Decreased post traffic, St. Louis, Misadventures

[ameliagoldfeesh]

Grey Wolf asked: Am I the only one who's concerned over the 
>paulatine decrease in posts in both the main list and the OT chatter
 >list?

I'll do my bit to help slow the decrease and try to set your mind at 
ease. <s>
Some of the decrease in posting on the main list I think is from the 
lack of new material.  I'm still surprised at the different views and 
angles brought up which I never would have even considered.

I'm one who hardly ever posts on the main list since I don't have 
anything new to add to the discussion. If I think I do have something 
to add, I usually read a few more posts down and find someone else
has it covered much more eloquently than I could.

What I'm nearly worried about will be the amount of posts when Book 5 
does come out. I suspect it will nearly be like a job to keep up (if 
only we could get paid for this...)

Tabouli asked about the "Place To Be" on the 4th
 
I'd think St. Louis would have a pretty good 4th of July.  I'd base 
this guess on the fact it is a big city plus it has the Arch. (I'm 
imagining they most likely work the Arch into the fireworks show 
somehow). The biggest fireworks display I've been to in person is
the one in Des Moines, Ia, in front of the beautiful capital building.

I'd also like to say that St. Louis is far from boring.  For spring 
break a few years back two friends and I went to St Louis for a
couple of days.  We didn't get to go up in the Arch as it was too
late in the day, but we visted the museum there.  The next day we went 
to the St. Louis art museum (which was an adventure in itself as my 
best friend tripped in an itty bitty pothole and twisted her ankle and 
so had to use a wheelchair in the museum...oh the memories <g>.

Speaking of misadventures I had an embarrassing one last weekend
which I thought I'd share- especially since practically everyone who 
knows me in real life has heard it unfortunately.  To set it up: I
live north of Des Moines, in central Iowa, while my parents (where I 
grew up) live in south western Iowa, near Council Bluffs.  I've driven
home probably a good 80 times (at a minumum) over basically the same
route.  The easiest way to get home is to go down to DM and get on 
Interstate 80 which runs east and west across the state.

I drive down to Des Moines, take what I think is the right exit,
drive along listenin' to Dylan's Love and Theft, being a nerd (and 
knowing it) by noticing how beautiful Iowa is in the spring, looking
at the fields and rolling hills...not paying attention to the road
signs.  Until one catches my eye- I think to myself "That DID NOT say
Missouri! 
Did it?"

I don't know how I did it...but I took the wrong exit and went south 
instead of west...a good *hour* south.  I turned around at the first 
opportunity and grabbed out my map to make the best of this otherwise 
pleasant drive.  I decided it'd be more entertaining to get back on 
track by going along the highways in southern Ia than going back
north to I-80.  Along the way I stopped at a little town called Mount 
Ayr to use the restrooms and get a pop. I went back to my car and it 
was locked...and guess where my keys were.  Yep, in the ignition.  I
don't know why I even locked the car in the first place (being that I 
was at a gas station in a small town).  Luck was on my side however 
that the sheriff's office sent a cop over to unlock the car for me in
a half an hour.  

Needless to say when I got home I was on the recieving end of a lot
of teasing- especially since my mom had been calling my friends
wondering where I was (I had tried to call her but kept getting a
busy signal because she was calling my friends). Plus I got to tell my 
siblings my story. *L*

I sincerely hope this has been my dumb action for this year...

A Goldfeesh
 (btw, if anyone gets to Omaha- go to the Henry Doorly Zoo.  The
Desert Dome is open now, it is the biggest indoor desert in U.S. I 
believe.  Even better is the indoor Jungle. In addition the imax
movie 
playing was  about Lewis and Clark- two of my favorite explorers.  In 
fact, when on roadtrips with my best friend we joke that she's Clark 
and I'm Lewis-I certainly needed my Clark this last trip!)


 Now the Missouri is a mighty river
 Look away, you rollin river.
 Indians camp along her border
 Look away.  Were bound away
 Across the wide Missouri
    -a Dylan version of "Shenandoah"