I regret missing yesterday, but (as odd as this sounds) I was at a loss for words.

The weather here is weird. It's been very warm the last few days. The beagle finally got used to the snow; it has since vanished. There are still bits of snow around, buried under the Christmas trees on the terrace. The beagle insists on sniffing the trees with a look that seems to imply, "Hey, it's an evergreen! Where are the bunnies?" She loves to sniff. Nightly, she insists on going outside and exploring the back yard, looking for Molly the Mole who lives under the ground, leaving visible lines in the grass. (Yes, I've given the "pests" a name. Since living in Montana, I have learned that pests don't really exist. It's really just a matter of perspective.)

Yesterday, we took the pooch to the dog park. She returned all muddy and gross, with the white parts of her legs covered in mud. She finally got a bath today; she smells and nice. I also recently moved her dog bed into the living room; this is now the popular piece of furniture in the living room.  

Have I noted that the DUI classes are finally beginning? And my cousin's coming home! Whoo hoo. Regrettably, I don't know if I'll be able to see him while he's here; I will not give up on this endeavor though. It's been far too long, I feel, since I've been to my aunt, uncle and cousins' house. Floppy Ears also seems to enjoy her time there; however, she does enjoy eating the garbage in the bathroom, and frequently needs to be chased out.

Oh, what would we do if we didn't have our dogs? I wish everyone had a beagle as cool as mine.

On a non-beagle related note, I've determined that I am also very grateful for the humans that are currently in my life. My family seems only to want to help, and I find their help and occasional bluntness amazing.

Laptop is about to die. Maybe I'll return more later. Thanks again for stopping in. I hope you've had a great day.

*** A few hours later***
 While I'm working on remaining positive, I've decided there are a few things that I really cannot stand.
1.)  Shoes that tie: They're so annoying and always seem to come untied. And they always come untied at the most inconvenient of times.
2.)  Head  colds: Incredibly icky. And you wake up with a severe case of dry mouth and lots of boogies.
3.)  My beagle's ability to have "selective hearing": This can (and has) cause(d) trouble.

On a positive note, things are looking up. Trying to remain positive is key. Things'll work out in their own time.

4th of July

Independence weekend this year was rather... interesting to say the least.

On Friday, Tyson and I traveled to Billings on his motorcycle to check out apartments, and found something we liked. It's small, but cute, and dog friendly. It's a lot nicer than the place we're living in now. A plus. So, that's one thing out of the way. We got back a bit later than planned, and I missed the softball game, but it's ok. I got some sleep.

Saturday was fun. Miles City had a parade, and there was some stuff going on in the park. The Farmers' Market was great, as usual. The parade was lacking in the marching band department, but had a horse-drawn hurse. (spelling? one of those things that carries dead people...) Tyson and I, after the town festivities concluded, went out for a hike near Fort Keough. We allowed Bailey the Beagle to run off of her lead, and she did well for a while, until she caught a smell and took off. Despite our constant calling, it took us seemingly forever to get her back. I was getting anxious, while Tyson kept reassuring me that she would return. As I started to return to the car to see if she had gone back, Tyson calls to tell me he found her, and that he had gotten bit by a rattle snake. I called emergency, and an ambulance, several cop cars and a four wheeler (not to be confused with a quad) appear on the scene. We manage to find Tyson, who shortly after gets picked up and placed on the back of the four wheeler. He gets taken to the ER, where one of my co-workers meets me, and agrees to look after the dog for a few hours. We spent 15 hours in the hospital this weekend, and all worked out ok.

The rest of the weekend was pretty chill. We wound up taking Rose to the city's fireworks on the 4th. At this point Ty tried to explain that we were moving, and that he wouldn't get to see her as often. She hardly seemed phased by this... But hopefully, all will work itself out...

The Upcoming Weeks

So, the holidays are nearly upon us, despite what the weather might be trying to tell us. (It has been in the low 50's...) But, more importantly, and sooner than the holidays, is the wedding! Ive been waiting for this opportunity to go home for a long while, and I'm hoping its fun. It looks like there's a ton to do, which will be nice... It'll be fun to see people and hang out, but there's a ton to do. It's going to be hard going home, as it usually is. I've changed, as have the people I'm going to see. The baby has gotten taller, classes are again in full swing for people teaching or attending, and meanwhile I've been living in small town Montana where things are completely backwards and a few steps behind the rest of society. (Limited places with wireless internet, antelope "hunting", dogs and cats running around as they please) What makes this even scarier, is that I'm begining to adapt and blend into the small town life- I'm able to recognize people that aren't from Miles, based on how they act or what they wear. I know that it's appropriate to wave at strangers, and if you know people, honking at them is an acceptable "hello". I've even had an opportunity to get to know someone who gets offended if someone doesn't wave back at him. (It's surprising how personally people take stuff like that...) I'm still really grateful for the Great Grains crew, though- they make my day, every day that I see them. One thing I am looking forward to, though, is being able to bust out words from the Midwest, like "bubbler" and have people not look at me like I'm crazy (which usually results in me explaining that a fountain is in a park, and a bubbler is something you drink from).

Speaking of the holidays, I'm looking forward to them, too. I'm headed to Missoula with Ben for Thanksgiving, which should be exciting. I hear Missoula is the place to be...

At any rate, I've got stuff I've gotta do. More post wedding.

DQ adventures, lost contact, the wedding

So, things are starting to pick up yet again. I really wish that people were here this weekend instead of last- there really isn't as much going on, and things should be slightly more relaxed. The open mic starts again, which should be exciting... And... yeah. There's been stuff happening for most of the last few weekends, so hopefully, some "I'm not doing anything" time will be nice.

I'm half afraid of losing people that I had been close to before, but I guess that happens. Or, the people that are supposed to be around in a few months will be. Or something.

So, last night, Susan and I discovered that the Dairy Queen had recently gotten fried cheese curds. Kate, Susan's roommate, didn't know that such things existed, so we brought one back for her. She seemed to think it was strange, but after trying them realized they weren't actually the worst things ever.

Work is going relatively well. I feel like I'm mostly ahead, and I've got only a little more to do, but will need the help of others to accomplish these things. The first courtwatch meeting is this afternoon, for which I'm quite excited- one of my "projects" is actually beginning to get started! BeLinda is also starting on a newish fundraiser that I'll be helping with- we're hoping to reserve areas of sidewalk during Art Walk, and "sell" sections that people can draw pictures representing "Safe Families, Safe Kids", and the funds we raise will help us out. It seems like a pretty cool idea- but we've got to go through the mayor to get it approved, which seems as though it'll be a long process. Hopefully, we'll get it, though! Oh, optimism.

Speaking of optimism, I'm beginning to realize that I am quite young, and have a lot of time left to do cool things. But what cool things can I do? I'm giving some serious thought to the following, but am looking for thoughts and/or suggestions. Let me know what you think!

- Applying for a Youth Outreach Position with the Peace Corps.
- Going back to college and learning how to teach
- Remaining in Cowboy Country and trying to find a job (despite the lack of opportunity... and my uncertainty that there's a lot of space for people like me out here...)

I'm also half considering combining the first two...

Anyway, I'll leave you with these words from the Weakerthans:
"By the way, I got your letter yesterday
It said there’s no need to be sad
It said that some things would never ever change
But that some already had"

Cars, hippies, sheep and four wheelers- all in a week's work

So I noticed it's been like a week since I've last been here... So I thought I should say something significant sounding (which won't happen, but I can try).

Nothing too excting has happened regarding work... But there have been some pretty cool non work related things going on. Let's start with last Friday...

So after work, I got to check out an apartment (and managed to sign the lease in the same day!!)-- it wound up being pretty cool. Susan and I even painted the mudroom's nasty floor. It's pretty cool now. Belinda helped me move in some furniture on Monday, and the place isn't actually too bad now that it has stuff, water and electricity.

Saturday was pretty cool- I moved the rest of my crap into my new place and... went to the Farmers' Market... We also went to see Revrend Payton's Big Damn Band, where we wound up meeting a bunch of the Earthship Crew. They wound up being pretty amazing...

Sunday, Susan and I found the Earthship here!! (Check out my facebook for pictures!!) This wound up being quite the adventura. It took us forever to find... Then, when we got there, we couldn't find Tucker, a hippyesque guy who's helping to build (and organize?) the project... So we wound up looking around a little and decided to leave... or atleast we tried to. Susan wound up accidentally backed off a mini "cliff", and got stuck. Her landlady, Becky, wound up appearing with her truck, at roughly the same time Jordan (an intern at Earthship that we met that day who appeared on a four wheeler) did. The car was gotten out sucessfully, and we met Jordan, who turned out to be my age... And he's a vegan! (I feel really good knowing, that, at least for a little while, Susan and I aren't the only "veggies" in town...) Anyway, long story short, we wound up hanging out with the new guy, and taking him back to the place where the other Earthship people were campin. We wound up hanging out there for a while, and it turned out to be good fun.

Nothing too new or exciting happening really beyond adventures with the hippies. Susan and I were talking about going to visit them this eve after work and getting Edna, my bike, looked at. (Yes, my bike's name is Edna.) It's squeaky as all get out and I feel like the front wheel is about to fall off... Thankfully, I've already befriended Miles, the bike man. I'm hoping he'll give it the lovin' it needs to be as new as it can be...

This upcoming weekend: camping in Billings where we'll go shopping and check out the mall (because malls are a luxury... Miles City doesn't have one). Next week also brings another adventure to Helena for more delightful training. Potentially more pictures on facebook to follow training.

Hope you're all doing well!

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.

Miles City: Day One

So, I got to Miles City alright last night, but I got lost as I had the wrong address. All iis well, I eventually found myself with the help of Mary Lou, the person with whom I am living. She seems really cool, and I hope all works out. I've already noticed a ton of stuff that's different. First off, people here will occasionally ride their four wheelers down the road. Some even have liscence plates. Second, there's a lack of an LGBT community... a bit uncomfortable for me... but after talking to my boss, I think I'll survive. The people seem reasonably friendly... though some of them grumpy. I guess that happens with every town.

I suppose I should flash back to the drive here from Eagan. It wasn't terrible, although it was quite boring. There were a few hills towards the western part of Minnesota and the eastern part of North Dakota, but that was... roughly it. With the help of Baseman, I found a friggin amazing cafe in downtown Fargo, called the Red Raven. After that, the rest of the trip was sorta lame, save meeting the Dharma Bums shortly before gettting to Montana. We shared stories of our travels, discussed Kerouac and quickly got on with our lives.

I discovered a cute little cafe in Miles City, with really good breakfast. Then, I got lost on my way back home, and heard a little girl ask the adult she was with why I was on my bike. It was one of the most strange things I've heard in quite some time. Noone here really seems to bike- most people I suppose jump on their four wheelers.

Flash forward to a few hours later:
I got to meet some of Mary Lou's family, and they were all really cool. They were all really friendly and seemed to like me.
I also got to meet the staff that I'll be working with at Custer Alliance Aginst Domestic Assult.

They also seemed amazing, and occasionally wander around their office barefoot. Seems like my kind of place.

I am still crazy homesick. I got terrified when I discovered that the bike racks could potentially hold ponies as well. And, that there were actually four wheelers parked on the sides of the road. Whoo for living in a small town-- hopefully I'll adapt quickly.

At any rate, I really should get to sleep. Tomorrow, I'm planning to do more adventuring around the city, and maybe go out a bit and try to find myself... If I can accomplish everything else I feel compeled to take care of.