's only about half a mile from my house, but felt longer in the wind and sleet.
I took a photo of myself all bundled up to post here, but forgot to bring the cord to transfer it to my computer--and I ain't going back.
Of course I've done nothing but nap and read all day.
And I might have eaten some cookies.

sNOw INTERNET day

Indianapolis is supposed to get socked with a big ice/snow storm tonight.

Second Helpings made the decision this afternoon to close tomorrow.
That gave us plenty of time to notify the agencies we serve and get them extra food.

This allows me an extra day to get ready for my party.
I should be overjoyed…and I am---almost.

I have no internet access at home.
My neighbors cat knocked over the router, and it's dead.
The router, not the cat.
Not my decision.

Can I go a whole day with out checking e-mail or blogs?

Right now I’m hunkered down in my truck parked in front of the newsstand.
If the roads are crappy tomorrow (as promised) I won’t be able to drive here.

I guess I’ll have to finish getting ready for the party.

Or take a walk to the newsstand.

Stay warm.

goofing off

Happy Saturday.
It is as cold as a well diggers ass here.
I learned that term reading another blog and it has been stuck in my head for weeks.
I don't even know what it means.

I’m working on several pieces that are part of a cover story for NUVO.
I have 6 to write and I’ve turned in half of them.
It has been a fun, but difficult assignment-- “Where are they now” about bands of the 70s and 80s.
Most of these guys don’t’ have the best long-term memory. They all have stories, but none of them match as far as dates (years apart in some cases) and venues. None of them want to communicate via e-mail. I’ll explain to them that I don’t have a way to record it, I’m not a good note taker, I have 3 jobs and I don’t enjoy talking on the phone. One of them told me “he’d talk slow.” Ummm, thanks.
Tracking down photographs has been fun.
I’m glad I’m not having a photograph of me in the 80s on the cover of anything.

My 24th annual Saint Valentine’s Day party is, well... Valentine’s Day.
I have lots of cleaning and baking to do.

So, naturally here I sit. At the coffeehouse doing anything but the work I should be.
The 250 words I just typed?
The exact amount due for a music review that I attended Wednesday night.
Focus, Nora, focus.

chez pez on tour

woo hoo...nora got a camera, nora got a camera....

I was honored to be invited to display some of my PEZ collection at the Irvington branch of the Indianapolis Library in January.
I included a lot of history and fun PEZ facts. It was very well received: the Central (Main) Library has asked me to show them in March.
Two of my favorite things, PEZ and the library.
Life is good.

When I was setting up the display I met a young girl and her mother. O. is a budding PEZ collector.
She left her telephone number for me with a librarian, but I felt weird calling her. It's pretty sad that a 45 year-old woman should feel strange calling an 8 year-old. When I took down the display I left O. a bag of goodies. PEZ, books and copies of research I've done with my phone number. I decided it would be better if O. contacted me.
O. sent me a nice thank you card today with some PEZ questions. I think this will be a fun friendship.

super! bowl

I went to watch the game at the local Knights of Columbus club, like the good Catholic girl that I am.
My friend Anne-Marie threw an over-the-top party there. Food, cowbells, three giant (7’ x 10’) televisions, confetti, pompoms and music.
I might have seen a beer or two around floating around.

My little brother, JR was at the game.
JR and I are very close, in that children-born-in-the-1960’s-of-a-Catholic-farm -family-that-does-not-express-our-emotions-kind-of-way.
We don’t cuss, hug each other or say “I love you,” and it works for all of us.

I am proud of how JR relates to his children. Lots of hugs, kisses and verbal affirmation.
JR and I still operate on the “head nod” way of showing affection. We never talk about it, but I know that I would throw myself under a train for him and he’s gone out of his way to protect me.

JR and I have some major philosophical differences. He’s a die-hard Republican and I’m a tree-hugging liberal. He lives in a newer neighborhood that has rules about mailboxes and grass mowing. I live in an urban neighborhood where I’m damn happy if my neighbors mow their lawn. He’s a Mariah Carey fan and I like punk-rock and Prince.
That said, we respect and support each other.

So, our text message exchange during the Super Bowl seemed like a deep conversation.

Nora: Are you getting wet?

JR: f*** yes

JR: Prince fn rocks

Nora: No shit! The best half-time show ever. I’m glad you are there.

You can see the first part of the half-time show on You Tube by clicking on the title of this post. I think those women dancing in high heels in the rain should get the MVP award.


I think that is the most we’ve sworn around each other, ever.
Don’t tell Dad.

I stopped a few places on my way home.
I drove through Broad Ripple, the artsy music-y part of town. Lots of people in the streets.
I went to a sports bar a few blocks from my house. It was crazy there—people dancing on tables and such. I thought about heading downtown, but I was tired.

Apparently my cat had ‘partied down’ during the game.
He threw-up on the living room floor when I got home.