Now looking forward, where the trail or tracks from others ought to be.
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Solitude.
March 4, 2006.
Lolo Pass, on the border of Montana and Idaho. At the top of the ridge on the snowshoe trail.
Looking back.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Busy Weekend
Laura had to work Saturday, so I rented some cross-country skis from The Trailhead and went to the Lubrect Experimental Forest for a little skiing. Amazing how you get just a little bit outside of Missoula and there is plenty of snow! We haven't had any significant amount of snow on the ground here in Missoula in weeks.
I took a few pictures...
Tonight we're going to see the Marriage of Fiagro. OK, so I wasn't paying attention when Laura said "Sunday." We are going NEXT sunday, NOT today.
Tomorrow morning I leave for a week back at the office in Illinois. I just finished squeezing a week's worth of clothes into a rolling carry-on. This time I'm flying United through Denver. Hopefully the plane out of Missoula will be a normal size one with normal-sized overhead compartments. In January, I took Delta, and I couldn't fit my bag in the overhead bin.
I took a few pictures...
Tomorrow morning I leave for a week back at the office in Illinois. I just finished squeezing a week's worth of clothes into a rolling carry-on. This time I'm flying United through Denver. Hopefully the plane out of Missoula will be a normal size one with normal-sized overhead compartments. In January, I took Delta, and I couldn't fit my bag in the overhead bin.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Exactly who is doing the shoving here?
Let's say you have an open house type event in which you invite several people with the understanding that they might invite additional people to come along as well. So, people you perhaps have never met are going to be coming to your house. You are just fine with this.
Let's say they're doing this because you have an interesting collection of art about puppies or something. So all these folks are coming to look at your cute puppy pictures up on the walls.
All is going fine, until one person comes in, admires the art for a second, and then notices you standing next to your spouse with your arm around said spouse. Did I mention that both you and your spouse are of the same gender?
This person freaks out and says "what is this display of homosexuality doing here, at a party that was supposed to be about puppy art? Why is this topic shoved in my face everywhere I go?"
Remember, this is your own home, which this stranger entered completely voluntarily. There are no armed guards at the door preventing the stranger from simply turning around and walking out.
How would you react?
This all came about because of this odd circumstance. A posting I made with some cute bunny pictures was linked to by Cute Overload. This generated a ton of traffic to my blog. Someone who came to my blog via this link somehow managed to stumble onto one of my other posts discussing same-sex marriage. There were no links between the posts, so I've no idea how she got there, but she was apparently shocked and horrified. Her comment:
So, here's the situation. You voluntarily go to a blog. You then purposely browse around to other postings on the blog. You see a mention of something you don't like, and all of a sudden, something is being shoved down your throat? How self-centered is that?
I think discussion and argument are fine things, and I would welcome both here. If BetteT's post disagreed with the substance of my post, if she had a counter-argument, anything like that, we might have had a discussion. It could have been a heated discussion, but still...it would have been a discussion. But her comment is not an argument or a disagreement. It is nothing more than whining about how she was exposed to a topic she doesn't like, and somehow this is just awful. Even though, again, she came here voluntarily and always had the freedom to leave if she didn't like what she found.
This reminds me of an argument I got into on another blog once, right when Brokeback Mountain came out. Someone complained about having homosexuality--and specifically gay sex--shoved down their throat (by who? they were vague on that point. "The media", I guess). I pointed out that, given the publicity, everyone who isn't living under a rock ought to know exactly what they will see in the movie, so if you don't want to see such things, then DON'T GO SEE IT. Why is this so hard?
I see this silly "shoved down my throat" thing so often that I've started looking around for these armed guards that force people to read books, go to movies, and keep their TV's tuned to content they don't want to see. I can't count the number of times I've found myself pissed off by a blog and decided to just stop visiting. Quitting reading National Review's The Corner had done wonders for my blood pressure. I'm still waiting for the armed guards to show up at my door and shove the National Review down my throat.
Here's the bottom line, and it is so breathtakingly obvious that I can't believe I am writing it here. If you read or watch something you don't like, you have three choices:
1. Stop reading it. Leave the web site. Close the book. Shut off the TV. Don't fork over your 9 bucks for the movie. Don't put the DVD in your player.
2. Read or watch the objectionable thing, then come up with a decent argument about why it is bad. Critique it. Argue against it. Write your own version the way you think it should be. Create your own blog and fill it with your own rants about how the world ought to be.
3. Whine about how this awful thing is being "shoved down your throat." Demand that it go away. Complain that you are being "forced" to see things you don't like.
I don't know, options 1 and 2 seem pretty reasonable. Option 3 sounds like the choice of a petulant child.
Let's say they're doing this because you have an interesting collection of art about puppies or something. So all these folks are coming to look at your cute puppy pictures up on the walls.
All is going fine, until one person comes in, admires the art for a second, and then notices you standing next to your spouse with your arm around said spouse. Did I mention that both you and your spouse are of the same gender?
This person freaks out and says "what is this display of homosexuality doing here, at a party that was supposed to be about puppy art? Why is this topic shoved in my face everywhere I go?"
Remember, this is your own home, which this stranger entered completely voluntarily. There are no armed guards at the door preventing the stranger from simply turning around and walking out.
How would you react?
This all came about because of this odd circumstance. A posting I made with some cute bunny pictures was linked to by Cute Overload. This generated a ton of traffic to my blog. Someone who came to my blog via this link somehow managed to stumble onto one of my other posts discussing same-sex marriage. There were no links between the posts, so I've no idea how she got there, but she was apparently shocked and horrified. Her comment:
How does a post about Homosexuality make it's way into even a site about animals. Is there no end to having this subject introduced (shoved down our throats in "every" arena? If I missed some point (I didn't completely read the article) my apologies.I'm afraid my response was not particularly polite, although I did make an effort.
So, here's the situation. You voluntarily go to a blog. You then purposely browse around to other postings on the blog. You see a mention of something you don't like, and all of a sudden, something is being shoved down your throat? How self-centered is that?
I think discussion and argument are fine things, and I would welcome both here. If BetteT's post disagreed with the substance of my post, if she had a counter-argument, anything like that, we might have had a discussion. It could have been a heated discussion, but still...it would have been a discussion. But her comment is not an argument or a disagreement. It is nothing more than whining about how she was exposed to a topic she doesn't like, and somehow this is just awful. Even though, again, she came here voluntarily and always had the freedom to leave if she didn't like what she found.
This reminds me of an argument I got into on another blog once, right when Brokeback Mountain came out. Someone complained about having homosexuality--and specifically gay sex--shoved down their throat (by who? they were vague on that point. "The media", I guess). I pointed out that, given the publicity, everyone who isn't living under a rock ought to know exactly what they will see in the movie, so if you don't want to see such things, then DON'T GO SEE IT. Why is this so hard?
I see this silly "shoved down my throat" thing so often that I've started looking around for these armed guards that force people to read books, go to movies, and keep their TV's tuned to content they don't want to see. I can't count the number of times I've found myself pissed off by a blog and decided to just stop visiting. Quitting reading National Review's The Corner had done wonders for my blood pressure. I'm still waiting for the armed guards to show up at my door and shove the National Review down my throat.
Here's the bottom line, and it is so breathtakingly obvious that I can't believe I am writing it here. If you read or watch something you don't like, you have three choices:
1. Stop reading it. Leave the web site. Close the book. Shut off the TV. Don't fork over your 9 bucks for the movie. Don't put the DVD in your player.
2. Read or watch the objectionable thing, then come up with a decent argument about why it is bad. Critique it. Argue against it. Write your own version the way you think it should be. Create your own blog and fill it with your own rants about how the world ought to be.
3. Whine about how this awful thing is being "shoved down your throat." Demand that it go away. Complain that you are being "forced" to see things you don't like.
I don't know, options 1 and 2 seem pretty reasonable. Option 3 sounds like the choice of a petulant child.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Catching Up
So, I've been very lazy about updating my blog since we moved to Montana. I probably would keep on being lazy, except for the sudden interest in the bunny post.
With so many people visiting my blog for bunny pictures, it just seems like I should say something profound. I may never have this many people reading my words again!
Since it has been a long day, here are a few brief thoughts, although they are probably not particularly profound.
Health Care
This story horrifies me. Will someone please explain how a doctor or nurse is harmed by providing treatment to a person who lives in a manner that the doctor or nurse disagrees with?
Displacement
Also from Daddy, Papa, and Me -
This post from early January talks about "internally displaced persons" -- basically gay and lesbian folks who moving from "unfriendly" states to "friendly" states as more and more states pass extremely nasty anti-gay laws and constitutional amendments. This topic is particularly odd for me because in one sense, we did the opposite. We moved from blue Illinois to red Montana. However, so far our Montana experiences have all been good. Missoula is in many ways far more liberal than the specific suburb we lived in before.
Movies
For example, a couple weeks ago we went to see Brokeback Mountain at The Wilma. The movie actually got out here in Montana much sooner than we expected. We went to see it after it had been here for a few weeks. We went on a Tuesday night, because there is a small discount on that night.
The theatre was PACKED. Absolutely packed. We went to the 7 PM show. When it got out, the lobby was already packed with people waiting for the 9:35 show. I was amazed.
As for the movie, I thought it was good. I've read the short story on which it was based, so I knew what to expect. When making a movie from a short story rather than a novel, it is pretty easy to stick to the story and get everything in!
I do think it is ironic that in a movie that had so many people up in arms about all the "explicit gay sex," the heterosexual sex scenes were way more numerous and explicit.
Books
Lately, I've been reading The Ancestor's Tale, by Richard Dawkins. It goes through evolution backwards. That is, starting with today, he traces evolution back through all our common ancestors with other creatures.
Highly recommended -- he's got a great way of explaining things that make sense. I'm about halfway done at this point.
With so many people visiting my blog for bunny pictures, it just seems like I should say something profound. I may never have this many people reading my words again!
Since it has been a long day, here are a few brief thoughts, although they are probably not particularly profound.
Health Care
This story horrifies me. Will someone please explain how a doctor or nurse is harmed by providing treatment to a person who lives in a manner that the doctor or nurse disagrees with?
Displacement
Also from Daddy, Papa, and Me -
This post from early January talks about "internally displaced persons" -- basically gay and lesbian folks who moving from "unfriendly" states to "friendly" states as more and more states pass extremely nasty anti-gay laws and constitutional amendments. This topic is particularly odd for me because in one sense, we did the opposite. We moved from blue Illinois to red Montana. However, so far our Montana experiences have all been good. Missoula is in many ways far more liberal than the specific suburb we lived in before.
Movies
For example, a couple weeks ago we went to see Brokeback Mountain at The Wilma. The movie actually got out here in Montana much sooner than we expected. We went to see it after it had been here for a few weeks. We went on a Tuesday night, because there is a small discount on that night.
The theatre was PACKED. Absolutely packed. We went to the 7 PM show. When it got out, the lobby was already packed with people waiting for the 9:35 show. I was amazed.
As for the movie, I thought it was good. I've read the short story on which it was based, so I knew what to expect. When making a movie from a short story rather than a novel, it is pretty easy to stick to the story and get everything in!
I do think it is ironic that in a movie that had so many people up in arms about all the "explicit gay sex," the heterosexual sex scenes were way more numerous and explicit.
Books
Lately, I've been reading The Ancestor's Tale, by Richard Dawkins. It goes through evolution backwards. That is, starting with today, he traces evolution back through all our common ancestors with other creatures.
Highly recommended -- he's got a great way of explaining things that make sense. I'm about halfway done at this point.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Who Knew Bunnies Would be so Popular?
Well, this was unexpected. A site called Cute Overload linked to my post about the bunnies we had in the backyard last May.
And now I've had well over 2000 visits, way more than I've ever had in a day before. I mean, my normal average per day is about 10.
Apparently, people like pictures of bunnies.
I appreciate the traffic, and please, bunny-picture-people, have a look around. I have lots of cute pictures of my dogs and cat as well. Here is Cricket, the one who found the bunnies. This is Xena, who, like Cricket, would have been happy to eat them, but she is afraid to go outside. This post features both Cricket, Xena, and Bailey, my shih'tzu with bad allergies who itches all the time.
When you're done being overwhelmed by the cuteness, I'd like to clear up a few things. First, this all happened last May, so there's no point in telling me to stop bothering the bunnies. They are long gone.
Second, the mother bunny did not reject the babies. In fact, the post everyone is visiting points out that she visited the bunnies again AFTER the incident that is photographed.
Third, although we took lots of pictures, we really didn't handle them much. Maybe once or twice. Most of the time, I just carefully moved aside the grass and took pictures. Initially I used a pair of tongs to move the grass rather than my hands. Later, once they started moving around, I had to hunt around the yard to find their hiding spots.
Speaking of hiding spots, it was pretty obvious that the bunnies did not develop any trust of humans. Once they became more mobile, they hid whenever anyone came into the yard. Then, over a few days, they all disappeared.
We had a second set in late summer/early fall. I took a few more pictures, but never posted them. I don't think we touched that set at all. At one point, we didn't know that they were moving around yet and Cricket got to chase one across the yard. She (the rat-terrier mix) was terribly humiliated to be completely unable to catch a BABY rabbit. Those bunnies were fast!
Anyway, everyone who was worried that the bunnies were in danger -- you can relax. They're probably off doing whatever it is that rabbits do during the winter.
And now I've had well over 2000 visits, way more than I've ever had in a day before. I mean, my normal average per day is about 10.
Apparently, people like pictures of bunnies.
I appreciate the traffic, and please, bunny-picture-people, have a look around. I have lots of cute pictures of my dogs and cat as well. Here is Cricket, the one who found the bunnies. This is Xena, who, like Cricket, would have been happy to eat them, but she is afraid to go outside. This post features both Cricket, Xena, and Bailey, my shih'tzu with bad allergies who itches all the time.
When you're done being overwhelmed by the cuteness, I'd like to clear up a few things. First, this all happened last May, so there's no point in telling me to stop bothering the bunnies. They are long gone.
Second, the mother bunny did not reject the babies. In fact, the post everyone is visiting points out that she visited the bunnies again AFTER the incident that is photographed.
Third, although we took lots of pictures, we really didn't handle them much. Maybe once or twice. Most of the time, I just carefully moved aside the grass and took pictures. Initially I used a pair of tongs to move the grass rather than my hands. Later, once they started moving around, I had to hunt around the yard to find their hiding spots.
Speaking of hiding spots, it was pretty obvious that the bunnies did not develop any trust of humans. Once they became more mobile, they hid whenever anyone came into the yard. Then, over a few days, they all disappeared.
We had a second set in late summer/early fall. I took a few more pictures, but never posted them. I don't think we touched that set at all. At one point, we didn't know that they were moving around yet and Cricket got to chase one across the yard. She (the rat-terrier mix) was terribly humiliated to be completely unable to catch a BABY rabbit. Those bunnies were fast!
Anyway, everyone who was worried that the bunnies were in danger -- you can relax. They're probably off doing whatever it is that rabbits do during the winter.
Friday, January 13, 2006
At the Airport
I spent the last week back in Illinois, going into the office like a normal person. It was a little odd to actually have to drive somewhere every day to go to work, instead of just walking up the stairs!
It was good to see my co-workers of course, although I did miss Laura.
Anyway, I've discovered the biggest downside of this whole telecommuting thing...there aren't many flights in and out of Missoula, and all of them go through a hub before getting to Chicago. I can fly through Salt Lake City (Delta), Minneapolis (Northwest), or Denver (United). I think I could also take Alaska Air through Seattle, but that is just going backwards!
So, this was my first trip back. I took Delta. Monday morning was OK, though the flight was late getting out and I had to jog through the airport to make my connection.
Today I looked at my itinerary and realized I had about a THREE HOUR layover in Salt Lake City. Won't get home till 9 PM. Argh! Laura suggested trying to go standby on an earlier flight, which was a nice idea but impossible. There are no other flights out tonight.
So, I got bored enough that I ponied up a few bucks for wireless access here in SLC so that I could do a blog post. It's about 6 PM Mountain time now - we'll probably start boarding in an hour.
I really do love the whole live-in-Montana-and-work-from-home thing. Having to travel back like this and spend most of the day in an airport is a small price to pay. But still...maybe Northwest will have a better flight schedule...
It was good to see my co-workers of course, although I did miss Laura.
Anyway, I've discovered the biggest downside of this whole telecommuting thing...there aren't many flights in and out of Missoula, and all of them go through a hub before getting to Chicago. I can fly through Salt Lake City (Delta), Minneapolis (Northwest), or Denver (United). I think I could also take Alaska Air through Seattle, but that is just going backwards!
So, this was my first trip back. I took Delta. Monday morning was OK, though the flight was late getting out and I had to jog through the airport to make my connection.
Today I looked at my itinerary and realized I had about a THREE HOUR layover in Salt Lake City. Won't get home till 9 PM. Argh! Laura suggested trying to go standby on an earlier flight, which was a nice idea but impossible. There are no other flights out tonight.
So, I got bored enough that I ponied up a few bucks for wireless access here in SLC so that I could do a blog post. It's about 6 PM Mountain time now - we'll probably start boarding in an hour.
I really do love the whole live-in-Montana-and-work-from-home thing. Having to travel back like this and spend most of the day in an airport is a small price to pay. But still...maybe Northwest will have a better flight schedule...
Friday, December 30, 2005
Blog? What Blog? You Mean I Have a Blog?
OK, so I've been lazy. I can't believe I haven't posted anything since November 26!
It is ironic when I think about starting this blog. Laura thought the whole thing was kinda weird. Then she created hers a few months later and has been so much better than me about staying updated!
Anyway, too much has happened since November for me to recount it in detail here. The summary:
Dec. 5: Went cross-country skiing in Pattee Canyon, I think maybe a week or so after the walk I described in my last post. It was a "demo day" with a local shop called The Trailhead, so I got to try out different skis for free.
Dec. 11: I couldn't convince Laura to try skiing with me, so instead we tried snowshoeing instead. We both had a great time. We initially went on rented snowshoes (again, from the Trailhead), and liked it so much we bought our own. Alas, we've been unable to go again since then. A few pictures here.
Dec. 14: Stayed out way too late the night before we were to have the walkthrough on the new house.
Dec. 15: Closed on the new house, but did not officially own it until about five days later. We did, however, start moving in the next day (Dec. 16). Apparently there were some issues holding up the actual funding of the loan and so forth. Went shopping and ordered a new dining room table, sofa, and end tables from the Ashley Furniture store here in Missoula.
Dec. 16: Rented a Uhaul and moved most of the big stuff from the rental to the new house. Also moved some little stuff, like the cable modem and router. To a house with no cable connection yet. This was the start of nearly a week without online access. At this point, I had a good excuse for not blogging!
Dec. 17: Mayflower delivered our stuff out of storage. Finally! Some of these boxes were packed LAST SPRING when we were decluttering the old house to go on the market.
Dec. 18-19: Unpacked, tried to organize my new office as usable as possible.
Dec. 20: Went to post office to get keys to the mailbox. Note to self: five days before Christmas is a terrible time to go to the post office for any reason.
Dec. 20: Went back to work (telecommuting)...with no internet access. No e-mail. Discovered that the post office keys didn't work either, so no snail mail. I've never felt so cut off from civilization in my life!
Dec. 20-22: Drank a lot of lattes at the nearby Barnes & Noble Cafe, using their wireless internet access.
Dec. 22: Bresnan finally got around to transferring our cable TV and internet to the new place. Got back online right around the time many of my co-workers back in Illinois were taking off for the holidays.
Dec. 23: Laura called the post office and was told they switch out the locks on Tuesdays and Fridays. Assumed I got the keys to late on Monday to get on the schedule. Someone from the post office came over and opened the box so we could get a week's worth of mail.
Dec. 24-25: Went to see the in-laws in Bozeman. Had a nice time, but Laura's mom was very obviously not feeling well. She stayed home from church on Christmas Eve, which I think might be a first.
Dec. 26: Went shopping and spent money received for Christmas. Also took Bailey to a new vet (conveniently within walking distance of the house!) to see if they could do anything for his miserable itching and nasty break-outs. They took skin samples to try and better diagnose the cause of the rashes, so now he has little stitches in a few spots. They also tested his thyroid, which is low, and gave him medication for that. Who knows, maybe it will help. The cortisone shot has helped as well.
Dec. 27: Discovered the mailbox keys still don't work.
Dec. 28: Called post office again and was told someone would fix it and leave NEW keys (we had the wrong kind) at the post office. So I went to the post office. They couldn't find the keys. The supervisor promised to fix it the next day and BRING me the keys.
Dec. 29: Finally got mailbox keys that work. Had much excitement in getting the snail mail.
Dec. 27-today: Worked, unpacked, worked, unpacked, etc. We had to get all the boxes cleared out of the dining room by tomorrow when our new dining room table arrives.
Wow. I can't believe that 2006 is just about here!
It is ironic when I think about starting this blog. Laura thought the whole thing was kinda weird. Then she created hers a few months later and has been so much better than me about staying updated!
Anyway, too much has happened since November for me to recount it in detail here. The summary:
Dec. 5: Went cross-country skiing in Pattee Canyon, I think maybe a week or so after the walk I described in my last post. It was a "demo day" with a local shop called The Trailhead, so I got to try out different skis for free.
Dec. 11: I couldn't convince Laura to try skiing with me, so instead we tried snowshoeing instead. We both had a great time. We initially went on rented snowshoes (again, from the Trailhead), and liked it so much we bought our own. Alas, we've been unable to go again since then. A few pictures here.
Dec. 14: Stayed out way too late the night before we were to have the walkthrough on the new house.
Dec. 15: Closed on the new house, but did not officially own it until about five days later. We did, however, start moving in the next day (Dec. 16). Apparently there were some issues holding up the actual funding of the loan and so forth. Went shopping and ordered a new dining room table, sofa, and end tables from the Ashley Furniture store here in Missoula.
Dec. 16: Rented a Uhaul and moved most of the big stuff from the rental to the new house. Also moved some little stuff, like the cable modem and router. To a house with no cable connection yet. This was the start of nearly a week without online access. At this point, I had a good excuse for not blogging!
Dec. 17: Mayflower delivered our stuff out of storage. Finally! Some of these boxes were packed LAST SPRING when we were decluttering the old house to go on the market.
Dec. 18-19: Unpacked, tried to organize my new office as usable as possible.
Dec. 20: Went to post office to get keys to the mailbox. Note to self: five days before Christmas is a terrible time to go to the post office for any reason.
Dec. 20: Went back to work (telecommuting)...with no internet access. No e-mail. Discovered that the post office keys didn't work either, so no snail mail. I've never felt so cut off from civilization in my life!
Dec. 20-22: Drank a lot of lattes at the nearby Barnes & Noble Cafe, using their wireless internet access.
Dec. 22: Bresnan finally got around to transferring our cable TV and internet to the new place. Got back online right around the time many of my co-workers back in Illinois were taking off for the holidays.
Dec. 23: Laura called the post office and was told they switch out the locks on Tuesdays and Fridays. Assumed I got the keys to late on Monday to get on the schedule. Someone from the post office came over and opened the box so we could get a week's worth of mail.
Dec. 24-25: Went to see the in-laws in Bozeman. Had a nice time, but Laura's mom was very obviously not feeling well. She stayed home from church on Christmas Eve, which I think might be a first.
Dec. 26: Went shopping and spent money received for Christmas. Also took Bailey to a new vet (conveniently within walking distance of the house!) to see if they could do anything for his miserable itching and nasty break-outs. They took skin samples to try and better diagnose the cause of the rashes, so now he has little stitches in a few spots. They also tested his thyroid, which is low, and gave him medication for that. Who knows, maybe it will help. The cortisone shot has helped as well.
Dec. 27: Discovered the mailbox keys still don't work.
Dec. 28: Called post office again and was told someone would fix it and leave NEW keys (we had the wrong kind) at the post office. So I went to the post office. They couldn't find the keys. The supervisor promised to fix it the next day and BRING me the keys.
Dec. 29: Finally got mailbox keys that work. Had much excitement in getting the snail mail.
Dec. 27-today: Worked, unpacked, worked, unpacked, etc. We had to get all the boxes cleared out of the dining room by tomorrow when our new dining room table arrives.
Wow. I can't believe that 2006 is just about here!
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Winter Walk
Went for a short walk up in the Pattee Canyon Recreation Area here in Missoula. I'm looking forward to doing some cross-country skiing up there, maybe in a few weeks. The trails didn't look groomed yet, although I did see a few skiers out. I haven't cross-country-skied since around 1999 and I'm delighted to be living in a place with so many cool places to go!
Anyway, a few pictures:
The start of the trail
Sign pointing out where the heck I am
A mountain visible through the trees
Baby trees!
From the parking lot
On my way back down
Still on my way down
Anyway, a few pictures:
The start of the trail
Sign pointing out where the heck I am
A mountain visible through the trees
Baby trees!
From the parking lot
On my way back down
Still on my way down
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Almost Forgot
Apparently I've been doing this blog thing now for one year!
Well, a year and a day if you count my first post, which was all of one line. One year if you start counting from the first post that actually says something.
It's actually kind of amusing to read this post, where I described some of the topics I planned to write about. One of those topics was Montana, but I didn't really give any hints that I was planning on moving here. This move was in the planning stages at that point (we've been planning this since around April or March of 2004), but for a variety of reasons I couldn't really talk about it yet.
At any rate, it's been a year. Hard to believe!
Well, a year and a day if you count my first post, which was all of one line. One year if you start counting from the first post that actually says something.
It's actually kind of amusing to read this post, where I described some of the topics I planned to write about. One of those topics was Montana, but I didn't really give any hints that I was planning on moving here. This move was in the planning stages at that point (we've been planning this since around April or March of 2004), but for a variety of reasons I couldn't really talk about it yet.
At any rate, it's been a year. Hard to believe!
Compare and Contrast
View from my house last Thursday:
Approximately the same view today...it has been like this since Saturday.
It is a good thing I have pictures so I can remember what the sky looks like!
Approximately the same view today...it has been like this since Saturday.
It is a good thing I have pictures so I can remember what the sky looks like!
Official
My Montana voter registration card came in the mail yesterday. I completely missed the most recent election since we were literally in the process of moving, but I'm all set now for the next one!
Slowly all the little things have been coming together to make my move more and more official. Last Friday we went in and picked up the new Montana license plates. Montana has a huge selection of specialty plates that cost a little extra and benefit various groups. I know Illinois had these, too, but I don't remember there being so many! We picked the plate for the Montana Wilderness Association. It looks like this:
The other plate in the running was this one:
It looks odd to see something other than Illinois plates on my little Civic!
Slowly all the little things have been coming together to make my move more and more official. Last Friday we went in and picked up the new Montana license plates. Montana has a huge selection of specialty plates that cost a little extra and benefit various groups. I know Illinois had these, too, but I don't remember there being so many! We picked the plate for the Montana Wilderness Association. It looks like this:
The other plate in the running was this one:
It looks odd to see something other than Illinois plates on my little Civic!
Friday, November 18, 2005
Paint!
Drove by the new house today. They've finally put the first coat of paint on the outside!
First, our half of the townhouse:
Then, the whole thing:
I suspect it will be a while before they get to the trim, since it has to dry enough for a second coat first.
I absolutely love the color! I will be glad when the exterior work is done -- at this time of year, weather could really delay finishing the house. The longer I live and work in this tiny rental house, the more anxious I am to move!
First, our half of the townhouse:
Then, the whole thing:
I suspect it will be a while before they get to the trim, since it has to dry enough for a second coat first.
I absolutely love the color! I will be glad when the exterior work is done -- at this time of year, weather could really delay finishing the house. The longer I live and work in this tiny rental house, the more anxious I am to move!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Winking dog!
Winking dog!
Originally uploaded by SaraS.
I just thought this was too funny not to post. I've never seen Cricket wink before.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Tormenting the Pets
Visited Petsmart today (hence the comment about horses in the previous post) and decided to solve the problem of the dogs shivering all the time:
First, Cricket:
Then, Bailey, who always seems to look crabby:
No, we didn't get a sweater for the cat. I don't think I want to try and put one on her!
First, Cricket:
Then, Bailey, who always seems to look crabby:
No, we didn't get a sweater for the cat. I don't think I want to try and put one on her!
Things that are Different
There are the big, obvious differences since moving here of course -- particularly my view of mountains right out my window:
But then there are the little things that don't jump out quite so much, like these:
But then there are the little things that don't jump out quite so much, like these:
- Radio ads for hunting supplies (ending with the tagline "The buck stops here." Groan).
- Radio ads for car service places mention hunting ("get your rig ready for hunting season!").
- Radio ads for ski stores.
- Radio ads for horse supply stores.
- Petsmart has a whole section for horse stuff.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Quick House Update
No pictures, though. We drove over and took a look last night after work. The front walk has been poured and was apparently dry, because the plastic that had been covering it the previous day was gone. This was nice because we could get to the porch without walking through muck!
We peeked in the windows with a flashlight to see the new appliances. There is also a big stack of interior doors in the living room waiting to be installed.
The best part, though, was when we drove down the alley to see the back. The garage and back of the house have been painted! I've been very anxious about when this was going to get done given the cold and wet weather lately. Hopefully they'll get the rest of the house painted soon as well. I am very excited to see the "fireweed" paint color on the house for real. Laura picked out the colors back in September (with my input over the phone), and I have been looking forward to seeing them for real ever since. I love the fact that I'm getting a red house.
From what I could see with a flashlight, the color looked great. I'm looking forward to going out there again this weekend so that we can see the color in the daylight and get a few pictures.
We peeked in the windows with a flashlight to see the new appliances. There is also a big stack of interior doors in the living room waiting to be installed.
The best part, though, was when we drove down the alley to see the back. The garage and back of the house have been painted! I've been very anxious about when this was going to get done given the cold and wet weather lately. Hopefully they'll get the rest of the house painted soon as well. I am very excited to see the "fireweed" paint color on the house for real. Laura picked out the colors back in September (with my input over the phone), and I have been looking forward to seeing them for real ever since. I love the fact that I'm getting a red house.
From what I could see with a flashlight, the color looked great. I'm looking forward to going out there again this weekend so that we can see the color in the daylight and get a few pictures.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Telecommuting, Day 1
My first day in my home office went pretty well. I will be very glad when the new house is done, though. At the moment, my "office" is just a desk pushed up against the back wall of the living room:
Note that I had to expand some of my supplies onto the window sill and the pass-through to the kitchen. Also, this is extremely neat for me -- my desk is normally strewn with papers and files. I just don't have the room here to really sprawl out.
Since my office is in the living room, I discovered today a need for noise-canceling headphones to block out Laura's activities (particularly the TV). We made an emergency run to Best Buy after work today, so I should be set for tomorrow. They'll be handy when traveling on airplanes, too. At least that is what I'm telling myself to justify the expense. Laura is looking for a job (she applied for several today - go wish her good luck!) so presumably eventually she won't be around while I'm working, unless she ends up with a job with irregular hours or something.
The rental house does have a second room that used to be a porch before it was enclosed. I considered setting up my office there, but the house only had one cable connection, and we really didn't want to string a huge piece of cable across the whole house. Since we're renting, we can't exactly ask the cable company to install additional outlets, either. So, that extra room currently is our storage room with the bicycles and empty boxes.
At any rate, so far I'm liking this whole work-from-home thing. My high-speed Internet connection was solid all day and I had no trouble getting to stuff at the office. I didn't miss my one-hour-each-way commute at all, although I do have a whole pile of unheard audio books and podcasts on my iPod. I need to figure out exactly when I'm going to actually listen to those now that I don't have that drive!
In other news, it has been snowing ever since afternoon. Real snow, not rain! Laura is thrilled. I am not used to snow quite this early, but I'm kind of liking it (especially since I don't have to drive an hour to the office in it!).
Note that I had to expand some of my supplies onto the window sill and the pass-through to the kitchen. Also, this is extremely neat for me -- my desk is normally strewn with papers and files. I just don't have the room here to really sprawl out.
Since my office is in the living room, I discovered today a need for noise-canceling headphones to block out Laura's activities (particularly the TV). We made an emergency run to Best Buy after work today, so I should be set for tomorrow. They'll be handy when traveling on airplanes, too. At least that is what I'm telling myself to justify the expense. Laura is looking for a job (she applied for several today - go wish her good luck!) so presumably eventually she won't be around while I'm working, unless she ends up with a job with irregular hours or something.
The rental house does have a second room that used to be a porch before it was enclosed. I considered setting up my office there, but the house only had one cable connection, and we really didn't want to string a huge piece of cable across the whole house. Since we're renting, we can't exactly ask the cable company to install additional outlets, either. So, that extra room currently is our storage room with the bicycles and empty boxes.
At any rate, so far I'm liking this whole work-from-home thing. My high-speed Internet connection was solid all day and I had no trouble getting to stuff at the office. I didn't miss my one-hour-each-way commute at all, although I do have a whole pile of unheard audio books and podcasts on my iPod. I need to figure out exactly when I'm going to actually listen to those now that I don't have that drive!
In other news, it has been snowing ever since afternoon. Real snow, not rain! Laura is thrilled. I am not used to snow quite this early, but I'm kind of liking it (especially since I don't have to drive an hour to the office in it!).
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