Dream Ticket

President Clinton's and Joe Biden's speeches were great. Can't wait until tomorrow.

At least I know how to do yard work

What I've learned about the college employment system: it's not there to help you.
So, I've been perusing the list of available jobs that the University has to offer and scaled it down to the few that were semi-interesting/applicable to my field. The Dept. of Fish, Wildlife and PArks had quite a few to choose from. So, I called, asked questions, was asked to come fill out an application, etc. I went down to the offices and asked one of the employees for a student employment application (which I was instructed to do no less than 30 minutes prior). She asked if I was a member of the work-study program. I am not. She then told me she had nothing for me. When I started to ask another question she cut me off and said "We have nothing for you here." Apparently all of the University jobs have priority qualifications that I am not eligible for. Why am I not eligible? Because I have had a job and paid all of my taxes since I was 14 years old. If I would have been unemployed for the last year my qualification status would have skyrocketed. Anyway, I have met some very nice people who are originally from KC that need a lot of work done around they're house. I would like to personally thank my father for the thousands of child labor hours I spent raking leaves and trimming hedges. That experience is now paying its dividends.

Cold Tails and Nighttime

I'm not sure it will be easy for me to get used to the fact that when the weather "High" for the day is 100 degrees - that I will still be wearing a jacket that night. One thing I will not miss about KC is the steaming hot weather in August. I was shocked that our place didn't have an A/C unit, but now understand it's really only warm for about one hour and if you cooled off the house with a fan that morning, it is completely unnecessary.

Moose had an absolute blast playing in the river the other day. One strange outcome of this fun time was, what we thought, a broken tail. But after much online research and comparison, I discovered a new doggie disorder called "Cold Tail". After being in the freezing river water and playing so hard, this was his resulting diagnosis. See photo at the right of his cold tail. When he wagged it, never went above his back. Today it's looking much better though!
We tried our first Montana BBQ and were quite impressed. It's no Oklahoma Joe's, but it was pretty good. They had many different sauces and I wasn't very fond of any of the sauces except their original, but the pulled pork sandwich was something to write home about! We are still looking for our next Twin City - we went to a decent bar and grill last night called Pour House Bar and Grill. The food and drinks were excellent, however there were some really loud and obnoxious people there ruining the ambiance. Our new budget will be taking effect next week which will probably make our favorite bar our living room or back deck and some Kokanees. I start working remotely on Monday, so will definitely have some thoughts to share on that. Happy Saturday! ~Molly

Local Ruminations

All right, we're back online. We've had some problems with the local cable/internet providers. And I thought it was just the morons back home that were hard to deal with. Quick synopsis: hooked up cable on Monday afternoon; Monday evening it goes down; Tuesday 5 technicians show up to fix problem; Tuesday afternoon cable is back; Tuesday evening internet goes out; today internet back up; we'll see how long this lasts. The local company said that they hope we didn't get a bad first impression. Hmm.

Yesterday we went to the Yellowstone river and forced our dog to learn how to swim. Of course he is a natural. He's also very adept at finding dead fish and rubbing himself in it. Made for a good car ride. I'm glad when I walk down the street I don't see people laying on the ground and rubbing the scent of discarded fast food wrappers on themselves. Although, all of the college kids arrive next week.

Tonight we are going to find what out what Bozeman BBQ tastes like. From what I've heard we are in for disappointment. We did, however, bring two bottles of Oklahoma Joes sauce, so I might have to sneak one in just in case.
Here's a wildlife picture for you. The biggest grasshopper I've ever seen. When it flies it sounds like a helicopter. Seriously. This thing is at least 3-4 inches long. I saw a pack of them take down a baby elk.

My 5 weeks of solitude and freedom are over......

My wife and child (lab mutt named moose) arrived in Bozeman yesterday via aeroplane from the midwest ending my solitary stay in the mountains. Unable to find work since my arrival in July, I have been relegated to the abominable tasks of hiking, biking, fishing, reading, and beer tasting. Seeing that these wanton acts have come to an end it is time to prepare for my upcoming junior year in college. Ah, to be 30 and enrolled in pre-calculus. As I hit the books Molly will carry the esteemed title of "breadwinner", or more appropriate "sugar momma". This does not mean that I will have to do the laundry though, seeing that I am unable to separate colors and continuously ignore dryer settings.
Our new abode is a quaint throw back to the 1970's. Formica and laminate throughout, this contemporary upper floor of a house charms the eye with stained carpets, off-white wall colors, hollow core doors (including the entry), and olive green appliances. Did I mention the oven has never been cleaned? Although, if I were a 20 year old junior in college without a wife, this place would be kegger central.
We will be unpacking for the next few days, but will try to fit in some recreational activities in the Gallatin and Paradise Valleys. Now that we have an official blog, we'll try and waste your time as much as we can. As the locals say, "Please visit Montana, then go home." We'll be going home, just not for awhile.