Friday, July 19, 2019

Another low-key day, but with news, nerves, and index cards.

We mostly stayed in our hotel room studying the videos I took of our trainers giving us their mock tours. We made our own notes. We discussed.

We each have our own “learning style.” Because we’re different. You know … opposites attract. He needs to talk, to hear things, to process. I need to think. I need quiet.

You likely see the problem.

But actually, the problems have been few. Just when I’m about to say, “Hey, I love you, but you’ve got to go for a loooong walk,” he runs out of oxygen. Or something. He probably realizes (after almost 42 years, he’s got me figured out) that I need quiet, and he stops processing out loud and I get some quiet to think and do my own processing.

We were in the midst of studying and thinking and processing and going over the tour details when we got a call.

We have three appearances next week. Before the Colts Training Camp. Great! We’re happy to have something to do other than sit around a hotel room.

The first one is Monday morning.

Okay.

On two local morning television shows.

Ooookay.

Which means being on site (30 minutes away), and set up, by 5 am.

And ready to speak on camera about the trailer and the tours.

Gulp.

Yep. This is what we signed up for. We’d already discussed that if there were any media interviews, I would handle those. Dave tends to follow rabbit trails. He knows that. I’m able to stay on point, and be succinct and articulate. I may not have his people skills and charisma, but I can say what needs to be said in the 30 seconds allotted, so in this instance, I’m elected.

So … deep breath … and … back to studying.

There will be two local stations interviewing us Monday morning. RTV6 at 5 am. WISH-TV at 6 am. (We’re hoping to be able to set up the trailer Sunday evening. Then we just have to get ourselves to the site by 4:15 am.)

Beech Grove City Hall, 806 Main St, Beech Grove, IN. We’ll give tours to the public from 10 am – 2 pm Monday.

We’ll be off Tuesday.

Wednesday, we’ll be at the Indianapolis City Market, no firm time, but it looks like tours around lunch time. 222 E Market St, Indianapolis, IN.

Thursday, Fort Benjamin Harrison Farmers Market, Civic Plaza, 9230 Memorial Park Drive. Lawrence, IN. Tours 4-7 PM.

So … apart from watching the videos, taking notes, mumbling facts about opioid and

opiate use in America (who knew there was a difference between opiates and opioids??), we ventured out for lunch at Arby’s and dinner at McDonalds (both across the street from our hotel). We’ve avoided fries, sticking to salads and sandwiches. Dave’s used the treadmill here and we’re on the 4th floor and we use the stairs, so we’re not total sloths.

Other impressions of Indiana: It’s still hot. And humid. I get that it’s an unusually hot streak/heat wave for here, so I understand the obsession the news has with the weather. And the brown grass makes us feel right at home.

Thanks, Indiana!

I didn’t see the news item until it was too late to grab a screen shot, but a local radio show/host/DJ is planning an endurance contest. It looks like he’s planning to sit in a car … for ??? I don’t know how long … and I don’t know why? He might be raising money. I hope he has a purpose. But as a Californian who annually reads news articles about children and pets who die of heat exhaustion in cars during the summer, I just found this “stunt” to be fool hardy. And–yes, I’ll say it–stupid. Others may want to imitate it.

So no. Just. No.