Single What? Female...

Musings on the way to Omaha...

4.12
Just remember...

"Who cares if the glass is half full or half empty as long as there is still a bottle in the cabinet." Bill in Ottumwa

I am not sure how much of the material I got today can be used in my show but boy howdy did I enjoy talking to Bill, owner of O'town Books, Kim, weekend worker at the adjacent antique store, and Brandy, bartender, waitress and cook at Nick and Joie's. Just funny, earthy warm people with whom I chatted and laughed the afternoon away.

The general consensus from the folks that I spoke to in Ottumwa is that they can't wait to leave it. It's apparently full of rednecks (got that feel at the Tom Tom Tap last night), and a number of Mexicans who came to work at the Exel (Cargill) meatpacking plant. There were a couple of Mexicans at the Tom Tom last night but they sat on their own, hence you get the feel that they are not fully integrated into the society really and I did not see any of them while walking around...but then again, I hardly saw anyone while walking around today.
Part of the problem may have been that, while it was a gorgeous spring day out east, today in Ottumwa it was in the 30's and there was a threat of snow. The sky merely remained grey the brief time I was out with the exception of some passing flakes that began to flit around as I made my way back to the train station. At the same time, it may have just been the town. Kim at the at Antiques store told me that it's usually slow enough for her to read a book between customers. I think two people wandered around during the time I was there visiting which had to be for over an hour. Kim is a teacher a couple of towns over and going to grad school while working in Ottumwa a couple of Saturdays a month. She is smart and funny and we had a great time talking about the town.
Bill, when not selling books and toys, whittles figures of Santa, Iowa Bulldogs, frogs and gnomes which are for sale as well. He was whittling the entire time were talking and is a total character. He claims to be a "Missouri half-breed" as that is where his mother is from and Missouri is close enough to Ottumwa for it to matter there. Bill also claims that the Missouri connection is the redneck connection (have to see how the Missourans feel about that :p).
He worked for Amtrak for years and enjoyed the diverse population of employees and does feel that Ottumwans do not see enough of that, but he does love the place and would "rather be raped in prison" than move to Des Moines.
Brandy is a bartender, cook and waitress at Nick and Joie's Irish Pub and Italian restaurant. It is a beautiful pub with antique 1880's oak and walnut woodwork that was actually shipped from a closed down bar in New York and reconstructed on site. Brandy agrees that there are rednecks there and not many folks travel (her own sister, she says, lives in a tiny town further north and when traveling to North Dakota with Brandy thought bags would be checked at the border...of the state), but she's been there her whole life and plans on staying.
The "what are you?" factor is not really an issue in Ottumwa, so while I can't say that I got that much material there, I still enjoyed my visit and hope to chat with these folks again :)

posted by funkweee @ 9:50 AM