843.

"I feel a song coming on..."
Haha--you know that moment in movie musicals where someone just said something important and there's a pause? That means a song is about to be sung. My family often jokes about it by saying this, usually like it's a bad thing. "Uh-oh, I feel a song coming on..."
But it doesn't have to be a bad thing... Right?

Life could be more like a musical, right? I am determined to make mine more like a musical, anyway. Many of friends know me as one who has song lyrics to fit any situation. Interesting, since I definitely don't consider myself a "music junkie" or anything. Yes, I adore music and I make it a point to pay attention to lyrics, but still-- I highly doubt I have a bigger "mental song archive" than a lot of my friend. I guess I'm just more likely to remember the words and way more likely to actually say them--or better--sing them. :-)

Anyway, now that we have that background information covered, take a look at this map.


View Larger Map

MapQuest says that there are 843-and-some-odd miles between Ames and Salida. Google tells me that it would take 10 days, 23 hours by foot to get there. Gee thanks, MapQuest, for pointing out just how many there are. Gee thanks Google, for uselessly reminding me just how much more efficient a car is compared to my feet...

"I feel a song coming on..."

All I really want to do
is to fall into the emptiness
that is the space in between us,
erase it and bring us together again.
(Space In Between Us, Building 429)

The rhythm of my footsteps crossing flood lands
to your door have been silenced forever more.
The distance is quite simply much too far for me to row,
it seems farther than ever before.
Oh no... I need you so much closer .
(Transatlanticism, Death Cab for Cutie)

Fill me up, fill me up,
I'm a long way from home
And I don't have a lot to say.
Cheer me up cheer me up
Cause you're all that I've got
And I traveled a long long way.
(Fill Me Up, Shawn Colvin)

Yeah, I like Iowa. But long-distance, 843 miles long to be exact, isn't making me sing many happy songs.

'Cause I miss him.

But it's worth it. Worth even ridiculous numbers like 843 (miles), 100+ (days til Christmas Break), and 10 days, 23 hours (the estimate to walk there). :-)
--Ellen P.

(P.S. I selected the "Walk" feature on Google maps because my first car is not, in fact, sitting at college with me, but instead sitting in mechanic's lot out there in desolate, eastern Colorado, because it decided it Would Not Go the whole way to Iowa. Sadness--I only had that car for like a month! Read my earlier entry about that car if you haven't already.)

Oh the Places I've Been

These are a few pictures I've taken in the last three months or so that I found and just love. I chose these cuz they're of nature and they represent a progression of places over time.

1) Iowa. Late Spring. College. A wonderful time of my life.

2) China. Early Summer. Trip of a lifetime. Beautiful memories.

3) Mexico. Mid-Summer. Dreamy clouds. A mission trip of translation was a dream.

3) Salida, Colorado. Late Summer. Hometown. Lemonade from the café where I work.

"Ashes of secret heart,

falling in my lemonade.

Unslakeable thirsting,

in the backyard."

A car, a truce... and Madonna?

Mah first car.

Must say I'm pretty proud of it too. How can I not be? It's not new, it's not fabulous but it's mine. It's like a five-year-old being proud of the Coolest Rock In the World that they bring home to Mom.... it's the Coolest Rock to that kid, anyway.

Also, I want to say that I'm particularly proud of the fact that I have not owned a car before this, the ripe old age of 20, nearly 21. Maybe that's not saying much for some people, but for many of my friends, it's rather old. I mean, it makes sense for me: growing up, my family lived close to all of our schools, so I walked or rode my bike. Or I hitched a ride from a neighbor. Okay, so I've been attending college out-of-state for the last three years and still haven't bought a car, but really the only times I've really wanted one was just to get home and back. Or get groceries, because I've tried the 3 boxes of cereal in my backpack and balancing two bags off each bike handle before, and that was--um, interestingly inefficient. But once in my college town, it's been more than fine geting around: via feet (on campus), bike (off campus), bus (across town) or in a friend's car (out of town). It's worked out very well, I'd say, and I haven't had to pay insurance for all of that time. Anyway, it's been fine without and I've been proud to be without one for as long as I have. So there.

But now, I own one (well, it's considered mine, anyway) and that's good too. Because my parents are sick of driving me and my stuff back to college, and I'm excited to be able to drive out of town or even out of state to visit friends once at college, should I choose. I am so gonna rock that nearly-ghetto car.

By the way, this Oldsmobile is a 1988. Which means I need to make a truce with the 80's. If you know me very well, you'll know that I am not, in fact, a fan of the 80's. At all. Like, what were people thinking? The hair, the clothes, much of the music?? Honestly. But half-outraged but patient friends have subjected me to enough hit songs from that decade that I can't be totally opposed anymore. Nor can I forget that I was conceived and born in that decade. Plus I have these totally rad black lace fingerless gloves, a la Madonna, that I truly adore, and now that I own this car from that somewhat-odd era... it's a truce, okay, Eighties? You've done something decent for the world, I suppose. (Side note: Politics are completely left out of these comments; I direct my complaints to the American world of fashion, entertainment and culture of the time.)

So I'm feeling this car is a start of something new, as the last year of my college education approaches, as I just added a few texts to my cell phone plan (though I'm still not crazy about texting, strange as it may sound to readers of my generation) and as I approach my final step into adulthood, turning 21 this month. No, having a car doesn't mean I'm about to turn into Material Girl or anything... but hey, maybe a truce with the past will progress me toward the future.