Their website is still up, and hopefully they will remain in business for catering, but no where else will I be able to have jerk chicken, festival rolls and fried plantains - all from a staff who loved their food and cared about their customers. Rest in peace Da Blue Lagoon.

Trust me on this.

Saturday, I ignored the cold and decided to get some yard work in before the snow/rain/whatever passes-for-weather-nowadays started. Outfitted dutifully with headphones and a few layers of clothing, I was well into my work when out of the corner of my eye, I saw, what looked like, a pit bull bounding up from behind me.

"Go home!" I yelled. I was leery. Who wouldn't be? I see strays all the time in my neighborhood. The dog chose not to listen and followed me to the rear of my house. I tried to ignore the canine, but along came a second dog - just as eager to get my attention as the first. "Oh hell no" I thought. Neither had tags and neither looked familiar.

I went inside and tried to find the number for Animal Control. The emphasis is on tried. The new IndyGov website was buggy enough to give me several errors when I tried the "Report a Problem" link. Still someone annoyed and cheesed off, I took a moment to read the site. "Try the Mayors Action line to report strays - we have officers constantly patrolling" it said.

Ok... so I did. The Mayors Action Center is no better. The generic "contact us" form has "Request Basketball Goal" as its default selection and no where in their list does it say anything about reporting problem animals. So I called the Action Line.They were closed.

So I called the general number for Animal Control. Even though it was within their hours of operation, I got voicemail. The voicemail, very cheerfully, told me to call the Mayor's Action Line.

Do you see where I'm going with this? I called the cops.

The cops were actually helpful, because I spoke to a real live person. They, however, suggested that I call the Mayor's Action Line. Non-plused, I asked for an alternative. They were kind enough to not only give me the first number for Animal Control that I had tried, but they supplied me with a second number to call.

Bingo.

Someone picked up at Animal Control. I'm assuming they were living since they were kind of responding to me.

"Hi, I need to report some stray dogs roaming my neighborhood."

"Ok"

"Uh... well - there are two dogs - one is brown and white and appears to be either a pit bull or some sort of boxer breed. The second is golden, with a long coat - medium sized."

"Ok"

".... So... yeah - it's a problem because there have been attacks in the neighborhood recently and the Monon trail is right here. People come through the area to bike and jog."

"Ok. We'll send someone out."

And that was about it. Did someone come out? I have no idea. What I do know is that after I hung up the phone and went outside, I saw the first dog running through my yard to the trail. From the trail I could hear a dog-walker screaming at the stray to get away from his own dog.

To sum up: Animal Control - awful. The Mayor's Action Center - even worse. Both need to figure it out. God help anyone who has to use either service in a more urgent situation. No wonder the police get all the calls - someone will actually pick up there.

(Note: I heartlessly ripped the title of this post from a Bikes of Indy forum post of the same topic.)

For everyone who missed the blaze that took out the Cosmopolitan complex, Tod Parker has some spectacular photos up on the PhotoTac website.

http://www.phototac.com/3-12-09.htm

PhotoTac is a photographic resource for fire and rescue squads, documenting real life runs. Here's some information from the website...

Welcome to PhotoTac.com, a place on the internet for Indiana firefighters and any other interested individuals to find their photographic documentation of Firefighting, Rescue, EMS, and Police.

My purpose is to bring positive exposure to these fields through hi-quality, professional photography as well as providing valid documentation of incidents, either for Arson or other important departmental needs.

Saturday there were the first tours of the new Colts' stadium for those of the citizenry who were not well-heeled enough to afford either to attend the $250 admission opening Gala the night before, or season tickets which got you into a more intimate tour the following day.

This was the line to ride up -then immediately back down- the one open escalator to the upper deck

Although I had scored a bunch of tickets, in the end only a small band of intrepid friends decided to brave the hordes of GenCon-ers, free tour-takers, and baseball game-watchers all descended on our unassuming downtown. Thankfully we decided to just take my Ooeypooey permit and park on campus and walk across town, as once we were on foot, we saw that gridlock was the word of the day.

Once we got in (after spending 15 minutes queued at a gate they didn't open, then another 15 pushing our way to the front of the proper queue) we set out to purchase a beer from the oft-promised concession stands that would be open.

Much to our disappointment, while there were indeed stands open, they were not selling beer to the hoi polloi who took the free tour. They gave it away to the big-wigs, or let season ticket holders buy beer, but apparently us schlubs couldn't be trusted to not get wasted and trash the place on the day it opened, LOL!

NO BEER FOR YOU!

As far as the stadium itself, it was pretty cool. If you've ever been in Conseco Fieldhouse, imagine that, but for football. Aesthetically, they are very similar, IMHO.

When entering from the northern "front" gate, you can see an open view of the entire stadium.

So yeah, "old school fieldhouse" is the major motif, with smaller themes of "if it doesn't move, put a sign or something on it" and "will an ad fit here?" Corporate partnership is a big part of the decor, and frequently the concourse will be head-to-toe in the livery of appliance stores, banks, law firms, and other big-money spenders. There are lots of "Lucas Oil" branded race cars all over the place, for instance, and again like Conseco the concession stands seem to be going for that "carny barker" vibe with unique color pallets and liberal use of special lighting.

The main window looks towards downtown, a nice touch.

Since we didn't get any beer at the stadium, when we were spat out of the tour at the south gate, Mo realized we were near Spencer's Stadium Tavern and we should just continue our walk a little further to go get a beer. When we got there because the band was only about an hour and a half from starting they tried to extort a cover charge from us. Bastards! We promised to quickly drink one beer and be on our merry way, but Jason was convinced the waitress just overcharged us for our bottles of Two-Hearted to make up for it. Walking back up West to the car we passed another bar, Basey's Downtown Grill & Spirits, so we stopped in for another pint-thankfully this place at least had 312 on draught. Seemingly a regular ol' neighborhood bar, this place hit the jackpot with the new stadium being built across from it's back parking lot. Moving on we decided to extend our impromptu pub crawl with a final trip to The Bourbon Street Distillery, which despite it being the unofficial bar of Indy's IU Law campus, I never had been to before. They didn't quite have the beer selection I would've expected, and the spinach dip was kinda watery, but we were treated to a lovely strip tease by some random girl on the third floor of the Canal Court Apartments across the street, which made for a very happy balcony. Authentic New Orleans Experience indeed.

But I must say, despite the great time, it would've been *much* more fun had my, and my buddy Jeh's, significant others been able to attend. Women who mind the kid (or kid to be) while the men go goof off, I salute you!

This is a first ever event, presented by the Fishers Chamber of Commerce and Community Hospital North, will be held on Saturday, August 2, from noon – 10 pm at USA Parkway Circle (behind Sallie Mae).

Check out Erik's site for the complete details!

Target's grand opening is actually something of a grand reopening. A few years ago one could find a Target located near 49th and Keystone. This Target was small and rundown. The Target near 49th and Keystone was closed down about the same time the Nora Target was rebuilt.

The block party had an atmosphere of a small town carnival. Face Painters, jugglers, a magician, kid games, put-put golf, an animal Show, a concert, and fireworks were all part of the festivities. The new Glendale parking lot was packed; the people from the cars were divided between the party, Target, and the movie theater.

The headliner of the block party was The Devonshires. The Devonshires played a set of 60's pop-rock with gusto and ... costumes. Actually, more like uniforms. Let me know if you can locate a Union Jack uniform :)

Obviously this is a little bit of work. Not a lot, mind you, but certainly more than just piling limbs and crap in a big pile on the curb. So, of course, people in my Coffin Park neighborhood just piled branches and limbs on the side of the road.

Not surprisingly, DPW didn't pick any of it up. Just like they don't pick up the mattresses, recliners, or busted up ol' chiffarobes people put out, either. Now, with many things eventually the garbage scavengers will come in their rusty pick-ups and take junk like that. (They're like some sort of surprisingly effective carrion bird of the 'hood. Anything passably usable set on the curb is typically gone in a matter of minutes) But not even the least discriminating scavenger has a use for old limbs.

Apparently today, after the garbage robot ignored the limbs yet again, the brain trust apparently decided it was time to take action.

Now, what do we burn, apart from witches?... WOOD! So obviously the solution to having a large pile of storm debris wood on the curb spilling out into the road is to simply set it on fire! Problem solved!

So indeed, as I was returning to work from home this afternoon, there was a large bonfire encroaching on the road. Three individuals stood in their yard, admiring their handiwork, probably glad they had the foresight to pull their cars a good three or four lousy feet down the road in either direction so they wouldn't have to worry about, oh I don't know, their gas tanks exploding from the fact a giant fire is raging mere inches away!.

Life in Indy, what an adventure!

Carrabba’s Italian Grill invites consumers to help name a new, Carrabba’s-exclusive, limited-edition baby Super Tuscan wine debuting this fall from Ruffino. This is a fun opportunity for one winner to receive a $1,500 epicurean prize package including:

A case of the exclusive Ruffino wine
A catered 2008 holiday celebration for 12
A year’s worth of Carrabba’s dinners in 2009

Entries can be submitted online at www.Carrabbas.com until July 31, 2008.

Local staples Bigger Than Elvis will open the night and tickets are only $10 in advance.

Book sales are held at the Library Services Center, which is located at 2450 N. Meridian. For more information, visit the Marion County Library website.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/01/28/daily11.html

A company spokeswoman said that the division did not meet the company's goals. Supervalu had planned to expand the stores nationally as a competitor to larger organic chains like Whole Foods and Wild Oats.

http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=7787557

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The Sunflower Market is closing its chain of grocery stores including its location in Broad Ripple.

The stores are known for their organic foods but Officials say it could not compete with other organic stores.

The Sunflower Market will close the week of February 18th.

I was inspired to finally make the trip by a friend. She has developed the habit of taking out-of-town guests to the restaurant at Trader's Point Creamery. Like Shapiro's or the Brickyard, it is a unique Central Indiana experience - something you can't find everywhere.

First, of course, Trader's Point is a working dairy. However, not only is the milk organic, the Brown Swiss cows are grass-fed as well.

For a small fee ($3), I'd recommend going on the guided tour of the farm and milking barn. The guided tour we attended coincided with the milking of the cows at 4 PM. In our very urbanized, sanitized, and packaged age, its was both fascinating and educational to watch the cows being milked. Incidentally, we were able to tell which ones had been milked, and which ones were waiting to be milked, by how full their udders were.

As part of being an organic farm, Trader's Point uses chickens to keep the bugs down. It was like going back 100 years, seeing chickens scratching in the dirt and wandering around.

Traders Point also has a retail store. While some Traders Point products (for example, milk and yogurt) are readily available at local markets (for example, Kroger, Marsh, and Wild Oats), some items like their cheese and ice cream are harder to find.

After the tour, we ate at the restaurant on the second floor of the barn. It features local, organic products, and, naturally, lots of veal, chicken, milk, and cheese were on the menu. There is also an ice cream bar, for those who want to indulge their sweet tooth..

With the growing tend toward local and organic food, Traders Point Creamery seems to be hitting a cord. Also, they offer the chance for those in Indy to support a local farmer. Consider going out there for a visit (and maybe invite an out-of-town guest or two). Their milk and yorgurt can be found in many local grocery stores.

Summer Market: April through November, Saturday 9 AM to noon.
Winter Market: May to October, Friday 4 to 8 PM.
Dinner: Friday & Saturday, 6 to 8 PM. Reservations recommended.
Store: 8 AM to 6 PM daily.
Dairy Bar: Wednesday through Sunday 11:30 - 5 PM.
Tours: Friday 4:30 PM; 10 AM and 11:30 AM Saturday.

Traders Point is located just outside of the northwest corner of I-465: 9101 Moore Road, Zionsville, IN 46077

For more info: www.tpforganics.com

Ryan Hoffar, one of Indy's own, possesses the unique talent of taking the old snowy-day afternoon kindergarten art class project of making a paper snowflake and turns it into intricate abstract designs, motifs and even silhouette images. Instead of the traditional scissors, Ryan switched to using razor blades, but the effect is stunning nonetheless.

You can see (and purchase) some of Ryans incredible work on his website.