The Monthly Mullet, January 2023

Everything you think you know about adoption is wrong (probably)

Adoption isn’t all about smiling babies and happy couples. The adoption industry has historically done a pretty crappy job at supporting birth moms — the women who make the super hard decision that raising a child isn’t the right thing for them right now. Thankfully, “support” is the name of the game at Adoption Support Center.

ASC has a 35+ year history of modern, ethical adoption in Indiana. As pioneers in an ever-changing industry, the women at ASC reached out to Kicks to keep them agile in the modern age, and to make it easier for women in need to connect with support.

As an adoptee himself, Kicks’ senior content writer Chris put a lot of heart and soul into this massive content project. Take a look at our case study to see how the complete website overhaul is helping connect women to the compassionate team at ASC.

Modern site, modern agency

Writer or Wrobot?

Okay, so by this point you’re probably pretty good at spotting AI-generated art from the real deal. But can you tell when something you’re reading was typed out by cold, mechanical fingers or warm, fleshy ones?

Kicks’ senior content writer Chris found a cool online game called Real or Fake Text? that challenges you to figure out whether a short story, recipe or even news article was written by a real person or an AI.

Here’s a hint — if the recipe isn’t preceded by a 12,000-word story about their family vacation to Tuscany, then a robot definitely wrote it.

Check out Wrobot

If You’re Not Ridin’ Easy, Are You Really Ridin’ At All?

Easy Rider Diner opened their doors pretty much directly beneath Kicks HQ last fall, and we’ve been riding high on aromas from their southwest-inspired kitchen ever since. Whether you check them out for brunch, dinner or a late-night snack after a show at HI-FI, here are our top picks to stuff your gob:

Brunch recs: 

• Biscuits and gravy — A little bit spicy, and a lotta bit better than the B&Gs your Meemaw used to make. Sorry not sorry, Meemaw.
• Baked eggs — Toss some eggs, chorizo and salsa in a cast iron skillet and what have you got? One of our fave bfasts in FSQ.
• Breakfast tacos — Swap the cast iron for a pillowy soft flour tortilla and you’ve got a winner in your hands.

Dinner recs: 

• Cubano — Just a good, solid Cuban. Nuff said.
• Fried chicken — Come for the hot honey chicken, stay for the sweet potato wedges.
• Fish tacos — A super generous portion of tacos that rival some of Fountain Square’s best.

Easy Rider Diner

Kickin' it around Indy

Greater Indianapolis Garage Sale & Marketplace, Jan 14–15 — Dumpster divers assemble! The nation’s biggest garage sale is back at the State Fairgrounds, where you’re sure to find thousands of deals, oddities, and trinkets that have aged so poorly that buyers are sure to get #canceled.

The Ice Rink at Holliday Park, through Jan 29 — Didn’t get your ice skating fix during the holidays? Head to Holliday Park and live out your Tonya Harding dreams. Well, some of them, at least.

Eat local, ya schmucks, Jan 24–Feb 6 — It’s Devour Indy time again, and what better time to test out the elastic waistband on those sweatpants you got for Christmas? You’ll find great deals and special menus from all your favorite local restaurants across town.