Boxes of Things

So basically every thing is packed. The little nitty gritty shitty stuff is left to pack, and I guess most of that is just handfuls of uh, dump that in that sort of not quite full bag over there. There is not so much method to the madness, but rather this method is a byproduct of the madness.  Don't judge me.

None the less, tomorrow I travel north to the great land called Gustavus where I will officially embark on my third year of college (this is the parenthetical where I say something like, "holy shit is that real? third year? Uh.... I'm almost certain they shouldn't have passed me in the first two. I'm likely still a freshman or at the ver least a sophomore.) That being said, I should probably not blink, otherwise I'll be graduating and won't have any idea what I'm supposed to do with my life. Classic.

In other news, I've finished my scrapbook! I think I will bring it with me to the hill where I will allow it to collect dust and I will occasionally force it upon my friends who are sick and tired of listening to me babble about Italy this, and Rome public transportation that. Oh well, it's pretty and I'm fat and sassy. (that one was for you Molly).

Whirr of VHS Film in Reverse

Fun game: Drive to Bonner Springs and to eat Chinese food and listen to pretty music.

Does it sound like a Monday night flash back from high school? It should, minus the whole Bonner Springs thing, I didn't have to drive there for music or Chinese food.

But the hours spent in the car were well worth it. A mini reunion with people that after years of not talking or hearing from pop out of the wood work and make your day that much brighter. Spring, welcome back. Missed you!

But that was not  the only  surprise of the day! I had the pleasure of not only reunionizing with Allegrians, but with some Barstownians too!  Looooooonng time no talk and suddenly-KA-POW!!!!  Bamalamadingdong there they are catching you up on the oh, say, 6 years you missed in the middle. Woof. So that's my day. A series of flash backs and rewinds just to keep me on my toes.

And I couldn't have imagined a better one.

Hey Look! Silos! How Exciting!

Home at last home at last I am home at last!! It wasn't actually that dramatic, but driving through Iowa makes you wish it were. Nothing interesting to report. No sudden rainstorms, no mysterious people following me, no car troubles or anything else really. But I did manage to pack all of my belongings in my trunk and some of the back seat. As in, the back seat was full, but with plenty of wiggle room. And the only thing in the passenger seat was my purse. So I win a lot-that's what you can collect from that.

Calling All Passengers to Gate: GET YO ASS UP!

Remember that time that I set my alarm for 6:15 so that I could take some people to the airport at 7 and then didn't wake up until they called me at 7:05?

Oh I do.

That was today.

And say again, what time were you dressed and out the door in your car after being woken up at 7:05?

Uh, that would be 7:08.

And all I have left to say is BOOM. That and bring on the speech season. If I can be clothed and presentable in 3 minutes, that means I can prep a speech in 1, and be tournament ready in 15 right? Well, here's to hoping that's how that pans out.

Follow up question: Did they make their flight in time?

Yes, and I had my Starbucks, and was back at work in St. Peter before they even got to board. So there.

Goodbye Airport Route

In six hours, my final true camp affiliated duties will commence, and two hours after that, they will end. What a story it has been. But you know what? Next time I go to the airport, I want to pick up someone that I want to see specifically. Or if I'm the one being picked up, I'd love to see someone important in my life, and not just someone with a vague description looking confused on the sidewalk. Although, with the people I know, there's a good chance that they'll look like that. Woof.

Reunited and It's All So Right

Your world has just collided with something so epic, it can hardly be comprehended by the interwebs. That's right. The infamous Michelle, of Just a Chef's Daughter and I are inhabiting the same house. (who? what? why? HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE MY LIFE SUDDENLY MAKES SENSE!) Yes, I know. The world is a better place now that we have joined our magical decoder rings in a triumphant stance over the things that keep us apart. And the things you have to look forward too: Themed Thursday- actual face to face combat. This is the kind of battle they'll be talking about for centuries. Alamo-no-mo, this is what will be remembered.

But for now, I'll give you the nice little summary of my day.
I worked for the first half, getting things tied up and decent before we all left for our varying levels of adventure (me: exponential, Justin: optional, and Kris: Why is this adventure geared for a younger crowd?). Then I had lunch and packed over another episode of Mad Men, and then loaded up my vehicle (good girl Scarlet) and drove my merry way up to Duluth. Lovely? I think yes. Well, except for that part called the Twin Cities and traffic-that part was unlovely.

Upon arrival, Michelle gave me a quick tour and we immediately went out to pizza (artichoke hearts on a pizza? Good ideas) and galavanted around Downtown Duluth. Seeing things like the lift bridge and walking placidly along the shore of Lake Superior. (I'm told it's superior, but to what? I don't get it...) So despite the scorching heat and the dastardly humidity, we managed to make a good night of it-catching up on all of the stories and generally enjoying life.

Life now makes sense.

It's 4am and I'm Wide Awake Singing a Song

Good news: I survived.
Bad news: I'm exhausted.

So this morning at 3:55am my alarm goes off. It sounds a lot like a fire alarm, so it's pretty effective in making me jump out of bed. But just in case, I set an alarm for 4:00am, and 4:05am too. But I was up and at them at 3:55 and Justin and I made a quick coffee and donut run before making sure that the 4 last poets to the airport. And although they were sleepy, we made it out of there in plenty of time. The only tragic moment of the day was when my coffee cup failed me and proceeded to spill the black gold contents of the magic cup all over my lap-whilest driving. Basically the worst occurrence ever. Hot coffee everywhere and I'm wearing khaki shorts.  Boo that. But the worst of it is that I have lost precious amounts of coffee. Woe is me.

But we got there on time and said our tearful goodbyes. Then Justin and I boogied back home to get some sleep.  Well, actually, I was too awake to sleep right then, so I went for a little walk around the arb.  Wrote a little bit, napped a bit, and came back before it got too hot. And for a good chunk of the afternoon, I took a nap and have begun the 3rd season of Mad Men. So despite being far too early to wake up, I think today was pretty prime.

Preparation for an Adventure

So there's a whole apartment full of people here, and I'm catching up on letters, and I'm covered in cat hair. That's living the dream. Right there. I hope you caught that. Living the brilliant, beautiful, dreamymcdreamerson dream.

Come at me.

And the real trick tomorrow will be the beginning of an adventure. And by beginning, I mean that we'll also be ending part of this adventure. So Justin (teammate and coworker) are going to drive to the Twin Cities for 2 reasons: 1) to have a Barnes and Noble attempt. That includes meeting some freshmen and looking for lit. And 2) Pick up the hopefully less awkward kids for the Slam Poetry camp. That's probably going to be stellar. And with any luck we won't get lost, we'll make it there on time, and we'll have a blast. Doable? Yes. Probable? Maybe less so. Impossible: Certainly not.

Task on.

"No Need for a Chair, I've Got This" or "Here Kitty Kitty"

The one thing that's always surprising is finding out that there's a latent lap cat. Usually cats are either prone to loving people and sitting on their laps as a constant need for attention, and then there are the ones that just couldn't care less what you were or were not doing. I was blind sided by Sophie today. Here I thought that Ira was the "Love me all the time no matter what" kind of cat, and Sophie was the "Uh, I don't want to be anywhere near you because you're scary and I want to look independent" sort.

My world is a lie.

Ira is still the love bug, but Sophie threw me for a loop. Before I had to work pretty hard to even convince her that I was nice enough for her to let me pet her once before she ran away. The next time I got her so that she would sit on the end of the couch while I petted her. And today, I could hardly get her off of my lap. She'd stay there for long periods of time, just letting me pet off handfuls of hair for minutes at a time. The she would leave for a few, and then right back at it. Basically I'm renting out my lap as a cat timeshare. When one is doing something else, I'm busy petting the other one. And vice versa. The only real downside is that it severely restricts my knitting, but meh, I'm not too worried. I've completely given up on that pattern and am in the hunt for one that isn't written in hieroglyphs and smears of fecal matter. (sorry that was a little abrasive. I'm only kind of bitter. Is it that obvious?)

Back to the point, I'm the official cat whisperer. I figure if I can convince the most elusive-you will probably never meet her because she's scared of everything-cat to be a lap cat, I really should just go into the business. Oooo, new profession, lion tamer. I'm obviously cut out for the job. I already travel with odd groups of people across country in funny vehicles listening to cryptic music while wearing out of the ordinary clothing, and I have a way with feline friends. Lion tamer makes the most sense.  Why haven't I thought of this before. Uh, what a konk head.

Survived Another Iowan Drive

As summer has arrived, there are some things that are bound to happen, and I thought I would write them here to hold myself accountable, and so you can know about this.

1) I am going to attempt to blog every day this summer. You'd better hope that I come up with something extravagant to do this summer amidst all of the regular things that I occasionally do.

2) Those of you who where part of the Letter Leader Board last summer, it's your lucky day! The LLB is happening again, and I can't wait!  So facebook me your address and I'll send you the first letter, but it's up to you to continue the trend. I promise to write back, but so do you.  Sound like a plan? Good, I'm glad you are all on board. So message or text me your addresses and I'll get to penning some witty letters.

3) This summer will be so much fun. Mariecus and Ava, it's gonna be a blast.

4) Amanda S is determined to find the hidden treasures of this blog. Good luck.

5) Best things about summer so far: Cats, hammock, books, skype, and the fact that I can sleep for days.

Magnificent. I shall keep the the most updated about my adventures.

Things to do in Iowa on a Thursday

Here we are again.... In a van.... Headed to Nebraska, and loving every minute. Thus far this trip, Karin has yelled at me for giving her pomegranate to the plumber (Justin), Karin has written a song for Cadi, we have consumed cold stone, jammed to some tunes and alternated giggling and cussing at angry birds. What a productive day.

Recap of the rest of my life, now that I have ample time to reflect on such. First, I shall vent my frustrations about professors. When teaching, it is generally advised that you should know your shit. Seriously, when you start lecturing about the history of sculpture, and you claim that the first sculptures were Greek gravestones in second century BC, you are wrong. And several of your students corrected you. Embarrassment city. Get it together. Second, if you put a slide on a PowerPoint, you should know not only what is on it, but be able to elaborate on it without making shit up. So as a consequence I this relatively disastrous day of class, I decided that there were things I was going to have to do this summer- like read art history articles and learn German. Hell to the yes.

Next, let's talk about how today is Thursday, and on Monday, I was convinced that it was anything but that. Tuesday was an option, and once there was chicken Caesar salad at lunch, I was easily convinced that it was Friday. And realizing that Monday is not Friday is one of the most disappointing things that can happen.

Oh shout out about men's hockey-way to be. Keep rocking.

If you are looking for fun things to do on a Thursday night, here is the list that I have compiled so far:

1) learn to peel a pomegranate, or teach someone else.
2) dress as someone's twin and blame your improbable actions on them.
3) wink at someone. Preferably someone you do not know.
4) host a singalong to all of the Disney song you can find.
5) write an anonymous love letter.
6) find someone who is sleep talking and hold a conversation with them.

And with those splendid ideas, I bid thee adieu.