Oh the places I'll go...for a story

So this morning I was assigned to cover a- drumroll please- curling championship (ta-daa!) in a nearby town that makes where I live now look like a bustling metropoilis. After getting directions to the curling club from some woman who happened to be standing at the counter in the office, I set out to get it over with... I mean...be the best curling reporter I can be?

Now, you'd think, in a former air base with a population of approximately 100 people, I'd be able to find the lone curling club in the area without too much trouble. And that might have been the case if not for the ridiculous amount of fog bear-hugging the entire area or the fact that the streets seem to have been designed by Dr. Seuss.

Anyway, when I finally found the actual building, after mistaking a large row of trees in the fog for it, the championship was cancelled. Presumeably due to fog, but I'd kind of like to think it was cancelled due to no one being able to find the place.

On my way out of that one-ghost town, I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos. You know, in case I need to think of a location for my next horror movie. Perfect, yes?

Town Hall-iday

Tonight was quite possibly the last council meeting I will get (have) to cover here. It's amazing that it was only a year ago that I first walked into the pretty town hall with my notebook, a bundle of nerves and no idea what I was getting myself into. I walked out at the end, thoroughly bewildered and irritated that not one of my college classes was a crash course in agriculture or small-town politics.

I remember telling my mom, " I SWEAR I'm a fairly bright person, but I just spent three hours with the words 'What? Wait what? with the....who???' playing on repeat/shuffle in my head." I was pretty sure I'd never be able to comprehend anything that was said in those chambers.

As months passed, I learned what to listen for so that I didn't feel I had to frantically scribble every word that was said. I learned that the advantage of small-town councilors is that they're in the phone book and that the phrase "No seriously, explain it to my like I'm 5." can be most helpful.

I made mistakes. And while slightly worse than making mistakes in many other professions, due to the public humiliation and permanent record factor, none of them killed me (or anyone else -seriously, how often do doctors have heart attacks?)

I learned to relax. A lot. I learned to turn the most mundane topics into something that people might find interesting to read. Really bored people, but still.

I also learned which animals I think each of the council members most resemble and I learned that the most inconspicuous thing to sketch in great detail (if not the least bit of accuracy) during a council meeting is my own hand. I learned to hide a gigglefit when meetings were interrupted by, say, rooster-crow ringtones.

While I wouldn't say my council coverage has become the stuff of brilliant journalism, I'm proud to say that I've certainly learned a lot from it. I might only have about a thimbleful of collected knowledge in the grand scheme of things, but it's a thimbleful more than I had a year ago and that's something to be proud of.

Racerback beetle

You know those bras with the little hooks on the straps that let you convert them into a racerback? (guys just nod along sagely).

Well I was lying on the floor in my apartment, you know, just trying to get some perspective on things, (and maybe some kind of do-it-yourself chiropractic adjustment) when my fancypants convertible bra pulled yet another showstopping trick out of its ...sleeve?

While I was lolling around on my back, those helpful little hooks snuck out from behind my tank top and hooked themselves neatly into my carpet.

If you ever find yourself in a bit of a funk (like the one I've been in lately) I highly recommend getting pinned to the floor by your own undergarments. Because let me tell you, if struggling like a bewildered beetle to get up from such a ridiculous trap doesn't crack you up, I just don't know what will.