What I'm Learning Living in Indiana, Part 2

1. The drive to Chicago from Ft. Wayne can seem very long when you make it 1, 2, sometimes 3 times a week. And even when you get to see your favorite Clementine and her parents, it is still a boring drive on Rte. 30.
2. Rte. 33 is no better, but I think somewhere along the way, there's a Target, so that's a plus.
   
3. The local news is hilarious.
4. Especially when national morning shows follow the local news. I love watching the Ft. Wayne CBS channel, only to then watch the "Early Show" out of NYC, to see my "local" New York anchors. What a delightful juxtaposition.
5. Sometimes "traffic accident" means "horse and buggy accident."
6. One thing I never hear here? The creepy ice cream truck that used to drive around town, in all seasons, playing Christmas music, and purportedly selling "ice cream" at midnight. Ah, Norwalk....
7. If you fall asleep on the couch in the family room at any time, you should expect to be woken up by a 14 month old with a charming yet devilish grin. You should also expect that she will wake you up by whacking you on the head with a Tickle Me Elmo or throwing a block at you. And, you should expect that she will continue with the block or Elmo until you show signs of life.
8. There are more pharma companies and medical device manufacturers here than I remember, and I don't know why. I'm going to guess some kind of tax break. But seriously, they're everywhere. My drive on Rte 30: field, stoplight, field, light, light, medical manufacturer, field, field, light, field, another med manufacturer, oh look another!, field, field, stoplight...
9. If you tell your niece that you will bake her cupcakes using a silly cupcake maker from Grandma Mabel and then you don't do it, you will be reminded of your failure every few weeks when she notices the cupcake maker and decides to carry it around with her.... And you'll feel a little guilty, even though you're pretty sure your niece doesn't know what cupcakes are yet, and if you said the words "cupcakes" and "banana" in the same sing-songy voice, you'd get the same response from her.
10. When you run out of finger paint, use yogurt.