4 Cats in a Room

Things after things

2009-01-18T17:26:00.008-06:00

I've neglected to put up pictures for a long time. My apologies. New job, coldness, it all adds up to me being lazy. So here are some things that happened *note that November was one of the worst months ever, even though these photos don't really show it*:

The best Des Moines doughnuts,

Grandma's 85th birthday in the hospital,

a somber looking Thanksgiving but it really was a good time,

I hung out with some of my favorite kiddos,

giant wooden nickels everywhere.

Many things have been happening but my camera and my self haven't felt up to being out and about to capture it all. I'll work on that as spring comes along.

Yes We DID!

2008-11-08T19:15:00.006-06:00

Well I did cry, and they were the happy tears!

This week I started a new job, Barack Obama won the presidency and the world suddenly seems like a better place. It was instant.

I've never been a huge patriot, nor have I been terribly 'anti-America' (except for say these last 8 years) but this election made our entire planet feel like there is hope. Friendly mobs filled with people so against W. who are now out there waving American flags and crying with joy. Who knew that we could hit the 'reset' button just like that? I realize the problems are the same and the wars are still going on, but this still changes everything. Watching Kenyans, Germans and Australians crying and screaming with happiness at our new president, to see how much they cared about what was happening with us was really eye opening. I knew it was big for us here in America but it means a lot to them too.

I can't stop smiling. And I'm happy to say for the first time that I'm proud to be an American.

Good job people.

“We ain’t what we want to be; we ain’t what we ought to be; we ain’t what we gonna be, but, thank God, we ain’t what we was.”

I'm probably going to cry either way..

2008-11-04T18:17:00.003-06:00

..but come on America. Let's do this thing.

Winnie the Pooh & the Blustery Day

2008-10-26T14:42:00.007-05:00

The Johnson County Poor Farm & Asylum (http://johnsoncountyhistory.org/)

The wind is making the whole day seem like a mini tornado

While out pumpkin shopping I saw a peculiar van which said "Invisible Children".

Upon investigation, it turns out that InvisibleChildren.com is a group that helps the people of Northern Uganda. They are trying to improve the educational system by sending educators and volunteers to Uganda and getting the word out via a film they shot a few years ago. I learned something new.

After picking up some pumpkins I walked about the cemetery and listened to the crazy wind.

It has suddenly become fall...

2008-10-15T17:09:00.015-05:00

Sorry to the four people who look at my blog! I have been AWOL and lacking a card reader for my new camera. Well, I finally got one.

There have been birthday parties,

(the birthday girl)

Homecoming parades,

bugs...

that threw shadows.

It appears that I hang out exclusively with children. This is not entirely false.

I finally made it to the eye doctor. He promptly dilated my eyeballs!

Monsters came to visit!

As did Chris.

What up cool Jamal?

And just today I made a pie. Apple variety.

Summer Time in the City

2008-08-16T20:45:00.011-05:00

Jamal and I spent some time in Burlington, Wisconsin in July. Jman had some coffee.

They had pretty flowers,

pretty cats,

pretty houses,

and some interesting National Geographic Magazines.

Shortly thereafter I had a birthday. My mom instructed the guy at Dairy Queen to make some sort of "modern design" for my annual ice cream cake.

For this birthday I was given a new digital camera. It has a 'sunset mode' which I've only gotten to try out once and it was through my window screen.

In the last couple of days my mother has been making tons of key lime items, such as this pie that she insisted Jamal try, as he had never had it before. He likes it!

I also went to Wilson's Apple Orchard. They have some good apples, which I picked and placed in my apple bucket.

I'm gettin' older...

2008-07-30T23:12:00.004-05:00

but that's okay! Look at this...

The Sweetest Lion

I've been busy with these nieces and Wisconsin the State.

A cake I made for my uncle's birthday. He lives in Texas now but he loves those Hawkeyes.

...I'll be adding more pictures soon. I have to get a card reader for my new camera.

Frog Flood

2008-06-28T11:16:00.007-05:00

My parents have a new house near a marshy area and these little guys are everywhere right now. They come hopping up the driveway in the morning. They seem to be migrating but no one can figure out where they think they're going.

There are also some very nice wildflowers in the area.

Iowa City's Newest Tourist Trap!

2008-06-09T21:57:00.005-05:00

The Coralville Reservoir!

Where's my "I survived the flood of '08" t-shirt?! I suppose I haven't survived it yet.

Crandic Park, the day before they closed it off.

Cakes & Floods

2008-06-06T22:03:00.010-05:00

The story of my life, am I right?!

Mini cakes for the mini kids!

I had cake pieces left over so I fitted them together to make more cakes!

And there it goes.

What's better than a bouncy house party on your 2nd birthday?

City Park is, uh, how you say...? Flooded.

Random Oakland Cemetery shot, not flooded.

Hey, BJ!

2008-05-30T22:20:00.002-05:00

I met Mike Farrell at Prairie Lights! EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rectangular Images

2008-05-25T16:36:00.005-05:00

Have you heard of this comic? It is Garfield minus Garfield. They've removed Garfield from the strips and left Jon alone so you can see the depressed and psychotic hermit that he is.

You laugh. You cry. You feel a little uncomfortable. It's great.

A mural I did a while back for a nursery. I'm going to get it printed on a canvas because the owners had to move and they wanted to save the mural in some manner.

Furious Skinny visited from wherever it is that they come from. They've put together a few new songs so look out!

I took pictures of approximately 60 children at my daycare the other week. It's draining but cute to look at afterwards.

Zip, there I go!

2008-05-04T08:11:00.001-05:00

I got a picture in the paper! I'm excited about this. Check it out! It's on page J4. It has a dog and a couple of people in it. I appreciate that The Gazette put a picture about the Microchip Clinic in their paper because the Press-Citizen sure didn't care to.

I want one of these...

2008-05-02T16:20:00.009-05:00

You can buy shelving units now that serve as secret doors. If I suddenly come into some thousands of dollars I'm putting one in the basement. For reals.

www.hideadoor.com

Also, before I went to 80s Prom my parents took some pictures of me in my spectacular dress.

Microchipping, Babies, No Shame & 80s Prom

2008-04-27T01:42:00.006-05:00

Don't worry, there's no microchipping of babies! Don't get squeamish about it. That's why there's a comma!

I've been taking a lot of pictures over this past week and I should probably share some of them.

No Shame from the Friday before last. I should get the rest of those pictures onto Flickr so everyone can look at themselves.

My friend Katie had a baby not quite 2 weeks ago. She's a really nice baby. Her name is Ivy.

Just tonight I attended a 1980s prom. I wore my boss' dress from 1988 with matching dyed purse and heels. This is my coworker and her friend. The balloon arch was quite nice.

Earlier today I took pictures at the Animal Center Microchip Clinic. I have never seen so many dogs in one place before. This puppy had actually already been microchipped but he still looked very worried.

4 Square Club! Butterflies! Eek!

2008-04-20T20:32:00.008-05:00

The other day I got home from work and there were these fine little butterflies in the flower bed.

Today Tim came over and we brought back 4 Square Club. Awesome.

Jamal climbed the slipperiest slide ever! He is tough!

Whoop! There they go! It's fun to go to the playground.

When's it's springtime in Alaska...

2008-04-14T17:22:00.013-05:00

I'll be having springtime in Iowa. Thank God.

Blue flowers are all up in my yard.

This isn't one of my cats, but it is a cat at the Iowa City Animal Center. I'm going to be taking some pictures for their new brochures so I did a few of some kitties to see how the lighting was going to be.

Check it! FOUR CATS IN A BED!

Do you know the music of Justin Roberts? Well Jamal and I attended his concert. He does very good children's songs. I felt it would be a little strange for us to go without a child along so I borrowed one, thinking it would be a good time for everyone. I later found out that she DID have fun, it's just hard to tell from the evidence shown here.

A while back I took a trip to Madison but I never got the photos up. Until now!

Pen-guins!

What's got these boys so down?

They found out what they sell at the jungle pharmacy!

Those chimps. They were up to something but they wouldn't let us see.

Schlotzsky's! It's not even open!

I went to Madison...

2008-03-06T13:56:00.003-06:00

...to see They Might Be Giants AND an Iowa women's basketball game. How convenient.

We stayed at the Red Roof Inn. It was quite nice and I enjoyed it a lot for a cheap hotel.

Friday was the concert.

Saturday we went to the zoo.

Sunday was basketball. It was a great game.

Who got rear ended today?!

2007-12-29T15:27:00.000-06:00

IT WAS ME!

The cars made such a loud noise! It didn't do too much to my car or my body thankfully.

Good job Hyundai bumper!

But you should see the other guy! The other lady I should say. That car got crumpled!

Mine really seems largely unscathed, though there are a couple holes all the way through my bumper. What caused that to happen I don't know.

My car is a tank! Bring it on small sedans! Anyone bigger, please don't hit me.

Happy Xmas Day Everyone!

2007-12-25T18:12:00.000-06:00

The tree looked very nice and...

there were puppies under the tree!

I got a book in my stocking! My stocking does not have paws on it. Those are for the dogs.

My grandma got a new vest! She came to visit from the Des Moines.

I had her take a picture of me and my ma and pa. Put your digital camera in your grandma's hands whenever you can! Results are usually pretty good stuff.

My mom and I made these "accordion style" potatoes.

I finally got some Christmas treats! My mom and I made cookies & fudge. Rockin'.

Hawkeye Santa handed out treats and presents, as he does every year.

All the excitement made the puppies sleepy.

I hope everyone is having a fun time, today and other days too! And if you're not, try checking out volunteermatch.org. Maybe you'll find some fun there.

Cats! Cats! Cats!

2007-12-24T22:32:00.000-06:00

Brian-

I've looked over your comments and I would like to apologize. I think your concerns are valid. I did some research and found out what was lurking behind that white cat. I hope this will make us friends again.

Sincerely,
Alyssa S. Bowman
On another cat related note, Michael (not a cat) came to visit from the LA. While at my house, he talked to Booger. Now if you know Booger, you know he DOES NOT like to be picked up or squeezed by people he doesn't know. Please keep this in mind when you view the following images.

Grabbing+
Hugging +
Frowning +
Squeezing =
One big unhappy Booger.

Also in town... John and Laura! They were visiting from Baltimore.

It's always fun to feel like I have friends for a week before they leave again.

Pets Got Total Adopted!

2007-12-22T22:51:00.000-06:00

The dog and cat from my previous post have both been adopted! Along with 18 other cats and 6 other dogs! Good job Iowa City! This is great news but there are still 53 cats, 1o dogs (with more puppies coming) and 3 bunnies waiting for adoption. Tell your petless friends!

I saw two of my friends play a concert last night. They are very much performers. They are exciting individuals. It looked something like this:

Thanks to everyone who came to the show. It was really nice of you to attend. And happy days off work and school to everyone who has them! I hope it's lovely.

In a totally unrelated incident...

Sick Week!

2007-12-20T21:34:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I was in the wonderful cities of DeKalb and Chicago, Illinois. There were plans to do fun things but unfortunately I got most sick and I am still recovering to this day! I did get a picture of the loud tavern next door to the hotel in DeKalb though.

Fatty's! The logo consists of a giant suited arm coming out of the name. Explanation? Post a story about it! Let's hear what you got!

This afternoon it got all kinds of foggy so I ran into the backyard to try and get some shots before it got totally dark.

This crazy tree kind of grows sideways. I like it.

Okay, so it turns out that's the only one I like. When I'm less sick I'll take some better pictures.

Holiday with the Hounds!

2007-12-17T15:28:00.001-06:00

Tonight I am going to take presents to the homeless dogs and cats at the Iowa City Care & Adoption Center (www.icanimalcenter.org). They get so many animals dumped outside their doors. It's nice to be able to go down there to give them things to make their lives better.

I mean, come on, that's cuter than anything you'd see at Petland , right? And so much cheaper! And deserving of a home! And so much less from a puppy-mill!

If you're interested in being a little bit terrified, check out these stories & boycott Petland:

http://www.thevoicefordogs.org/Petland/petland2.shtml

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/petland.htm

Have a happy holiday time! And adopt an animal while you're at it! Rescued animals are great. There's a particularly adorable one curled up on my lap right now!

Ice Time!

2007-12-11T19:24:00.001-06:00

Snow day! I didn't have to go to work, but I also don't get paid.

So I took some pictures, cut my hair, and got nothing done that I needed to.

The other day on the way to work I encountered this strange van. I would have liked to follow it.

What kind of business is a Ween van doing at 8 o'clock in the morning?! Please tell me.

R.I.P. Mojo

2007-12-03T15:26:00.000-06:00

My parents' (and my) beloved kitty cat of 15 years passed away today. He was a good boy.

Oppenheimer & Monkeys

2007-11-11T18:14:00.000-06:00

Oh my!

A weekend trip to Chicago produced some pictures from the Lincoln Park Zoo. I recommend it. It's free (except for parking). I also recommend this:

http://www.oppenheimermusic.co.uk/

I do love the Irish.

I didn't get any pictures of the concert, but I did get some of the zoo, so on you go:

Just go anywhere you like men! Over there, down here...it's all a toilet for you!

Quite a lot of monkeys, including these two cuddled up in a tree together.

The marmosets were all fighting over this one particular little stick. That stick must have been quite a charmer for all the trouble it made.

This fellow was really something. He wanted to stay awake to keep an eye on us,

but it was just too hard...

Why so sad, friend?

This is the face you make when one of your friends very nearly pees on your head.

Silverbacks are, well, not meant to be in here. All they do is sit and think about what's out there.

Hey kitties.

My favorite thing about big cats in zoos is how they eye every small child that walks by but don't pay an adult any attention at all.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T17:59:00.000-05:00

Pumpkins finally got carved! Yeah for us!

Jamal's carving was awesome, as always.

I like how mine turned out too.

There was a daycare Halloween party. Those crazy kids.

A cheerleader, Elmo, Dracula, a witch, a "gator", a fairy, a shark and a pumpkin bear.

There were dinosaurs,

chili peppers,

frogs,

it made for quite a party.

A cute party.

11 trick or treaters so far! That's more than usual. Happiness.

Pirate Costume Complete!

2007-10-24T23:18:00.000-05:00

I made it myself (circular arm motions). I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Woodpecker Trail Makes Iowa Look Awfully Good

2007-10-22T18:10:00.000-05:00

There was a walk last weekend. It was full of autumn.

And waterfalls.

And fungi.

And yes, even spiders and leaves.

The Mudkin Patch

2007-10-18T19:13:00.000-05:00

Today at daycare I escorted 10 toddlers to the amazingly muddy pumpkin patch.

I'm a big fan of this one:

We were unsure about some cows,

the pony tried to take one of my kids' jackets. He's a wily one.

We got hopelessly lost in the corn maze but we met a lot of nice monsters.

We were not scared of the chickens,

Then the van got stuck in the mud for 10 minutes. I didn't get a picture of that. Sorry.

Just like in the long, long weekend

2007-10-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

Saturday: Photograph wedding in Des Moines

Sunday: Drive back to Iowa City, drive to Cedar Rapids for an Adoption Shower for this cute child, take pictures, make monster cookies, decorate

Later: Go see the School of Music Composers' Workshop, featuring Brian's very good marimba/clarinet musical piece. I didn't take pictures.

Laterer: Be too tired to do laundry and fall asleep? Let's hope.

It's Wedding Season...

2007-10-11T19:58:00.000-05:00

...I've been busy. Last weekend I shot a wedding. I liked it but it does drain the energy. Another wedding awaits this Saturday in Des Moines.

This weekend marks the last of my 5 weddings for this year. It used to be too stressful for me but I'm actually getting to like it. Yes, I kind of like it.

The power of SpongeBob

That tasty looking ice cream treat made me feel about like that. The tutti frutti gum eyeballs were what pushed it over the gross edge for me.

Take it random

2007-10-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

The spooks are coming out!

The cutest cat in my world, Dreidel. Yeah, she's Jewish, but she doesn't feel weird about it.

My right eye. Thanks Jake!

Some random spring stuff that I forgot about

Een. Oh, Ian. No, Een.

2007-10-03T21:16:00.001-05:00

A friend that I have has a brother, who has a girlfriend. These later two stopped in Iowa City on their way to Portland, Oregon tonight.

There was an intense fountain inspection.

We had fun,

my favorite Jake came along,

as did my favorite lighted tree.

Look what came in the mail...

Oh man.

Leaves, leaves, leaves

2007-10-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

This tiny, perfect leaf appeared on my car.

This red and yellow tree appeared in my front yard.

And these strange paintings appeared on my wall.

Today I Scared...

2007-10-01T16:55:00.000-05:00

these birds,

this spider,

and made this mantis rather angry. I did apologize.

My camera buddy Meschel is letting me try out his Tamron lens. If I like it I just might get one for myself.

I'm pretty fond of plant textures and icky bugs.

Well thanks for the warning Tex!

Yes, I am a dork who takes pictures of herself. I just don't usually show them to you.

And don't even compare it to that monkey below me. This is embarrassing enough as it is.

A Trip to the Zoo

2007-09-30T17:43:00.000-05:00

I realize that there are lots of posts going up but I have a lot of catching up to do, okay?!

These were taken at the Niabi Zoo in Illinois. It's newish and smallish as zoos go, but has some alright habitats that they seem to constantly be expanding.

I entered their photo contest. I lost. Whatever Niabi Zoo!

My Favorite Outside Photos

2007-09-30T15:22:00.000-05:00

A conglomeration of out of doors photos from the past year.

Spring:

(Iowa City)

Summer:

(Coralville Fireworks)

(Burlington, Wisconsin)
(Washington Island, WI)

Autumn Spectacular!

2007-09-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

Three cats in a bed! It's almost 4 cats in a room.

It is fall. This makes me bake things. Apple things

and chocolate pumpkin cupcakes,

Speaking of cupcakes, this one rides a Segway, as does his friend:

My favorite band played at the University of Iowa Homecoming Parade this year, take a look:

The tree in front of our house

thinks that it is late fall, so it does this:

So much raking. Sad, sad raking.

I don't always see rock stars...

2007-09-29T14:53:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I just see things that I see all the time.

Or I make an apple pie,

or paint a turkey...

which Jake later wanted attached to his chest for beauty reasons...

which is also cool.

It's for videos! And pictures!

2007-09-29T14:20:00.000-05:00

What do I see when I'm out and about...

Well, last week I saw this at the Iowa Memorial Union. I did not like the way Scope Productions handled the concert. I DID like the music and the smile on Linnell's face. And my proximity to his shoes.