Well, last night was probably some of the better times I've had recently, what with all the crap going on at school and work, it was nice to get out of the apartment for an evening. Mom came to Deadwood after she and I got off work and we went out on the town and gambled. Now, normally, I am a blackjack player, but I wanted to hang out with Mom more, and she doesn't play cards too much, she prefers the slots. With good reason, she's won quite a bit of money on some of them, and even last night, she did pretty well for herself. She even hit about $300 on a quarter machine, and I "borrowed" her buckets of quarters and sorted through all of them to find bicentennials. Tee hee. I found about eight of them, though!
I wasn't doing too well on the slots, and I lost about half the money I brought with me (which I don't bring much with me, anyway, so that's not too much money lost), so I decided it was time to get it back. Despite the bad luck I've had lately on the blackjack tables, I decided that was my only salvation, and we found a casino with some tables, and more importantly, with some open seats. The reason they were open? It was a $5 minimum table, and I guess that scares people off when the rest of the tables have a $2 minimum. But I was able to win back all of my money, and maybe and extra five or ten dollars, too. Even though it's nice to come out ahead, it's almost just as nice to come out even.
It's been raining all afternoon and evening today, which means that it's finally spring! Although we're supposed to get a bit of snow tonight, which always happens when I go out into the field for my observation of the first grade classroom in Belle. Well, that's what happened last time. Which was the first time. I'm rambling and you don't care.
I hate it when people call me and don't leave messages, especially if I don't have their phone number in my phone, because I don't know who it is, and don't feel like calling them back to find out. Especially when it's a work phone number, because I don't know if it's Aaron trying to get ahold of me because he left his cell phone at home, or if it's someone from the cage telling me they found the money I was missing at the end of my shift. Oh well.
I faxed the insurance guy my estimates for the car repair last week, so hopefully I will hear from him tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest. Also, hopefully the Ford dealership/repair shop will find out what's going on with my car when it won't stay in gear (even though it hasn't done it since), and hopefully it will have been caused by the accident and I won't have to pay for it. Yuck.
I don't know if I have too much more to talk about...so I'm gonna go! I'll be with the first graders this week instead of classes, so no homework! No projects! Well, none that are due this week, at least...They're just all due NEXT week! Blah. I need a vacation. Thank goodness for Easter break (which I have to work...blech).
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Done with midterms!
I had my last midterm today! Out of the four, I know grades for three - 93%, 84%, and 88%. I'm sure I'll get around the same grade for this last midterm, but who knows, I could have totally bombed the two essays, worth 10 points each.
My car is doing something weird, yet again, since the accident. When parked on an incline, I put it in Drive and tried to go forward. Instead, I started going backwards, as if I were in neutral. Pushed on the gas, just revved the engine, like I was in neutral. So I put it in Park, then back in gear, and it worked. It did that twice to me yesterday, but didn't seem to affect my car today (even though I had to back out of my parking spot this time, instead of drive through it like the two times it wouldn't catch in gear). It's an automatic car, so it's not like I missed a gear or something...I've got an appointment at the Ford dealership to get it looked at on Thursday the 6th. Bah. That's over a week from now.
I got back out into the field this week to the first grade classroom from last month. I have three more lesson plans I have to teach, and 8 days in the field to do so, so I think I can handle it, I just have to figure out what the teacher is doing and replicate the idea, basically.
Anywho, I started this entry about 4 hours ago, and got distracted, so I guess I'll wrap it up for lack of anything better to say :).
My car is doing something weird, yet again, since the accident. When parked on an incline, I put it in Drive and tried to go forward. Instead, I started going backwards, as if I were in neutral. Pushed on the gas, just revved the engine, like I was in neutral. So I put it in Park, then back in gear, and it worked. It did that twice to me yesterday, but didn't seem to affect my car today (even though I had to back out of my parking spot this time, instead of drive through it like the two times it wouldn't catch in gear). It's an automatic car, so it's not like I missed a gear or something...I've got an appointment at the Ford dealership to get it looked at on Thursday the 6th. Bah. That's over a week from now.
I got back out into the field this week to the first grade classroom from last month. I have three more lesson plans I have to teach, and 8 days in the field to do so, so I think I can handle it, I just have to figure out what the teacher is doing and replicate the idea, basically.
Anywho, I started this entry about 4 hours ago, and got distracted, so I guess I'll wrap it up for lack of anything better to say :).
Sunday, March 19, 2006
who pissed in your Cheerios?
Forecast: Stormy
Drove to work, parked my car, walked the two blocks in the 20* weather, clocked in, stopped at the soda fountain to get my dose of caffiene, headed towards the cage. My usual routine. I walk over to the cage, and there's Steve, the supervisor, hanging out by some slots near the cage. I smile and say good morning.
"You know, when you're late for shift change, I have to call Gaming and tell them about it," are the first words out of his mouth. Now, I figure he's giving me a hard time about being late last weekend when my alarm clock went all wonky on me. I say, "Yes, I know, but I'm not late."
"You're five minutes late," he says, and follows me to the cage. "It's okay, though, because you can't start shift change BEFORE 7:30, but you can start it after. That's why there's the half hour when Ed and I are both in the cage for shift change."
"No, you can't start shift change late. Otherwise I have to call Gaming." Steve lets me in the cage, and I continue to counter his point, saying that we can't start shift change until AFTER 7:30, but that it doesn't have to start exactly at 7:30. I look at the clock, and sure enough, it's 7:35. I clocked in before 7:30, and I didn't diddle around getting to the cage.
"Why were you late, anyway?" he asks, rather rudely. "I dont' know!" I almost yell at him. At this point, I'm so upset with him that he's making a big deal out of NOTHING, in front of another co-worker. This is the second time Steve has done this to me, and I'm still pissed at him for the first time he did it, so this only fuels my fire a little more. "The roads were icy," I reply lamely, after actually stopping to think about why I was late. He has no reply to this, but instead goes to South Dakota State Gaming binder that has all the rules and regulations about gaming. He of course can't find anything in there about shift change that contradicts what I have been telling him, and what I have been told by other floor supervisors, so he says, "Well, I know that you can't start shift change before 7:30, and you can't start it after, either."
So does that mean if the clock ticks over to 7:31 we're screwed and can't do shift change? And that Steve would have to call Gaming to let them know that it didn't start precisely on time? According to him, that's what it means.
So I'm thoroughly pissed off by this, and start slamming drawers, dropping things on counters, and ignoring anything he might have to say to me, and staying on the opposite side of the cage as him. Dickwad.
Once Lane comes on and Steve leaves, I tell Lane what happened. He says that's about the 3rd complaint he's gotten in the last week about Steve, and that he was thinking of writing a note to Richard, head of all floor supervisors, telling him about it. Because it's basically against the law to reprimand people in front of others - employees or customers. I'm also going to talk to Marvin, who is the floor supervisor in charge of the cage, and see what the actual rules about shift change time are, because I think Steve is full of shit and has no idea what is going on.
The reason he has no idea going on? He's not the one in charge of the cage. When he's in the cage, he bumbles around and messes things up. He leaves peoples' credit cards in the credit card imprinter. Nothing is "easy" for him. He over paid a customer $200 for poker chips, and didn't find out about it 'til the next day. He just messes things up and takes forever to do things. He used to be in charge of the bartenders' schedules, but isn't doing that anymore, I'm not sure why. He used to be in charge of the custodial schedules, but couldn't handle doing that, and is now no longer in charge of anything. A floor supervisor who is only a few years older than me, and by far the youngest floor supervisor at the casino, who just started supervising a few months ago, is already in charge of the floor supervisors' schedule, and Steve isn't, because he can't handle it.
He's a former police officer, and has to assert that "power" he has over people every once in a while, and it always happens to be asserted over me, a cocktail waitress, and a hostess in the diner. We are the three girls who have complained the most about Steve, and I want something done about it. I'm sick of him doing that, and then acting like nothing happened an hour later. I'd rather have him still be crabby towards me than pretend to be nice after reaming me.
After I get done steaming about that all morning, I get to handle my absolute favorite customer. Note the eye rolling and gagging motions I'm making. This gentleman is about 60 years old, fat, and married, and not attractive. Ever since I have started working at the casino in August, he has taken a liking to me (as he does every woman in the casino, so I don't feel so picked on), and calls me "darling" and tells me what a beautiful smile I have, and how nice my hair looks today, and that I'm the prettiest cashier in Deadwood, or how he wished he was 40 years younger. Puke.
So today, he comes up to the cage, "Well how's my favorite cashier??" I make small talk with him, and he says "Can I tell you something personal?" *mental eyeroll* "Okay."
"Now," he says, "most people wouldn't say this, but I'm going to, and I'm a little hesitant to say this, but..."
Wait for it.
Keep waiting.
Ugh...
"...you have the most beautiful lips!"
PUKE!
So, being the nice person I am, I smile and thank him, and hope he leaves. I have learned that the less eye contact I make with this individual, the less he will talk to me, or give me googly eyes, or bother me. Ugh. Sick. It was all I could do to not shudder and make vomiting gestures.
So there is my day. Wonderful. Fantastic. Oh, and I woke up with a headache that didn't go away 'til after Steve left 'cause I finally took some ibuprophen when I got to work.
Drove to work, parked my car, walked the two blocks in the 20* weather, clocked in, stopped at the soda fountain to get my dose of caffiene, headed towards the cage. My usual routine. I walk over to the cage, and there's Steve, the supervisor, hanging out by some slots near the cage. I smile and say good morning.
"You know, when you're late for shift change, I have to call Gaming and tell them about it," are the first words out of his mouth. Now, I figure he's giving me a hard time about being late last weekend when my alarm clock went all wonky on me. I say, "Yes, I know, but I'm not late."
"You're five minutes late," he says, and follows me to the cage. "It's okay, though, because you can't start shift change BEFORE 7:30, but you can start it after. That's why there's the half hour when Ed and I are both in the cage for shift change."
"No, you can't start shift change late. Otherwise I have to call Gaming." Steve lets me in the cage, and I continue to counter his point, saying that we can't start shift change until AFTER 7:30, but that it doesn't have to start exactly at 7:30. I look at the clock, and sure enough, it's 7:35. I clocked in before 7:30, and I didn't diddle around getting to the cage.
"Why were you late, anyway?" he asks, rather rudely. "I dont' know!" I almost yell at him. At this point, I'm so upset with him that he's making a big deal out of NOTHING, in front of another co-worker. This is the second time Steve has done this to me, and I'm still pissed at him for the first time he did it, so this only fuels my fire a little more. "The roads were icy," I reply lamely, after actually stopping to think about why I was late. He has no reply to this, but instead goes to South Dakota State Gaming binder that has all the rules and regulations about gaming. He of course can't find anything in there about shift change that contradicts what I have been telling him, and what I have been told by other floor supervisors, so he says, "Well, I know that you can't start shift change before 7:30, and you can't start it after, either."
So does that mean if the clock ticks over to 7:31 we're screwed and can't do shift change? And that Steve would have to call Gaming to let them know that it didn't start precisely on time? According to him, that's what it means.
So I'm thoroughly pissed off by this, and start slamming drawers, dropping things on counters, and ignoring anything he might have to say to me, and staying on the opposite side of the cage as him. Dickwad.
Once Lane comes on and Steve leaves, I tell Lane what happened. He says that's about the 3rd complaint he's gotten in the last week about Steve, and that he was thinking of writing a note to Richard, head of all floor supervisors, telling him about it. Because it's basically against the law to reprimand people in front of others - employees or customers. I'm also going to talk to Marvin, who is the floor supervisor in charge of the cage, and see what the actual rules about shift change time are, because I think Steve is full of shit and has no idea what is going on.
The reason he has no idea going on? He's not the one in charge of the cage. When he's in the cage, he bumbles around and messes things up. He leaves peoples' credit cards in the credit card imprinter. Nothing is "easy" for him. He over paid a customer $200 for poker chips, and didn't find out about it 'til the next day. He just messes things up and takes forever to do things. He used to be in charge of the bartenders' schedules, but isn't doing that anymore, I'm not sure why. He used to be in charge of the custodial schedules, but couldn't handle doing that, and is now no longer in charge of anything. A floor supervisor who is only a few years older than me, and by far the youngest floor supervisor at the casino, who just started supervising a few months ago, is already in charge of the floor supervisors' schedule, and Steve isn't, because he can't handle it.
He's a former police officer, and has to assert that "power" he has over people every once in a while, and it always happens to be asserted over me, a cocktail waitress, and a hostess in the diner. We are the three girls who have complained the most about Steve, and I want something done about it. I'm sick of him doing that, and then acting like nothing happened an hour later. I'd rather have him still be crabby towards me than pretend to be nice after reaming me.
After I get done steaming about that all morning, I get to handle my absolute favorite customer. Note the eye rolling and gagging motions I'm making. This gentleman is about 60 years old, fat, and married, and not attractive. Ever since I have started working at the casino in August, he has taken a liking to me (as he does every woman in the casino, so I don't feel so picked on), and calls me "darling" and tells me what a beautiful smile I have, and how nice my hair looks today, and that I'm the prettiest cashier in Deadwood, or how he wished he was 40 years younger. Puke.
So today, he comes up to the cage, "Well how's my favorite cashier??" I make small talk with him, and he says "Can I tell you something personal?" *mental eyeroll* "Okay."
"Now," he says, "most people wouldn't say this, but I'm going to, and I'm a little hesitant to say this, but..."
Wait for it.
Keep waiting.
Ugh...
"...you have the most beautiful lips!"
PUKE!
So, being the nice person I am, I smile and thank him, and hope he leaves. I have learned that the less eye contact I make with this individual, the less he will talk to me, or give me googly eyes, or bother me. Ugh. Sick. It was all I could do to not shudder and make vomiting gestures.
So there is my day. Wonderful. Fantastic. Oh, and I woke up with a headache that didn't go away 'til after Steve left 'cause I finally took some ibuprophen when I got to work.
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
the damage
And there you have it, folks. Aaron was kind enough to run out and get some estimates for me today, fax the police report to my insurance company in Gillette, talked to my parents about what was going on, AND got ahold of the other guys' insurance company to get the claim filed. Dad thinks I will need to get a new door...that sucks. I can't unlock the door from the outside...I have to go to the passenger side, unlock it, set my crap in the car, crawl across the seats, unlock the driver's door, get back out, and go around. Sucks. I keep forgetting I have to do that, too.Oh well. Soon enough, it will be fixed. It just happened at like, the worst time possible: right before midterms. I'm busy as hell and don't have time to go do anything, which is why Aaron did all that for me today, otherwise, it wouldn't get done this week, I'm sure.
So there ya have it...my poor dimpled car, scarred by some guy in a Subaru from Montana who thought just because he had all-wheel drive he could just do whatever the hell he wanted.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
car go smashy smashy boom
Early this morning it started snowing, mostly in Deadwood, but by the time I got off work, it was snowing all over the area, including home in Spearfish. As I was getting off work, Aaron was coming on to his shift, and he told me to drive careful because the roads weren't great, but if I just drove slow I would be okay. A little aprehensive, I set off. The highway to Deadwood is very pretty in the summer, but treacherous in the winter when it comes to road conditions.
Fortunately, I made it all the way to Spearfish just fine with no incidents. I stopped in to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things that I was going to get yesterday after work, but I had forgotten my checkbook in my purse, and I had cleaned out my debit/credit cards from my wallet when I bought something online earlier, so I only had the $4 sitting in my wallet, which was no where near enough money to buy what I was getting. So I decided to come back today to get the stuff, even with the roads the way they were, it was the only time in the near future I would be able to do that, and I really needed conditioner!
Aaron told me to call him when I made it to Spearfish, so as I was getting my car started, I called him from my parking space to let him know I had made it home okay, and that I was just getting ready to leave Wal*Mart. I pulled out of my parking spot and headed towards the exit of the lot. There was a car stopped at the Stop sign in the middle lane to turn left, which was also where I was going, so I slowed down quite a bit and quite early so I didn't have to worry about sliding into him if I braked too hard.
Just then, a Subaru Outback wagon comes around the corner, taps his brakes, and starts sliding towards me. Shit. I can't go forward because of the car in front of me, and I'm not fully stopped yet, so I try to maneuver out of the way by getting in the right-turn lane, as there are no cars there at the time. I just couldn't move fast enough, and I knew he was going to hit me, so I closed my eyes and tensed up, waiting for him to hit me. We both got out of our vehicles, as did a witness, and decided to go back to the parking lot and check out the damage. I called my dad to see what I should do, and he told me all the information I needed to get and that I should call the police for a police report. The man who witnessed this called the police for us, as I did not know their number, and the Subaru was from Montana, so they didn't know it, either.
As we waited for the police to show up, I assessed the damage to my car: the driver's door was smashed in just below the door handle, and a tiny bit of the passenger door was also dented in. The door opens fine, but looks horrible. I'll take real pictures of it tomorrow with my camera, as I only had my camera phone to take pictures of it with me today, and those didn't turn out very well.
So, I have to call insurance companies tomorrow to see how to go about doing this, and get body estimates for the car to see what they will do. I hope I just get a new door, because it looks like it would not come out perfect if they just fixed the surface or Bondo'd it.
So that was the perfect ending to Spring Break.
Okay. Not perfect, but I'll have something to talk about in class tomorrow!
Fortunately, I made it all the way to Spearfish just fine with no incidents. I stopped in to Wal*Mart to pick up a few things that I was going to get yesterday after work, but I had forgotten my checkbook in my purse, and I had cleaned out my debit/credit cards from my wallet when I bought something online earlier, so I only had the $4 sitting in my wallet, which was no where near enough money to buy what I was getting. So I decided to come back today to get the stuff, even with the roads the way they were, it was the only time in the near future I would be able to do that, and I really needed conditioner!
Aaron told me to call him when I made it to Spearfish, so as I was getting my car started, I called him from my parking space to let him know I had made it home okay, and that I was just getting ready to leave Wal*Mart. I pulled out of my parking spot and headed towards the exit of the lot. There was a car stopped at the Stop sign in the middle lane to turn left, which was also where I was going, so I slowed down quite a bit and quite early so I didn't have to worry about sliding into him if I braked too hard.
Just then, a Subaru Outback wagon comes around the corner, taps his brakes, and starts sliding towards me. Shit. I can't go forward because of the car in front of me, and I'm not fully stopped yet, so I try to maneuver out of the way by getting in the right-turn lane, as there are no cars there at the time. I just couldn't move fast enough, and I knew he was going to hit me, so I closed my eyes and tensed up, waiting for him to hit me. We both got out of our vehicles, as did a witness, and decided to go back to the parking lot and check out the damage. I called my dad to see what I should do, and he told me all the information I needed to get and that I should call the police for a police report. The man who witnessed this called the police for us, as I did not know their number, and the Subaru was from Montana, so they didn't know it, either.
As we waited for the police to show up, I assessed the damage to my car: the driver's door was smashed in just below the door handle, and a tiny bit of the passenger door was also dented in. The door opens fine, but looks horrible. I'll take real pictures of it tomorrow with my camera, as I only had my camera phone to take pictures of it with me today, and those didn't turn out very well.
So, I have to call insurance companies tomorrow to see how to go about doing this, and get body estimates for the car to see what they will do. I hope I just get a new door, because it looks like it would not come out perfect if they just fixed the surface or Bondo'd it.
So that was the perfect ending to Spring Break.
Okay. Not perfect, but I'll have something to talk about in class tomorrow!
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Beware the elusive Tree Buffalo...
Aaron and I spent the day and a half out of Spearfish, away from our friends, away from our family, just the two of us, for our one year anniversary. We went to Hot Springs and Custer, SD, and stayed at a little bed and breakfast called the Flat Iron in Hot Springs. After checking in, we drove to Custer so we could see some wildlife and Mount Rushmore. We went to the Custer State Park, the home of the buffalo, burrow, elk, antelope, deer, and the elusive tree buffalo. Here are some of the regular prairie buffalo:
Aaron had warned me about the tree buffalo, who like to hide in the trees and jump on their prey, crushing them to death, and then eating them. Aaron said they only eat little blue cars, so we'd better be careful. Especially when we were sneaking up on the prairie buffalo in it. We were fortunate enough not to see the vicious tree buffalo, but we did see some mangy antelope, a buffalo with a Moe haircut (Three Stooges), and a deer with a shaved neck and radio collar. This is how we think that scenario went down:
Game Warden 1: We need to put a radio collar on this deer, so we gotta shave his neck.
GW2: How are we gonna do that?
GW1: Well, we'll tranquilize him first, then take him to the dog groomer and have them do it.
GW2: Think we can get them to style its hair, too?
GW1: Sweet. Good idea.
Dog Groomer: Mornin', gentlemen!
GW1&2: Hi! We've got a, uh, large breed dog that needs its neck shaved.
DG: Um, that doesn't look like a dog to me...that's a deer.
GW1: No, seriously, it's okay. We just need its neck shaved. We have to put a radio transmitter collar on it.
GW2: Yeah, and put a bow in its fur, too!
GW1: I thought you were joking about that earlier...
GW2: What? Oh, totally, yeah, it was a joke.
GW2: Can we give a buffalo a haircut, too? When we put the radio collar on one, let's style his hair.
GW1: How did you get a job here?
Poor deer. I didn't get a picture of him, but he was pretty sad looking. You know when you take a dog to the vet and shave everything but its paws, tail, and head? Yeah...it kinda looked like that.
We left the park and Aaron was going to take me to the Needles, which I'd never seen before, but unfortunately, the road was closed because it wasn't late enough in the year yet, and there was still snow on the ground. So we went to this really beautiful area with those same kind of rocks, just not as many of them, near a lake.
After that, we drove towards Mt. Rushmore, but we didn't actually stop because it was snowing, and we didn't want to have to pay for it or hike up there in the cold...if they were even open. It was a beautiful drive, with everything covered in snow. I didn't get any pictures of it because we never stopped the car, we were just trying to get home before it got too dark.
We got back to town, had some dinner at a sports bar, then got back to the B&B. It wasn't even 9pm yet, but there wasn't really much else to do, so we flipped on the TV because we had DishNetwork satellite. 5000 channels and nothing to watch! Actually, that wasn't the case. It was more like, 5000 channels, and you can only watch three! The system was messed up or hadn't been activated yet, so all we got was Pay Per View, and we weren't going to do that, or the DishNetwork information channel, CCTV (Communist China Television), the SIRIUS radio network information channel, and the Shop At Home channel. Well screw this. There's a shelf of about 10 chick flicks next to the VCR. After much deliberation, we find "Something To Talk About" starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid, the story about an unfaithful husband and what happens to the wife as she goes out on her own. *Puke* No sound. Fiddle with the VCR connection. After about a minute, sporadic sounds come pumping through the speakers like a bad rap song beat. Rewind, fiddle with some wires, try it again. Nothing. Sporadic beats. Okay, let's try a new movie. We ended up watching "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Ha. Good thing we didn't go to the B&B for their movie selection.
Before we left this morning, I took some pictures of our room.
Bedroom
As you walk in, bedroom to your right, bathroom to the left, then living room/kitchen area straight ahead.
Living room/kitchen area
Kitchen
Sink
Shower. Those tiles in the shower were on the floor throughout the whole room, it was really pretty.
Next are my favorite pictures, they turned out really well. Before we left for good, Aaron pointed us towards some hot spring falls and springs, located a few miles from eachother on Highway 71. I didn't think the picture of the falls (which didn't look that impressive from our viewpoint, but if we'd hiked down a little, you would have been able to really see them), was going to turn out that well, but it's my favorite one of them all. The first picture is of the falls, and the rest were taken at the springs at a little picnic area.
Falls
Stream
Hot springs
Aaron had warned me about the tree buffalo, who like to hide in the trees and jump on their prey, crushing them to death, and then eating them. Aaron said they only eat little blue cars, so we'd better be careful. Especially when we were sneaking up on the prairie buffalo in it. We were fortunate enough not to see the vicious tree buffalo, but we did see some mangy antelope, a buffalo with a Moe haircut (Three Stooges), and a deer with a shaved neck and radio collar. This is how we think that scenario went down:
Game Warden 1: We need to put a radio collar on this deer, so we gotta shave his neck.
GW2: How are we gonna do that?
GW1: Well, we'll tranquilize him first, then take him to the dog groomer and have them do it.
GW2: Think we can get them to style its hair, too?
GW1: Sweet. Good idea.
Dog Groomer: Mornin', gentlemen!
GW1&2: Hi! We've got a, uh, large breed dog that needs its neck shaved.
DG: Um, that doesn't look like a dog to me...that's a deer.
GW1: No, seriously, it's okay. We just need its neck shaved. We have to put a radio transmitter collar on it.
GW2: Yeah, and put a bow in its fur, too!
GW1: I thought you were joking about that earlier...
GW2: What? Oh, totally, yeah, it was a joke.
GW2: Can we give a buffalo a haircut, too? When we put the radio collar on one, let's style his hair.
GW1: How did you get a job here?
Poor deer. I didn't get a picture of him, but he was pretty sad looking. You know when you take a dog to the vet and shave everything but its paws, tail, and head? Yeah...it kinda looked like that.
We left the park and Aaron was going to take me to the Needles, which I'd never seen before, but unfortunately, the road was closed because it wasn't late enough in the year yet, and there was still snow on the ground. So we went to this really beautiful area with those same kind of rocks, just not as many of them, near a lake.
After that, we drove towards Mt. Rushmore, but we didn't actually stop because it was snowing, and we didn't want to have to pay for it or hike up there in the cold...if they were even open. It was a beautiful drive, with everything covered in snow. I didn't get any pictures of it because we never stopped the car, we were just trying to get home before it got too dark.
We got back to town, had some dinner at a sports bar, then got back to the B&B. It wasn't even 9pm yet, but there wasn't really much else to do, so we flipped on the TV because we had DishNetwork satellite. 5000 channels and nothing to watch! Actually, that wasn't the case. It was more like, 5000 channels, and you can only watch three! The system was messed up or hadn't been activated yet, so all we got was Pay Per View, and we weren't going to do that, or the DishNetwork information channel, CCTV (Communist China Television), the SIRIUS radio network information channel, and the Shop At Home channel. Well screw this. There's a shelf of about 10 chick flicks next to the VCR. After much deliberation, we find "Something To Talk About" starring Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid, the story about an unfaithful husband and what happens to the wife as she goes out on her own. *Puke* No sound. Fiddle with the VCR connection. After about a minute, sporadic sounds come pumping through the speakers like a bad rap song beat. Rewind, fiddle with some wires, try it again. Nothing. Sporadic beats. Okay, let's try a new movie. We ended up watching "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days." Ha. Good thing we didn't go to the B&B for their movie selection.
Before we left this morning, I took some pictures of our room.
Bedroom
As you walk in, bedroom to your right, bathroom to the left, then living room/kitchen area straight ahead.
Living room/kitchen area
Kitchen
Sink
Shower. Those tiles in the shower were on the floor throughout the whole room, it was really pretty.
Next are my favorite pictures, they turned out really well. Before we left for good, Aaron pointed us towards some hot spring falls and springs, located a few miles from eachother on Highway 71. I didn't think the picture of the falls (which didn't look that impressive from our viewpoint, but if we'd hiked down a little, you would have been able to really see them), was going to turn out that well, but it's my favorite one of them all. The first picture is of the falls, and the rest were taken at the springs at a little picnic area.
Falls
Stream
Hot springs
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
363 days...
On Thursday, it will have been a year since Aaron and I met and got together. I just count the day that we met as our anniversary because it's easy to remember, and I don't remember the exact day that Aaron exclaimed, "Hey, guess what? You're my girlfriend!"
So to celebrate, Aaron booked us a Bed & Breakfast room in Hot Springs, SD for tomorrow night. We're going to go over there tomorrow morning, look around, go to Custer State Park and look at the buffalos (pictures to come! I love buffalos!), and see what's going on in the town. I've never been to that part of the state, so it'll be exciting for me.
He'd been playing phone tag with the lady who runs the place for the better part of two days, and finally was able to get ahold of her tonight and get the room booked. I'm really excited!
This morning I went to my eye doctor appointment because last week, Friday through Monday, I had been getting at least two headaches every day. For no apparent reason. I didn't feel like I was under any larger amount of stress than I always am this semester, I've been working in smoke, flashing lights, and loud music for six months, and it never bothered me, and I always wear my glasses except when I'm sleeping or in the shower (durr), so I figured my prescription had changed. Unfortunately, it hasn't changed. Well, it has oh so slightly in my right eye, but not enough to cause headaches, said the doc, so I didn't get a new lens for that eye. Hopefully that was a one time deal with the headaches, because I am not headache-prone, and when I get them frequently, it kinda scares me.
And then, last night when I was doing shift change with Tammy, I had found three bicentenial quarters and a Singaporean (sp?) 20 cent piece, and was saving them to buy them with my tip money when I got off work. So when I find money that I'm going to buy after I get off work, I put it in a certain place, and let Tammy know about it so it doesn't get put in her cash drawer and end up going out to someone as change. So last night, I tell her about my coins, and she says, "I don't want to sound like a bitch or anything, but when you're buying that money like that, is there any way you can do it before I get here? Like buy it on your break or something?" I was kind of taken aback by this, since I don't really do it to a weird extent, like, "I'm going to buy these 35 one dollar bills, this handful of coins, and those paperclips." No, it's usually just a few things...So I asked her, "Is it really that annoying?" She said sometimes it is...and she didn't mind if I did it once in a while, like if I found something after I took my last break...but otherwise, she didn't want me doing it.
Oh, and a few months before, she wanted me to make sure that any clipped money went into the vault with the other clipped and strapped money, and not in the cash drawer. Because if it was in the cash drawer, she'd have to un-clip it and count it, whereas if it was in the vault with the clipped and strapped money, she wouldn't have to count out each bill singley, just count the clip. Didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I did it, anyway, and now this. Dunno. Kinda weird. And it kind of made me mad that she asked me not to do that. It's not like I rush her to buy my change or anything. I get my tips counted out, cash in my coins into dollars, and buy my money finds at the same time...
Who knows. It was just kinda weird.
But that's what's been going on the last couple of days. I'm going to try to get some laundry done tonight since I'll be busy tomorrow night, and probably a little bit of homework, as well. Homework on spring break...blasphemous.
So to celebrate, Aaron booked us a Bed & Breakfast room in Hot Springs, SD for tomorrow night. We're going to go over there tomorrow morning, look around, go to Custer State Park and look at the buffalos (pictures to come! I love buffalos!), and see what's going on in the town. I've never been to that part of the state, so it'll be exciting for me.
He'd been playing phone tag with the lady who runs the place for the better part of two days, and finally was able to get ahold of her tonight and get the room booked. I'm really excited!
This morning I went to my eye doctor appointment because last week, Friday through Monday, I had been getting at least two headaches every day. For no apparent reason. I didn't feel like I was under any larger amount of stress than I always am this semester, I've been working in smoke, flashing lights, and loud music for six months, and it never bothered me, and I always wear my glasses except when I'm sleeping or in the shower (durr), so I figured my prescription had changed. Unfortunately, it hasn't changed. Well, it has oh so slightly in my right eye, but not enough to cause headaches, said the doc, so I didn't get a new lens for that eye. Hopefully that was a one time deal with the headaches, because I am not headache-prone, and when I get them frequently, it kinda scares me.
And then, last night when I was doing shift change with Tammy, I had found three bicentenial quarters and a Singaporean (sp?) 20 cent piece, and was saving them to buy them with my tip money when I got off work. So when I find money that I'm going to buy after I get off work, I put it in a certain place, and let Tammy know about it so it doesn't get put in her cash drawer and end up going out to someone as change. So last night, I tell her about my coins, and she says, "I don't want to sound like a bitch or anything, but when you're buying that money like that, is there any way you can do it before I get here? Like buy it on your break or something?" I was kind of taken aback by this, since I don't really do it to a weird extent, like, "I'm going to buy these 35 one dollar bills, this handful of coins, and those paperclips." No, it's usually just a few things...So I asked her, "Is it really that annoying?" She said sometimes it is...and she didn't mind if I did it once in a while, like if I found something after I took my last break...but otherwise, she didn't want me doing it.
Oh, and a few months before, she wanted me to make sure that any clipped money went into the vault with the other clipped and strapped money, and not in the cash drawer. Because if it was in the cash drawer, she'd have to un-clip it and count it, whereas if it was in the vault with the clipped and strapped money, she wouldn't have to count out each bill singley, just count the clip. Didn't make a lot of sense to me, but I did it, anyway, and now this. Dunno. Kinda weird. And it kind of made me mad that she asked me not to do that. It's not like I rush her to buy my change or anything. I get my tips counted out, cash in my coins into dollars, and buy my money finds at the same time...
Who knows. It was just kinda weird.
But that's what's been going on the last couple of days. I'm going to try to get some laundry done tonight since I'll be busy tomorrow night, and probably a little bit of homework, as well. Homework on spring break...blasphemous.
Saturday, March 04, 2006
PRAXIS II
Well, the PRAXIS II test went pretty well this morning, I think. It's hard to say, though. I'm always one of the first people to finish tests, it doesn't matter what kind they are; multiple choice, fill in the blanks, matching, short answer, essay...I never finish later than 4th. It's not like it's a race to me, to see how fast I can get it done...but I just don't dwell on things. I've been told, and learned, that you should trust your first instinct when it comes to taking tests, because what your brain is telling you is probably right.
But it's not like you could just leave after you finished the test. You had to wait until the entire testing time was over, which was 2 hours for this test. I finished in hour, 5 minutes. That's right, I got to sit around for 55 minutes until the test was over. Oh my God, that sucked. I even brought my iPod so I could listen to some music, but I wasn't sure if I'd get in trouble for it, and I didn't want to ask, so I just sat there.
I tried to sleep on the desk, but my arms and legs kept going numb. It was excrutiation, but I survived to tell the tale. And I just have to wait four weeks for the test results. You only get two chancees to take this test, and if you mess it up both times, you don't get to student teach; you're just done. Done, gone, finished. Can't continue. The semester before you graduate, and that test decides whether you really knew your subject content that you started learning in Kindergarten.
Wish me luck!
But it's not like you could just leave after you finished the test. You had to wait until the entire testing time was over, which was 2 hours for this test. I finished in hour, 5 minutes. That's right, I got to sit around for 55 minutes until the test was over. Oh my God, that sucked. I even brought my iPod so I could listen to some music, but I wasn't sure if I'd get in trouble for it, and I didn't want to ask, so I just sat there.
Stared at my shoes.
Started at the clock.
Counted how many girls wore ponytails (9 out of 18).
Counted how many people in the room I had classes with (2 out of 20).
Counted the lefties (3, including me).
Counted the pregnant ladies (1).
Held my legs in the air until they were numb.
Did the alphabet with my toes while my feet were in the air.
Glared at the open window that was blowing cold air on me.
Wonder why WE couldn't have anything to drink during the test time, but the administers of the test could have water...
Sang songs in my head.
I tried to sleep on the desk, but my arms and legs kept going numb. It was excrutiation, but I survived to tell the tale. And I just have to wait four weeks for the test results. You only get two chancees to take this test, and if you mess it up both times, you don't get to student teach; you're just done. Done, gone, finished. Can't continue. The semester before you graduate, and that test decides whether you really knew your subject content that you started learning in Kindergarten.
Wish me luck!
Friday, March 03, 2006
spring break! (okay, not that exciting)
Today begins SPRING BREAK. Most students would be halfway to Aruba (if that even exists) right now, but not me. I have crap to do. School crap. But that's fine, after buying a new computer, I really shouldn't do much else. Besides, it's Aaron and my 1st year anniversary on Thursday, so we're going to find something to do for that.
The schedule at work has changed yet again, because one of the cashiers was working two shifts from 7:30am to 3:30pm, then a 5pm to 12am shift, then two 12am to 8am shifts...she couldn't get down a regular sleeping schedule. She's not going to school or anything, but it really screwed up her sleep. She tried it for two months, didn't like it, and wants it to change. Which is fine by me, I don't want more people to get mad at me and quit...So I keep my evening shift on Fridays, my evening shift on Mondays, but I'll go back to working morning shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. Hopefully that will give me more time on the weekends to work on homework and projects, instead of waking up at 11am, piddling around for an hour, going to get food, and then going to work, working 'til 12:30am, getting home at 1am, and not getting anything accomplished the whole day.
And that's that.
The schedule at work has changed yet again, because one of the cashiers was working two shifts from 7:30am to 3:30pm, then a 5pm to 12am shift, then two 12am to 8am shifts...she couldn't get down a regular sleeping schedule. She's not going to school or anything, but it really screwed up her sleep. She tried it for two months, didn't like it, and wants it to change. Which is fine by me, I don't want more people to get mad at me and quit...So I keep my evening shift on Fridays, my evening shift on Mondays, but I'll go back to working morning shifts on Saturdays and Sundays. Hopefully that will give me more time on the weekends to work on homework and projects, instead of waking up at 11am, piddling around for an hour, going to get food, and then going to work, working 'til 12:30am, getting home at 1am, and not getting anything accomplished the whole day.
And that's that.
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