keeps getting grosser

johmama21 (11:36:27 AM): i need to sleep a bid
johmama21 (11:36:29 AM): bit
johmama21 (11:36:30 AM): see
johmama21 (11:36:35 AM): DO YOU SEE WHAT RUSH DOES TO ME!

i disgust myself

i was a disgusting example of grown-upedness.

i wore a black pencil skirt.

a pink button up blouse.

i was toting a rolling laptop case.

i was frazzled.

i spilled a starbucks mocha on my skirt.

i was talking to someone on my bluetooth headset and kept it on after i had ended the call.

i worked on work on my laptop while waiting for the plane.

my mom asked me what was going on in my life besides work, and i had nothing to talk about.

does this mean i'm "grown up"?

ew.

the battery in my brain is dead, and i'm without a charger

Hello All.

Yes, still in Iowa am I. And also still without a phone charger.

How can one lose such an important item. No one would want to steal a phone charger. Especially for my stupid phone. It's not big or novel or wonderful. This little piece of black plastic and metal up and ran away. I haven't taken it out of the place I'm staying and have searched this place high and low to no avail. It has become a house issue. I have all 10 occupants of 1215 23rd Street on RED ALERT for my friggin' phone charger.

So, in case you are trying to get ahold of me (doubtful) you can email me and I'll call you on the phone card I got at the gas station down the street. They have fountian sodas.

You know what's intersting about the soda here? Well, besides the fact that they call it pop. The VARIETY. Hot diggity dog. The not only offer both Dr. Pepper AND Mountian Dew regularly but many places also offer diet versions of said refreshments. What a NOVEL ideal.

We had the first day of recruitment today at UNI. It went well for the most part. The women are ready and excited and it couldn't be any better. It's nice to finally get into the "game", the "zone" whatever. Just no more work week. Onto the timing and the number crunching! Holler.

Being in the middle of the country for so long has really made me start to realize the differences between the left coast, the right coast, and everything in between. Some of the things that people say as just part of everyday language here make me CRINGE. It's just been part of my education, just kind of daily banter, and the cultural norm to be as politically correct as humanly possible. And not just for the sake of being PC, but because of common human decency. Because in California everyone holds hands, skips, and loves eachother like the brothers and sisters of the planet Earth we all are.

People here (and there, and up and down - now I sound like Dr. Seuss...) don't even realize that what they're saying is offensive. Sometimes I think that because there aren't those groups to offend aren't present in a major way, the rammifications of saying things in a derogitory sense are never fully realized.

I just used too many big words. I have to go to bed now.

On another note, I suggest Talladega Nights with the divine Will Ferrell (born in IRVINE, yo)

"it's a little known fact that 98% of us will die one day"

pax.

too much time in Iowa =

So, in light of recent events in the media, I wanted to do some research on regulations on what you could and couldn't cary on. Thought i'd do some internet searching...

*internal monolouge*

Hmm... ok let's see... Federal Aviation

www.ffa.org... that' doesn't work...

let's try

www.ffa.com...

DANG'AIT

I'm looking for the FAA, not Future Farmers of America.

I've been looking at too many recruitment applicatoins...

if you build it, they will come

So. Today i'm in Iowa. And so is Kevin Costner. He's in Des Moines at "The Field of Dreams" site and they are doing a screening of the flick and his band is playing. CORN.

I'm in Iowa, and I'm missing it.

Hrmph.

the world has gone to wrack and to ruin....

recent world events have left me in somewhat of a stupor. as someone who's occupation revolves around the ability to move freely about the country, today's news regarding the terroist attempts on uk-us airlnes concerns me. though the likelyness of terrorism occouring out of Waterloo, Iowa, It still concerns me. on the eve of the anneversary of one of our country's most tragic modern events coming around the corner, I have to stop and realize that perhaps I have become too comfortable with traveling.

i used to be very, very bad about flying. freaking out, had to take pills, etc. I got so good about it going back and forth to home. if you told me when I was a junior in high school that i would be flying every other week for work once I graduated college I would've laughed in your face. but here I sit, amassing frequent flyer miles with the best of 'em.

and while i'm talking about freaking out about the state of america, i've been in two different walmart superstores in two states in the last 3 days.

but seriously, gatorade bottles?

OOOOOOOOOKLAHOMA

Well... My time in Oklahoma has come and gone. I got a view into the ridiculousness that is southern greek life. Wow. Over 200 women in a chapter, sprawling houses, broadway caliber skits. My gosh. I liked my little UCI experience. Norman is really unique. The town revolves around OU. Every other person, literally, was wearing an OU shirt, or hat, or something. Sometimes I feel like people in Irvine really didn't even care that there was a major university down the street. God forbid you see someone besides a UCI student wearing any Anteater gear.

Yes. Football is life. LIFE! Rush is life LIFE! Oklahoma was great. We had a great time. The house is huge and is such a wonderful pallette for all the wonderful things that they will do to the Alpha Phi house. It's huge and has a lot of large, open spaces that will be great for the girls once they get in there. We spent a lot of time doing stuff that would give us an idea of what Norman was like and what the campus culture was. And boy did we. Spent time with the greek advisor, saw other groups skits, toured houses and the campus. Oh yes, oh yes.

Now, I'm in Iowa at the University of Northern Iowa. (UNI - home of the Panthers) I'm here with the girls for their work week. They are a great group of girls and have such a good attitude about their work week! It's wonderful. I couldn't have asked for a better first group of girls. I was so scared. One of my favorite part of the job is also one of the scariest. It's like - here. go. do. It's very independent. With training they never really gave you a formula or instructions. Just resources. Go. Do your own thing. No schedule. Just what i want to do, how I want to do it, when I want to do it. Wow. But things are going well - I'm excited for recruitment to start and see how the girls do. I'll be here for a while - but after that, i'm off to TX, another state to color in!

Will try to post again soon... the lovely ladies of Iowa have WIRELESS. What a treat!

Pax.

Training is DONE!

Well, Howdy Y'all!

Sorry I've been bad about updating, but the last few days finishing up training have been extra exhausting. I should be down in the bunk room packing up (whilst leaving the 20lbs of crap i packed OVER the limit here...) Training went way too fast - but I'm happy it's over. Naturally I'll miss seing and hanging out with the other ELC's all the time, but I'm ready to apply what I've learned. And I'm qualified too - i'm 2006's TOP ELC. Haha - the last day of training we did a set of fast-paced competitions that tested all of our knowledge and skills (no not numchuck skills) and I got the highest amout of points and was thus rewarded A STARBUCKS CARD. HOLLER.

Chicago is such a wonderful town. I really hope that I get to spend some more time her during debriefing (and maybe after? hey? hey? hey?) I love being in a big city - the hustle and bustle, culture, food, shopping, the trash, the major sports teams - it's wonderful. Wish we lived a little closer to the city, but rides on the L are always an adventure. Also, I think i'd enjoy the town if all 7 of us weren't retiring to the bunkroom. Regardless... It's been GREAT. Maybe in December I'll get around to the touristy stuff. I'd much rather do it in the cold vs. the heat.

Well, I leave tomorrow for Oklahoma where we'll be working in Norman at OU. (GO SOONERS!) Team Sooner will be working on rush, and the elc's will be heading to the major campus open house for formal rush called "Girls Night Out". I'll be working on some art projects, too - helping with the banners they do for recruitment. It's an OU thing, but they paint these ginormous rush banners on BEDSHEETS. So yeah, that's my first major work assignment. Painting a bedsheet. Dont' get me wrong, i'm REALLY stoked.

After 3 days in OK, I then leave for the University of Northern Iowa. I will be there helping out with their polish week and recruitment. It should be pretty nice though, I'll be there from the 8 -20th of August, should give me some time to get a bit of rest in there. After Iowa it's onto Texas A & M, Commerce then Central Missouri State University... and that completes August.

Well, I must go downstairs and attempt to make some sense of the life that is spilling out of my suitcase. I will report to you the final weight of my suitcase at the airport (bearing in mind that I will be living out of it for the next 9 months - holler.)

And thus starts the adventure...

pax.