FANDOM LIST
Dec. 31st, 2020 11:00 amI decided that it was time to update my fandom list, since the one I had previously is way behind. So it's getting floated up here so I can find it again and keep it up to date.
I decided that I'm also going to leave this open as a permanent request post. I like writing stuff for my friends, and I'll write in any fandom named here. Just need a fandom, a character or pairing, and some sort of a situation, and I'll see what I can come up with.
( The Fandoms )
I decided that I'm also going to leave this open as a permanent request post. I like writing stuff for my friends, and I'll write in any fandom named here. Just need a fandom, a character or pairing, and some sort of a situation, and I'll see what I can come up with.
( The Fandoms )
ATTENTION EVERYONE
Dec. 25th, 2011 07:30 pmHEY KIDS
GUESS WHAT
I HAS A KINDLE :D
Yup, got one for Christmas. A Kindle Keyboard~ I also got a quilt kit (EEEEEE MORE THINGS TO MAKE) and tuition money and a pretty new sweater and assorted other things~ Best part was when I opened the Kindle case...before I opened the Kindle. I was like, "Gee, wonder what else could be under the tree for me." This was right after my sister opened the cables for the Blu-Ray player that she had not yet opened and said pretty much the same thing.
But yes, I have one and I am a happy girl \o/ And I may or may not have already downloaded all the Arsene Lupin books they have on Amazon because I may or may not be a total nerd like that. But now I have a favor to ask of all you beautiful people...
BOOK RECS. I NEED THEM PLZ :D
What are your favorite? I want to put books on my Kindle for reading purposes, but I'm way out of the loop. So if you've got some titles that you love and think I might enjoy, pretty please share them with me? I'd appreciate it :D
Hope everyone has an amazing holiday, whichever holiday you celebrate ♥ Much love, everyone!
GUESS WHAT
I HAS A KINDLE :D
Yup, got one for Christmas. A Kindle Keyboard~ I also got a quilt kit (EEEEEE MORE THINGS TO MAKE) and tuition money and a pretty new sweater and assorted other things~ Best part was when I opened the Kindle case...before I opened the Kindle. I was like, "Gee, wonder what else could be under the tree for me." This was right after my sister opened the cables for the Blu-Ray player that she had not yet opened and said pretty much the same thing.
But yes, I have one and I am a happy girl \o/ And I may or may not have already downloaded all the Arsene Lupin books they have on Amazon because I may or may not be a total nerd like that. But now I have a favor to ask of all you beautiful people...
What are your favorite? I want to put books on my Kindle for reading purposes, but I'm way out of the loop. So if you've got some titles that you love and think I might enjoy, pretty please share them with me? I'd appreciate it :D
Hope everyone has an amazing holiday, whichever holiday you celebrate ♥ Much love, everyone!
The sign of a great fandom~
Dec. 15th, 2011 03:18 pmYou know you've stumbled into an incredible fandom when you read an amazingly well-written, semi-plausible crack-fic...in which the main character gets magically turned into a human-sized octopus.
...
And the equally-amazing sequel in which the main character again gets magically turned into a human-sized octopus...and the OTHER main character gets turned into a starfish. Who still manages to rant. While a starfish.
...
I love you, Hawaii Five-0 fandom ♥
Now if only the actual show writers would either get rid of Lori or give her some sort of a personality, give us less Joe and more Max and Kono, and MOAR CARGUMENTS DAMMIT, we'd be all set.
...
And the equally-amazing sequel in which the main character again gets magically turned into a human-sized octopus...and the OTHER main character gets turned into a starfish. Who still manages to rant. While a starfish.
...
I love you, Hawaii Five-0 fandom ♥
Now if only the actual show writers would either get rid of Lori or give her some sort of a personality, give us less Joe and more Max and Kono, and MOAR CARGUMENTS DAMMIT, we'd be all set.
I braved Black Friday!
Nov. 25th, 2011 02:07 pmSo I went out to run a few errands on this loveliest of Black Fridays (seriously, though, it's in the mid-fifties!), and something happened that I must share.
My last stop was at Old Navy. As I was walking up to the store, I heard a kid go, "MOMMY, LOOK, THERE'S SANTA!" Startled, I turned around.
And sure enough, there was Santa Claus, in his full red and white regalia!
...driving his motorcycle around the Commons strip mall.
...I lol'd :D
My last stop was at Old Navy. As I was walking up to the store, I heard a kid go, "MOMMY, LOOK, THERE'S SANTA!" Startled, I turned around.
And sure enough, there was Santa Claus, in his full red and white regalia!
...driving his motorcycle around the Commons strip mall.
...I lol'd :D
Tonight I went out for Chinese with
raerae639 and the little one (recently turned four). Two things happened that I want to share. First, she mentioned that one of his books about medical people mentioned pharmacists, and she told him that's what Auntie [Candy] does. So the following exchange happened:
ME: What do pharmacists do, Jack?
JACK: ...they put out fires!
We laughed. Loudly.
The other thing...okay, Jack has a fascination with all things medical and emergency related. Doctors, firefighters, police officers, and most of all, paramedics. He is obsessed with ambulances and paramedics and the like. Although he did make friends with some cops once at the mall when they walked in and he said, "I'm a cop too!" and they gave him high-fives and talked to him for a few minutes :)
Well, we were at the restaurant at a booth with a window facing the front. An ambulance drove by. Jack was so excited! Well, turns out they were stopping to eat - we saw two men in uniforms at the buffet line. Jack begged to go over and say hi, but Rae said no. At first.
Then she asked me if it would be weird if she took Jack over and told them that they were her kid's hero and he just wanted to say hi. I said that if she put it like that, I don't see how it was weird - most people in their line of work would probably be very flattered. She thought for a minute, then said she'd be right back. They walked over, and I watched as they talked to the guys.
A minute later, one of them got up. With keys in his hands. And Rae comes over and asks me to toss her Jack's coat.
She told me later that they'd gone over, she'd said her piece...and one of them asked if Jack wanted to see the ambulance. He asked Jack his name, said his own name was Tim, shook Jack's hand, and took him out to show him and his mom the ambulance. Rae said Tim the Paramedic showed him all the stuff in the back, turned the siren light on, and even hooked him up to the heart monitor and printed off Jack's heartbeat and gave it to him.
(When I told my parents, they said, "I think Mr. Paramedic is someone's dad.")
Jack couldn't stop talking about it when he came back to the table, and he couldn't wait to show me the paper of his heartbeat. He was so excited! It was really an awesome thing. I told Rae she should send the story into the newspaper, or at least contact the company and let them know what an amazing employee they have.
So thank you, Tim the Paramedic. Thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your day and your dinner to put that big of a smile on the face of a four-year-old boy who idolizes you. My hat is off to you, sir.
You are a true hero, in more ways than one.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
ME: What do pharmacists do, Jack?
JACK: ...they put out fires!
We laughed. Loudly.
The other thing...okay, Jack has a fascination with all things medical and emergency related. Doctors, firefighters, police officers, and most of all, paramedics. He is obsessed with ambulances and paramedics and the like. Although he did make friends with some cops once at the mall when they walked in and he said, "I'm a cop too!" and they gave him high-fives and talked to him for a few minutes :)
Well, we were at the restaurant at a booth with a window facing the front. An ambulance drove by. Jack was so excited! Well, turns out they were stopping to eat - we saw two men in uniforms at the buffet line. Jack begged to go over and say hi, but Rae said no. At first.
Then she asked me if it would be weird if she took Jack over and told them that they were her kid's hero and he just wanted to say hi. I said that if she put it like that, I don't see how it was weird - most people in their line of work would probably be very flattered. She thought for a minute, then said she'd be right back. They walked over, and I watched as they talked to the guys.
A minute later, one of them got up. With keys in his hands. And Rae comes over and asks me to toss her Jack's coat.
She told me later that they'd gone over, she'd said her piece...and one of them asked if Jack wanted to see the ambulance. He asked Jack his name, said his own name was Tim, shook Jack's hand, and took him out to show him and his mom the ambulance. Rae said Tim the Paramedic showed him all the stuff in the back, turned the siren light on, and even hooked him up to the heart monitor and printed off Jack's heartbeat and gave it to him.
(When I told my parents, they said, "I think Mr. Paramedic is someone's dad.")
Jack couldn't stop talking about it when he came back to the table, and he couldn't wait to show me the paper of his heartbeat. He was so excited! It was really an awesome thing. I told Rae she should send the story into the newspaper, or at least contact the company and let them know what an amazing employee they have.
So thank you, Tim the Paramedic. Thank you so much for taking a few minutes out of your day and your dinner to put that big of a smile on the face of a four-year-old boy who idolizes you. My hat is off to you, sir.
You are a true hero, in more ways than one.
...what the hell did I just play?
Oct. 31st, 2011 10:32 pmI just finished Professor Layton and the Last Specter.
...
I...but...I just...
...
*quietly lays down and wants a hug*
All in all? Unwound Future is still my favorite of the series. Granted, this game probably would have had to cook me a gourmet dinner and clean my room to unseat Unwound Future. But this has taken second place. Diabolical Box, you're still on the bottom of the stack because your ending was just a little too weird.
AND MOTHER-FOOKIN' TIM CURRY VOICING MOTHER-FOOKIN' DESCOLE OMG DO WANT DO WANT DO WANT YES PLEASE.
I need to get the music from this game. And near the end when Layton's theme started playing during that cut scene? I fangirled. Hard. Becaus And then...the actual ending happened.
...yeah ;_;
Now to check out London Life \o/
...
I...but...I just...
...
*quietly lays down and wants a hug*
All in all? Unwound Future is still my favorite of the series. Granted, this game probably would have had to cook me a gourmet dinner and clean my room to unseat Unwound Future. But this has taken second place. Diabolical Box, you're still on the bottom of the stack because your ending was just a little too weird.
AND MOTHER-FOOKIN' TIM CURRY VOICING MOTHER-FOOKIN' DESCOLE OMG DO WANT DO WANT DO WANT YES PLEASE.
I need to get the music from this game. And near the end when Layton's theme started playing during that cut scene? I fangirled. Hard. Becaus And then...the actual ending happened.
...yeah ;_;
Now to check out London Life \o/
I'm twenty-six years old today.
Made it through another year without dying. I shall call this an accomplishment.
Time to go get ready - we're going out for dinner. Mongolian grill, yaaaaaaaay!
...then more homework, boo hiss. Gotta do it, though. Have to take an Algebra test this week, and last week knocked me so flat that I haven't even LOOKED at my chapter >.< S'okay, I survived, and this coming week will be much nicer. Especially payday on Friday ^_^
Wish me luck, both on the test and in rolling myself home from the restaurant!
*sashays off into the sunset*
Made it through another year without dying. I shall call this an accomplishment.
Time to go get ready - we're going out for dinner. Mongolian grill, yaaaaaaaay!
...then more homework, boo hiss. Gotta do it, though. Have to take an Algebra test this week, and last week knocked me so flat that I haven't even LOOKED at my chapter >.< S'okay, I survived, and this coming week will be much nicer. Especially payday on Friday ^_^
Wish me luck, both on the test and in rolling myself home from the restaurant!
*sashays off into the sunset*
Why do they bite me like this?
Oct. 25th, 2011 05:46 pmDear plunnies,
No. Kaito and Shinichi already investigated the whole magician-themed murder thing. So you see, they REALLY do not need to investigate a series of murders in which the criminal replicates nursery rhymes. They really don't. Really. Now stop it.
...although it might be fun to use on Layton like th--NO NO BAD.
No love,
~ Me
No. Kaito and Shinichi already investigated the whole magician-themed murder thing. So you see, they REALLY do not need to investigate a series of murders in which the criminal replicates nursery rhymes. They really don't. Really. Now stop it.
...although it might be fun to use on Layton like th--NO NO BAD.
No love,
~ Me
Pretend there is something witty here~
Oct. 23rd, 2011 09:47 pmMy sister (known as Bug on this journal) has had the same best friend for the majority of her life. Truly BFFs. This girl is another member of the family, and a second little sister to me. She's a real sweetheart. We're all very fond of her.
She got married yesterday ♥ A beautiful wedding, gorgeous dress, and Bug as the Maid of Honor. When they got to our pew for the reception line after the service, I was like, "GET OVER HERE, LITTLE SISTER, AND HUG ME!" Her new mister looked really confused, until I said, "Hi, we're [Bug]'s family. I'm [Bride]'s adoptive older sister." Then she told my dad that he was her psuedo-dad. Daddy was tickled!
A lot of familiar faces at the wedding, which was nice~ Danced with my Dad and almost danced with my sister, but she ditched me on the dance floor (brat), and hung out with my fourth grade teacher, of all people! (She remembered me. I don't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.) Also, the father-daughter dance was NOT "Butterfly Kisses" THANK YOU CLAUDE. I told Dad that if I ever get married and have a father-daughter dance, I might have us boogie to Gary Allen's Tough Little Boys.
The parents danced to "What a Wonderful World," another perfect song choice.
One thing I noticed - I've never seen a bride having as much fun on her wedding day as my sister's BFF seemed to be having. She genuinely seemed to be having a blast! ...and if the way my sister looked this morning when she rolled out of bed (after calling Dad to come get her at two o'clock this morning) was any indication, she did indeed have a blast ;)
...okay time to study more Chem >.< I DUN WANNA.
She got married yesterday ♥ A beautiful wedding, gorgeous dress, and Bug as the Maid of Honor. When they got to our pew for the reception line after the service, I was like, "GET OVER HERE, LITTLE SISTER, AND HUG ME!" Her new mister looked really confused, until I said, "Hi, we're [Bug]'s family. I'm [Bride]'s adoptive older sister." Then she told my dad that he was her psuedo-dad. Daddy was tickled!
A lot of familiar faces at the wedding, which was nice~ Danced with my Dad and almost danced with my sister, but she ditched me on the dance floor (brat), and hung out with my fourth grade teacher, of all people! (She remembered me. I don't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.) Also, the father-daughter dance was NOT "Butterfly Kisses" THANK YOU CLAUDE. I told Dad that if I ever get married and have a father-daughter dance, I might have us boogie to Gary Allen's Tough Little Boys.
The parents danced to "What a Wonderful World," another perfect song choice.
One thing I noticed - I've never seen a bride having as much fun on her wedding day as my sister's BFF seemed to be having. She genuinely seemed to be having a blast! ...and if the way my sister looked this morning when she rolled out of bed (after calling Dad to come get her at two o'clock this morning) was any indication, she did indeed have a blast ;)
...okay time to study more Chem >.< I DUN WANNA.
At some point today my mom got a pain over one of her eyes.
When I got off work, I had a text from her saying that they were at Urgent Care to see a doctor about it. So I went home, changed, and went to my little cousin's eighth birthday party. While I'm there, Dad comes in with her present, tells me about the pain over her eye (finally, and only because I was like "WHAT'S GOING ON?")...
And says that he's taking Mom to the ER.
So yeah. I'm sitting at home right now waiting to hear what's going on. I mean, I'm sure Mom's fine.
It's just one of those situations where I don't want to be in the dark, ya know?
Gonna go sew for a bit and hope that I get a text soon.
When I got off work, I had a text from her saying that they were at Urgent Care to see a doctor about it. So I went home, changed, and went to my little cousin's eighth birthday party. While I'm there, Dad comes in with her present, tells me about the pain over her eye (finally, and only because I was like "WHAT'S GOING ON?")...
And says that he's taking Mom to the ER.
So yeah. I'm sitting at home right now waiting to hear what's going on. I mean, I'm sure Mom's fine.
It's just one of those situations where I don't want to be in the dark, ya know?
Gonna go sew for a bit and hope that I get a text soon.
Dear self:
You are working two jobs, one full-time and one part-time.
You are taking two classes, Algebra and Chemistry.
YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR NANOWRIMO, SELF :|
SO STOP THINKING ABOUT IT
Love,
Self~
...seriously, I have it on the brain. It's interfering with my pathetic attempts to wrap my mind around algebraic functions, easily the most useless chapter in the book. CAN I GO BACK AND DO MORE QUADRATIC EQUATIONS? I LIKE THOSE THEY ARE EASY.
You are working two jobs, one full-time and one part-time.
You are taking two classes, Algebra and Chemistry.
YOU DON'T HAVE TIME FOR NANOWRIMO, SELF :|
SO STOP THINKING ABOUT IT
Love,
Self~
...seriously, I have it on the brain. It's interfering with my pathetic attempts to wrap my mind around algebraic functions, easily the most useless chapter in the book. CAN I GO BACK AND DO MORE QUADRATIC EQUATIONS? I LIKE THOSE THEY ARE EASY.
I am so mad right now that I could spit nails.
When it's time for my lunch break at work, I noticed I had a missed call on my phone, and a voice mail from my state student loan company to call them. Curious, I did so. After being on hold for several minutes (with some of the most god-awful music ever) I get a guy. I give him my information. He pokes around a bit...
And says that my last payment is eleven days past due.
I say, "Excuse me?" He repeats this. I say, "No it is not. I have had automatic payments set up since my grace period ended. I have not missed a payment in four years." He puts me on hold (more bad, static-filled "music"), and a moment later he comes back...and starts babbling about deferral.
I cut him off and inform him that I have not been in deferral since my grace period after I graduated from college. He then told me...
You ready for this?
They received notice that I was enrolled as a part-time student at the community college this summer (surprise number one, since I thought you had to be a full-time student to put loans in deferral). I was taking two classes, and I was so swamped that I'll admit I wasn't paying as close attention to things as I generally try to. And because I was enrolled as a "part-time student"...
They put my loan into deferral.
I did not okay this. I did not authorize this. I was not asked.
They changed my fucking account without my authorization.
He said they mailed me a letter, which I never saw, and I read EVERYTHING I get from my student loan companies because I don't want to miss anything like this. And then after the fall semester started, at which point I started taking classes between two different schools, they took my loans off deferral...but it wasn't soon enough for the automatic payment to kick back in.
Never saw a word about that either.
At this point I was so mad I started crying (which is how I frequently release my anger), and told him to put something on my account to ensure that this did not happen again. He keeps babbling on, and by this point I needed to go back to work, so I got off the phone and went back to work, where my coworkers noticed that I was ready to kill something. When I told them, one of them asked the million-dollar question: "Can they actually do that without your okay?"
Funny. I didn't think so.
When I got home, I tried to call back with the intention of speaking to the highest person on the food chain that I could, but of course Friday is the day that they close at five, which is when I get off work. So I get to wait until Monday to make this call and find out what the hell happened. Because so far as I know, they can't make a change to my account without my authorization. When I told my dad, he actually asked if it was even legal for them to do so. That, I don't know.
But because of this, my perfect payment record on my loans lasted four years. They had better fix this, because this shouldn't have happened.
...okay. Little bit calmer now.
When it's time for my lunch break at work, I noticed I had a missed call on my phone, and a voice mail from my state student loan company to call them. Curious, I did so. After being on hold for several minutes (with some of the most god-awful music ever) I get a guy. I give him my information. He pokes around a bit...
And says that my last payment is eleven days past due.
I say, "Excuse me?" He repeats this. I say, "No it is not. I have had automatic payments set up since my grace period ended. I have not missed a payment in four years." He puts me on hold (more bad, static-filled "music"), and a moment later he comes back...and starts babbling about deferral.
I cut him off and inform him that I have not been in deferral since my grace period after I graduated from college. He then told me...
You ready for this?
They received notice that I was enrolled as a part-time student at the community college this summer (surprise number one, since I thought you had to be a full-time student to put loans in deferral). I was taking two classes, and I was so swamped that I'll admit I wasn't paying as close attention to things as I generally try to. And because I was enrolled as a "part-time student"...
They put my loan into deferral.
I did not okay this. I did not authorize this. I was not asked.
They changed my fucking account without my authorization.
He said they mailed me a letter, which I never saw, and I read EVERYTHING I get from my student loan companies because I don't want to miss anything like this. And then after the fall semester started, at which point I started taking classes between two different schools, they took my loans off deferral...but it wasn't soon enough for the automatic payment to kick back in.
Never saw a word about that either.
At this point I was so mad I started crying (which is how I frequently release my anger), and told him to put something on my account to ensure that this did not happen again. He keeps babbling on, and by this point I needed to go back to work, so I got off the phone and went back to work, where my coworkers noticed that I was ready to kill something. When I told them, one of them asked the million-dollar question: "Can they actually do that without your okay?"
Funny. I didn't think so.
When I got home, I tried to call back with the intention of speaking to the highest person on the food chain that I could, but of course Friday is the day that they close at five, which is when I get off work. So I get to wait until Monday to make this call and find out what the hell happened. Because so far as I know, they can't make a change to my account without my authorization. When I told my dad, he actually asked if it was even legal for them to do so. That, I don't know.
But because of this, my perfect payment record on my loans lasted four years. They had better fix this, because this shouldn't have happened.
...okay. Little bit calmer now.
My icon is actually rather appropriate~
Oct. 3rd, 2011 09:08 pmThings I learned tonight in Chem class:
The first column of the periodic table (the alkali metals) are all TOTAL WHORES. They'll give it up to anyone.
The second to last column (the halogens) are all crackheads. They'll do anything for JUST ONE MORE.
The last column (the noble gases) are the prudes. They're too good for everyone else.
And most of the middle are the potheads. They just don't care.
In short? The periodic table of elements = high school.
We also decided that chemical bonding = ELECTRON MUGGING. GIMME YO' ELECTRON OR I CUT YOU.
And sodium is the biggest goddamn whore on the periodic table. JUST BECAUSE.
The guys in my Chem class are friggin' awesome, in case you couldn't tell :D
The first column of the periodic table (the alkali metals) are all TOTAL WHORES. They'll give it up to anyone.
The second to last column (the halogens) are all crackheads. They'll do anything for JUST ONE MORE.
The last column (the noble gases) are the prudes. They're too good for everyone else.
And most of the middle are the potheads. They just don't care.
In short? The periodic table of elements = high school.
We also decided that chemical bonding = ELECTRON MUGGING. GIMME YO' ELECTRON OR I CUT YOU.
And sodium is the biggest goddamn whore on the periodic table. JUST BECAUSE.
The guys in my Chem class are friggin' awesome, in case you couldn't tell :D
Life is good \o/
Sep. 25th, 2011 02:59 pmIf I may have a moment to suffer from the Sin of Pride (insert your choice of FMA joke here~), I am very pleased with myself.
I did some heavy-duty cleaning.
I am doing well in both my classes (96% on my first Algebra test, boo-ya!)
And I wrote and posted three fics on
candyfics today:
~ Both Dark and Deep, Part II (DC/MK, and now this story is done!)
~ All Wrapped Up (Professor Layton for
fanfic100)
~ Time Enough (Drawn: The Painted Tower fic for
100fandomhell Y HALO THAR I AM FINISHING YOU)
So yeah. Good times.
...also everyone needs to play Drawn: The Painted Tower. And then play the sequel. Seriously. These games are more awesome than everything :D
*bounces off to continue being productive*
I did some heavy-duty cleaning.
I am doing well in both my classes (96% on my first Algebra test, boo-ya!)
And I wrote and posted three fics on
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
~ Both Dark and Deep, Part II (DC/MK, and now this story is done!)
~ All Wrapped Up (Professor Layton for
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
~ Time Enough (Drawn: The Painted Tower fic for
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
So yeah. Good times.
...also everyone needs to play Drawn: The Painted Tower. And then play the sequel. Seriously. These games are more awesome than everything :D
*bounces off to continue being productive*
Family outing for the wiiiiiiin!
Aug. 28th, 2011 04:50 pmA few weeks ago, my little sister (known as Bug on this LJ, primarily because she hates that nickname and I am nothing if not an old sister :D) moved to another city after college graduation. She's got a job and everything, but after talking with Mom, it seemed that she was a little bit down in the dumps. So I get a text message on Friday while I'm at work asking how I feel about a day trip.
So a little before seven AM on Saturday morning, we piled into the Santa Fe and headed for Winterset, IA. Why there, you might ask? For starters, Mom and I had been looking for an excuse to make our pilgrimage to the Mecca of Quilting: Fons and Porter's Loving of Quilting shop. (For those not in the know, Marianne Fons and Liz Porter are internationally respected quilting experts...who live here in freakin' Iowa. Go figure on that one.) So we spent some time in there. Bug lacks the patience for quilting, but she got sort of into the whole picking fabric thing when Mom said she'd make her a table runner.
Winterset is actually a very beautiful town - Dad used the word "picturesque." It's really rocking that old-timey small town vibe. There are shops lining the streets, and most of them appear to be locally owned. After we finished at the quilt shop, we walked around the town for a while, just enjoying the sights, wandering in and out of stores, and having a good time hanging out and giving each other crap. It helped that it was a really great day out - it got a little warm later in the day, but still pretty good weather for late August in Iowa.
After a while, the four of us piled back into the car and drove to Des Moines for lunch at Felix and Oscar's. I had a really cheesey bacon, chicken, and ranch pizza. I could only eat half of it, which may shock a couple of you who know my appetite *laugh* Good stuff, though.
After lunch, we headed to another of Winterset's little landmarks: the birthplace of John Wayne. Yup, little tiny white-painted house on the corner is where the Duke himself was born in 1907. There's a gift-shop, and a van that someone painted with all sorts of John Wayne murals. On one side was a painting of him from the original True Grit movie, which actually made my dad fanboy just a little bit (he loves that movie, hasn't seen the remake yet, though).
My sister picked up a bookmark with a bunch of Iowa trivia on it and quizzed us all in the car. She asked what year Iowa became a state. I said 1847 - it's actually 1846, but considering that the last time I heard that was probably fourth grade, I'm pretty damn proud of myself.
Then we headed off to yet another of Winterset's sights, possibly the most famous. Have you ever heard of The Bridges of Madison County? Because they exist. In Iowa. Three hours away from my house. We drove around and saw three of the six bridges. There used to be seven bridges, I think, but one of them burned down in 2002 due to arson (how sad!). Most of them have been moved from their original places, I learned.
I wasn't really expecting to be impressed by the bridges, but they are actually quite lovely. They've been restored, obviously (the three we visited were either built in 1870 or 1880 - ya know, back when my dad was in elementary school), but they still look...old, if that makes sense.
And inside all three of them, there are signatures on the walls and beams where signatures and families have sort of...made it official. A lot of hearts with initials and dates in them, traces of handprints labeled with names of family members, little notes...all over the place. At first I was a little put-off by it, but...well, if you think that the book (which my mom said was fantastic) is a love story, it sort of makes sense.
Next to one of the bridges was a little trail that led down to the creek it passed over. Mom doesn't like steep inclines or water in general, so she stayed up by the bridge while Dad and Bug and I headed down to check it out. It was sort of like a sandbar down there, so Bug and I took our sandals off and went walking. We saw tadpoles and watched a frog jump into the water and Dad saw a water-snake on the other bank. We walked as far down as we could. Bug took some pictures, and then we headed back to where Mom was waiting for us.
The last bridge we went to was in a park, and there was a sign there about a tower. We figured eh, we're here, let's go! We wound up driving up a very narrow, steep gravel road through a forest with no shoulder and a very steep drop-off. So naturally, Bug and I rolled down the windows and watched it all go by. I think even Dad was having fun with it - it was like something out of a car commercial, except with less mud splatter. That area would be GORGEOUS in the autumn, when all the leaves change.
The tower itself was almost disappointing - only three stories (ground, first floor, and the top). Put it this way: Rapunzel would have needed a haircut for this tower. And yes, I may or may not have started humming "I See the Light" from Tangled.
Mom hates heights, so once again Dad and Bug and I headed in. The windows on the ground floor were tall enough that Bug could actually hop up and walk through them without bending over. Then we headed up to the top, which involved climbing a slightly rickety metal ladder-staircase hybrid. Once up at the top, Dad turned to me and asked if I remembered any Monty Python taunts. So he wound up yelling down to Mom, "I fart in your general direction!" I told her, "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"
Both Bug and I had a little trouble going back down the ladder. Turning around for that first step was a little disorienting. Dad said it was like being back on ship from when he was in the Marines, so he went down first and played safety net. Then we hopped back in the car for the drive down. Truth be told, the drive up and down from the tower was more fun than the tower itself. Again, we rolled down the windows and watched it all go by. So cool!
We dropped Bug back at her car after that, gassed up, and headed back. Mom and I dozed for a good chunk of the three-hour drive. I crashed very early last night, and almost took a nap this afternoon.
But yeah, it was a really fun little family outing, we all had a good time, and the only mishap was when Bug dropped her slice of pizza at lunch and burned her hand a little. Good day, family! \o/
So a little before seven AM on Saturday morning, we piled into the Santa Fe and headed for Winterset, IA. Why there, you might ask? For starters, Mom and I had been looking for an excuse to make our pilgrimage to the Mecca of Quilting: Fons and Porter's Loving of Quilting shop. (For those not in the know, Marianne Fons and Liz Porter are internationally respected quilting experts...who live here in freakin' Iowa. Go figure on that one.) So we spent some time in there. Bug lacks the patience for quilting, but she got sort of into the whole picking fabric thing when Mom said she'd make her a table runner.
Winterset is actually a very beautiful town - Dad used the word "picturesque." It's really rocking that old-timey small town vibe. There are shops lining the streets, and most of them appear to be locally owned. After we finished at the quilt shop, we walked around the town for a while, just enjoying the sights, wandering in and out of stores, and having a good time hanging out and giving each other crap. It helped that it was a really great day out - it got a little warm later in the day, but still pretty good weather for late August in Iowa.
After a while, the four of us piled back into the car and drove to Des Moines for lunch at Felix and Oscar's. I had a really cheesey bacon, chicken, and ranch pizza. I could only eat half of it, which may shock a couple of you who know my appetite *laugh* Good stuff, though.
After lunch, we headed to another of Winterset's little landmarks: the birthplace of John Wayne. Yup, little tiny white-painted house on the corner is where the Duke himself was born in 1907. There's a gift-shop, and a van that someone painted with all sorts of John Wayne murals. On one side was a painting of him from the original True Grit movie, which actually made my dad fanboy just a little bit (he loves that movie, hasn't seen the remake yet, though).
My sister picked up a bookmark with a bunch of Iowa trivia on it and quizzed us all in the car. She asked what year Iowa became a state. I said 1847 - it's actually 1846, but considering that the last time I heard that was probably fourth grade, I'm pretty damn proud of myself.
Then we headed off to yet another of Winterset's sights, possibly the most famous. Have you ever heard of The Bridges of Madison County? Because they exist. In Iowa. Three hours away from my house. We drove around and saw three of the six bridges. There used to be seven bridges, I think, but one of them burned down in 2002 due to arson (how sad!). Most of them have been moved from their original places, I learned.
I wasn't really expecting to be impressed by the bridges, but they are actually quite lovely. They've been restored, obviously (the three we visited were either built in 1870 or 1880 - ya know, back when my dad was in elementary school), but they still look...old, if that makes sense.
And inside all three of them, there are signatures on the walls and beams where signatures and families have sort of...made it official. A lot of hearts with initials and dates in them, traces of handprints labeled with names of family members, little notes...all over the place. At first I was a little put-off by it, but...well, if you think that the book (which my mom said was fantastic) is a love story, it sort of makes sense.
Next to one of the bridges was a little trail that led down to the creek it passed over. Mom doesn't like steep inclines or water in general, so she stayed up by the bridge while Dad and Bug and I headed down to check it out. It was sort of like a sandbar down there, so Bug and I took our sandals off and went walking. We saw tadpoles and watched a frog jump into the water and Dad saw a water-snake on the other bank. We walked as far down as we could. Bug took some pictures, and then we headed back to where Mom was waiting for us.
The last bridge we went to was in a park, and there was a sign there about a tower. We figured eh, we're here, let's go! We wound up driving up a very narrow, steep gravel road through a forest with no shoulder and a very steep drop-off. So naturally, Bug and I rolled down the windows and watched it all go by. I think even Dad was having fun with it - it was like something out of a car commercial, except with less mud splatter. That area would be GORGEOUS in the autumn, when all the leaves change.
The tower itself was almost disappointing - only three stories (ground, first floor, and the top). Put it this way: Rapunzel would have needed a haircut for this tower. And yes, I may or may not have started humming "I See the Light" from Tangled.
Mom hates heights, so once again Dad and Bug and I headed in. The windows on the ground floor were tall enough that Bug could actually hop up and walk through them without bending over. Then we headed up to the top, which involved climbing a slightly rickety metal ladder-staircase hybrid. Once up at the top, Dad turned to me and asked if I remembered any Monty Python taunts. So he wound up yelling down to Mom, "I fart in your general direction!" I told her, "Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries!"
Both Bug and I had a little trouble going back down the ladder. Turning around for that first step was a little disorienting. Dad said it was like being back on ship from when he was in the Marines, so he went down first and played safety net. Then we hopped back in the car for the drive down. Truth be told, the drive up and down from the tower was more fun than the tower itself. Again, we rolled down the windows and watched it all go by. So cool!
We dropped Bug back at her car after that, gassed up, and headed back. Mom and I dozed for a good chunk of the three-hour drive. I crashed very early last night, and almost took a nap this afternoon.
But yeah, it was a really fun little family outing, we all had a good time, and the only mishap was when Bug dropped her slice of pizza at lunch and burned her hand a little. Good day, family! \o/