Pages

Thursday, May 27, 2021

Lynne's Happy New Year (ISU story - Chapter 2)

Yesterday afternoon, I posted an urgent call for help from the USPS union.
So, if you did not see it yesterday, you may scroll down and review the request.


Lynne took a folded pen class online and this was her first attempt. I'm always glad when I encourage people to take classes and they send me an example. This is a great start.

Also, I love the card - it was blank on the inside.
The printing on the back is clever, too.
Home-cooked greeting cards made with love and a pinch of sass.

www.themeatballstudio

IG @_spaghettimeatballs_

I have not gone to either of those, so, you are on your own.

 ***
Real time comment -- just to be perfectly clear -- this ISU story is just a series of silliness that I lapsed into when I was looking for alternatives to my endless whining. Yesterday's post sounded looney and this story will get loonier. Sorry. I don't have time to replace the posts with sensible and/or scholarly material. Feel free to skip them.

***

Chapter 2 explains why the aliens ended up in Ames, Iowa. They liked the symmetry of the two 4-letter words. They also liked the zip codes. 50010 and 50011. Those are really good numbers. They were looking for a sleepy little community where really smart people had gone to avoid the big fancy places that were doing all kinds of important research. The aliens were counting on the really smart people to be lulled into complacency by the deeply routine daily life in the rural midwest. And they wanted all four seasons in equal amounts. You get that in Ames, Iowa. It's quintessentially rural and predictable, but it has some kind of weird cosmic attraction. I can't explain it - but I know it has always been really long on scientists and really short on artists. Or maybe there are a ton of artists, but they were not consulted when it came to designing a lovely campus.

This is going to be controversial -- but, I'm going to stick my neck out and state my opinion. I have been to quite a few campuses in my day. I won't list them, but there are some gorgeous campuses. I've even been to state schools where you would not expect anything special but they are gorgeous. And then there are the ones that are famous for being gorgeous from day one. ISU is the worst hodgepodge I have ever seen. I'm pretty sure there are no two buildings that relate in any way other than that they have walls, doors, and windows.  

They did build a group of dorms one time that literally looked like suitcases. But they were so poorly constructed that they had to be torn down. So, it's not that they do not have any pretty buildings. Some of them are lovely. But, it is like a collection where there is no rhyme or reason. It's like a crazy quilt. Some people like them and some are better than others. Some people probably love crazy quilts above all others. I'm fine with that. I just don't think it's the best design choice for a college or university campus. Just my opinion. Let's not get sidetracked by an aesthetic debate.

As luck would have it, when I Googled  *ISU suitcase dorm* there was one lonely photo and a pretty nice blog entry. Maybe two of the suitcases are still there. Maybe some day I will drive up there and see if I can get a photo of the two remaining suitcases. I like the view when you are approaching and they poke up through the landscape.

Anyhow -- if aliens were looking for a place to park....ISU had a lot to offer. The suitcases were giant markers constructed by the aliens that had already infiltrated the institution.

Here is a link to the blog where I found the photo and the blogger has some interesting things to say about the dorms.

In case it is not obvious, there are two suitcases on the right at the moment of implosion.




2 minutes later - there are some more photos - but none showing them as they rise out of the prairie from a distance. Back to our story tomorrow.





No comments:

Post a Comment