The UI Daily Mayhem

New Blog

2006-07-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

After a very long absence, I've taken up a new blog at jenniferpowers.blogspot.com

Check me out there!

Signing Off

2006-05-15T18:51:00.000-07:00

Well, this will be my last post for the UIAA as the semester is done and I've graduated. However, I will still be blogging occassionally, so if you'd like you can still read my blog at http://uiaapowers.blogspot.com.

Graduation was great this weekend. I had a good time time my family, Tom and his family. On Sunday Tom, my dad, and I made the loooooong (11 hour) drive down to Dodge City, Kansas with a 6' X 12' trailer full of my belongings. Today was spent unpacking and buying a few things that were needed so that all of my stuff could fit in our place along with Tom's. So, our garage will now have a few things hanging from the walls, but it will all work out.

It's crazy to think that in just 56 hours I have graduated from college, left Iowa City permanently, and moved all of my stuff to a brand new city. I'm going home for two weeks to close bank accounts, settle insurance matters, etc., etc. and then I'm coming back down to Dodge City, permanently.

It should all be tons of fun!

Three Random, Unconnected Thoughts

2006-05-11T06:09:00.000-07:00

I just finished a final, and have one more to go until I'm DONE!!! Can you tell I'm excited? It's been quite difficult to study and be productive this finals week because I'm GRADUATING ON SATURDAY!!! I can get all D's and my cumulative GPa will only fall .27 and that won't be happening, and I already have a job, so I don't really need to worry about grades holding me back. I can't believe my tenure here is almost over. I leave on Sunday morning by 9 a.m. to head down to Kansas with Tom, the dog, my dad, and a U-Haul with all of my stuff. Kind of scary, yet totally exciting.

So, I've spent a fair bit of time alternating my study sessions with blonding sessions with Bailey, the new dog that Tom and I have together. He bought her, but since we're engaged now she's my dog too. We've been having a blast playing with her squeaking animal toys, tennis balls, and running in the post office parking lot next to my apartment that is fenced off and has no cars in it after 4:30. As much as I was uncertain about getting a dog, especially a German Shorthair Pointer-Lab mix that will grow to be between 40-55 pounds and take up a lot of space in our 2-bedroom duplex, I've thoroughly enjoyed her and am excited Tom rescued her.

Right now I'm at the library so I can do some last minute cramming before taking my final and I realized something that I've been realizing all semester, but just now really got. They put new toilets in the Main Library. They are all automatic flushers, and I think they're doing this across campus in the renovations taking place. But anyways, the reason this has been such a big thing for me is because they always prematurely flush. And then, when I really do need them to flush, they won't so I have to push the button to make them flush. Doesn't this defeat the convenience and sanitary purposes of installing automatic flushing toilets?

Okay, enough with the random thoughts. An hour-and-a-half until my final final starts and I need to cram!

RiverFest Wrap Up

2006-05-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

RiverFest was last weekend, and it went well. Even though it rained on Saturday and Sunday things turned out really well. Friday was a great night; the rides were going, the food vendors were busy, and the concerts were great. We had over 750 people walk through the Hubbard Park gate. Saturday the rains started, so we had to hurriedly move everything inside around noon. Unfortunately, we had to cancel some of our afternoon performances, but were able to move our big concerts for the evening inside the IMU to the Wheelroom and had a pretty good crowd. For anyone who didn't stop by, you missed some great music Saturday night. Euforquetra did a really fun strings-bluegrass set and Ross Christopher & the Familiar Voice played awesome music. Ross plays the electric violin and then there is a guitar and drums. They were so fun and energized to listen to, especially their jam on Canon in D.

Alll in all, the weekend turned out great and I had a really fun time. My council got along great and people didn't complain when it was time to help haul stuff around, even in the rain.

Cap and Gown

2006-04-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

I bought my cap and gown today. I'm only 16 days away from becoming an alumni of the University of Iowa. Pretty crazy, huh? I've dreamt of graduating from college for so long, that I can't believe it's happening, finally!

RiverFest is this weekend so I'm busy preparing for that. It's been a pretty tough balancing act these past two weeks between school, RiverFest, and the rest of my life. I don't think I've done the very best job at it, but I've definitely done the best that I can. I can't wait for RiverFest. I think the weekend is going to be awesome, our events are exciting, and the Marketing Team has done a great job at getting our event out there into the public. Now, if only the weather will cooperate...

I'll catch you up post-event with how it goes. In the meantime, back to some homework...

P.S. If you're around, stop by RiverFest this weekend in Hubbard Park. On Saturday, I'm in a pie eating contest along with other campus leaders, and possibly some football players.....should be pretty entertaining!

Totally Worthless....

2006-04-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

So today I have absolutely no motivation at all. Granted, I've been pretty low on motivation all semester because all I've been wanting to do is graduate and be done.

However, today, of all days, my motivation disappeared 100%. I have two papers to write this weekend, but all I want to do is lay in bed and watch Full House reruns on the ABC Family channel. Pathetic, I know, but I can't help but be pulled in by that crazy house from San Francisco. DJ just got her new room, Stephanie and Michelle are fighting over who gets to tap dance, Aunt Becky is having her twins, Uncle Jesse is working on getting a new recording contract, Joey's trying to find a job (he's about to become Ranger Joe), and Danny's cleaning like always. Really, you couldn't ask for more in a half-hour TV show.

May 13 REALLY can't come fast enough...

I'll Remember the Night of the Tornado...

2006-04-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the terrible tornado that ripped through Iowa City. It was crazy for me because I live in the third floor attic apartment of an old Victorian house with no insulation and made entirely of wood. We had bad hail and wind and saw three tornadoes from the windows of the basement of our building. However, we were blessed because the tornado came within 1/2 a block of our house, but didn't hit us. We didn't even have hail damage on our cars. My car had a metal pipe (similar to what is found on rooftops) stuck under it, but no damage.

So even though the tornado was pretty exciting and the damage around town was amazing, I'm going to remember the night of the tornado because I GOT ENGAGED!!!

That's right, Tom proposed, just following the tornado. He was stuck at a rest stop 10 miles west of Iowa City on I-80 for an hour-and-a-half waiting to get to me, and drove through the terrible storm twice before finding shelter at the tornado, but finally arrived. He hugged me in my parking lot, told me to turn around because he'd found me a t-shirt (I've been wanting on that says "Someone in Kansas loves me"), and then I turned around, he surprised me instead with a gorgeous engagement ring.

So, needless to say, I was floating around on cloud-nine after the tornado as we wandered around looking at all of the damage. I couldn't stop smiling, and I felt bad because of all the destruction around me, but I just couldn't help it.

On Friday night our friends that were still in town threw us a party at 808, and we had a blast. We have such great friends, and if Friday night was any indication of what our wedding could be like, we're in for a very fun time!

The G Spot

2006-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

No....this is not going to be an X-rated blog!

The G Spot is where I have had my hair done for the past two and a half years. I love the place. It's really funky, two of their specialties are dreadlocks and colorful hair extensions, and the people who work there are some of the nicest people ever. I always feel comfortable while I'm there, and I ALWAYS leave with fabulous hair.

Today was my last major visit before I move away. I got a great cut and a color--I've entered my spring/summer color of a dark blonde color. It actually is working out great that I've had my last major visit there because my stylist, Elyse, is moving to Chicago in July so we're both leaving together.

Now, my biggest worry is finding a good place to have my hair cut in Kansas. I'm pretty picky about who I let cut my hair. I like my stylists to be young and funky because then I can go in and just tell them general stuff about how much I want cut off, and then they just work their magic and I leave with a great new look. I may have to drive to Wichita, but it will all work out, I'm sure.

LOVE the weather

2006-04-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

I agree with Brett R. that this is some of the best weather ever. I'm not much of a spring fan either, usually, but with my involvement in RiverFest over the past two years, spring has become one of my favorites. The weather gets warm, people come out of hibernation, you see your friends more, and you can spend more time doing fun stuff like grilling, playing yard games, and combining studying with tanning sessions!

If this week's weather is the same weather we have for RiverFest on April 28-30, I will be one of the happiest people on campus. We've put so much into the event, that I really want a big turnout so the rest of my council can see how successful we've been in planning and promoting our event.

A great way to enjoy the spring weather at RiverFest (besides the carnival rides, great food, and FREE outdoor concerts all weekend) is through the Yard Games Tournament. In the tournament, teams of 4 will be competing all weekend to see if they are the best on campus at Bag-O, Silly Golf, and Tug-O-War. It's only $20 to enter for a weekend of fun! Applications are available outside the OSL (145 IMU), at the IMU Box Office, or at www.iowariverfest.org; they're due to the IMU Box Office by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 21. AND, this will be a great way to prepare for the upcoming tailgating season...it's never too early to start practicing!

Sorry for all the shameless RiverFest promotions...it's my life until the end of April, so be prepared for more! And, pray for this weather to continue through graduation on May 13, I want lots of sun-filled pictures before I leave!!

Remember: www.iowariverfest.org!

Craziness!

2006-04-07T09:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven’t blogged much this week; it has been a CRAAAAAAAZY week for me. I’ve been trying to coordinate all the efforts for finalizing the RiverFest Marketing campaign, planning the RiverFest Logistics Meeting, and studying for a HUGE midterm in Judicial Politics. Fun, fun. But all that’s behind me now…at least for a little bit!

Today is my last day at work. I’ve been working for the UI Alumni Association as a Marketing Intern for the past two years, and I’ve had a wonderful experience working there. I’ve really liked the people I’ve worked with and I’ve had a great time doing stuff with the STAT program. I’m really going to miss working there!

This weekend is Parent’s Weekend for my sorority. My parent’s are coming in today and it will be nice to spend time with them. The only thing we have planned for the weekend is the banquet tomorrow night, so it should be nice to just relax and spend time together.

It’s crazy that graduation is so quickly approaching. A lot of the things I’ve devoted so much of my time to over the past four years are quickly wrapping up, and I’m passing the responsibilities on to other people. It’s a bittersweet experience because graduating and growing up are so exciting, yet saying good-bye can be sad sometimes.

But anyways, that’s enough of that, no more philosophical-reminiscing for awhile. I do, however, reserve the right to get mushy at my A-Phi Senior Ceremony and Graduation time!

There's A Bug In My Eye!

2006-04-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today I was out in Hubbard Park with the RiverFest Events Team mapping out where everything was going to go on the field for RiverFest. We were standing in a circle trying to protect ourselves from the wind when all of a sudden a bug flew into my eye! I didn't know what to do because I could feel the bug in my eye and my eye was watering to try to get the bug out, but I couldn't see the bug to actually get it out myself. So then, everyone crowded around to stare at the bug in my eye and I finally had to have Kaitlyn actually get the bug out with her own finger.

It was disgusting.

Another gross thing...as I was looking for a picture on Google Images (wonderful resource) to put up to match this post, I found a series of pictures that someone had taken when they actually had a worm of sorts inside their eyeball and had to have their cut open and the worm extracted from inside their eyeball. Now that, is disgusting!

RiverFest 2006

2006-04-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

RiverFest is coming up quite soon—less than one month away! It will be held April 28-30, 2006 in Hubbard Park by the IMU. My council and I have worked very hard this year to make this year’s event a fun weekend that will appeal to both college students and Iowa City/Coralville area residents and their families. We have tons of bands coming in to play in free, outdoor concerts. There is a special KidFest area that will have games and craft booths for kids to win prizes and play games at. We are having a Taste of RiverFest with about 10 different food vendors offering many different foods for people to try. We are also doing a People’s Choice Award for the vendor who collects the most money in his jar—and all proceeds will go to the Extend the Dream Foundation which provides opportunities for disabled individuals to hold jobs and be integrated into the community (one venue they run is Uptown Bill’s Small Mall on Gilbert St.).

Another fun thing we are starting this year is a Yard Games Tournament where teams of four can compete in Silly Golf, Bag-O, and Tug-O-War to see if their team is the best on campus in these games. It should be lots of fun and will help people get excited for tailgating season.

All in all, the weekend should be a blast—and hopefully the weather will sunny, warm, and gorgeous!

Check out www.iowariverfest.org for more info on the weekend.

A Mission

2006-03-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

I'm on a mission to find a denim mini-skirt. Not too mini though because I don't want to feel uncomfortable sitting in it. I want one that has a finished hem...no fraying, and would like it to have pockets, at least in the back. I liked one on the GAP website, but they only had it available in sizes 2 and 16. The picture is of the GAP skirt I liked. I'm going to try to get to the mall sometime soon to see if it is in stock there, so keep your fingers crossed for me. If anyone has suggestions about where to go looking for a skirt, please let me know!

March Madness

2006-03-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love March Madness! I look forward to the NCAA tournament the entire college basketball season. I read articles on-line, check out team's percentages and rankings, and get all geared up with as much knowledge as possible leading into Selection Sunday. This has been a crazy year for brackets. I don't know of anyone who predicted what has happened. I don't have any Final Four teams left--no one in my pool does. And, surprisingly, I won the pool! Woo-Hoo for $30 coming my way! I can't wait for this weekend and the Final Four and then the Championship game on Monday. I've really enjoyed watching LSU and George Mason, so I'm hoping at least one of them makes it to the Championship game...maybe even both! Wouldn't that be lovely?

First Birthday Party

2006-03-27T18:30:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend in the Minneapolis celebrating Tom's nephew's first birthday. Micah handled a Saturday afternoon filled with lots of people, lots of presents, and his first taste of chocolate cake very well. It was such a fun time to watch his face as he saw all of his new toys...he had a hard time picking what to play with!

Tom and I got him a big blow-up house type thing that came with 10 balls. You can bounce on the thing, play ring-toss, and put balls through a bunch of toys--which is just what Micah likes doing right now. Also, he had a playpen that was mostly just used to store toys, but Tom and I bought him 400 soft flex plastic balls, so he now has his very own ball pit to play in. Those were always so fun to play in at restaurants, but they aren't around anymore. But now Micah has his own to play with! He loved it, he was squealing and kicking his feet before he even got inside it, and was sad to be taken out. And, the ball pit is big enough that I was able to climb inside and play with him. They're still as fun as they were 12 years ago!

I took lots of pictures of Micah with cake smeared all over his body (his parents were smart to let him try the cake wearing only a diaper so he didn't dirty clothing) and playing with the new toys, so I'll post them when I get the chance.

My horoscope

2006-03-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

I love to check my horoscope. I check it in two places every day--in the Daily Iowan and on www.msnbc.com. I then pick the one that I like the best and hope that it comes true. If the one I like best happens to deal with finances, I'll try to pay my bills and check all my accounts that day. If my chosen horoscope tells me to watch what I say so I don't leap to conclusions, I'll definitely be careful to not offend anyone.

I'm a Scorpio, and according to almost everything I've ever read about my sign, I'm supposed to be a passionate, sometimes stubborn, and loyal person. On msnbc.com it says "The sign of the Scorpion is traditionally determined, forceful, emotional and passionate." and I would definitely agree about that one.

So, I hope everyone has a great horoscope, if you believe in that, and a great day!

home

2006-03-21T14:59:00.000-08:00

I finally made it home today. The plane took off about an hour late due to delays cleaning heavy snow off the runway and deicing of the wings, but I did make it home. It wouldn't have been a complete trip if this flight had been on-time. Thanks to my sister, Kira, for driving through cruddy weather in Iowa City to pick me up....and then missing two classes because I was so late!

I really shouldn't travel

2006-03-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official....American Airlines and I DO NOT get along. I'm writing this blog from a hotel room in St. Louis that I got at the Distressed Passenger rate. My flight was delayed due to weather, so I missed my connecting flight from St. Louis to Cedar Rapids. I am on a flight that leaves at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning, so hopefully the weather clears up enough by then that I will be able to get back into Iowa City in time for my 3 classes and 3 meetings tomorrow.

Another bad thing about being stuck here is that the airline wouldn't give me my luggage. So, I'm sitting in the hotel room with just the clothes I wore today and my carryon...which only has my laptop, a few books for school, and a ton of pens. Not very much fun.

But anyway....my pizza just arrived, so I'm going to eat that, watch Titanic on HBO, and try to get some sleep before my 5:10 wake up call. Hopefully tomorrow goes okay................

Interviews and Guts

2006-03-18T14:12:00.000-08:00

Over my spring break I have had three interviews in Dodge City. They went really well. I'm excited about the opportunities that await me when I move down here. After spending so much time here in Dodge City, I'm really pretty excited about the town and everything I can do here. Hopefully, I'll be getting a job offer!

One thing I didn't mention in my last post was that the day after I arrived in Dodge City I went on a tour of the Excel (Cargill) meat processing plant where Tom works. I was able to see the whole process of how we get our beef from the moment the cows are brought to the plant, to the moment the steaks leave in boxes ready for consumers. The process was really very fascinating. You start the tour in the box room and then work your way through the plant, so the last thing you see is the actual cow. It is not as gross as I anticipated, most of it is actually pretty cool--and I now know what to look for if I ever buy steak in a store. My favorite part was the gut table; this is where they strip all of the guts from a carcass. But they have to be really careful not to puncture any of the organs, or their membranes. It takes less than 30 seconds to gut a cow, and it's pretty cool!

I fly home on Monday afternoon....hopefully the trip will go much better than the last one.

An Update

2006-03-14T07:31:00.000-08:00

I've had a request for a new blog....so here you go, my avid readers and fans!

I left last Thursday on spring break. My flight was supposed to take off at 11:45 a.m. from Cedar Rapids, I'd land in Chicago at 12:45, and then take-off for Wichita at 2:45, land at 4:45, rent a car and drive two hours into Dodge City, Kansas.

Well....things never go according to plan when I fly solo. I arrived in Cedar Rapids plenty early because I had a premonition. I was right. After waiting in line for 45 minutes to check-in to my flight, I was told it was overbooked and I didn't have a seat, but I could try going stand-by on the flight that left 30 minutes prior to my flight as well as the flight I was supposed to be on. I did that to no avail. I was still stuck in Cedar Rapids at 12:30. So, they put me on a 1:45 flight out of Cedar Rapids to Chicago. But that got me into Chicago at the same time my other flight was supposed to be leaving for Wichita so they bumped me to a 4:30 flight to Wichita. I called Enterprise and switched my car reservation to a 6:30 start. Then, Tom called and said he could pick me up at that time, so I called Enterprise back and canceled my reservation. We get on the plane and are about to shut the doors when the flight attendant comes on and says the FAA has closed the airspace in Chicago due to over-concentration issues and our flight was canceled.

We all herded off the plane and form another line at the ticket counter. There are two possible flights you can get on to Wichita, one that left at 8 p.m. that evening, and one that left at 10:36 the next morning. Luckily, I was ticketed and given a seat assignment for the 8 p.m. flight. So, I call Tom, he tells me to rent a car since he has to work at 6 a.m. on Friday morning and doesn't want to be on the road so late. So I do, and I talk to my second different person at Enterprise in the Wichita airport. Well, then Tom decided he would in fact pick me up, so I call that same person back at Enterprise and cancel my car.

After a $15 meal at the Chili's in the terminal consisting of a dinner salad and a Heineken (rip-off), I went to my gate, G17, only to be told I'd been switched to G7, where they told me I'd moved to G19. At G19 I was just getting settled when they moved us to H5, then immediately upon arrival in the H area, they moved us back to G19. Then, twenty minutes later moved us to G21. After being shoved around so much, we were told our airplane had just left Detroit and it was now 8:15...15 minutes after we were supposed to take off.

So, I called Tom, told him the update and that I probably wouldn't be leaving until around 9:45 p.m. So, he tells me to call Enterprise again to rent a car again because he didn't want to have to drive to Wichita and not get home until four hours before he had to go to work.Only, they no longer had my compact car, so I was stuck renting a minivan; and with such a short notice one-way reservation, it was going to cost me $90.

My flight finally took off and, lucky me, I was seated next to a woman with the flu. So, after being jolted awake so she could rush out of our row to the bathroom, I finally gave her my aisle seat and hunched next to the window trying to catch some sleep before driving for 2.5 hours. After a turbulence filled flight, we finally landed. The most ironic thing about that flight, is that it was the same airplane and crew that I had been on from Cedar Rapids to Chicago. They had been to Detroit and back in that same amount of time, with a few delays. I should've just stayed on the dammn airplane!

I called Tom to let him know I was in Kansas, and he told me to cancel the car because he was twenty minutes outside of Wichita. He didn't like the idea of me being on a strange road by myself in the middle of the night, so he'd driven to pick me up. I then went to the Enterprise counter and the woman working there knew who I was before I even began talking; I cancled my flight, got my luggage, and went outside to enjoy the fresh air while I waited. It was so nice to finally see a familiar, friendly face that I almost broke down in tears when he pulled up to the curb. And then, 2.5 hours later, we pulled into his garage.

I left my apartment at 10 a.m. on Thursday and arrived at Tom's house at 2:30 a.m. on Friday morning. After 16.5 hours of traveling, I was ready for bed. I flew because I didn't want to drive for 9 hours....but after the way my day of traveling went, I should have just drove, I would have arrived earlier and probably in a better mood! American Eagle game me a $200 flight voucher to use with them the next time I fly because of all the problems I had with my itinerary, but I don't really know if I even want to use that voucher after all the troubles they've put me through.

Packing

2006-03-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

I have spent the past two hours packing for spring break. I'm spending my break in Dodge City with Tom and while there I'll be interviewing for jobs when I move down there (I hope). So, this makes packing for my trip rather difficult. I've had to pack clothes that will work for interviewing, clothes that will work for everyday wear, and clothes to wear out. I've pakced with a theme in mind so that everything blends together and can be layered for many different looks, but an added problem is that on some days the weather is predicted to be in the 70's and 80's, and other days it's forecasted to be in the 50's. So confusing! And, the shoes! I've managed to cut it down so I'm only taking four pairs, but they take up a lot of space. And, I also have to take some of my homework in my suitcase, so it's becoming a rather heavy suitcase. I'm terrified it's going to be too heavy, so I have reduced my load about three times already.

I was really stressing about it, but I think I've got it figured out. I've cut down on clothes and homework and also separated some of it out a bit. So now, I just have one suitcase (that will need to be checked), a backpack and a tote bag to carry on. Hopefully they'll let me on with everything!

I'll let you know what ends up happening......and what interesting experience I have with the airline, since it is inevitable that if I'm flying something will happen.

A Connection Between Seattle Grace and the University of Iowa!

2006-03-08T11:53:00.000-08:00

For everyone else out there who is going through withdrawal because Grey's Anatomy wasn't on Sunday night, don't fear...there is a new episode on this Sunday.

I was browsing on the show's website and reading the character bios when I realized there is an Iowa connection. Alex Karev was a medical student at the University of Iowa before moving to Seattle, and in his folder is an article he submitted to the Daily Iowan.

I know it's fiction....but it still made me happy!

FIRE!!!

2006-03-07T09:29:00.000-08:00

Do you remember in elementary school when it was sooo cool to have the fire alarm go off? Even if it was just a drill, it was really exciting because that meant you got to go outside, and at least 20 minutes of the school day were going to be lost to the excitement of the fire alarm. And, there was usually the obligatory all-school assembly following the drill so everyone could learn the rules of fire safety. Then, you got to go back to your class, talk about what you learned, and practice your Stop-Drop-and Roll technique.

Well, things have changed since I was in third-grade. Now, when there’s a fire alarm, depending on where you’re at dictates your actions. If you’re in class, you just gather up your stuff, walk out the building, and continue the walk home. But, if you’re at the IMU, as I was today when the alarm went off, you do nothing.

That’s right, nothing. I was in the ITC of the IMU when the alarm went off. We could still hear the jackhammer from the construction over the three minutes of screeching alarms. So what did a room full of college students do? We looked around at each other, someone got up and closed the door, then we all just turned back to our screens and continued with our work. I don’t even want to know what would have happened if there actually would have been a fire…

iTunes

2006-03-06T12:05:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy iTunes. I only recently worked out all the kinks so I could make it work, but it's been lots of fun! I haven't gone overboard in buying my music. I make sure it's something I really want and want for more than just the time I'm in the music store. If I still want the song a day after browsing then I go back and buy.

My favorite purchase, by far, is the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. I am also obsessed with the show. During the episodes with the bomb, I really enjoyed the song "Breathe (2 AM)" by Anna Nalick [it played while Meredith was having second thoughts about whether or not she could really pull the bomb out]. So, I went on-line and bought the song. Then I thought, "Hey, if I like that song so much, why not check out the entire Grey's soundtrack?"

So, I did. And I liked it. So, I bought it.

I'm so happy I bought the soundtrack. I listen to it on an almost daily basis. The songs are great to walk to, study to, and bum around to. I'd highly recommend the soundtrack to anyone who loves the show!

And I'd highly recommend iTunes to anyone who loves music.

I think it's FINALLY done!!!

2006-03-05T13:00:00.001-08:00

I've spent the last month and a half working on the Fiscal Year 2007 Budget Request Form for the RiverFest Commission. Even though I won't really have anything to do with next year's RiverFest, other than selecting a few members of their council, part of my duties as Executive Director 2006 are to plan the budget and submitt it to UISG and SABAC for their approval. I'm not much for numbers, and on this I had to fill in about 10 tables, make a huge Excel spreadsheet with every nitty-gritty detail about how much money they could use (even down to exactly how much one pair of scissors would cost), and fill out a seven page form explaining everything.

This has been stressing me out like crazy, but I think I'm finally done. I've learned a lot about how funding on campus works--both the good and the bad--and I am pretty proud of how it has turned out. I just hope they give RiverFest an amount close to what I'm requesting. And, I now feel pretty confident with numbers and budgets, at least compared to the confidence level I had before. Now.....maybe I can tackle balancing a checkbook, something I've never quite gotten the grasp of past the first month or so of transactions.

This Doesn't Make Any Sense To Me

2006-03-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I visited Student Health for a physical for my Kansas Teaching Liscense Application. It wasn't a major physical--just like what you get in fifth grade--but nonetheless it was as Student Health so I waited for the doctor to come in to the room for quit awhile and then had to wait for a nurse to come give me a TB skin test for awhile after that. Needless to say, I was in there for about an hour and a half and my parking meter ran out of funds. I had parked in the Student Health meters, filled them with enough change for an hour and fifteen minutes, and even registered my car at the appointment desk, which is (in theory) supposed to prevent you from getting a parking ticket.

Well, they lied.

I got a parking ticket. I didn't feel that I needed to pay the ticket though because the meter ran out while I was in the exam room with a doctor. I wasn't going to put my appointment on hold just to run outside and feed my meter.

So, I appealed my ticket to the Parking Office. After going through the UI's version of "Traffic Court" I received a letter in the mail informing me that my appeal had been denied. It said I still needed to pay my ticket because it is my "responsibility to keep meters filled."

This frustrates me because I did everything I could do, but how was I supposed to know it would take so long to have my heart listened to? And, am I really supposed to leave Student Health in the middle of my exam to go feed my meter? I don't think so.

Ugh...parking is so stupid on this campus!

Playing Catch-Up

2006-03-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

So, my alarm went off this morning at 6:30 a.m. I woke up, responded to a good morning text message from Tom, and sat up. Then, I don't know what happened.

Apparently I fell asleep and fell back into my bed. Because I definitely woke up at 8:36 a.m.!!!!!!!!!! This was two hours after my alarm went off and one hour, 45 minutes after I intended to get out of bed. AND, 24 minutes before I was supposed to be at work. Needless to say, I blindly rushed around my apartment putting in my contacts, attempting to find an outfit that worked for the day, and slapping some mascara on my eyelashes (it's the one bit of make-up I can't live with out). I made it to work on time, but I still can't really tell you how it all happened.

This has left me feeling like I need to play catch-up all day--and I don't like the feeling!

A Little Pick-Me-Up

2006-02-28T08:59:00.000-08:00

I got out of my first class 10 minutes early. That's not a lot of time, but I forgot one of my books for class this afternoon so I was able to run home, grab the necessary book, and relieve my bag of my stuff from the morning class. It's so interesting how 10 unexpected minutes of free time can really change your outlook on the day. Before class I was dreading the day and how much I had to get done. Now that I've had 10 minutes at home to collect myself for the day, I'm ready to go out and conquer all my tasks!

Now.....off to buy more Tootsie Rolls and do some studying/writing/meeting.

Have a great day!

Post-Its

2006-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

I love Post-it notes. I use them all the time at work for just about everything...even when what I have to write is too much for a single Post-it I would rather use two post-its than a regular piece of paper. I think it's because i know the post-it will stick. I'm also constantly using them at home to write notes to myself, my roommate, or create lists. They're great for lists because you can only fit a few things on the sheet and they're very easy to crumple up and throw away when you accomplish everything on your list!

According to the 3M official Post-it website, http://www.3m.com/us/office/postit/ (yes, I actually looked it up), Post-its have always been recyclable since their invention, they are available in 8 standard sizes, 25 shapes, and 62 colors, and it would take approximately 506,880,000 Post-it® Notes to circle the world once. (Based on the earth's circumference of 24,000 miles and using 2-7/8 inch square Post-it® Notes.)

Pretty interesting, huh? I personally am a big fan of the Post-it flags to mark important passages in class readings , and the Pop-Up notes so they are always available without the risk grabbing more than one note. You wouldn't want to waste a Post-it!

Buying A Car

2006-02-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

I had my first experience buying a car this weekend. I didn't buy a car, Tom did, but I was along for the "ride" and was able to test drive all the cars too and give my input. It was fun trying out all the different cars and trying to imagine if I could see myself driving around in the car. It's pretty nerve wracking though to test drive a brand new car because it's not yours, you don't know how the car is going to behave on the road, and you have the car dealer sitting right next to you.

Tom has been looking to get a new car for awhile so while we were in Lawrence we decided to spend Saturday shopping for cars since there is a much better selection in Lawrence. All they have in Dodge City are trucks, for the most part, and the two of us are not truck drivers. We tested out a Mazda 3, a Ford Escape, and dreamed about a Nissan Xterra, but ultimately settled on a 2006 Volkswagon Jetta. It's a very nice car. Tom wasn't looking to buy a car with lots of bells and whistles, but compared with domestic cars, the foreign cars come with the bells and whistles standard--including a 6-disk CD changer and a sunroof/moonroof combo.

While in Lawrence we also ate at some great restaurants native to the town, the Mad Greek and Mass Street Deli, and explored the town and campus a little. I came to the conclusion that I really enjoy the town and know why so many people go to school there and the town is so often rated as one of the Top 100 places to live in America.

Oh, and to start the weekend off I got to spend a great couple of hours on Friday afternoon visiting with my cousin Molly and her husband Jeremy at their place in Lenexa, a suburb of Kansas City. It was so much fun spending time with the two of them, and my aunt and uncle when they arrived for their weekend visit. I hadn't seen any of them since Christmas so it was fun to catch up!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

2006-02-23T09:35:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of days I've been craving Tootsie Rolls. It's kind of an odd craving for me, but whatever. So today I had a little extra time to kill before I had to leave for class, so rather than bumming around my apartment, I decided to leave a little early so I could stop at Osco Drug and by myself a bag of Tootsie Rolls.

They're wonderful!

La-Di-Da

2006-02-23T09:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend I'm going to Lawrence, Kansas. Tom and I are meeting there for a weekend visit. I'm really excited because the last time I checked the weather it said that I'm going to have sunshine and 50-60 degree temperatures down there! That will be quite nice, even though it has been pretty comfortable outside the past few days in Iowa City.

While there I'll be working on my Beatles paper analyzing an album. I am working hard on the paper already so I hopefully don't have to do too much while I'm down there so I can explore Lawrence a bit, but I will have to do some. The more and more I'm getting into the studying of The white Album, the more I'm appreciating the music. The first few times I listened to the album I thought the music was good and I recognized the more popular songs on there ("Blackbird" and "Birthday"), but now that I'm into it I'm starting to really enjoy the other songs that I hadn't heard much better, especially those that have extra meaning to the songwriters themselves ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and "Julia").

So now I'm going to go lock myself on the fourth floor of the library to work on the FY 2007 RiverFest budget before my budget meeting this afternoon and then spend all the rest of my day doing Beatles stuff and preparing for my road trip. Thank goodness for an Airplay so I can listen to my iPod on the trip...without it the trip would get rather monotonous, even with the help of CD's. I love the shuffle feature!

We Are Under Attack!

2006-02-20T12:17:00.000-08:00

My apartment is under attack from squirrels. It could be just one squirrel, or several, but my roommate and I can't figure it out.

A few weeks ago I was studying in my room when I heard a weird noise coming from her room. Lindsay wasn't home so I didn't know what it could be. The noise had been a crashing noise followed by squeaking. I went in her room to investigate and couldn't find anything out of place when all of a sudden I heard it again. I looked toward her window and there was a squirrel! He had somehow climbed all the way up to the third floor of our house and launched, then attached, himself to her window screen! I screamed when I saw the squirrel because it was kind of scary to be face-to-face with a squirrel. I moved closer to investigate when all of a sudden he fell down.

I crawled across her bed to make sure he hadn't fallen all the way down to the alley driveway when all of a sudden he was flying through the air at the window again! I quickly moved back and proceeded to watch him repeatedly fly through the air and attach to the screen over and over again for about 15 minutes.

We didn't see him again for a week or so, but all of a sudden he's back! We've both had a squirrel launching and attacking our windows over the past week or so. We don't really know what they're attracted to, but I wish they would just stop because everytime it happens I jump in the air and about pee my pants out of fright!

Who would have known?

2006-02-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

So, I've been kind of dreading this weekend for a long time. It's starting out with a doctor's appointment this afternoon to see if I'm physically fit to teach in the state of Kansas, not too intimidating, but I still don't want to do it. And, I have to study for a midterm and work on a big paper for my class on The Beatles. But somehow, this weekend has crept up and with it, so has my outlook.

I'm really excited because I've made plans to go out with some friends I haven't seen in awhile this weekend, and I just got a really exciting text message from a friend I've had since I was 8. He is in town visiting some of his other friends this weekend so we're going to try and get out two groups of friends to be at the same place so we can hang out today.

Also, the Hawkeye basketball team is playing tomorrow afternoon, and the game is perfectly placed into the time of the afternoon that I normally need a mental break anyway, so that break will be spent cheering for my favorite basketball team.

And, I don't think researching for my Beatles paper will be as bad as I anticipated, even though I do need 10 sources. We had to choose one album and analyze the musicality, lyrics, and cultural events happening that would have influenced The Beatles when they were recording it. I've chosen to do The Beatles (The White Album). This is actually turning out to be incredibly interesting because it was recorded in 1968 and most of the songs were written in India during their trip to visit Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Also happening that year was the Prague Spring and the student revolts in Paris, MLK Jr and Robert Kennedy's assassinations, and the Democratic National Convention riots in Chicago. All in all it was quite a crazy year, and the album's two discs reflect the discomfort felt around the world and among the Fab Four themselves. It should be pretty interesting to see how this all comes together in one album.

And Sunday is going to be the usual Sunday devoted to reading philosophy for class and RiverFest. But I do get to go to an Associated Residence Halls financial meeting to seek their support for implementing a new event at RiverFest--a campus-wide Yard Games Tournament, which I think would be a lot of fun and something that could easily bring together the entire campus.

All in all, it's probably not going to be a very entertaining or exciting weekend, but I'm looking forward to it despite my previous negative feelings. Now, if only it would warm up a bit, then I'd really be ecstatic!

Winter

2006-02-15T12:17:00.000-08:00

Winter is not a season, it's an occupation.
- Sinclair Lewis

This winter has been quite interesting. Some times it's sunny day after day, other times we have no sun for weeks at a time. Yesterday, the temperature was in the low 60's and sunny. People were running around campus it shorts, flip-flops, and capris. Today, however, I awoke, looked at the weather for the day, and realized that I was going to have to figure out an outfit that would keep me very warm because it was supposed to be quite dark and cold--just like winter is supposed to be. It's February, and that usually means the weather is on the gross side. And, here we are talking about the weather again and the impending snow storm. No one knows exactly how much snow we'll get, if we'll even get any, but everyone can sense it's on it's way. And, yet again, I have to figure out an outfit that will help to battle the weather and how to best structure my day so that I don't have to worry about being caught going in and out of buildings in the cold and snow we are supposed to see.

Soon it will be spring break, and after that we usually can sense a warm up.....and I'm ready for it!

Valentine's Day

2006-02-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays ever. As long as I can remember, I have always loved the holiday. I've always loved giving and receiving Valentine's in class, I love the heart-shaped frosted sugar cookies that are sold around this time, and I love the basic reasoning behind the holiday. The holiday is a time to tell those in your life that you love that you love them and are glad to know them. It's just such a nice holiday--what's not to love?

I know some people don't like the "Hallmark-manufactured" cheesiness of the holiday, and I understand that completely. I also understand how the holiday and all of the marketing campaigns related to it can make someone feel inadequate if they don't have that "special someone" to spend Valentine's Day with. However, even if it's just your good friends or family, I feel like you should always have a "special someone" to spend the day with--even if it's just a long-distance phone call.

This year is only the third Valentine's I have ever had a "special someone." Tom is in Kansas so we aren't spending the day together, and he gave me my gift when he was in town two weekends ago and is being delivered by UPS. However, he did surprise me and sent me the gorgeous bouquet of tulips seen above. He knows that I'm really not a fan of roses, so he sent me tulips--one of my two favorite flowers ever. Aren't they gorgeous? I really do have a wonderful boyfriend!

I Went Shopping!

2006-02-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today, my roommate and I went shopping at the Outlet Mall in Williamsburg. Both of us started out slow, not really finding much. However, I was in bad need of some new jeans because none of my jeans fit anymore, so we kept trudging forward. Finally after wandering into stores with no luck we started finding out shopping groove. The Banana Republic outlet store employees probably love us after our trip because we both tried on about 30 items of clothing, at least, and were there for probably about two hours. We really hit a jackpot there!

In the end, we both left feeling successful. I found three pairs of jeans, a great blazer, and couple of great tank tops that I can wear out or can pair with another clothing item and create an outfit more appropriate for work or whatever I find myself doing after I graduate. And the great thing about buying it all at the Outlet Mall is that the total amount of money I spent today would be more than doubled if I would have bought it at the normal stores!

Now, I just need to find an excuse to wear the clothes.............do I really need one though?

A Total Waste of Space

2006-02-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had a day where you feel like a total, complete waste of a human being? Well, I'm having one of those types of days.

I knew from the moment my radio alarm started singing to me about the great deals at Gretter's I knew I was in for a long day. My head already had a dull ache and I had somehow acquired a cold over night.

As I shuffled to class I became very annoyed that I could see my breath in the cold air. For some reason, I felt like the weather was letting me down; I had hoped for sunny warmish weather, rather than the coldness that was causing my breath to punctuate my walk.

I sat in class for 75 minutes and occassionally I would come to life and throw out a not-so-brilliant comment about hair, giants, or whether or not I perceived Lancelot as a heroic or ridiculous figure.

I just really feel like I'm being a total waste of a human being...I think I somehow lost my ability to function when I gained my cold last night. What a trade-off. Now, I just hope this post hasn't been a total waste of blog space.

Night Class II

2006-02-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

As I wrote last, I HATE my night class. I sit there for two and a half hour willing myself not to look at the clock because I know that it has been less than fifteen minutes since I last looked. So, last night I made a deal with myself that I would not look at the clock until I'd denied the urge to glance up three times in a row. On the fourth urge, I could look. Much to my disappointment, each fourth time that I looked, it was still less than fifteen minutes from the last time that I looked.

To make matters worse, my class has three sophomore girls and two sophomore boys. They are always dressed to go out because one of their favorite downtown establishments has a special on Tuesday nights starting at 9 p.m. It is so frustrating listening to them in class because it's always the same routine. When I walk in about four minutes before class starts they're all sitting there. The boys are in their jeans with the artfully-placed-by-a-machine hole in the knee and their Abercrombie button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled to the elbows and the collar broadly propped. The two boys alternate weeks on who gets to bring a back-pack so that they both don't have one out for the night. The girls are there dressed and pressed ready to go out. They are wearing jeans, heels, and little black tanktops they are trying very unsuccessfully to hide under their fleece coats. They don't bring bags to class, instead they carry their assignment to hand in and just fold up notebook paper to take notes on and store the paper and pen in their purses.

They are usually flirting back and forth because they know they are going to be at the same place after the bar so they should try to get in good with their object of desire for the evening early. It's so annoying for me to have to sit and listen to their playful banter back and forth. Then my professor comes in and starts talking about the freedom that the Greeks lived their lives with--both the freedom that they are eternally searching for as well as the social freedoms that they enjoyed in relationships among friends and acquaintances.

As much as this young "who are you going to get tonight" scheme drives me crazy, it is a little interesting to me know to reflect on it in light of our focus from last night about the playful-teasing manner of conversation that Socrates engaged others in. I feel like the only thing that has changed since Socrates was loafing around in a toga was the dress, age, and mixed gender of those engaged in the playful-teasing manner of engaging others in interest.

Night Class

2006-02-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

I hate night class.

I've had semesters where on Tuesdays and Thursdays I have 5 hour-and-fifteen minute classes back to back and I much prefer that schedule over having a night class because on those days I was always done at 5:10. Now, on Tuesdays, I leave my apartment at 9 a.m. and I don't get home again until 9:30 p.m. because of a stupid night class. The class is Leisure and the Liberal Arts--doesn't sound like it would be too hard, right? WRONG! Nope, we spend the time talk about Plato, Socrates, Homer, Aristotle, etc. and what it meant to them to be "free." After having a long day of classes and meeting, the last thing I want to do is spend 2 1/2 hours discussing ancient Greek philosophy. But I have to in order to graduate. And then when I get home at 9:30 I usually have some readings to do for my Beatles class and a journal assignment to write. It's rare that I have good words left in my system, so my first drafts written the night before can be pretty rough to read through the next afternoon!

Oh well, only 11 1/2 more weeks until I gaduate!

Almost Made It...

2006-02-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

I've had a car on campus for two-and-a-half years now and have managed to never get a parking ticket...until today! My RiverFest meeting ran about two minutes over so I hurriedly packed up my stuff afterwards and went racing towards my car, hoping that those were a magical two minutes without a parking attendant lurking nearby. As I was approaching the IMU doors I saw the parking attendant walking away from my car. I knew I had a ticket. It was such a letdown to have one on my car because I'm always very conscientious about putting a lot of money in my meter or just parking in a ramp; I figure it's better to pay an extra 60 cents for one hour and five minutes that risk that five minutes with my meter expired and a $7 ticket stuck in my windshield wipers. This was just one UI experience I was hoping to leave campus without!

What a fun weekend!

2006-02-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

My weekend with Tom, our friends, and my Dad was quite fun. On Friday we went out with a bunch of our friends and had a really good time. It's always fun to spend time with friends. Tom was especially happy because he was able tos ee the guys he lived with for two-and-a-half years. I had a great time with them, like always. Things have been so hectic these past few weeks that I haven't been able to see them much since the second semester started, so it was really nice to be able to see them too.

This picture if of Tom and his roommates Eric, and Andrew--affectionately known by his last name--Pomatto. Pomatto and I had lunch on Thursday and had so much fun that we are hoping to make it a weekly date. When the three of these boys get together with their other roommate Jordan, who wasn't in town Friday, or any other their other friends craziness ensues. The boys are quite fun to be around and their always coming up with an interesting scheme to do something a little outrageous. I just sit back and laugh because they rarely ever follow through but have a great time cooking up their plans.

On Saturday my dad drove down and the three of us attended the Iowa v. Michigan basketball game. What a game! It was so exciting to watch both the team and the crowd. Over my past five years of doing this ritual trip with my dad, I think yesterday was the most attended game we have attended in Carver. The Hawks Nest was amazing to watch as they helped keep the whole arena pumping with enthusiasm. Of course, the team played great; I was a little nervous for the first 5-10 minutes of the game because we didn't appear to be playing with our usual energy, but then we kicked things into gear and it was amazing to watch them play. Adam Haluska and Greg Brunner are my favorites to wach and they both provided me with plenty of opportunities to jump to my feet and cheer. I took a bunch of pictures, with you, my faithful reader, in mind so enjoy!

I Have A Visitor!!

2006-02-03T10:12:00.000-08:00

This weekend is going to be great because my boyfriend is in town visiting for the weekend. He is in Southwest Kansas and I haven't seen him in three weeks. I know that's not a long time, but I definitely hope we don't have to go much longer than three weeks between seeing eachother. I've posted a picture of Tom and I from the summer so everyone can get an idea of what he looks like (don't worry, he has more hair on his head now--he and his friends decided to shave their heads on a whim this summer when it was really hot and humid).

He drove in last night-a nine hour drive-and arrived at my apartment around 1:30 this morning. I was so excited as I heard him walking up the stairs to my apartment. You would think from the way we stayed up talking to each other until almost 3 a.m. that we hadn't talked for days, but we do generally talk on the phone about four times a day. There is just something to be said for talking in person--even you are having the same conversation that you just had on the phone the day before, it is so much better when you can see them across from you.

We have a fun weekend planned. Today we are going to hang out with some friends and then tomorrow my dad is coming to town. Every year since I was a junior in high school I have bought my dad tickets to an Iowa basketball game for him and I to go to. This year will probably break the streak since I'm going to be moving so far away and don't know if I'll be able to make it back next season for a weekend game. So we're all (Dad, Tom, and I) going to go to the Michigan game--which should be AWESOME--and then take my sister out for dinner after she gets done dancing.

The weekend will be short since Tom has to drive back Sunday morning because he needs to be at work at 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning, but it will be great. It's already great having Tom around because I just have such a good time with him.

Dance Marathon

2006-02-03T10:02:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone at Dance Marathon the best of luck that their feet and souls don't give up on them. I was a dancer my freshman year and a Morale Captain Assistant for the past two years so I know how exciting, emotionally-fulfilling, and energy-expelling the event can be. I'm not dancing this year because I knew that my life would be too chaotic at this point this year to be doing it. Instead, I gave my sister all of my contacts for her Letter Writing Campaign and she did a great job raising money for it.

I'm sad though that I'm not going to be dancing the night away. I really appreciate all of the hard work the families and students go through. I've been reading the stories about the families in The Daily Iowan this week and almost everyone has made me teary-eyed because of the positive light the children give to such a terrible situation.

So, even thought I know it was my choice not to participate this year, I plan to visit my sister as much as possible and I also plan to donate to help them raise enough money to beat Indiana--$700,000. I really hope they can do it!

Some of My Favorites

2006-02-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

Favorite color: right now, I’d say black, although red is a close second
Favorite kind of music: anything I can understand the words to, isn’t degrading, and isn't too twangy or thuggish
Favorite songs: “Still Fighting It” by Ben Folds Five, “The Weight” by Grateful Dead, and “4 Leaf” by Damon Dotson
Favorite poems: Pablo Neruda’s 100 Love Sonnets
Favorite season: summer for play and fall for entertainment
Favorite holiday (and why): Labor Day—it’s a great weekend to relax and enjoy some sunny weather before the cold of winter comes
Least favorite holiday (and why): Thanksgiving—I’m not a fan of how all the food combines together for Thankgsiving dinner
Feelings about New Year’s: overrated
Feelings about Valentine’s Day: LOVE IT! Always have, even when single
Feelings about St. Patrick’s Day: not as exciting as everyone makes it out to be
Feelings about Easter: the weekend is never long enough
Feelings about Halloween: I love costumes!
Feelings about Thanksgiving: hate it
Feelings about Christmas: fun holiday because I get to see a lot of family
Favorite movies: American Beauty, Good Will Hunting, Shakespeare in Love, Clint Eastwood films, Brokeback Mountain
Favorite T.V. shows: Project Runway, Grey’s Anatomy, Sex & the City--I own the entire series on DVD
Favorite wild animal: elephant
Favorite domestic animal: dog
If I had a pet, it would be: a dog that doesn’t shed
My favorite non-alcoholic beverage is: Diet Coke—I couldn’t live without it
My favorite meal is: Any meal with my boyfriend
My favorite snack is: Apples with Skippy chunky peanut butter
My favorite dessert is: chocolate chip cookie
I like to watch these sports: college football and men’s basketball

No Class!

2006-01-31T07:39:00.000-08:00

My first class of the day was canceled!! Most people were upset because it was also their first class so they were mad that they had to get out of bed to come. However, I don't mind. This just gives me some time to relax on what is a really stressful day. Now I have plenty of time to do my e-mailing, catch up on some reading, and figure out how to use the new Event Registration Forms at the IMU.

Side Note:
They decided to streamline the Event Registration Forms to reduce redundency. However, I think that all they did was make it even more confusing. They have compressed about 5 forms onto one sheet of paper. My RiverFest one has so many boxes checked that I don't even know where to begin!

Winter Games Round-Up!

2006-01-30T17:30:00.000-08:00

Here are a bunch of the pictures I took at Winter Games in Okoboji this weekend. Although there wasn't the usual snow village set up on frozen Lake Okoboji, we still had a great time. Both Friday and Saturday nights we were able to see some great bands perform live. Saturday day was spent with my mom, sister, and my mom's best friend and her husband hanging out at the condo we had rented, playing games, and filling ourselves with unhealthy food and beverages--the perfect way to spend a weekend! The only sad part was having to leave early on Sunday morning to get back in time for meetings and homework.

Lindsay and I as we prepared to go hear the Damon Dotson Band on Friday night. Great band! Check them out at www.damondotson.com.

Lindsay, Me, my mom, and her best friend Deb, out enjoying some of the Okoboji fun!

And finally, Lindsay and I as we headed out to hear the last great band of the weekend--The Fishheads! You can check them out at: www.fishheads.com!

monday

2006-01-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

"It's just another manic Monday
I wish it was Sunday
'Cause that's my funday
My I don't have to runday
It's just another manic Monday"
~The Bangles

Today is a Monday, and I have to say it is not very much fun. Normally I don't have much of a problem with starting my week, but today was just not very fun. I found this comic on-line at www.lilgoat.com/images/Monday.jpg and thought that it suited my mood quite well.

So why does that describe my feelings so well?

First of all, I was up until about 1:30 a.m. last night dealing with some issues.

Then, I couldn't sleep very well, so I spent the night tossing and turning, switching pillows because I thought it was the pillow, and fixing my bed covers because I had them so wrapped around myself at one point I couldn't move. Then, when I freed myself, I had to remake the bed so I could be comfortable.

Fast forward to 8:27 a.m. I was supposed to be awake at 7:45 so I could finish up some stuff before my 9:30 meeting. However, it was 8:27 when I jerked awake. My alarm was going off, but the volume had been turned down so low, I couldn't hear anything.

I lay in bed for about 1.5 minutes before deciding that, yes, I did need to shower and then went flying into the bathroom. I was immediately stopped though because my roommate was not feeling very well in front of the toilet. So, I went back to my room and waited for her to crawl back to bed. Then I took a super fast shower, got dressed, and ran out the door.

I arrived at the IMU for my meeting, printed what I needed to, and then ran upstairs just in time to start the meeting.

I was so rushed and dazed from my lack of sleep and chaotic morning that I was barely able to focus to run my meeting. Now I'm at work, and things aren't much better.

All I want to do is crawl back in my bed, throw my covers over my head and go to sleep. However, I need to do a bunch of reading, laundry, and organize my stuff for my long afternoon of RiverFest meetings tomorrow.

Hopefully Tuesday will be better!

Weekend Excursion

2006-01-26T17:54:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning my roommate, Lindsay, sister, Kira, and I are taking off for a weekend visit to my hometown of Okoboji, Iowa for the University of Okoboji Winter Games. The Winter Games are an annual activity designed to get people out of their homes in the winter and avoid the "winter blues."

Typically the event is held entirely on the frozen West Lake Okoboji. Tons of people come in for the weekend, and there are snowmobile races, Spas on Ice, a Broomball Tournament, Softball Tournaments on Ice, Mini-Golf on the Ice, as well as fireworks and the Burning of the Greens--a big pile of donated live Christmas trees. However, because of the warm temperatures this winter, all of the activities have been moved on land or canceled.

We don't care though! We're going to have a great time, no matter what!

For more information on the games check out www.exploreokoboji.com
Or, you can go to www.okoboji.com this site also has live webcams through out the Lakes Region. If you look carefully and at the right moment, maybe you'll see me!

I'll post pictures and stories when I get back!

An Icon

2006-01-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

I have to write a journal for next week and I'm kind of stuck on what to write. I need to write about 5 cultural icons of my time that I think my generation should not miss. They could be people who many would think is an icon (Oprah) or someone who has had significant impact on my life, but maybe not the rest of my generation (an example could be Trista Rehn). These could be 5 people you would love to have dinner with. Oh, and it doesn't have to be a single person, one of my icons could be a group, such as The Beatles (the class this is for).

But...I don't really know who mine are (the names above were just thrown out there). I have a lot of people that I feel have impacted my life, but I don't know if they would be icons.

I think my problem is in having to define an Icon. What could elevate a person to icon status? What characteristics do I find important in another person, and in who do I find these characteristics?

Anyone have suggestions? I'm not promising I'll use them, but your suggestions could help get my creative juices flowing!

Smokers NOT Welcome

2006-01-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

I live in an old Victorian house converted to five separate apartments. My roommate and I live on the third floor, so eventually everything makes its way up to our apartments. We know when the girls on the first floor are having Italian for dinner, and when the girls on the second floor have visitors.

Unfortunately, our landlord claims that because we all have our own ventilation systems (a.k.a. our own heater), in some of the apartments the residents are allowed to smoke in their apartment!

Well, we have never had a problem with it before because the one smoker we had always sat outside on the front porch swing to smoke. But now, because it's winter and it's cold, she has started smoking inside. However, she doesn't want to smoke in her apartment because she doesn't want all of her stuff to smell like stale cigarette smoke. Instead, she smokes in the main hallway of the apartment!

Now, my roommate and I have to deal with the stale smell of cigarette smoke in our apartment! We have both complained to the landlord about the smell, but he just keeps telling us it's okay because we have separate ventilation systems. But, we've both caught her in the hallway on the stairs smoking and reading the newspaper. My roommate complained to the landlord again and told him we've both caught her in the hallway smoking, but so far, we haven't noticed much of a change. We still frequently smell cigarette smoking wafting under our front door!

i lied

2006-01-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

ok, i just got home from a 12 hour day away from my apartment filled with clases and TONS of meetings. can i take back my wish to be busy again?

time to write a journal about why i think my generation still listens to music from the 60's. any suggestions?

SCARY!

2006-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

I just applied to graduate in May. While this is incredibly exciting, it's also very scary! I know I've done, or am doing, everything I need to do to fulfill the requirements by May....but what if I'm missing something and they tell me I can't graduate and have to come back next fall or take summer classes. I'm going to be waiting ever so nervously now until I hear back from the Registrar!

What was I thinking?!

2006-01-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

I was complaining to my boyfriend on the phone Sunday night that I was bored and couldn't wait for things to really get rolling because I was tired of sitting around with not very much to do. I told him that I had a feeling all hell would break loose on Monday, but I was ready and eager for it.

Boy, was I right!

I had my first meeting of the semester with my RiverFest Executive Council yesterday morning and sure enough, after 30 minutes there I already had 3 meetings set up for this week prior to Thursday, with two more pending! If this pace keeps up with meetings and all the reading and other stuff I have going on for classes, I'm going to be a busy, busy girl this semester.

Oh well, though, it's my last semester, so all the craziness will make it memorable and exciting. I thrive on being busy, so hopefully all this means that this will be the best semester yet!

Football Trivia

2006-01-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Did you know there are only 11 Division-1 football programs whose mascot does not end in an "s"?
Can you think of them?

I'll post the answers in a few days!

Trivia Answers

2006-01-23T16:52:00.000-08:00

So, a few days I published the question, but no answers!!! Come on people, just guess!!!

Anyway, here we go...

Did you know there are only 11 D-1 NCAA football programs whose mascot does not end in an "s"?

Here are the anwers:
1. Illinois Fighting Illini
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
3. Stanford Cardinal
4. Syracuse Orange
5. Tulane Green Wave
6. Navy Midshipmen
7. Nevada Wolf Pack
8. N.C. State Wolfpack
9. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
10. Marshall Thundering Herd
11. Alabama Crimson Tide

This could prove to be a valuable bit of trivia for someone someday!

Come On Barbie, Let's Go Party!!

2006-01-20T14:07:00.000-08:00

My sorority, Alpha Phi, had an exchange last night and the theme was "Barbie and Ken." My friends and I decided to go check it out. We walked into etc. where it was being held and realized that most of the girls had just worn pink, Barbie's favorite color.

We, being the crazy seniors we've become, chose to "theme-out" our Barbies. We had Annika, Flight Attendant Barbie; Amy, Rockstar Barbie; Kat, Policewoman Barbie; Jessica, Valentine's Day Barbie; and myself as 80's Barbie.

This a picture with my little sister, Kira, and I. She is also in Alpha Phi and she came as Sailor Barbie. I'm disappointed I never got a full-length picture of my outfit because the best part was definitely below the waist. I had on a black miniskirt, hot pink fishnet tights that would glow in blacklight (never found any to test it out though), multi-colored legwarmers, and black pumps. I was definitely rocking it as an 80's chick.

I left the bar a little early and as I was walking through the Ped Mall by myself, I heard several people comment on my outfit: "What is that girl wearing?" "Wow, look at that freak!" But I didn't care, it was all in fun!

Made a Decision!

2006-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I've decided to drop my Gender & Sexuality in African Lit course and keep The Beatles. I went to my Beatles class and loved it--we watched concert clips, listened to a bunch of songs, and I just really enjoyed it.

I decided to keep The Beatles because I will be able to use the course knowledge so much more beyond school. I mean, come on, how many people are really going to want to have a discussion with me about the feminist theory behind an African novel? I'm sure many more would be interested in learning how Paul McCartney auditioned to join John Lennon's band, the Quarrymen (which I could tell you now if you're interested).

So, there's my decision, I'm sure I'll be filling you in on other Beatles fun facts through out the semester.

What to do.......????

2006-01-18T11:55:00.000-08:00

I am graduating this May so I'm trying to decide what to do with my classes. I only need 3 classes to finish all of my requirements. But, I'm signed up for 5. My reasoning in signing up for the five was so that I could decide which classes I liked most and thend rop the class that was going to be the most work. I originally planned to drop one on Gender & Sexuality in African Literature, but I went to class yesterday and it sounds awesome. The professor is really cool and I really want to stay in the class.

So, the only other class I could drop would be one I'm signed up for about The Beatles. I had the professor last semester and I really like her. The class will be interesting, but I know how she teaches. She grades fairly, but she expects a lot out of her students. Each week we'll have about 150-200 pages of reading due plus a journal or paper. That's a lot, especially in conjunction with the other stuff I have due in a week.

After reading this, I feel like it sounds like I should drop the Beatles class. I don't know though, because it would be interesting to take. But, I can always listen to their music or read one of the hundreds of books on them, right? AHHH! I don't know what to do! I don't want to take five classes because I am the Executive Director of RiverFest and that's going to take up a ton of time this semester. So, I have to make a decision, I guess. Once I do, I'll let you know.

Holy Cow!

2006-01-17T12:49:00.000-08:00

Last week was the last one before classes started for my final semester and I spent it in Dodge City, Kansas. Dodge City is in the Southwest corner of Kansas. It is about two hours west of Wichita, five-and-a-half hours south-east of Denver and 50 miles north of the Oklahoma panhandle. My boyfriend, Tom, graduated in December and has accepted with Cargill Meat Solutions as an Environmental Engineer there.

Cows are the meat he'll be working with. I'm planning to move there after I graduate so I was pretty curious to see the town. Since he was going to be working so closely with cows, I was very curious to see how many cows could be in the area--I didn't know if they would be grown in Dodge City, or just brought in my the plant. Also, I grew up downwind from a cow farm, so I was worried about the smell of the town.

There are tons of feedlots in the town with thousands of head of cattle all aroun Dodge City. Literally, thousands! Here's a picture of a feedlot:

Every dark dot along the hills in the background is a cow!

I had never seen that many cows at once, so I was amazed at how many there were. We drove through and snapped a few pictures of the cows, so here are a few more pictures: