happy new year

Someone paid for my coffee at Caribou. Happy New Year.

Almost time to leave the Twin Cities...
Ciao Minnesotans...

sun ray

Stopped at the *Sun-ray shopping center, which a friend had mentioned is supposedly either
the oldest or one of the oldest strip malls in the country- I haven't been able to verify this
with any independent sources, so someone feel free to fact-check this.
I have passed by it nearly every day I've been here, as it's a landmark of sorts driving on
I-94. It's not really terribly noteworthy, as far as shopping centers go, except for its historical
"value".
*Also the illuminated sign is a bit wonky and seems to also show it as the Un-ray, which I find
way more amusing.

I also saw a bumper sticker that had something to do with (cheese) curds but sadly now I can't remember the exact wording.

meat raffles

technology

As ubiquitous as we may think technology is our culture, knowing how to use is still NOT
instinctive. Ie. If you've never used it before, it doesn't matter how pervasive we perceive it to
be in "American culture", it's still confusing and bewildering and can be difficult to explain how to use it.

Just some thoughts for right now...

if you're happy and you know it...

The cashier at Target who gave us... 11 bag credits! Target gives you 5 cents back for bringing in your own bag(s). I've never had them give more than 2 credits; not that I really expect any more. I bring my bags in when I shop but it's always nice to get a few cents off. Last time we went shopping and had two large reusable bags worth of stuff, the cashier, who seemed really really happy (or on something), kept scanning the "coupon" button which gives you the bag credit. Later I looked on the receipt and he'd credited us 11 times!

phone etiquette...

People who call YOU and when you answer, ask who is this?

Um... you'd think that might be a pre-req to calling? Yeah, I guess I sometimes have a phone
number scribbled down somewhere with nothing written beside it. Anyway someone just called
me who didn't know who I was but he's running for mayor of Bloomington. He sounded really friendly though!
Also today someone from an optometrist office called to remind Linda of her need for her annual eye checkup.
Maybe Linda is the one who was going to vote for this guy for mayor.

marathon

Went to a marathon-watching party today to watch/cheer for a friend running in the marathon (her first). Pretty cool, I had no idea people lined the streets to cheer and root on their friends.
And almost like exercise, watching other people run!

on the other hand...

there is also this Frank Lloyd Wright designed gas station in Cloquet, MN.

Fill with gas, win free meat

At a gas station called Pump "n" Munch

look closely at the board to see this

a northern MN wonder...

cranberry wild rice bread!

Good stuff.

because I can't make these things up...

Driving back from northern MN, in our neighboring Wisconsin, passed by the Bong Airport. It is in Superior, WI. Sometimes the jokes are just too easy...

Also visited the North American Bear Center, in lovely Ely, MN, which I would definitely recommend, if you ever find yourself in northern MN. Met some bears, as well as some very passionate and knowledgeable volunteers. I wouldn't go quite as far as wanting to be best friends with some black bears but apparently they are pretty gentle animals and won't attack you.
Yay bears.

parking on the ramp?

I've noticed a few times now that someone says there is a parking "ramp"-- ie. to mean there
is a parking garage you can park in. For some reason I don't think garage or lot when I hear
"ramp"- i think like a parkway entrance/exit. Is this a regional thing?
Like I went somewhere today & I had asked where I could park & the person said such-and-such
parking "ramp"- but it was a garage. I guess you drive up a ramp/incline to get through the garage.
It's okay, now I know what they mean and what to look for but I wonder where that comes from.
Is it a Midwest thing?

cool things

at the public library, you can get free passes to local museums!

burgers

or burghers I suppose. I saw a guy in Target wearing a Pitt shirt and a Pens cap.
I do see a surprising amount of Pittsburgh-related paraphernalia here.

copper thiefin'

Sooo... in our fancy-pants "upscale" living (as the complex bills itself)... someone broke in and
stole the 4" copper pipe that was the main line for the water for the whole bldg!
Um, what? We awoke to find no water in the apartment.
Fortunately was fixed within about 5-6 hours after this incident. But wow...

mentality

yesterday I saw a bumper sticker on a car which said:

"Guns have only 2 enemies: rust and politicians"

I really ought to start a list of "clever" sayings like that. You never know when I'll be at a loss for words and can slip this gem in to fill a conversational lull.

Also, I absolutely "love" and by love I actually mean really really dislike, when people vastly oversimplify things. But I suppose that is the limitation of trying to fit ones ideology on a
bumper sticker? Maybe. I'm not sure I buy it. It's not exactly the most profound or insightful way even of showing your support for gun rights. I mean since when do guns or other inanimate objects have "enemies".

requirements for living in yuptown...

1.Hummer-- check
2. yippee dog-- check
3. cell phone-- check
4. talking on cell phone while walking yippee dog--check check

other oddities...

if you go into a liquor store with someone else and that person is purchasing liquor, they will also card you*
This is some specifically Minnesotan thing, apparently. In addition to the funky restrictions of where and when, we went in to buy a bottle of wine & were both carded? For real? Yes. I thought the guy working there was joking but nope, he was dead serious. I wonder what the rationale is.
Is this supposed to prevent someone from purchasing something for someone under-age? How?
Couldn't that person just be waiting outside? Weirdos...

*they didn't seem to care when it was beer being purchased, or maybe the guys working there were too caught up in watching baseball.

On an exciting note, only a few more days til the Minnesota State Fair...will it astound & amaze and entertain as much as the Iowa State Fair? The Iowa State Fair, to be fair, did have deep fried butter, Janet Jackson (her career post-wardrobe malfunction days), Reba Mcentire and an assortment of cranky GOP hopefuls...

things i overhear

in entrance to Trader Joe's...
"Is this some sort of upscale grocery store?"

just like PA

no tax on clothing
and you cannot buy alcohol at the grocery store

impressions

thus far...
Corn and Target
so far St. Paul is seeming an awful lot like Ames!

Haha...that is just woodbury though, home of yupscale living.

sponge what?

Just a quick story here- we stopped by Dollar General aka the dollar store to pick up a few cheap
supplies. While there I noticed some marked down DVD's- including a Sponge Bob DVD. Yay. I picked that up, along with the other stuff, and when the cashier was ringing things up, was surprised to find out (actually all 3 of us were!) that something we were buying required age verification???! HAHA? What could it be? Here is what we got: tape, light bulbs,
batteries & SB. Have people found a way to make drugs out of batteries? Is it some bootleg SB
that really isn't cartoons? Has SB actually been found to promote obscene amounts of silliness
and random goofy behavior?
These are things that I would like to know... perhaps they have an age check for any DVD's, in case they are Rated-R? I buy DVD's so infrequently, I really have no idea if that is the case.

alien v predator

Or bunny vs. cat. The other night on a walk around the neighborhood, I glanced over and coming out of the shrubs on the side of someone's lawn, was a cat. The cat had something in its mouth-- looked bigger than a mouse but I couldn't tell what it was carrying. Cory went up to look and to
our horror, it had a BUNNY in its chompers! Poor bunny! Well that scared the cat, who dropped the bunny, and that bunny hopped away, to safety (at least for the time being). Do cats eat bunnies? It was a little bunny.

The light is green, so you go...

That is usually what happens, right?

Last night we're driving down our road, and about a mile down the road from the house slow to a yellow light, turning red. There is one car in front of us. The light turns green.
The guy in the car in front of us opens the door and gets out of his car. Which is a little weird but there's really no one else on the road. I figure he's going to get something out of the back or trunk. But he continues to walk back to our car and stops, and Cory lowers the window.
And the guys asks if we own the house for rent -- seriously this is already 1 mile down the road! We telll him to contact the company=- their name/number is on the sign-and the guy waddles back to his car and gets in.
REALLY? For real? That is creepy and weird. First, he was AHEAD of us, so how did he even know to stop and ask us? Second, really? You stop your car at the GREEN light, risk causing an accident, to get out and ask about a house for rent? For real? You couldn't go back and stop your car and take down the number?!?
WEIRD. This is probably one of the weirdest things to happen (in Ames).

sp. part ii, etc.

Shoeless guy wore shoes to class on Friday. Maybe it was for the exam? Or maybe it was because it was raining. Don't know. They were those slip-on type slides/sandal things. He has pretty gnarly toes, I gotta say.
Also, the little bunny in our yard is super cute and loves to eat dandelions.
And finally, if you go to the Resource Recovery Plant to dispose of your garbage thru the county
(and not pay stupid prices for private garbage pick-up), be prepared for the stench. It is
overpowering.
And be depressed by some of the stuff people throw out.
Sad. And Smelly.

neighbor

Our neighbor likes to sit in his car, with the music on loudly, every night from around 5:30 pm, for about an hour, before going inside. His music is loud enough such that if you are in the bedroom in the front of the house, you can hear/feel the reverberations of his car stereo.

shoeless paul

Yes, the lesser-known, shoeless Paul. At least I think that is his name.
Today I had the following interaction with a student in my summer-class, who I'll call "shoeless
Paul" for reasons that will soon be very obvious.
I had noticed a few times before that this guy wasn't wearing any footware in class. At first I thought perhaps he just took off his shoes during class, especially since flipflops are so popular in the summer/spring. No, he actually doesn't wear shoes at all.
Today as I was walking to the classroom,I encountered him & he asked me something unrelated & I answered (this being one of the longest & probably only interactions I have had with any of the students in this class, to date). I decided this was as good an opportunity as any to ask about his lack of shoes- I suppose I didn't stop to think that he could not afford shoes, which would have made me feel bad, but otherwise he seemed normally attired for class. I asked him if he was not afraid of stepping in or on things, although I suppose I should have realized he must not, if he chooses to go barefoot all the time.
He didn't seem surprised by my question (surely I'm not the first to ask) and said he didn't really step in things very often and that it only hurt a little at first. Good to know. I asked about stepping on something like glass but I guess this does not happen as often as you might think. I am reassured. But I don't think I will be walking around campus barefoot any time soon.
Also, I'm guessing you actually are supposed to wear shoes inside buildings. I wonder what he does in other places (ie. places like restaurants, bank, etc.).
Oh well... guess I will be left to wonder..

Farmer's Market:

The Saturday Farmer's Market in Des Moines is pretty awesome-- I would guesstimate at least 200 vendors: you could get anything you wanted, from fresh produce to chicken to breads/pastries to fancy soap!
Pretty impressive in its scope and looks pretty popular, based on the turnout I saw.

the mailbox mambo...

Today as I was biking through campus, I saw a postal worker (I assume) removing a mailbox--
I think he was an official postal worker due to the truck and not just some rogue mail thief!
I guess there were actually 2 mailboxes in front of this bldg- although now I can't remember if there were one or two, and maybe they put a new one in and were removing the "old" one?
But the postal worker was awkwardly wrenching and twisting the mail box back and forth, in this awkward sort of thrust, trying to get it out of the concrete. Weird. I slowed down briefly to check it out. I wonder why they were taking the mail box out? Finding mailboxes on campus is surprisingly hard.

industrious squirrel?

We bought one of those bell-shaped bird feeders to hang on a hook/pole outside & try to attract some new birds. Today a very acrobatic squirrel was dangling practically upside down, trying to eat all the seed from the feeder! He seemed very determined, almost hanging on by his tail at one point, and was really into eating there.
Later a chipmunk came along to eat the bird food too!
Guess they did not see the sign that said it was BIRD food...Hah.

Suddenly summer...

Wow, 72 deg. out today!
Hooray!

Yay

Yay sun. It is sunny again.
There is a cardinal in the yard. And some grackles.

assorted

Still cold, though logic tells me I shouldn't be, it's actually warmer outside. Saw some sort of
End of times prophecy/revelations camper/bus with advertisements before, telling me when the world would end (some time in May)...wish I'd gotten a picture.

where am I????

Really, it's April 19 and it's SNOWING out? Are you kidding me?
Granted it's more a mix of slushy snowy rain but white stuff has still accumulated outside.

It was a HIGH of 80 degrees only a couple weeks ago! What's going on?

sighting...

I saw an alpaca today, on the way to Boone (another town in the next county) to go bike riding.

Spring time suddenly...

Well all of the sudden Spring/Summer is upon us...70-80 degree weather & sun; and humidity too.
A flock of juncos descended upon our backyard yesterday. Seriously, more than a dozen.

Ames excitement on Friday night-- the library booksale-- happened to be there getting out a book
at ~ 5:30 and saw people LINED up, waiting for the beginning of the book sale!

bunny sighting...

The giant bunny returns... seen in our neighbor's backyard...

more wildlife...

Two robins in the front yard, now that there is actual (semi) yard again, including one big fluffy robin, pulling at a worm.
Woodpecker guy in the back yard. And cardinals.
No sign of the giant bunny...

Hooray...hoorah...

Time for Spring! Yippee! Lovely warm weather, time to rake leaves ~ yes, normally a fall activity but since no one bothered to do yard work for the last umpteen years here, we actually raked & gathered 10 bags of leaves...Seriously people, if you ever wondered what would happen if you didn't rake, well I don't think it all magically composts without any intervention. No, what happens is NO grass grows underneath- so now the yard is pretty bare of leaves & you can see there is no grass, just dirt underneath. Whoops.

Warm weather & the start of April are terrific though. I saw a beautiful cardinal in the yard AND
a GIANT bunny. I think this bunny ate all the other bunnies and that's why I haven't seen any.

weather, roller derby girls, liberty tax, cooter-rama

Still pretty cold here, despite it officially being spring. It snowed this week. Not much rain though, the car is still dirty.
It doesn't really look like spring yet. I saw a cardinal in the backyard, on the far fence. He didn't come close though and didn't want to go near the bird feeder.
We are still snubbed by most of the birds.
We saw the Des Moines Derby Dames; they lost against the Old Capitol City Roller Girls.
Roller derby is weird. First we wound up sitting on the floor of a crowded "events center" but it really looked more like a school gym or something. That gets uncomfortable after about half an hour. The periods or whatever they're called are like 30 min long but they stop a lot sometimes- thus my boredom. But also maybe because I couldn't keep straight who was supposed to be doing what, the "jammers" or the "scorers" or whatever they were called. Mostly it was just some pretty aggressive gals skating around, knocking into each other. I guess they are used to getting knocked down but it didn't look all that fun to me.
I had previously thought that being a character advertisement or whatever it's really called, someone who stands outside in costume advertising for this or that business must be one of the crappiest jobs ever- boring and you have to stand out there in any weather conditions. Seriously, I've seen the guy advertising for Pizza Hut when it's really hot outside & the people outside when it's plenty cold, and assumed they must be pretty miserable. But the other day I saw a girl dressed in the Liberty Tax costume, ie. like Statue of Liberty, and she was smiling and seemed to be having a great old time.
So who knows...

Lousy S'March weather...

I may have actually said this same thing last year but really, it's March and cold & 90% chance of snow tomorrow? Really? And severe weather alert? C'mon now...haven't we had enough?

first bird friend

Hey we had our first bird visitor to the bird feeder, a black capped chickadee. Came by & checked out the bird food for a while. Everyone else is still keeping their distance.

Back and forth...

Today I was unable to get across the idea of using re-usable/canvas shopping bags In lieu of PLASTIC bags,-
I went to the grocery store to pick up a few items. When I checked out, I handed the cashier my bag, and he started packing it for me. Except when he got to the package of chicken, he started putting it in a plastic bag. I said, Oh yeah, I have my own bag- just trying to be nice about it.
But just as pleasantly he said Oh I always put chicken or meat in a plastic bag, what if it leaks.
Hmm...it would leak into the plastic bag then??? And be just as messy.

I think he was missing the point behind bringing your own bag(s) but he was trying to be helpful. Amusingly or ironically, the store actually gives you 5 cents back for using your own bag. Hmm. I decided it wasn't worth arguing back and forth about, so I took the bag, and when I was outside took it out of my bag and stuffed it in one of those plastic bag recycling bins.

Hmm...

birds, butts, and beer (cans that is)...

So far, despite the short but enjoyable break in weather hostilities, the bird feeder remains untouched. There are birds around, including Ginormous crows flying in the yard, a woodpecker at the tree, but no bird feeder customers (yet).

We discovered that the layers of snow covered the lovely mess of cigarette butts that the previous tenants felt generous enough to leave behind for us in the yards(both front and back, because, let's face it, why limit yourself to depositing your cigarette butts to ONLY the backyard when you could also spread that joy to the front too). Maybe they were under the impression that cigarette butts are biodegradable and will now return to their natural place in the ground. Maybe they were trying some new, rogue version of composting. Who knows...I can't speak to their motivations. I only know it is pretty gross looking. Of course only to be topped by the fact that they also left empty beer cans in the yard too, just to complete the classy look. Yay.
Also, guess how big out trash can is (Provided by the garbage removal service). It's 96 g.
It looks like some sort of industrial size recycling bin- and yet this is the smallest size. How much trash do people put out each week????!?!

a strange sensation

no, it's not the after-effects of the King Bing...
I was outside today and I had this odd feeling- I'm sure I'd felt it before-
and then I realized-
I wasn't cold! It's pretty difficult to dredge up that feeling but after months of feeling
uncomfortably cold, with bitter winds that cut right through your clothes, it's pretty disconcerting to suddenly NOT feel that. It's like, wow, I'm outside and I'm NOT wearing thermal underwear, wool socks, and 2 sweaters! What the hell is going on?

Yesterday to celebrate the impending arrival of this new "non-coldness" - we took to the hill of Ames and went sledding, before the snow becomes a slushy mess. First in our makeshift flattened cardboard box (which worked pretty well) and then in our friends' sled, which was fun, as we went round in circles and hit icy bumps and then climbed back up the hill to do the whole thing all over again! It was similar to our snow-tubing adventure last year, but not as cold and free!
I saw a guy with his snowboard, trying to work out that hill. And some people with their pretty dog.
Now there is that big ol' sun in the sky and high time for all this snow to start to melt down into a slushy snow mess! Good times!
Also observed: one of the displays in the alcohol section of the grocery store: Dom Perignon champagne marked down from like $149.99 to $124.99, displayed alongside packages of chaser (allegedly prevents hangovers)
I don't know what the pairing up suggests, just thought it was noteworthy.

a Midwest treat?

this says it is a Midwest favorite. From Sioux City, IA.

cold

it can't be good if the HIGH is predicted to be


zero....

reprieve

First day in a while that it is not PAINFULLY cold out. Still cold but not as bitterly so.

Approximately equal

Number of people in the library on Friday morning and number of people at gym on Sunday morning.

hot air balloons, revisited:

Today I overheard a pretty good conversation on the bus, regarding the signs about things/activities prohibited on the bus. As mentioned here:

http://amazingcornacopia.blogspot.com/2010/07/aliens-on-bus-and-other-things.html

I had wondered about the meaning of the no hot air balloon symbol/image. What could this mean? Did passengers often attempt to bring hot air balloons onto the bus? Two passengers were discussing this very thing and then, not being able to make any sense out of it, asked the driver what it meant. He said it really didn't mean anything, it was just a joke. As in, no eating, no music, no skateboarding and no hot air balloons.

return of tax man!

Poor guy, I saw him outside on Duff Ave advertising for the tax prep place, in the bitter cold. What a job- standing outside, dressed like statue of Liberty, trying to entice people to get their taxes done, when it's FREEZING outside. Surely this company can think of a better, more humane method of advertisement!

seldom seen

What is that bright thing in the sky?

Oh, that's the sun. It has returned, after not being seen for the last 4 days.
Yay. Now it is cold and miserable, instead of dark, cold and miserable.

Winter.

nice things are nice

In our old address, we had the nicest and most hard-working mail carrier. Not only was he a super dedicated & conscientious mail carrier, he was just a friendly guy too. If we ran into him around our neighborhood, he always recognized us & gave us a friendly greeting. He would bring our mail and packages to the door sometimes. Right before moving & holiday vacation, we wrote out a Christmas card to him with a tip, although I still didn't even know his first name! I handed it to him while he was delivering the mail, to make sure he didn't think I was trying to give him some outgoing mail. Soon after that we were caught up with moving & holiday travel. Last week I saw a card with an unfamiliar name & address as the return address. When I opened it, I was delighted to see it was a very kind thank you note from the mail carrier (whose name is Chuck), thanking us and wishing us a good new year!
Yay for small towns and nice people!