For the couple of you who are scratching your heads about what to get me for Christmas, here is a list of ideas that i had fun compiling on Amazon and in no way expect to be fulfilled (because i’ll be grateful for anything/everything i’m offered, even if it’s merely the grace of your presence):
First of all, i’m very excited to finally have a somewhat decent photo of me and Nathan to post on the blog. We went ice skating on Friday and met up briefly with two different groups of friends of mine. I’d never been ice skating outdoors before, and although the rink was a little bit small and crowded i thought it was nice not to be tripping over little kids the whole time. I didn’t fall once!
Go cameraphone! I’m feeling a little more comfortable with my electronic gadgets lately, since i’ve figured out how to make the iPod shuffle, and the cameraphone flash. I can’t get the G1 for less than $400 because i’m one of a few people T-Mobile doesn’t feel they need to impress, so i’m thinking of switching providers for a while to show them…
Back to the story. We headed to Iowa City on Saturday so that Nathan could show me what his college life was like. He took me around the parts of campus that weren’t damaged by the flood, including the Natural History Museum, the old capitol building and the library. Then my feet started to hurt, because i didn’t happen to have the foresight to wear or bring shoes that i can walk in for more than an hour. We went to get lunch and the first two places Nathan tried to take me to were not there anymore, so we settled for pizza-by-the-slice and were both feeling rather grumpy.
We decided the best thing to do was head back to Coral Ridge mall and get me some new shoes. I bought running shoes, since that was the only comfortable shoe i could sorta chalk up to need. They’re ugly, but functional. Then we went to Nina & Karl’s place. We got to see their apartment all pretty and clean before it got flooded on Sunday, but i’m getting ahead of myself. The four of us visited for a while and then headed to the Vine downtown, where i remembered that a restaurant’s appeal is sometimes not its atmosphere. Hawkeye fans apparently CLAP at football games on TV… i thought that was odd. The burgers were fantastic and the beer got us sufficiently tipsy, but it was only seven when we finished and so we headed to one more bar. Nathan showed me the proper Iowa way to push and kick and swing on things whilst running from one location to the next. Nina and Karl drove.
Sunday morning Nathan and i had breakfast at Hamburg Inn, where apparently a lot of U.S. Presidents have dined. We finished up the tour of downtown Iowa City and headed back to Des Moines. All in all, i think Iowa State’s campus is prettier, but Iowa City is a much cooler town than Ames. It was great to see Nina and Karl and their place, and to get a taste of what life is like for Hawkeyes. I’m not a traitor, i promise – i’m just getting to know the other side a little better.
By now probably everyone has seen this since it made national news and all, but for the record i want to say that i thought Shiba Inu puppies were particularly adorable before the Puppy Cam came along.
I want a puppy!!!
I learned today that my ex-boyfriend’s father passed away this weekend. He was (not even?) 50 years old. Apparently it was either carbon monoxide poisoning or a heart attack. Either way, it was untimely and unfortunate, and i am so sorry for Dan and the rest of his family.
Death is something i never had to really deal with until about a year ago. I remember people in my stepfather’s family dying when my mother was married to him, and occasionally a friend’s grandmother would pass away or a kid i’d known in school would commit suicide, but never anyone i was really close to. Then Joel died. And then Jason. Then Grandma. And now Joe. If these deaths haven’t affected me directly, they’ve completely upturned the lives of people i am or until recently was extremely close to. This is a new feeling for me. I always knew it was coming, but i never imagined that it would just suddenly begin and not stop, and i didn’t have any way of anticipating how it would really feel.
I guess it makes you think about the people who are still in your life and how important they are to you, more than anything. I’m so grateful for all of my friends and family. Take care of yourselves! And take every opportunity to tell people that you love them while you still can.
Halloween was way fun. I was one of at least half a dozen Sarah Palins at the one bar we went to, but it was still worth it.
I cannot believe it’s November! It’s about seventy degrees outside and has been for a few days now. Nathan and i spent a lot of time outdoors this weekend, and i took some photos of the flood aftermath out by Saylorville that i’m pretty happy with. I’m going back to my photographic roots–black and white, natural light, and texture. I love it.
We found shells along the beach. I don’t keep things like this anymore, i just borrow them.
Also, i went back through some of my photo archives yesterday and rediscovered some shots from one of the last few Boheme poetry slams that i think are really beautiful exactly the way i took them. No editing, thankuverymuch Ethos. This was my last semester of school, so the photo is about a year and a half old.
God i love photography. And god this is the most beautiful fall i’ve ever known.