illustration jason berg excited post fourth love list project series guest post halfway normal pleased dear long-time friend talented writer carmen scheidel sharing words immediately embraced lovelist concept exploring loves curiosity reverence hope carmen's post inspired lovelist tweet earlier week read word iowa morning felt pang loved sweet place lovelist responded love person things friends feel place carmen's response hope inspires share place loved past present -------- carmen scheidel moved fall junior college spent summer italy week pack move iowa city drove truck miles grand rapids michigan chicago west church street dubuque bank iowa river plopped volition mind time process impending move summer hopped learning proper nouns jacopo gianni franco fall sophomore year screech wheels florence airport annoyed waiting list english major college michigan asked favorite professor iowa dreamy tone started drawing inked-up capitol building center point campus dentistry building shaped molar good called sanctuary year italian handed copy john cheever's essay afternoon walk iowa city iowa couple semesters walking home pearson's pharmacy soda fountain back sold salad sandwiches malted milkshakes station block tiny sliver dirt cornstalks grew peonies winner iowa pork queen contest smiled snapshots posted restaurant window place felt outsized wholesomeness felt safe home occurred time single person learned iowa city mecca whip-smart misfits blend farm towns artistic wanted wanted find prairie lights books breugger's bagels great midwestern coffee shop deadwood half biker half student hang juke spit pretenders bartender shouted names michael john received calls payphone place amazing winter skies bright blue freezing grand rapids winter weather patterns gathered force lake michigan created opaque tent stratus clouds white year imagined world extended family thought strange iowa asked iowa side family left -mile radius apple-farming forebears landed time college remember pleading world finished year generations line student middle school boldly proclaiming mother studious older sister sister's path grown complicated years surrounding parents divorce quit school started communal house church street iowa city home adult room kitchen felt oasis pale green shag phone bill read life long baths career knew wanted inside room saturday mornings landlord maniacally living room furniture cursing renters afternoon she'd join chinese japanese grad students kitchen cook rice ramen nights keeping reading comprehend italo calvino italian plain hard frustrated night threw book dictionary living room firecracker split grad students night good left picked creative visualization stack couch alternative start throwing tantrum call pick read part attaining envisioning inside beautiful pink bubble willed master calvino straight 'a's wrapped inside bubble faraway land wanted make worth campus finals week hurry admin office trek hill meet professor caught walking purpose heels hard ground charging sidewalk things feeling good made miss home smiled catching ingrained part defining experiencing world creation loved literature classes studied writing report cards good results easy creating life wanted months realize fluke iowa city realized land cornfield study obscure unmarketable rustbelt town italian literature dream plan make happen empowering years learned iowa propel york city tougher landing drill pick sweet life push ahead love quirky town middle iowa showed wanted photo alan light 