Wednesday, September 24, 2008

so i told wonder woman that i would be blogging about wichita again. this was on monday. so, sorry guys, i'm a little late.

CATIE'S ADVENTURES IN RIDING HER BIKE TO WORK: DAY 1

for those of you that don't know this already, my car broke down on sunday. not all the way, mind you, just enough to where i didn't feel comfortable taking it to work. WELLLLL, normally i would just call my friend jules and make her take me (we carpool most days) BUT her birthday was sunday and i knew she was taking a few hours off in the morning so that she could spend a little more time with her boyfriend before he went back to manhattan (where he lives).

so, yeah, i decided that i would actually (FINALLY) ride my bike to work. i've been thinking/talking/blogging about doing this for a while and kyle just went ahead and talked me into it.

so sunday night i google the walking path to get from my house to my work. and here's what it told me to do.

Walking directions to 420 S Emporia St, Wichita, KS 67202
6.1 mi – about 1 hour 57 mins

8406 E Harry St
Wichita, KS 67207
1.Head west on E Harry St toward S Eastmoor St
3.4 mi
2.Turn right at George Washington Blvd
0.6 mi
3.Turn left at E Lincoln St
1.4 mi
4.Turn right at S Emporia St
0.7 mi
420 S Emporia St
Wichita, KS 67202

NOW...for those of you NOT from wichita. trust me, you do NOT want to be at the intersection of george washington and lincoln. like ever. not even in the middle of the day with a knife in one hand and a revolver in the other (do they even make revolvers anymore? i should look into it if they do.)

anyway...i digress. so, obviously, there is no way that i'm going to go to work that way. i'm not driving, excuse me, RIDING through the ghetto on my awesome schwinn bike in my work clothes so i can get robbed.

so of course, i think i know a way better way to get to work. so i go to bed nice and early and wake up on time and do my hair and make up and take off for my trek to work.

one thing - my front tire was flat. remember now, i had no other means of getting to work. none. whatsoever. so i hop on anyway and start riding down harry towards webb (NOTE: this is the opposite direction from my work, but the dillon's gas station is way less threatening than the philips 66 at harry and rock.)

i fill up with air (the dillon's lady gave the air to me for free, so i was in a good mood.) i had decided at this point to take my bike up webb to douglas. surely douglas will be a good one to ride town, RIGHT?!?

wrong. i get there. guess what? there are no freaking sidewalks on douglas until you get past EASTBOUROUGH!! what. the. heck. what kind of town does that? i realize that most towns do have a town inside of them (eastbourough is a town in the middle of wichita full of dumb rich people who think they are better than everyone else. sorry if anyone is from eastbourough, but you should just be part of wichita, it's really stupid that you aren't. and i hate your cops.) anyway.

i've decided that wichita is the worst bikeable city in the entire united states. it really wasn't that bad of a bike ride once i got to where there are sidewalks but SHEESH! throw me a bone here. i'm trying to make the world a better place and you people make it hard for us to do that.

so yeah, the next time i ride my bike to work, i'm packing heat and going through the ghetto.

fo shiz.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

today

what a normal day today was. so normal in fact, it was weird...

i woke up on time [GASP!] and i never wake up in time. in fact lately i've been sleeping until 7. my carpool picks me up at 7:30. so needless to say i've been doing the cheat hairdo [figure 1] for a while. and i still have to do my make up in the car. haha. so anyway, i did my hair the "real" way...aka i blow dried my hair and actually straightened it [see wedding photos for illustration].

so then julie [who i carpool with] picks me up right on time and i'm actually all ready to go and we get there uneventfully. it's only a 7 mile drive. not much adventure to be had on that drive.

i walk in and actually remembered we had an all staff meeting today [double GASP!] i walked in five minutes late last month [did i mention they are monthly, probably not...] and was very proud i wasn't late this time around. i make it through most of the morning in the normal fashion, i'm working on some new schools [the GODDARD schools, actually. how cool is THAT!? see figure 2]

julie emails me and is like, 'hey, let's get lunch at playa azul.' and i'm all like, 'fo shiz, that sounds great.' [i really did type that. i'm sure carol, the 75-year-old who's job it is to read through our emails and make sure we don't say anything "wrong" found that humorous. sometimes i used rap language just to see if she'll say anything to me. she hasn't. yet.]


so then i walk to lunch to see julie [she drove, remember? and playa azul is right next to her work. like RIGHT NEXT to her work.] and encounter many construction workers [awesome. not.] the new wichita dowtown arena [figure 3] is being built right next to wear i work. and of course it has to be in between where julie works and where i work. anyway, i make it without too many cat calls and we eat lunch. cheaply. because mexican is always nice and cheap and they have an amazing ala carte menu there. and then i have her drive me back to work because if i walked, i'd be late.


normal day for me so far. afternoon goes by and nothing too out of the ordinary happens, krystil [my boss] and i complain about work and other stuff. she's not that much older than me, so we actually have quite a lot in common. and she's funny. like hilarious. and we have similar upbringings, which i always find make for interesting conversations.

julie picks me up and we book it home because she is throwing a bachelorette party for renee, this girl we went to school with and she works with. i'm invited. i should tell you that i was the only one invited that DIDN'T work with the rest of them. uncomfortable. just a little weird. and this lady that she works with has "adopted" me into their group of interiors people and krystil [my boss, remember] cannot stand her. i don't mind her, but if she's done have the shit krystil says she has done, i would trust her with a nickel...no, make that a penny, of mine. seriously.


anyway, i make it through the party unscathed [and happy because we ate good food and then played catch phrase, which i LOVE LOVE LOVE] the party probably only could have been better if we played apples to apples. even more love.


julie and i then take our dogs for a walk, just like every night.
i come home and talk to kyle on the phone for a while [well, i talk, he watches tv. but that's normal for us.]

and now i'm blogging.
does anyone else feel weird when their day goes EXACTLY as planned?? i mean that NEVER happens to me, so i guess i'm a little weirded out about it.

goodnight everyone!


figure one: this is somewhat like my natural hair. kinda.



figure 2: home sweet home.


figure three: 3D model of the wichita downtown arena. GLA [where i work] is part of this goodness. but just the parking lot. :) nothing cool really.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

sunday sunday SUNDAY!

i had the most amazing weekend. don't you just love it when you honestly have a great time? not that i don't always have a great time when i spend a weekend with kyle, but we were surrounded by great people all weekend!

on friday we hung out with chad and his fiance, katie. they both went to high school with kyle, but i've known chad for so long that i think i can call him a friend. at least an acquaintance. it's nice to have a couple that we can hang out with and i can talk to HER about stuff. she's about my age and is catholic [i should tell you that i'm not catholic, i'm technically methodist. but i'm looking into converting to quakerism. random fact, i know. more on that in another post.] but anyway, she went to church with a lot of my friends from high school and bishop carrol [i dated a guy from BC for like three years]. so we know a lot of the same people and she's honestly a smart and funny person who can make everyone feel comfortable. so anyway, we went and saw the house they just moved into and then went out for a few drinks. unfortunately, i don't have any pictures from that night....boo.

on saturday we went to the wedding of one of my favorite couples of all! katie and dustin are adorable, and if you met them, you would know they are perfect for each other. dustin was kyle's intern at cat for a few years, but we all went out together while dustin, katie, and i were still in school. they are hilarious, especially together. the wedding was really short [for a catholic wedding, anyway... :)] and we sat next to zach [another of kyle's ex-interns] and ryan and sara and their four adorable children [ryan works at cat with kyle]. after the wedding we went to the reception on emporia state's campus in one of the prettiest ballrooms i've seen! everything was beautiful and we had a blast. katie and dustin even decided to go to the bars with a bunch of us after the reception...in their full wedding attire! so cute. here's some pics for everyone's enjoyment.

SO cute!

some of katie's handiwork (she's a graphic designer).

joey, tony and caleb waiting for their turn to dance.

sara and katie (sooo many katie's this weekend!!)

can you believe the photography skills of the boys? caleb took this one of kyle and i!

caleb and joey. SOOOO cute!

the cat boys...and tony. :)

more of katie's skills...

my favorite picture of the night.

we c/katie's gotta stick together. we're at the bar in this pic.

zach and i at the bars.

the boys! too bad they are all separated now [zach is in waterloo, iowa; dustin in kc, ks and kyle in holton] they were a fun group to hang with.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

lazy thursday

in case you don't already...you should probably read this blog.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE it. i've been reading it forever, i think almost 4 years now. every sunday he updates the site with post cards that people send in with their secrets. i've come very close to sending in a few of mine...but not quite yet. we'll see. life is always a series of adventures!

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

my brother, the creative writing major...

For those of you who don't know...Chris is my brother. He wrote this interesting tidbit on Facebook today and I thought I'd share it...

Get to Know Sarah Palin
By Chris Carpenter

Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1, 2

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact. 4

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." 5

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6

Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10

Sources

1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13709-9923846-FZcZgtx&t=62. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13709-9923846-FZcZgtx&t=73. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13709-9923846-FZcZgtx&t=85. Ibid6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/7. Ibid8. Ibid.9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13709-9923846-FZcZgtx&t=910. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Sunday, September 7, 2008

wonderful weekends...

i really didn't think that being in a long distance relationship was going to be this hard. really, i didn't. kyle and i have been dating for about 6 years now, and for three of those we've lived at least an hour apart.

but even an hour apart isn't really that bad. i could still go and see him if i wanted to, but sometimes that meant driving home really late at night or getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to drive to work or school in the morning. now, we're down to weekends only. and it sucks, really.

now, we officially live 3 hours apart. and that's if i don't have to stop on the way up to his house. 3 hours?!? that's a lot of a weekend. i mean, that's SIX HOURS of driving for one of us. i'm really not sure how long i'm going to last here in wichita. being back up in onaga for the weekend just showed me exactly what i was missing out on. it's so beautiful up there, epecially when you see what wichita looks like. and then you add to the fact that i actually got to cook for two people, not just one (and a dog and a cat, but they don't really count, do they?) and do my laundry for free and live in a house that i wouldn't have to pay rent on. it's just kind of depressing to return to stinky old wichita and think about how much i'd rather be living up there.

this post is getting depressing...it was supposed to be about my wonderful weekend up north and it turned into a bash on wichita post! lol. oh well! i really do like living here, but i truly miss all my manhattan friends and of course, seeing kyle any time i wanted to. i'm sure everything will work out in the end, and since it's not worked out yet, it's not the end!

so, ANYWAY...i did have a wonderful weekend at kyle's house, although he doesn't have internet and i don't get my FB and blogger "fixes" in everyday...but that's okay, i did get to see him after all... :)

here's the line up of weekends to come...

sept. 13th - dustin and katie's wedding in emporia, ks.
sept. 20th - dalton and emily's wedding in some small town in nebraska...basically it's so far north we will almost be in south dakota.
sept. 27th - e.duerr comes to town on friday! and erin g's bachlorette party in KC on saturday, studying my butt off on sunday.
oct. 4th - my LEED test day...yikes! kyle is building a shed at his house this day as well.
oct. 11th - erin and kyle's wedding in axtell, ks.
oct. 16th - i'm on the graduate panel for the KSU Interior Design Symposium all day, kyle and i leave for vacation that night!
oct. 16th - 20th - on vacation to cachura valley, co!
oct. 25th - a FREE weekend finally...
nov. 1st - kyle and i's 6 year anniversary, my dad's birthday, and the KU/KSU game in lawrence! we're going with some friends of ours that have the same anniversary!

and i think that's all we have "booked" until thanksgiving...sheesh, we are a busy crew this fall!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

ahhh! i can't believe it's almost been a week since i posted! i feel bad not getting to it. i've had a lot of stuff to do this week, so it's kind of flown by...which is always a good thing!

kyle came home monday night, so i went and picked him up from the airport. then tuesday we went out to his parents house for dinner. while we got a call that his dog (that ran away the wednesday before) was only 7 miles down the road! unfortunately, it was across a highway and a really busy street! he was amazingly unhurt though, so we were glad for that. then yesterday, i watched my friend julie's dog, lady, because she has to work a ton this week. i feel asleep on the couch and woke up to some food posioning from dinner. BOO. i get it a lot though, i have a really sensitive stomach. then tonight i watched lady again and julie came over and we watched project runway (since i missed it yesterday...GASP!) and now i'm getting ready to do a little studying before i got to bed. i'm REALLY glad that tomorrow is friday, but this short week has seemed really short. at least i get to go up to kyle's house tomorrow and spend one of the few (three to be exact) weekends that we have free between now and thanksgiving together.

i hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!