Creating

When I get busy or preoccupied with other things I don't create. I've recently tried to start doing something creative as daily as possible. I've been writing some music--(for those of you who don't know I used to  be incredibly involved in music in high school and well before that (starting piano at age 7 and adding instruments and voice lessons since then))--and that's pretty fun. I've rediscovered that I actually have a half-way decent voice so that's exciting! And I can record my voice and piano skillz on my iPod!

But today I'd like to post something I wrote last fall. I don't know what you'd call it. Some sort of short creative non-fiction I suppose. Alyssa?? In any case, I couldn't sleep and decided to look out my window. It was 2:00am. My roommate was over at her BF's and I was cold.

OBSERVATIONS FROM MY WINDO OVERLOOKING THE IOWA RIVER

I'm not the first aspiring writer to view the space here, nor am I the best. I watch as hundreds of blackbirds (Black Beard) take wing, fly over the river, and land again at the very top branches of the barren trees, transforming their bony limbs into branches of great leaves sillouetted against the river and the buildings with their tiny lights. 

I realize I'm also not the first to sing to the birds outside my window as I sit trapped inside with myself. A damsel in distress with nothing to be distressed about. I look across the river towards the hospital. I see lights on in a few of the rooms. Not only are the occupants of those rooms trapped in their rooms, they are trapped in their bodies. They're the real ones in distress. 

I see a distant stoplight change and cars drive by. The helipad search light--I think that's what it is--flashes orange-yellow-green. And other red lights blink on and off in asynchratic and always-changing rhythms. I see a cathedral from way back when placed on top of a much newer building. A never building. I wish I knew more about this place.

Proof and Comfort Food

1. I ate at Proof today for lunch. My Dadddy took me out since it was the second-to-last day of my internship. I've eaten there a couple times before--I always get the Moroccan Chicken Flatbread and the Spinach/Apple Salad. 

It's GOT to be one of the best restaurants in Iowa. No, the Midwest. It's only open for lunch Monday-Friday and only open for dinner on Friday nights. And that dinner menu is fixed, changing each week. 

Weird? Yes. 
Awesome? Yes. 
Delicious? OMGYES!

I am not a food critic. Not even an amateur. But that place is some serious cuisine. Alyssa, you would LOVE it.


2. I love my Grandma's sugar cookies. So simple. The cookies are crisp and sweet, never frosted but always with a little extra sugar sprinkled on top. I don't know that they taste any more spectacular than other sugar cookies. Some people might think they're bland. But for me they're some sort of comfort food. (She dropped off a bag of cookies today and I had one before hopping in bed.)

I don't totally understand "comfort foods" but I think that's the closest I've got. I really like my mom's lasagna recipe... Does that count? I also like when my dad makes tuna and noodle casserole. We can only have it when both my mom (who is allergic to mushrooms and we use cream of mushroom soup to make it) and brother (who is allergic to fish) are gone. So it's kind of a treat, and something that my dad and I share. Does that make it comfort food? 

This is the first picture in Google Images under "Comfort Food"

To me that just looks like lunch on Sundays when we used to all go to church together in the morning.
Does it make it comfort food that I can associate a nice memory with it?
In any case, I like food and I like things that are comforting.

What are your comfort foods?

Iowa

I love living in Iowa.

I love my drive to and from work.

I get to see things like this:

These are images of Iowan landscape, but not of my actual drive. My camera battery is dead and I can't find my charger. I wanted to post pictures from my beautiful daily commute, but these are the next best thing!

I love driving on gravel roads and seeing cows and horses grazing Iowa's green grass, corn and soy beans growing to feed the world, deer jumping over fences and rabbits hopping alongside the road.

I love the wildflowers.
Such vibrant purples and orange. Bright yellow, red and blue.
I also love the prairie grass once covering Iowa entirely.

I love barns and farm houses, old and new.
I love the silos peaking through the tree-tops like the ancient castles in Europe.

I love Iowa's rivers and creeks, lakes and ponds.
I love being IN and ON Iowa's rivers and creeks, lakes and ponds.

I love spending days (all day long) fishing.

Especially here:

Especially with him:

This dragonfly was cool too...

Iowa is such a beautiful place if you just spend some time exploring the back roads and waters. I was glad to spend a semester back home in my darling small town full of the nicest folks (yes that is a VERY "Iowa" term) and surrounded by some of the most peaceful and serene places on Earth.

In fact the word Iowa and the word love look pretty similar, no?
love Iowa
I can see it at least.

I'm looking forward to spending a full summer at home and fully intend to go back to my secret fishing spot, wander through the creek on my grandpa's farm, and canoe. Somewhere. If I don't find my camera charger soon I'll have to buy a new one.

I'm ready to get back out there and take more pictures of the places I love.

I'm Back

Hey everyone!

As you may have gathered, I'm a pretty big fan of all things music. I have a wide range of musical interests (and love getting new music if you have anything to suggest!) but in this post I want to promote some local talent.

I think it's really important to support local musicians and help them establish a home fan base. If they don't have that how can they spread their music? I'm sure many of you know people who play in a band, or maybe you dabble a bit yourself. I have a handful of friends who are playing in bands in the area, and two bands in particular mean a lot to me.

The first is a band called Saved on Sunday, or SOS. As the name implies, they are a modern Christian rock band with a really positive message and well-written music. They released their debut album last summer, (and my name is mentioned on the inside booklet!) and they've been playing around the state and even around the world since then. All members are from the Des Moines area. I've known three of the four for several years, and the lead singer/guitar/keyboard/songwriter (Dan) is one of my very good friends. You can check them out HERE! Or add them on Facebook HERE!

This video is of their CD promotion concert for their first CD Change the World. Enjoy!

The second band you should check out is Shades. They are all from the Des Moines/Ankeny/Ames area. I'm great friends with the drummer (Gavin) and this band is really important to him. Their music is a lot harder than I usually listen to, but it's really good.

This video is from their CD Release Concert last Sunday. I went to it and it was a great concert! Unfortunately there were probably only 25 people there. Their CD is self-titled and only cost $5 to buy! The quality of this video isn't that great, but you can get an idea.





We have such a rich music scene in Iowa if you only take the time to check it out. Make it your goal this summer to go to a couple concerts by local bands you aren't familiar with. They'll really appreciate your support, and you'll enjoy hearing good music and supporting your community.

If you want information on getting copies of these CDs let me know!

Applesauce and Pretending

So I wasn't going to write this as a blog post, but I've just got to.

1. Have you ever not eaten something in a looong time and forgotten what it tastes like? Sure you have. Yeah. I had some applesauce today, and man, that stuff is GOOD! I was kind-of shocked. I mean, applesauce is such an unassuming snack. I don't think I've ever thought (or said) "Wow, you know what I could really go for right now? Some applesauce." It just doesn't  happen. But I tell you what, I'm excited to have some for breakfast tomorrow!

2. Today when I was walking to my car after work I started crossing the street and then the countdown began starting at SIX so I accidentally pretended the street would turn to lava if I didn't get the sidewalk by zero and when I made it just in time I realized my heart rate was actually a little elevated.

That was fun.
You're welcome for the run-on sentence.  
(When I typed that I started to type "fun-on" instead.)

Paying it Forward

Yesterday I was in Iowa City for a brief couple of hours. I said hello to a few friends, and missed saying hello to a few more. It was really nice to be back for a while though.

When I parked at a meter for lunch my friend and former roommate put money in it before I could even park straight and get out of the car. That was really nice! Unfortunately we could only put in one hour's worth at a time. Well we figured we wouldn't be in there more than an hour, so we decided it was fine and would watch the time. We forgot.

After a delicious lunch at MONDO'S SALOON (DElicious! Thank's Alyssa!) we realized we must have been there for over an hour. We basically ran out to my car, only to find someone had put change in for me! I had 47 minutes left! So when I saw that the meter next to me was expired with a car still sitting in it I put in 40 minutes worth of quarters myself.

People call this "pay it forward". To me, it's all part of something I like to call the Human Connection (not outloud or to other people, just to myself really, but now you know!) and it's one thing that really fascinates me.

My Backyard

We've had a swarm of deer in my backyard every winter since they replaced half the forest behind my house with a golf course. But this winter is the first time we've had turkeys. The first time I saw them I was a little freaked out because I've never seen a turkey SO CLOSE before!

THEY ARE DISGUSTING

But each deer and most of the turkeys have their own personalities. It's fun to watch them interact. Some will be really angry, some really lazy, and some really attentive. My dad took this short video of a scene at our birdfeeder from the upstairs window when he came home for lunch one day last week I think. I hope you watch the whole thing through--it really tells a story!



Hope you enjoyed that as much as I do! There is always fun like this over here. (come visit me?) The only down side is how impossible it is to play in the snow. It's very dirty with all those animals eating all day...