Baby, it's cold out there. But the roads are (mostly) cleared and the sun is shining, so it could be a whole lot worse, right? Don't think of it as cold; think of it as invigorating, or exhilarating. After all, a blast of sub-zero air will wake you up a lot faster than a cup of coffee!

This week's weather is a bit unseasonable, even for January, when Indy's high temperature is typically 34 degrees (today's high is barely expected to break zero). Kinda hard to believe that less than three weeks ago, on December 28, the National Weather Service reported a record high temperature for that date in Indy of 68 degrees, upping the previous record of 67, set in 1959, by one.

Proof yet again that in Indianapolis, you NEVER know what the weather has in store, especially in the wintertime. For now, just remember: It's invigorating, and if that's not enough to warm your soul, well, tomorrow is another day.

Word has it that President-Elect Obama has announced he plans to adopt either a Portuguese Water Dog or a Labradoodle to join his family as "first dog" in the White House. The Portuguese Water Dog is a fairly rare breed of medium size, with wavy or curly hair and many admirable qualities: They're said to be loving, intelligent, obedient, and agile. The Labradoodle, which is a cross between a Standard Poodle and a Labrador Retriever, also boasts a pleasant personality. Of medium size, they're generally friendly, energetic, intelligent, and obedient as well.

I think a more important factor than the type of dog the Obama family chooses is where they plan to get it. Rather than looking to breeders or pet stores, they hope to find a dog in need of a home at a shelter. Kudos to our new president for being such a fine example to would-be pet owners everywhere!

It�s customary for states to take pride in designating a flag, flower, and bird that are believed to best represent their state, but a state pie? If State Sen. Allen Paul has his way in this year�s legislature, Indiana will indeed name an official state pie � sugar cream.

Indiana wouldn�t be the first to lay claim to a particular pie. Vermont designated apple pie as its state pie in 1999, and Florida named key lime as its official pie in 2006.

Paul can�t take full credit for his pie-in-the-sky idea, though. The Indiana Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to identify, promote, and preserve Indiana�s food culture, worked in conjunction with Ball State University to investigate the history of the sugar cream pie, and traced its recipe back to none other than Indiana. They subsequently lobbied Paul to introduce the idea of declaring it our state pie to the legislature.

The pie is thought to have been brought to Indiana by Quakers in the early 1800s. Its ingredients are simple � cream, butter, sugar, flour, and a little spice � which would have made it perfect for settlers of that period. Today, sugar cream pie is the bestseller of Wick�s Pies, which manufactures the pies less than 30 miles north of Richmond (the home of Sen. Paul, by the way). Wick�s sells about 750,000 of it�s old-fashioned sugar cream pies" every year.

So it would seem the sugar cream pie has some strong ties to Hoosier heritage. But is it a Hoosier favorite? And do we need a state pie? What do you think?

As you're probably aware, as of Feb. 17, those who use traditional TV antennas to pick up over-the-air signals will no longer be able to get reception without the aid of a digital converter box. The government has been issuing $40 coupons to offset the cost of buying such a box, but the program hit a snag when it ran out of money on Sunday. Those who apply for a coupon now are being placed on a waiting list that's already grown to over 103,000.

Coupons expire after 90 days, and nearly half of those issued haven't been redeemed, so the current plan is to reissue unredeemed coupons. If you're one of those who's relying on the receipt of a coupon, don't wait. Get your name on the list today!