Molly's Blog (original title, eh?)

Time to Move

2009-06-11T08:41:00.002-05:00

Greetings! With all the upheaval in my life I've decided to include my blog in the process. So I've moved to a new site http://mfpettit.wordpress.com/. Can't wait to see ya there!

Bzzzzz

2009-05-06T15:52:00.004-05:00

On my way home from work, I noticed a HUGE bumblebee drunkenly swerving around the grass on the side of the road. He was covered head to...stinger (?) in pollen. I thought to myself, "What a great example! I will be that bumblebee this summer--covered in joyous, glorious pollen-- drunk off of life." I think we could all take a cue from the bumblebee and totally immerse ourselves in something, whether it be food or travel or love...roll in it. Cover yourself. I dare you.

Peace and love

You Oughta Know

2009-04-20T09:40:00.006-05:00

No, I'm not in angry Alanis mode, but I figured it was time I told you where the heck I'm going this fall. You oughta know. I'm pleased to announce that I will become a Virginian in a few short months. Matt matched at North Carolina and I ended up keeping my spot at EVMS. It was tough, though. I liked Seattle and was not a little surprised/shocked that Matt matched at UNC considering he ranked so many Seattle programs. But that’s apparently not how the match works. It’s kind of scary, leaving a computerized system to decide your fate. Luckily it worked out for the best.

The great roommate search has actually been completed. I found some lovely people on the school’s website who were looking for a roommate. It was rather effortless. Now I’m figuring out what to hang onto and what to sell. It’s a weird feeling. I’ve spent the greater part of the past five years on my own, building a little household. Now I’m disassembling my life again to take off to another state. I sometimes wonder if I will ever be a permanently settled person, or if my nomadic tendencies will persist for the rest of my life. I’m already considering pursuing a year or two of art therapy experience in Scotland or Britain. How cool would that be?

In the meantime, back in the States, Matt, Melissa and I took a mini-holiday up to Spencer for Easter. It was a lovely weekend. We went up to the Lakes for tacos at the Taco House and rock skipping at Gull Point. Then we looped around to Lost Island for more sandy beach time. While we were there, we saw this fabulous turtle. Then it was back home for a nice dinner and singing with Mom and Dad. I am so incredibly lucky to have such wonderful friends.

Work is going well. We’ve been very busy with lots of new kiddos which always makes the boss man happy. I much prefer to be this busy rather than slow like last fall. My class is going well, too, although I must admit I have a slight case of senioritis (can you have senioritis with one independent study class?) and am not devoting myself 100% to this particular course. But as long as I get a decent grade, I’ll be happy. Independent study has never been my forte. I need interaction and feedback from classmates and instructors.

Well, there’s a little update on my world. I’ve had a very nice spring and look forward to May and June before I move. I need to make a list of all the “Iowa City” things I should do before I leave. I know Riverfest and Jazz Fest will be on there…as well as the farmer’s market…definitely Atlas and Hamburg at least a couple of times…let me know if you have any suggestions!

Peace and Love

Drive, Drive, Drive

2009-03-05T14:52:00.003-06:00

I have returned from my travels, and to my surprise have found that it is now spring in Iowa. When I left, it was 10 degrees and cloudy. This morning, it was 55 and sunny. Go figure. So I guess I should tell you about my interviews. All right. If you insist!

Chicago was a blur. My GPS and I disagreed on several occasions as to which exit I should take and which direction I should go. Disagreeing with your GPS in downtown Chicago is not something I would recommend you do. I finally managed to find Adler and parked in a hotel ramp next door. My interview was brief and scattered. I don't know if it was a result of my frustrating drive, but I did not want to be in that office building. Plus...who wants to go to school in an office building? It was definitely not for me.

After the interview, my situation changed for the better. I went to a sandwich shop a few blocks away called Pastorale. It. Was. Delicious. I had this amazing turkey sandwich with mango chutney, field greens, spicy mustard and frommager cheese. (I think I spelled that right...) That sandwich was by far the best part of my day in Chicago. Hands down.

My flight left around 6:30 from Midway and I got to spend some quality time with my pysch book in the waiting area and on the plane. My friends Ben and Kelly had graciously agreed to let me stay with them in Seattle and Kelly was kind enough to come to the airport to get me. Ben is actually in Ecuador right now, so I didn't get to see him. (Shucks) I did however get to use his Jeep to get myself around town. The GPS and I got along well in Seattle, which I took as a good omen. I also learned of this wonder called Costco...yet another reason to move away from Iowa City.

My meeting with Antioch was also brief, but so much more rewarding. I met with two fabulous ladies who gave me a lot of info about the program and asked insightful and stimulation questions. I got a short tour of the studio and offices and was back on the road. I left Antioch feeling good. I feel that interview went well.

My drive to Oregon was neither brief nor very rewarding. The countryside was quite beautiful. What struck me most about the Pacific Northwest was the smell. I could smell the trees and vegetation and damp earth. It was not an unpleasant smell. Just one I'm not quite used to. Anyways, Marylhurst was tucked back in a wooded area off the highway. I could tell just from driving through Lake Oswego that it was kind of a ritzier area. I met with two more ladies who were very nice. I did feel a bit as though I was in a counseling session...as the patient. At the end of the interview I was asked to draw my experience of the interview that day...By that point I was running mostly on fumes and honestly couldn't even tell you what I drew!

After the hour and twenty minutes of interviewing in Oregon, I turned back onto I-5 and drove the 3 and a half hours back to Seattle. Needless to say I was rather tired when I got back. Yesterday morning, Kelly and I went and saw some of the sights of Seattle. She took me down to the Locks and we watched a tugboat slowly enter the lock. It was taking a long time and was somewhat boring, so we left. Kelly then drove me around Ballard, a neat area of Seattle where I might think about living if I end up at Antioch. (no decisions or promises made yet!) We drove by the Puget Sound and Lake Washington. We went and walked around a beach. It was a little breezy and chilly, but not raining. I like Seattle weather.

After the sights, Kelly dropped me off at the airport and I flew back in to Chicago. After my four hour flight, I got in my car and drove back to Iowa City.

So, to sum up--drive, drive, drive...interview...yummy sandwich, drive, fly, fly, fly...sleep...drive, interview, drive, drive, drive, interview, drive, drive, drive...sleep...drive, see sights, fly, fly, fly...gas break!...drive, drive, drive...home.

Peace and Love

Quick and Dirty Update

2009-02-24T15:52:00.003-06:00

I got an interview in Seattle (yay!) while I'm in the Pacific Northwest for my interview in Portland (yay!). Sigh. Everything seems to be falling into place...finally.

Peace and Love.

Here's the Haps

2009-02-18T15:16:00.001-06:00

So here’s a quick hits list of what’s going on in Mo-world these days…

1. I accepted the position at EVMS in Virginia.
2. I’m still going to go interview in Portland and Chicago, just in case.
3. I haven’t heard from Seattle yet. Grr.
4. I’m teaching myself how to crochet. So far, so good. I haven’t lost a limb or an eye.
5. This season of Lost is awesome! (Although someone lost a limb there…)
6. I found a fabulous recipe for ginger cookies.
7. My boyfriend rocks!
8. I’m kicking butt at the gym.
9. The Wig and Pen is open again and I am a very happy girl.
10. I’m too busy for my own good!

Soon I’ll have more news, but for now I’m stuck in a bit of a holding pattern. That’s okay. God, Buddha, and/or Fate will help me figure this out soon enough…

Peace and Love

Virginia Bound?

2009-01-23T14:02:00.004-06:00

Here I am, sitting in a coffee house in Virginia, waiting for Matt to return from his UNC interview. So I thought I would kill some time and reflect upon our marvelous trip across the Eastern half of the USA. We journeyed to Champaign, IL to spend Monday evening with Matt's sister, Beth and her husband, Jordan. We went to a delightful Mexican restaurant and gorged ourselves on chips and salsa, taco salads, enchiladas and margaritas. It was splendid. We hit the road early on Tuesday and made the long haul over to the Baltimore area. Traffic wasn't too bad (considering the inauguration) and we made good time, rolling into Columbia, MD around 10:00 p.m. to stay at the home of Ginny's sister. We actually listened to the inaugural address on the radio, an AM station no less. The crackling integrity of the signal combined with the historic nature of the event gave the whole situation a sense of nostalgia. It will be fun to some day tell my children or grandchildren that I witness Obama's speech not on CNN or Facebook, but on a crummy AM radio station that cut out when we went under highway overpasses.

Wednesday was our leisure day. We took our time driving from Maryland down to Norfolk, stopping at Williamsburg and Jamestown to see the sights. (I think it's the off-season right now, though. Not much was going on...) We had an interesting time navigating the streets of Norfolk and encountered a ridiculous amount of construction. This area will be gorgeous when everything is said and done. Our hotel was right by the water and looked out over the city. We didn't spend much time sightseeing, though. We had dinner plans with residents from the program Matt is applying to. Dinner went pretty late, so we called it a night as soon as we got back.

The next day (Thursday), I dropped Matt off for his interview and proceeded to get completely and totally lost in Norfolk for a good 30 minutes. I'm slowly but surely acquainting myself with the unique layout of the town. It's mostly a grid, but streets seem to suddenly change names and directions without much indication. It's confusing for sure. I did manage to find the Chrysler Art Museum, named for the auto heir who donated his art collection to the institution back in the early 1900s. Luckily they are featuring a Norman Rockwell exhibit and I was in illustrator heaven for a good three hours. I was mildly obsessed with NR back in high school and to see his paintings in person was an unexpected treat. After Matt's interview, we relocated to the hotel room I had reserved and took some down time. Matt headed for North Carolina last night and I spent the evening watching HBO and eating fast food on my hotel bed. It was fantastic!

Today, I cabbed it to EVMS for my interview. I spent most of the morning talking to the program director and getting a feel for how this particular art therapy program is set up. I also met the other faculty and ate lunch with three of the four faculty members. I gave a short slide presentation my art work and answered a few somewhat interesting questions. I really liked everyone I met and am very interested in coming here. In general this whole city has been so warm and welcoming. I have no doubts that I would soon adjust and feel right at home. Near the school is a lovely little area of shops and homes known as Ghent. I've wandered around a bit and looked in some of the stores. It reminds me a little of Iowa City.

So apparently I'm an ideal candidate for art therapy. That's encouraging. I have a few interviews yet to complete, but I'm feeling more confident by the minute about this career choice. I just hope that it all works out for the best. Matt should be here in three hours or so. I guess I'll dig into one of my books until then...

Peace and love

Alphabetic ipod copycat

2009-01-15T23:11:00.004-06:00

My friend Amy recently posted a list of her top-played ipod tunes A through Z...I'm blatantly copying her marvelous idea and listing my faves...what's on your ipod??

A. Across the Universe – Rufus Wainwright
B. Between the Bars – Madeline Peyroux OR Elliott Smith (tied)
C. Canned Heat – Jamiroquai
D. Dancing in the Moonlight – King Harvest
E. Eleanor Rigby – Beatles
F. Fortunate Fool – Jack Johnson
G. Goodbye Stranger – Supertramp
H. Hook – Blues Traveler; Higher Ground – Stevie Wonder OR Red Hot Chilli Peppers (three-way tie)
I. I Will Survive – Cake
J. Jigsaw Falling into Place – Radiohead
K. Kodachrome – Paul Simon
L. Lovestoned – Justin Timberlake
M. My Funny Valentine – Elvis Costello
N. Needle in the Hay – Elliott Smith
O. One – U2
P. Paperweight – Joshua Radin
Q. Que Sera Sera – Doris Day (I hate to admit I even have that on my ipod…)
R. Raindrops Keep Fallin on My Head – Ben Folds
S. Sea of Love – Cat Power
T. Toxic – Yael Naim
U. Under Pressure – David Bowie/Queen
V. Videotape – Radiohead
W. Wise Up – Aimee Mann
X. Xplosion – Outkast
Y. Yeah – Usher
Z. Zak and Sara – Ben Folds Five

Fall Recap 2008

2008-12-11T14:49:00.009-06:00

These blog entries seemed to have become a seasonal occurrence, rather than a weekly one as I originally intended. There’s so much I want to write about, but I afraid of boring you with long-winded blogging. Here is a short rundown of everything that’s happened since I wrote my last update in September:

1) CI Picnic
The cochlear implant picnic was a huge success. The day was 80 degrees and insanely windy (Melissa and Matt actually saw a child blow over from the wind), but everyone had a great time. The drumline was adorable and the balloon artist was a hit with both young and old. I was very pleased and have adamantly vowed never to plan anything that big ever again.

2) Yoga
So, apparently I’m a fantastic teacher. Who knew? All these years I’ve resisted teaching anything and now that I’m teaching yoga, I find that not only am I good at it, I actually enjoy it. Evidently I’m so good that I was offered a regular teaching gig once a week back in October. This week, the gym contacted me to see if I’ll teach another class on a regular basis. Maybe I’ll drop this grad school thing and open my own yoga/painting studio! (not really)

3) Classes
I am so close to being done. I took one final before Thanksgiving and will take the other one next week. Thankfully I’m only taking abnormal psych next semester, so school should calm down. I’ve been very overwhelmed this fall.

3) Grad School
I’ve submitted two applications and will finish the other three soon. I’ll be traveling to Virginia in January and will hopefully get to visit at EVMS. Man…just applying is expensive, though. Of course I chose to do it in the middle of a major economic slump…silly Molly!

4) Holidays
Halloween was a blast! Matt dressed up as Brenton and scared/entertained us all with his dead-on impersonation. I was Marilyn Monroe…a rather boring costume, if you ask me. But I didn’t have much time or money to come up with anything too creative.

Thanksgiving ended up being at Paul and Rachel’s this year. The day was incredibly low-key. Nick and John and I played soccer and Frisbee outside while the moms cleaned up. That night Paul and I went to our traditional Thanksgiving movie – this year was Quantum of Solace…Daniel Craig…sigh.

Christmas will be at the ‘rents house this year since it’s Bob’s 70th birthday. I have nifty gifties planned for everyone. You should see my apartment…Twinkle lights abound, icicles dangle from my eaves and the stockings are hung with oh such care over the fireplace. Bing Crosby, Charles Dickens and Santa himself would be proud.

5) The Boy
Matt and I have finally met (most of) each other’s families. The meetings went well. He’s off now to Colorado and Seattle and Atlanta for interviews. I won’t see him until the middle of January. But then we hit the road to Virginia…and we all know my love of road trips…Plus we’ll be in Baltimore on inauguration day. It will be CRAZY!

6) Miss Meliss & Mo
We had our annual Christmas Bonanza, attending the holiday thieves’ market and the local performance of The Nutcracker with lots of yummy food and wine mixed into the day and evening. Who could ask for a better friend? Plus I finally met her beau, Andy, and I’m pleased to report that he is worthy of her attentions.

7) Work
Work is stressful. There’s a lot going on right now that I wish we didn’t have to deal with. But I’ll just try to go with the flow and not get too discouraged. All I can say is that I love the women I work with…they are so awesome!

Well, there you have it – the Cliff’s Notes version of Fall 2008. I promise to try and do better in the upcoming months.

Peace and Love

Absolute Pride

2008-11-05T14:03:00.005-06:00

Regardless of your party or preferred candidate, you cannot deny that last night was history in the making. Way to go, America! I am so proud of you! Now let's get to work rebuilding our nation!

Obsessions

2008-10-27T14:54:00.002-06:00

I have developed quite an obsession for the television program Mad Men. I've been working my way through season 1, courtesy of Netflix, and I can't get enough of it. Seriously, if you like smart, provocative, cinematic television, this is the show for you. And apparently it's in danger of not being renewed for another season.

Another show that could use more viewers is my beloved 30 Rock. Hopefully Tina Fey's stint as Sarah Palin will draw viewers. But I would hate to see two fantastic shows canceled only to be replaced with a reality show in which people eat bugs and marry each other for money (thanks Ellen DeGeneres!).

So if you value the future of televison, please watch these two shows. And check out Don Draper's guide to picking up women. It's absolutely hilarious!

Beautiful Beginning

2008-10-03T21:54:00.004-05:00

We traveled to Seattle for Ben and Kelly's wedding last weekend. It was absolutely breathtaking.

Peace and Love

Fall Happenings

2008-09-19T15:18:00.005-05:00

Can you feel it? Can you smell it? Fall is here! The leaves outside my bedroom window are turning a beautiful, firey red. The nights are cool but the days still warm. I can hear West High School’s drumline rat-a-tat-tatting in the mornings and the announcer of the football games on Friday nights. And I love it! What would it be like to live in a location where there are no seasons? I don’t think I would like that…not at all.

The fall is building into a time of frantic activity. On Labor Day, I journeyed to Dubuque for my friend’s wedding. It was so much fun! I didn’t know anyone except the bride. I befriended the other bridesmaids almost immediately and we had a marvelous time. The groomsmen left something to be desired as far as looks…intelligence…and general sociability, so we definitely weren’t missing out there. I have included a photo of the three of them…

Classes are going well. I really enjoy being back in a classroom again. The discussions are engaging and the material is really interesting. I wish I could take Social Psych in the classroom as well. But the book is a very easy read and the guided independent study is incredibly well-structured.

I’ve been to a couple of football games this fall. Tailgating with the old HMB crowd has been so wonderful. It’s nice to see them again. Those friendships have shaped so much of who I am as an adult. They taught me how to drink and how to cut loose. They taught me how to march and how to be a fan. Most importantly, they taught me how to be a friend.

As full as the fall has been, it’s missing one thing – Matt! He’s been in Sioux City for four weeks on a family practice sub-internship. He’ll be back today, but then heads out with the rest of the boys for their road trip to Seattle. Ah well, I’ll meet them out in Seattle in a week. That wedding is going to be so much fun!

The CI picnic is really starting to pull together. We have a drumline and a magician…I’m still wrangling someone to do tours of the press box, though. I think the best part of this whole event is that it’s at Kinnick. It’s enough for me, anyways. I can’t believe how many people have RSVP’d. I like event planning but would never, ever choose it as a career path. No way, no how. There’s too much stress attached to these things.

That's all I have to report for now. I can't wait to jump in a pile of leaves!

Happy Fall!

Watch Out

2008-08-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

I must warn you, dear reader, that I am in the foulest of moods today. What brought on this lovely emotional cocktail of melancholy mixed with a splash of anxiety? No idea. Perhaps it’s because today is a rainy Thursday, the weekend is within sight but not quite a reality, and I’m jonesin’ for the weekend like you wouldn’t believe. Perhaps it’s because I plodded through that electronic ogre of an exam known as the GRE yesterday and am still not exactly sure what my score means. Maybe I’m pissed off because I’m tired of being treated like a second-class citizen of the sidewalks on Melrose Avenue. Four different bikers whizzed by me on my way in to work this morning. (It’s called a sideWALK, folks, not a sideBIKE.) Or maybe I’m just mad because the Java House was out of my favorite muffins.

I think there’s more to this than meets the eye.

Over the past few months, I’ve become increasingly anxious. At first I thought I felt trapped—in my job, in Iowa City in general. So I did a lot of soul searching and a lot of thinking and I decided on a career path, a time line, and an exit strategy. And I’ve pursued them which does make me happy. I’ve met a wonderful man who I care about, very much, who makes me very happy as well. So what’s my problem? With so many things going right in my life, why do I still feel somehow…wrong? I’m not exactly sure, but I’ve been finding myself longing for those days after the initial recovery of my breakup two years ago. Those days when I discovered that I was going to be okay because I had ME. I was no longer lonely but rather content just to be alone.

I think I miss myself.
Is that possible?

Give and Take

2008-08-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, I was driving home to mourn the loss of someone who was very special…early this morning I welcomed the arrival of someone else who is very special – Neala Kathleen Driscoll was born at 12:04 a.m. to proud parents Ginny and Matt. Ginny is one of my closest friends and I couldn’t be more proud of her new induction into the Motherhood. Way to procreate, Gin! You sure make purty babies.

All this creation and cessation of life has me reflecting. It’s going by fast, this business of living. I know I have years ahead of me, but I’m starting to consider with a bit more care exactly how I want to spend those years. Those of you who know me know I’m a big fan of making checklists; it’s one of my many hobbies. I think we should all make a checklist for life. But revisit it frequently—crossing items out, making changes and addendums, adding stars or hearts when necessary, crumpling the list up, throwing it in the trash can…and then pulling the list back out of the trash and flattening it with your palm...this is a good process. I like my checklists to be a little rumpled. A little messy.

Speaking of messes, I’ve begun the process of unpacking my apartment. I was doing an excellent job earlier this week, but my unpacking craze dropped off midweek and now I just have piles of random crap that I’m not sure where to store. I also have a ridiculous amount of boxes. Does anyone need boxes? If you need to move or possibly build a fort, please come get boxes from me. I think the place will eventually look good. Right now it’s a bit of a war zone, but I’m sure it’ll come along.

Part of my unwillingness to pack stems from the fact that Matt and I are avidly watching the John Adams miniseries on DVD. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney are phenomenal as John and Abigail. I’ve read the Adams’ letters to each other and I think this series does a beautiful job of capturing their relationship in all of its ups and downs. Abigail was a powerful influence in John’s political career and a magnificently intelligent and articulate woman. She really did shape our nation in many ways. What if she had been a shrew who refused to allow her husband to go gallivanting off to Philadelphia for some silly Continental Congress? Things would be very different. I love history. I love women in history.

Peace and love

Big Mike

2008-08-05T08:05:00.004-05:00

The move was a success. Sort of. I packed everything, I moved everything, but the excitement was cut when we received the heartbreaking news that my Uncle Mike passed away unexpectedly last week. The funeral was Saturday.

Uncle Mike was my mom’s older brother. God, he was such a character. He was a big, tall man with a big, bushy beard. His voice was booming yet gravelly and when he chuckled you could do nothing but laugh along with him. He had such a dry sense of humor. Mike had multiple nicknames for everyone and he applied them liberally. Mine was “Moley”. My brother still calls me that, actually. Mike was truly the patriarch of the Patrick family. If you needed help, you could always count on him to step in and lend a hand, or his truck, or simply his advice. He worked hard and played hard and pushed himself to the limit. I think he was so busy taking care of everyone else that he often forgot to take care of himself. That was the nature of Big Mike. I will miss him. Very much. I love you, Big Mike.

Peace and Love

"The Summer Wind..."

2008-07-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

“…came blowin’ in, from across the sea…”Oh my goodness! Where has the summer gone? I can’t believe we’re closing in on August. I’m moving in a week. One week from today, I will be the proud resident of a new apartment. Whoo hoo! It has two bedrooms, a giant bathroom, washer/dryer, dishwasher, fireplace, deck, and best of all – counter space!! No longer will I have to bake cookies in a tiny little oven and then stack them on top of one another. I will have more than one drawer in my kitchen. I won’t have to schlup laundry up and down stairs or to and from the Laundromat. I will have a place to put my dirty dishes! I am beyond excited!! My domestic-goddess-self is kicking in and making plans. Apparently I’m hosting Thanksgiving this year, so it’s a good thing I have a bigger place. I couldn’t imagine trying to cram a turkey into my current 10”x 10” x 11” oven…

It’s been quite a busy summer (if you hadn’t noticed by my lack of blognicity). Arizona was AMAZING. Hot, but still amazing. The Grand Canyon pretty much terrified me, but in a good way. Chicago was fantastic! I took in a Cubs game, wandered around the Art Institute, and spent some quality time with my friends. Oh and of course ate yummy food.
The floodwaters receded and left a huge mess of Iowa City. It’s sad to walk around my neighborhood. But I know we’ll rebound. We’re Iowans.

My psych class is going well. I’ll take my final exam on Friday. I’ve registered to take the GRE in a couple of weeks. The thing that kind of sucks is that two of the schools I’m applying to also require the MAT (Miller Analogy Test) which is 120 questions of analogies. It’s freakin’ hard! So I’ve been studying up for that, too. I think I’ll probably take that exam in September or October. Later in August I’ll start courses in developmental psych and social psych. That should be quite the challenge on top of the full time job and teaching yoga. I like challenges, though.

In September my friend Ben is getting married in Seattle. So the whole gang of us will fly out for the wedding. Ben’s parents have even rented a house for everyone to stay in while we’re there. I’m excited since Seattle is one of the places I’m looking at for grad school. It will be nice to at least visit the city. Not to mention seeing a great friend embark on one of the biggest adventures life has to offer!

Ugh, well sorry about the laundry list of life events. Hopefully some deep, meaningful entries are ahead. I’ve been watching a lot of movies and reading some good books, so inspiration should be just around the corner. I’m also still trying to get some stuff done in the studio, but admittedly, school, yoga and a certain handsome young med student are taking precedence right now…

Peace and Love

High and Dry

2008-06-17T12:35:00.002-05:00

Well, we've had a crisis on our hands for the past week or so -- my beloved Iowa City is flooded. Thousands of residents are without homes here and in Cedar Rapids. The Coralville Strip is completely submerged. The University of Iowa Arts Campus is underwater as well. It’s the most surreal experience of my young life. Wednesday night I was sandbagging on Rocky Shore Drive, the next morning the sandbags I’d so frantically filled were two feet underwater. It was such a helpless feeling…working so hard to try and protect someone’s life and dwelling only to have Mother Nature give you the finger and send three more inches of rain you way…you can’t help but wonder why this year had been so damn depressing or what more is in store.

Friday morning I pulled on my wellies and left for work, making my way to the hospital via my normal route behind the International Center. By this point, I was walking through a couple inches of river water that was erupting out of the drainage grates. As I walked, I noticed two huge semi trucks parked in front of the loading docks of the Art Museum. I stopped for a moment to watch as volunteers frantically hauled piece by piece out of the museum and tossed them haphazardly in the trailer of the semi. I also noticed the water gushing out of manholes onto Riverside Drive. A horrible feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. All day I sat in my office, nervously canceling patients, reading e-mail after e-mail calling for sandbaggers and volunteers, telling us that interstates were closing and businesses were submerged. I was torn between doing my duty as an employee of the hospital and as a citizen of this community. I stayed because no instructions were coming from our department administration. We had a going away party for two of our staff doctors…I ate three pieces of cake that afternoon because I didn’t know what else to do.

Then the calls started coming in…first from Miss Meliss, telling me that they’d been forced out of the art building when the levees broke, but had managed to save about 75% of the collection. She was leaving town to go to Ohio since her apartment is by the dog park and Idylwild, two areas which remain heavily flooded. She was at my apartment building with our friend Claire and the floodwaters were about a third of the way up my hill and climbing. She suggested I come home. Then my friend Matt called. He had been sent home from the hospital. He was done with his 3rd year of med school without an exam or a final week of classes. He’d been sandbagging on Park Road all afternoon. Panicked, I finished canceling patients and made my way home. It was just after I crossed the footbridge over Highway 6 that my first taste of reality hit – my route home from work was cut off. The sidewalk I’d navigated a few hours before was under water. A lot of water.

I made my way through a different neighborhood to get home. As I walked down River Street and descended the hill, I looked out into a murky sea of river water. All of Riverside Drive was submerged…the lawn of the new art building…the new art building itself…the poor museum. I went to Claire’s apartment, which is also in my building, and sat down and cried with Melissa and Claire. Being art historians, they cried for all they had left behind in that museum. Being a longtime resident of this neighborhood, I cried for my neighbors and friends who had lost their homes. A general feeling of helplessness settled over all of us as they packed up Claire’s car and headed out. I was staying put for the time being. My apartment was high enough on the hill that I would be okay as long as my utilities held up. The funny thing is that three months ago, as ice and snow pounded the Midwest, I cursed myself for living on a hill which was so icy and dangerous in the wintertime…now I’m grateful to live on higher ground. I’d never thought so much before about “the lay of the land” as I do now.

I spent most of the weekend alternating between checking the news and the weather forecast. Severe storms rolled in on Saturday which brought hail and strong winds and, of course, more rain. We lost power a couple of times, but only for a little while. I went out and took some photos of the flooding, but admittedly felt a little weird. I felt the same way after the tornado in 2006—taking photos of devastation make me somewhat uncomfortable. At least this way I know I could never be a photojournalist.

I can’t help but reflect on all of the events I’ve witnessed since I moved to Iowa City…three weeks into my freshman year, 9/11 happened. Then a couple of months later, I watched from my 7th floor study lounge as the Old Capitol dome went up in flames. Then the Old Capitol was rebuilt and reopened. In 2005, I witnessed the demolition and reconstruction of Kinnick Stadium. Then there was the construction of the new Art Building. I watched funnel clouds form over Hancher Auditorium in April of 2006, just moments before the tornados ripped through Iowa City. This winter I slipped and slid on ice and climbed through snow to get to work during one of the harshest, snowiest winters we’ve ever seen. A few weeks ago, I awoke in the early hours of the morning as my windows rattled from the aftershock of an earthquake that occurred in Illinois.

And now the floods.

There’s a lot of work to be done as the waters recede. The river crested yesterday and as long as we stay dry for the next few weeks, we should be able to recover. Keep sending your thoughts and prayers to those who have lost so much.

Here are some links to news coverage and helpful sites:
http://uiflood.blogspot.com/
http://www.gazetteonline.com/
http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8449204
http://www.johnson-county.com/emergencymgmt/index.shtml
Road closings in Iowa http://www.511ia.org/
Flood info for Iowa City http://www.icgov.org/
Flood info for Coralville http://www.coralville.org/

Peace and Love

Catchin' Up

2008-06-03T12:53:00.002-05:00

This is shameful! I am seriously overdue for a blog entry. I don’t even know where to begin, it’s been so very long since I last wrote to you all.

I am overwhelmed with the course my life is taking. Overwhelmed in a good way, though. My weekend at home was splendid. Mom and I went over grad school info and agreed that it would be helpful to know a little more about the towns/cities these schools are located in. I’ve narrowed it down to five choices:
1) Marylhurst University, Portland, OR
2) Marywood University, Springfield, MA
3) Eastern Virginia Medical School, Hampton Roads, VA
4) Adler School of Professional Psychology, Chicago, IL
5) The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

I’ve been to the Art Institute for a visit before, so I know what to expect. When I’m in Chicago in June, I plan to meet with a counselor from Adler to get a better feel for their program. I’m leaning very heavily towards Portland. I want to make a visit there because from what I understand it’s just a fabulous city, somewhat like Iowa City only on a much larger scale. The program seems pretty clear cut and manageable. Plus it will be close to some of my friends who hope to do residency in Seattle…BONUS! Although, my friend Matt suspects the program isn’t actually IN Portland…(those of you who watch Lost will totally get that.)

Mom was wonderful. We had some great conversations and (of course) she fed me all sorts of deliciousness including my traditional birthday angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Alas, the weekend was much too short. I’ll have to go back again soon.

I had marvelously low-key birthday celebrations. On the night before my birthday, Miss Meliss and I ordered some pizza and uncorked a couple bottles of wine and laid out in the sunshine. We were very silly and I didn’t end up making it home until midnight – just in time to celebrate the start of my birthday. My friends, Rachel and Ginny, joined me at Three Samurai for some Japanese Thursday evening. They even brought some of their family along. I was unsuccessful at cracking the egg on the spatula, but I did manage to catch broccoli in my mouth. Yay me! The night after my birthday, I joined the ladies and gents of the AuD program for a bar crawl. Shots of whiskey and pints of Guinness were involved and I was hurtin’ on Saturday. Luckily I got to dogsit over the weekend for Hansel and Gretel, two giant, beautiful weimeraners who love to go for walks and lay around the house. We got along very well, although Hansel managed to get into my laundry basket and eat a pair of my underwear. That’s okay I didn’t really like that pair, anyways.

In only a couple of weeks, I’ll be packing my bags for Arizona. Another big even to look forward to. This will mark the first big trip with my wonderful sweet med school friends. I’m excited to see the Grand Canyon and Phoenix. I’m excited to go to a Cubs game! I’ll be sure to eat a lot of hot dogs…

I’m working through my psychology class right now. I’ve had my first quiz and turned in my first assignment. I can’t believe how excited I’ve been to study and do homework. My friends in grad school have reassured me that the novelty will wear off quickly. They’re probably right, but for now I’m finding it fun to be back in class.

This spring has been so cool that I have yet to turn on my air conditioner. Thank goodness for that! Those 90 degree days with 80% humidity are just around the corner, though. Luckily, come August, I’ll be livin’ in central air. To Quote Dogma -- “No pleasure, no rapture, no exquisite sin greater than central air…”

Peace and Love

Snowballs...Big Ones

2008-04-24T16:31:00.001-05:00

My last blog expressed frustration over events that have happened in the work place. Suffice it to say, these events and encounters continue and now seem to be having a snowball effect. I’m afraid this particular snowball is too big to be able to address fully via blog, but hopefully resolution will come soon. If not, I shall seek employment elsewhere. I refuse to continue to give power to a foolish, spineless bully. I understand that we’re all tested at certain points in our lives, but I’ve endured this test before and know that I would endure

On a more positive note, I registered for my summer class (Elementary Psych) and will start the path to my new career on May 19. I can’t believe how eager I am to learn something new. It feels like it’s been ages since I bought a textbook and actively challenged my mind. It’s nice to take control of the future again…I didn’t realized how trapped I felt until I made this decision.

I plan to make the trip home to Spencer to visit my mom for Mother’s Day. Mom seems to be a little hesitant about my plans for the future, so hopefully we can bond and discuss and come to some kind of agreement. She’s been such a huge part of my decision-making for so long, that I really do want to include her and hopefully help her understand that this isn’t a flash in the pan…for realsies. It's also a snowball...just a positive one instead!

This summer I’ll be traveling to Arizona with some friends on vacation. We have some fun things planned, like a day trip to the Grand Canyon, maybe a stop at Slide Rock, definitely a stop in Sedona, and we’re staying in a beautiful house in Scottsdale. Right now it seems so far away, but really it’s not. I’ve booked my flights, so it’s beginning to feel somewhat real. I’ll also spend some time in Chicago afterwards, cruising the Art Institute and hopefully taking in a Cubs game. Then it’s back to the grind for a few weeks before I move. But I’ll save those moving details for a later blog…

Peace and Love

Frustration Nation

2008-04-03T11:04:00.001-06:00

Events transpired today that only strengthen my resolve to leave this department. I thought I was done being treated like a second-class citizen, but it seems to be happening again. I used to be passionate about this research program. I used to be passionate about my job. I don’t know what to do. I’m excited to go back to school, but that can’t happen for at least a year while I get all of my prerequisites out of the way. I guess I just have to reach deep down and find some more patience. I’ve always tried to look at this particular situation at work as a trial by fire. I guess today I’m just feeling a little extra-crispy…

Project Peepway

2008-04-01T12:28:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist...For all my "peeps" who love Project Runway...

Nothing But Blue Skies...

2008-03-31T09:59:00.007-06:00

I’m super excited! One of my favorite artists, Kenton Nelson, has a brand new collection of paintings. Check them out here on his website. Kenton Nelson is amazing. You might have seen some of his work featured in Diane Keaton’s beach house in Something’s Gotta Give. I love the eerie perfection of the world he creates. His environments are so vivid and attractive and seem so real, but if you look closely…they’re not real at all. Each and every human subject in his painting is perfectly proportioned to the point of being completely improbable. He flirts with graphic elements, but doesn’t ever quite cross over into total illustrative realms. Plus his use of color is so perfect. I love it!

Very exciting things are on my horizon. This summer I will be taking a psychology intro course to see if I jive with the world of psych. I plan to take two more courses next fall semester and finish up in the spring with one more. “Miss Molly,” you might ask, “Why are you taking all of these classes? Are you becoming a psychologist?” Well, my friends, in some ways I am. I have decided to go back to school for art therapy. In order to apply, I need 12 semester hours of psych work and 18 semester hours of studio coursework. I covered the studio hours in undergrad, but never managed to take a course in psychology. (I was too busy marching around a football field with a horn jammed in my face.) It’s time I spread my wings a little and get out of Iowa. I’m not sure yet where I’ll end up for grad school (Washington? Florida? Michigan? Illinois? Massachusetts?) but the very idea of all those possibilities pleases me to no end.

In the meantime, life is keeping me busy here in good ol’ Iowa City. I’m finally getting my studio set up the way I want. All that’s left is an easel, which I might purchase with some of that delightful tax rebate money that’s coming my way. I figure it’s a wise investment to put money into something that ends up making me money. Speaking of money…I finally got my car back from the shop. What an ordeal that turned out to be! Let’s just say that I feel very badly for some employees at Vic’s Auto Body who probably got their butts chewed for failing to move fast enough on my vehicle. I ended up taking it to Hansen Automotive where it was fixed quickly and relatively painlessly. The nasty part about this repair was that it ended up costing me money even though the accident was in no way my fault. Unfortunately my tire and steering shaft had depreciated, so I dropped about $200 in new parts and repairs. Oh well. Now I have a new steering shaft and front-end suspension. And I get to buy 3 more tires to match my new one. This is going to be a very expensive spring…I better start selling some paintings!

Last weekend, Melissa and I went to Des Moines to celebrate Nick’s birthday and Easter with the fam. It was a lovely weekend. We got into town on Friday night and hung out with a friend of mine who was doing a medical rotation in town. We went out for yummy Mexican food on the South Side followed by $1.00 Jello shots at our hotel bar. Saturday was spent running errands and preparing gifts. We meandered over to Paul and Rachel’s that evening and helped Nick celebrate his fifth year in style. It was a low-key celebration this year—we ordered pizza and Nick had a reasonable amount of gifts. The next morning we went to Easter mass and came back to Paul and Rachel’s house for chicken cordon bleu and carrot cake. It was delish. My family naturally loved Melissa and welcomed her as one of their own. A great time was had by all!

I’m looking forward to spring this year, probably more than in previous years. If only it would hurry up and get here! I’m ready to bust out my skirts and cute shoes! I'm ready for sunshine and blue sky...I'm tired of the gray and the rain...

Peace and love

The Laundry List

2008-03-14T13:54:00.004-06:00

I have been quite the negligent blogger, I apologize. My life is headed in several new and exciting directions, but sadly it doesn’t allow for much downtime. I can’t remember the last time I spent an evening on my couch, zoning out in front of the TV. (Oh how I love to zone…) Between work, yoga, the studio and social engagements, I allow myself very little time to pause and reflect. But isn’t that how life goes? It’s a constant struggle to balance activity and rest, physical and mental health, sanity and insanity…when you’re busy you wish you didn’t have to do anything, when you don’t have anything to do, you wish you were busy. It’s a catch-22…

Well, I guess I’ll start with work. We hired a new student clerk this month who is turning out to be a most excellent choice. She learns quickly and asks great questions and is just pleasant to be around in general. We had some difficulty in the past with that student position, so I’m glad this is someone who seems to weave nicely into the fabric of our office. As far as the peds’ team goes, our studies are clicking along. Last year we were flooded with new evals and new patients. This year it’s just a slight trickle. I’m sure it’s just the ebb and flow of research, but hopefully now that the weather is improving, things will pick up a bit. The boss man is always happier when we keep enrolling new subjects, that’s for sure.

On the yoga front, I’m lined up to start teaching again in April. I’ll be teaching a four-week course at the Field House. I think it’s pretty much open to anyone who wants to drop in, so if you’re available from 5:30 to 6:30 on Wednesday evenings, feel free to join me! I’m still working on figuring out a permanent teaching position at a club or gym. My friend Maura told me it can be pretty brutal. If you don’t start class on time or don’t do students’ favorite poses, they can really get on your case. But…I guess I’ll just have to toughen my skin and be ready for criticism. That’s just a part of leading anything--whether it’s a yoga class or the free world (I would assume…I guess I really don’t have first-hand experience being the leader of the free world…yet.)

Interestingly enough, one of the guys in my yoga class is working with a grant for group health and wellness. So at last night’s class, he took photos of us doing certain poses. These photos are apparently going to be displayed somewhere on the first floor of the hospital to promote health and wellness during the first week of April. I have no idea where on first floor, so if you happen to see it…let me know! Or maybe don’t let me know, if the pictures are bad…Last night also included the introduction of a new form of torture—the turbo dog push up. If you’re curious as to what a turbo dog push up entails, let me know that as well.

The studio is rockin’…literally. I’ve been listening to a lot of Radiohead while I paint. I have been mixing that in with the soundtrack from the movie Once (which I’m slightly obsessed with) to create a very powerful and emotional environment in the studio. There’s a lot of wailing coming out of my stereo, that’s for sure. This weekend I hope to go to Lowes and get some cinder blocks and planks to build a table for my x-ray light. It is currently lying on the cold cement floor of the studio, so when I use it, I have to sit cross-legged, hunched over the light…my back hurts just writing about it. I’m still plugging away at Maura’s chair painting and Maggie’s flower girl painting. Oil takes so long to dry. Hopefully those will be done within the next few weeks. Dr. Gantz’s secretary asked me to design a tattoo for her daughter, too, so I’ll also be working on that as well over the next few days. Still to come is a portrait of my friend and his son, a big ol’ painting for Ginny and Matt, and something just for me. I do happen to have a nice little canvas that Ginny got me for Christmas to do whatever I want with. I secretly want to start building a body of work so I can maybe think about entering an art fair or two. It’s too late to get in on Iowa City’s art fair this summer, but maybe by next year I will have enough pieces completed to get a booth started. But that’s a huge commitment I’m not sure I’m ready for yet.

Probably the busiest aspect of my life right now is my social life. Tuesday night, Melissa and I went to see the American Ballet Theater's performance of Giselle at Hancher. That was a gorgeous production. I’ve never seen Giselle before, but it was exactly as I imagined it to be. The ballerinas were all cookie-cutter body types. The men (I’ll call them ballerinos) were so muscular and powerful. Clearly this troupe has been trained in the traditional Russian style. Act II was by far my favorite part—the set was minimal but still created the environment of the afterlife. The lighting was eerie yet beautiful and the girl dancing the lead role looked light as air. It was all so ethereal. The lead ballerino (hee hee!) had the highest leaps I’ve ever seen.

Last weekend I went to the Oto party and had a lovely time. I did not imbibe too much, get hit on by residents, or lose my phone this year. I’m a lady now. A classy lady, thank you very much. Thankfully I don’t have any plans this weekend that will take me out of town (I so couldn’t afford the gas.) I’m still driving the rental car and waiting for the Silver Fox to come back from the shop. I can’t believe that accident was two weeks ago. I can’t believe it’s taking this long to get everything taken care of. Hopefully this will all be resolved soon, although I must say I like the Nissan. My next vehicle might just be one of those bad boys.

My Netflix pics for this week are: 3:10 to Yuma, Dan in Real Life and Better Off Dead.

Well that’s all for now. Sorry this has been somewhat of a laundry list of life events. I swear I’ll get a fun, quirky entry up one of these days…

Peace and Love

Rrrrrrrrr--Crash!!!!!

2008-02-28T22:29:00.002-06:00

Oh, I'm one sad, sad Mo. On my way home from the grocery store tonight, my sweet, sweet car, aka -- The Silver Fox, was hit by a PT Cruiser. My front left rim and tire are completely smooshed. Not only that, but I was planning a very special and exciting trip to Des Moines this weekend to see someone very special and exciting. So now I have to file a police report (the cops couldn't make it to us b/c of all the other accidents in the snow tonight) and get my car towed and try to get it fixed tomorrow. I had a gut feeling something bad was going to happen today. I woke up and just had a feeling. Oh well. This will all work itself out somehow. Still...it kinda sucks.

Peace and Love (and safe driving!)

Domesticatin'

2008-02-25T16:19:00.005-06:00

As most of you know, there has been a plethora of new babies in the department of Oto with the main concentration centered in audiology. Our resident wizard of fabric, Mary Lowder, creates gorgeous quilts and diaper bags for each giddy new mother. Seeing as I'm not a giddy new mother and have no plans whatsoever of being one anytime soon, I have been giving Mary crap recently about the fact that I don't want to have to push another human being out of my vajayjay in order to appreciate her handiwork. So she instructed me to go to the fabric store, pick out a pattern and fabric, and voila!--Mary created this beautiful apron for me. Now I can cook and bake in style. And not have to reproduce in the process.

This weekend was indeed very low-key as planned. We went to Jimmy Jack's for some barbeque and then moseyed over to Sycamore 12 to see "Be Kind, Rewind." Now we're all inspired to recreate our favorite episodes of "Lost." The camcorders are ready, folks.

Tomorrow night is Latin Jazz night at the Mill. I have plans with the gals to go catch some of that. On Wednesday, I'll mosey on up to David's Bridal in Cedar Rapids to try on bridesmaids dresses for sweet Amy's upcoming wedding. Hopefully I'll find one that fits! Then there's the completion of the final week of Yogapalooza. I plan to be a baking fool on Thursday night. All in all, a busy but pleasant week lies ahead. And a most glorious weekend is planned already! I'll fill y'all in later, gators.

Peace and Love

Catchin' Up

2008-02-18T16:11:00.004-06:00

Where to begin? The past couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind of friends and fun activities, I can’t even remember everything that’s happened…okay maybe I can.
So I thought I would hate teaching yoga, but I actually love it! I’m sure it has something to do with my constant need for attention and my over-sized ego. In all seriousness though I truly love practicing and sharing yoga with others. My personal favorite part of practice (teaching or learning) is the relaxation or chavasana portion at the end. It’s such a great reward for your body after all the hard work it’s done. I have one more week of teaching left. I haven’t had much luck lining up a job at Core, but all of my sweet ladies at the hospital have vowed to go wherever I teach. I have yoga groupies!

I’m not exactly sure what Iowa City has done to piss off the weather gods, but it must have been pretty serious. I cannot believe the winter we’ve had. I swear there’s an ice storm or a blizzard every other day. We just can’t catch a break. Needless to say, all this frozen precipitation has made it perilous and pretty much impossible to travel to the painting studio. Coralville literally ran out of sand and salt. Ugh! I have so many projects lined up that I can’t start, which is frustrating to say the least. As soon as we get a good thaw, I’ll definitely be holing myself up in that basement. Unless it’s flooded. (I’m soooo kidding, Ginny.) Stupid weather.

I'm itching to get back in the studio because of all these projects. I have some really fun ones lined up. I have a couple of portraits of co-workers' kids to do. Miss Meliss has commissioned a series of quirky camel paintings that will be adorable. Another of my co-workers has commissioned a painting of a chair to hang over her toilet. Ha! It's going to be so cool! And the wonderful Ginny picked out her canvas and will begin piecing together her collage items for her painting for her home. I still have a request up from another co-worker for a painting of Danforth Chapel on campus (it's where she got married). And this summer I'll start a project of a large painting of my friend Mary's house. Plus there' s the illustrations to finish for Dr. Gantz. Oh how I wish this ice would melt! And you know once it melts I'm going to want to be outdoors and not cooped up in a basement. Catch 22, I guess.

But I've still managed to keep myself busy, despite the weather...

This past weekend I went to prom. That’s right. Prom. The med school prom to be exact. I cannot believe how much fun we had! Even sweet Miss Meliss came along! My prom date wore a tuxedo (and looked ever so handsome!) This is how we danced at the prom, by the way. How very junior high of us...

Needless to say, I’m very much enjoying the company of my new friends. This evening we're going out for BBQ at Jimmy Jack's and hopefully going to a movie. I'm planning to lay low on Saturday and Sunday and catch up on laundry and reading. I also need to get cookin' on my Netflix again. I have lots of flicks lined up in my queue that I want to get through so I can add more. A movie-viewer's work is never done.

I'll try to be better about updating my info. St. Patty's day is coming up as well as Nick's birthday and Easter. Lots of great things are developing, so stay tuned!

Peace and Love

Butterflies and Buttercream

2008-02-04T10:09:00.000-06:00

I have butterflies in my stomach. I start teaching yoga on Wednesday. As with anything new and different, I am experiencing a level of nervousness. But I’m also excited. Nervously excited. Excitedly nervous. Darn butterflies.

I had a moment of inspiration this weekend while shopping for canvases. I’ve decided that with each commissioned work I do, I’m going to also do a miniaturized version for the client as well—a pocket painting if you will. I’m not sure how successful this endeavor will be, but I have high hopes. Plus little canvases were on sale at Dick Blick and those of you who know my love of all things miniature will understand that I cannot resist them.

Also in the world of Molly and creativity, I’ve become smitten with this cake from Dean & Deluca. I must, nay, WILL make this cake for someone. It’s too adorable not to recreate. You think it’s a purse, but it isn’t. It’s 2 pounds of sugary couture. Do you ever watch Ace of Cakes on the Food Network? That show is like porn to me. I can’t get enough of cake decorating. Although...it is very expensive…And high in calories…’cause I’m what you call a “sampler”...

I’ve made some fun new friends through work. We have a new RA in the music research department and she in turn introduced me to her boyfriend and all of his friends. Last weekend we went sledding and played board games and while that might sound lame to some, it was a breath of fresh air to me. I’ve been stuck in the adult social rut of going out for dinner and drinks, so it was so nice to do things that remind me that I’m still young and silly. Apparently a limbo contest is in the works for next weekend…

These fun new peeps have also seduced me into watching Lost again. I watched season one, but then missed a few episodes and had no clue what was going on and gave up. But they’ve pulled me back in. Will the passengers really be rescued? Who are the Oceanic Six? What’s up with Jack’s facial hair? These are questions I’m now asking and feel compelled to answer every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. CST.

Peace and Love

"Never Go With a Hippie to a Second Location"

2008-01-23T08:38:00.000-06:00

It's only 8:30 and I've had an interesting (and hilarious) morning. I woke up early around 4:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to watch an episode of 30Rock to cheer me up. (See title for reference) I took my sweet time getting ready for work and headed out 10 minutes earlier than usual (aka: actually on time). As I neared the hospital, I happened to look up and take notice of a man walking toward me. At first glance, I thought he was Neil Diamond. "Thats ridiculous," I thought to myself. "Why would Neil Diamond be walking around Iowa City?" Then I thought, "Maybe it's Bruce Tomblin." (a professor whom I work with) THEN I thought, "Wow, I bet Dr. Tomblin could pull off a pretty wicked-awesome Neil Diamond impersonation..." And that was my walk to work!

Neil Diamond Bruce Tomblin, PhD

ZZZzzzzzzzzzz

2008-01-17T00:18:00.002-06:00

I can hear my neighbor's boyfriend snoring through the wall. So not only do I get to listen to the pounding, juvenile soundtrack of whatever Playstation game he plays routinely at 5:00 p.m. every evening or the gut wrenching squeals of a tickle fight followed by moaning I can't quite seem to drown out by turning on my fan and smashing a pillow over my head, now I have to listen to the cacophonous wheeze elicited by his deviated septum. Sometimes it feels like I never moved out of the dorms.

But, to make up for it, I did spend a glorious evening at the movies with Miss Meliss. On a whim, we defied all warnings of impending snowstorms and journeyed across Iowa City to see Atonement. That was the best decision I've made all week. What a magnificent film. I must admit I have developed a giant crush on James McAvoy. I thought he was brilliant in The Last King of Scotland...and this role...wow. I can't wait to see what else he chooses. He'll have his pick of roles after this film. What is it about Scottish dudes? I love 'em.

Well, I better get some rest. It's intensity city at work lately and I'll need my wits about me to weather the storm. Thank goodness for the miraculous escape of fictional narrative. I don't know what I would do without it.

cheers.

I Heart My Macbook

2008-01-15T23:39:00.000-06:00

Yes, my friends, I invested my hard-earned cash in a new computer. Gone is my desktop PC. It has been replaced by my glorious macbook. Kudos to Brian our IT guy. He's a superstar.

I'm just going to do a quick overview since it's late and I'm tired.
Uno: I have a mac
Zwei: I'm finally doing my volunteer yoga hours in February at the hospital and field house. If you know me, don't come to my class. It will make me nervous.
3: I'm moving this summer.
Vier: I'm not going to tell you where...yet.

Oh, I did go see Juno. Loved it, downloaded the soundtrack, and am memorizing quotes as I type. I'm in love with "Sea of Love". It's always been one of my favorite songs and this version is precious. The whole soundtrack is precious.

My Netflix pics for this week are Syriana, and Season 1 of 30 Rock. Coming up next week is the first season of the Showtime series The Tudors. I'll report back once I find time to watch them. I've been so busy lately.

Was anyone else nonplussed that the Golden Globes didn't really happen this year? Yeah. Me too. I like the Oscars, but I'm down with them not happening either. I'll hold my own private Oscars and announce my favorites of the year. Sometimes I think the Academy is full of crap anyways. It was all downhill after Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture. Blech. They only started redeeming themselves with The Departed, if you ask me. But why would anyone ask me?

So there you have it. My shiny, happy news. I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of it right now.

Cheers

No Caucus = Sad, Sad Mo

2008-01-04T21:13:00.000-06:00

So the 2008 Iowa caucuses have come and gone. Sadly enough, I was unable to go. You see, my body decided to kick off the new year by contracting a stomach virus. So instead of representing the presidential candidate of my choice, I became very good friends with a 10-gallon, bright red bucket which I aptly nicknamed "Buddy." Poor Buddy. That sure wasn't any fun.

Prior to my adventures with Buddy, I did manage to have a lovely New Year's celebration. I traveled to the booming metropolis of Alton, Illinois and met some lovely people. Melissa and I rang in the New Year together along with several of her dear friends from high school. There was music and alcohol and lots of inside jokes which made for a great time. We didn't do anything too crazy and managed to make it home around 1:30 a.m. I had tucked myself into bed and was reading Steve Martin's newest book, when the doorbell rang downstairs. Too tired and cozy to see what all the ruckus was about, I missed out on the action.

A young woman, about 20 or 21, came in and was quite shaken. "I'm sorry to bother you," she said, "but I was at a party down the street and my boyfriend had a few too many drinks and started beating everyone up. I think he has a knife." Alarmed, Melissa's parents called the police and stepped out onto the front porch to take a look. The young man who was apparently hosting the party came walking down the street. He was bloodied and bruised and in complete shock. The police arrived shortly and began searching the neighborhood for the attacker, who had fled the party. They eventually found him and arrested him. Here's the report. (It's the first one)

Yikes! The girl said he had a history of violent behavior while drinking. Who the hell gave that man a drink? Thankfully, no one was severely hurt, but who knows what could have happened? So this year of 2008 has already gotten off to a somewhat rocky start. That's okay, though. Things can only go up from here, right?

cheers

The Way I Am

2007-12-30T03:06:00.000-06:00

I'm somewhat frustrated. I'm frustrated for several reasons.
1. It's 3:00 a.m. and I'm awake.
2. I have the sneaking suspicion I'm getting a cold.
3. I want to go see Juno, but it's not playing in Iowa City.
4. I have the Ingrid Michaelson song The Way I Am stuck in my head on repeat.
5. I just got an annoying text message from someone who's becoming increasingly annoying to me. Annoying. Annoying.

I threw last two 'annoying'-s in for good measure. So what does one do at 3:00 a.m. in the morning? Why read celebrity blogs online, of course. I enjoy John Mayer's and Kevin Smith's blogs very much. Alec Baldwin's blog is growing particularly interesting to me as well. God. I love 30 Rock. It's seriously one of, if not the best TV show on network television. I wish this writers' strike would end...but I understand why the WGA is doing what it's doing.

I tried to organize my closet today. I only succeeded in covering every inch of my apartment with unwanted shoe boxes, clothing and issues of Entertainment Weekly from 2004. I'm very good at starting projects...not so good at finishing them.

Well, I guess I'll go take a shower. Maybe that will make me sleepy. Oooh, I might throw in some cold medicine. It's about time for another dose...

Cheers.

Sock It to Me!

2007-12-28T13:44:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am back at my cozy little desk at work. I managed to survive the holidays no worse for wear and have settled in for a couple of days of dog-sitting before trekking off to A-town to visit Miss Meliss and the fabulous Ma and Pa Hueting. My holiday travels are only partially over. Although, we are forecasted to get more snow today…tomorrow…Sunday...possibly Monday...

So it’s a good thing I received some fabulously comfy new snow boots from Santa—along with 14 pairs of socks! You see, my New Year’s resolution (one of the many) is to no longer wear ankle-high athletic socks to work every day. It’s time for me to be a grownup and stop visually offending my co-workers and patients with glaringly white socks peeking out from my pantlegs and shoes. (Sometimes if I wear the super-short ones, you get a peek of ankle. HOT!) The beautiful combination of argyle, wool, cotton and trouser socks should keep my tootsies warm and in style for months to come.

Tired of constantly paying late fees or buying DVDs, I succumbed to the seductive appeal of Netflix. This is not good. I might have to cancel my gym membership and shut down the art studio because I most likely will never leave my couch, let alone my apartment. It’s reminiscent of when I worked at Movie Gallery and had 3 free rentals a day. Molly plus an unlimited number of movies is never a good combination. But we’ll see how it goes. My first selections included Blood Diamond and The Last King of Scotland. To lighten things up, I finished with Waitress. All were very different. All were most excellent.

Mom even sat down and watched The Last King of Scotland with me. She liked it, which surprised me because it didn’t star Sandra Bullock or George Clooney and there wasn’t a mystery to solve or romance to watch. But she liked it. We actually ended up having several conversations about it and even researched Idi Amin. I like making my mom think outside the box sometimes.

I went home for a few days before Christmas. We went out for my dad’s birthday and I saw some of my friends from home. (I even got to hear an acoustic guitar version of “Hit Me Baby One More Time”…thanks Chris and Greg!) We normally go to my Uncle Mike’s house for Christmas Eve (and dine on all kinds of deliciousness) but alas they had the flu, so we made a homemade pizza and watched It’s a Wonderful Life before heading to Spencer for midnight mass. We drove down to Des Moines on Christmas day to see Paul and Rachel and Nick. Christmas with my bro and his fam was lovely. We didn’t do anything too fancy this year. Paul and I didn’t even go see our traditional Christmas night movie. We stayed at home instead. We were definitely all lazy bums…except for Nick. He never stops.

I won’t bore anyone with too many of the details of gifting and such. I did want to share this painting that I did for my mom…She’s been asking me for a painting of an Eastern Goldfinch (Iowa’s state bird) for years. I finally sat down and did it. I think she liked it…I gave quite a few handmade gifts this year. I really like crawling through art festivals and craft fairs, (yes, crawling. It takes me a very long time to shop at those things) so all y’all better expect handmade gifts in the future!

So that’s the humdrum account of Christmas 2007. I’m most definitely looking forward to spending New Year’s with Miss Meliss and her friends. I love meeting new people!

Cheers.

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2007-12-13T08:53:00.000-06:00

For the first time since I started this job, I’m starting to wish I didn’t have it. Just a little. I’ve been through some professional ups and downs in the past few years (unreasonably demanding surgeons, unreasonably demanding secretaries, changing officemates, delays in reclassification, being forced to re-interview for a job I’d been doing for 6 months, turmoil amidst my co-workers) but I rode all those waves of adversity with the self-promise that they would be worth it. Right now I’m fighting tooth and nail with a particular individual on our institutional review board who has, for several weeks, been delaying the progress of a new study, and I’m starting to wonder if it’s all worth it. It’s never the people in charge who are the problem. It’s always the sniveling little underlings who make tasks difficult to complete.

Right now I feel the full weight of our department head, research team and anxiously waiting families pushing on my back to get this study off the ground (before the end of the year, mind you) while before me is this annoying little man from the IRB holding my forehead and keeping me just beyond arm’s length of study approval. (Stupid little man and his power trip!) I wish I had more weight to throw around and get things done without having to run crying to our department head and ask him to fix the problem. Grr.

Okay…I’m over it. Shake it off…

Oh we are covered in ice! It’s beautiful but treacherous. My parking lot is a deathtrap right now. I have no idea how to get my car out. But I will definitely be investing in some Yaktrax in the near future. The number of tumbles down the hill is increasing!

Last weekend Miss Meliss and I went to see the Nutcracker ballet at the Englert theatre downtown. Before that we had yummy appetizers at Atlas. The ballet was cute, but we swear at one point we saw the rat king "raise the roof". I don't remember that being a part of my classical ballet training...maybe I missed that day. Afterwards we grabbed some bottles of wine and watched chick flicks until 4:00 a.m. It was wonderful!

Did I mention that I have all of my Christmas shopping done? All but two of my gifts are wrapped and tagged. I mailed off my Christmas cards today and did all of my Christmas baking last week. I even brewed a yummy pot of chili. I am a superstar! Why is it that when your professional life is in disarray, your personal life seems to be doing okay. Now that I’ve written this, my personal life will manage to fall spectacularly apart somehow…

Cheers for now!

Slippin' and Slidin'

2007-12-05T08:22:00.000-06:00

My goodness! We've had some winter weather recently. Like Melissa says, "Iowa certainly doesn't mess around. December 1st hits and BAM! Snow. Ice. Danger!" I've managed to only fall down the River Street hill twice so far (horray!). Last winter I think my total number of slips on that hill was somewhere in the teens...

So my friend, April, just got a new part-time job in the NICU. I'm super-psyched for her because she's also going back to school. Yay for important life changes! I'm a big fan. We've had a few more ladies at work announce they're pregnant. They just keep adding up. It's getting tricky now to keep everyone's due date and baby name straight. I just might make a flow chart. Oh how I love flow charts!

Yoga is going well. I'm hoping to get my volunteer hours in over the winter break. Core is opening a new location in North Liberty and it sure would be nice if I could teach some classes out there...

Those are the little mundanities I have for today. Stay tuned. There's a lot of fun winter activities coming up.

Cheers

Gobble Gobble!

2007-11-29T13:53:00.000-06:00

So Turkey Day 2007 was a shining success. Rachel discovered the perfect amount of food to prepare for our family. It’s a quest she’s been on since 2004. And look, it only took three years! Most impressive. The snacks were delicious. Paul even whipped up some Cheesecake Factory mashed potatoes (the secret is the right blend of pepper, salt and cream). Nicholas was very busy. Ever since our trip to Chicago, he’s been quite obsessed with skyscrapers. He built this lovely edifice with the help of Grandma and Grandpa Pettit. He also went outside with Gramps to play in the snow. He built a snow leopard fort…and proceeded to roar like a snow leopard for the rest of the day.

There was napping and football watching. My brother cursed the Packers all afternoon. In the evening the grandparents dispersed and Paul and I went to our traditional Thanksgiving movie. This year it was Beowulf in 3-D. I wanted to go see Enchanted, but was vetoed by Paul. He ate his words when Beowulf was over. It was terrible! At least…in our opinions. And we have pretty credible opinions when it comes to movies, I like to think.

Friday morning I headed up to Spencerburg to visit my parents and see some friends (new and old!). It was a good time. I ran into some people I haven’t seen since high school, which was pretty surreal. I saw a couple of quarter tricks—one quarter was cleverly slipped up my shirtsleeve…the other was thrown at my face across a bar. I much preferred the first trick.

On Saturday night I got to go listen to some karaoke. My companions for the evening sang a couple of songs and they were fabulous. But they couldn’t compete with the local karaoke artists. Truly, Spencer is an untapped bed of talent. Reality television needs to explore that uncharted territory, I’m telling you.

Our IT guy at work commissioned this painting last month. He went on a family vacation and took a photo of the Precious Arch in Moab Utah. It was fun to do a landscape. I haven’t done one of those in quite some time. I really enjoy painting landscapes and architecture…I think it’s a toss-up between painting portraits of kiddos and painting landscapes.

Now it’s only 3 weeks until Christmas. I’m proud to say I have my shopping almost done. And what I have left I can do online and in downtown Iowa City. I get to avoid the insanity of Coralridge altogether this year. I can’t believe that I was working there a year ago. It seems like ages…

Cheers

Finally!

2007-11-20T14:22:00.000-06:00

Oh where to begin…the past few weeks have been such a whirlwind that I can’t even remember all of the amazing details of the life I’ve been leading. Let’s see…we left off with me getting ready to embark on a road trip to Louisiana to deliver a painting...

Melissa and I rolled out of Iowa City on the afternoon of November 1. The sky was clear blue and the weather was warm for November. We drove down 218, crossing into Missouri and decided to stop at a Dairy Queen for a frozen treat. We continued our journey on through rush hour traffic on the outskirts of St. Louis. Melissa said I didn’t seem nervous driving in heavy traffic, but I was somewhat terrified. I grew up driving on country gravel and in snow storms. The most congested traffic I’ve ever driven in was the parking lot at the Clay County Fair…half of that congestion was from a farmer unloading his cattle…not a great comparison.

As we put more miles between us and home, Melissa and I started to notice that the names of towns were pretty funny. Places like Hickahola and Coffeeville made us giggle. The town of Festus really made us laugh…it popped up at an opportune moment in our conversation. We cranked our music and sang at the top of our lungs. We busted out some oldies but goodies from junior high—No Doubt, Oasis, Jewel, and Alanis Morisette. We stopped for gas and I made friends with a guy driving a camper. He and I commiserated about the price of gas and celebrated the light traffic on the interstate. The thought occurred to me that the next time I go on a road trip, I might want to consider taking a camper. After we filled up, Melissa took over the driving until Memphis. A few hours outside the city, we saw a falling star which we took as a fortuitous sign that this trip would be amazing.

We had blindly booked our room in the Graceland Super 8 downtown hotel before we embarked on this journey, deciding that since it had 1 ½ stars on Hotels.com it had to be okay. It was…kind of. The bathroom door didn’t close and the wall by my bed had a giant bug smooshed on it, but the room had two beds and a bathroom and a sink. We couldn’t ask for more from 1 ½ stars.

The courteous young man at the front desk called a cab for us and we headed downtown to legendary Beale Street. Unfortunately Beale Street wasn’t very happening since it was the day after Halloween. But we made a beeline for the first bar (Alfred’s) with live music, ordered a beer, and collapsed into our chairs. The band was a decent cover band, playing some classic blues and rock and roll. The bar remained relatively empty until a bachelorette party came crashing through the doors. The band took a break, and the canned dance music came on the speakers. Melissa and I were debating leaving when a guy came over to our table and asked us where we were from. Once the introductions were done, he offered to buy us a beer. Now—we were road weary, still wearing our traveling clothes, and completely uninterested in picking up dudes. Naturally, our disinterest caused Mark to stay and talk to us for quite some time. So we ended up staying at that bar longer than we planned. Once the bachelorette party left, the band came back on and started to talk to Melissa and I while they were warming up. They asked where we were from and what brought us to town. The also offered to play us a song. When we said, “play whatever”, they broke into an off-key rendition of “Puff the Magic Dragon” followed by “Kumbaya”. It was hilarious. We thanked them for their musical talent and made a graceful exit.

The next bar was a little livelier, the band was very energetic. The lead singer yelled at Melissa for taking pictures, but was really just kidding. A mysterious guy in a fedora came over to talk to us and kindly informed us that most bars stay open until 3 a.m. on Beale Street. Excited, we headed out to find the next great bar. As we were walking down the street a guy came out of a different bar and said, “Hey! Weren’t you guys at Alfred’s earlier? I was working there and remember you. You’re welcome to come in here, this is where all the bartenders and waiters hang out after shift and after hours. I’ll buy you a beer!” Surely enough, we didn’t pay for another beer that night.

The guy’s name was Chas. He lives in Memphis and (supposedly) has an amazing African art collection which piqued Melissa’s interest. While she was talking to Chas, a guy in a red baseball cap approached us and said, “Excuse me, I just got out of prison and I have to tell you both that you have the most beautiful smiles I’ve ever seen.” Oh yes, my friends. He had just gotten out of prison. His name was Matt. This is Matt’s story…

Matt is 38 and was a ranger in the Special Forces. He was in Somalia and was present for Black Hawk Down. He has been shot 13 times and stabbed once, although the stabbing was from his wife. Matt has two daughters, one is 21, the other 19. He also has a 1 year old son. “Why such a young son?” you ask. Well, I’ll tell you. Matt’s wife, out of the goodness of her heart, decided to give him the gift of a threesome for his birthday last year. Unfortunately, the young woman they invited to join them…ended up pregnant. (“No, not the extra!”)This woman is a bit unstable, and her son was admitted to the hospital for an illness earlier this year. Matt was on his way to the hospital to retrieve his son and save him from his crazy mother, when he was pulled over. Sadly, Matt was in violation of a DUI, so he was thrown in jail for 90 days. He had just gotten out on November 1. Matt loves music. We talked at length about Radiohead’s new downloadable album and of the genius of Johnny Cash. Apparently, Toby Keith is his cousin.

We also met a woman who’s a cigarette distributor by day and a DJ by night. Her name was Colette. In the bathroom, we made friends with some girls, one of whom was named Brittany. Brittany was very energetic and was fascinated by the fact that we were from Iowa. Our new Memphis friends were awesome. When we told them where we were staying, they immediately warned us not to go anywhere outside of our hotel. Apparently 1 ½ stars is not quite as sufficient as we thought. But we had no problems with our hotel room.

The next morning we decided to go to Elmwood Cemetary. Supposedly this is where the first grand wizard of the KKK is buried, but for some reason it wasn’t on the cemetary map…I guess they don’t want to advertise that. There were some beautiful memorials to slaves and to confederate soldiers, however. Melissa and I had a long conversation about the afterlife and how it’s represented and documented within a cemetary. And what that means to those of us living and walking amongst the headstones. Elmwood is huge, so it took us quite a while to make our way around. Afterwards, we hopped in the car and decided to do a 180—we headed to Graceland.

Graceland was…something. The most surprising thing is how small it is. Elvis was such a huge pop culture icon that you expect his house to look like something out of Cribs…but it doesn’t. It’s elaborate and ostentatious, but not overly large. The other thing was, I expected it to be in the country, but it was actually right off a busy street, not too far from the interstate. I was really impressed by the trophy room. Elvis had so many gold records. He was also quite the philanthropist. And he was a black belt in karate which apparently carried over from his time in the military. He had horses and a racquetball court. Overall, I can confidently say, I will never go back to Graceland. I’ve had my fill.

After Graceland, we swung through the Checkers drive through to get some sandwiches. Somehow between us ordering and us picking the food up, an order of cheese fries made its way into our bag. But these weren’t just fries with a little cheese sprinkled on them. Oh no. They were spicy fries, covered in gooey cheese, ranch dressing and topped with real chunks of bacon. It was a heart attack in a cardboard box. And we ate them all. Yum!

The drive to Baton Rouge was pretty uneventful. There was more singing and a lot of silly conversation. During our trip, we decided to collect quotes, mostly from ourselves, but also from the fun people we encountered on our travels. I don’t have the list right now, Melissa still has it, but once I get my mitts on it, I will post our silly quotes. There was one cool thing we saw on the way to Baton Rouge—this horse sticking her head out the side of the trailer. It’s nice that she got to catch the breeze while traveling. We pulled up alongside her to say “hi”. She was unimpressed.

We pulled into Brittan’s driveway around 7:30. Brittan and Lucy (her sweet Boston Terrier) were outside waiting to meet us. Big hugs were exchanged and introductions were made. Brittan gave us the grand tour of her home (so beautiful!) and then helped us haul our stuff inside.

Then the presentation of the painting took place. It was magical. The greens of the painting matched Brittan’s walls perfectly. I was so happy to finally have finished this personal journey. Brittan and I both experienced painful happenings in our lives around the same time almost two years ago. I don’t know if she even knows what an influence she’s had on my life, but I look to her as an older sister and mentor. This painting was as much for me as it was for her and I tied a lot of personal and shared things into its composition. I struggled for a few months to come up with the text for this painting. So I looked to the artifacts of that time in my life and stumbled back upon a book that Brittan recommended to me – Succulent Wild Woman by Sark. The title, “Nice Girls Do” is a quote from this book. I encourage all women (or the men who love them!) who have experience…life…to read this book. It’s wonderful and beautiful and very, very encouraging.

Brittan is a professor at LSU, so she took us down to the local college hangout called The Chimes (conveniently located on Chimes Street) where we met up with her handsome beau and his roommate. We ate so much food! We tried (untraditional) Boudin Balls, fresh oysters, shrimp and corn chowder, crawfish and rice, more shrimp, and a sampler of Abita beers which are brewed locally.

Once our bellies were sufficiently overstuffed, we wandered over to the street fair that was going on adjacent to Chimes Street. Live bands, vendors and LSU students crowded the block. The Tigers were playing their arch-nemesis-rivals, Alabama, on Saturday. For those of you who don’t know, LSU’s former head coach, Nick Saban, decided to leave Baton Rouge and transfer to Alabama, leaving many bitter, jilted LSU fans behind. This awesome local campus t-shirt shop by the name of Storyville was selling “Nick Saban is a Douche” t-shirts in honor of the upcoming big game. We each bought one in a different color. It was awesome.

We called it an early night on Friday and were up bright and early on Saturday to hit the local farmer’s market, artisans market, and book festival. There were so many great booths! We each bought a couple of photos by a local photographer and some other great little things that will make wonderful Christmas presents. We wore our Nick Saban tees which proved to be quite polarizing. People were coming up to us and telling us either they loved our shirts or they hated our shirts. Everyone was pretty vocal about their opinion. “I just love y’all’s shirts…”

We walked on to the book fair in front of the capital building where we sadly had just missed the reading of “Giraffe's Can't Dance.” But we did run into a local legend—the Peanut Man. Apparently boiled peanuts are quite popular in the South, so we bravely walked up to the cart to try them. Up until this point, Melissa had been scoring quite a bit of free stuff (free beers, discount photos, etc) and the peanut stand was no exception. Not only did he give us free peanuts, he also told us to contact his brother, a jazz trumpet player, in New Orleans if we managed to make our way over there. The peanut man sure did like us!

Boiled peanuts weren’t the only delicacy we tried at the book festival. Brittan treated us to some delicious hog cracklings (which is, literally, hog skin, dipped in lard, and deep fried…in lard.) The cracklings were enjoyed on a nice grassy area. We did manage to go look at some books. Brittan happened to run into some friends she volunteers with and stopped to chat with them. Melissa and I continued our wanderings. It was at the end of the last tent that we found a booth that was offering free “stress tests”. Intrigued, Melissa and I decided to sit down and be tested.

Melissa went first. The lady handed her some metal calibers and asked her to think of someone stressful in her life. So Melissa thought of someone stressful. The meter on the machine zoomed over to “STRESS”. So the woman asked Melissa to think of a series of things, work, school, finances—all zoomed to either “STRESS” or “ANXIETY”. Poor Melissa. By this time, she was very intrigued as to how and why this test worked. But when she asked for more information, the woman smiled and said “It’s just a stress test, thanks for stopping.” Ouch!

I was next. I took the metal calibers, and the gentleman asked me to think of a stressful person in my life. I thought of a particular person I work with. And the machine zoomed to “STRESS”. Hmmm. Okay. He then asked me about finances, love life, family and the like. None of those even got a rise out of the machine. So the only stressful part of my life was work. He started talking to me again about work, but noticed that the machine wasn’t moving toward stress anymore. He was intrigued. “How can you now be talking about work and not be stressed?” He asked. I explained that I do a lot of yoga and meditation which helps me identify problems and calm my mind and body. By this time, I was dying of curiosity to find out what this booth was all about. Were they going to try to sell some new self-help book? Was it a new diet book? I started to ask, but the guy just smiled brightly and said, “Well, thanks for stopping!”

During this time, Brittan had finished talking to her friends, and was searching the crowd to find where we had disappeared to. She made her way to the end of the tent, and discovered us. All this time she was thinking to herself, “Where are they? Where have my friends gone?...Wait! There they are…and they’re at…the…Scientology booooothhhhh…..” Indeed, we were rubbing elbows with scientologists. But…they didn’t want us. When we expressed interest, they remained closed-lipped. Clearly, Melissa is too stressed and I’m too relaxed to be desirable Scientology material.

The intention for lunch was to grab something light, so we headed to Brittan’s favorite sushi place…which apparently wasn’t open that day. So we went across the street to Cane’s and had some chicken strips and famous Cane’s sauce. It was delish, but once again…fried in lard. We then drove over to campus to see Brittan’s office and research lab. We also got to see Mike, LSU’s living mascot. I wonder why Iowa doesn’t keep a live hawk…That would be cool! Following campus, we went home and crashed for a while. Melissa and I had intended to go out to Avery Island to see where Tabasco sauce is made and to walk through the alligators (“zig and zag, ladies!”), but there wasn’t time for it. So we called out to Alligator Bayou to book a boat tour, but due to low attendance because of the game, they weren’t running any boats that day. What do you do when your plans fall through? DISCOUNT SHOPPING! Retail therapy…it’s a good thing.

After shopping, Brittan’s BFF Katy met us back at the house and we proceeded to beautify ourselves for an evening out on the town. We went to a nearby Mexican restaurant, Zippy’s, which is actually an old gas station. They serve delicious enchiladas and 32 ounce frozen alcoholic beverages. We sat outside and watched LSU whoop Alabama (“Oh, too bad! It’s tough being a douche!”) and enjoyed some free shots courtesy of Zippy’s. Brittan’s beau stopped by to see us (and express his love of Iowa). But it was a girls-only night, so we left sweet Joe to his own devices and made our way downtown to the arts center for rooftop drinking. Silliness ensued.

One of Brittan’s students knew of a bar that had dancing, so we went there and had a run in with the door girl. She really didn’t like me. But Melissa breezed in unnoticed, as if she owned the place, and made her way toward the bar. Once the door dragon was tamed, the rest of us proceeded to dance the night away. I busted out some moves that I never get to use in Iowa City (there’s never enough room!). Free shots abounded and Melissa and I were respectively successful in our goal of having a good time. Click this link for a montage of our shenanigans...

http://s214.photobucket.com/albums/cc241/mpettit/

The next morning our looks reflected our previous evening and we were thoroughly hungover. Melissa and I had been kicking around the idea of heading to New Orleans. This idea was cemented by the fact that Katy offered to let us stay at her place (she lives in NOLA) if we came over. So after a deliciously lard-filled breakfast at the Waffle House, we hit the road to New Orleans.

It was a relatively short drive, considering the distances we traveled previously. We parked downtown and began to roam the French Quarter. There were great shops and good food. We found a charming little boutique with good deals. The guy working there was very friendly and offered up information on the good places to eat food and listen to music. We grabbed some pizza-by-the-slice and watched the end of the Saints game and the beginning of the Colts game at a bar. I still couldn’t get over the fact that you could buy alcohol pretty much anywhere. We were still hurting from the night before, so we stuck with cola and water.

On a whim (an underlying theme of this road trip) we decided to get an Old Time photo taken. We agonized over what we should wear, finally settling on being gangster flappers. This process took much longer than we anticipated and we were thoroughly exhausted when we were done. We wandered aimlessly over to Bourbon Street and quickly left. We were in no shape to contend with drunken people wandering in and out of bars. Just when we were about to collapse on the sidewalk, Melissa spotted an oasis down a long, brick tunnel. At then end was a garden and a coffee shop. We rejuvenated and made plans for the evening. The next stop was a ghost tour.

Our tour began in front of the Voodoo shop. Our tour guide was a charming gentleman named Bill. Bill walked us around town and told us tales of singing ghosts and dueling ghosts, civil war soldiers, and the sadistic, cruel treatment of slaves. Sure the tales were gruesome and exciting, but Bill was unique in that he always brought us back to reality. For instance, after recounting the horrific story of Madame LaLaurie and her slaves, one of whom supposedly jumped out a third-story window, Bill informed us that there was a law during the time of the LeLauries that prohibited any building to be taller than two stories. So the house didn’t have a third floor at the time of his tale. The mysterious window that was supposedly bricked up because of a slave girl’s suicide…actually just happened to be the window to a room that was now a bathroom.

We were by far the youngest on the tour, so Bill (who was also younger) chatted with us quite a bit in between his tales. At the end of the tour, he asked if we were headed to Bourbon Street. When we said, “Hell no!” he happily pointed us in the direction of a great restaurant that wasn’t touristy and also told us the best places to go to hear jazz. I think he would have joined us if he didn’t have to go back and give another tour. We happily headed off to Coops for their Cajun sampler. It was delish…and fried in lard.

The bar Bill recommended was called the Spotted Cat. It was this little hole in the wall that had wicker furniture and a tiny stage jammed in one corner. We ordered some Merlot and curled up on the wicker couch to listen to the blues band. They were pretty good. The lead singer had a smoky, rich voice. When they were finished with their set, they started chatting us up. When they found out we were from Iowa, they told us their drummer had gone to the U of I. He and I chatted about some of the people in the music department we both knew and he recommended some bars in New Orleans and in Iowa City for us to go to for good music. The next group was a jazz ensemble. The trumpet player had the most beautiful tone, which made me long to get my horn out and play. Melissa said she was pretty inspired to get back into music (she plays piano and sax) after this trip.

We couldn’t stay out too late at the Spotted Cat. We’d promised Katy we would be home by 11 and didn’t really want to be in that part of town too late anyways. So we tiredly but happily drug ourselves back to the car and drove over to Katy’s.

The next morning we were up bright and early and on the road by 7:30. The mist on the bayou as we were driving out of the city was absolutely beautiful. The sun was rising and struggling to burn through the fog so everything was ghostlike. It was a beautiful way to say goodbye (for now) to New Orleans. Monday was a long day of driving. We pushed through and barely stopped. It went relatively quickly, but we still logged 12 hours of driving time.

We had decided to take yet another detour to the St. Louis area to visit Melissa’s parents in her hometown of Alton, IL. Her parents live in a big, historic home and are both artists who work from home, so the place was breathtakingly beautiful. Antiques, old photos, and gorgeous pieces of furniture were everywhere. The house even came with its own ghost. We pulled into town just in time to enjoy happy hour with her mom and dad. There was wine and cheese and grapes (fruit was a foreign substance to us by this point.) Her dad grilled chicken and veggies. We regaled them with tales of our journey until we were all yawning. They tucked us into bed and I swear I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The next morning we headed out to see the sights of Alton. Melissa drove me around to see all the historic homes. Alton is the hometown of some interesting historic figures, notably Elijah Lovejoy, a minister who was murdered for his abolitionist views. I got to see the statue of Robert Wadlow, the tallest man…ever! These were the small town attractions I had been craving. We also saw the Piasa bird, a legendary painting on a rock formation outside the town. How lucky was Melissa to have spent a large chunk of her childhood in such an interesting town? We went by her high school, several of her friends’ homes, and the municipal park where she played in the band…

The last leg of our trip led us through winding country highways. It was nice to be back in a land whose trees and smells were familiar. Pulling into Iowa City, I didn’t quite feel like myself anymore. My first independent road trip was over. And I was sad, but grateful to be home. Such a bittersweet homecoming. I’m afraid I’ve been bitten by the travel bug. I can’t wait to go on my next adventure!

Hey, You Dropped Something...

2007-10-30T08:05:00.001-06:00

Ahhhh! I’m getting pretty excited! I took my car in today to get it checked out. Tonight Melissa and I are getting together to plan our route and organize music and food and such. This is going to be so much fun!

To recap the weekend, I went to the conference (which was abysmal). I think a total of five people stopped to talk to me at my booth and they had no interest in cochlear implants. Instead, they asked me who cuts my hair and if I was related to the Pettits in Carroll, Iowa. What a waste of time. And I missed one of the most exciting Hawkeye games this season. Grrr. So I went out Saturday night with Melissa to check out all the Halloween costumes and grab a drink. While we were walking down the street, a group of guys passed us and one of them leaned over to me and said, “Hey, you dropped something…” I was looking around to see what I dropped when he followed up with-- “…my jaw.” By the time what he had said sunk in, he was long gone. It was the best (and worst) pick up line I have heard in a long time.

The evening only got better. We decided to chill at Joe’s Place. We sat at the bar watching football, chatting, and lazily checking out people as they came in. After a while a group of guys dressed as nuns came up to the bar to get drinks. They proceeded to hit on us…dressed as nuns…speaking in falsetto voices…yeah. I think I’m going to avoid going downtown around Halloween. All the crazies come out.

Well, I probably won’t write again until after my trip. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween. (Especially Pirate Nicholas!)

Cheers

No More Pretzels for a While

2007-10-25T13:01:00.000-05:00

Things have slowed down a little at work and I’m actually getting lunch breaks every once in a while. We’re anxiously awaiting approval from our Institutional Review Board (IRB) for a new study. The big man himself stops by my office almost daily for updates. I don’t have the heart to tell him he can check it online himself. I like our little chats. Today he stopped by and asked me about it just as I was shoving a pretzel into my mouth. I never realized how excruciatingly long it takes me to chew a pretzel until that moment. I’ve decided not to eat at my desk until the study is approved. Cross your fingers that we get approval soon.

The new painting is going well. I wish my weekends weren’t so full so I could spend some more time with it, but I’m off to Des Moines this weekend for a conference on “Parenting Healthy Children.” I get to hand out fliers about cochlear implants and infant hearing screening on Saturday. But only for the morning. I hope to go see Paul at the Cheesecake Factory and then knock out some Christmas shopping in the afternoon. Then it’s back to Iowa City for a friend’s birthday party. I love birthdays. And parties for that matter.

Sadly, my Hawkeyes aren’t doing as well as I would like this season, but I see a lot of young players with potential. I won’t get to go to the game this weekend, but I’ll be cheering from Des Moines.

Go Hawks!

Goings-Ons...Is That a Word?

2007-10-23T16:32:00.000-05:00

Being sick sucks. I now treat my immune system as the precious jewel that it is. Now that I’m back amongst the living, I figured I should probably catch up on all of the goings-ons in my little, happy life.

Let’s see, I left off getting ready to dogsit. I put in my weeks worth of sitting and it was quite a challenge…mostly because it was in North Liberty and I’m not used to driving back and forth in the mornings. But it was worth it. The pups (Lucy and Oscar) were sweet and very well behaved. Buster the Cat and I kept our distance from each other and it worked well. I’m most definitely not a cat person, but I was down with giving him food and scratching behind his ears on occasion. Dog sitting also gives me a great opportunity to catch up on my laundry and reading. It’s a good thing.

My buddy Melissa and I are gearing up to road trip down to Baton Rouge next week to visit a sweet, sassy lady and deliver her painting. I cannot wait!!!! I’ve never truly road tripped before and I want to do all of the stupid stuff like see the world’s largest tire or beard of bees or something crazy-ass like that. And who better to travel with than my possible long-lost-sister? This will be a wonderful time.

I’m working on a new painting, which is refreshing. I’ll hopefully have it done within the next couple of weeks. I’m sure Mr. Manary is pretty excited to have a landscape to hang on his wall. I also need to get started on Christmas presents. Some of you will be getting beautimous paintings from me…get ready!

Hmm. On the love-o-meter, we are sitting at nil, which I’m totally comfortable with. That person from my past disappeared back under his rock or rotted out log or wherever he crawls back to when he loses interest in me, so I’m quite content. There have been dudes…but no one who stands out…yet.

So thus concludes my short update on the goings-ons. Nothing too much to get excited about, right?

Cheers.

Nothing in Particular

2007-10-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

I've made some fun new friends over the past month. One in particular may be my long-lost sister. She's a doll and I love causing trouble with her. No matter if we're flirting with handsome strangers in smokey bars or simply going to Pancheros for burritos, I always feel somewhat devious.

I finished a painting and am eager to start another. I have several possible clients lined up, I just hope someone makes a move...And I really need to get a website going...And get business cards. This is a pretty tricky thing to get off the ground!

I'll be busy dogsitting for a co-worker this weekend and all next week. I'm looking forward to getting away. Lucy and Oscar and I will have a marvelous time, I'm sure. Sometimes dogs are just the ticket for feeling better about everything. I think it has something to do with the doggy smile accompanied by the waggling of their whole doggy-body...

Cheers

Play in the Hay? I'm so Lame.

2007-09-27T15:17:00.000-05:00

It’s been a very, very long time since I blogged. The main reason is that I have no life right now. Work is pretty consuming and I’m so tired that by the time I get home, I fall onto my couch and don’t move. September was somewhat of a roller coaster and I truly hope October will be a peaceful month. I’m looking forward to cooling temperatures and crunchy leaves. I am so disappointed that the only Hawkeye game I’ve been to is the one in Chicago. I keep missing opportunities for games. I won’t even be going to homecoming this weekend. This makes me a little sad and kind of nostalgic for my marching band days, but not as much as I had expected.

I ran into a girl a few weeks ago who was in band with me. She was younger than I was and I had been her undergraduate staff instructor. She introduced me to her friend as “the biggest bitch…but she knows her shit.” (Pardon the language). I was a little taken aback. I guess I wasn’t the nicest person when I was in band. I’ve come to peace with that now. I think being in an organization that large and dynamic changes a person, and maybe not for the best. I guess we all have alter egos of some kind. I’m just sad that mine was a mean one. But I’m not that girl anymore. I’m not even a shadow of the girl I was last year. I can’t believe how much has changed over the last 12 months.

As usual, I’ve been reevaluating my life and wishing for more. More money, more friends, more time, more fun. Why can’t people be happy with what they have? Why can’t I be happy with my life? I feel restless again. I need change and adventure. I wish I could plan a big trip. I still don’t feel like I belong in this town, even though it’s my permanent address, my license plates are Johnson county, I’m registered to vote here and I know this city better than my hometown. Ugh! This is so silly! I need to perk up. It’s time to get out of the bitter barn and go play in the hay!

Peace and Love

Moment of Whimsy

2007-09-14T12:59:00.000-05:00

As I was sitting out on the Rooftop Cafe of the University Hospital, a large bunch of balloons floated up and over Kinnick Stadium. I was the only one out there and couldn't help but laugh out loud. I hope you all get to have a moment like that today.

Cheers.

A September to Remember

2007-09-11T16:11:00.000-05:00

Maybe it’s because I’m still living in a college town or maybe everyone experiences this, but I always feel like I’m starting over when school resumes each fall. Even though I’ve been out of school for a couple of years, September still feels like a new beginning. I want to run out and buy markers and rulers and scissors and shiny new saddle shoes. I’m a big believer in new beginnings…clean slates…second chances.

This month has been a travelin’ month for me. I went to Chicago last weekend for the game against NIU. I had a wonderful time. I’d never seen Jenna and Kenny’s house before and I got to stay there. All the prego ladies and I sat around and talked about cravings. I think that’s one of the things about pregnancy I understand the most since I often have cravings for odd foods at odd times. The game was fun, our seats were marvelous and the company was good. I don’t think the people in charge of staffing concessions quite understood what a following the Hawkeyes have. They ran out of food and beer before the game was over, and the lines were painfully long since there weren’t very many people working at the concession counters. Ah well. I still managed to buy some $7.00 beers…

This past weekend I took a few days off and went home to visit good ole Bob and Kathy. The drive was gorgeous and i was so surprised to see dozens of windmills outside my hometown. It’s the Clay County Fair this week (known as “the greatest county fair in the WORLD”). Mom and I went out on Saturday and wandered around the livestock barns and checked out the commercial building. I dutifully ate some Tom Thumb donuts and bought a bag of saltwater taffy. The weekend was very low key and full of visiting friends and family I haven’t seen for awhile. It’s always nice to go home and recharge my batteries. You know…clear my head.

There’s a comfort about going back to your childhood home. Very little changes. You still trip over that same jutting edge of the driveway. Your sheets are fresh and smell like nothing you can achieve when doing your own laundry. Without trying, you remember the special trick to turning the knobs of the shower so you don’t scald yourself when you get in. The milk is still on the right hand side of the top shelf of the refrigerator and your ass groove is still embedded in the sofa in the basement. You can sleep until 11 a.m. one morning and then have your mom pull you out of bed to do chores the next.

But there are things that change. You find more and more of your classmates are married and have children. You come home to learn another of your childhood teachers or neighbors or mentors has moved away or even worse, passed away. You realize that where your nephew once stood as tall as your hip, he now reaches your waist. The one thing I always notice is how big trees have grown. But these things are a comfort as well. They remind me that growth and change can happen gradually and naturally. I like this idea. I like that important things change, but the little things don’t.

I stopped in Des Moines to see Paul and Rachel and Nick on my way back to Iowa City. We had dinner and Nick gave me a tour of the fine puppy house he had built out of couch cushions. Paul and I watched some Monday night football and then read Nick a story before bed. I hit the road and got home around midnight. It was a good weekend. I'm glad I decided to mosey on out of Iowa City for a while.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

2007-08-24T16:35:00.000-05:00

This week has been so soggy! Several of my co-workers’ basements have flooded or their roofs have leaked. Even though I live at the top of a hill, our basement tends to flood as well. During the heavy rains last month, my poor little storage space was flooded with dirty, smelly water. My landlord cleaned everything up and luckily nothing was damaged. I didn’t have too much down there other than some Rubbermaid totes, a painting, and my fake Christmas tree. I guess it got watered…(Christ, that’s such a bad joke, I’m so sorry.)

So tomorrow I am going on a blind date. I’ve never had a good experience with blind dates and I’m thinking this one will be no different. I still remember the first one I went on—he was twenty-three, I was eighteen. He picked me up in his mom’s station wagon and proceeded to take me to dinner at Subway…because he had coupons…but I ended up paying for my own sandwich…then we went to Jake’s in downtown Iowa City because it was his friend’s birthday…and there was free beer…It was awkward and strange and not what I expected at all. Needless to say, when he leaned in for a kiss at the end of the night, I told him I thought I was coming down with a cold and that he probably shouldn’t get too close. I never returned his calls. Harsh, but…come on…Subway?

The thing is, I’m not really in the mood to date anyone. There’s too much pressure and expectation. I guess I’m going because I don’t want to disappoint my friends. I can’t say “no” to them. It’s one of my biggest weaknesses. Why couldn’t my weakness be chocolate instead?

The website at work is coming along quite well. Preliminary meetings have shown that my ideas are actually feasible, doable, even. Certain relationships at work have been a little stressful, but I’m still managing to leave work at work and just relax when I get home. I’m so glad I learned that skill at an early stage in my working career. Some days are more difficult than others, but I don’t obsess about my job and work relationships the way I did when I was a secretary. I’ve learned not to beat myself up when things go wrong. ‘Cause they’re going to go wrong whether I worry or not.

I’ve punked out a bit on the whole yoga-teaching adventure. I thought it was something I would really enjoy, but I’ve found I’m somewhat terrified to get up in front of a group of strangers and tell them to twist their bodies into strange positions. I know if I just suck it up and teach more I’ll get used to it, but there’s an initial level of shyness I haven’t been able to overcome. Plus, I seem to be running out of spare time. Between work, the studio, going to my own yoga classes, and trying to keep my apartment clean, I find there’s not much time left for anything else. I don’t want to sacrifice any of that right now. I guess I’m being a little selfish right now. I hope that’s okay.

Cheers

Alright, Already!

2007-08-14T13:23:00.000-05:00

I have been commanded to blog. I know I haven’t written much this summer, but I still struggle with the internal battle of deciding what aspects of my life are important enough to bore people with. I’ve had big events happen lately, but I don’t quite feel ready to address them.

I guess a few big professional events have taken place lately that I am happy to share. I am in the process of finishing my first commissioned painting. I had hoped to have it done sooner, but I forgot that the creative process and a deadline do not mix well. I feel good about what’s on the canvas as of now. And my patron has been very understanding of the process. (Thank you!!) I know it will all come together. It takes time and patience. Also, you know, there’s the whole “real world” job. That sometimes gets in the way of the painting. (If only I didn’t have to pay rent and…you know…eat to survive.)

But the “real world” job has had its benefits as well. I recently compiled information binders to give to each of our incoming patient families. I made it look very pretty with pictures and bright colors and a fun (but readable) font (and packed a hella lot of information into it, too). When I presented it to the head of our department, he was very pleased and suggested I work with our media team to make our website look like the binder. Well, that’s proven to be easier said than done. Apparently there’s a joint commission for marketing that regulates what goes on all UIHC departmental sites. I completely understand that the hospital doesn’t want all kinds of crap being thrown up onto the web, but they leave no room for individuality and take way too long to make any changes. Dr. Gantz keeps encouraging it, but I feel like my hands are somewhat tied in this whole process. It’s such a positive reinforcement to know that he thinks the work I’ve done is exceptional and that he trusts me to see it through. I just wish the rest of the hospital would trust me, too.

All of this professional stuff has caused my personal life to be a little less exciting than usual. I don’t know…good things have happened and bad things have happened and I guess I’m just trying to roll with the punches. I hate being confused and I don’t like being lied to, so I guess I’ll have to make some choices eventually. But I refuse to be coerced or pressured into anything. That’s all I have to say about that…

My HMB buds are getting geared up for the Hawkeye game at Soldier Field in a few weeks. That should be fun. My old neighbor is moving back to San Diego and has invited me to visit this winter. She’s a surfer and has offered to take me out to catch the waves. I’ve never been to the west coast, so I think that would be a good adventure for me. Plus I love to travel and never seem to get out of Iowa anymore. Let me out!

I’m not as down as I was a few weeks ago, but I still feel as if I’m in a bit of a funk. This is a tough time of year—the summer’s winding down, it’s miserably hot outside (I don’t do well with heat), and students are invading my world again. It’s time for Iowa City to get its game face on, which mean I should also get my game face on. Gosh, this is my 6th year in Iowa City. I can’t believe all that’s happened since I arrived in August 2001, bright eyed and eager to be a grownup. Now I dread the moments when I have to be a grownup. Responsibility and maturity? …EWWWW! I'll pass.

Peace and Love

Kind of a Downer

2007-07-24T11:20:00.000-05:00

I am incredibly sad and lonely today. This sneaks up on me every once in a while and always catches me off guard. I should see it coming, but never seem to. My officemate being gone for the whole week coupled with the fact that my neighbor is moving out has thrown me into a wistful melancholy that not even a 7 mile run and a nice glass of wine can cure.

Those aren’t the only things bringing me down. It seems that a lot of my friends have had major, life-changing tragedies strike them and their families in the past two weeks. Listening to their struggles and hoping and praying they will overcome them has left me feeling empty and helpless. There’s nothing I can do to fix it. I can only stand by and witness their pain. Their struggles are internal, without any practical solution.

Also…over the last few months, someone who caused a lot of pain and tears in my past has attempted to reenter my life. So far, I’ve been guarded and somewhat nonchalant, having a polite conversation here and there, but never committing to rebuilding a relationship. But it’s getting harder. And it breaks my heart because I know this person hasn’t changed, couldn’t change, and shows no signs of ever changing. I’ve attempted to cut ties on several occasions over the past two years, knowing his limitations and my expectations will never allow us to be something healthy. My family and friends encourage me to keep my distance…which I can do…as long as he keeps his, too.

I should know better. I do know better.

Peace and Love

Burn, Baby, Burn

2007-07-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

Where has the summer gone? I can’t believe we’re in the third week of July already! This only strengthens my resolve to continue to have as much fun as I can before the snow and the cold come flying in, stranding me in my apartment for four months.

I continued my summer of fabulousness by learning how to properly kayak on Saturday. Rachel and I were out on Gray’s Lake from 9 to 5. It was so much fun! I learned how to do a wet exit (getting out of your kayak when it’s flipped over), a cowboy rescue (rescuing yourself if you flip), partner rescues, different strokes to maneuver the kayak, draws (moving your boat from side to side, instead of forward), how to prevent flipping, and even how to stand up in our kayaks (we also balanced our paddles on our heads and put our arms out to balance). We had so much fun that we’re hoping to go out to Red Rock Lake in August to do a full day of just kayaking (minus lessons). Maybe we’ll let Paul and Nick tag along, too.

After the kayaking, we went back to my brother’s house, rinsed off and packed up the car for camping. Nick had been watching episodes of “Man vs. Wild” on the Discovery Channel, so he was super-duper excited for his first camping trip. Unfortunately, the flat, calm campgrounds equipped with picnic tables, fire pits and running showers were a far cry from the wilds of the rainforest that Nick had envisioned. But all of his little friends were there, so he soon forgot about being Bear Grylls (the host of the TV show) and focused on soaking all of the other kids with cupfuls of water. He was also quite excited to eat Cheetos. My sister-in-law has an intense hatred of the snack, so he views Cheetos as somewhat of a rare delicacy. As you can see he, helped himself to quite a few…

Unfortunately, Rachel and I did a poor job of applying sunscreen—as in, we didn’t—so we were bright red for most of the weekend. I am still pretty crispy today. I bear a striking resemblance to a lobster. Minus claws, of course.

Well, this week will be spent preparing for KP’s visit. I love it when my mom comes to town, there’s always a whirlwind of shopping and dining. We’ll rent movies and veg out. She has an undying love for George Clooney and Matthew McConaughey, so they will be featured prominently in our movie picks. I think my mom reverts back to being a teenager when she hangs out with me. Actually, I think most people revert back to teenagerdom when they are around me. My friend Brandy says I have the sense of humor of a fifteen-year-old boy. She might be right…

Peace and Love

"Vacation All I Ever Wanted, Vacation Had to Get Away..."

2007-07-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

Gotta respect the Go-Gos. And now I will have “Vacation” stuck in my head for the rest of the night…and probably yours too if you’re reading this. Sorry. Good goin’, Molly.

Well, I’ve been on vacation for a few days. I didn’t go anywhere. I’m not doing anything of importance. I’ve slept in until 11 just about every day. I cleaned my apartment from top to bottom. Let’s see, on the Fourth I went up to visit Pat and Kim and grilled out with their family. We went into Cedar Rapids to see Bill and Hill at Green Square Park and then watched the fireworks. In the middle of the fireworks show some jerk who lived in the apartment building we were sitting by dropped a full beer bottle on us off his balcony. It shattered everywhere and poor barefooted Pat got glass embedded in his feet. When we went to go report the incident to the nearby cop, we were scolded for not moving our chairs. It was not a pleasant experience. But I got the building address and the property management’s name (the cop wouldn’t give me his name…). Kim and Pat were going to report the incident to the police on Thursday. I hope they did. That beer bottle could have landed on a kid or something.

Thursday I went to yoga class and for the first time was able to do a forearm stand. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is. I’m not someone who’s comfortable with being upside down, so any kind of handstand, headstand, etc makes me quite nervous. It’s taken me two and a half years of classes to be able to do this. It’s a small personal victory. (Yay me!)

Yesterday I logged some studio hours. I have my friend’s daughter’s portrait half-way done. But I’m not sure if I like it so I may redo it. I went to Wally World and bought a chair for my drafting table. It has wheels that don’t really stay in very well. I discovered this valuable tidbit of information when I went to roll across the room, lost two wheels and biffed it on the cement basement floor. It was painful, but hilarious. I may think about getting a different chair…or a thick rug for the floor.

Today I did nothing.
I laid on my couch.
I took two naps.
It.
Was.
Awesome.

I did get up and go to my friend April’s birthday party. There was cake. There were lawn games. Both make for a good evening. There was a lot of talk of weddings and babies, but I think I handled it pretty well. I tried to start convos about a few different topics, but it didn’t work. I can only take grown-up talk in small doses, so I called it an early evening tonight. I’m probably going to just go to bed. Those two naps wore me out. (hee hee!)

Peace and Love

Argentinian Wine = YUM!!

2007-07-03T13:06:00.000-05:00

Here are my doggie pictures, in all their shining glory! Petra is the little one and Sydney is the big dawg. They are both very photogenic, don’t you think? Petra loved the camera, while Sydney was just like, “Stop pointing that stupid, flashing box at me and throw the friggin’ stick already!” Sydney is the kind of dog I hope to one day own. He has hair instead of fur, so there’s minimal shedding. Plus that’s easier on the allergies. His hair has to be cut a lot (about every 6 weeks) but that’s roughly how often I get a haircut, so I think that’s manageable. Plus he loves water (hence the title “Portuguese water dog”) so we get along splendidly. That patch of white hair on his chest and then his white doggie socks are the cutest thing! You can’t really see it in these pictures, but his dog tag is actually in the shape of a red bow tie, so it looks like he’s wearing a tuxedo. How cute is that?

Well enough gushing. I’ve also included a pic of Addie. She and Sydney got along famously. Petra however did not trust Addie at first. She took some winning over. But Addie prevailed. Horray for dogs and kids!

Last night was a wonderful evening. Ginny and I had reservations for a wine tasting event at Devotay. Every month they feature a different selection of wines to taste. This month’s theme was “Argentinian wine.” So we had four pours (two white, two red) and three different kinds of tapas. It was delicious. At first, I was a little intimidated because my knowledge of wine is somewhat limited to say the least. But the company was good and the owner was fun and charismatic and with the wine flowing like it was, I was comfortable in no time. I learned a lot about the particular wines featured, but it was really hard to hear in the restaurant, so I think I might have missed a few facts.

After the tasting, we all decided to stick around for an actual meal. Ginny and I split an order of sea scallops and then ordered our own desserts. (I had the bread pudding, it was amazing!) We met a delightful couple who made the evening quite enjoyable. They were fun and funny and quite knowledgeable. They had brought a friend along who regaled me with her theory on how men are like shoes. Shoe theory aside, I will definitely be up for the wine tasting again. It was so much fun!

Okay, well, back to my day. It’s been painfully slow here in the office, but I’m going to try to get some of our info binder compiled. I just needed a break from staring mindlessly at the Outlook calendar.

Peace and Love

Weekend Recap

2007-07-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

I don’t know about anyone else, but I had a very bizarre weekend. Well, to be accurate, it was really just my Friday night that was bizarre, but I think I’m still reeling from it a bit. I kid you not, I went through every range of emotion possible and maybe even repeated a few in there somewhere. Confusion and surprise were the two main ones. I don’t really want to go into all of the gory details, because they are quite personal, but suffice it to say, the full moon definitely had an effect on my life Friday night. No werewolves were involved, but I kind of wish they had been instead. At least my wounds would be physical…

Anyways, enough of speaking in cryptic codes. Friday night was bad, but Saturday was quite lovely. Saturday morning (in order to take my mind off the previous evening’s happenings) I went over to the studio and got everything set up. All I need now is a chair and I’m good to go.

Saturday night I did a double-feature of sitting. I dogsat for Petra and Sydney and I babysat for Adelaide. It was actually quite ingenious because I took Addie over to help me let the dogs out and she played with them for a good hour and a half. By the time we left she was pooped, the dogs were pooped and I was doing A-okay. I took some pics and I’ll try to remember to get those up tomorrow.

Sunday was a very lazy day until about 5:00. I decided to get my butt off the couch and go to a yoga class and boy am I glad I did. The normal instructor was gone (apparently for good) and was replaced by the powerful and wonderful Martha. Martha is a yoga goddess. She knows so much and teaches so well. I’m never able to make it to her Wednesday night class, so I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into the classroom to find her teaching. Needless to say, my butt was thoroughly kicked by 6:00 p.m.

After class, I was chatting with a friend of mine about the YogaFit certification class and Martha came up to join our conversation. Martha was actually trained in a different style of instruction, so her technique is different from I’ve learned. She invited me to come to her private studio for a heated yoga class. “You’ll really like it.” She said. “You’re incredibly strong, so it should be a piece of cake for you…” I was so flattered! That is a really nice compliment coming from an instructor of her caliber. So I’m going to go try a heated yoga class on Sunday. Wish me luck!

Well, I’m working tomorrow and then it’s off from work for five whole days. I won’t know what to do with myself. (That’s not true, I have lots to do!) But it’s still really exciting to have all of that time just for myself.

To go back to Friday night, I think my friends will agree, those shots of tequila were NOT a good idea…

Peace and Love

Rantin' and Ravin'

2007-06-26T16:27:00.000-05:00

I moseyed over to Dick Blick on Saturday to check out their drafting tables. I found one I really liked and walked around the store for 20 minutes trying to find someone to help me. When my efforts proved fruitless, I moseyed right on out of the store, thinking I would just find somewhere else to spend my moneys. Like the Internet. Later that evening, I went over to Brandy and John’s house to enjoy some margaritas and enchiladas. I was in the middle of relating my sad tale of Dick Blick when John solved all of my problems. The dude has a drafting table he’s not using right now! So I have a table on loan that I plan to go pick up tomorrow night. He also has an X-ray light that I can mount on a wall to do tracings. My friends rock! One’s letting me use her basement, free of charge. The other is loaning me expensive art furniture. Yay for friends! Yay for basements! Yay for art!

**Rant Alert**

So…I’m not a big fan of Michael Moore. His documentaries reflect his personal agenda a little too much for my tastes. In fact, the only one I could sit through was Roger and Me. But I’m contemplating going to see Sicko for the simple fact that he apparently targets two insurance companies for not paying for bilateral cochlear implants for children. I know he also targets the hospitals that work with insurance companies, which makes me angry and uncomfortable because I don’t necessarily trust him to portray the confusing and difficult task it is to work with insurance AND I don’t know how much of the film is spent addressing this particular issue, but I feel the need to see it.

A huge part of my job is working with patients’ families to secure insurance coverage for their implants. As we see more and more children recommended for bilateral implantation, my job seems to get more and more involved with helping these parents fight the companies they pay on a monthly basis to insure their health and the health of their children. But some companies don’t seem to consider hearing loss to be a health issue. “Oh, your baby can’t hear? That sucks. Well, we’ll pay for her to hear with one ear, even though the top neurotologists/audiologists/speech pathologists in the nation think it’s appropriate for her to hear with both, and see how she does…”

The thing is, it’s better when we get a response stating they’ll only cover one. At least we know what they’ll pay for. Oftentimes, we won’t ever hear back from insurance companies after submitting a letter of medical necessity. As a result, I spend hours on the phone in a call queue, trying to get to an actual human being to tell me why the company hasn’t responded. The absolute worst is when we get a faxed reply stating “Cochlear Implants do no require prior authorization. This is not a guarantee of coverage. This is not an approval or a denial. A claim must be submitted in order to approve coverage…” That just means the surgery has to be completed and the billing information submitted in order to find out how much they will pay. Does that even make sense?

So I guess I can donate $8.00 to the Hollywood machine to find out if this flick will shed any light on the heinous activities of insurance companies.

** Rant Ended**

Now that my ranting is over, let’s focus on the positive. Next week is the Fourth of July, which means I’ll have Wednesday off from work. Whoo hoo! Vacation in the middle of the week makes me a happy panda bear. Plans have been made for grilling and swimming and fireworks with my buds. I might even take Thursday and Friday off if I’m feeling a little crazy.

Well, I’m off to yoga class. Last Thursday’s class was awesome. I couldn’t even stand up when it was over. I lay on my mat for about 10 minutes after the class was finished. Hopefully this week will be the same. It’s the best physical activity I have access to right now… (Wink! Followed by a long sigh…)

Peace and Love

4:23 p.m.

2007-06-22T16:22:00.000-05:00

When I was seven, I broke my arm so severely that it was poking through the skin. When I was a teenager, I had numerous baby teeth pulled at once by my dentist in order to make room for adult teeth. Two summers ago, I attended 10 bridal showers, 7 bachelorette parties and was a bridesmaid in five different weddings and a personal attendant in two other weddings. None of these past painful life events holds a candle to the agony I feel waiting for the last few minutes of a Friday afternoon to pass.

Is that a tad bit overdramatic?
I don’t think so.

Work is going well. We had a tough week, here, but I think things will be looking up. It’s amazing how much of your professional life is spent dealing with office politics. Especially in a department that is full of women. I don’t mean to be sexist; I just want to say that right off the bat. But there is a huge difference between working with men as opposed to working with women. We think differently and react differently. Notice, I say “differently” and not “better” or “worse”. There are pros and cons to working with both sexes. As a rule of thumb, I try to avoid confrontation and conflict as much as possible. If faced with tense situations, I clumsily make jokes and avoid eye contact at all costs. That seems to work with men. I tend to use humor as a defense mechanism, just like Chandler Bing.

But it’s different with women. There always seems to be this underlying current of emotion that I cannot tap into. I don’t understand it. And this week, my attempt at humor fell flat. Even though I’ve been told I handle adversity well, I sure don’t feel like I do. I think my lame attempts at jokes sometimes make me seem flippant and dismissive, when in reality I’m actually just trying to relieve the tension. I know how serious a situation is, but I don’t necessarily want to admit it. Sometimes, though, I completely misread the situation and end up looking and feeling like a fool. (Well, like more of a fool than usual anyways…) So this week, I’ve tried to just keep my head down and power through…I’m just not sure of what exactly lies on the other side.

So! This is the weekend I will truly move into my studio space. I was a bit of a party girl last weekend and spent my nights out and my days recovering on the couch. But that will not be the case this time. I hope to move everything over and begin my first two projects—the lovely portrait of my friend’s daughter and a cover for our patient information binder. There are so many things I want to get for the studio, but that will take time. Patience (not to mention frugality) is not a virtue I possess all that much and all I want to do is go buy everything that Dick Blick and Hobby Lobby have to offer by way of art supplies. But I must wait… Hopefully I’ll have some pics of the space to put up. My blog has been devoid of photos lately. Sorry ‘bout that!

Peace and Love

Crap and Ow!

2007-06-18T23:30:00.001-05:00

Arrrrgh!! I just forgot a load of laundry at the "laundromat," causing me to turn around and go get it. When I got home, some jerk had parked diagonally in my parking spot and the one next to mine. (Hellooooo! It clearly says Apt. 9 on the yellow cement parking thingy.) And then, in my fury about my parking spot, I just slammed my finger in my apartment door. Christ. Ow. Crap. Goodnight.

Too Bored to Think Up a Clever Title...

2007-06-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here it is, another day in the good doctor’s office. The phones have been relatively quiet. Even though this is the zone of nonproductivity, I have managed to schedule a cochlear implant surgery and finished our research project’s continuing review for the University human subject’s office. I also helped out my co-worker in tracking down a suspicious airline charge that was made to the department credit card for $2,000. It was fraudulent! Those sneaky pirates, scamming our money. I also scanned our grant’s progress report and attached it to a file I’m working on. So I guess the day wasn’t in vain.

But…I also researched the 2008 presidential candidates and checked out online sales at J. Crew and Banana Republic. So…yeah. An equal balance of nonsense and business. I’ve been taking personality quizzes online today, too. So far I’ve found out that I’m an extrovert, I’m loyal to a fault and have a difficult time falling in love, but once I do, it’s forever. My musical tastes indicate that I am politically liberal. If I was alive in medieval times, I would be a Minstrel, because I am a dreamer who puts a positive spin on everything. If I was ice cream, I would be coffee flavored, because I’m motivating. If I was a cookie, I would be jam-filled—plain on the outside, surprising and sweet on the inside. The Star Wars character I’m most like is Yoda. If I was a Simpsons character, I would be Lisa, and the “Friends” character I’m most like is Rachel. I took a very interesting quiz at BBC.com to find out if I’m good at detecting a fake smile or not. Apparently, I am. (here it is if you’re interested. The secret is to look at the people’s eyes as they smile. A real smile always crinkles at the corners of the eyes.) So beware, all of you fake smilers out there, I’m on to you…

Last night I babysat Miss Adelaide for the first time. (If you’re unsure who Adelaide is, please refer to my entry on dog sitting for the full story…) I spent the evening trying to catch lightning bugs, eating Freezy Pops, and playing dress up. Oh my God! I forgot how much fun it was to be seven years old. We also played Connect Four. Can you beat that? Seriously? This little girl is a delight. Sure, she jumped from subject to subject and I had no idea of the names of the cast of High School Musical 2, but at the end of the evening when I went to leave and she threw her arms around me and begged me to come back soon, I knew I had made a wonderful friend.

Oh, why oh why can’t I get over this cold? I haven’t been this sick since my senior year of college. Man, that was brutal. It was during the end of the semester and I couldn’t take a break to be sick. I remember going to a final exam after having taken TheraFlu and cough medicine. I was shivering and sweating through the entire thing. I have no idea what I wrote on that essay exam, but it got me an A. Why do students do that to themselves? Yucky!

Well, it looks like I’m in for another night laying low on my couch. Hopefully I’m feeling better by tomorrow night. I’m supposed to go out for martinis with my neighbor. And Friday night is beers with my girls from work followed by the concert series on the Ped Mall with my gay boyfriend. And hopefully this weekend I’ll be up for moving into that awesome new studio…I should also probably pay a visit to Pat and Kim. I haven’t seen them in ages and ages. I miss my Kim Coe!

Peace and Love

Bendy Certification

2007-06-12T15:11:00.000-05:00

Get ready for lots of blogging this week. I am sitting at the desk of evil, watching a certain someone’s phones for the next couple of days. Sitting here does not inspire much productivity as I have very little access to the tools needed to do my job. But it is fun to catch up on CNN.com and find out what celebrity hijinks have gone down this week at USWeekly's website…

Well, I completed my YogaFit training this weekend. I think I would have had a lot more fun if I had been healthy. I still have this ridiculous cold. During the relaxation period of every class, I would have to leave because I was coughing so much. It was pretty annoying to say the least. The training was intense, 18 full hours of lectures and poses. I got to practice teaching a group of several people which was somewhat intimidating. Some of the instructors taking the course had been through all the levels and were retraining, so they were comfortable teaching while I was not so much…comfortable…with…the teaching.

I think the hardest part for me is the language of instruction. Instead of “you” you have to say “we.” “WE will now move into downward facing dog…Stepping back into Warrior one, aligning OUR heels and straightening OUR hips toward the front wall…” It’s like learning a foreign language. But I just have to do 8 hours of volunteering and then I can apply for my level 1 certificate. I’ll have to see. In order to become a master yoga trainer, I have to complete levels 2, 3, 4, and 5, repeating levels 1 and 2 to retrain. I have to take a two-day anatomy training, a seniors training, and either a prenatal training or a kids training. That’s like $4,000 worth of training. Not to mention travel and such. I was so excited about the teaching before, but now I’m not so sure…that’s a huge lifestyle and financial commitment. I love yoga, but I also love jogging and tennis and swimming and other forms of exercise. I don’t necessarily see yoga as a way of life.

On a sunnier topic, I now have studio space to start painting again. My wonderful friends, Ginny and Matt, just moved into a new house and have volunteered part of their basement for me to destroy with paint. I am so incredibly excited! I haven’t painted in months. Right now I’m working on illustrating a book for my friend’s daughter and I hope to begin an Iowa City series of paintings. I did a really fun one of the IMU Bridge a few years ago and it’s one of my favorite paintings. I think I’ll start with Kinnick Stadium at first and work my way around town from there. I’ve been shopping online for a new easel and am contemplating looking into a drafting table. It’s been years since I had actual space to work on projects. Space is such a valuable thing. I wish I had more of it. Someday I will own a house. And I will have a yard. And a garage. And a dog…

Things have been pretty quiet around here for the most part. My sweet neighbor is going to be moving away in a few weeks, leaving me to fend for myself in our building. But I’m excited for her. She’s talking about moving to Virginia, or Hawaii, or Florida. Lucky duck. She's a surfer, so Hawaii would be ideal. It’s cool she has options. She seems pretty overwhelmed, though. I don’t really blame her. Sometimes too many options are just as bad as no options.

I’m sitting by a widow right now, wishing I was outside. It is absolutely beautiful out there and I am stuck in here. I really want to take an afternoon off and just skip out to the lake and catch some sun. My friend, Jessie, was just talking about it and now it’s all I can think about. Ah well. I get to walk home. I guess that’s time outside. (Molly makes a face and sticks her tongue out...)

Peace and Love

Beers, Busyness, and Babies

2007-06-08T15:11:00.000-05:00

It’s been a busy spring. So much to do, so little time to write about it. I had a fantastic birthday full of friends, food and yummy martinis. I am loving the pay increase, which has allowed me to feed my one true addiction—shopping. You would not believe the obscene amount of money I have dropped on clothes this month. But now it’s time to buckle down, assess my finances and figure out what the hell I’m doing.

I went camping two weeks ago with my crew from the HMB. It was so much fun! I collected a few bruises this trip, but nothing like the ones from last year. RyanG was my trusty canoe buddy and it worked well. He even sang to me (he has a fantastic voice). Everything was great except for the fact that the two of us combined weigh about 200 pounds while most of our guy friends exceed that poundage on their own. Needless to say we did a lot of back paddling and sometimes stopped on sandbars to wait for others to catch up with us, but that just gave us the opportunity to drink more. I couldn’t believe how cold it got at night this year. I was shivering in my little tent. I had three blankets and my sleeping bag and was still cold. My nose was normally the only thing that wasn’t covered by fabric. But the days on the river were beautiful. We didn’t argue, and no one got too drunk. I managed to pick a fight with some dudes passing by in a canoe. They started it by making fun of my light-weight, kick-ass (completely heterosexual) canoe buddy. But they were two guys canoeing together with a radio which was playing “Amazed” by Lonestar. They were asking to be mocked. Unfortunately my sassiness earned me a dunk in the river, but it was worth it to see the look on the one guy’s face when I shot him right in the mouth with a water gun. Ah, canoeing. Such a peaceful activity…

Speaking of river craft, Rachel, my sister-in-law and I are going to do a day of kayak training on Gray’s Lake in Des Moines in July. I can’t wait! And I found out that my friend Dave has a kayak I can use here in Iowa City (until I save up and buy my own). So it looks like I’ll be adding that to my list of things to do. Maybe I can talk my brother into renting some when we go up to visit Mom and Dad this summer.

I’ve been fighting a cold this week. Not fun. Normally I just need a day of sleep and I’m good to go, but this thing is tenacious. I’m starting to wonder if it’s the flu. Whatever it is, I hope it’s gone by tomorrow. This weekend I’m doing a YogaFit certification at North Dodge in order to become a yoga instructor. I’m also walking/running/dragging myself in Relay for Life. So from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be in yoga training. For some crazy reason I volunteered to walk the morning shift for Relay for Life. So from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Sunday I will be out walking around a track. I just hope I’m still alive on Monday. Right now, all I want to do is go home, put on my pajamas, pop in a movie and curl up on my couch. (God, I love that couch.)As soon as 5:00 rolls around, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

Over the past few weeks I’ve found out that 10 of my friends are expecting babies. That’s one baby shy of filling the Hawkeye’s O-line. (Or enough for an excellent Ten Man team…too bad the band doesn’t really do that anymore…) I’m happy for them, but I’m a bit overwhelmed. That’s a lot of babies. And they’re all due between September and December. I guess it makes sense, since a lot of them got married around the same time, too. So in honor of the babies and their mommies and daddies, I went and saw “Knocked Up.” I thought it would be a fitting tribute. My god, that movie was so hilarious. I guess I appreciated it so much because I’ve know a lot of guys like Ben (the main character, slovenly but sweetly played by Seth Rogan) who just didn’t quite have it together but were okay with that. And then something unexpected (like a baby or Katherine Heigl) comes along and then things change. That seems to be how life works. And it was refreshing to see a movie portray that. Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally psyched for Transformers, too…I just think it’s important to appreciate both babies and robots in disguise. Both are more than meets the eye.

Sit..Lay Down...Roll Over...Good Dog

2007-05-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

I am a sitter. I have been dog-sitting for the past 10 days. Last night I babysat for a sweet little boy named Silas. Today I am sitting at the head of our department’s desk while his secretary is away. I professionally watch other peoples loved ones and belongings when they are gone. I must confess, I am very eager to return to my dear little apartment and my very comfy bed. I miss my loved ones and my own belongings.

The dog-sitting has gone well. I had only one slight snafu, involving a locked door, a locksmith and a hell of a lot of money. Last Saturday, tiny little Petra the Pomeranian needed to go outside. I was vegging out on the futon, wearing my pj’s, watching the extended version of Return of the King (they don’t have cable) when she came into the den to let me know, in no uncertain terms, that it was time to go outside. So I took her out.

When we returned to the door, we found that the handle was locked. Oh no! I had unlocked the deadbolt, but failed to unlock the handle. Stupid, stupid girl! There I was barefoot, in my pajamas, locked out of a house whose owner was in Alaska. That house was impenetrable. The windows were locked. All of the doors were locked. The garage has a code pad and the door from the garage to the house was locked anyways. So I was basically screwed.

Being the resourceful young lass that I am, I scooped up tiny Petra and unlocked the fence and ventured over to the neighbor’s house. They weren’t home. So I went to the neighbor’s next door. They weren’t home either. I wandered down the street until I found a woman gardening with her daughter. The delightful Julie and young Adelaide came over and tried to help me get in. When our efforts proved fruitless, we gave in and called a locksmith.

At first the locksmith seemed reluctant to come let me in. He wanted verbal permission from the owner of the house before he would even come over. When I explained to him that the owner was in the wilderness of Alaska, he backed off and said he would be there in 30 minutes. So Petra and I ventured over to the neighbor’s house for some much-needed water. Julie and Adelaide were a delight. The locksmith eventually arrived, ascertained that I wasn't a hardened criminal, running a scam to break into Paula's house. He then gave me somewhat of a hard time about locking myself out, took my check for $75 and finally left. The whole ordeal took about an hour.

In the meantime, Sydney the big Portuguese water dog had been hanging out inside. While the locksmith was working on the door handle, Syd would occasionally inquisitively pop up in the window next to the door as if trying to figure out what we were doing. When we finally got in, he looked at me like “Where ya been?” He then proudly brought me the bone he’d been chewing on for the past hour.

I may have locked myself out of the house, but I made some charming new friends. Julie and Adelaide have invited me over for dinner. And, of course, asked me to babysit. I gladly accepted, under the condition that they don’t have self-locking door handles. Thus begins anew my circle of sitting.

Peace and love.

Life is Good

2007-05-04T17:01:00.001-05:00

What a banner week this has been! I had finger-licking good B-B-Q on Tuesday, followed by a movie (the hilarious Hot Fuzz, highly recommended.). I finally cemented my job in the Oto department and got a substantial raise on Wednesday. (Celebration is to follow later in May in conjuncture with my b-day.) I babysat for a super-cute kiddo last night. He was such a sweet baby for only having known me for 30 minutes before I had to put him to bed. I went out for delicious sushi with the beautiful Ginny (and her handsome husband, Matt) and the equally beautiful Jana over the lunch hour today. And to top off the week, Nick and Rachel should be rolling into town tomorrow afternoon. We plan to go to McBride Hall and see the museum, out to the Res for some hiking (weather permitting, of course), to the mall for some carousel riding, and plans have been made to eat lots of yummy food. Can you ask for a better weekend?

Strangely enough, I felt a bit down on Wednesday night when I got home from work. I couldn’t put my finger on why I was sad. I’d finally gotten the job I’d been pursuing for 8 months. I should have been bouncing off the walls. My friend Jana suggests that it might be a cathartic reaction to being hired. But I would guess that catharsis would be a more positive experience. I was just so…sad. I’m thinking that I’ve been stressed for so long about this that I don’t know what to do now it’s all over. I’m sure the delay was part of it. I also think that now that this job is a reality and I no longer have the flexibility to leave Iowa City that I once had, I’m freaking out. I’ve always seen Iowa City as a transient place…I still see it that way. This isn’t where I want to end up forever. Is it?

"I'm Dancin' and Singin' in the Rain..."

2007-04-26T14:28:00.000-05:00

It’s spring! Yippee! This is by far my favorite time of year. I love watching everything turn green. I love the flowers on the trees and the tulips starting to peek out of the ground. I love the way the air changes and how you can smell when a thunderstorm is coming. Spring rain is by far one of my favorite things. I always think of Gene Kelly soft shoeing through puddles while dancing with an umbrella. I sometimes do that myself when no on is around. You can’t beat rain! I also love leaving my windows open at night and listening to the birds chirping when the sun comes up in the morning. I love hearing lawnmowers and the smell of my neighbors grilling burgers…Horray for spring!

I think I also love spring because my birthday’s in May. This year I will actually be dog sitting on my birthday. So Petra the Pomeranian and Sydney the Portuguese water dog and I will be partying in style. I’m looking forward to dog sitting. I love animals and can’t have any furry pets at my building, so it’s fun to take care of other people’s animals (and get paid for it!). Speaking of pets, I’m thinking about actually taking that big step and becoming responsible for another living creature. Yes. I think I’m going to get a fish. I had some goldfish and some Mollie fish when I was a kid. But something went wrong with the filter in the fish tank and they all died. (I remember the water being all black and the fish were floating in it. It was very traumatic.) My brother once had a huge goldfish, but it died too. My family doesn’t have very good luck with fish. But I’m going to give it another try. I think I can do it. I’ll let you know.

A group of my friends are getting ready to go camping on Memorial Day weekend. I went camping with them last year and had an incredible time. My canoe got submerged under a huge log. I was trapped between the canoe and the log and kept banging against both of them and Jason, my canoe buddy, was swept downstream. It finally took Kenny Kessler, aka The Hulk/Superman/Wolverine, to push across the river and carry me, like a monkey, on his back across to the riverbank. But it was AWESOME! I love camping. I love canoeing. I love anything to do with water, actually. I get really sad in Iowa City in the summertime. That’s when I miss Okoboji the most. You just can’t beat NW Iowa in the summertime. Ah well. I’m sure I’ll make it up there for a visit or two.

My friends are also planning on trekking to Illinois this fall for the Iowa vs. NU game at Soldier Field. And then of course, I will be going to Ames to get my drink on with the Byersdorfer clan for the IA vs. ISU game. I can’t wait! I think my next favorite season after spring is fall…because of all of the football…and the grilling. Mmmm. Grilling.
Peace and Love

Cell Phone, Come Home!!!

2007-04-23T12:54:00.000-05:00

I have lost my cell phone. I had it the other night at our office party, but when I went to the Sanctuary afterwards, it was gone. So I wandered over to the IMU not once, but twice this weekend. Both times, the information desk was closed. So I went for a third time and they sent me to the parking office (a logical place for a lost and found to be...) The lovely attendant at the parking office had me fill out a piece of paper, describing my phone and when I lost it. She then assured me that it would most likely be found within the next two weeks. "TWO WEEKS!!!" I said. "E gads, woman! How am I supposed to live without my phone for two weeks?" So I gave up on the phone (which has negative karma attached to it anyways) and went to the lovely people at the Sprint store and got a new phone. With insurance. And now my phone woes are all solved.

Shame on Me!

2007-04-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

I’m afraid I am woefully bad at blogging. I don’t really feel that the events in my life are blog-worthy. My days are pretty much the same—work, yoga class, dinner, and reading a book or watching a movie before bed. The weekends are full of parties and social engagements either with friends or family. I live in a cute little apartment which I am constantly trying to redecorate and improve. I have a wonderful neighbor who’s always there if I’m feeling lonely. I have more friends than I can count (Good thing Facebook does that for me…) I guess, all in all, I lead a somewhat boring life.

My plans for Washington D.C. aren’t going to happen…which is probably for the best. I can’t afford to travel to Washington, Iowa, much less our nation’s capitol right now. I keep hoping and hoping things will come through with my job, but week after week the answer is the same “I don’t know. Soon, Molly. It should be done soon.” I’ve been hearing that for seven months now. This whole delay in reclassifying and job title (not to mention pay increase) has really put a damper on my work ethic. I still show up for work, but I’m not as energetic as I used to be. It’s becoming harder and harder to be cordial to the individuals involved in this delay. I sometimes feel like Milton on Office Space—“Yeah, we’re going to have you go ahead and move to the basement to make room for some new personnel…” And then they take my stapler.

As far as writing about a love life goes…there’s nothing really to write. (Unless you count my ever-growing crush on Stephen Colbert) I’m comfortable being single. I’ve been doing it most of my life. I’m not sure if I really liked being in a relationship anyways. It was a lot of work. With little reward.

Sometimes I feel like I’m sitting still while everyone else is moving at warp speed. I know that’s a normal feeling and I’m comfortable with it now. But I am constantly questioning my decision to stay in Iowa City and work at the hospital. I know I’m capable of more than what I’m doing, and that I should really go back to grad school and get a master’s degree, but I don’t want to go out and spend a lot of money on something that I’m not sure about. I think I’ll keep biding my time for a while longer. Maybe something will change. I guess I’m about due for something to shake me up.

In family news, my nephew, Nick, turned four two weeks ago. I arrived at my brother’s house to find him sporting a self-designed Mohawk and a t-shirt which said “I do my own stunts”. Somehow, over the course of a couple of months, my nephew has become the coolest little punk kid ever. The birthday (as always) had the underlying theme of Star Wars, which included a Darth Vader cake. Later that day, my brother and sister-in-law had their marriage blessed by the Catholic Church. Nick still had his Mohawk. I love my family.

This weekend is Easter, which means Rachel will be baptized on Saturday evening. We are in for a long night, since that service starts at sun-down. Oh well. Rachel’s worth it. Easter also means I’ll be able to eat cookies again. I decided to give up cookies for lent. I immediately regretted this decision when, the day after Ash Wednesday, four boxes of Girl Scout cookies arrived at my office. They’ve been locked away in a cupboard for 40 days. You may want to avoid my office on Monday, because it will be a massacre. A cookie massacre. Think of Cookie Monster and then give him blond hair and boobs. That will be me.

Peace and Love

One is Silver and the Other's Gold

2007-03-05T16:20:00.000-06:00

Can I just say, I've been making such wonderful new friends over the past few months and have been getting in touch with old ones. I am truly blessed to have so many witty, fun, easy-going people in my life. I have never been happier than I am right now, which is strange considering the fact that my job is a question mark and I'm not quite sure what's going to happen to my future. But somehow it doesn't seem so bad anymore. A year ago, I was a basket-case. Now, I feel secure and...peaceful. Funny what getting rid of those toxic elements in you life can do for you. So this is a big bear hug to all the super-cool people in my life. You're the best!

I will hopefully be traveling to our nation's capital this spring. I have wanted to go to D.C. for two years now and am finally getting to do it. I haven't been too far from Iowa since I went to Orlando almost three years ago for the Capitol One Bowl. It's time to get my traveling shoes on! Ya know, I think life is backwards sometimes. People have to work when they are young and able-bodied and it's only when they are old and unable to work that they get to retire and take a break. I think you should get periodic years off throughout your lifetime. Work one year, travel the next, or have a baby, or build a house, whatever-- the point is, you're living your life and not devoting yourself whole-heartedly to work. Americans take work way too seriously. I wish we lived more like Europeans do...Ah well. Maybe some day...

El Laberinto del Fauno

2007-02-01T13:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I went and saw Pan's Labyrinth last night with my friends Derek and Shane. I did my research, so I was prepared for the violence and the gothic horror elements. When the captain did his nice little stitch job, I didn't even flinch. Del Toro wasn't very subtle with his message of the evils of war and men, but neither war nor men are subtle, so that's fine by me. The cinematography and art direction were phenomenal. It was a beautifully violent story. I guess my only complaint would be that I wanted to see more mythology and fantasy. I understand the necessity of showing the audience the violent reality Ofelia existed in, but I think the story could have been balanced a bit more. I will go ahead and say I liked the film. I think I want to see it a few more times before I declare it as a fave. I guess the verdict is still out on this one...

In other news, I am pretty stoked that I am finally being reclassified at work. I will no longer be a secretary. Whoo hoo! Hopefully the paperwork will be finalized in the next couple of weeks. I also gave my two weeks notice at good old Ann Taylor Loft. I loved working there. The people are great. The clients are fun. The clothes are adorable. But I am burned out. Working 14-hour days at two different jobs just isn't for me. It was an incredible experience to work in retail and I learned a lot about how a clothing store runs. Hopefully I'll be able to return and work next holiday season.

My sister-in-law is taking classes to convert to Catholicism. She'll be baptized this spring. Our family is pretty excited for her because now she can go to church in Ruthven and hear the fabulous organ stylings of Daryl Weishower. Not that she couldn't before, but now the experience will mean so much more to her...as a Catholic...hee hee! Dad's been singing a lot lately. He's even auditioning at the casino in Emmetsburg. My dad could soon be a lounge singer! How cool is that? He could be like Bill Murray on SNL..."Star Wars, nothing but Sta-aar Waa-aars..."

Otherwise, my life is pretty stable. I love my little apartment. I've done a few paintings to decorate my walls. I hung a shelf. (Actually my friend, Pat, did the hanging with his super-cool power drill. I'm developing a love for power tools.) I hope to buy a chair and ottoman soon. That way my guests won't have to sit on the couch with me when they come to visit. I'm also looking into getting a new computer. We'll have to see about that one, though..My neighbor, Jaime, and I have been hanging out quite a bit. I'm making all kinds of fun new friends in the speech and hearing department. I'll be traveling some this spring, which should be fun. All in all, 2007 is shaping up to be a pretty great year!

A Rest That Peace Begets...

2007-01-17T23:46:00.000-06:00

Sleep ain't happening for me. I don't know why. I do the yoga. I eat healthy foods (except for the occasional Oreo or two...mmmmmm...Oreos.)I drink lots of water and not too much caffeine. And yet I cannot seem to fall asleep. It remains a mystery to me. So in order to keep my overactive, sleep-deprived brain busy, I have organized photos, painted pictures, listened to relaxing music, taken dozens of bubble baths, and done many a late-night load of laundry. I need help! Seriously. What will cure my not-sleepy-ness?

Christmas: Part Deux

2006-12-27T22:48:00.000-06:00

There is one very important addition to my Christmas tale--my father's birthday cake. My dad's birthday was on December 23, and in honor of this momentous occasion, my brother (who is a manager at the Cheesecake Factory in West Des Moines...I know, awesome right?) procured for us this decadent cheesecake. But beware, my friends. One slice of this bad boy contains 1380 calories...

2006-12-27T12:56:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness! I have been a very busy little elf these past few weeks. Between my job at the hospital, my job at the Loft and celebrating the holidays with my friends a family, I haven't had time to think, much less write. Work has been going well. Christmas at the mall wasn't nearly as crazy as I thought it would be. I attribute this to on-line shopping and the abnormally mild weather we've been experiencing. I am enjoying working at the store and helping clients find gifts for themselves and their family members. The strange thing is, I've run into several friends from high school while working there.

Breaking from tradition, I celebrated Christmas at my brother's house in Des Moines rather than at my parents' house this year. Christmas eve was lovely, full of fort building and story reading with my nephew, Nicholas. We read "Santa Mouse" and "The Night Before Christmas". We also got to watch "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". I'd forgotten how much the Abominable Snowman scares me. Even without his teeth. After the movie, Nick went to bed, but not before leaving Santa some cookies (on a Star Wars paper plate, mind you) and milk. Oh and a chunk of cheese for Santa Mouse. Later that night, Paul, Mom, Dad, Rachell and I went to 10:00 p.m. mass at Holy Trinity. It was a no fuss, no muss kind of mass. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

At 7:30 sharp the next morning, I awoke to shrieks of joy and Nick hurling himself onto the couch where I slept. Santa had come in the middle of the night and left a ridiculous amount of presents under the tree. We tried to stall Nick with his stocking and some smaller gifts before the grandparents arrived. Once we were all assembled, the madness began. There was a firefighter's costume, a veterinary kit, several Playmobile sets including another castle for Nick (he got one last year, along with a pirate ship), a Star Wars blaster, a mega fort to set up in the basement, several books and movies, a Hawkeye jersey (autographed by Kyle Schlicher, thank you Shea, Holly, and Kyle!), and the piece de resistance--an X-wing fighter complete with hanging moss, R2D2, and Luke Skywalker. All in all, Nick had a good Christmas.

The rest of us didn't do so badly either. Paul got an ipod and some clothes. He and Nick also received their traditional matching weaponry. Two years ago they got swords and shields. Last year it was lightsabers. This year--nerf guns. Rachel got bubble bath, a briefcase, a knitting kit, and gift certificates. Dad had made Paul and I CDs of the singles he and his sisters recorded in the 50s. Mom got a purse and some books, including one on the Saints (not the football team, though). Melissa and John Bulkley (my sister-in-law's parents) got a portable DVD player. I got my lovely Canon Powershot, a Kitchenaid hand mixer, and mixing bowls. I now have three sets of mixing bowls--a Martha Stewart set, a Betty Crocker set, and a William Sonoma set. I only accept mixing bowls if they have a proper name attached to them...We ate until we were full...and then we ate some more! There was chicken chili, bbq brisket, bread and crab dip, chips and guacamole, potato chips and chipotle dip, shrimp, cheesy egg bake, chicken cord en bleu, rice, cookies, almond bark candy, Corn Flake christmas wreaths, and three kinds of chocolate -- truffles, Ritter chocolate bars, and assorted Ghiradelli chocolates. It was delicious!

Paul, Rachel and I went to see Eragon on Christmas night. We were so wired from all of the chocolate that we decided to watch Pirates of the Carribbean 2 when we got home. In the past week I have seen four movies in the theater--FOUR! (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Holiday, The Queen, and finally Eragon) As they say, 'tis the season. And what a wonderful season this has been. I am amazed that we will ring in the new year on Monday. 2006 was a very strange year, and I am not sad to see it go. Hopefully 2007 will prove to be better for us all.

Seasons Best to all of you!

O Come All Ye Faithful

2006-12-15T15:18:00.000-06:00

Well, I never thought I would be much of a blogger, but I've decided to venture into the world of sharing my thoughts with others. I don't know how profound or numerous my thoughts will be, but ever the optimist, I have high hopes. Mostly I started this blog so my friends and family can keep track of my activities. It's amazing that with all of this advancing commuication technology, I feel even more out of touch with everyone. Even my family. So, in hopes of welcoming my parents into the 21st century with open arms, I have created my blog. Enjoy. Or don't. It's your choice. This is a very liberal-minded blog.