I know I didn't really write anything about Iowa State and University of Iowa but.... well we were busy. And it was pretty dull. The best thing to report is that my assistant, Chris, had me design a tattoo which he promptly got done at a small but pretty cool parlor while we were at Iowa State. Check out my facebook for pictures of it. I asked him what he wanted, he said he didn't know but that he liked skulls, flames and robots. So I scribbled out some combo of the three, added a cat and jetpacks and colored it.
I think I mentioned in the post just before this one that our hotel while at Iowa State was in the middle of cornfields - I'm too lazy to check, but if I didn't... Our hotel was by the highway and surrounded by cornfields.
University of Iowa was our last stop, not too far from Iowa City. The Heartland Inn where we stayed was in town, so there were some stores and places within walking distance, which was really, really nice. There was also a middle eastern food market as well as an asian grocery store, neither of which I ended up having time to check out which was saddening, but still! Besides that, I have to admit our week at the University of Iowa was one of the more... negatively interesting. Iowa hasn't won me over.
Here are some of the highlights -
Mother's Milk Banking. Yep.
The school's Ethnic Inclusion Effort for Iowan Engineering (they had shirts and everything) (also, only black students).
"Escape hell! Believe Jesus, not 'church'!" - so said a GIANT green and whited lettered banner, carried around by some girl one day around campus. She handed out pamphlets to only white students (I watched her for a bit) and between classes, when it was busy, preached something really loudly.
"I come up with all sorts of pitas, all day! ...Only I can't eat like six of them. ...I can barely eat one." - from the girl working the counter at Pita Pit, where Chris and I ate one day. She kept awkwardly trying to converse with us, but only seemed to be able to bring up pitas.
A side note to this, a lot of the people at this school's area were eager to converse, but really really awkward with nothing in particular to say.
In fact, here is another example of the awkwardness of these kids coming up!
"Excuse me. Do you guys do refunds?"
I explain we don't, but we do exchanges as long as the posters are in the same condition.
"Ah. ...I see. ....I'm sorry you feel that way."
A little while later, the same student, trying to buy a poster with a credit card. I explain there is a $10 minimum for cards.
"Why is that?"
Company policy.
"Oh, I'm sure. And I suppose your manager isn't here, either?"
I explain no, actually we're a company based out of New York and we travel to different schools.
"Ah, of course. So a ten dollar minimum? That's interesting, I've never heard of that."
I apologize, kid says he'll come back later with cash, he never does.
(A side note - I was hung over this morning. This kid was hellishly lucky that I was more fascinated by his paranoia than offended)
Another example, I posted this one on my facebook -
Two male students - "Oh man, do you guys have any posters of hot chicks and stuff?! ..Oh sick man, here they are!"
A little while later, asked in the same excited manner -
"Oh man, do you guys do framing?!"
Also, an english themed pub called the Wig and Pen that was famous for... its pizza and very italian-american themed menu. This really bothered me for some reason.
So there you go! Combine this with arriving and leaving during games days.... it wasn't the best of times. People at University of Iowa are really into their college football. There were literally about a dozen stores in town (and I'm not talking about on campus) that were entirely and only devoted to University of Iowa memorabilia. The hotel was packed with people coming in to see the game.
At least there were interesting points.
The actual town of Oberlin is really cute. A couple of bookstores, the first public library I've seen this entire time, a few coffee shops, antique stores, a few art galleries, some nice parks. Unfortunately we're not there - we're about ten miles away in Elyria, which is a whole town of motels, fast food and strip malls. Ew. The local mall is shaped like a cross and has two churches in it.
I think I'm just getting tired. This is the last week!
