Fishing

Tyson recently decided that he enjoys fishing, which is cool. As it turns out, Bailey the beagle also enjoys romping through the tall grass near the river. So, it's all around fun for everyone involved. Until Tyson doesn't manage to catch anything. But, I still think that he enjoys escapes to the Tongue River which is within walking distance from our apartment, but is still far enough away from the city to feel like you're escaping.

Our neighborhood has also seemed to adopt an ugly, white boxer but you know, I might be kind of biased. It's been roaming around without tags that indicate it's shots or name. I really dislike it when dogs don't have tags saying, "Hi, I'm Rover and live at (this address). My owner is Bob. Please return me." Not that Bailey has one yet... But we're working on that. (In the wolf-dog incident, her collar fell off, along with her shot and name information.)

I have also determined that taking Bailey to Murdoch's is like taking a kid to a toy store. She smells absolutely everything, and enjoys meeting new people. It seems that her ears almost fall off of her head and she looses any ability to listen that she might have had before. But, when she makes it out into the forest or river areas, she does great, even off her leash. Funny how dogs' brains work, eh? I cannot complain, though. She's great.

So, I'm planning an adventure to Custer State Park in South Dakota on my way back to Wisconsin. While it's going to add some extra time to the drive, I think it'll be a worth while adventure. I might get to meet up with some college friends along the way. And, it'll be a good opportunity to get some hiking and camping in before I need to worry about being a grown up for real again. It'll be like summer break all over again. Which can't be too bad, right?

And on a final note, I'd again like to point out how lucky we are to live in a country such as America. Sure, there are things that we might not like, but we've got a lot of stuff going for us. Like a lack of HIV or AIDS and an abundance of resources to take care of "diseases" such as this. I found an article on the New York Times about Uganda's AIDS problem. Uganda is an African country, surrounded by Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, and Sudan. While they are getting help from other countries, there still doesn't be enough help in countries such as this. Also, as a result of the AIDS "problem" (in lack of another word), the Ugandan government supports an Anti-Homosexuality Bill. Their bill allows for anyone who is openly gay and HIV positive to be executed. So, in fewer words, be happy that you live in a country that has enough supports and technology to help people with HIV or AIDS. Be happy that we live in a country where you're not going to be executed because of your sexual orientation.

Edit: here's a good description of the bucking horse sale

Rain, bars and pizza...

So, the weekend went well, though a bit crazy. There were actually a ton of VISTAs in town for the fair, which was fun. It was exciting to have people my age here. Matt made it in (despite hitting a few animals), which was the best thing that's happened for a while! I was really excited to have a Wisconsin person here...

On Friday, we all went to the Montana Bar, where Matt was surprised by the number of cowboys. I guess I noticed too, when I first arrived here. I've kind of adapted to the culture and people here- it's really kind of an interesting place to be... When Matt reminded me that things were in fact quite different here than in the Midwest generally, I began to get all homesick again. It didn't end well...

Saturday was kind of fun as well. I had to work at the fair for a few hours, during which Matt and Susan joined in on the fun. Before the fair, Susan and I took Matt to Murdoch's (Similar to Fleet Farm, err Farm and Fleet), where he had tried to convince me to get boots... Which I did, as he picked up a cowboy hat (which worked for him surprisingly well!). He even wore it while sitting around the fair booth, despite an apparent silly feeling. Susan and I wore cute Elf Hats, as the fair's theme was Christmas in August. The elf hats gained our table brownie points.

I've still got several trainings to attend (IST in Big Sky over labor day and a retreat for ACMAC in October!), and a camping adventure planned, I'm sure I'll be keeping somewhat busy. Work is also helping to keep my mind off of a strong desire to go home.