Smells like spring...

I was delightfully surprised when I walked outside at lunchtime today. I took a deep breath and smiled because it smelled like spring. You know...the kind of spring when there is a bite in the air but yet it's warm enough that the ground is softening, everything smells wet and you swear it smells like it's going to rain. It's a very peaceful smell, soothing and calming to the soul. So, in response, I changed my lunch plans to include a long walk along the river. I parked my truck at the University Theater Building, which is situated next to the river (divides the campus in half). I walked from there, down to the art building and then across the pedestrian bridge to the student union to grab some lunch. I took my time as if on a Sunday stroll, taking deep breaths while admiring the still-green grass and the criss-crossing artwork of the ice on the river. Aside from a few derogatory remarks about the idiocy of students (there were bike marks crossing the ice), it was a nice break from the hectic and frustrating atmosphere that has invaded every corner of the office during this holiday period. It occurred to me as I was crossing the bridge that there is something beautiful in the way the ice breaks and refreezes. It looks like displaced mosaic chips scattered on a canvas. I took a few pictures which I hope will turn out. It also reminded me of Becky's mask paintings. All you see are fragments yet you know they form a whole.

I wish I worked on the east side of the river. Every time I go over there I can sense a huge well of energy. I think it's because the east side is the undergraduate student focus while the west side (of the river) is the law and health sciences graduate schools. I love working with undergraduate students. There's just a huge lifeforce there that you can't help but react to with a renewal of your own energy, motivation and dreams. Oh well. Jobs are scarce in Iowa and to be honest, I wouldn't want to have to give another multi-year time committment if I changed jobs. So, I'll stick it out on the west side, plugging away until my tour of duty can come to an end.