Here in Katie’s Head

A few weeks ago, I decided that I should have a cool hat. So I convinced a friend to go shopping in Delano with me, and I bought a hat. I love the hat, my friend loves the hat, even her husband likes the hat.

But when I wear it in Wichita, I get scoffed at (granted, it was by the usual scoffers, so whatever). Discouraged, the hat spent a couple of weeks hiding out at home.

Friday night, I drove up to Lawrence for a friend’s birthday party. I wear the hat. When I get to town, I have to run a few errands (liquor store, Dirty Dillons).

At the liquor store, I start noticing that guys are checking me out. A drunk guy compliments my hat. I’d transcribe the rest of the conversation, but he was fairly unintelligible, so I’d just be guessing.

Then I get to Dillons, where some dude who is at the checkout with his girlfriend leans around a display to get a closer look at me. Holy crap.

Obvious conclusion: I need to spend more time in Lawrence.

At the same time, this was the first time I went back that it didn’t feel like I was going home. I credit that to the fact that my covert plan to move back turned into a big disaster. There are a lot of things I miss about Lawrence (La Parrilla, concerts, boys), but the bullshit and red tape of working at a university is not one of them.

That said, I can’t wait until this year’s round of graduation parties starts up so I have an excuse to visit again.

Posted: 1:23 pm · Category: Flair, Lawrence · Comments: 4

Public service announcement: I’m driving up to Lawrence on Monday night and I’ll be around all day Tuesday. I’ve got Official Business at the journalism school for probably most of the morning, then I think Staci and I are going to have a Bitterness Lunch^*, and I haven’t really planned everything else after that. I suspect I could keep myself entertained just hanging out at Dole all day, but there are probably more people I should at least stop in and say hi to.

So if you want me to come say hi, this is your official request form. Also, my cell number is on my facebook profile and you’re welcome to call it.

^* You know, when you take a long lunch with coworkers, bitch about The Man, and then don’t want to go back to work for another four hours. Alcohol may be involved if you think you can get away with it.

Posted: 11:31 pm · Category: Lawrence, Work · Comments: None

When I moved to Larryville for college, I wrote a list of things I liked about Wichita.

But now I’m moving back in a week, so it’s time to write a similar list for Lawrence.

Things that I will not miss about Lawrence

1. Frat guys
2. “That guy” in the newsroom, the only person in the world that everyone hates (coincidentally, he used to be a frat guy)
3. Loud parties when I’m trying to sleep
4. The overly self-righteous liberal nutjobs who make the rest of us liberals look bad
5. Homework, term papers and group projects
6. Johnson County SUVs taking all the good parking spots

Things I will miss about Lawrence

1. All the great restaurants (favorites: India Palace, La Parrilla, Mad Greek, Pizza Shuttle, Vermont St. BBQ, Yello Sub, Zen Zero)
2. The hippies
3. Working on campus
4. The hippies
5. The nutty commercials for local businesses (”Dr. Lenahan. Dr. Lenahan! Dr. Lenahan!!!,” auto shop employees dressed up as Austin Powers characters for no apparent reason, Broadband Man being generally odd)
6. Flirty cashiers at World Market
7. Perkins Restaurant, for being open all night and for getting much better waitresses this year (the old ones were crap)
8. The smoking ban
9. The smoking ban
10. The smoking ban
11. The hippies
12. All the other awesome people who are not hippies

Posted: 12:54 pm · Category: Lawrence, Lists · Tags: kansas, Lawrence · Comments: 5

Thank god the recycling center is open again. I’d post a photo of the giant nest of recyclable materials that’s slowly devouring our pantry, but it’s just too scary. It’s been months and I’ve saved everything. And considering (a) I’m a Diet Coke addict, (b) we love Chef Boyardee and his shiny tin cans, and (c) the Lawrence.com folks keep leaving their Deadwood edition on our doorknob every week*, it’s a miracle that it hasn’t started smelling funny.

* PLEASE STOP. We never read them. Seriously. We have the internet, we don’t need more papers. Is there a way to opt out? Please let me opt out.

Posted: 9:18 pm · Category: Consumerism, Lawrence · Tags: recycling, wal-mart · Comments: 2

Down in the Multimedia Newsroom, we do our best to stay on top of the latest news.

So to summarize for non-locals: this week, a controversial professor who recently pissed off the “fundies” reported that a couple of guys beat him up somewhere vaguely south of town early one morning. If you’re interested in the Professor Mirecki saga, J.D.’s been discussing new developments as they arise.

I don’t know that KUJH-TV reported any parts of the story before everyone else, but I suspect our resident conspiracy theorists — and we have many — were the first to question Mirecki’s confusing, if not completely contradictory, report of the incident.

My favorite “what really happened” theory (just a theory!) — by merit of simultaneous silliness and plausibility — came from Jayhawk Sports Talk producer Scott Winer. His explanation? Mirecki was indeed beat up, but not for political reasons. It was a gay rendezvous gone wrong.

Possible? Uh, I guess. Likely? Well, I’m not sold on it. Better than the idea of hateful conservative thugs roaming the only liberal stronghold in Kansas? Heck yes.

Posted: 4:52 pm · Category: Lawrence, Media · Tags: kansas, mirecki, Politics · Comments: None

I watched the Kansas/Iowa State football game from home today. Okay, so I tuned in halfway through the fourth quarter. (Shut up. If I were a real fan, I’d be sitting in the student section instead of on my couch.)

We were behind, but I knew we’d catch up. Even though I don’t usually watch them play, I have faith in my team. And we did catch up. And then we went into overtime. And then we won.

And it was awesome.

Posted: 4:42 pm · Category: Lawrence, School · Tags: college football, jayhawks, ku · Comments: 3

A few weeks ago, the award-winning Lawrence.com started publishing what they’re calling “party pics,” usually photographed by a classmate of mine. My journalism prof likes to call it “Girls Gone Wild,” and he’s not so far off.

While seeing pictures of your friends partying has that irresistible voyeur quality, it all feels pretty tacky (especially when many of the photo subjects are undeniably drunk). I’ll stick to blogs as my voyeurism source of choice.

Posted: 5:30 pm · Category: Lawrence · Comments: 1