Dumb Hoosier #1: Norma Meska

I currently am at a loss for recent adventures to write about, so I thought I'd start a new on-going series of people around the Hoosier State doing dumb things.

First up, a doozie I found while checking out The Times in Northwest Indiana:

A two story house in Trail Creek was destroyed by fire when a woman lit a cigarette while on oxygen.

Norma Meska told investigators she is on oxygen and was seated on a couch about 1 p.m. Saturday when she lit a cigarette at her home at 3203 Sal Court.

According to LaPorte County authorities, the lines feeding oxygen into her nostrils flamed and she threw down the plastic feed tubes.

Coolspring Township Fire Chief Mick Pawlik said the carpeting first caught fire.

He said the flames fed by the 100 percent oxygen being pumped by a machine into the lines and out into the room spread rapidly.

"The fire kept consuming everything it could," Pawlik said.

Meska called 911 then made her way safely out of the home before the flames engulfed the home, police said.

Firefighters from Michigan City testing some hoses nearby were first to arrive.

Despite the short response time, the fire had already engulfed practically the entire first floor.

Pawlik said portable oxygen tanks were kept in her bedroom upstairs, which sustained heavy smoke damage.

Is this for real?! Turns out that there are a lot more people other than dear Norma who have made the mistake. In fact, in 2002-2005, oxygen administration equipment was involved in an estimated average of 209 home fires reported annually to fire departments, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report Fires and Burns Involving Home Medical Oxygen. These fires caused an average of 46 deaths and 62 injuries per year. Smoking materials provided the heat of ignition in roughly six in 10 of these fires and fire injuries, and three in four of the deaths.

So all you smokers out there on oxygen - be smart!!

Discovering the Weird Side of Indiana

Since starting this blog, I've a few people say, "How on earth will you keep this blog updated with fun adventures around Indiana since there isn't anything fun here to begin with?" So to all you naysayers out there, let me share with you a few guides I've found that helped me discover the entertaining, odd side of Indiana.

There are a few good books that give you insight on interesting sights around the Hoosier State. One that I own is "Weird Indiana". It's a fascinating look at the oddities of a state that you might have always assumed was just cornfield, cornfields and more cornfields. Just goes to show how wrong you can be if you judge a book by its cover. This book, like all of the others in this Weird series, is an intelligent, witty and well written survey of the creepy, eccentric and bizarre aspects of Indiana's strange sites, unique history and many unexplained mysteries. Indiana weird? Believe it or not, it really is!

Square Donuts. The World's Largest Stump. Oscar the Monster Turtle. Johnny Appleseed's grave. The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction. While other travel guides tell you about yet another cozy bed-and-breakfast and bike trails through Brown County, Oddball Indiana offers wacky travel destinations and little-known historical tidbits.

Start out with those two guides, and in no time you'll start to see a side of Indiana you didn't know existed!

Stop! Put Down That Watermelon!

There are many funny and strange laws that are still considered to be on the books though they are not necessarily enforced. Indiana is no stranger to some of these strange laws and some of these are incredibly funny! They make you think twice about saying that you have never done anything illegal since, according to these strange laws, I have broken the law on more than one occasion. Read these funny Indiana laws that are sure to make you scratch your head.

• A $3.00 per pack fee is imposed to anyone that is playing cards under the Act for the Prevention of Gaming.
• It is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public.
• Baths cannot be taken between the months of October and March.
• Oral sex is illegal in Indiana.
• Indiana liquor stores may not sell milk.
• It is illegal to pass a horse on the street.
• A man may not back into a parking space because it prevents a police officer from seeing the license plate.
• Grocery stores may not sell any type of cold liquor.
  
• It is illegal to sell cars on Sunday.
• A man may be arrested for statutory rape if his female passenger is under 17 and not wearing her socks and shoes.
• Drink on the house are illegal.
• Hotel sheets must be exactly 99 inches long and 81 inches wide.
• You can get out of paying for a dependent's medical care by praying for them.
• In Beech Grove, Indiana it is illegal to eat watermelon in the park.

How is this a Rollback Savings?

Hmm... looks like misleading advertising if you ask me. Only in Indiana would people be so dumb to think they were actually getting a deal! Thanks to John Rayman for posting this picture on his Facebook.

Speaking of Walmart... here's a car seen at Walmart last week by my friend Elizabeth Miller:

At least they can find humor out of having a big dent in their car!

Ladies and Gentlemen... Start Your Engines!

May in Indiana means only one thing - time for the Indianapolis 500! Here's a brief history if you're unfamiliar with the roots of the race.

Built on 328 acres of farmland five miles northwest of Indianapolis, Indiana, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was started by local businessmen as a testing facility for Indiana’s growing automobile industry. The idea was that occasional races at the track would pit cars from different manufacturers against each other. After seeing what these cars could do, spectators would presumably head down to the showroom of their choice to get a closer look.

The rectangular two-and-a-half-mile track linked four turns, each exactly 440 yards from start to finish, by two long and two short straight sections. In that first five mile race on August 19, 1909, 12,000 spectators watched Austrian engineer Louis Schwitzer win with an average speed of 57.4 miles per hour. The track’s surface of crushed rock and tar proved a disaster, breaking up in a number of places and causing the deaths of two drivers, two mechanics and two spectators.

While the official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, with a permanent seating capacity for more than 257,000 people and infield seating that raises capacity further to an approximate 400,000, it is the largest single-day sporting event in the world

So enough of the boring history stuff that you could have found yourself on Wikipedia. Here's the scoop on the REAL Indianapolis 500 and the top 10 things to expect if you go.

1. There are more men wearing cut off jean shorts than not.
2. Those same men wearing jean shorts are also wearing apparel featuring their favorite alcoholic beverage.
3. Parking is horrible.
4. Be prepared to get a sunburn.
5. And if the sun isn't out, be prepared for a tornado.
6. Bring your camera to take pics of celebrities outside of the Pagoda Tower.
7. Beer is way overpriced, but you can BRING YOUR OWN BEER!
8. Because you can bring your own beer, there are a lot of annoying drunk people stumbling around.
9. The actually race is really boring in person. It takes a long time to race 500 miles. Typically you sit in your seat for the first 30 and last 30 laps. The rest of the time, you walk around and people watch.
10. You must go early to watch the Purdue Marching Band perform. And best of all, hear Jim Nabors sing "Back Home Again in Indiana."