Flying time

Time has really been flying around here lately. All of a sudden it's March and I only have one month of work and permanent SD residence left. How did that happen? I've spent a lot of energy trying to think of ways to occupy my time until the festivities and adventures of spring travel and summer (paid) work come along. Well, apparently thinking of things to do has taken up a fair bit of my "doing" time. But, in between the creation of to do lists, pro and con lists, and flow charts I have managed to do a few fun things. I've found two, count 'em two, sushi places in RC that have surprisingly good sushi given the proximity of an ocean. I became a beer-pong champion and subsequently convinced myself that I not only could, but should sing The Righteous Brother's "Unchained Melody" for karaoke. I've become a member of Netflix and watched a lot of DVDs on my computer. Who knows, I might even get rid of my VCR and buy a DVD player. I've applied for shit tons of seasonal jobs and received some attractive offers. The Chile trip prohibits me from taking most of them, but Yellowstone and the Tower are still on the list of possibilities. I've assisted in brewing a batch of "Belgian Tripel" - review to come in three more weeks of fermentation.

From here on out to the end of March there promises to be more planning as I'm squeezing in a backcountry snowboard trip for the first week of April and then Chile will be looming. At least travel planning is fun.

The groundhog is full of crap

The sources I saw all agreed that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow so we are in for six more weeks of winter. I'm all for more winter, even in this drought of snowboarding I'm enduring. But I have reason to think that Phil might be wrong this year. Some of you have had the pleasure of observing my yearly spring ritual of getting my short "schoolboy" haircut which makes me look about five years younger than I already do. Inevitably, my right hand then gets a workout extracting my ID from my wallet over the next month or two as my hair grows out. Well this year my schoolboy haircut came February 5, markedly earlier than normal. I didn't intend to get it cut this short this early, it just kind of happened. My ever imaginative hair cut person suggested a shorter cut, and it seemed like a good idea to me at the time. This can only mean one thing - spring in on the way. But I sit with a near blizzard raging outside and me feeling like I should be prancing around like some pretty boy in an American Eagle add. Yikes, not a good combination. Perhaps I subconsciously jumped the gun with the haircut in anticipation of the Chile trip and plans-in-the-making for a spring back country snowboard trip in the Sierras or Cascades.

Going's on

My blogging effort has been sorely lacking of late. I attribute it to a lack of inspiration. It's been cold, gray, icy, and dark lately - this combination usually means great snow and good turns but the clouds have thus far refused to give up their fluffy gift. So, to occupy my time I've turned to rodeo. That's right, rodeo. The cold north winds ushered in the annual Black Hills Stock Show and Rodeo with herds of cattle, flocks of sheep, and many a cowboy-hat-sportin,' tight-jean-wearin' resident of nearby states. Before the week of the stock show concluded I attended no less than three rodeos. One was the "ranch rodeo" in which anyone is welcome to compete provided they form a team of four and pay the entry fee. The events simulate modern ranch work such as a relay race to unload a horse trailer, race the horses around a circuit, load them back up and jump back in the truck. The novelty factor ranked high. I received free tickets to the second rodeo and paid for the third. These two were traditional rodeos with all the normal events and, of course, a wise cracking rodeo clown. The rodeo really is entertaining to watch and appreciate all the skill that goes into the events. On the flip side, the average fan at the rodeo could be a poster child for the Bush-backing demographic who only see what they want to see and refuse to accept any criticism of that view. Maybe it's the tight pants - though I have to admit there certainly are some good looking cowgirls out there making a strong case for Wranglers.

Now that the rodeo has left, though, I'm back to planning for the future and happy to have finally booked a ticket to Chile. April 14 - May 15, it'll be a good month.

TV

Over the last few months I've attempted to drastically reduce the amount of time I watch TV. This hasn't been hard since I had no TV at all at the Tower. I still permit myself to watch the occasional British comedy on PBS or a Premier League game now and then. The crappy quality of most TV seems to be the driving force behind my lack of desire to try and commit to watching the few good shows that are out there. A notable exception of late, as per the high quality recommendation of Another Kind of Nerd, is HBO's "Deadwood." With a free two week trial of Netflix, the first season arrived promptly in the mailbox. Coincidently, I had the recent pleasure of spending a day on the slopes and a night in lovely Deadwood. I'm happy to report that Deadwood still harbors some really interesting characters and places. The atmosphere of those places has certainly changed over the last century and a third but some traditions just can't die. So to commune with the ghosts of Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, etc... a little nip of whiskey had to be enjoyed. Also, to keep with the traditions, the Saloon #10 still sports a dirty floor - saw dust. I've got to admit I like the sawdust. It facilitates some sweeeeet footwork on the dance floor.

In the category of "odd and unexpected" news, my mom has set up a blog. So for an occasional dose of good old fashioned fun and games check out Sunshine Blue Sky. Welcome aboard, Mom. Good to have you.

Obligations

As most of you have likely gathered, not a lot of note goes on in SD. Of course I still love the state, just not necessarily the prospect of long-term residence. When something of notable does happen in SD, as a loyal resident I am obligated to support it and talk with pride about it to anyone who will listen (I think this obligation is actually written into the state Constitution right after the article prohibiting anyone from slandering the Corn Palace). So to fulfill my civic duty I attended a showing of National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. The South Dakota connection stems from the prominent place Mt. Rushmore holds in the plot line.* Of course for me this was a double wahmmy since I'm working at Mt. R. The movie was no National Treasure 1, which was no Mummy, which was no Indian Jones etc... But at least NT2 featured the beauty of the Black Hills, right? Right. NT 2, while entertaining, requires one to completely turn off any trickle of analysis that may have snuck into the theater lodged in some dark corner of the mind. Where NT 1 seemed remotely plausible, NT 2 goes off the deep end. But I didn't go to the movie to be prompted to think deep thoughts - so it succeeded in that goal. Was I entertained? Yes. Was I impressed? No. Would I recommend it to anyone else? Heck Yes (remember, I'm duty-bound here). Just don't pay full price, save that for Sweeny Todd.


* To head off any more annoying questions at the visitor center
1. There is no lake behind Mt. Rushmore
2. No, you can't climb behind the heads
3. Yes, Nicolas Cage is an ass in real life

The Holidays

I finally seem to be emerging from the whirlwind of the Holliday season. I remember feeling really busy over the last few weeks, and I guess I was, it's just hard to remember every big meal, family get together, and gift opened. Overall though it was a grand time. Sister S came home a week or so before Christmas and we proceeded for the following three weeks to watch movies, eat, lay around the house, and eat some more, and continue laughing at jokes and memories that you probably had to be there to appreciate. And we both got harmonicas for Christmas so we are planning some kind of harmonica recital for the upcoming year. New Years was cold, S, my buddy Matt, and I camped in the snow, requiring lots of fire, hot liquids, and cheese to stay warm. We survived the cold, but my trusty digital camera froze to death. Fortunately we had a second camera to document the fun. See Flickr for some weird demented facial expressions. Even work was good over the holidays. I got to hike to the top of Mt. Rushmore - the top of Washington to be more specific. I really wanted to stand on the very top of his head and dance a jig, but rules don't allow for someone as low on the totem pole as me to be seen in broad daylight on top of the heads. Flickr also has some images of some Presidential facial expressions, though they may not be demented.

The life list

Today I had the pleasure of crossing an item off the list of things to do in my life. This item was not especially hard to accomplish, but nonetheless satisfying to achieve. Accomplishment only required a forty mile drive and and three dollars (two for a PBR and one for a tip). Drinking one PBR was not my goal, the location was. And that location was the Moonshine Gulch Saloon in Rochford, SD. The Moonshine Gulch is one of those rare places that is more a holdover from gold rush days than it is a member of the 21st century. It's really a miracle that the place is still in business given that the population of Rochford is about 20, with a peak population of one thousand in the early 1880s. The atmosphere and uniqueness of the Saloon didn't fail to deliver. I was the one and only customer, joined by the barmaid who had owned the place for 30 years, and her dog. The pictures tell the rest of the story (a couple here and a couple on flickr: check out he sweet collection of hats and decaying business cards plastered all over the ceiling).