So, what was there to do with all this rain? Forecasters had said the rain would stop in the afternoon. Instead, the grey clouds lingered all day. It was cold for a mid-June day.
"I hate to tell you this," said Carol, "but it's supposed to warm up the day after you leave!"
Hahaha very funny, Carol.
But at least I got stuff done. I got the oil changed on the van and got two other maintenance-scheduled checks performed, while sitting in a drive-through oil place in Crown Point. Here I chatted with a very friendly local woman who's seen her land get flooded by rain water over the years.
"There were talks about building a pipe line to the Southwestern States but Canada balked out and the pipeline was canceled" she said. I had always wondered why engineers never pursued a water pipeline from the Northeast or Midwest to the arid West and Southwest. But what about pipelines from the Missouri or Mississippi Rivers to prevent constant floodings every summer?
And yet cities like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Los Angeles will demand more water and abuse more water, forcing people outside those cities to conserve water. Some states have even passed water conservation laws for land owners. Arizona may be the next state to do so.
When the local woman learned that I was originally from Northwest Indiana she began asking me about places in Arizona. Had I heard of all these tourist spots that cater to the unknowing tourist? No, as I live in Arizona and deal more with water conservation, Mexicans sneaking across the border at night, drug raids and stray cattle stopping traffic on country roads. What Arizona lacks in water the Midwest and especially northern Indiana get too much of because land developers continue to build large subdivisions on land that was originally designed by nature to be marsh and swamps. Those lands always show inclinations to want to return to swamps and marsh whenever there is torrential rains over time. Cornfields around Crown Point are badly flooded right now, potentially ruining another year's corn harvest if the weather doesn't start drying up soon. It's no wonder that two more parcels of 20-acre corn fields are up for sale to land developers just east of Carol's neighborhood. Both fields are badly under water and the current corn is barely six inches tall.
A few hours later I managed to get Eric in to get his eyes checked and glasses ordered at a local Vision Point Center in Crown Point. The optometrist was a very tall Dr M who was all leg as he introduced himself. I held back on asking the question all tall people surely get posed: "How tall ARE you?" I guessed he was at least 6'5" tall, making Eric seem small at his 6' frame and me, well, feeling like a midget.
Eric was a good sport, trying on large square frames resembling those worn my comedians like Drew Carey. "Large frames are part of the comedy act" Eric explained, "but Drew isn't really funny. He's funny because he's also fat"
Oh. Well in that case most of Indiana should be hilarious.
All kidding ended when I was presented the bill of over $400 for the glasses. The price put me in temporary price shock. Why was the bill so high, I wanted to know.
"Because they charge extra for the lenses" said the woman behind the counter, who up to this point was quite cordial with me. Now everyone behind the counter got silent and cast their eyes downward, avoiding eye contact with me. Their marketing scheme had been revealed and I was the scammee.
"Who is 'they'?" I wanted to know.
"The company that makes the lenses!"
It would have been nice had Vision Point made that clear in their price range list upfront to the customers. Although I reminded Eric that price was not an issue--I wanted him to pick lenses that were safe and pleasing for his face--I didn't expect to practically get my credit card overheated during the transaction. The frames Eric picked out were similar to the frames he had picked out a few years ago: frameless glasses that shaded his eyes. Even Eric was surprised at the price.
"Mom, they charged $200 for frameless glasses!" which did seem strange as the lenses were unframed. I paid $200 for two metal bars holding up the lenses.
And as we walked out of the overcharged business, I whispered to Eric in my first pang of disgust and anger on this trip "I paid fourhundredfucking dollars for your glasses...you better start taking care of your shit!" referring to him having crushed his last pair "by mistake" much like he cracked his laptop screen "by mistake" when he hit it hard in a fit of anger.
Eric felt bad. No, I didn't want him to feel bad. He needed glasses and it was my mistake to go to Vision Point. I should have taken him to the place that works out of Wal-Mart stores and saved $200, but all was said and done and at least now he will get a new pair of untinted glasses in a few days. That was my mission for the day and the mission was accomplished. Next time I will not be going to Vision Point. Lesson learned.
The three of us then ate at a burger joint in CP, Bealy O' Bradys, family pub restaurant with more flat-screen TVs on the walls than most sport bars. If this was a family-friendly pub and restaurant, why not show a few cartoons on some of the TVs for the kids in the clientele? Or maybe a news channel for those of us who really don't care to watch overpaid fat male athletes beat each other up in tight spandex uniforms?
What I enjoyed about this place, besides the bustling atmostphere, was the smoke-free dining area. Crown Point recently passed a no-smoking ordinance in all their restaurants. Smoking can only be allowed in a separate room divided by an air-tight wall. Merrillville, the town just to Crown Point's northern border, allows smokers, allowing air in Merrillville restaurants to spread appetizing nicotine and tar to every diner in the restaurant at no extra charge.
I much prefer smoke-free dining. I didn't even start going into micro-brew bars until California passed the first no-smoking laws in its restaurants in 1998. I've been an avid fan of such places ever since.
The food was good and plenty, as most profitable restaurants are in the Midwest, and we went back to Carol's stuffed. Carol insisted on paying this time. I will get her back on Saturday when it's my turn.
Matt came by and the rest of the evening we heard sound effects equivalent to World War III emanating from the office as the two boys disappeared into the computer room to play XBox games. I sat with Carol in the living room reading a new book "Building a Home with my Husband" by Rachel Simon (I had read her previous work a few years ago) while watching parts of David Letterman's clumsy monologue on Sarah Palin, the Republican choice as Vice President for candidate John McCain. The monolgue seemed awkward at best.
"Sarah Palin is such a vindictive woman!" said Carol.
"I have to agree with David Letterman, she does dress like a slutty flight attendant!" I added. I can't imagine anything honestly considering her as president of our country; there's nothing diplomatic or dignified about her.
Other news that I had lost count of was the swine flu, now called a global pandemic by the World Health Organization, or WHO.
For the first time on this visit I went to sleep in Carol's guest bedroom. And for the first time on this trip I cuddled with my dog and petted her softly, given her her beloved belly rubs as I talked gently of the upcoming trip ahead. She stretched out next to me and fell asleep. She was still on the bed when I got up this morning.
The boys next door were up late into the morning, just like they were that first week I was here, and when I got up this morning to let Sadie out for her 5:30am pee run, both boys were sound asleep on separate couches. I had visions of violently waking both up to a loud rendition of Reveille, but I controlled my thoughts and instead made coffee to get me started.
http://www.post-trib.com/news/porter/1619280,pcflood0612.article
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1619034,swineflu0612.article
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
No comments:
Post a Comment