Minneapolis, here we come!

Aaron accepted the job in Minneapolis, put his two weeks in at his current job, and we're going to be moving in 2-3 weeks! Holy crap, this is all happening so fast.

He's going to leave a week before me so that he can find a place for us to live, as we don't have anything over there yet. I already have a job interview at the Whole Foods Market set up for when I get into town, so that's a good sign, and before the end of August, we will be GONE.

We started packing up stuff in the apartment last night, books, CDs, and movies mostly, but it still hasn't hit me yet. I'm sure when the last things are moved out of the apartment and into the U-haul is when it will hit me. I'm super excited to move, but the only thing that scares me is the darn freeway system. I've only driven on it once, and that was at 2am, and there wasn't much traffic.

I didn't want to start packing so soon, but I know that in these three weeks between work and visiting people for the last time, we're going to need all that time to get our stuff packed up. I just don't want to be living in a barren apartment for a week with nothing to do!

Well, I won't have NOTHING to do, as the new Harry Potter book should be here in a few days, so that'll definitely keep me busy. I forgot to pre-order it, otherwise I'd be done with it by now.

Well, that's the big news for now. I'll keep ya posted!

hmmm

Well, Aaron had his phone conference/initial interview with the folks at the internet company in Minneapolis. He's not sure how the meeting went, and thinks it could have gone better. There were just some things that he didn't know, and isn't feeling super confident about that. After the meeting, the owner of the company said that he'd get back to Aaron after making a decision. We're not sure how long that's going to be, so both of us are just kind of waiting on pins and needles. It sucks.

On Tuesday, we had dinner with Aaron's folks for his belated birthday party, since he and I both had to work on his birthday. Then on Wednesday, Aaron and I hung out with our friends Bryce and Liz, who both work at the same casino as me, did some drinking and gambling, and that was a good time. I won $92 on a three card poker hand with a straight flush. Which was good, because I was down to my last $6 of the evening, and I won it all back, and then some. Whew! I was sweating bullets for a while!

Then yesterday, we drove to Gillette to have dinner with my folks because we hadn't been out there in about a month. And with the possibility of moving so soon, we wanted to go see them.

After all the frustrations that have been going on at work, I've been quite frustrated with the whole thing. I never did hear back from the casino where I dropped off an application to deal cards, and never contacted them back, either, because when I picked up the application, Aaron hadn't made contact with the company in Minneapolis yet. But by the time they were supposed to call me back came around, he'd sent in his resume to them, and I didn't want to pursue it, in case we ended up having to move in the next month.

My boss at work must have caught wind of me saying that even if we don't get to move to Minneapolis, I'm quitting anyway. After I went into work on Tuesday to talk to him about something, right before I left he said, "I really don't want you to quit, I want you to stay here." I wouldn't mind staying there, really, as long as I was much better compensated for my troubles. "I have big plans for you when we do the expansion (of the building)." Well, that's not going to be for another couple of years. They were supposed to break ground this summer, and that never happened. My year-evaluation is coming up this week or next week, and I want to get a GOOD raise. Not a $.20 raise like last year. That was BS. I want to be making over $11/hour, or I'm gone. Because I can make more money, and put up with less crap dealing cards at any other casino than I can at this place.

future plans

So, while we were in Minneapolis, Aaron was offered a job by a friend of his who works for an internet web server company in the downtown area. As soon as we got in the car to come back home to Spearfish, we were discussing the possibility of moving out there.

Over the last couple of weeks, Aaron has been brushing up on his Linux skills to work on the servers, sent in a resume', and has discussed the job with the owner and CTO (neither of which are his friend who offered the job). The reality of the situation is getting bigger and bigger. The job opening is immediate. If we decide this is a good thing, then Aaron is probably going to have to go there as soon as possible, and leave me behind for a while so he can get a place set up for us.

I am also needing to find a job. Since I don't want to continue on with my education degree, I can get a job just about anywhere, doing anything. Really, it all comes down to finances. Can we afford to do it? If not, there's no sense in going, and we're going to be stuck here again until we can find something else. If so, this is a big move for me, having only lived in a STATE of less than half a million people, and another state of slightly more than half a million people. Moving to a city of 3.2 million people is just a little scary to me. Aaron's lived there before, when he went to college at the U of M. That's how he knows everyone out there.

I will move out there in a heartbeat, but man, I'm going to have to study some highway maps like crazy before I get on those darn roads.

Aaron has a telephone conference with the owner and CTO on Friday, so we will know more by then. I will try to keep updated as we find out more information.

I am going to hate packing up this apartment. We have amassed so much crap over the 2 years we've lived together.

blue and sunny

I am sick and tired of work, condescending people, people who say one thing, and do another, and people who just don't follow the rules. It's getting close to being time to move on. If it weren't for Bridget and Katie, I'd be gone.

On a brighter note, this Monday, the 2nd, Jill stopped by for about four days to hang out with Aaron and myself, and brought a friend along with her from California. I had to work on Monday, so I only got to see her when she and Mike, her friend, stopped by the casino to say "Hi."

On Tuesday, we went by Mt. Rushmore, through the Needles highway, to Crazy Horse monument, and through Custer State Park to look at some bison. It was a full day; we left around 10am, and got home around 8pm.

Wednesday was the 4th of July, so the four of us headed to Lead to watch the fireworks over the gold mine pit, which was cool, then spent some time down town gambling a bit. Before all that, we watched the Spearfish parade and made steaks on Aaron's parents' grill.

I had a Player's Club meeting on Thursday, dropped my boss off in Lead, and drove an ex-co-worker home to Spearfish before heading back to my place to eat dinner at Sanford's with Aaron, Jill, and Mike.

Good times, good times. I am pooped. Then started the weekend of stupid at work, and I won't even get into that. There's too much that has happened since Thursday that is pissing me off about that place.

Also, Aaron's birthday is on Sunday, the 15th, and I have no idea what to get him. He wants a KitchenAide blender/mixer thinger, but they're like, $400 for a good one, and I just got my credit card balance down to $200, not to mention the money I have to pay towards furniture, a new bed, rent, cable, and power every month. So we'll see. I still have to ask him "officially" what he wants for his birthday.

Aaron and I have Tuesday and Wednesday off together, which hasn't happened in a long time - two days off in a row, together - so we're probably going to go out to Gillette one of those days to visit my folks since it's been a while. We still need to go check out some caves to finish up our "Caves of the Black Hills" tour this summer.

And that's all for now. Until next time, ta ta!

ick.

While walking to my car from work tonight, I had two guys follow me from the casino parking lot to the light where I cross the street to get to the other parking lot where my car was. I had my headphones on, so I didn't hear them talking to me, but during a lull in the music I heard, "...ignoring me??"

I decided to keep "ignoring" them, and kept walking, and after a while, didn't know if they were even behind me anymore. When I got to the light and pushed the button to cross, I heard, "Nice talking to you" in sarcastic tones.

I don't know if they were talking to me the whole way down to the parking lot, which is a couple of blocks, or what...but it kinda creeped me out, so I didn't bother to acknowledge them the whole time, lest something creepy happen.

I hate walking to my car by myself at night because who knows what's going to go on, but our valets leave about an hour before I do, so I really don't have anyone to walk or drive me to my car except the hotel front desk clerk...and I might have to start asking them for a ride from now on. I was just weirded out the whole way home in my car, long after those guys were out of my sight.

and we're back

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.