Thursday, April 13, 2006

Thursday

Not much to say today. Had to get 3 big returns completed for out-of-town clients and to UPS. The last one got to the drop-off box at 6:30 this evening just as the truck was pulling up for the last pick-up. I felt like I was in a sprint all day.

Different type of race tomorrow. Two very antsy local clients with big numbers. Not Roy-type of numbers, but big ones none the less. And they want their stuff. Tomorrow.

The cleaning lady comes to the office on Monday and Thursday nights. The days have been so concentrated these last few weeks that it seems like she's here every night.

I sent Mary a news article from the DM Register on the Prarie Lights Bookstore in IC. Her attraction to Iowa began, at least partially, by her exposure to the bookstore when Aunt Martha took her there at the end of cooking camp 12-15 years ago. Mary, feel free to correct my angle on that story.

The Register used to market itself as The Paper Iowa Depends Upon. When they decided 15-20 years ago to pull in their tentacles and concentrate on Des Moines, they lost their oomph with a big swath of Iowa readers, me included. The sports section, called The Big Peach because of an orangish-tinted paper, was once one of the best in the country. I also remember Daddy saying how one of his supervisor friends learned about government by reading The Register. It was a paper that Mother got in the mail a day late when we were on the farm. (Correct me if I have that wrong, Martha.)

I have got in the habit of buying The Register daily again for our Starbucks coffee group. Coverage of Iowa politics is still better there than in the local fish wrap. And It gives a few more things of general Iowa interest too. RAGBRAI. Iowa State stories. Its just old news by the time you read it in the paper.

I have no clue what any of this means. Not exactly a finely pieced-together entry, but you get what you get.

Be careful out there.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i'll have more to comment later, but i appreciate your blog, dad. i remember the big peach. kristen, i'll be your made coach. or were you talking to me? i've got tomorrow off from school, but the kids had to turn in their first big paper, so i'll have lots of grading to do over the weekend. it's ok. we grilled steaks tonight and decided it was more like a july night than april. very humid and hot. for those interested, lucy turned 2 yesterday:)

Anonymous said...

WSUI-AM radio does a show called "Live from Prairie Lights," where alumni of Iowa's Writer's Workshop come and read for an hour or so. It's an easy shoot for UITV; we can plug into WSUI's audio so we only have to run tape. Pretty boring, actually.

Anonymous said...

Well folks, we did manage to ride out the storm here in Iowa City! I spent last night in the basement of the business building, hiding out from the big, bad tornado(s). I of course was very annoyed about the whole thing, and refused to go to the basement for at least a half hour after the alarm sounded (bright, huh?). The power never even went out in the fortress that is the business building. When we were finally cleared to go, things didnt look too ominous in the downtown area. The power was out in the downtown block (the very same block Prairie Lights is on), but other than that, there was no visible damage. When we walked into the Sheridon Hotel, which separates the Pedestrian Mall from Burlington Street, it was like day to night. There was debris EVERYWHERE. Tons of broken glass, entire trees uprooted and blown blocks from anywhere a tree could possibly have grown. The roof was torn of several buildings. Power was out everywhere. The pizza place behind my friend Amanda's building had been demolished. The building to the side of her building had collapsed onto it. The roof was blown off the apartment above hers. She, however, had power. We traversed about town a bit, checking out our friends' places. Most of my close friends apartments were in good shape, only DARK. We decided we needed some power, so we called a friend that lives in the town over, and bunked there for the night. When I got home this morning, my power was back on. It really did look like a tornado had been through though, there was stuff everywhere. Unfortunately, that's just how it always looks. I'll clean later. Amanda's apartment, however, was condemned. Her parents came up and we all helped her pack up and move into a hotel room for the interim. Thank goodness for renter's insurance!Classes cancelled today. The roads are all backed up, and there are clean up efforts everywhere. St. Pat's is in the news for having the steeple (And most of the roof) blown off, i saw it on MSNBC. It's about two blocks from my place... It's too bad, too. It was a really pretty church. It's just crazyness out there. Well, I need to recover a bit.. just wanted to let you know that I made it through the storm. And it really was a disasterous as they are saying!