Des Moines South Side Super Block Zoo Expansion

I live right next to Fort Des Moines Park. From what I understand and have been told by my neighborhood association, the "county park preserve" is just going to be a large portion of the Fort Des Moines park. I would support the expansion more if it didn't take away from the county park. The zoo is owned by the city and shouldn't try to buy off another plot of land for the county conservation. The lake and playground and bike trails I've been on since I was 5 would be part of "Africa, Primates, South and North America". Why is it that we can take away from a county park and leave the golf course unscathed?
A path is also proposed to lead from the Sommerset Neighborhood to the park. This bike path would bring traffic from the dead end that is my street to the zoo. Next to the zoo are buildings that used to be a part of the Fort Des Moines Army Reserves currently housing "offenders prior to conviction, post conviction, and for offenders" through the Fifth Judicial District of Correctional services. They own less than an acre of the proposed "super block". If this was moved to a new location, I also would be in greater support of creating a more "friendly family" environment surrounding the zoo and park.
After the last expansion on the zoo with the indoor facilities thing, I'm sure interest increased, but after you've seen that once, have you seen it all? is the zoo going to expand every five years? What happens after this 50 million plan gets old?

taco Man

On the bus ride home, we stopped and picked up a man from Taco Johns. As I sit next to the window, the aisle seat is open next to me. Taco man sits next to me. He puffy black coat is touching my arm. It's a little un-nerving but I don't want to flinch and upset him. He looks down at the goat sitting in my lap. I keep looking out the window. The strong stench of oily cheap tacos hangs fresh in the air.

Sick.

Blanket of Love

Yesterday, Mike got off of work early, like at 7:00. Yeah! He usually gets home at 9:00. He said business was slow. He called and asked if I wanted to hang out. We went down to Little Ceaser's and had some crazy bread and sauce. A pin ball machine was in there and you won bouncy balls from it. Mike one another ball, but I didn't do so well. Luckily it's a winner every time!
We sat in his car and were disappointed by the cold dipping sauce. Aww... We then went to Menard's and looked at lamps and wallpaper, and doors. Some other stuff too. And then we went to my house.
I lay in bed with Mike. He lay on his back and I rested my head on his chest.
"I really like this position", he said.
"Me too," I replied. We lay there a little longer.
"You're going to find this the cutest thing ever. Last night when I woke up this morning, I found myself cuddled with a blanket, and I thought it was you. I kissed and said,'I love you,' but then I thought,'this is really soft. Hey... Jackie isn't over here.' So I picked up the blanket and moved it around, but then when I laid back on it, it wasn't as comfortable anymore"
I laughed and told him that yes, that was about the cutest thing ever.

Election Night at Michael's

Michael layed a blanket on the floor and set up pillows in front of the tv as we watched the election. I rested on my side and Mike was propped up on his elbow looking at me.
"Would you marry me?" he asked out of no where. I was confused. I looked off to the side, then I looked back at him. I smiled.
"Yes," I said and looked up to him meeting his eyes.
"I would, it's just-"
"Because I'm 16 and need a parent's consent?" I asked.
"Well, Not only that but I couldn't afford a ring," he answered.
"What made you think about it?"I asked.
"Nothing,"he said. I was suspicious.
"Oddly enough, while I was home sick yesterday I was looking online at rings.."
He raised his eyebrow at me. I shrugged my shoulders.
"You know, the one I liked was only 400 dollars..."I suggested.
"400 dollars! I'm not paying that much for a promise ring" Michael exclaimed.
"I didn't say it was a promise ring," I said and smiled slyly.

"I'm getting way over my head,"he said.

AHHHH!!! SOB

All yesterday while I was home and sick, I was typing about my weekend. This morning as I opened up my computer to finish editing my sociology paper, my computer restarted and did updates without me asking and I lost EVERYTHING of what I wrote. That- is infuriating. VERY.

Early Out

Wednesday October 22, 2008

“We can’t have the same thing of the past four years!” Cheering ensues. I munch happily on my leftover lasagna as I watch CNN.
Today after school, I had a pretty lame practice for drum line and pit. Brytaney wasn’t there, and that’s a lot of what concerns me. She’s hardly practiced with us and she’s never played with the drum line alone yet. Ankeney is next Tuesday. Last year, she threw off the whole section and we almost fell apart because she entered five measures too early. Ugh. I’m not particularly looking forward to this. I’m always afraid that she’s going to talk back to our clinician. It’s just part of her personality that she offers up excuses and gets defensive whenever someone asks her a simple question. She went home “sick” today.
It’s 5:00 and in an hour I’ll be needing to clock in at work. Blargh.
Oh! I never told you about my Halloween weekend. I finally got the balls to tell my aunt that I don’t want to go to Minnesota with my female relatives. Yay! I have a weekend back! No work! I have Halloween and All Saints Day and Day of the Dead back! WOOT!!! I’m excited. Mike and I don’t quite have a Halloween party or anything to go to though. Aww… L
Perhaps I will write more when I return from work tonight. Only 3 hours. Sounds good to me! I get my schedule today and have no homework! A relaxing evening sounds great to me. J

Chair Auditions

Tuesday October 21, 2008

After school, I hopped on a bus downtown and walked to the Des Moines Central Library where I met Mike in the biography section. He sat turned from me with his computer is his lap. I came up behind him and asked what he was doing. Some sort of monopoly game.
“Guess who I’m playing against,” he said.
“Ryan?” I asked.
“No, computer,” and he started laughing for some odd reason. He lost the game and turned off his laptop. “Shall we go?” Michael asked.
We took the elevator to the underground parking lot and went on our way.
Before going to Mike’s house, we stopped at the Gateway Market, bought some pita bread and Jone’s soda so I could take my pill. Sample food was abundant as always. I tried some very strong apple cider and some really good cranberry walnut bread. Interesting…
Mike and I hung out in his office before his dad got home. Mike was then summoned to help unload and assemble a gas fireplace for the yard. When it was done, I went outside with Michael and roasted a marshmallow. I’ve decided that I don’t like the taste of burnt marshmallow quite so much. No- not really at all. It caught on fire and turned black. Ick. The fire place came with a poker, even though it has fake wood in place. I have no idea what the hell that’s for. We stuck our marshmallows on it. Mike’s mom pulled up, and was so pleased with her fireplace purchase. Mike took a picture of me and his mom through the other side or the fireplace, and a couple other dorky pictures.
My lord do I love that boy. So much. More than anyone- or for that matter- I will ever know.
Mikis had a couple free buffet and drink certificates to Cici’s pizza where we ate on the south side of town. After dinner, we went inside goodwill to kill some time. Mike bought a movie I can’t remember, and the vhs tape of the floods of ‘93 as documented by Channel 13. Classic. It’s probably worth a fortune some day.
Speaking of fortunes, Mike is investing in stocks of his mom’s company she works for. The stock is at 70 cents now, and twenty years ago was at 80 dollars. Mike said that the stocks just need to go up a 1.20 or so for him to break even. Nuts. I thought about it, and I don’t think that I’d want to go in with Mike on this because I’m afraid of being committed to a long term investment with someone else while not being in a long term relationship. You know how it is.
Michael took me to Lincoln High school and sat in his car for what was an estimated few minutes as I took my audition. What was only supposed to be 15 minutes took a half an hour. Michael was upset and came inside. He wasn’t angry at me- he couldn’t be, but was instead upset with the band directors. I was the last person of the whole day to audition when I’m the only person in my section. It’s pretty infuriating that being a guaranteed first chair, I have to audition at a very inconvenient time late at night. Oh- I also found out that tomorrow Pit and Drumline are supposed to be practicing after school, but Matt Hoskins the drum line instructor can’t show up- because he has classes. I don’t know how long that’s supposed to take. I asked a drummer how long they knew about this meeting. He said about thirty minutes. The Ankeny drum line clinic is next Tuesday. I am NOT looking forward to it. At All.