Cheyenne Frontier Days is over. Now life can go back to normal.
The end of CFD means:
1. The population shrinks back to 53,000, instead of 106,000. While I am used to living or dealing with a bigger town (Rochester... MADISON!), it's nice to shrink back to a population that is manageable.
2. No more hordes of Cops downtown every night.
3. Less tight Wranglers, beltbuckles, boots and big cowboy hats. (Also, fewer hicks and less attitude about "maintaining the cowboy/rodeo way of life.")
Don't get me wrong. CFD is an interesting experience when in Cheyenne. It's definitely worth experiencing once in your lifetime -- but as a newcomer, jumping right into CFD was fun but now I'm ready for something a little more slow paced.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday's excitement
I found out that today some guy apparently jumped out of a third story window.
The guy was an escaped convict from Colorado. Somehow police learned he was somewhere in our apartment complex. (Thankfully in another building.) He walked outside, saw the sheriff's squad cars, ran back in and decided to jump out a top window.
There's nothing to break his fall.
So instead of just going to jail, he is now in jail with another charge of fleeing an officer and hopefully a broken bone of some sort.
The best part is that no one knew it was going on when he was arrested.
The guy was an escaped convict from Colorado. Somehow police learned he was somewhere in our apartment complex. (Thankfully in another building.) He walked outside, saw the sheriff's squad cars, ran back in and decided to jump out a top window.
There's nothing to break his fall.
So instead of just going to jail, he is now in jail with another charge of fleeing an officer and hopefully a broken bone of some sort.
The best part is that no one knew it was going on when he was arrested.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Cheyenne Frontier Days
It's now Friday. And I've never been so glad to see a week almost over.
This week has been Frontier Days and while it is fun to see how this wild western town celebrates the "Daddy of 'em all," it has created a hectic deadline rush at work and it has made the town seem overcrowded.
I'm used to overcrowding...but... it's just much more relaxing to go at a slower pace.
Now that's a metamorphesis. I've been here for almost a month and I've already assimilated into wanting the easygoing pace that the locals are notorious for.
Weird.
This week has been Frontier Days and while it is fun to see how this wild western town celebrates the "Daddy of 'em all," it has created a hectic deadline rush at work and it has made the town seem overcrowded.
I'm used to overcrowding...but... it's just much more relaxing to go at a slower pace.
Now that's a metamorphesis. I've been here for almost a month and I've already assimilated into wanting the easygoing pace that the locals are notorious for.
Weird.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Oregon Trail
(I apologize in advance if you're too young or too old to get the joke here.)
Dear Friends and Family,
Megan and I traveled to the Oregon Trail ruts yesterday. These are ruts left in the ground from when the settlers traveled West some 160+ years ago in Conestoga Wagons.
The attached photo (Oregon Trail.jpg) is something we stumbled upon while walking near the Oregon Trail...I've stumbled across stuff like that before but only on the computer.
We had some other odd circumstances. We had to caulk the Mountaineer to crosse the Platte River because we couldn't find an Indian to help us ford the river and it's too narrow to take a $5 ferry across. (Platte River.jpg)
I apologize for the bad angle, but Megan is sick with typhoid fever, the whooping cough and has a broken leg.
The children aren't doing well either. Assmaster has cholera. Shithead has dysentery. And Turd Ferguson is trying to overcome a rattlesnake bite.
But it gets worse. A thief came and stole 3 sets of clothing last night. We're down to 20 bullets. Three of the oxen are sick and I had to put one down already. The goddamn wagon keeps breaking and I can't repair the axle, wheels or the tongue. We're all in poor health and down to our last 300 lbs. of food and everytime I go hunting I can only find these goddamn jack rabbits.
The buffalo are all gone and even if I could shoot one, I can only carry 100 lbs. of food per day.
Motherfucker. Who's idea was it to settle out west anyway? "THERE'S GOLD," they said. FUCK 'EM. FUCK 'EM ALL.
Hope all is well with you,
Adam and Megan
Monday, July 10, 2006
I finally got internet...
Ten years ago, life without the internet would not have been so bad.
But in the 21st century, living without an internet connection (even dial-up) is torture.
Sure, I made do over the course of the last week playing Xbox games and watching reruns of Simpsons and Seinfeld on DVD. Sure, I kept busy by Wednesday as I started my job.
But, today was much needed. Despite going to bed around 3:30 a.m. this morning after work, I somehow managed to wake up at 8:30 a.m. in time for the cable guy to install cable.
By noon, I had phone. Too bad UPS is retarded. (They showed up at 7:10 p.m.) What can brown do for me? How about deliver my fucking stuff on time? I even told the Customer Service Rep at Qwest that they should send their shit via the United States Postal Service, at least then I don't have to wait around all day with my thumb up my ass...
I found stuff to do however. I went to the YMCA to work out, and on my drive back I saw a sight that made me feel more at home -- Canadian Geese in a park near a pond. Shit that was cheap entertainment when I was a kid. My mom would give me a quarter, I'd buy a 16 oz. cup worth of corn and feed and feed the geese at Silver Lake in Rochester.
I stopped at our local Barnes and Noble -- which, much to my chagrin, closes at 9 p.m. But, if I'm working until 1 a.m., B&N trips will best be reserved for days off or online shopping. Whilst at B&N, I found Maddox's new book, "The Alphabet of Manliness."
So, I bought it. Which was a good move on my part -- despite the fact that I nearly maxxed out my credit card on gas on the way out here and am now waiting to be reimbursed, in addition to my first paycheck next Wednesday -- because I came home, turned on the TV and had "M*A*S*H" on in the background as I laughed for two hours while thumbing through this hilarious, yet evil, book. (I didn't need to laugh at "M*A*S*H" as I've seen the film about a million times -- but still managed to chuckle at the line: "I wonder how such a degenerated person ever reached a position of authority in the Army Medical Corps?" "He was drafted."
I expected the book to be,...quite manly with homages to Pirates, lumberjacks, beef jerky and the usual Maddox rhetoric (I can't believe I just used one of the $6 WSU English Department cliche and overused words...) of beating up old people, beating up children, eating hot sauce, beef jerky and why he rules. The thing is that Maddox would be an awesome Op/Ed writer at a college newspaper because he says things for pure shock value as countless pussies e-mail him to tell him he's an asshole or that they hope he rots in hell.
What's funny about that, though, is that this guy's Web site is the most popular site on the Internet and it grew solely by word-of-mouth.
The most productive thing I did today? I worked out and did laundry. Tomorrow I'm going to get a haircut and I might drive around for a bit? Haven't decided yet.
I might go get some Betta's, too, as Max (Betta Max) died before I even left. The new one will be named VHS.
But in the 21st century, living without an internet connection (even dial-up) is torture.
Sure, I made do over the course of the last week playing Xbox games and watching reruns of Simpsons and Seinfeld on DVD. Sure, I kept busy by Wednesday as I started my job.
But, today was much needed. Despite going to bed around 3:30 a.m. this morning after work, I somehow managed to wake up at 8:30 a.m. in time for the cable guy to install cable.
By noon, I had phone. Too bad UPS is retarded. (They showed up at 7:10 p.m.) What can brown do for me? How about deliver my fucking stuff on time? I even told the Customer Service Rep at Qwest that they should send their shit via the United States Postal Service, at least then I don't have to wait around all day with my thumb up my ass...
I found stuff to do however. I went to the YMCA to work out, and on my drive back I saw a sight that made me feel more at home -- Canadian Geese in a park near a pond. Shit that was cheap entertainment when I was a kid. My mom would give me a quarter, I'd buy a 16 oz. cup worth of corn and feed and feed the geese at Silver Lake in Rochester.
I stopped at our local Barnes and Noble -- which, much to my chagrin, closes at 9 p.m. But, if I'm working until 1 a.m., B&N trips will best be reserved for days off or online shopping. Whilst at B&N, I found Maddox's new book, "The Alphabet of Manliness."
So, I bought it. Which was a good move on my part -- despite the fact that I nearly maxxed out my credit card on gas on the way out here and am now waiting to be reimbursed, in addition to my first paycheck next Wednesday -- because I came home, turned on the TV and had "M*A*S*H" on in the background as I laughed for two hours while thumbing through this hilarious, yet evil, book. (I didn't need to laugh at "M*A*S*H" as I've seen the film about a million times -- but still managed to chuckle at the line: "I wonder how such a degenerated person ever reached a position of authority in the Army Medical Corps?" "He was drafted."
I expected the book to be,...quite manly with homages to Pirates, lumberjacks, beef jerky and the usual Maddox rhetoric (I can't believe I just used one of the $6 WSU English Department cliche and overused words...) of beating up old people, beating up children, eating hot sauce, beef jerky and why he rules. The thing is that Maddox would be an awesome Op/Ed writer at a college newspaper because he says things for pure shock value as countless pussies e-mail him to tell him he's an asshole or that they hope he rots in hell.
What's funny about that, though, is that this guy's Web site is the most popular site on the Internet and it grew solely by word-of-mouth.
The most productive thing I did today? I worked out and did laundry. Tomorrow I'm going to get a haircut and I might drive around for a bit? Haven't decided yet.
I might go get some Betta's, too, as Max (Betta Max) died before I even left. The new one will be named VHS.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
I'm here
I arrived on Friday, June 30 and have spent this first week adjusting.
I don't have internet, so I'm using hours at a local CyberCafe/gaming place in the mall. My boxes are almost all unpacked and my sole existence thus far has been Simpsons and Seinfeld on DVD mixed with some Xbox.
The first few days were an awakening and a realization that my life has changed. I'm no longer living in the Midwest and things are very different here.
But, once I got back to the new pad from dropping my step-dad off at the airport, I began setting up my electronics and entertainment.
I turned on the Xbox and began to relax.
Cheyenne is starting to feel like home.