Spring break in Iowa

There's nothing like a week devoid of all the regular distractions to make you feel somehow purified yet somewhat... incomplete. It was especially odd living in my dorm room while classes weren't in session.

I had decided to stay at Coe because it would be easier to get ahead on my homework, and I could work extra hours at my job. I will be in either Turkey or China this summer, so I need as much money as possible. So I stocked up on spaghetti and yogurt, and commenced.

The best part (or the worst, depending on your point of view) was that everyone with a car had used them to drive home, or to Chicago, or San Francisco (they had no idea what they were missing, obviously). So I did a lot of walking, and made some pretty great discoveries of downtown CR.

The Saigon Market, for one. I didn't go inside, but I have heard positive reviews of the Asian commodities available in the store. It's conveniently located next to Phong Lan, a Vietnamese restaurant. I took a friend there on Saturday, and it was delicious.

Waypoint. Not sure why I'm happy to have found this particular resource for women in need. I think I'd like to volunteer there. Being within walking distance is definitely a plus.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library. I went there for a International Women's Day Diversity workshop. Its less than a block from where I work, hidden behind corporate art and the Greyhound bus station. I'm going back today actually, thanks to a tip from a coworker that even though I didn't make any taxable wages last year, I can still fill out a tax form and get a stimulus package (little do they know, I'm planning on spending it in China). The workshop was alright. I think I might have learned some new things, who knows.

The Universe. A bar which advertises drag shows.

A dilapidated three story house, ivy covering the walls, broken window panes covered with wood, except for one that may have had curtains, or pieces of colored glass. It had a name over the front porch, most of the letters ready to fall off: "The Palace." (note to self: bring my camera along more often)

I suppose it's because this area is in between two major hospitals in town, but I found countless doctor's offices throughout here. One stairway that goes nowhere (the house attached to it must have been torn down), several empty lots, one office divided into two parts. One half was a real estate agency, the other was empty. A sign by the same real estate agency said it was for sale. I doubt that's the best way to advertise yourself, if you can't even sell the office right next to you.

Iowa landscape is really hard to photograph. You need a wide angle lens to really show the long, low, horizon lines. My camera really won't cut it. I was up fairly early in the morning to cover some shifts at work (one started at 6:00, another at 7:30). It's almost like being in a ghost town. Stray off of first avenue, and the empty lots are ubiquitous, the gaping storefronts lining the street, still with 50s-esque signs in the windows. Something in me wants to claim The Palace for my own. Squat there, start restoring it to some of its former glory (I would keep the lettering out front as is). The houses on either side of it had long since been torn down, and it faces that real estate confusion I mentioned before. Almost like it's the locus of orphaned buildings.

I hope this doesn't sound like I felt lonely over break. There were a few times where the solitude got a bit oppressive, but on the whole, I liked puttering around on my own, having my own schedule, getting things accomplished (Professor Barrow isn't going to know what hits her when I hand in all my response papers and microcase assignments. Hehehe).

Also, I've decided on a thesis topic. I want to cover current efforts to create wilderness areas, as well as some background info on what legislation is in place to help or hinder that, court decisions, and some philosophical inquiries into what wilderness is, and if creating these areas are justified (Dad, I might need your help). I'm excited. Maybe I can do some "research" in Ely. Hm. Hmmm....