We are back from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Well, we got back on Monday, but it's been nice to have a few days to unpack and unwind before having to get back to work.
Day 1: Thursday
Drove from Spearfish, SD to Kennebec, SD, about a three and a half hour drive, 225 miles. We spent the night at the KOA in Kennebec, got eaten by mosquitoes, cooked dinner, and sweltered in the tent for a good 4 hours until the Sun went down and it cooled off. Sticky is not one of my favorite feelings.
Day 2: Friday
Drove from Kennebec to Minneapolis, which took a little over 6 hours due to road construction. We were up at the butt-crack of dawn, which is unusual for me, no matter how much sleep I've gotten. The drive was smooth and uneventful, which is always good. Once we made it to Shakopee, the rain let loose in sheets, and we made it to the edge of the city around 1:30pm and got INTO the city around 2:30pm because of the bumper to bumper traffic caused by the rain.
We'd wanted to go to the Minnesota Zoo before we met up with all of Aaron's friends, because most of them didn't get off work 'til late, but by the time we ate our lunch at Big Bowl (an Oriental place), it was starting to get late, so we skipped that idea.
We found Bret and Jess, the folks we were staying with for the first couple nights, some good friends of Aaron's, and met up with another couple to eat at a place called Pop! After dinner we headed to downtown Minneapolis and checked out Bret's office building, which was right next to Grumpy's, the bar we had some drinks at.
By this point, I had met at least seven new people and was having a hard time remembering everyone's names. At the end of the night, there were only two sober drivers, and two cars heading back to Bret and Jess'. I was one of those sober drivers, and we didn't have our car; we'd ridden in with Bret and Jess. So I got to drive Jay's Audi down the freeway at 2am. I don't remember what the model was, but all I know is that it was highly modified, had six gears, manual transmission, and was a ton of fun to drive, even though I was partially terrified of being on the freeway.
Day 3: Saturday
Bret, Jess, Aaron and I head to the Como Park Zoo because admission is free and we didn't feel like paying $12.50 each to go to the Minnesota Zoo. The zoo itself was kinda small and sad, and the animals were quite bored in their small areas, but the Conservatory was really cool. Actually, it was really hot and humid because of the millions of plants they were growing in there.
After the zoo, we stopped by Conny's Creamy Cone and got some yummy ice cream to cool off, and then headed over to Will and Vandy's house. They are also some friends of Aaron's, and are hospital pharmacists. We had vegetarian lasagna, with butternut squash instead of meat, which was actually really good. Then there were all kinds of crazy dips that Vandy had made, like a mango salsa, chutney, and some awesome guacamole, with homemade pita chips. Yummo.
Day 4: Sunday
On Sunday, we headed over to the other side of town to hang out with Jamie and Karlie, two more of Aaron's friends. Karlie is Aaron's cousin, and Jamie is the brother of one of Aaron's good friends here in Spearfish. We headed to the Minnesota Institute of Art and wandered around there 'til they closed, only managing to fit in the first floor's worth of exhibits. Then we headed back to their place for some barbecuing and booze. Jamie had all kinds of "Loki" or homemade liquor made from Everclear and flavorings. It's so good, you can't even taste the alcohol in it (and for me to say that must be true, 'cause I can taste alcohol in ANYTHING). Which makes it kind of dangerous, 'cause you could drink tons of it without really thinking about it.
Day 5: Monday
We headed back to Spearfish, calculating to get home around 10pm since we left around 11am and were only driving one day, instead of two. First stop: Famous Dave's for some barbecue. Second: Booze store. They have a lot of beers and liquors in Minnesota that South Dakota doesn't carry. I'm not sure what they are, but I just know both states have some weird alcohol laws. For instance; in MN, you can't buy Everclear. The stuff Jamie used was bought in Wisconsin. In SD, you can't buy Moose Drool (I think...either that, or Phat Tire), you have to go over to Wyoming to get it.
We arrived home around 9:30pm, and boy, were we glad to be home.
So there you have it. You can see pictures of the trip on my Dropshots page.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Zombie dreams
Lately I have been having dreams about zombies, which strikes me as odd, because I haven't watched a zombie movie in quite a while.
This last one occurred at work; in the casino's basement parking garage. However, we didn't have the garage doors closed, and you could see the zombies wandering the streets of Deadwood, looking for something to eat. They weren't coming towards our building however, just walking along the sidewalks at that time.
Also, we were only armed with blue handled Quill scissors from work to defend ourselves against the zombies. Apparently in my dream, these zombies could be killed with puncture wounds, instead of by destroying the brain, because it would take a LOT of work to destroy a zombie's brain with scissors. I think the zombie would probably get you first.
We were also blocking off the set of doors in the garage that leads to the banquet rooms, which you can access from the main floor by the elevators. How the zombies figured out how to use the elevator is beyond me, but whatever, I guess. One girl had a large cardboard tube that she was using like something you'd beat a castle door down with (forgot the name) to ward off the zombies from that set of doors, and I think she got bit because she was bleeding on her arm, and I was worried I'd have to kill her soon, as she would turn into a zombie as well.
Now, if any of you have read The Zombie Survival Guide, you would know that hiding in the basement is about the poorest idea anyone could have when it comes to zombie outbreaks. In fact, you are better off hiding on the highest floor possible, blocking off the stairs, as it is much harder for zombies to climb, as they mostly wander about aimlessly, looking for something gray and spongy to munch on.
The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.
And there is today's lesson on zombies. Stay tuned. I'm sure as soon as I see 28 Weeks Later, I'll be having more dreams.
This last one occurred at work; in the casino's basement parking garage. However, we didn't have the garage doors closed, and you could see the zombies wandering the streets of Deadwood, looking for something to eat. They weren't coming towards our building however, just walking along the sidewalks at that time.
Also, we were only armed with blue handled Quill scissors from work to defend ourselves against the zombies. Apparently in my dream, these zombies could be killed with puncture wounds, instead of by destroying the brain, because it would take a LOT of work to destroy a zombie's brain with scissors. I think the zombie would probably get you first.
We were also blocking off the set of doors in the garage that leads to the banquet rooms, which you can access from the main floor by the elevators. How the zombies figured out how to use the elevator is beyond me, but whatever, I guess. One girl had a large cardboard tube that she was using like something you'd beat a castle door down with (forgot the name) to ward off the zombies from that set of doors, and I think she got bit because she was bleeding on her arm, and I was worried I'd have to kill her soon, as she would turn into a zombie as well.
Now, if any of you have read The Zombie Survival Guide, you would know that hiding in the basement is about the poorest idea anyone could have when it comes to zombie outbreaks. In fact, you are better off hiding on the highest floor possible, blocking off the stairs, as it is much harder for zombies to climb, as they mostly wander about aimlessly, looking for something gray and spongy to munch on.
The Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.
And there is today's lesson on zombies. Stay tuned. I'm sure as soon as I see 28 Weeks Later, I'll be having more dreams.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
updates
Lots of stuff has been going on lately. First off, Aaron came up with a great idea for what we can be when we grow up! He can get a job working for the Forest Service, testing water, and this kind of position has openings in EVERY state, all the time. So he'd do that for a year or two, then move on to a different place with an opening in a higher position, and we can keep doing that for a while until he gets to where he wants to be in that career, and then we can stay there.
As for me, I can use my degree in education to teach workshops and go to classrooms teaching students about the forests and fire dangers and stuff like that. It's seasonal work, most likely, but with the money Aaron would be making, and I could have other jobs, it'd work out just fine! Or it might not be seasonal; I could be in and out of classrooms all school year, then teach workshops during the summer, when most people are in the forests.
Also, Aaron and I have a goal for this summer - to see all the caves in the Black Hills. We started off today by looking at Wonderland Cave, and next week, we can go somewhere else. He's seen all the caves with his family, but that was 10-15 years ago for him, and I've never seen any of them, so this is kinda cool for me. I have pictures of Wonderland Cave on my Dropshots website, if you want to check them out. I'm no photographer, but they turned out as okay as they can in a dark cave.
I keep getting called in to work extra shifts at work, and it's getting kinda stupid because I just want to have my days off and relax and not have to fill in for other people. Also, Aaron and I are taking next weekend off to visit Minneapolis, MN to see some of his friends from when he went to school out there. I've requested it off verbally and on paper at work, and haven't received my paper "OK" by the boss, but he said three weeks ago that it would be alright. I'm going to be super pissed if he forgot about it. But I'm going, and that's that. Work is getting kinda dumb and I'm tired of it. I can get a job dealing down town and make more money and not have to put up with as much shit, and I'm seriously considering it.
Anywho...until next time!
As for me, I can use my degree in education to teach workshops and go to classrooms teaching students about the forests and fire dangers and stuff like that. It's seasonal work, most likely, but with the money Aaron would be making, and I could have other jobs, it'd work out just fine! Or it might not be seasonal; I could be in and out of classrooms all school year, then teach workshops during the summer, when most people are in the forests.
Also, Aaron and I have a goal for this summer - to see all the caves in the Black Hills. We started off today by looking at Wonderland Cave, and next week, we can go somewhere else. He's seen all the caves with his family, but that was 10-15 years ago for him, and I've never seen any of them, so this is kinda cool for me. I have pictures of Wonderland Cave on my Dropshots website, if you want to check them out. I'm no photographer, but they turned out as okay as they can in a dark cave.
I keep getting called in to work extra shifts at work, and it's getting kinda stupid because I just want to have my days off and relax and not have to fill in for other people. Also, Aaron and I are taking next weekend off to visit Minneapolis, MN to see some of his friends from when he went to school out there. I've requested it off verbally and on paper at work, and haven't received my paper "OK" by the boss, but he said three weeks ago that it would be alright. I'm going to be super pissed if he forgot about it. But I'm going, and that's that. Work is getting kinda dumb and I'm tired of it. I can get a job dealing down town and make more money and not have to put up with as much shit, and I'm seriously considering it.
Anywho...until next time!
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
jerk face.
I know I've bitched about him before, but that was a couple of months ago when things were first happening.
We have a player at the casino who got in trouble by the management for harassing us near the end of the night about getting more entries into drawings that he didn't deserve and whatnot. Honestly, I had figured the whole thing had blown over. He and his wife weren't coming in nearly as often as they had in the past, and when they did, they took their stuff and left.
Tonight, however, it all changed. I was behind the counter, getting a dinner voucher for a player. As this player and I were talking, the guy, we'll call him Bob, comes up to the desk, waiting for me and the other player to get done talking. Bob notices the other player is smoking at the counter (which you're not supposed to do, but with this guy I don't really care 'cause he makes sure to keep the smoke out of the way) because smoking will make you fat. Then I jokingly say that cigarettes keep you skinny. Then Bob says to the other guy, "You smoke, she smokes, you two would be good together." I butted in to say that I have never smoked a day in my life, thankyouverymuch. Then Bob says to the other guy, "Oh really? Because whenever she talks, it sounds like smoke is coming out of her mouth."
Now, I'm not really sure what that's supposed to mean. Was it an insult? Am I blowing smoke up his ass all the time when I talk to him? Am I a horrible dragon blowing fire at him? Am I just sarcastic all the time to him? Who knows. I try to be amiable.
Then the other guy leaves, and Bob approaches the desk. I start printing off his entries and he asks me, "So, you want to be a teacher?" And I tell him that yeah, maybe, but I'm not sure if my heart is really in it, blah blah. Then he says, "What if your superintendent approached you to say that a lot of people said that you complain too much?"
As soon as he said this, I knew exactly what he was getting at. So I started to say that I would find out what they say I was complaining about (because sometimes you get on a tangent about something and don't realize it's annoying everyone else), and then Bob cut me off. I wanted to finish telling him that I would have looked at myself to see if it was true that I was complaining about something a lot, and if it were true, I would stop doing it. Because that's why Bob got in trouble - he did too much complaining to me and another coworker, and we'd had enough, so we told our supervisor. He needs to stop and take a good look at himself as a person. Reevaluate. Change. That's what I wanted to tell him. But he cut me off and asked, "Are you intimidated by me?" I told him, "No, should I be?" Because I'm not intimidated by him. I don't like him, he makes my life miserable, but in no way am I intimidated by him. If he thinks he can get me fired and have my job, then so be it. Keep thinking that, and keep working at it, because I can find better work at any other casino in town that he's already been kicked out of for complaining about crap, and then I won't have to deal with him.
Then he went on to tell me that he was still hurt by what had happened three months ago, and that he still thinks about it a lot. It was three months ago. Get over it. Move on. If it hurts that much, then maybe he shouldn't come back to the casino.
I know that I'm probably wasting time by even talking about this because there's nothing that's going to change about him. I wish there was something I could do or say to him to make him understand that he is not being an acceptable person, let alone an acceptable GROWN UP. I don't understand why he is like this, and I want to. I want to know what happened in his childhood that made him act like this as a 70 year old man. Why is it okay for him to treat me like this, but not okay for me to turn him in for treating me like this? It's not. Obviously I'm not going to sit down with Bob and have a heart to heart with him about this, and even if we DID talk about it, I wouldn't get the truth. I'd get some manipulative sob story. I'm tired of it. I told my supervisor Bob needs to get his act together or leave, because this job is not worth being harassed like that.
We have a player at the casino who got in trouble by the management for harassing us near the end of the night about getting more entries into drawings that he didn't deserve and whatnot. Honestly, I had figured the whole thing had blown over. He and his wife weren't coming in nearly as often as they had in the past, and when they did, they took their stuff and left.
Tonight, however, it all changed. I was behind the counter, getting a dinner voucher for a player. As this player and I were talking, the guy, we'll call him Bob, comes up to the desk, waiting for me and the other player to get done talking. Bob notices the other player is smoking at the counter (which you're not supposed to do, but with this guy I don't really care 'cause he makes sure to keep the smoke out of the way) because smoking will make you fat. Then I jokingly say that cigarettes keep you skinny. Then Bob says to the other guy, "You smoke, she smokes, you two would be good together." I butted in to say that I have never smoked a day in my life, thankyouverymuch. Then Bob says to the other guy, "Oh really? Because whenever she talks, it sounds like smoke is coming out of her mouth."
Now, I'm not really sure what that's supposed to mean. Was it an insult? Am I blowing smoke up his ass all the time when I talk to him? Am I a horrible dragon blowing fire at him? Am I just sarcastic all the time to him? Who knows. I try to be amiable.
Then the other guy leaves, and Bob approaches the desk. I start printing off his entries and he asks me, "So, you want to be a teacher?" And I tell him that yeah, maybe, but I'm not sure if my heart is really in it, blah blah. Then he says, "What if your superintendent approached you to say that a lot of people said that you complain too much?"
As soon as he said this, I knew exactly what he was getting at. So I started to say that I would find out what they say I was complaining about (because sometimes you get on a tangent about something and don't realize it's annoying everyone else), and then Bob cut me off. I wanted to finish telling him that I would have looked at myself to see if it was true that I was complaining about something a lot, and if it were true, I would stop doing it. Because that's why Bob got in trouble - he did too much complaining to me and another coworker, and we'd had enough, so we told our supervisor. He needs to stop and take a good look at himself as a person. Reevaluate. Change. That's what I wanted to tell him. But he cut me off and asked, "Are you intimidated by me?" I told him, "No, should I be?" Because I'm not intimidated by him. I don't like him, he makes my life miserable, but in no way am I intimidated by him. If he thinks he can get me fired and have my job, then so be it. Keep thinking that, and keep working at it, because I can find better work at any other casino in town that he's already been kicked out of for complaining about crap, and then I won't have to deal with him.
Then he went on to tell me that he was still hurt by what had happened three months ago, and that he still thinks about it a lot. It was three months ago. Get over it. Move on. If it hurts that much, then maybe he shouldn't come back to the casino.
I know that I'm probably wasting time by even talking about this because there's nothing that's going to change about him. I wish there was something I could do or say to him to make him understand that he is not being an acceptable person, let alone an acceptable GROWN UP. I don't understand why he is like this, and I want to. I want to know what happened in his childhood that made him act like this as a 70 year old man. Why is it okay for him to treat me like this, but not okay for me to turn him in for treating me like this? It's not. Obviously I'm not going to sit down with Bob and have a heart to heart with him about this, and even if we DID talk about it, I wouldn't get the truth. I'd get some manipulative sob story. I'm tired of it. I told my supervisor Bob needs to get his act together or leave, because this job is not worth being harassed like that.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
holy buckets!
It has been raining like crazy here the last couple of days in Spearfish, and boy do we need it! But we don't need the flooding that might soon come with it if this weather keeps up. Spearfish Creek is 6 cubic feet higher than what it usually is; once it reaches 8cf, we will be in a warning zone, and once it reaches 10cf, that will be considered a flood. Crazy!
The water rushing through the creek is brown like mud, and rushing like crazy through the banks. I even saw a guy trying to fish it today on my way to work! I doubt the poor fish in there are looking for something to eat, they're probably just trying to not get too beat up with all the logs and branches floating downstream.
On a different note, I picked up a chair at work with my left arm, and re-injured my shoulder that I'd had some physical therapy work done on in the previous months, so I'm going to have to get the ol' foam roll out and try to work the kinks out again. One of the girls at work who rubbed my back tonight felt a huge knot right there. so that's going to be fun to work out.
I got new tires on my car today. Well, Aaron got them put on my car today while I was still in bed because he gets up MUCH earlier than I do, even though I'm usually up by 10am anyway. Oh well. Anywho, it's off to bed I go because my mom and dad are going to be in town around 11am and I need to get some sleep.
The water rushing through the creek is brown like mud, and rushing like crazy through the banks. I even saw a guy trying to fish it today on my way to work! I doubt the poor fish in there are looking for something to eat, they're probably just trying to not get too beat up with all the logs and branches floating downstream.
On a different note, I picked up a chair at work with my left arm, and re-injured my shoulder that I'd had some physical therapy work done on in the previous months, so I'm going to have to get the ol' foam roll out and try to work the kinks out again. One of the girls at work who rubbed my back tonight felt a huge knot right there. so that's going to be fun to work out.
I got new tires on my car today. Well, Aaron got them put on my car today while I was still in bed because he gets up MUCH earlier than I do, even though I'm usually up by 10am anyway. Oh well. Anywho, it's off to bed I go because my mom and dad are going to be in town around 11am and I need to get some sleep.
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