Crushing dreams...

I was fortunate enough to be in Iowa City this past weekend to see the Hawkeyes crush the national championship hopes of Penn State. And while some people say they feel bad because JoePa is old and PSU was the only Big 10 team that had a chance at the championship, I say who cares. I believed we could get the upset and we did. I don't care how any PSU fan feels, even my own sister. Enjoy the Rose Bowl, guys. I'll be reliving last weekend's game for the rest of my life. Which sounds sad BUT it was the best game I've ever been to. I'm glad I picked that game to visit Iowa. It was freezing but worth it.

Seeing all my friends was really nice too. Having a group of people to go back to like that is absolutely lovely. And they were all happy to see me so I felt special. Iowa City hasn't changed that much. A couple new bars, a few businesses are gone. But in general, it was like I had never left. Granted, it's only been 3 months since I left but still. I'm sure as I get older and it becomes obvious that I'm not a student, Iowa City will feel different. But for now, it's nice to go there and feel like it's home.

And I got some pep talks from my old professors and advisors so I have a semblance of motivation now. I'm trying to act on it quickly before it disappears. I'm doing an ok job of that.

On a personal note, real cold weather has arrived which means dry skin! It's the worst.

I have been to the WORLD SERIES

and it was good. Colin and I were the gracious recipients of tickets purchased by Mom. Too bad she had to be a good parent and visit Nolan at Gonzaga. But at least she'll be in town when the Phillies win Game 5.

There was tons of rain and gusting winds last night so the start time got pushed back about 1.5 hours. But all the fans braved the elements and it's a good thing they got the game in. Of course, this meant I didn't get home until 3 in the morning but it was worth it. Everyone was so pumped and despite some misplays and a very tense 9th inning, we came out with a win. Moyer pitched well and everyone appreciated that.

So, a lot of fun was had. Philly fans are good at making signs, yelling, and generally being fans. And not too many Rays fans in sight. They're at least that smart.

Friday night playlist

I know it's Friday night. And I know I'm at home, alone with my dog. I chose this though, sort of.

Anyway, I wanted to make you aware of something wonderful. I have always been reluctant to admit my love of pop music but hit songs such as NKOTB's 'Summertime', Rihanna's 'Disturbia', and Britney's 'Womanizer' have essentially outed me. There is some music I just can't resist. I generally have good taste in music so this must mean all of these songs are good music.

Which brings me to the point. The best idea I've had all week: entering Britney Spears into Pandora Radio. It has created the ultimate 'going out' playlist for me. Nevermind that I'm not going anywhere. Just try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed. Also, you may have a serious desire to DANCE so be ready. I wanted to fly to Iowa and dance at all those kind of gross college bars that I used to dance at.

IOWA: when I arrive in November, dancing will happen.

World Series

Places I will be to watch the Phillies in the World Series.

Game 1: Emily's/Coyle's
Game 2: Erin's/probably someone's house
Game 3: Citizens Bank Park (you read that correctly)
Game 4: my house? ale house?

There are only going to be 4 games because we don't need more than that. Game 5 will be a PARADE. Nobody is going to go to school or work or do anything except go nuts.

Postseason

It's nearing Halloween and I still don't have a costume. But I'm not really a fan of Halloween anyway so I think it'll be fine. Jamie and I might have a party but it would probably be a party of two because everyone else seems to have plans. Yikes.

Phillies are in the World Series and I won't be attending any of the games. But big plans are underway for a series of game watches at area bars/homes. It'll be awesome. And, if it works out, Philadelphia can have a parade and I can go to that even though I don't like parades.

Went to per se with Mom, Dad, and Colin this past Thursday. It was good and I'm glad I had the opportunity to dine there. Caitlin and the staff treated us very well. I don't think it's something that I would want to do again; I can't justify it. Still, it was lovely and now I know what everyone's always talking about.

Mainly, I'm just waiting until I get to go to Iowa in November. It's going to be the best. Nothing more has been done on the grad school applications but I plan on asking for references this week. I've already drafted the email so it seems like a good diea to get that out there.

Things are looking up?

I mean that ironically. Even though things really aren't that bad. In fact, they're almost good.

However, I cried while watching a Lifetime movie yesterday. This has become routine for me. They're just such powerful stories, you know? Overly sentamentalized, wrought with cliches, and often badly acted. And still I find myself getting a little weepy. So I try not to watch too much Lifetime. That's just asking for trouble.

The Phillies won last night! I'm glad I stayed awake for the whole game. Now they're just one game away from...well, let's not get our hopes up.

I've done some good work on grad school applications. I'm still avoiding the personal statement because I hate that kind of stuff but eventually that'll be the only thing left for me to do.

My new thing of waking up at 8 and getting dressed and really starting my day like a normal person has made me function like a normal person. Except I'm so productive between 9 and 10 AM that it leaves little for me to do the rest of the day. Like, I've already vacuumed out the car, read the newspapers, done the crossword, and cleaned up the house a bit. All that just this morning! Incredible, I know.

Lots of sports

So I've been watching a lot of sports lately. A lot. The Phillies are tearing up the postseason so obviously I can't miss that. Iowa is not tearing anything up except my heart but I'll still watch them whenever I can. I'm a pseudo-fan for ND and PSU. And the Eagles aren't too impressive but I live in the Philadelphia area so I have to watch them or else be ostracized.

This takes up a lot of my time which is good. Until all of these things are over. Then I'll have to get a new hobby. No joke, quilting has crossed my mind.

But I have opened applications at 4 of the 5/6 schools I'm going to apply to so that is progress. Applying to graduate schools is expensive though. Fees for the application, for transcripts, for the GRE. Good thing I'm charging it all to Mom and Dad. Because, you know, it's for my future and all.

I've been hanging out with Jamie and Audrey a lot. Megan too. And all of their friends. It's been fun and a relief to have them in my life because otherwise I would be all alone, all the time. Jamie and I went to see Emily coach a Quidditch match. Yes, Quidditch. Thank god for liberal arts schools with nerdy kids who will do things like play Quiditch. It was low budget but entertaining.

So, things are fairing rather well. Colin and I are going to meet Mom and Dad in NYC on Thursday to go to per se which will be unbelievable (as Dad would say). I'm looking forward to that. But before then, I have to play housekeeper and be around for pool people, yard people, painters, and furniture deliveries. Also, McGriff. Not so bad though.

Moving along

I'm five days into being 22 and it isn't really that awesome so far. Not that I thought it would be awesomer than any other year but I thought I had some good things going. Ok, I still have a lot of good things going for me but it's been a bit rough. I took a hit in the relationship arena which was unexpected yet not. I suppose I saw it coming but denied it and/or thought there was more time until it did happen. So I'm dealing with that, in a very mature and adult way if I may say so. But it doesn't feel very good. Fortunately, I have an excellent family and excellent friends who care a lot about me. That helps.

In other areas, I almost have my grad school application list done. They aren't top tier schools at all but I think I could be happy at any one of them. Anyway, I'm only going for my MA right now so it's essentially a holding pattern until I know what I want to study specifically and where. And though I still have those tendencies of wanting to go to the best schools and have the impressive names to back me up, I'm able to acknowledge that all that doesn't make me happy. I need a place where I can be more than just what I study and I think the schools I'm looking at provide that, or if they don't, their locations do.

And so, nearly a week into being 22, I don't feel much different than a year ago. Perhaps I should be thankful for such relative stability.

What? October?

I can't believe it's the end of September already. I don't know what happened to this month. I guess I should actually work on those grad school applications now. Only two months until they're due and considering the excruciatingly slow pace at which I work, I need all the time I can get.

Just got back from visiting Miami University in Oxford, OH. Seeing Galen was great; I had a lot fo fun hanging out with him and his friends. The rugby team was really nice and fun. Like me, I think Gale functions better when he's away at school. Well, better in some areas, let's say in communication and social situations. Anyway, I was happy to see him doing so well. And even though I felt old sometimes, I realized that it's good to be out of college. I don't have the energy for it anymore. I'll leave it to the kids and hopefully start some sort of adult life.

I also visited Caitlin in NYC/Jersey City early last week. We went to a cabaret which was highly entertaining and I got to meet some of her work friends. They were very nice, of course. I spent last Tuesday wandering around NYC which was good because I was surrounded by people. A change from my usual, solitary day. I geeked out and bought a book about Latin which i started reading in Central Park. It's fairly academic but I think it'll have its moments of humor (which will only be funny for me and about 62 other Classics people). Caitlin and I had some good talks; I appreciate her sympathetic ear and advice because she understands where I am right now in life. I just hope she can figure out her job situation so she can lower her stress level.

Went to the dentist today. Apparently I'm grinding my teeth. I know I've been clenching my jaw a lot lately which is probably the problem. It's stress related and though I try to think I'm not stressed out, I think I'm just repressing all of it. So I guess I have to do something about that.

And the Phillies are in the playoffs which start Wednesday. Hopefully they can make it out of the first round. The Eagles aren't playing as hoped (2-2 record) but I hope they play well when I see them in a couple weeks. And Iowa...well, it's a building year, we'll say. I am not confident that they'll beat Penn State (I'm going to that game in November) which is troublesome because I'm going to take a lot of heat about that one. Oh well, that's weeks and weeks away.

Of Late

Tropical Storm Hanna seems to have swept through the area, no harm done here. Just a lot of water coming down. It reminds me of early summer in Iowa, flood watches and alerts on the TV, tornado warnings, and the relentless streaming of water over everything. Fortunately, I don't think Hanna is quite the catastrophe that Flood 2008 was.

Life in Iowa City is apparently moving along fairly well. I have been assured that my presence is missed so that makes me feel good but also sad. It's become apparent to me that I really don't have that many friends in the Pennsylvania area anymore because they've all moved on to nobler things. And I don't make an effort to see people. But I can change that.

My list of graduate schools is growing rapidly. This is a ploy to avoid actually applying to the couple of schools that I really do want to attend. However, I've recently discovered that Berkeley is one of the top programs in the nation so maybe I should put it in the 'reach' category. I don't know what my criteria for schools are so perhaps I ought to reflect on that for a time.

I sent an email to a friend in Iowa. I hadn't heard from him in months and he promptly responded. It was nice to hear from him and it made me miss our conversations. I think he misses them too. I suppose things changed but even his email made me realize that he was one of the few people who listened, I mean really listened, to me and to whom I didn't mind talking. He's a very preceptive guy. Anyway, I'm glad we're back in touch. It's spurred me to revive those other friendships that are easy to let go.

Alisa told me I should work on my writing while I'm being unemployed and not a student. She's right; it's what I intended to do but I can't seem to write anything worthwhile. And then who is going to workshop it for me (someone who isn't one of the people I'm writing about)? And then when am I going to get up the courage to actually submit something?

I've had far too much time alone to think about my life. I may be getting a little crazy. But craigslist is good for up to three hours of entertainment.

Being Helpful

I can put insulation in a house. I can put a license plate on a car. I can tell you if a picture is hanging straight. This is called being helpful. Soon I may even claim the title 'handy'. Actually, I probably have but when other people are around who can be handy also, my skills aren't needed. But being capable in a house of maybe not-so-capable people makes one feel good. I might miss it, being the man of the house and all. That doesn't mean I'm always available to help out around the house though. I just want everyone to know that I am competent and can get things done, even if I am the epitome of indecisive.

Back in the nest!

So I am officially moved out of Iowa City. And moving always sucks (the cleaning, the getting rid of a lot of what you own, the packing everything else into a Volvo S80, the driving said Volvo S80 for 1000 miles). Actually the drive wasn't so bad because I made it to PA on the first day and stayed for a night in scenic Beaver Falls. If I had been in a horror movie, I would've been murdered; it was the perfect set-up for it. But I didn't die and then finished the drive so I was home by early afternoon. Now most of my stuff is just piled up in my room until Mom and Dad can move out of the garage and into their newly-pimped room.

I've been sitting around mostly, hanging out with McGriff. I might have a job as my mom's personal assistant (opportunity to get blackmail on siblings and divert funding to my bank account!) which would probably mean a lot of stuff that isn't so thrilling but would probably be useful to know. I mean, everybody should know how to use Quicken, right? And I don't have any useful skills right now. But I'll probably try to find another job, outside the house so I can interact with people and be less anti-social.

Currently, however, I am in Laguna Beach, relaxing in the West Coast Nest. It's pretty nice and I am only mildly sunburned. Today I'm waiting around for the TV installer guys and the cable installer guys. See, this is me being vaguely useful! Brian was here for a few days so it was nice to see him but I feel a little bad because he got very sunburned (granted, it's probably his own fault). Anyway, Erin and I are here for a couple more days during which we'll have lunch with Grandpa and clean up the house. Also go to the beach some more. Tip: Main Beach is terrible (full of seaweed and people) so stick to our beach. I suppose there's more opportunity for people-watching at Main but don't go there for the beach.

I have also watched a lot of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. That is a good show.

How the Flooding Happened

As requested, more expansive coverage of the Iowa floods of 2008.

In late May and most of June, it rained all the time in Iowa. No, it didn't rain. It was like living in the ocean so much water was coming down and pooling around everything. And after a harsh, icy winter, the waterways were already high with melted snow/ice. So things just got worse with the rain. Then Wisconsin and all those states north of Iowa experienced heavy flooding. And all their water ran south straight into Iowa. People could see it coming but nobody expected it to be so bad. Regular flood prevention measures were taken. Then on Thursday June 12, everybody realized it was very bad.

Look up the floods of 1993 for reference. The Iowa Memorial Union had to be evacuated which is a big deal because it meant the bookstore, administration offices, student organization offices, and pretty much everything that runs the university. I helped there. It was miserably hot, muddy, and stressful. Hundreds of people were outside sandbagging the IMU because it is right next to the river. Meanwhile, the Art Museum, theater/music/art buildings, dorms, research labs and more were also being evacuated. It stormed every night making the water rise faster. Friday we went back to finish the IMU but we had to leave the building by 10 AM and abandon everything that was left. There wasn't much but the National Guard came in and that was that. By then the water was already in the building, a couple of inches maybe. All the bosses then had to figure out where to put everything and everybody so the university could function on a minimal level. The bookstore was mostly moved to the University Capitol Town Center, catering is working out of Kinnick, and everything's all over the place.

Friday afternoon I was back where I work on S. Gilbert and we tried to prep the warehouse and sand bag it. If the water had actually gotten as high as was predicted, our efforts would've been easily washed away. We got lucky there. They sent everyone home who lived on the other side of the river because by midday, only two bridges were still open and they were preparing to close those at any minute. Crossing the river would've been completely impossible. Lots of highways and roads were already closed. A lot of university buildings lost and still don't have power. A few neighborhoods were evacuated too. I mostly know about University stuff though because that's where I am and what I was helping.

Saturday I went with Amy and Dan to make sandbags down by the Main Library on Madison Street. The Library's basement (which holds thousands of books) had been evacuated Friday. It was sandbagged, as was Lindquist, Adler, Becker, the water treatment plants, and lots more. By this time water was in the EPB, covered the Library parking lot, was in Hubbard Park, Iowa Ave, City Park was long abandoned to the water, the arts campus was too. Around 3 PM there was a tornado warning so they had to clear all the volunteers out and just hope that what was done would be good enough. There was no tornado but Amy and I got caught in the heaviest downpour I have ever seen when we went to get food for our tired friends and selves. It was like a monsoon.

Sunday I woke up with incredibly sore arms and shoulders. And sunburn. Sandbags are very, very heavy especially when wet. They didn't need any more volunteers that day, mainly because they didn't want anyone too close to the river in case something broke. They decided to just risk it. By this time the Cedar River had crested over in Cedar Rapids and when the Iowa River crested on Monday/Tuesday it was earlier than expected. So the water didn't make it to the predicted point which was very fortunate. But the arts campus is wiped out, the IMU has about 4 feet of water in it, the Library only had about 2 inches which should be pumped out by now. EPB is unknown but they decided not to sandbag it at all and just let it go so I can't imagine it's in good shape. Most of the bridges are open again but some main roads are still closed. Thousands of unused sandbags were shipped south for those places still expecting the water.

Word has it the IMU ground floor will be closed for a few months and the bookstore will have to be completely redone (it was just redone about a year ago). There's been talk that most arts majors will have to be dropped because those facilities are completely done in. My friend Alex was helping move music departments but he said they just couldn't get everything. Moving 35 Steinway pianos is fairly difficult. And even if the water didn't get them, the humidity probably destroyed them. The art studios are gone (printing presses, kilns, metalworking, etc). We got an email saying that people in summer classes could drop with no penalty and a full refund but were encouraged not to do so. And we got an email telling people not to drop registration for next semester but it's impossible for the university to provide classes for fine arts and for a lot of other classes because there's no space. I guess I'm lucky that I already graduated but I feel bad saying that.

FEMA has been around assessing damage because a number of counties in Iowa were given presidential disaster declarations, Johnson being one of them. Bush took a helicopter tour of the area and then peaced out. The National Guard has been around and is still helping out. The Coralville strip is under water. But it's been mostly good weather since last Wednesday so the water has been going down. Not as quickly as it has in Cedar Rapids but bridges and roads are re-opening, people can go back home, buildings are getting power back and things are slowly being re-established. And we don't have a curfew at night anymore. For a few days you couldn't be within 100 yards of flood water between 8:30 PM and 6 AM.

I'm back to work and it's mostly the same old routine. Most university employees didn't go back until today though I worked all of last week except Monday. So, things are bad but could've been much worse. We never had any water or power restrictions and I don't think there were any deaths. That's just Iowa City though. There are tons of pictures online if you want to see that though it's hard to make sense of them unless you know the area. There won't be any 4th of July fireworks because everything's under water so that's disappointing but I'm sure we'll all be ok. So that's kind of how it was.

It was pretty scary sometime. Seeing my university look like it was being prepared for a war was unsettling. Not something I wanted to experience and hope to never experience again. Having the National Guard posted at the doors of the student union doesn't usually happen. Seeing all that did shake me, especially when nobody knew when the water would stop rising. But I did very much appreciate the way everyone came out to help. The Midwest is good like that and Iowa City is no exception. I suppose if there has to be a disaster, I'd want to be in a place like this.

I suppose if you have questions, you should let me know. I'll try to address them. But that's all for now. Everything is going to be ok here, different and harder for some time, but ok.

Flood 2008

I'm ok and, as of now, won't be in any danger. The following websites have news and some pictures about what's going on here.

uiflood.blogspot.com

www.imuflood.org

www.kcrg.com

Graduating

Well, I am officially a college graduate. Got that good old BA in the pocket and not much else. I am really happy and really sad. I'm going to miss this place. Granted, I'll be in the IC until the end of July but still. I can't go back. It's also a little scary because I can do almost anything now. No regulated paths to follow, no rules, no plan. Some assurance of future success would be appreciated but I suppose not many can have that.

Moving home won't be so bad. I'll be in the garage apartment so I can maintain some semblance of independent adulthood. I've been semi-looking for jobs but actually applying for them will probably have to wait until a little later because 1. I need to finish my resume and 2. most are wanting someone to start in the next two weeks.

And that's that. Open water certification dives for the upcoming weekend. Awkward times to ensue and I'm honestly a little nervous about the dives. But I think my instructor knows I'm fairly capable and will be ok with me.

Then home for Nolan's graduation. And a couple of weekends of Lauren's wedding stuff. Also, working 40 hours a week. July should be sad but some funs things will (hopefully) happen. Yep.

The current UI spokesman is named Steve Parrott. I mean, that's kind of funny, right?

Derby Day

Mint Juleps and thoroughbreds. I was meant for this. My Derby Day party was just me at my house but I have big plans for next year. Mom had better pull it together; her friends would love this, as would mine. So it's on. The 135th Running of the Kentucky Derby will be celebrated in good ol' Louisville fashion at the Grady residence.

Also, Big Brown won just as I (and everyone else) predicted. Unfortunately, Eight Belles (who took 2nd) had to be euthanized due to compound fractures in her front legs. She ran too hard, the only filly in the race. That's sad. And brings to mind Philly's own Barbaro.

The Olympics are in August. Awesome. I should probably have an Olympics party.

Things I do

Bridal shower: ok. good food, some nice people, a little weird because I was one of the youngest people there. Lauren's family is fairly awesome though.

Lots of papers and research to do. Some exams too. Not worried about the exams but the papers are another matter. There's no time!

Fun things coming up that distract me. I can't have fun til I'm sure I'll be graduating with good grades. TDB is going well though. It's exhausting, both on my body and my wallet but totally worth it.

I'm going to continue at the Distribution Center over the summer so that's nice. Job thing is taken care of. I think I might try to pick up another job though. I need to start making and saving money.

TOO MUCH ICE CREAM!

SCUBA

I'm taking scuba lessons so I can be a PADI certified open water diver. It's awesome and I'm good at it. Maybe. I don't know if someone can be naturally gifted at scuba diving but I don't do anything overtly wrong most of the time. By the end of the summer I'll be certified. I have to do 4 open water dives and my instructor usually does those in May. I don't know if I'll be able to make them though so hopefully I can get him to do more later in the summer. Apparently we just go to a nearby lake or quarry so the water's cold but manageable. I want to dive with some fish and sharks.

Begin Again

Back in Iowa City. 24 hours late and $200 in the hole. Travels didn't go as planned but I'll be taking my revenge. Give me free airline tickets now!

And now it's back to work. Latin project with Liz to be filmed tomorrow. Latin to be translated. Essays to be written. Meetings to be attended. It's only getting worse. SCUBA starts on Tueday though so that should be exciting.

Text messaging is not a real form of communication. Nevertheless it seems to be the only way boys communicate (or don't) with me. An experiment yielded interesting results tonight. Apparently the farther away the boy, the faster he communicates. The ones who are only a mile away can't be bothered. This doesn't bode well for him.

Hey, thanks.

Hey, Lacroix, thanks for feeding me last night. And thanks for pointing out that I can be a real snob when I want to be. Perhaps not be a snob but have the right to criticize (and criticize fairly) the things which, given their luxury, I probably shouldn't be criticizing as a 21 year old college student who works in a warehouse. We were totally right about the food and service though. It was a nice night, not topnotch though. I fear Lacroix may be tricking diners and food critics all around the nation.

However, evenings like that make it impossible for my standards to be met. How am I going to be satisfied when someone takes me on a date to a place like Verde? I know how the "elites" live! I am not easily impressed anymore. Damn. Fortunately, I've adapted by having a sliding scale of standards. I assess al factors of the situation and adjust the standards as necessary. In Iowa CIty, I have lower standards for dates, based on the location, resources available, and population. It's quite simple really.

Now, things to do. Dentist/campaign video/resume/everything else.

Air travel

CID -> ORD
ORD -> PHL

Here's to making it there today.

Donezo

Yep, that's it. Today will be cleaning, packing, and finishing Lauren's bridal shower invitations. Maybe something else if I feel productive. And why not? I did nothing yesterday so a little usefulness today will be good for me.

Happy Palm Sunday!

'Free agency' is definitely the way to go right now. And given the deals that have been offered, it's clear that nobody's signing now.

Spring Break!

Ahh yes, it is indeed spring break. Went out with the roommates last night and we were all too dramatic. (See previous post.) But that's ok because it was entertaining. But I stayed up too late and woke up too early. Now I'm watching the History Channel's Banned from the Bible. It's about books that didn't make it into the Christian bible. Oh I know how to be on spring break.

I have to work on the following things over the next week:
Lauren's bridal shower
my resume
10K VIP party
Latin project
Art, Law, and Ethics project
nonfiction essays

Now I'm watching Dirty Jobs. Happy Ides of March!

F that. It's all entertaining when you don't take it seriously. I'm offended, kind of, but because it's laughable, I can't really do anything about it.

I should work on my billiards skills.

Ouch/Not Ouch

I burned my fingers when I picked up a plate I knew was very hot. And then I did it again. Good thing I learn from experience. Now the skin on two fingers of my left hand is tight and may blister. We'll see how it is in the morning. These sensitive hands really shouldn't do anything but turn pages of books and sometimes write things down. But not too many things because then my hand might cramp up.

As I was walking down the street earlier this evening, Coworker drove by and waved at me! Unexpected but I was quite pleased because I wouldn't have even noticed it was him if he hadn't gotten my attention.

Planning parties, especially when they're supposed to be professional, is hard. Mom, I'll need some tips. How I ended up being in charge, I haven't a clue but I'm pretty sure I'm better at having parties than anyone else on the committee.

Talking things out is hard when the other person doesn't really say anything. Or says stuff that doesn't actually mean anything or keeps saying that it can't be explained. But I guess talking is better than not and then being weird. Whatever. I think I kind of like just saying whatever I'm thinking without censoring it. The thoughts are transparent, nothing veiled, nothing avoided. Who knew honesty could be so satisfying?

So close

One midterm left. Of course I haven't studied for it and it is the one for which I really do need to study. Plan: wake up early and study. Truth: Wake up early and do anything but study. No matter. This seems to have worked reasonably in the past. Although i don't know nearly as much about Near Eastern art as I have about the other art history classes I've taken. An exercise in trickery, that's what this exam will be.

Really looking forward to being home for a few days. As usual, drama increases just before a break so I end up wanting to be away from Iowa City. Not really drama but the events of life.

Caitlin (I mean Per Se) is taking the girls out to dinner which will be lovely. We haven't had time together for too long. Perhaps I will avail myself of the wisdom of their years. I have to get my life together.

I have to go to sleep.

Conversations

Sometimes talking it out doesn't work. That's just the way it is.

Too many mashed potatoes

I ate mashed potatoes for dinner. Too many. I feel a little sick now. Maybe I should go to the grocery store and buy some fruits and vegetables. I might be getting scurvy.

Workshop today wasn't awesome. Not that people didn't like the piece or have good things to say. We just get distracted easily so not much time is spent on the essay. Nevertheless, I've got a lot of things I can do to improve the piece. I do fear that people have gotten the wrong idea about it. Generally, when people say what they think a piece is about, I'm fairly impressed because it turns out they realize what I'm trying to say even before I do. But today, I heard responses that seemed too serious/critical/menacing than anything I intended. But perhaps, as before, they can see what I am unconsciously saying. I'm anxious for my next workshop though because the essay I turned in is unlike most things I've written. I'm fairly certain it doesn't have any serious undertones but I could very well be mistaken. I also felt like a jackass because the other two essays were really good. Especially one of them. The writing was superb, absolutely beautiful. I'm just jealous.

Spring is here! I'm sure of it. I woke up to birds chirping over the weekend and today I didn't wear a winter jacket. 4 day until spring break. I'm going home for a few days and that will be lovely. But no crazy plans for this girl. I hope I can do something productive and fun. I might mean write something good when I say productive and fun. But I also might mean play with McGriff because that's good for me and fun.

In other news...

I had never seen what happens to a Car Bomb if you don't drink it fast enough. It's gross. Good thing I always down mine fast. Funny that something delicious like that can go so wrong. Irish Night = Success.

Now I should be studying for midterms but that's not my style. I really want to be writing my next piece for Nonfiction but I just don't know what it's going to be. After the response I got from my professor (Stephen Kuusisto) about my last piece, I feel good. Encouraged, hopeful, and rather flattered. But now the pressure's on because I want to deliver again and it just isn't happening. I know from past experience that if the writing can't flow out, if I have to think about what comes next then it isn't going to be good. I've been told to write about my obsessions but how many essays can I turn in about my family? Eventually someone is going to call me out on it. I'd like to challenge myself to expand my subject matter but every time I do, it spirals into nothing. Or I force it into being and am not pleased.

But I'd better spend my words on that rather than here. I'll pull something together.

Time to Start Running

Yep, it's looking like the time for me to run is approaching. But I'm going to try not to. I much prefer swimming but I want to swim in an ocean and be warm and have a tan. Because that's what I like.

Fire House is being rebuilt as we speak. But hopefully fire-proof this time. Also, construction workers, can you not block my driveway? Thanks.

I'm in such a muddle.

ESPHI

Eta Sigma Phi National Convention, you are mine. Even though this means spending my hard-earned cash on one of the nerdiest things I will ever do, I'm going. Classics Kids, you will all probably fall in love with me because I'll be the coolest person there. With the exception of Nick and Liz. They're cool too. Anyway, it should be fun/funny. A good experience and the Department will be impressed.

So I'll be out of town March 28-30. This will make scheduling High School Party very difficult.

Clean Room, Clean Mind

I rearranged my room which means I also cleaned my room today. I was feeling pangs of a vague discontent but they may have been remedied by this shifting of furniture. My other options were dying my hair (although it's always a shade of brown nearly indistinguishable from my previous color), buying something (usually clothes), or cleaning the whole house. I had actually intended to do some serious cleaning but my room proved to be a challenge unto itself. Nevertheless, I am please with it and will continue the efforts.

The University of Iowa can be a very tiny place indeed. Connections between people that I never expected. Yes, they all know me but turns out they all know each other too. Frightening. Another reason why it's probably for the best that I'll be leaving here soon.

Honor Me

I was invited to join Phi Beta Kappa so that was a pleasant thing. I didn't pay much attention to it until I got a bunch of emails from all my Classics professors. Guess I'll update the resume (I don't have a complete resume yet; it's been on my to-do list for 3 months). I have many things on my list, none of which I will accomplish tonight.

Sunday night

Ben Folds concert was good. He played some new stuff which I rather liked. Eef Barzelay opened and he was also good. Now i"m staying up late and not doing work. The work most notably being workshops for my nonfiction class. I read the pieces and got slammed with spiritual epiphanies, affairs, and parents dying. I can't handle that right now so I just put them down and turned on the TV. I know, I know. Sometimes I just need my mind to be blank though and now's one of those times. Especially because I seem to be in the midst of some sort of drama of which I was unaware. Perhaps I unwittingly did something wrong? Offended someone? The course of action here is to simply ask people if there is drama and if I should be concerned.

Too long?

Tonight's the second night of the epic Tour de Bars. We'll be hitting up Gilbert Street and probably causing a little trouble. I'm anxious to see the shirts and to see how the turnout is tonight. We did well with Retirement night but now it'll be easier to identify who's really on the tour. Also, I can't go out other nights because then my weekend is completely lost. Spring break is soon; I'll be better then.

Definitely, Maybe: A cute movie.