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Erik Deckers

Erik Deckers's Blog (174)

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My Review Hoosier Burger Quest at Chef JJ's Backyard Grill

I've followed Dick Davis' Hoosier Burger Quest with great interest, even joining the group and attending a couple of events. While I don't get to visit with Dick that often, especially on his Burger Quest, I was excited for his invitation for me and my wife to join him and his wife at Chef JJ Boston's Backyard Grill. (Thanks again, Dick.) Chef JJ made some Big Green waves of envy last year, especially among some of the Smaller Indian… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on November 6, 2009 at 11:59pm — No Comments

Dr. Benjamin Carson at Butler University's Diversity Lecture Series

"It is not my intention to offend anyone. And if I do, too bad." When Dr. Benjamin Carson said that, I knew I was going to have a good time. I was sitting in Clowes Hall, at Butler University's Diversity Lecture Series. Dr. Carson, of "Gifted Hands" fame, has spoken to hundreds of groups about the importance of reaching for your dream, no matter how impossible it seems.… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on October 24, 2009 at 11:30pm — 2 Comments

Ghostwriting for Dummies

I've got a confession to make. Okay, not so much a confession, since it's already one of the worst kept secrets ever. My name is Erik, and I'm a ghostwriter. ("Hi, Erik.") You probably already knew that. I own a company that ghostwrites blogs for other companies. I recently wrote a humor novel about a ghost in Irvington, a historic neighborhood in Indianapolis. (Ghost. Writing. Get it?) I've even ghostwritten a number of speeches, including for tw… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on October 14, 2009 at 10:39am — No Comments

Clean Your Den, or No Maidens For You

"Buddy, is your room clean yet?" "How much have you—oh jeez, you guys! I asked you to clean your room two hours ago. This looks worse than it was." "Sweetie, you were supposed to help him. What have you two been doing this whole time?" "But you weren't supposed to be playing. You were supposed to be cleaning your room. Weren't you guys working together?" "Playing together is not working together. I told you before things go faster if you can both work together. It cuts your work time in half… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on September 11, 2009 at 8:29am — No Comments

TV Rots Your Brain, Read a Newspaper Instead

"Have you ever thought about DirecTV?" said the message. My wife had just IMed me while I was at work. "Uhh, no, no I haven't," I replied, getting defensive. "And so what if I have? There's nothing wrong with that. Dr. Phil says fantasies are important to having a healthy relationship. I mean, sure I walk through Best Buy with sunglasses on, but that's because it's so dang bright in there." "What are you talking about?" she wrote back. "All right, all right. Sometimes I think about DirecTV wh… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on September 4, 2009 at 8:18am — 1 Comment

It's Not a Diet, It's a Lifestyle Plan

It's Not a Diet, It's a Lifestyle Plan Erik Deckers Laughing Stalk syndicate Copyright 2009 Day 1 – Starting a new diet my wife wants me to try. So weak. . . need food. . . wasting away. "It's not even breakfast time," says my wife. "Don't be so dramatic." As if. Starting new diets are always hard. My body can sense when one is coming, and it fights with me, fights without knowing this is supposed to be good for me. I've tried being sneaky, not telling it when a diet is coming,… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on September 2, 2009 at 10:00am — No Comments

Swiss Wine Festival Celebrity Grape Stomp Controversies

Now, I'll be the first one to say I'm more than a little competitive (and if not, I'll at least say it before you do, so nyah!), so my competitive juices were bubbling and fermenting when I was invited to be a celebrity grape stomper at this year's Swiss Wine Festival in Vevay, Indiana. I was one of 19 media types from Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, and of course, Vevay. I ma… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 31, 2009 at 8:30am — No Comments

Groundwork Suites is Outstanding Performance by Kenyettá Dance Company

My 8-year-old daughter and I almost didn't go to the Groundwork Suites by the Kenyettá Dance Company. We originally wanted to go to Blunder Construction, but they were sold out. We stood on the sidewalk in front of TOTS, and I wavered. Do we leave, do we do something else? I borrowed someone else's program, saw that Groundwork Suites was playing in 8 minutes. My daughter is from Haiti, and we have taught her to be proud of being black. She also loves to move, and has taught herself some basic g… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 29, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Waiting With M. Godot - A Review of Love, Wine, and Redheads

I don't even remember what the show description was about. All I saw was the word "redhead," and I knew I wanted to see Waiting With M. Godot. "Blah blah blah redhead blah blah blah." I have a soft spot in my heart for redheads. It's the Scots-ophile in me. So I went to M. Godot on Tuesday night to see what the big deal was, and if there was anything other than the promise of a redhead. Loved it! As a writer who primarily spends my day on the right hemisphere of my cranium, I… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 27, 2009 at 12:30am — No Comments

Review of The Cool Table at Indy Fringe 2009

I ate Lindsey Fisher's cookie. The cookie in question, before your mind starts wandering, was a prop for a sketch she performed as part of the sketch comedy troupe, The Cool Table, at their fourth appearance at the Indy Fringe Theatre Festival. More on that later. The Chicago-based troupe performs original sketches during each performance without repeating any during their entire Fringe appearance. What I saw tonight was not what they performed either of the last two nights. I had the chance… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 25, 2009 at 1:00am — No Comments

Andrea Merlyn's Greatest Hits (and missus!) at the Indy Fringe Theatre Festival

I took my oldest daughter, Maddie, to see Taylor Martin's show, Andrea Merlyn's Greatest Hits (and missus!) at the Theatre on the Square 2 stage. It was a full house, and my first chance to see Taylor Martin (née Andrea Merlyn) perform, even though I've known him for over a year. I enjoyed Taylor's illusions and jokes, and I was impressed by his ability to project his characters into magic. The fact that he did it all in drag made it even more funny. The thing I really liked and apprecia… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 22, 2009 at 12:00pm — No Comments

Hilarious video from IndyFringe, thanks to my son

Backer buttons: 3 dollars Performance tickets: 10 dollars Having your 6-year-old son say out loud what everyone else is thinking: priceless
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I took my family to the Indy Fringe Preview night, and we watched several brief performances. While we all had our favorites — the kids loved Blunder Construction, my wife and I enjoyed Crossing the Brid… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on August 20, 2009 at 11:50pm — 4 Comments

BlogIndiana 2009 photos

I'm having a good time at BlogIndiana, seeing old friends, making new ones. I'll upload new photos as I take them. I'm taking them with my cell phone, so I apologize for the lack of, well, goodness.
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Added by Erik Deckers on August 13, 2009 at 10:44am — No Comments

Write Your Own Artist's Statement

I'm a big fan of the arts, especially in my hometown, Indianapolis. And whenever I go to see different art shows and exhibits, I always take the time to read the artist's statement. I know some artists struggle with writing their artist's vision statement, so here is a helpful template to help any artist come up with one they can use at their coming shows. My name is __________ (my real name / a nom de guerre / something I saw on a label in an Asian food market), and I __________ (am an emergin… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on July 4, 2009 at 10:52am — 2 Comments

Don't Mess With Indiana

I love Indiana. I love the people, I love the cities and towns, I love everything we stand for: corn, car racing, and the belief that any high school basketball team anywhere can win a state championship and have a movie made about them. I moved here with my family when I was two, moved away for a couple years in my mid-20s, and immediately came back. I'm a Hoosier through and through. I grew up in Indiana, went to an Indiana college, and have started a family here. I've traveled throughout th… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on June 14, 2009 at 3:18pm — 1 Comment

Curling Is Harder Than It Looks

Curling Is Harder Than It Looks Erik Deckers Laughing Stalk Syndicate Copyright 2009 Several weeks ago, I had the chance to fill a years-long dream I've had: I got to go curling. I joined the Circle City Curling Club on their last practice of the season. Regular readers may know my fascination with this winter sport, the game that involves sliding very heavy — 42 pounds — rocks down a narrow strip of ice, trying to make your rock land inside a big circle while knocking other rocks out of it.… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on June 3, 2009 at 9:45am — No Comments

Revenue Generation Idea for Veterinarians

This was originally published at my humor blog, Laughing Stalk, and in 9 weekly newspapers around Indiana. Karl the Curmudgeon Has a Business Idea Erik Deckers Laughing Stalk Syndicate Copyright 2009 "I've got a great idea for a business. I think you're going to want a piece of this action," said my friend Karl, my literary curmudgeon and occasional drinking buddy. We had been hanging out qu… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on May 8, 2009 at 9:26am — No Comments

How to Measure ROI for Social Media and the Long Sales Cycle

Originally posted on my DeckersMarketing.com blog A recent discussion on Smaller Indiana focused on whether you can measure the ROI for social media. One uninformed complaint was that 1) it’s not possible to measure the ROI on social media, and 2) it’s even harder for websites that don’t allow for online sales and shopping carts. Like insurance agents or realtors, because th… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on April 22, 2009 at 11:55am — 5 Comments

The Problem With British Job Titles

"Look, if the British want us Americans to stop making fun of them, they have to quit doing this stuff," said Karl, my drinking buddy and literary curmudgeon. What stuff, I said. Karl plonked his beer on the bar, followed by a copy of Wednesday's London Daily Express. We were sitting at MacTaggart's Scottish Pub, watching the International Ferret-Legging Championships on satellite TV. "This stuff," he said, jabbing a gnarled finger at an article. Victoria Beckham's Slinky New Dress Excites H… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on April 11, 2009 at 4:54pm — 1 Comment

Houston Teachers Shocked to Find Zero Tolerance Applies to Them

I've long complained that zero tolerance policies turn school administrators into bureaucratic automatons who lack any common sense or compassion for rule breakers. From a first grade boy who was suspended for having a weapon – a knife he got from the school cafeteria – to girls who had anti-PMS medication, administrators' blind adherence to zero tolerance has put stains on the permanent records of otherwise-good kids who have never been a minute's trouble. And we all know how long those perman… Continue

Added by Erik Deckers on April 3, 2009 at 10:19am — 1 Comment

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