KC Saturday

So I never finished my KC story. We tailgated at Arrowhead Saturday - didn't get there too awful early after having free breakfast at the hotel thanks to Robert, our friend from checking in. Did I mention we make friends wherever we go? It was a $10 value per person! The front desk staff wasn't happy the next day to find out we had those coupons...

Anyway, we had hungover Pablo to make Bloody Marys for each of us. He wasn't feeling as poorly as he rightly should have. We walked over to visit with Annette - Dee's neighbor from Mallard. Then we walked towards the stadium to see if we could find Juddy, when we came across Matt Rasmussen - cool double-knit guy. I say - "hey, cool pants" and he taught us how to do the "SWIPE" a handshake that stands for southwest Iowa Pride. Matt's from Council Bluffs and knows several Creston chicks. Funny!

Welp, we know how the game came out - another heart breaker. Clones just can't get over the hump at Arrowhead. It was 90 degrees during the game but after, it clouded up and began to get stormy. There were even tornadoes and hail about the area. We walked in light rain back to the Power and Light District and ate at a sports bar. Not too wild that night.

The funny thing was the next a.m. we had breakfast coupons again. Thanks Rob. Paul, Bobbie, Dee and I hopped in the elevator which stopped on the way up to our floor. On hopped a gal obviously dressed in last night's formal attire, which shoes in hand. She went up 1 floor. Oops. Walk of shame. She got off and all of us girls laughed hilariously! Paul said "what?" Duh boy - ain't you never been there?

Early fall a.m. drive

It was a beautiful early fall morning drive on my way to work today. I started out with breakfast with my homies - a small bunch today: Bobbie, Patty, Debbie and Nancy and me.

Nan and I monopolized the a.m. talk with chat about the road. The private road by our home is becoming a county road - complete with 2 lanes, thus taking out a good portion of our side yard. Until now it's been a single asphalt lane, somewhat crushed by heavy equipment in parts. But the county agreed to take it over and made it a real road (kinda like Pinocchio became a real boy...).

Only Conovers and Goldsmiths had to sign over part of our property. And the people who will actually use the road have to help pay for it through taxes. So heavy equipment pulled in a couple weeks ago and started messing up our neighborhood. And it IS a mess! Especially after the rain! Stofferahns got 2 inches of water in their basement recently as the diggerman covered up their sump pump outlet. Oops! Paul was mad that they covered up some of our tree branches...

Lots of our neighbors have no way to get from their homes to the road in front of our house - cuz their road is gone. Many are utilizing golf carts and leave their cars down by our house. Stofferahns are parking in Jud's spot sometimes. I'll be glad when the project is done, but I sure hope the traffic doesn't pick up!

After breakfast, my drive to the big city was a pretty one. The light was perfect - sun just coming up on fields that are just maturing. Fog sat on the ponds, creeks and low spots in fields and cattle looks a bit spooky munching grass in the mist.

I hit traffic right when I got to the edge of West DM but I didn't even swear. I swear!

Gorgeous Sunny Day

Where were you yesterday? Of course it rained yesterday and was crappy for football tailgating. Damn. I want a nice day for football - one where I can sit in a lawn chair in the sun and think "life is good!" It's going to have to be in October.

But we made the best of it. Donnie and Dee - those little girl scouts. Talk about "be prepared"!! They got tents so our tailgating crowd didn't even get wet.

Paul and I picked up Bobbie (oh she of leisure, on week 2 between jobs - 1 to go before she starts the new one) and Jeff at noon. We drove in light rain all the way to Ames. Stopped at the bookstore on our way to the game - no rush, right? Until Don texted Paul to say "hurry, before I get too drunk to grill".

McKims were entertaining Schwamans - Don's college roomie and nicie nice wife Patty. She is truly very nice - so much so that one would like to smack her. Just to hear her cuss. But she'd prolly say "gosh darn!" Drives Dee wild.

Jud and the boys showed up in time to eat. I'm glad we have peeps to feed. Paul grilled pork loins and giant hot dogs. There was potato salad, fruit kabobs and veggie platter. I made pecan bars that were quite yummy if I do say so myself.

Tried a new Baccardi drink - Cranberry - lime. Good stuff. Haven't been drinking much at games so far this year though. Not sure why - solidarity with Iowa fans perhaps (they have a new anti drinking policy in Iowa City and the anti fun police are out in force there I hear). Naw. Not sure why - just want to enjoy the games sober. Refreshing idea, no?

Late night after a great defensive game by the Clones - 2 Pick 6's. (Interceptions returned for touchdowns). So early night tonight for us. We're old!

It was a dark and stormy night

Geez - I've been a busy gal. Work has been crazy busy - who knew garbage could cause one to work this hard!?! I told you all about the pilot project I've been working on - Environmental Management System or EMS for solid waste planning areas.

We have been doing a year-long project with six solid waste agencies - they're trying out being an EMS. We hired a consultant to help lead them through this process - it's a whole new way of viewing all the systems they deal with - trash, recycling, water quality, greenhouse gas, education and organics. There is more to it but I know blah blah blah.

Anyway - we're nearly to the end of the year and area thinking of what happens next. The EMS Council who oversees this project along with my department, decided it would be good to do a short video promoting the project so that other solid waste planning areas will consider becoming EMS in the future.

DNR has a Communications Bureau who gave us an offer we couldn't refuse to do this video. We wanted it done in time for the big fall trash conference in early October. I first met with Communications in early August to talk about the project - a teeny tiny young woman who is a graphic designer (she works with our department frequently) and 2 videographers whom I'd never met before. Crusty older guys - more like my age.

We set up a tentative filming schedule for each of the 6 pilot area locations and I had a bare framework for what we wanted to say. Now...all these weeks and several snafus (dead camera batteries, filled video cards) later, it's time to put the video together. Needless to say, I - there person that has never put a video together before - should not be the person ramrodding this project. Hell I don't know what I'm doing!

So I had to have a mini-meltdown - not really but I did go to my new Supe Jen and told her all about it. Then I dropped her name downstairs at Communications. That and the due date got things doing! I spent several hours sitting in a cramped video room logging video clips Thursday.

Then I met with my new Supe to talk about my job - to explain what I do. That ended up taking a couple hours - I could have talked longer. I love what I do! She's very interested and hands 0n - much different from Al, my former supervisor. It will be a change learning to work with someone who is into what I do - I will enjoy having someone to "have my back".

I took off in the rain from work a quarter to 5 for a 6 PM meeting in Osceola. Yikes - emotion, controversy, naked ladies. Okay there were no naked ladies, but it was a stress filled meeting with a city and the rest of the county feuding about the future of the solid waste in the area. Raw emotion! My other Supe Alex was there along with an Engineer Mick from DNR. Plus about 7 board members and 10 people in the "crowd".

When the meeting was over Alex and I grabbed a bite at the cafe across the street - he's still eating vegetarian so he went with the fried platter. I had lasagna - my first break of the day to eat. The drive home was awful - windy, dark and rainy. Hard to see. I didn't get home until 9ish. Pretty much a 14 hour day - I was beat, but love what I do!

Christian School

Did I mention that last night's volleyball game was at a Christian school? And I kinda forgot about that when Susan, Jane's sister got there and asked about our weekend in Kansas City. I began telling about our party patrol, when I noticed Jane looking around with wide eyes - worried other parents might overhear my sordid tales.

Oops. I gave the condensed cleansed version. It was hard - I haven't had to talk "clean" for a long while. The Flack family was always a wholesome bunch - though Jane was kinda corrupted when she was in college. In fact her folks didn't even know she drank! They would have been shocked and disappointed.

Now Jane IS her parents - doesn't party at all. And Jane said I look just like my Mom - which IS true. I look more like her each year. I might start smoking Virginia Slims soon. Haha.

Volleyball

I attended a high school volleyball game tonight. My college roomie Jane Flack Conn and husband David's daughter plays for Des Moines Christian. They played West Central tonight. Morgan is on J.V. and the game was at 5:30 - right after work.

It was fun to see the sport again. Morgan is a middle hitter - listed at 5'9" (too bad she didn't hit 5'11" like her mama). She did a nice job hitting and serving. Jane says she's a basketball player too - kinda rare these days when many girls don't like that sport due to all the effort through the months.

Volleyball took me back to the old CHS volleyball days. Made me miss watching little Miss Famous Amos (as Dad used to call Amy) Goldsmith play. She had been playing since junior high and we knew she was pretty darn good, but not how good until she got to high school - and she started playing varsity as a sophomore (yep, Mom's bragging again).

Girl's sports were often filled with drama though! That sophomore year Amy was so worried about upsetting the upper class girls - first by taking their spot in the playing cycle. Then by setting to the wrong ones the wrong way. Who wants to piss off an older girl who has status?

One girl would tell Amy NOT to set to her if she was having an off night. Another girl could hardly jump an inch off the floor, so if the set wasn't just perfect, it would go into the net. There was one mother who used to complain out loud about the setting - right in front of me. I had to physically restrain myself from going after her. Even today I remember that every time I see that person - grrrr to her for saying mean things about my baby!

We had a few nights that ended in tears. Finally one girl who wasn't even a starter called and told Amy to chill out - not to worry about what those girls thought.

It all seems so long ago and insignificant now. But back then, it was a big part of our lives. Nights - weekend tourneys. We spent a great deal of time on the sport. Just ask Jud - he got sick of it! I'm glad I'm not doing it now like Jane is, but sure enjoyed it then. It was fun living vicariously through the successes Amy had on the volleyball court - since I didn't get a chance to play that sport in high school.

Sure was fun to see Jane and her sis Susan was there at the game too. I love those ladies - makes me wish I could see them more. But you know how life is...she's busy with her kids. I need to plan a Big 4 (Jane, Leslie, Vic and Sally) gathering. Wonder when Sal will be back next?

KC 2

Another fun trip with our homies, despite a loss by the Clones. Poor guys. 2 years ago - UNLV game in Vegas we lose a close one in OT after coming back courageously at the last second. Heartbreak.
Last year - Kansas City - we come back in the waning minutes only miss out on a chance at OT thanks to a blocked extra point.
This year - down 4 we have the ball and some time, QB gets nailed and fumbles. We hold them to a field goal and can't mount a drive to tie it. Lose another heartbreaker by 7. But we did win that bowl game last winter!

Cyclone fans are resilient! We are used to adversity and heartbreak. But that doesn't make it any easier.

So knowing all of the above (except for yesterday's heartbreak part) we met for lunch at the Elm's Club and took off after that - piling into the McKim vehicle with spillover (the guys) into Conovers Caddy. Headed to Kelly's historic Westport Inn when we hit town. The weather was gorgeous and after that bitch Garmin finally found the joint, we saw they had built a rooftop deck!

Then we headed to check into our Hotel - Crown Plaza near the Power and Light district, so we could walk and not worry about drinking and driving. The ISU Pep Rally was in the P&L District - so several thousand Cyclone fans showed up. Made friends with Robert at the motel and he gave Bobbie and Jeff a suite and McKim's room was adjoining. Sweet!

Got to the P&L just when the ISU Pep Band was getting ready to hit the stage. The place was packed. The P&L District is a rectangle of bars/restaurants opening onto a big covered area that has a stage and a huge screen where ISU highlights were playing. I love pep bands - so full o energy! There were a couple of peppy speakers including the voice of the Clones and our AD.

Jud and his buddies stood right by us so we took a pic. They call me Mrs. Goldsmith for God's sake! I feel like June Kluever when they do that! I'm going to have to correct that next game - Laura was Mrs. Goldsmith. That's just not me! Bobbie and I had our pic taken with Cy. We saw a lot of folks we knew.

We'd gotten coupons for entry at the piano bar - Howl at the Moon. What a blast! The place was packed and Donnie and I struggled to get our first round of drinks. There were no tables - in fact the tables were roped of with "crime scene" tape - sold for $100 each I think. We stood by an unsold one near some older women who had major work done. I mean faces, boobs, noses - you name it - they were gross. I would rather look old than plastic.

Just about the time my first drink was gone Bobbie came waltzing over with a giant bucket of blue stuff and several straws. Just the thing - sweet and cold. I gulped my share. The entertainment - singers, who played piano and various other instruments, were great. We sang along. The waitress warned us not to use the table for our bucket - OFF LIMITS!

So when she walked away, Jeff broke the tape and the Clear Lake group and we sat down. At least we got away with it for a half hour or so. It was great. They sangs lots of faves, I Will Survive, Build Me Up Buttercup, they could do rock, hip hop. By now it was after 8 and we hadn't eaten since lunch. A group came who HAD actually paid for the table we stood by. Time to leave.

We went in another restaurant and rousted Jud and group - Jeff had fun harassing him. I knew it was time for food, so a couple of us went in search of tables. Ended up at the same place we ate last year - nothing special but it was hot. Then headed to our hotel, where I headed right to bed. Day 1 was over.