State Regulations: RIDICULOUS

I received a letter in the mail a week or so ago from IPERS - Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System, stating my member number and how they would protect it and keep it safe. Fine. Thanks. I think they've missed the bigger question as to WHY I would be receiving this at all.

Because of my part-time status as an aerobics instructor, I now am contributing point nothing dollars to a retirement account that I don't even want or NEED. So now, on top of giving to my 403(b) I am ALSO giving to this other account that will never add up to enough to even purchase a gumball when I retire.

The Millennial Generation

Once again, our generation is causing change. But, I wonder if our demands are becoming somewhat unrealistic?

Blog Action Day

This year's issue is poverty. Today my thoughts are focused around sympathy for those without the means to cover basic human needs. In my comfortable world, it's so easy to not let myself be affected by these issues that seem so far away. Blog Action Day is helping me to remember that it is important for me to let my heart hurt for those who are hurting as that is where the motivation for change will stem.

A few sites of interest:

• www.poverty.com
• www.freerice.com
• www.wfp.org
• www.worldbank.org/poverty

Murder Mystery Party

The girls' roles have been assigned. Now we've got to get all of the men on board. This is going to be an intense, 4 hour ordeal to SOLVE A MYSTERY (all while in great costumes and using accents of questionable descent).

I feel as though the success of this venture is so great that it will blow our housewarming party out of the water. So much potential.

And the food is going to be out of this world.

Sweet Home....

It has been TOO long ladies. I'm glad to hear your voice in 5 min. increments from time to time but cannot wait to plan a wild weekend - let me tell you girls, it will be nice to let loose with a) someone I'm not related to and b) somewhere where the drinks aren't $10 a pop. Other than working and working... and working... I've been getting to know this city and trying to plan my life! In the meantime...

My Windy City It List:
- downloading podcasts off iTunes to listen to at work/during the commute
- free summer evenings at the Art Institute (complete with glass of white wine in courtyard)
- Cole Haan flats
- The Nike Human Race

- Fig Newton's new granola bars - unreal.

I feel guilty about:
-returning these earrings for this bracelet
- having a piggy bank full of coins and not bringing to the bank... weekend after weekend...
- admitting I like (REALLY like) the sugar free vanilla iced coffee from McDonald's (only 90 calories...sorry. I know.)
- not seeing you two!!!

Can't wait to see the family pic, check out the great shower curtain, down a few key lime martinis and SEE YOU GALS. xoxo

Open Mouth, Insert Foot

Few are able to as aptly ruin a good thing as I am. Today I was up talking to my new boss, M, when he mentioned that I should be thinking about where I want to go to out lunch with the team on my first day of work. No holds barred.

I go back to my desk and am emailing with the two assistants, B and P, when I say, "Let's play a little joke on M. Let's tell him that I want to go to Old Country Buffet for my lunch. You two put it on the calendar and tell him that's what I told you. I'm betting he'll be cool, calm, and collected while gagging on the inside."

Soooooo clever, ST. I get an email back from B that says, "You don't think Old Country Buffet is good? My son and I eat there every weekend."

Uhhhh ... crickets. I start laughing slash covering my face from shame at my stupidity. Finally I write something to the affect of, "I love that you can eat everything you want and satisfy my sweet tooth at the same time. Let's just forget about it. I'll let you know what I decide." Can we say BACK TRACKING?

Then I check my email again. B has just sent me a response to the affect of, "I just love it when my gravy is two weeks old and I fear I'll find dentures in my mashed potato flakes." As Ashton Kutcher would say - Punk'd.

I called B and all we did was laugh. A good way to start off my work at UIF, question mark?

Proclamation Situation

I wrote an official City of Iowa City Proclamation today, complete with the "whereases" and "now therefores." Next week I'm to go before City Council to accept the proclamation and plug Welcome Week. Check out the newest event: Taste of Iowa City (scroll down to Wednesday).

Way Too Long

It's been almost a month since any of us (i.e. me) have written.

Here's the update:

• 2 new jobs
• 1 new apartment
• 1 new boyfriend
• Too many new changes to count
• 1 family portrait hanging on the wall of
• 3 best friends

My most recent obsessions:

• Pesto vinaigrette from Bread Garden Market
• The new shower curtain!
• The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins
• Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey
• Book clubs (although I have yet to attend my first one)
• Finishing projects (they WILL get done)

My Worst Nightmare

Who knows if anyone's actually reading this but I HAVE to share because it was literally my worst nightmare ... ever. In all space and time.

Last night I dreamt that I was marrying a guy I know (who ironically got married to one of my friends just a month ago) and the wedding went just fine. But slowly it all started unraveling that I didn't have ...

• A photographer. There were NO pictures taken of me getting MARRIED!
• A cake.
• Invitations to my extended family. I was lucky my parents were there!
• Food for the reception. I was all giddy after the ceremony before realizing that I had to do some makeshift "heavy hors d'oeuvres" prep. So I went to a gas station and bought frozen rolls and sent my brother to The Pit to buy some roast beef (wha??!?)
• A desire to get married. I remember thinking after the ceremony, "I'm not sure I love this guy. I don't think I want to be married to him." But I had to push that thought away because there were hundreds of people whose meal was hours late.

I woke up and my heart was pounding. I didn't sleep well the rest of the night for fear that I would actually do that when the time comes!

Back in the Game

A new use for an old standby: slap bracelets

Also - the Tour de France started yesterday! Stage 3 is tomorrow.

One man's trash . . .

In search for old doors for a new apartment, the Salvage Barn was suggested to me. Friends of Historic Preservation, a non-profit, gain permission to salvage useable pieces of old homes that are going to be demolished. Doors, windows, cabinets, stairways, knobs, you name it. I'm headed there Saturday and can't wait to find a treasure!

The Renewed Face of Printing

On my wish list: Gocco Printer - perhaps a good buy with my tax return?

Speaking of printing, I was thinking of creating a "Flood of '08" tshirt. Any clever ideas for a slogan or design?

Can Can

One thing we girls love: a good mojito. A little mint, a little rum, nicely muddled, over ice. Delightful.

Imagine my surprise when, just this last weekend, I was served a mojito -- IN A CAN.

"Hmmm" queries the reader. "Would TF dare drink a distilled malt beverage from a CAN??"

Indeed, she did. News flash: it was surprisingly delicious.

The New Generation of Creatives

I am proud to be an Iowan. Not born here but raised.

It's cool to see others who are as well. The next time I'm in Des Moines I am going to stop at Smash and give these young folks my kudos.

The new generation of creatives, where knitting is cool and screen printing dominates, has arrived in full force. This is evident in Iowa City through the "What a Load of Craft!" craft show and the new Home Ec Workshop studio, and is apparently catching on across the state.

$10,000 divided by 3 is...

I don't actually have an idea for a contest entry yet, but if anyone can win this thing, it is one of us...

http://www.youtube.com/user/postitnotes

My mansion

This is my new favorite place, located in the town where I went to high school. For the record, I did indeed say that if I got married, this would be the place, but it was meant in more of a "wow I love this gorgeous mansion people use primarily for weddings" kind of way... ogle the pics!

http://www.cheneymansion.com/

Saving the World

One grain of rice at a time.

My friend Cassidy shared this highly addictive website with me: www.freerice.com

For every correct synonym that you identify for a variety of words, 20 grains of rice are donated by the United Nations to help end world hunger. So - go out there and practice for the GED while doing good.

Good challenge, LA. I'm a little too nervous to do it ... Let's make our resident writer, TF, participate first!

Romance Novel Excerpt

In honor of our postponed One Night Stand Book Club, here is an excerpt from a book I found online. It is nowhere NEAR as steamy as the pages I had flagged in the book, but at least this one is slightly humorous.

So Chase settled for reaching for Nicole's water glass instead of her lips. In some primitive way that was stronger than logic or experience, he needed to touch something that had touched her. The knowledge that she had held the cool, smooth glass, that her mouth had touched it, that the water had slid caressingly over her tongue, made this one glass irresistible to him.
"May I?" he asked, picking up her glass without taking his eyes from hers.

Wordlessly she nodded.

The delicate sounds of golden bells pierced the blur of surrounding conversation. The sweet music sank into Chase like tiny, sensual claws, pricking him into full physical awareness. He poured a clear stream of water into the glass, set his lips on the rim where hers had so recently lingered, and drank.

He knew that she was watching him as intently as he had watched her. The certainty caused a sudden rush of blood in his veins, the heavy beat of sexuality swelling.

Wow, that was beautiful.
My challenge: write your own romance novel excerpt and post it. Make it GOOD.

New Favorites

1) Create your own Jackson Pollock: http://www.stumbleupon.com/demo/?friend=5403695&msg=Express+yourself%21%21#url=http://www.jacksonpollock.org/ (Don't be fooled that it looks like it hasn't loaded.)

2) Dried apricots. Mmm!

Also - CONGRATS to LA for successfully completing her first 10K race today! The IC doesn't get much better.

Good - question mark?

A week and a half ago I was reunited with a past boyfriend - the first love. So great to see him. So great to maintain contact and FINALLY (four years later) have the "relationship reenactment." The RR is absolutely necessary for me in most break-ups (what can I say? I like closure.) yet with this one I moved on (relatively quickly).

We talked about why we broke up. Although mutual, it was still a bit of a mystery. First Love talked about how hard it was when we broke up and how he's been measuring every other girl against me and no one's quite measured up. Wow. Naturally all sorts of memories came up which made us wonder if this newfound whatever should turn into a refound love.

After our initial hour-long convo I was torn as to what to do. I asked him to give me a week to think and pray about things. And then reality set in that there were a lot of reasons to be cautious.

We chatted today and he said we should be friends (real friends - not fake ones, he's willing to make effort). He seemed really hung up on the fact that he didn't know what brought this on. And you think I do?! It's not as if I liked the possiblity of dating yet ANOTHER boyfriend for a second time. I feel good. I'm just so glad someone else made a decision.

Doesn't mean I wouldn't WMF him though ...

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day I did a little google searching for tips on how to save the world, one tree at a time. http://www.treehuggerz.com/ has a list of "Small Things You Can Do Everyday." Out of 98 (couldn't think of the last two, folks?), the number one suggestion is breastfeed your children. Really? I mean, really? Let's just hope these aren't organized by most important.

Working on my Backwards Walk

www.dailytuneage.com

Shared by my great friend Aaron, I've fallen in love with this site. Yesterday's post is quickly becoming my most recent addiction.

Had to share...

This link will take you to the cutest blog ever...

http://annamariahorner.blogspot.com/

To Paris and Beyond

I never knew what words of wisdom I was missing before we hosted "The One Night Book Club." Thursday we had a ladies get together and charged the invitees with bringing the most horribly awesome biography they could find.

Inspiration came from singers, actors, models, businesswomen, and even puppets. The personalities adopted made the night a success.

My book choice was "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose" (clever, right?). Paris Hilton will never cease to amaze me. She has just, like, such great advice? And she's so smart? Here's one of my favorite tidbits: "Some people say I'm a hypocrite because I eat burgers but won't wear fur. My response to that is heiresses don't need to be consistent."

Thank the Lord for my newfound realization that my attempts at packing frugally, having intelligent conversations with guys, and believing that I can have true friends who aren't just jealous of me are completely WRONG. And thanks for Celine Dion's story of intimacy with Rene. And the name Narvel.

Editor's Note: Getting Started

This page is the brainchild of three friends - three good friends who have lived and worked together for four years. They've lived also partied, traveled, painted, swam, read, eaten, danced, and run together, among other things. They leave no stone unturned and make their mark wherever they go - they are the Tripod.

And, they're splitting up - geographically, at least. The time has come for all sorts of graduations, so while they began living a few feet from each other, then a few floors and then blocks, they will now be a few states away (and maybe countries). Determined to stay abreast of their adventures, creative musings and mishaps, they will utilize this blog as a fun way to share and stay in touch (as well as inspire, challenge and laugh, of course).

Let the fun begin.