Hipsterdom

Today, i was interviewed for the yearbook regarding hipsters. I was rather confused to begin with. Did they think that i was a hipster? I don't think i am a hipster. And if was am supposed to be answering these questions like a hipster, then my answers would be different than if i am making obervations about hipsters.
Let us compare and contrast shall we? Yes, i am similar to a hipster in retrospect. When you look at me, you probly think, wow. She is so attractive and intriguing. I know i know. But this in no way makes me a hipster. I like to wear vintage dresses and combat boots. I like indie music, but i also like The Cab, which as many of you know, is mainstream. If you don't believe me. I have a picture of them below. I just saw them in concert Wednesday night. I don't wear those tacky fake rayban glasses. I don't need glasses. If i did, i would get real, classy, ray bans. I don't try to be different. I just am. I always have been. I like what i like. I don't care what you think. I am not a fan of labels. My favorite places to shop are goodwill, iowa city, and forever 21. I love photography. I like doing yoga. I wear sweats to school. I am very independent. I have a strong opinon. I like to argue. I will debate you into the ground. I fit in a school locker. I hope to live in a big city someday. I want to travel the world before i am old and wrinkly. I am awating to hear back from the colleges i applied to.


Yup. That's the cab. Photo taken on my phone. With no zoom. I was that close. Be jealous.

Hipster is defined by urbandictionary.com as "Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities"


This here is a photo of a hipster. do i look like that? No. I am 100% sure that i look nothing like that.


That is me with a bunch of hipster band people known as hot chelle rae. I'm not a hipster.

Now. There are similarities between a hipster and I. Thrift clothes are the best. They are cheap and original. Hipsters spend a ridiculous amount of money at Urban Outfitters to look vintage but aren't really. If you want an image of a hipster, take a good look at Daniel McCoy. My old school sneakers i've been wearing since 4th grade. I don't have the attitude of a hipster (most of the time). If i had to describe me, i would call myself quirky, unique, and one of a kind. I don't perscribe to any labels. Hipsters are too mainstream anyway ;]

Sarah =]

hipster photo credit to google images

The College Search

As a senior in high school, i can’t tell you enough how much i am kicking myself for not getting a head start on this. I have just finished applying to my four schools i wish to attend. You would think that is the end of the stress, but guess what?! It’s not. I want to bang my head against a wall and cry because my head hurts so much. There are so many decisions to make and not enough time to make them. If you wait until your senior year, you will feel overwhelmed and like you have to make a hasty decision about the rest of your life. It sucks.

I would suggest going on college visits and researching colleges during your junior year. That way you will have a vague idea of what you are looking for and maybe even schools you wish to apply to.

During the summer you should apply to the schools you wish to attend after highschool. You have bountiful time to write your essays and wait to hear back. If you wait to apply until the senior year, you might just find that finding time to apply is harder than you think. Once you get home from school, you don’t want to do anything. ever. It’s a little thing called senioritis. I’m not talking about this stuff everyone brags about like, “Oh man. I have senioritis so bad. I can’t wait to get out of here d00d.” I’m talking about where you lose all work eithic, your grades drop a little, you feel stressed, cry alot due to stress, and just want to sleep all the time. It sucks. It’s even harder if you have a job.

Once you get applying to the colleges of your choice out of the way (ASAP!!!), wait for your acceptance letter. When it is recieved, apply for housing super fast. This will give you a greater chance of getting the housing of your choice and it’s another thing to check off of your college to do list.

START LOOKING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS!!! Get that shit done. It is even more stressful and takes more work than applying to college does. You usually have to write a super awesome essay and even then only a few people win the money. Scholarships are hard. I advise going to your councelor for help. Fastweb.com also lets you create a profile and matches you to potential scholarships, but i haven’t had any luck with that. Googling scholarships will not work. Also, many have short deadlines. Another reason to get them done as soon as possible. Apply to all of them, even if they don’t really apply to you.

You should probably decide on what college you wish to attend now. We will guesstimate that it is around December to February of your senior year. Make sure you and your parents turn in your tax stuff early so you can get the results back fast. The faster you get that done, the sooner and more financial aid you will get. Accept to the college of your dreams.

Next you should find a room mate. Make sure you meet up with them so you don’t walk in to your dorm room on the first day of college and discover that your room mate is a hunchback who likes to sleep under the bed instead of on the bed. You don’t want someone who will steal your things. You want to be able to trust them. Or get a single room! That way when you bring people home at night, you don’t have that awkward “Will you give us some privacy?” conversation. And you don’t need to worry about people stealing your toothbrush, clothes, or money.

Lastly, you should coordinate your room supplies and set up. Then, enjoy your last high school summer. Go crazy. And move on to the begining of the rest of your life in the fall.

Sarah =]

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow, NOT.

I apologize for all of you that enjoy the snow. I don't. I find it repulsive, cold, wet, dangerous, and time consuming. All of these are bad for me, i know some of you take pleasure in dangerous things, but to be honest, i was enjoying my snow less winter more than any other that i can remember.

Think back two weeks. It was 50 degrees outside, you didn't need a bulky jacket, you could ride your bike around the neighborhood without running into snowbanks or ice patches. For those of you who are students, you didn't have to scrape your car off at an ungodly hour of the morning. You could wear short sleeves to school and not freeze in class. The likely hood of getting into a car accident was significantly lower. You didn't have to wash your car so much. The sun shined.

The past two weeks were heaven for me. I love nothing more than spring and fall, the transitional seasons. not too cold, not too hot. And that's what it has been like.

BAM back to reality. We live in Iowa. Only here could it go from 50 to 15 degrees in a matter of hours. Only here would the Cedar Rapids school district have a superintendent from Minnesota who thinks the roads are okay when they aren't. Welcome back the days of freezing your face, fingers, hands, and legs off scraping your car and walking into school. Embrace the bitchy tweets from those who wanted the snow a day earlier. Enjoy the extra days of school you will have to make up in the summer. Have fun freezing your buns off while sliding down a hill or getting into a car accident. For those of you who claim that snow is beautiful, look at the snow on the roads. For those of you who eat snowflakes, i will out live you due to your consumption of cancer causing chemicals that polluted that snowflake you just ate. Oh, and don't forget the fact that your feet, hands and nose are never warm.

I could have gone all winter without the snow.

Sarah.

Take a bite out of this

While i am waiting for the 54029485029 photos i have edited for the Torch website to load, i figured i would blog some more. I am currently sitting in the Torch lab with my sister and all of the cool lights. It is 6:25 pm and i am expecting to be here a while longer. On the way, we decided to fuel up, stopping at McDonalds. I am in no way, shape, or form supporting their figure fattening foods, but damn. They taste so good sometimes!

There is a new product called McBites. Can you guess what they are? Popcorn chicken! Lemme tell ya. Kayla and i got a huge box of them for 5 bucks and ate every single one. om nom nom nom. Guess what? For lunch i had a burrito from Pancheros. And now i'm eating zio johnnos. I would say i'm a fat ass, but that is self-inflicting put downs. I don't believe in that kind of attitude. I can eat what i want because i'm comfortable about who i am.

But, if you want to talk about self improvement, there is this super awesome twitter thing called @uberfacts. There are the most interesting things tweeted from this user. Did you know it only takes four seconds for a silence to become awkward? How about that the average woman has 21 pairs of panties and ten 10% of women have over 35 pairs of panties? I'm telling you. This is great stuff.

My goal with @Uberfacts is to become like Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds. He is so smart and so cute. What's better than that? I love Criminal Minds. i have all 6 seasons now. I'm going to watch some right after i finish this blog post.

I have to apologize for the random thoughtness that has become my most recent blog posts. They lack direction and purpose. I need to work on that. I have a distraction problem.

Speaking of distractions! Facebook is the number 1 distraction for a high school student. I made that up. But i can't ever get anything done on my computer at home because there is facebook available. When i am at school i don't have this problem. So distracting. I'm not sure i like it. But i recently switched to the facebook timeline. I am a fan. Really, i just wanted to make my cover photo my cover photo.

Sarah <3

ps. I love hearing about people who read my blog Caitlyn Carradus wrote on my timeline that she reads them, Emily McMickel does too. It makes me feel accomplished and want to blog more! teehee =]

Barnes and Noble Addiction

Much like Emily McMickel is addicted to Starbucks (love you), i have an addiction to Barnes and Noble. It’s just the atmosphere, and the people, and the books, and the comfy chairs, and the Starbucks, not the mean lady who kicks you out of you don’t buy things.

I feel like Barnes and Noble and i have a strong relationship. I can show up my grungiest self and it welcomes me with warm air as i open those big doors it has. Then i get to take a look at the beautiful nook stand. Oh those nooks. How i love them. My nook and i have a love affair. I can’t go a day without it. I don’t even have to read. I can listen to music and play sudoku. I am not a fan of the fancy schmancy nook color, and the simple nook is not simple at all. For the life of me i can’t figure out how to use that one. I like my first generation nook. It’s the best one. Plus i got this super cool custom nook cover. Some chick paints these!

Best Fanns <3

So right now, if you couldn’t tell from the picture above i am currently studying at Barnes and Noble. I can always focus here, and you never fail to run into people you know. Currenty, Tory Harman is sitting behind me and Haley Corkery is across the Cafe. Seriously. Never fails. It’s great.

Barnes and Noble is also home to the sweetest/most attractive men. Rachel Gilman was given a love note by a complete stranger. I met this super attractive kid in skinny jeans who paints. How cool is that? Pretty cool if you ask me. I gave him my number like an idiot and he ended up texting me anyway. Yup. Barnes and Noble is the place of dreams. It’s great.

The kid section also has a nice quiet hiding spot, if it isn’t already occupied  by little ones. The stage with the table is a great place to get away and study. It is probably my favorite place to study, or drink some Starbucks with a red headed kid from Wash. It’s great.

Lets talk about the comfy chairs. THEY ARE SO COMFY!!!!  The only downside is that there aren’t more of them, but if you hunt one down in the constantly changing lay out of the store, and make the person sitting in the desired chair feel awkward by standing right behind them, they will move shortly. It’s great. I like to sit cross legged and read a magazine or sketch. Ahh. I can see it now. It’s great.

I’ve always loved to read, maybe bore my love for Barnes and Noble. It’s great.

Another Annotated bib

Term 2 Annotated Bib #1

Picoult, Jodi. Picture Perfect. New York: Berkley, 2002. 308 pages

            This book took me absolutely forever to read! I’m not sure why, but it did. I meant to read some every night, but just didn’t happen.

            Picture Perfect is another Jodi Picoult book. I think I have an addiction. I need to stop reading Jodi Picoult books. This was my last one for a while.

            I think the reason Picture Perfect took me so long to read was because I couldn’t relate to the characters. Cassie was a pregnant wife of a Hollywood movie star, Alex Rivers. She lost her memory trying to escape from an abusive marriage. I can’t relate to that at all! I am not pregnant and I am not in an abusive relationship. So I don’t understand at all!

            I was rather confused about half way through the book. I may have lost my page at some point, but I think the story line took a break and then returned, if that even makes any sense. I did a flashback type thing without any warning so I got confused! This was a couple weeks ago. I don’t think I enjoyed reading this book.

Annotated BIb

Term 2 Annotated Bib #2

Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael. New York: Bantam/Turner Book, 1995. 268 pages

            This is a book that my AP Environmental Science teacher suggested. She gave us a list of good APES related books that we should read, so I decided to give it a shot. So far, it’s pretty good!

            At first, this book was hard to get into at first. I had to read in complete quiet with no distractions what so ever. If I even began to think about something else I had to stop or else I would miss something. The first few chapters were very important. They gave the background information that helps with the rest of the book. I haven’t finished yet. I still have a bit to go. But I am enjoying it very much.

            I think it is fascinating how this book is written from the point of view of a gorilla. Obviously, this is fiction. We don’t really know what a gorilla is thinking or saying. I don’t even fully understand how he is communicating with humans in the book! But his tale is fascinating.

            I relate to this gorilla in on way that I can see. Ishmael, the gorilla, loves to learn. I am the same way. Right now, for example, I am taking stat and finite. This class is the most boring and not beneficial class for me ever. I need something the challenge my brain! Without the challenge, I get bored easily.

           

            

The Notebook

I'm going to sound like almost every other teenage hormonal girl in the universe in this post. Be prepared.

I LOVE THE NOTEBOOK. I recently watched the movie for the first time last month and i can't stop watching it. It is the sweetest thing i have ever seen. I just look at Ryan Gosling and think to myself, "Damn. I want one." Rachel McAdams is the luckiest girl in the world. No joke. Seriously. I'm watching the film as i write this. It is making for a rather distracting time.

I am weird for having this feeling of filling up with joy whenever i watch the happy parts of this movie? Because it happens every. single. time. Maybe it's just my experience with love, but this movie makes me so hopeful for the future! It is so cute i can hardly stand it. Yuck. Listen to me. I'm turning into so mushy, love drunk, teenager. Back to reality Sarah, back to reality.

I wish things like this happened in real life. With the divorce rate being 1/2 and watching my, and others relationships fall apart. It doesn't seem likely. Every girl should have someone who loves her just as much as Noah loves Allie in the notebook. They laugh. They play. They're happy!

If every boy looked like Ryan Gosling, i wouldn't be mad.

I'm just rambling here. Sorry if you were expecting some awesome Sarah wit. I'm just too drunk off this movie. Someone needs to take it away from me. Just kidding. If you did, i might hurt you.

What happened to letters? Do you remember when you used to get so excited when you got something in the mail? That still happens to me, except i'm usually let down with college harassment shit. I wouldn't mind a letter, you know? There is something so wonderful about getting something handwritten from someone else that is for you only. I want a letter. (my torch mail box is a great place to put one =])

Sarah

PS. I promised Zach Kulish i would harass you about his art page on facebook. Go like it. I dare you.

Post New Year

So. We all celebrated the new year of 2012, most likely with a drink in our hand at a party with all of our friends. We have made resolutions, most of which will not be kept, and people are expecting change.

Why would anything change? It's just another day on the calendar. The sun rose. The sun set. The earth still rotated. What would change? Yourself? Well folks, the only way to change yourself is to decide to change yourself. It isn't going to magically happen over night on new years eve! My new years resolution was to keep up my nails. They aren't going to magically paint themselves every week! I have to do it. And i still haven't. Whoops.

I hop on Facebook for the first time in two days and everyones status is all "I don't feel different." "Change is here!" "Why do i feel the same?" Lemme tell ya why. It was just another day that holds no magical powers to make anything change except the number we right at the end of the date. I didn't expect change. Why would you? Maybe i'm just a negative nelly, but i don't see the change in myself do to the new year, and neither do most of you. I am assuming that is because there isn't one, and if you are hoping for one to magically happen...you're a fool. You have to make it happen yourself.

Sarah.

JUST KIDDING

LOLZ I GOT YOU!!!! This is my last post of the year. I promise. I just spent my afternoon with Emma Moss and i thought i'd do her the honor of writing a blog post all about her. It will make her year.

So i pick her up and we drive 5 feet when we see this 5 year old crossing the street. I was curious about why and Emma says, "She's going to my house!" "Why?" "We're friends. She calls me with her friend problems." Emma is friends with a 5 year old.

We then proceeded to attempt to find the Coffeesmiths on Edgewood Rd. In the process Emma thought it would be funny if the car ran out of gas, we almost sideswiped a car so Emma almost died. And then we did some weird awkward turn around in a parking lot once we found Coffeesmiths. Then we went into Coffeesmiths and saw Zach Kulish. He picked me out a white chocolate mocha (i didn't know what was good) and Emma got a "baby" carmel macciato (sp?).

NEWS FLASH! EMMA MOSS HAD A THING WITH JUSTIN BEIBER. disgusting.

We then proceeded to play Sorry and Candy Land. Emma, the fantastic person she is, beat me at sorry twice and i kicked her ass at Candy Land. When we left she wanted to pretend it was Halloween and go trick or treating.

When we got into my car, she wanted to go through the drive through to be funny. So we did. We got a strawberry italian soda. Then we drove home. On the car ride home Emma shared some of her life long goals with me. She would like to be on the people of Walmart website and become a Youtube sensation. She doesn't plan on attending college because she will have her Youtube sensation-ness to back her up. Both of my pillowpets are named Emma after her. She named them.

So that is the story of Emma Moss on December 31st. Happy New Year!

Sarah =]

The New Year

This is my last blog post of 2011. Sad isn't it? I've neglected to blog this entire break from school and therefore i am behind on blogging for my class. No worries there though. I've got plenty of time to catch up.

I have never made a New Years Resolution. Ever. It shouldn't surprise most of those who know me. I don't make promises i can't keep and i don't like to be let down, even by myself. However, this year i have decided to make a few resolutions i believe i can keep up. Ey the change of heart? you might ask. This is my last year of high school and i will be beginning college in the fall. Things are going to be changing, so i figure i might as well do some changing myself. Also, this is my last chance to make resolutions considering the fact that the world is going to end this year (kidding. I don't believe that. You have the right to say "i told you so!" if the world does end.).

Resolution #1: Keep up my nails.

This may seem like a silly resolution to some of you, but i know i can do this one for sure. You see, i hate naked nails. They drive me crazy. I also bite my nails if they don't look pretty. So to solve both issues, i will make sure my nails are in pristine condition all through out 2012. I won't bite them. They will not grow outrageously long. They will be painted all the time. Chipped nails will be kept to a minimum. There is also this thing i stumbled upon. It said that you can tell a lot about a person from their nails. When their life starts to fall apart, they are one of the first things to go. That is resolution number one.

Resolution #2: Find a friend who is good at painting nails.

To go along with my first resolution, I can't paint my right hand's nails. My left hand is awful at maneuvering such advanced motions. My mother usually paints it for me, but seeing as i am going off to college in the fall, she won't be able to do that for me. I will be on my own. It won't work out. So for resolution number one to work out, resolution number two must work out as well.

Resolution #3: Stop dwelling on the past.

I have this problem. I like to reminisce. I don't know why. It's almost like punishing myself some of the time. I really need to stop doing it. I'll just be going on my way and BOOM something will remind me of something and my whole day will be ruined. I refuse to do this anymore. It is not kind to myself and I'm afraid others may suffer. I have the will, therefore there is a way. It is a new year. This one will not involve such nonsense.

Resolution #4: Pay it forward.

I like helping others. It makes me feel good. I'm not the richest kid in the world, but i'm not the poorest either. I like to help those who aren't as privileged as i am, so hopefully, they will have the same opportunities in life as me, or more. My mom told me about this person who set up this homeless woman and her 3 kids in an apartment for 6 months. The mom already had a job, she just couldn't save up the money for a place to live. I want to help people like this.

Resolution #5: Start my own business.

This one is ridiculous. I have no doubt about that. I won't be able to accomplish this most likely, but it is something that i would like to do. You see, downtown Cedar Rapids isn't as awful as people might think. It just needs some TLC, and business. I figure i could open up my own store down there for not too much, considering the flood and all. It would be nice to have something like that. It may be just another thing that i have to do, but i want to do it! I would tell you about the store...but i don't want you stealing my idea =]

So there are my resolutions for 2012. I hope i can do all of them. Notice that there is nothing about getting in shape, or losing 10 pounds. I have no desire to do either of those things. I am happy the way i am. And i wouldn't want to be disappointed. I love food too much.

Sarah =]

Television Synthesis

Personally, I think that television has had a negative effect on politics. I find the TV stuff annoying and fake. I don't care that Mitt Romney had been with his wife since high school. That doesn't make him a good presidential candidate. Television has been bad for presidential elections because it limits the number of candidates due to the amount of money it costs to advertise, debates are no longer debates, they're just press conferences, and it is all about the image, not the issues.

Do you know how much it costs to advertise for 30 seconds on the television? A lot! Depending on the network and who the company is, it could be up to $1,000,000. If you ask me, that is a hugely limiting factor in the presidential race. Not everyone is made of money, and though most candidates get sponsored, they usually come from some sort of money to support their campaign. So basically, television is making the presidential race less accessible to those who want to run for president due to the high prices of advertising.

Has anyone noticed how these days the televised presidential debates aren't debates at all? They are press conferences where the candidates are asked impromptu questions that they have to answer. Are we really basing our vote on an impromptu answer? Do we want a president who makes snap decisions like that? I would like my president to be able to think his decisions through. In Source F, Ted Koppel wrote, "It is a joke to call an event like the one that transpired tonight a debate. Two reporters sat and asked questions of one of the candidates after another. Each man was supposed to answer only to question he was asked, and was given a minute and thirty seconds in which to do so." That sure sounds like a press conference to me. But it isn't like it just became this way over night. The first debates televised were actual debates in which Nixon and Kennedy we featured, but peoples opinions were swayed by image. Eventually it evolved into the audience asking questions. This is where we find Bill Clinton in Source B, talking about his undies because, "he had been asked to do so by a member of the MTV generation." Great. The type of underwear the president wears really makes a difference.

Lastly, lets discuss the image factor. There is no question that image has become a huge factor in these elections. This year I have had to hear all about how Mitt Romney has been married to his wife forever. I don't give a shit about how long you've been married to your wife. I want to know what you are going to do about this shitty economy! Rick Perry, you're stupid. I can pray in school all I want and they can't say shit. I don't care what you say, that is not an important issue. I don't care that you are catholic. What about the economy huh? Praying kids isn't going to change that as much as you wish it would. This is what I am gathering from watching the stupid commercials that interrupt my TV watching.

The Nixon vs. Kennedy debate even came down to image. Because Kennedy looked better, folks said he won. Source C will back me up on this one. It says, "Kennedy benefited because his image on television was 'crisp', Nixon's--light-colored suit, wrong makeup, bad posture--was 'fuzzed" But, the people who listened to the radio, "scored it a draw." And all of this just from a little makeup. "In 1960 television had won the nation away from sound to images."

To prove my point further, Johnson decided to quit the war because he looked bad. Why did he look this way? Because Walter Cronkite said the war wasn't going anywhere, making him look so. Source E says, "Cronkite had more authority with the American people than anyone else." He was a news anchor. That is why.

Television is bad for politics, "that's the way it is."

You're Totes Wrong D00d.

I have been a resident of the United States for 17 years. I have also lived in Iowa for 17 years. I am also 17 years old. When I read the article written by Stephen Bloom, I became rather upset. I guess that I don't see the same things he does. Though he may have some valid points, they get lost amongst the Iowa hating and incorrect facts. One wrong fact discredits the whole article. I am rather pleased about that. Bloom's observations were one-sided and inaccurate. They failed to show all sides of Iowa.

I know I am not the only one who feels this way about Bloom's article. There has been much uproar about the article in fact. A fellow blogger of mine, erinislaughing at wordpress.com, wrote, "So much of this is SOOOO wrong!" I couldn't agree more. Bloom made Iowa look bad on purpose. He completely neglected to even mention that there is an urban side of Iowa and made all of us sound like a bunch of hicks. If you compared the urban population to the rural population, you will find that the urban exceeds the rural by far. So, Bloom described, incorrectly, a small amount of Iowans, and generalized to make every resident of Iowa seem this way. If you haven't read the article, Observations from 20 years of Iowa Life, it was written by Stephen Bloom, a professor at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where he lives. Bloom refers to Iowans as hunters and farmers who go to tractor pulls for fun. I've never even heard of such a thing. I would advise you read it.

Iowa has many cities, the second largest is Cedar Rapids, and I just happen to live there. I have never walked my dog and been asked if I was going hunting. I bet bloom hasn't either. He lives in Iowa City! Iowa city, for those who don't know, is a hip, urban, college town. It is an actual city with people and small cars and taxis and everything. There is no way some random person asked him if he was going hunting while he was walking his dog in the middle of Iowa City. Hello. It looks like you're walking your dog. That's what everyone assumes you're doing too.

There are many small towns in Iowa. They are being brought down by Wal-Mart. But they are also beautiful. Bloom said, "Keokuk, is a depressed, crime-infested slum town. Almost every other Mississippi river town is the same; they're some of the skuzziest cities I've ever been to, and that's saying something." He failed to mention the beauty in Iowa. I find small towns charming, home to the most unique shops, and they are great for a photo op. Often, the stores in the small town are home to only that small town. You won't find it anywhere else. Also, I've been to Davenport, Dubuque, and many other river cities. They are hoppin! I've had to sit in traffic almost as bad as entering Chicago. Bloom was, once again, wrong.

 So Bloom has recklessly bashed Iowa, but it doesn't matter. He had an invalid "fact" that discredits the whole article. Who knows what else isn't true? Bloom said, "The front-page verse -- which in its entirety read, 'And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.' -- took up two columns and was played against a story about the murders of six people in the Iowa town of Norwalk." He claimed that was published in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Well, it wasn't. And he calls himself a journalist. Erinislaughing at wordpress.com agrees with me. She says, "I really love the mis- quoted comment about the newspaper… I thought journalists did their research."


All in all, Bloom was way off topic in his article. It falsely informs out-of-staters and has a negative impact on Iowa's reputation. It isn't even credible! Enough of this. I won't be taught by him.