Day Two: Are you a girl?

Last night, after talking to Sarah Bodine, the song, "So Long Astoria" by the Ataris came to mind...

"So long Astoria
I found a map to buried treasure
and even if we come home empty handed
well still have our stories
of battle scars, pirate ships and wounded hearts,
broken bones, and all the best of friendships"

...then I realized that at least I still have memories, and the people who are important, always will be. There will always be amazing people to come home to, and people who might even make it out to the land of no people.

Today, after spending more time biking around the city, I stopped at Albertson's, a local grocery store. I am unsure if it's a chain, but it's pretty cool and apparently has a good meat selection. After I grabbed a Pepsi (another new thing- Coke isn't nearly as common here) and headed to the check-out, a little girl who was with her grandfather, looked up at me as I was talking to the checker outer and asked if I was a girl. Her mother was a few isles over got all flustered amd embarased, and apologized, while I blew it off. Apparently, not many women have short hair in this part of the country... That, and my lack of... um... boobs might also be of issue. Reflecting upon this, the mother seemed more concerned than I did. After working in a daycare and babysitting Astrid, I've gotten used to the notion that kids don't really have a "filter", and often, they're just really curious (which is a good thing, right?).

I've also realized that there are a lot of things I've taken for granted. Like, wireless internet. If I want to use it, I need to go to the library, or find a cafe that I can hang out at. So far, said cafes are lacking big time. I've been spending a lot of time at the 600 Cafe, a cute little place that has amazing breakfast and lunch foods at a reasonalble price. It suprised me that it didn't have wireless, but c'est la vie. My landlady has dial-up, and said I could use it, but it takes almost as much time for me to get to the library. People also seem to be suprised by my iPod. Technology is a rarity here.

Tonight, I plan to try to do more biking, and maybe escape the city for a bit. Apparently, it won't be too hard. When people say, "it's all the way across the city", what they really mean is "5 blocks in the other direction", which is a lot different than the thinking I've become accustomed to. When someone says really far or across the city, I've gotten used to them meaning something more like "20 miles" or "in the next town over".

I was also able to find something new- John Deere shaped fruit snacks. Yes, fruit snacks that look like tractors. Awesome? Maybe.

Next week, I'm going to Helena for training and visiting Amy, my grandma's "husband's" daughter. I'm looking forward to it.