Cool Simpson Factoids...

Here are a few fun facts about Simpson that I hope you find interesting:

’99 graduate Colter Allison landed a role on the hit show 'Dawson’s Creek’

4 of the 5 Lane sisters attended Simpson-- together they appeared in over 60 movies—Lola Lane was the inspiration for superman’s girlfriend, Lois Lane

John Wayne’s father, Clyde Morrison attended Simpson

THE LEGEND OF THE HAUNTING OF SIMPSON’S COLLEGE HALL (the building that I actually work in!!) IS DOCUMENTED IN THE BOOK “HAUNTED HEARTLAND”

The Des Moines Metro Opera was founded by Simpson professor Robert Larson--30 years later, as one of the largest summer opera programs, they still utilize Simpson's campus

SUSAN B. ANTHONY SPOKE AT SIMPSON IN THE LATE 1800s TO PROMOTE WOMEN’S RIGHTS

JOHNNY CARSON’S MOTHER , RUTH CARSON-HOOK, ATTENDED SIMPSON

KIP JANVRIN, CLASS OF ’88, PARTICIPATED IN THE DECATHALON AT THE 2000 OLYMPIC GAMES IN SYDNEY

In 2007, Simpson won the Margorie Giles Women’s Sports Championship Trophy--The Giles Trophy is emblematic of the best All-Around Women’s Athletic Program in the Iowa Conference

11 SIMPSON ALUMNI HAVE PLAYED PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL

’01 GRADUATE NICK ACKERMAN WAS THE FIRST NCAA DIII ATHLETE EVER TO RECEIVE THE HODGE TROPHY, AMATEUR WRESTLING’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AWARD

’99 SIMPSON GRADUATE KELLY SCHADE WAS HONORED AS THE HONDA AWARD NCAA FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

FOR HER PART IN UNCOVERING A NEW SPECIES, ’01 GRADUATE EMILY KISSINGER HAS A RARE TROPICAL PLANT NAMED AFTER HER, KNOWN AS ANTHURIUM KINSINGERIAE CROAT

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER ATTENDED SIMPSON IN THE LATE 1800s—HE RETURNED IN 1941 TO GIVE THE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS

BISHOP MATTHEW SIMPSON PROVIDED A EULOGY FOR THE FUNERAL OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

SIMPSON’S SMITH CHAPEL CONTAINS ONE OF ONLY 7 MOBILE PIPE ORGANS IN THE WORLD

THE SIMPSONIAN IS THE NATION’S LONGEST CONTINUOUSLY RUN STUDENT NEWSPAPER

IN THE LATE 1800s, FINAL EXAMINATIONS WERE GIVEN ORALLY AND THE PUBLIC WAS ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND

SIMPSON COLLEGE IS ONE OF THE 2O OLDEST CO-EDUCATIONAL COLLEGES IN THE NATION, ALLOWING WOMEN FROM THE DAY IT OPENED ITS DOORS

SIMPSON’S FIRST STUDENT HANDBOOK PROHIBITED CARD PLAYING, THEATRE-GOING AND DANCING

A little froggy...

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday break. Mine was good, too. I mean, if you enjoy being sick. Wednesday I headed to my sister's house in the middle of the snow storm that we were hit with here in central Iowa. After work and four inches later, I headed out, and actually made it in pretty good time. I got through Wednesday night and Thursday morning like a champ. Then, all of the sudden, after stuffing myself with turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and french silk pie, I took a turn for the worse.

The rest of my family was in the living room, sluggishly moping around in their tryptophan induced hazes, only mustering excitement when the Lions scored a touchdown, when I noticed that my throat was feeling a little froggy.

I have a tendency to be sick during the winter, and I was feeling a little sullen as the doom creeped in upon me. By Friday morning I couldn't swallow, and my ears ached terribly. My sister called the local doc for me so I could get some medicine. They prescribed some antibiotics that didn't work, and sent me on my way. Eventually, I felt guilty for being sick with little niece Emerson around--I didn't want her to get sick too, so Saturday morning, I packed up and headed for the hills...or Des Moines...which isn't really all that hilly.

Anyway, five days later, I am still feeling the effects of my like 6th illness of the season. My voice disappears sometimes, and my face is completely stuffed up. The point is, all of you should drink less soda and more orange juice. I've got to go schedule that flu shot...

May Term in the Wilderness

Today was wet, and grey, and misty and cold. It made me think of two things: my trip to London, and more importantly in terms of this blog, my May Term trip to the Boundary Waters (most of the weather was great, but there was a day or two in there that were just nasty!). May Term is one of the things that makes Simpson awesome! It's a 3 week term after second semester...starts in May. You can either take a class, do an internship, or take a trip, and it's great!!!! I know I gave you a little tidbit of my trip to the Boundary Waters in a previous blog, but dabbling in it doesn't do the trip justice. Thus, I will dedicate this blog to the trip of my lifetime to the Boundary Waters. Here I am, all decked out in wilderness gear!

I've been to a lot of places, but none was ever as challenging as that week I spent in northern Minnesota getting my butt kicked by the wilderness. Why's that, you ask? Well, let me give you a little background. I'm not much into sweating...I don't like getting all gross, and I really hate smelling. I'm a clean girl--I shower daily (except on some Sundays, but that's a different blog). I'm not what you would have called the extreme canoeing-wilderness type. I didn't own watershoes, wool socks, vinyl hiking pants, a camp stove, or a sleeping bag for that matter. This was definitely going to be a trip that was going to push my limits.

What was the trip, exactly? It was 4 canoes, 8 people, tons of lakes, and miles and miles of hiking. We packed all our gear in a five portage packs (big gigantic backpacks), all our food in two bear barrels, strapped on our hiking shoes and took off on a 7 day adventure through the wilderness--real wilderness. No cell phones, no computers, no people, no houses, just us and the moose and the bears. At least one of my best friends, Lucy (in the pic--we met in our LAS class freshman year) was going to be there, too!

Did I have my doubts? Oh, heavens yes. On the walk over to the parking lot where we all met at 5 a.m. to head north, I was convinced I had screwed up, but I was this far in and I knew my canoeing partner probably couldn't steer the boat alone. I had committed. I was in for the long haul. In all honesty, before this class, I had never canoed before, and after signing up for this trip, I questioned my sanity. I was very unsure of my ability to get through it. It is highly physically taxing, and requires a great deal of mental and physical effort—neither of which I was sure I had the Sunday before we left. Me and my partner, Mosa, are in the picture to the left.

When we finally got on the water Tuesday morning, I thought for sure the beauty of the scenery would outweigh the anxiety I was feeling…that hope lasted for all of 15 minutes. Soon enough my arms started to tire and the portages definitely tested my strength. The first couple of portages were short and pretty easy—you just strap everything on like a pack mule and hike through the wilderness until you find more water. The first long portage we did was 190 rod long—which is over a half a mile. It was on this portage that I convinced myself that this trip may not have been a good idea. I had my backpack on my back and a canoe over my head resting on my shoulders--I was carrying this canoe all by myself. After I started walking, I wanted to cry, and I was certain I wouldn’t make it half the distance I needed to. After lots of struggle and a little help, I made it through. This picture is a couple of us taking off on a long portage.

To make it worse, I found a tick burrowed into my back which totally freaked me out, and my partner and I lacked a little communication and subsequently ran our boat into rocks several times. This picture is Leah checking my head for ticks, pleasant, I know. Also, getting over the fact that I would be drinking lake water and wouldn’t be showering for 7 days (uck!) was a great big mind hurdle. I just had to get up the motivation to jump. By the end of the week, we were having a blast, and walking a mile long portage was just another thing we did. The trip went faster than I ever imagined.

Going out in the wilderness is very much like embarking on any new journey in life. At times, starting out, we may find that we’ve run into a rock, or that we cannot quite maintain our balance. In fact, we may even discover a tick attached to our side and feel as though it is sucking the life right out of us—in these situations we cannot panic, but calmly find the tweezers and take care of the problem. And, sometimes you have to sleep on the ground--there's a pic of one of our campsites. Eventually, there may come a time when we aren’t sure that we will actually be able to go on, and at the end of the day we might sit down and ask ourselves what in the world we were thinking to head in this direction...but the end is always in sight--even if you can't always see it.

I think this trip is also a testament to the lessons I learned at Simpson. Strapping a canoe on your shoulders and committing to hiking several miles in the wilderness was not neccesarily my thing--but by the time I came out of the beautiful landscape, I knew I was changed. I was physically, mentally, and emotionally stronger. I was faced with a challenge unlike any I had ever faced before, and I conquered it--and it felt great...even better after the four dollar-fifteen minute shower I took when coming off the water! And, most of all, the 7 strangers I went into the wilderness with were now great friends, and we spent 7 days having a GREAT time. May Term is great, the Boundary Waters was fantastic, and is just one more awesome thing I add to the pile of cool experiences I had at Simpson.

Where do you get a teething baby?

As I told you in my last blog, travel season is nearly over (Monday is my last day out on the road). I have to let those of you coming to campus tomorrow down easy, though, as tonight, after I get home from work I am going to hop back in the car to go be a bridesmaid in yet another wedding--unfortunately, I won't be here to see you. I've been to lots of weddings lately, and I think this is at least wedding number four that I have been in, if not five. Being in weddings makes me nervous. It is such a big day for the bride and groom, and that I have to be part of it puts an incredible amount of pressure on me. Our dresses are fairly long, I'm not the most graceful person, heels are somewhat troublesome, and I have a tendency to be quite clumsy. My falling down the aisle or knocking over a lit candle is one one of my big fears--the whole wedding could be a debacle, just because of my presence.

The other thing about weddings, though, is that I am very frustrated that I never seem to catch the bouquet. Well, that's not entirely true. I did catch it once--at my sister's wedding. And by 'catch' I mean it came and hit me in the face, cutting me across the nose, and I bled. That was a great moment...there are photos to prove it.

The best part about this drive today is that I get to go with a teething baby. I am sure she will be grumpy and slobbering everywhere. I was explaining this to my coworker, Andy, today, and he says: "Okay, so tell me again where you are going." So I tell him. And he says "then you're going where tomorrow?" So I tell him. He continues to look perplexed. "Are you confused?" I ask because it's obvious he's thrown off by something. And he says, "where do you get a teething baby!?" "Actually, Andy, they're on sale at Target!"

The actual story is that my sister who lives east of Des Moines is coming to pick me up with her husband and my niece--the teething baby, on our way west to Nebraska. So, that's where the teething baby comes in--and she's so friggen cute she could chew my finger off and I probably wouldn't care. I've even included proof of her cuteness (and her teething--notice that nice slobber spot on her elbow!). Yes, I know, a-dorable!


Alright, dear readers, I best get some things finished up before the day is done. I will hopefully have some pictures to post when I get back, and I'll let you know if I mess anything up too badly! :)

Highways and...upgrades?

There is really only one thing I want to do at 6 AM...Sleep. It might be because I have a really incredibly comfortable bed--it's also very warm, and as the weather gets colder, it is continually more difficult to get out of bed; it might also be because I just really like to sleep. I like to go to bed early and get up late. Thus, this morning, when the alarm clock went off at 5:45, I really didn't want to get up. I knew I had a long drive ahead of me and had to finish packing, though, and more than I love sleeping, I hate being late.

I drove about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to my first school today and talked to several great students! It was a really great visit. At my second school this morning, I ran into a Simpson alum who is a year older than me and now the band director for the high school. It was great to run into a familiar face! All in all, it was a great day of high schools--lots of students with great questions!

This afternoon, I got to my hotel to check in. The lady at the front desk is all "King, smoking room, right?" And I'm all, "Yah..no. Non-smoking." And she's all..."oh, well, um, this says smoking, let me see what I can do." (*I have allergies--smoke messes with my face and it's not pretty--especially sleeping in the remnants of it. I enjoy breathing in the morning.) She ended up having to upgrade me to the king suite with a whirlpool, couch, and an actual comforter--rather than those silky gross things! So, here I am, living the hotel high life in Cedar Falls.

Travel season is coming to an end, and as nice as it will be to stay in my own bed on a daily basis, I have grown accustomed to this nomadic existence over the last few months--especially when upgrades are involved! It's gone fast, and I realize how many people I have met--lots of great people that I hope to see at Simpson in the coming years!

What will I miss about travel season? Cable, mostly. :) And of course, listening to NPR for miles on end--seriously, it's interesting and you'll learn a ton. 640 AM, in case you were wondering. I will miss the curiousness of the great NE Iowan unknown and using my map on a daily basis. I have decided, as much as I hate getting out of bed, I really love mornings--nothing really beats an early morning misty drive in the pale rainbow of sunrise down a winding country road. I like small town restaurants, and random phone calls on the road. Roaming the streets for the biggest, oldest, coolest houses--Osage has a ton of them! And, of course, meeting new people in the schools and towns I've never been in before.

That being said, now that I've come to see all of you people, I'm pretty sure it's your turn to come to campus and visit me...

An Inner Monologue...

I've spent the last several days thinking of what to blog about next. As you may or may not have noticed, I have sort of been slacking on the blog front lately, and in my own defense, I have been sick, but nevertheless, I realize it's been all too long. Never fear, dear faithful readers, I am back. The problem for the last few days, though, has been that I have had serious writers block. I have mulled and mulled over ideas to blog about, and have come up with nothing substantial. I have, however had a very interesting inner monologue that went something like this:

"Self, what are you going to tell the people about this week?

"You could tell them about how you forgot to get gas before leaving town for a day full of school visits, even though you knew the night before your gas was gone, but thought it was too cold and too windy to stop and fill up. You thought you would just wait til morning to take care of the gas. Then, you had an allergy attack and were sneezing all morning, so on your way to get some breakfast, you decided against getting the gas as you were afraid the sneezing would somehow create a spark as you were sneezing/convulsing/holding the gas pump. You didn't really want to blow up, so you decided you would wait and get gas after you got food. Well, you forgot. Remember, you got a few miles out of Cedar Falls and looked at the control panel of the car to find that the little yellow light was there, shining in your face...Empty. Now, in one of her previous blogs, Tiffany proved to everyone that one can drive nearly forty miles on empty, so you weren't seriously scared about being gas-less and stranded on the side of the road, and since Tiffany previously blogged about being gas-less, this idea is no good. You can't use it.

"You could go back to the atrocious condition of your car, even though you've already used it once or twice, but, this time you could spin it along the lines of survival. Yesterday, as you looked around to find that six day old piece of pepperoni Kwik Star pizza next to a half eaten Zebra Cake on the floor, and that apple cinnamon Nutri-Grain bar in your purse, you realized that you actually could survive in your car for a few days. And, to combat the cold that is constantly creeping in, you have, as your co-worker Jeremy said, a closet in your car. There are clothes basically covering the entire backseat. There are also two winter coats--so as far as layers go, you would probably be fine. I think you could survive. Especially since there are a few bottles of water in the back seat...but, since that's the extent of the blog idea, it probably wouldn't survive.... :(

"What about the trip out of Des Moines to Cedar Falls at 6am in 60 mph wind? Beth already took the wind story...

"Blog about multitasking...You could tell the story about driving down the road the other day and decided to call the grandparents. You were talking to grandpa--he's cool, but I think he underestimates your ability to be a successful multi-tasker. You're talking to him, and he's all : "girl, you can't be driving and talking on the cell phone at the same time, you know, I really hope you're using one of those blue teeth thingys because your hands need to be on the wheel, right there at ten and two, now, come on girl you'll give this old man a heart attack worrying about what you're doing while not paying attention to the road (insert huge disgruntled sigh here)." And you're all: "Grandpa, if you only knew four minutes ago, I was texting, eating Kwik Star pizza, taking my antibiotics, checking the map, looking for a new CD, driving with my knees, taking the fingernail polish off my nails, and leaning over to answer my other cell phone all at the same time, you probably wouldn't be so concerned!" Again, decent idea, just difficult to develop.

"You could blog about nasty greasy food, but Beth just took that idea.

"How about blogging about running over your bare foot with your very heavy suitcase, and how after you finished screaming/crying/holding your breath your whole foot went numb? Yeah, you're right, that one just makes you sound stupid.

"You could blog about the soy candle store you stopped at to buy your grandma a candle for Christmas since soy candles are cleaner and burn slower, and they smell really really good, but what will you do if grandma takes a break from bidding on pink-colored crystal dishes on Ebay and decides to read your blog? Then the surprise would be ruined."

So, dear fans, there you have it--every little idea that crossed the train of blog thoughts that have run through my mind in the last few days--every little thought I never wanted to tell you about...sorry if I ruined your Christmas gift, grandma.

Travel.

You know you're in the middle of travel season when:

*You refer to your cozy, budget friendly hotel as "home."

*That guy at your favorite restaurant in the town you've only been in for 5 days starts recognizing your face and remembers your name.

*The first thing you do upon entering your own bedroom on those very few days in which you actually get to sleep in it is take your comforter, fold it up and place it in the corner. You're simply acting as you (or I) do upon entering a hotel room--remove that silky, weird bedspread and place it elsewhere.

*When you're talking to another Simpson admissions counselor on the phone, and you say "I'm sitting on the couch in my hotel room" and she says "What!?! You have a couch?! Ugh!!" Well, it's at that point that you realize there might be a little furniture deprivation happening.

*You can't really remember what your co-workers look like.

*Your bank statement shows that you've purchased a tank of gas at least every two or three days.

*Since you see your roommates an average of 12 hours a week, they forget that you actually live in the same apartment as them. You do stop home occasionally to pay the bills though.

*Even when you are home, you don't bother unpacking and continue to live out of your suitcase--you'll only be home for a day and a half, what's the point?

*You're visiting your sister for a day, and your dad happens to be there, too--when he looks in your car he about passes out on the lawn over how you've just gone and "trashed" it. *I just don't think he quite understands what it is that I do. Sheesh. If he knew that my car was essentially my home for the last month or so, he might realize that it happens to be my bedroom, office, living room, and that little place on the floor of the passenger seat just so happens to be my temporary garbage can--what of it?!

*When you actually do go out for dinner with another person (which is seldom), you automatically pull your book out of your purse and start reading it anyway.

*You can't really recall the last time you did laundry...

*You haven't seen Andy in weeks.

*You have 20x more interaction with people via Facebook or texting than face to face.

*You have, however, seen a ton of awesome kids in only a few short weeks!

Bare Necessities

I have found that life on the road requires several things that in any other situation wouldn't be considered "necessities." Dear friends, you should know that the things I am going to tell you about, well, I'm not sure I would function on the road without them.

First of all: a cell phone. Sometimes the road is long and the sun is blinding and you have been in the car for hours without real human interaction. This is when the cell phone is very handy. Several times I've been right on the line between sane and crazy and have found that a little human conversation goes a long way...I say "human conversation" because talking to the cows and other farm animals as you drive by their farms just doesn't cut it...at least in my book.

Secondly: a map. If you're anything like me, you're easily distracted on the road. You look around only to find that you are on highway 218 when you should be on 52. It is at times like these when that map comes in very handy. Of course, you could just call into the office and nicely ask whomever answers to mapquest you some directions out of there--that would be the easiest option, right? Right. But, when you're out in the middle of nowhere, that cell phone I just spoke of so lovingly won't bother working for you and you'll try to dial in spite of the icon of that little phone with the line through it with no real return.

Thirdly: a camera. When you roll into a town and find something cool, you can waste lots of time by busting out the ole camera. I'm in this phase of messing with the settings and turning the cows into cartoon characters, and turning everything different colors--I find it is a good way to waste a little time when I arrive too early.

Fourthly: a book. Of course, the camera works wonderfully for time wasting, but on those lovely drizzly, gloomy, wet days, time is better spent in the car. For this, I find that reading a book is a great distraction. I just started a book my English-teaching sister recommended called "Chasing Grace," and the author's dry humor is quite entertaining.

Fifthly (is that a word?): music. I have to have music in the car. I would be terribly embarrassed if I was ever put on one of those TV shows that videotapes people while they are driving in their cars because I'm the one that's not only singing at the top of her lungs, but also dancing around in my seat waving my hands in the air. At the beginning of the week I was on my James Blunt kick (his new CD rocks!) and then I moved into some Keith Urban, Counting Crows, Tristan Prettyman, A Fine Frenzy, Damien Rice, and of course, the classic Goo Goo Dolls. After listening to these CDs four times each, though, the mind craves something else. So, I reached into the back seat and grabbed the old CD collection. At the beginning of travel season I put all my CDs in the car--all of them. The really old stuff, I mean, the Lion King Soundtrack is in this CD-folio. Anyway, I always go through and pick out the ones that I haven't listened to in ages--embarrassing music, like the Spice Girls and Hanson, and the classics like Fleetwood Mac and Journey, and then of course, there is the random collection of them Mix CDs that were so cool at the time of their creation. (Believe me, they still are!) A couple colleagues of mine recommend books on tape--I see their point, but I've got a whole lot more "Mmm-bop-ing" to do before I switch to the narrated story telling.

Sixth: a little give in the waistband of your pants. One of the not so wonderful things about being on the road is you have to grab lunch on the run sometimes. When you are in these very small towns, lunch on the run often consists of whatever you can find at the local gas station--not always the easiest way to eat healthy! Well, when what you find is pizza that has clearly been sitting in that display case for at least two hours soaking in a puddle of grease, and two minutes later you are driving down the highway and you suddenly find yourself licking up the river of that orange grease that has now made its way down to your wrist...well...enough said...

On the road again...

Well, travel season is back in full swing for me. After a week in the office last week, I am once again on the road, living in a lovely hotel, driving around the countryside and trying not to get lost in NE Iowa.


I am in Decorah this week, and I am visiting all of the schools in this area. I am getting to know this area a lot better, but the other night, I was trying to get from my hotel to some food downtown...well, I thought I would go around the back way, but the road I was on turned to gravel...I thought for sure it would just run right back in to town--yeah, no, not so much. I ended up driving aimlessly down this winding gravel road for about 10 minutes before I was freaked out enough to turn around--it was dark and raining and creepy!

Yesterday, I was at Crestwood, Decorah, Waukon, and Kee high schools. Kee is in Lansing, Iowa, which sits right on the Mississippi river. After visiting the school, I drove up to an overlook where I should have had an amazing view of the river. Unfortunately, my view was a little less than perfect as it has been raining, cloudy, dreary, grey and gloomy for the last 63 hours! I didn't let that get me down, though, and I took plenty of pictures--but I don't think they'll come out very well.

Today I am visiting several places between Nashua and Decorah. I had a few minutes to spare between schools this morning so I thought I would try to find the world's smallest church. Turns out, it's so small I can't even find it. However, on Thursday, I am taking a route that should take me close to where it's supposed to be again, and I *will* find it.

I stopped for lunch thinking Chinese sounded good, and this lady gave me a sample of the Orange Chicken that was way hotter than I expected. I somehow not only burnt the entire inside of my mouth and the entirety of my throat, but also touched my face with some gooey orange sauce and have a lovely little red burn mark right by my lip. Unsafe. She coulda told me to blow on it. Sheesh.

All in all it has been a great week so far. I have spoken with lots of great kids, and stopped at a few fun places along the way. I'll update you later in the week as to whether I find the tiny church...

"Beneath the Whispering Maples"

This week finds me back at Simpson all week long. On campus today, I found myself reminiscing about my favorite experiences as an undergrad. I was in great classes, had incredible professors, I did a ton of research and got involved in dynamic discussions in class. Those things were great, and along with the classes and the homework are the experiences students have outside of the classroom...so, here are only a select few of the most memorable out-of-the-classroom-experiences that I could find pictures for. Believe me, if I tried to list ALL of the days that stand out as "wonderful" while in college, well, there's no way I could fit that into one blog.

Sledding down the hills by Blank Performing Arts Center on campus is a long standing winter tradition here at SC. My friends and I were going to attempt to go to Aquahbi (the lake that is about 5 miles south of town) one night after a blizzard to walk around and hang out in the snow. After it became very obvious that there was no way we would make it out there since the roads were so bad, we decided to trek across campus and sled down the hills. It remains one of my favorite nights of all time!

There was also that time that time that my friends and I packed up after our finals were over in December and took a trip out of town for a few days! We had spent so much time together during that semester that one would think we would have wanted to get away from each other--not the case!!

Having afternoon tea during my semester in London with friends is also a great memory. The photo on the far left is the entire group out back of Macy House, where we lived for several months. The other photo is me and my friend/co-traveler Becky, and was taken at a tea museum on the day before we left London to come back to the states.

Getting dressed up in completely goofy/dorky costumes with friends before the Intramural Dodgeball Competition will likely go down as one of the most enjoyable Saturday nights of our lives!
After riding donkeys up the hillside and taking in the fantastic views in Greece, we took an overnight ferry to the Island of Rhodes in Greece during my May Term trip to Greece and Turkey. A few of the girls on the trip and myself randomly stopped at a Henna Tattoo stand on the island and got fake tattoos on our feet. We tried to convince everyone that they were real...they washed off in a couple weeks.

Getting a group of people together to put on a production to raise money for a shelter in Warren County took a lot of time--but it ended up being a great experience. We had lots of fun, and it was great to see people come together for such a great cause.

I did a great deal of international travel while at Simpson, but the domestic trip I took to Northern Minnesota's Boundary Waters was definitely the most trying. A group of 8 of us went out with four canoes, carried all of our food, clothing, and supplies for a week. We were dropped off by our outfitter, and after we started off on that first lake, civilization was long gone. Physically, mentally, and emotionally, this was the toughest trip I have ever taken, but it was also the most rewarding, and one of the most beautiful!

Many of the best memories of my life are connected to Simpson--the friends I made there, the opportunities I had, the classes I took, people I met, and the person I became while I spent four short years writing my own history "beneath the whispering maples."

Phog.

Week three of traveling has come and gone, and starting tomorrow, I am in the office for one full week. Although I am loving traveling, this week in the office couldn't come at a better time. Last week I was in Wisconsin, and it was quite beautiful. Most of the trees have started to change, and I was constantly gawking at the colors and how different it looked. I also got lost several times, and on my way home at the end of the week I drove down the wrong road for 30 miles before I realized I wasn't where I thought I was.

So, what have I seen along the way? I am sure you are wondering, so I will show you by deeming this a photo blog, my phog, if you will.

The red, gold, orange, and green of Wisconsin in the fall.

This is only one example of the windy, curvy, tree covered highways I have told you about.

Remember that time I told you about when I was following that oversized load on an impassable highway? Well, here's proof.

And here's my speedometer while impatiently following--notice it says 38 mph.

But, if anything can make the drive better, it's a rainbow. It's kindof hard to see...

This is the beauty of driving in the fog early in the morning...

You cannot see anything...

Here's a quaint little church just off the highway outside of Dubuque.

And the Abbey across the road.

And, well, look at this....Sometimes, when she's lucky, I stop by to see my five month old niece Emerson because she's pretty much on my way to most areas of my territory. I know, she's friggen' adorable, isn't she?! Oh, and that's my sister, Autumn, and brother-in-law, Clint.

This week, everyone is out in different places--Colorado, Minnesota, Kansas City, all over Iowa--but, me, I get to stay in I-town. I have a lot of office stuff to catch up on, and haven't done my laundry since I started traveling as life has been so busy, and well, it's about time I do that. So, this week couldn't have come at a better time. Also, a few students I've met along the way are coming to campus for visits, so I am excited to be there to meet with them!!

Hotels.

Well, folks, the last few days in Wisconsin have been pretty exciting--for real! I have found that every road traveled is NEVER straight, and I continue to flourish in the general luck that I won't be lost (except for that one time!). I have been able to share Simpson, as well as my experiences there, with so many students throughout Wisconsin, and thus, this has been a great week so far (and it's only Wednesday!).

All that aside, though, I have to tell you about my hotel experiences. I realize it is only Wednesday and so I have only been on the road for a few days, but really, the hotels I have run into deserve some conversation.

First, I stayed at a hotel on Sunday night, and in the midst of the storms that ran through after their course in Iowa, the hotel thought they had a gas leak. So, they called everyone in their rooms and asked them to head outside until they figured out what was going on--awesome, what else would one want to do aside from walk outside so that the sideways rain can pelt you in the face, and the squad cars can pull up and everyone is staring everyone else down in their jammies?... I didn't have any better plans either. Turns out it was just the pilot light from the hot tub that went out or something...

Then, Monday night, I was in a hotel that I thought was, like, so nice. Turns out that it looks nice, however, one can hear every sound that is going on both in the hallway and in every room ajacent to the one you are staying in--good luck getting to sleep. I thought I had won the battle since I had a suite type room, so I could sleep on the sofa-bed. Well, the sofa bed was ridiculously uncomfortable, and so I could not sleep there either. After an hour or so I made my way back to the real bed hoping the neighbors had turned of the tele and went to bed.

Last night, though...well, let me tell you about yesterday and all of its glory. I left LaCrosse, got lost, and drove an extra 35 minutes out of the way as I wasn't reading directions well. And, mind you, it was DOWNPOURING on me the entire two hours from there to Eau Claire. Once I finally got here to this lovely hotel I seriously considered doing a cheer in the hallway because I was excited to have won one small battle. And, it only got better. As I entered my room, I found my king size bed decked out with 6 full size pillows--duh, heaven! And then, as I examined further, I found the "pillow menu." Yeah, for real!! If you don't like the pillows they have for you here, you call the front desk and they bring you a new kind. Honestly, there are four other options: Firm Synthetic, Medium Down, Firm Down, and a U-Shape neck support pillow. I thoroughly enjoyed the pillows I already had!!

Well, I best be off--another college fair in Eau Claire is calling my name. (Just so you know, it's pronounced "O" Claire, not "U" Claire).

My Simpson Experiences

Another week of travel has come and gone, and during this past week, I met a ton of new people. I was able to share so many of my experiences from Simpson with them. Among the thousands I left Simpson with, there are certain events from my four years as an undergrad that come up quite often--such as studying abroad, the relationships I built with professors, opportunities do to research with primary documents, the great friends I met over four years, the ideas I analyzed and the books I read.

As a student, I studied abroad in multiple places (as one of my previous blogs mentioned). I spent a May Term in Thailand and Vietnam, one in Greece and Turkey, and a semester in London. Every time I get to talking about these experiences with people I have just met, I find I am constantly coming up with a new story to tell--like riding an elephant with my friend Nick through the jungle in Thailand, or the day we spent on a rickety huge old boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam, avoiding stinging jellyfish and sunburns--those were good days. Although I learned a ton about the world while studying abroad, I learned more about myself.

I also like to share stories about my favorite professors from my time at Simpson. People are always surprised when I tell them about my years as an undergrad and how I would often meet a professor for lunch, or a pedicure; as often as we talk about personal relationships with the professors on campus, it isn't until actually hearing stories from people who are/were students that you can really begin to understand what that means.

Of course, I have to tell students about the great friends I met over the past four years. I came to Simpson and continued all the way through with one of my great friends from high school, and along with that, I met so many new friends along the way. Some of them I met at summer orientation, or on the first day of class. Others I met through student organizations, study abroad trips, different classes, randomly at the library, or in the dining hall. I met some of my best friends from college through other friends, and some I met quite accidentally. Any way I look at it, I realize that I left Simpson with some of the very best friends in the world--they always say that college is where you meet the friends you'll have for the rest of your life, but it's hard to believe that statement until you actually live it. In my experience, it's true.

Research. Well, often research doesn't sound like something that is tremendously entertaining, but to us history majors, we were in heaven. I worked on a ton of research papers throughout college, but a project during my senior research seminar was one of my favorites. It was based on the history of Simpson during a span of a year during the 70s. We used the Simpson archives, conducted interviews in person and over the phone, read old newspapers, etc. to try to reconstruct what actually occurred during that time here on campus. Putting the pieces together, and being able to place our project into the broader context of Iowa, the nation, and finally the world gave me a greater appreciation for history than I had ever had before.

I also fell in love with reading. Courses in college are quite different from classes in high school. Expectations, assignments, and the time needed to complete projects/papers/and the like are much different. My senior year, I found there were many nights that I would have like a hundred pages to read, and as much as I complained about it and would have rather been hanging out with my friends, I was always content to be curled up in my roommate's reading chair with my blue and white blanket and whatever book it happened to be at the time. I spent hours reading classical literature, poetry, history texts, memoirs, historical fiction, articles on politics, editing papers, and the like. Although I am sometimes glad to not have to read that much every night, I still find myself reading for (get this) fun!

When I first went to college, I knew I was in for a ton of change. What I didn't expect was for that change to shape the person I became by my senior year and the things I became passionate about. I also find that the experiences I had at Simpson have shaped the way I see the world, and the way I continue to live as an alum.

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**For those of you following my travels through this blog, next week I am headed into the great state of Wisconsin for several college fairs. I'll keep you all informed of my adventures in the coming days...

Just another day...

This being on the road stuff is kind of exhausting. For real. Last night, I got everything finished up and it was about 8:15 so I was just hanging out in my hotel room watching tv and was too tired to keep my eyes open, so I went to bed. Yes, at 8:15. And, to make this even better (or worse?) I slept clear through the night, and didn't even have to get up til 7. That's 11 hours of sleep--more sleep than most human beings find necessary, but holy cow did I feel a thousand times better this morning when I woke up!

I started the day re-energized, despite the cloudy sky and the rain that drizzled ALL day long, and my high school visits were awesome! The students I talked to had great questions, and I had ample opportunity to share stories about how great my Simpson experience was. After I told them about: how much fun I had studying abroad in London, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Greece, etc., how great and friendly my professors at Simpson were, the wonderfully dynamic classes, all the different majors and opportunities for students, May Term, all the student groups I used to be involved in, how lovely the campus is (come visit, you'll see), all the different sports offered, awesome internships, intramurals, the fine arts opportunities, Greek life, how easy the application process is, our on-campus housing, the close proximity to Des Moines and the opportunities therein, and a bunch of other stuff...well, after I told them about all of that, I was pretty much out of time, so I answered all their questions and went on my merry little way.

I finally made it back to my hotel, did a bit of work and went to grab a bite to eat at this little restaurant close to my hotel. The food was awesome--grilled chicken salad and a side of turkey and wild rice with almonds soup! In the words of Rachel Ray, Yum-O!

Now, I should probably go clean my car. One of the hazards of being on the road for work is the mess that your car becomes. As I was looking over in my passenger seat today trying to find my map, I also found my purse, both cell phones, a couple water bottles, my travel binder, my book, a banana, my calendar, list of high schools, a half drank bottle of Diet Coke, pens, paper, publications, cds, need I go on? Thing is, the car is a MESS! And, that's just the passenger seat. The floor of the backseat contains remnants of many meals on the road, pop bottles, cups, napkins, a random shoe or two, clothes, an umbrella, several binders...it's just insane. And, frankly, to the random outsider looking in, the urge to throw up would probably be quite uncontrollable. It's darned ridiculous, and on the verge of disgusting. The worst part is, I don't have tinted windows so any Joe Schmo can walk by and look in my windows and pass silent judgement due to the current state of my car...Yeah, I should go take care of that.
*But it's getting dark, and cold, so I will probably stay right here in my hotel, warm and growing ever-more engrossed in the television...

One Week Down....

Well, folks, 987 miles later, week one of travel is complete. Along the way I talked to so many great students and their parents about Simpson, and, well, in all honesty, I discovered a great deal about "life on the road." For that reason, I would like to shed a little light and dedicate this blog to the many lessons learned in only the first few short days.

*Don't skimp on the cost of conditioner. I bought an extra set of "bathroom stuff" so that I wouldn't have to transfer it from my bag to my bathroom and back and forth for the next couple months. Well, I thought I would be smart and save a couple dollars...bad idea. Any money you thought you saved will then be spent on the ibuprofen you have to buy to make your head feel better after ripping your hair out with your brush.

*Subway is NOT the easiest fast-food to eat in the car. Although it might seem like the health-friendly option, driving and trying to eat your 6 inch lettuce, pickle, black olive, cucumber and turkey filled sandwich is quite a feat. Although, if you don't mind dried lettuce stuck to your clothes, rock on, "eat fresh."

*That clerk at the gas station looks at you funny when you put a 32 ounce fountain pop on a debit card. I had no cash, and I needed my Diet Mountain Dew. If she knew that my heart ceases to beat without the DMD she might have looked at me differently. I probably should have told her that... *so you all know, DMD is Sara's lingo and I stole it from her! :)

*That hair you found in your sandwich wasn't really there. Dispose of it, and pretend it didn't happen. You'll be a lot happier that way.

*The hotel gives you two beds so that that big bug can crawl between the sheets and die. With a second bed, you can let it rest in peace, and sleep in the other one.

*When hurriedly putting on your nametag, you should check to make sure that it is right-side up. If you were to talk to several families with an upside down nametag, well that would just be embarrassing. I'm not saying that happened, or anything...I'm just saying. Okay, that was a shining moment.

*I didn't think it was possible, but after nearly 1,000 miles in the car, and listening to the RENT soundtrack 525,600 times, it DOES get old!

*Following an oversized vehicle that is driving less than 40 mph along the no-passing-zone hills and bluffs and winding roads of NE Iowa can better be described as pure torture.

Well, that pretty much sums up my week. It was awesome to get into my territory and explore the towns and cities along the way, but after a week out on the road, it was nice to come home for a while. All of my lovely readers in the Mason City area, I'll be visiting you next week! And certainly, there will be more experiences from my life as a "Road Warrior" in the days to come. Until next time...

Ride on into the next town...

Well, folks, I'm TiReD! Today was cuh-razy! I worked this morning, but forgot about a meeting and HAD to get an oil change in my car before I continued driving this week (I was 2,000 miles over and after thinking about that, I was stricken with panic over the fact that I convinced myself if I didn't get the oil changed like NOW my car was going to blow up going down I-80). Point being, I didn't have nearly enough time in the office as I would have liked.

But, on to more exciting things, I spent the afternoon driving to Dubuque. As I'm driving down I-80, I see that I am coming upon Newton. As I look over into the two rushing lanes of on-coming traffic I spot Beth whizzing by me at nearly 80 mph on her way back to Simpson from her college fair this morning. Just to make sure my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, I had to call her..."Did you just drive by Newton?" "Yeah, why?" "I just passed you on the interstate!" "Nu Uh!" "Yuh huh!" Sure enough. Random.

Anyway, I enjoyed the scenery on the way to Dubuque (found a cool place off the beaten path, but that's for another blog that can include my pics!), in some areas along the way the leaves are starting to change colors, and against the sunny blue sky, the open road was absolutely b-e-a-u-tiful. Hours later, I finally got there and grabbed a pita sandwich at this little Greek restaurant that could be a new favorite. I then took a little walk around the neighborhood to see what was there since I had a half hour to waste, and eventually found my way to the college fair where I talked and talked and talked to some really cool students and their parents. Afterwards, I drove another hour and a half or so in a caravan of seven cars, and just got in to Fayette...I am super sleepy. My eyes are burning, and my throat feels like someone rubbed it raw with sandpaper. I better go sleep it off--I'm up for another day of driving through the state and meeting new people again in the morning!! Fayette and Decorah, see you TOMORROW!

Hello, travel season!

Well, friends, I just spent two days on a long date with travel season. We're getting along thus far, and I think this new relationship might actually end up working out quite well! Right now, though, I am back in Des Moines at my apartment --which is actually way too hot and sticky due to this heat wave, and our refusal to turn the AC back on. Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, my date with travel season. So, yesterday I spent the day with another admissions counselor, Andy, at a few high school visits. Our last was in Webster City, and from there I headed straight to Cedar Falls to settle in for the evening. Now, I figured that at some point throughout travel season I would have some issues with maps, and getting lost, etc. What I didn't expect is that it would happen on day one. I am driving down Hwy 20 and I have the directions I printed from the Internet that are supposed to lead me straight to my hotel. I must add that I have not been to Cedar Falls since my cousin's high school football team went to state or something and played there--I was like 8. So, back to driving--I am looking and looking for this exit I am supposed to take, and all of the sudden I realize that I am driving through the Waterloo exits, and it dawns on me that I have clearly gone too far. So I call the hotel to see where in the world I was supposed to have gotten off the highway--sure enough the exit I am looking for doesn't actually exist. Big sigh. Anyway, several unnecessary miles later, I make my way to my hotel.

This morning, I was awakened by a hotel alarm clock that was so loud I literally jumped into being awake this morning; after surpassing the fright, I got ready, checked out, and made my way to the Dome for my fair. I find it very easily, parking is a breeze, and I make my way into the building. Last night, I had a momentary bout of panic as to where and what time I was supposed to be places, and so after re-reading the information, I know there is going to be no elevator. It says something like, there will be one flight of stairs.... Okay, cool, my stuff weighs about 704 pounds, but I can handle that. Imagine my surprise when I find the stairs and realize that by one flight they actually mean like four stories worth of stairs...needless to say, I was sweating and gross by the time I had my table set up...right on!

But, when the students finally arrived, I had a blast--I met a TON of AwEsoMe students today--there were just so many great people! You all know I'm the rookie here, so to actually be out meeting students, getting to know them, and doing what lies at the heart of this job--well, that was great. And, frankly, it was a lot of fun.

After that, I drove back to Indianola, went to the office and realized how much stuff I have to do. Then, I got all sorts of anxious, tried to knock a lot of it out, but then decided I was too tired and really just wanted sweatpants so I decided to bring the work home, and on my way into Des Moines I decided that I really really wanted Fazolis and so I went and got it, but it is so out of the way of my house--well, not really any farther from home, it just takes about twice as long, but come on, when you want pasta, you want pasta. Anyway, by the time I got my food, and got all the way across town I had wasted several minutes of precious time. And now, I am blogging, but have to finish my work, and repack as tomorrow I am back in the office in the morning and then I am leaving at noon to head to Dubuque for a college fair (see you there) and then after that I go to Fayette, stay the night, have a fair there and then one in Decorah on Thursday, and finally on Friday I will be heading back to the office to catch up on work and go to meetings all afternoon. Somewhere in there, I am going to find a second to breathe...and, in all honesty, I LoVe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Take me out to the ball game...

No, I mean, take me out OF the ball game....

Last night was my second game of slow-pitch softball on a league I've joined. It was gorgeous outside yesterday, until about 7:00--our game was at 7:15. I got there at about a quarter to 7 so that i could stretch, jog a bit, and get ready to play. By game time, it had gotten windy, cold, the sky turned into these nasty looking black clouds, and was starting to rain just a bit. We were up 6-3 or something close to that in the 3rd inning, and it was my second time up to bat. I was thrown a bunch of balls, and eventually was walked to first base. Pretty uneventful, right? That's what I thought too...

Then, Ali gets up to bat. We've got two outs, and Eric, my first base coach says "You're running on anything." Okay, cool, I can do that. So, Ali hits the ball, and I tear off running for second base. Steps one, two, and three are fine, but on step four, I am certain my life is going to end. Imagine taking both hands, sticking them into your thigh, and then pulling the muscle in opposite directions--that's pretty much what this felt like. My right leg hurt so bad that it was all I could do to walk back to the dug-out (we had an extra girl playing last night so I was rotating innings--I was sitting out), and got to the bench where I held my breath and rocked back and forth for several minutes occasionally gasping for breath, before the pain subsided a little.

Finally, innings are switching up, my team comes back, someone gets me some ice, but it's pretty apparent that I am going to be sitting out for the rest of the game.

Then, it gets better. It is my turn up to bat again, and if I don't bat they get an automatic out. So the idea is that I go, bat, get on base, and then we put in someone else to run for me. Uh huh, this is going to work really well--I'm thinking I'll just hit one out of the park, because then I can gimp around the bases, and it will take at least 15 minutes for me to get home. If you know me at all, you know my idea here is ridiculous. Anyway, I hobble out there, strike out, and hobble back into the dug out, bruised and humiliated...

The drive home was fine. As long as I drove cautiously and used only my heel to move my foot from pedal to pedal, I was fine. Any emergent stops, though, that required lifting my leg, were pretty much excruciating. And, to make things even better, it's 4 flights up stairs to make my way to my bed. I'd've sooner eaten nails than make that trek again.

After a night of ice packs and laying around, Ibuprofen, and sleep, I've woken up feeling sore, but much, much better. And, I better heal quickly and get back into shape, because friends, next week starts TRAVEL SEASON and I'll be documenting the best parts of my life on the road as the rookie! All you NE Iowans, look for me at a college fair near you next week!

I (heart) Wednesday!

Well, I love Wednesdays. The BEST thing about Wednesdays is 'Last Comic Standing.' We're down to the last three--in about five minutes one will be eliminated. I LOVE Gerry Dee, and if he loses I might simply break down and cry. John just got saved, and, sadly, I have a sneaky suspicion Gerry might be heading back to C a n a d a: "O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise,The True North strong and free!"

Even so, Gilbert Gottfried is a guest spot on the show tonight, and if he doesn't make you smile, well, nothing probably does. Don't know Gilbert Gottfried? Well, you might remember him from the movie "Problem Child," where he played the really annoying principal, or, you might know him from the ever so popular and unforgettable movie, "The Amazing Sea Monkeys"--A movie I've never actually heard of, but it's a fabulous transition into my next topic: Monkeys!

Tomorrow is a pretty exciting day. I am going to the Great Ape Trust with several other people from Simpson. So the day is actually more about apes, and less about monkeys, but whatever. Anyway, this place is in Des Moines and is an ape sanctuary and research facility for gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees, and orangutans--and we get to go spend the morning there and check the place out. Simpson will likely have a lot of connections to the Great Ape Trust in the upcoming future, so this is a pretty exciting thing. I was there once last summer, and one of the bonobos had just died, thus they were in kind of a transitional period, so I suspect it will be a bit different this time. I'm SuPeR eXciTeD.

Well, folks, Gerry Dee just lost--and he cried. I feel badly for him, but, I managed to hold it together. I mean, come on, he missed the birth of his first born for this show (no joke) and now it's over. As is this blog.

Pick me! Pick me!

On my 27 minute drive home today I had a lot of time to do some thinking. Amidst the internal curses at the sunglasses clad man in the Mercedes who was driving, punching on his PDA, talking on his cell phone, and checking his watch while simultaneously merging into my lane (and basically into my car--thank goodness for trusty brakes!), and the formation of mental lists for the rest of the week, I ended up grumbling to myself about things that I still want out of my life. I want my Internet back (which, thank my lucky stars, after a month of no service my Internet provider is off my naughty list!), I want to go buy new clothes, I want to move back to London, I want to take a trip somewhere new at least 6 times a year--I want to travel--I'm gol-darn obsessed with traveling, I want to go out for dinner every night and see a movie afterwards. I want this, that and the other. And, if I think about it long enough, much of that seems ridiculous. (Work with me here, I'll get to the point where you all realize that I am not that petty and selfish...give it a couple paragraphs!)

I think sometimes I get too bogged down in thinking about the rest of the things I want to do in my life that I forget how great today really actually is for me, and if I think about it long enough, I realize how fortunate I am--I mean, really, I have a great job, lovely friends, and I laugh daily. As I was installing my new Internet (high five!), I grabbed my journal from my Thailand May Term trip off the shelf and decided to flip through it. That was my first trip out of the country without my family. As I read through the passages from before we left, I was surprised by how apprehensive and scared I was. And I was even more surprised at how much I seemed to have changed in those three weeks. And, if I think about it long enough, I realize that I am blessed--I am lucky, and often we (or maybe just I) get too caught up in the things that seem so silly that I forget to appreciate all the beauty and wonder that I already have--and I have it good! Among other things, traveling opened my eyes to that.

Now, after traveling in college, I think that "going" has become part of my very being (which is probably why this job, and the traveling therein is about perfect for me!). I itch to go, to leave, and to wander. Any random trip that comes up in life, I'm like a freakin' kindergartner who really really wants to be called on with my hand up in the air squirming in my chair: PICK ME, PICK ME! And every time the teacher is like, "Jamie, you answered the last question, give someone else a try, shh," it about kills me to put my hand down, but I do so, begrudgingly, knowing that I'll volunteer again for the next one...



***p.s. you can check out the experiences of some Simpsonites abroad in London for the semester on their blogs:
Dr. Palmieri's : http://simpsoninlondon.blogspot.com/
Drew's : http://sc-blogger3.blogspot.com/

12 things about me, because 10 wasn't enough.

A few things you might not know about me.

1: I'm a middle child. I believe that middle-child syndrome exists, and that I suffer from it severely. Just ask my family.

2: If I could do anything in the world as an occupation, I'd be a writer--someone like Carrie in SATC, only more like Miranda, but subtract the column, and add novels--that's who I'd be...I shoulda majored in English, too.

3: I LOVE movies in which the characters speak with a British accent--the movie can even be total rubbish, I simply don't care. If I see that movie in the theatre, it's even that much better!! I LOVE all things England; I want to move there.

4: I lived in Germany for three years as a child; my little sister was born there.

5: At this stage of my life, I have no athletic ability--who am I kidding, I never did; although, as a youngster, I was a pretty good archer. I even won trophies and stuff (I should give a shout out to my grandpa for teaching me how--thanks gpa!).

6: I had braces, twice. Since we're on the teeth topic: one of my front teeth is dead (or whatever the dental terminology is). The summer before 2nd grade my cousin threw a cardboard box at my face, hit me square in the mouth, and the rest is history. I'm not sure he ever apologized--punk.

7: My face turns red a LOT (I like to refer to this as red face syndrome). Usually only when people talk to me, make me laugh, make fun of me, ask me questions, force me to talk, when I tell a joke, do something embarrassing, when people look at me, when I read aloud, you get the point. It's not that I'm embarrassed (I mean, sometimes, yes, but not as a general rule); I think I just have some sort of chemical imbalance. It's horribly bothersome.

8: When I'm stressed, I drive around and turn up the soundtrack to RENT really really loudly for a good 15 minutes...then, life is all better. I wish I was a better singer.

9: I had 2 little lizards as pets as a child--Lizzie and Fred. One summer day, I set their cage too close to an air conditioning vent, and they froze to death. May they RIP. I'll never forgive myself.

10: I was a total tom-boy until 5th grade. And, since my parents gave me a unisex name, it was very easy for people to assume I was a little boy--and believe me, they did. * I'd post a picture, but I'm too embarrassed.

11: I love spending time alone.

12: Sometimes, at the library, I park in the "30 minute parking" spot, but I stay longer.

Well, there you have it. Now you have a little more insight on me and my life--not that any of it is particularly invigorating. Take it for what it's worth--I'll unveil more later!

"Take me out to the ball game....

Take me out to the crowd,
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks..."

Last night was my first visit to see the ICubs this summer. I quite enjoy watching baseball, but even more than that, I love going to baseball games to watch the people. Last night was filled with lots of quirky little events that left me wondering about human beings in general...

First of all, we weren't even a third of the way through the game when the man with the booming announcer voice comes over the loudspeaker and says "Ladies and Gentlemen, could you please direct your attention to the jumbo-screen (or whatever it's called)." Everyone looks over to see a message that said something like "Suzy Jane, will you marry me?" And all of the sudden, the happy couple is on the screen and she's crying and hugging him and he's concentrating on not dropping that ring into the pile of three month old peanut shells, ketchup, and stickyness on the concrete floor below him. It was quite sweet.
*Note to my future husband : don't even think about it.

The best part about this was that as I was licking the salt and ketchup off of my fingers while shaking my head as an answer to my friend's question: "what if that's how someone asked you to marry him?" and they put MY FACE on that darned jumbo screen. There are thousands of people in the stands, mind you, and they picked me at that exact moment. My friend was sitting beside me and starts laughing because there I am, just lapping the condiments off my fingers like a pig in slop, oink oink. Classy!

Soon enough the little cart that shoots hot dogs out of the back comes around. As they take their aim and shoot a hot dog into our section, this cute little blond boy maybe five years old or so climbs up on one step of the railing and reaches out to claim his victory. This flying processed meat in bun is only two inches away from the little boy as this grown woman leans ahead of him, and totally snags the hot dog. She then turns her back on the little boy and passes it off to her 12 year-old-ish, Dennis-the-menace-but-a-little-rounder looking, son who then snickers at the little blond boy as he shoves the hot dog into his mouth. Humanity at its finest.

No game is complete without kids running around dressed as hamburgers, pizza and hot dogs; there was a dancing contest among four little boys; we sang take me out to the ball game, and totally smoked Omaha. Finally, our night was capped off with the last fireworks show of the season. All in all, it was a pretty fantastic evening. I'm going for game number 2 of the weekend tonight with my sister, her husband, and my niece Emerson--we'll see how it compares!