Hello Kitty

Life Changing Day in the Life of Carissa Bane. Bought a new bike here which can only mean two things:

1) I'm officially a Fort Colliner
2) I HAVE to do Ragbrai at some point now, no turning back. No matter how out of shape or old I am. I just invested in a nice bike and it is making it to some point of Ragbrai.

But for real the bike trails here are amazing. I hopped on one tonight to try out the new bike and ended up on the other end of town a half hour away from home. Good thing I spent extra to get the front and rear lights!

**The best part is they have an amazing bike library here where you can check out bikes for the day or week for FREE!! With an ID. So expect to do some bike riding on trails if you are coming to visit me : )

This town continues to be uniquely different from anywhere I have lived before.

- I know I said this before, but seriously, EVERYONE has some connection to Iowa. I must stick out because a typical conversation for me here goes like this.
                 Hi. So where are you from. Oh Iowa. Yeah? What part of Iowa. Oh okay, yeah my cousin's step
                 mother's best friend lived in Iowa. I couldn't tell you what town, but somewhere in northern Iowa.
                 So have you ever ridden ragbrai?
 Literally had 3 conversations today that went just like that.

- Every store feels the need to have a mascot/sign dancer/promoter on the corner. Every corner there is someone dressed up like a pizza or rocking out to their IPOD holding a sign promoting a bookstore

- Camouflage Cowboy hat?? paired with Sperry's?? Gotta get that East coast in the West hick feeling? Only in this town.

- They either don't spray for mosquitoes or just have an insane amount. (yes more than Iowa)

- Mass quantities of grasshoppers. Ran over millions today with my new bike.

- No one owns a new bike. I dont know where they all get their used bike because every used bike shop I went into had practically nothing. Guess mine is the first one getting stolen. Good thing I invested in the best bike lock there is.

- It is socially acceptable for large grown men to ride their significantly younger sister's pink bike.

- Cycologist is actually a bike shop

- The bus system is called the Transfort system...get it?? TransFORT like Fort Collins. Yeah it's okay, I've been here a week and it finally kicked in today.

- Oh yeah and no one says hi to you on the streets in passing, but if you are wearing a hello kitty shirt, you will get random people just saying 'hello kitty'. yes even 75 year old women. A whole group of them. Or middle aged men? I may never where that shirt again in this town.

Well I have put off homework long enough. My day off was definitely a day off, time to get back at it.