For all you Christmas shoppers out there, I gave in after the family left and purchased another (new, smaller) PlayStation2. This means that my Amazon wishlist now has a bunch of games on it that I either missed out on because I was planning a wedding/without a PS2, or games I just realized would be really cool.
Dana and I have been up way too late the last two nights catching up on our need to play Silent Hill 3, and her vigor for the game has almost convinced me that anyone (me?) can get her a copy of Resident Evil 4 for Christmas and she would actually enjoy receiving it, even though she mostly just tells me what to do while I control things in SH3. But I REALLY hate zombies and I think you get to kill a holy hell of a lot of them in RE4, so anyone who wants to make Dana happy can get that for her for XMas.
Yeah. For her. I swear.
I've been catching up on not only SH3 but also Katamari Damacy and Dana has already put more time into Amplitude than I have thus far. I might be in trouble. And now that Mikey has it as well, he's challenged me to an online duel. He is so going down.
OK, this shouldn't really count as an entry unto itself, but I just remembered that I removed the poll (obviously, everyone wants us in Colorado) and replaced it with the fancy link that shows you who has been visiting my site.
Cool, but I think it only tracks people who actually click through to view where people are looking from.
And funny, becuase when I click it while I'm connected to my work VPN, it says I'm connected from Chicago. Ha! Fooled it!
Yes, I know I've been really slacking on the blog lately. And I think that fourth of four Steamboat entries is lost forever.
Anyway, had a great Thanksgiving. Special thanks to all who made the lovely dinnerware possible - we didn't break one dish! (though a wine glass was lost in the battle - but considering how much we drank, maybe it just wore out).
Holiday fun in Houston! We treated my family (sans Lauren, who was there in spirit and via phone from New Zealand) to our warmest temperatures of late, and then the same cold front that brought the blizzard to D's home state of ND has cooled things down here, so we're back to a cozy-cool home temp in the low/mid sixties.
I'll try to write more later, and more often. Lots going on!
I know, I know, I owe you part four of three of the Steamboat story. I've been busy with work (BS - I had to wrangle another computer to get on the IBM Intranet, which has not been an easy task at all), and we've been cleaning our mess of a home for the Invasion of the Fitzgeralds 2005. We're happy to have everyone, (and glad for the reason to straighten the place up!) but it's been a hassle lately. I'm sure we'll post some Turkeyday pics if we bother to take any.
OK! Conference call!
Weird Reality
I know I've interrupted the Steamboat series, but I was procrastinating cleaning (the fam is coming down for Turkeyday) and was instead googling people. Check out what I found when I googled Hutch! A newspaper from the future!
Hutch, congrats on the mayorship, we barely knew you....
OK, here we are, finally arriving at my third (and, I hope, final) installment of the Steamboat Story.
Sunday, continued.
We arrive at the airport a little more than an hour before our flight, and all seems well. We check our bags and check in for the flight, and Dana schools me in some Ms. Pac-Man while we're waiting to go through security (the airport is so small, they don't even open the security checkpoint until a flight is about to take off).
We're notified after a while that the plane arriving from Denver - the one that is to turn around and take us back there - can't land becuase of the snow - basically white-out conditions - and that they were going to circle for a while to try and wait it out. Well, circle they (presumably) did, but to no avail - eventually the flight had to turn around and head back to Denver. D and I talked about renting a car to head to Denver, but decided instead to take a "Snow Day" and return to Steamboat. We were rebooked on a noon-ish flight the next day to Denver, with our connection to Houston remaining the same 6pm-ish flight.
Dana called Ron, who said someone would come back to get us (he did so himself), and I called the B&B to tell them we were on our way back. Dana and I both took it as a sign that we were not meant to leave Colorado.
As it turned out, Lisa had already called the B&B to re-reserve our room, so they were ready for us. On the ride back I told Ron that we knew they had lives (and business) to attend to, and not to worry about entertaining us. He left us at the B&B (again), the snow really coming down at this point, and we (again) said our goodbyes.
At dinner on Saturday, the four (Ron, Lisa, Sheila and Wes) had told us about a place in town (Rio Grande, I believe), who imposed a three-margarita limit on their customers because they were so potent. We decided that we had to try that out. (They were good, but I'm not so sure about the 3-limit. Though we both only had one).
We asked our waitress for the nearest liquor store (wanting to buy a 6-pack and head back to the B&B, which we again had all to ourselves), but she informed us that as it was Sunday, they were closed (strike two, Steamboat!). We instead headed to a gas station, got our 6-pack (they are still allowed to sell beer), and headed back to the B&B.
Barbara, the B&B manager, had gotten a fire started for us in the woodburning stove. I stoked the fire a little, and D and I decided it was high time to hit the hot tub. We got some glasses, brought out the 6-pack, and hopped in.
Digression: Before my first trip to Steamboat (incidentally) two years ago, I never understood the draw of getting in a hot tub while it was freezing (and snowing) outside. Since then, I have become a full-on convert. There is simply nothing better than relaxing in a bubbling hot tub in see-your-breath temperatures. Unless, of course, it's snowing. That is better. End Digression.
After the hot tub, we came inside, grabbed some tea/hot chocolate, and sat by the fire for a while. After absolute-complete relaxation had set in, we decided it would be advisable for us to throw The Shining in the VCR, since we were alone, in a snowstorm, in a Colorado hotel. Awesome, except we both fell asleep during the movie. What can you do.
We called it a night and headed to sleep.
Monday. Or, extra day #1
So we awake Monday to what I have decided was our best breakfast at the B&B, a homemade breakfast burrito. Umm, YUM! I called to reserve a shuttle to take us to the airport, we read the papers, and headed up to shower and pack up (again).
With no time to head into town before the shuttle was to pick us up (it was about ten minutes late, and then got lost twice trying to find the other people that were supposed to get picked up - an argument for satellite navigation right there), we just waited and, well, got picked up.
Most/all of the snowy pictures were from this morning. See, we woke up and it was a beautiful (if slightly overcast, but otherwise clear) day. But about five minutes before the shuttle was to come get us, it started to snow again.
And then it just got harder and harder. It got to the point that when we were dropped off at the airport again, it was coming down harder than the day before. Steamboat was officially getting dumped on.
When we checked in for the flight, we were told that the flight was still on its way in from Denver. I went over to the Avis desk anyway, just to check availability of 4WD cars - Dana and I had already decided that if our flight was cancelled again, we were renting a car and heading to Denver. Since our flight from Hayden was at 12:45ish, and our connection from Denver (normally 3-4 hours away) wasn't until 6, we thought we had a good chance of making it.
Avis did have cars available, and as I was walking back I saw a line starting to form at the ticket counter. All told, there were maybe a half dozen (out of about 100) people already at the desk in front of me, but I learned my lesson from the day before and went ahead and got in line, expecting the worst.
And sure enough, soon after we were told the flight was "circling", it was cancelled. Dana came over to take my spot in line at the ticket counter (to make sure we could skip this one leg of our flight and drive straight through to Denver), and I went over to close the deal with Avis. I was the first in line there.
We escaped after not too long and hopped in the car. It was REALLY coming down now (all the pictures you see from here on out will be Dana's handywork from the car, between the Hayden airport and Rabbit Ears Pass. After that, I was too busy concentrating on driving to bother her about taking pictures).
As you can see from this picture, visibility sucked. Traffic was barely moving, and the snow was coming down fast. REAL fast.
As we were headed up to Rabbit Ears Pass, there was one car ahead of us and one car behind. Not many people were venturing up there. I was vocally hopeful that the storm was stuck on the west side of the mountains, and that once over the pass things would clear up. Not so.
It was just like The Shining. Crazy snow everywhere. Whiteout conditions. White-knuckle 15 mile-per-hour idle in first gear kind of driving. All in all, I felt like I had good control of the car (it was a new Ford Escape that handled a LOT better than I remember our Exploder handling, but my mom can be rough on cars - she's that extreme). The full-time 4WD didn't hurt either, to be sure.
Probably two to two and a half hours later we were an hour from Steamboat, in a town called Kremmling where we were to switch from Highway 40 to Hwy 9. We pulled over at a gas station for a bathroom break and some grub, and got moving again.
From there, we headed towards Interstate 70, about 38 miles away in Silverthorne. Even though every time I looked down we were doing 40 miles per hour, it somehow took us at least an hour and a half to get there. (Math was never a strong suit)
By the time we reached Silverthorne (which neighbors Keystone, CO - where I learned how to ski oh so many years ago), we heard news that they closed I-70. Dana checked out the (crappy, not-to-scale) map that Avis had provided us, and realized that if we continued south on 9, we would eventually hit Breckenridge. And in Breck we could hop on 285 north to Denver. If we were lucky, and our flight was delayed from Denver (likely because of all the damn snow), we could still make it to Houston.
So crawling through "rush-hour" traffic in Silverthorne (the Red Cross was busy setting up shelters for out-of-luck travellers, much like ourselves), we continued south until I guessed (correctly! - one point, man-instinct) where the turn-off shortcut to 9 was. And it was closed.
So we tried another route. No luck. Also closed.
Unless we wanted to head back out of Silverthorne the way we came, there was quite literally no way out.
We headed back to the 9/70 intersection hoping to find a restaurant nearby where we could keep an eye on the condition of the roads, and see when they opened 70 back up.
Instead, we found an Irish Pub, as luck would have it.
Jesus, forgive me. I have to make this a four-parter. I just can't go on anymore.
To be continued (again)...
OK, part two of three in our Steamboat series.
Sunday
D and I woke up at about 8:15 at the B&B to a lovely breakfast of "stuffed" French toast - basically, French toast with cream cheese - heavy, decadent, and wonderfully tasty. Fresh fruit, coffee (stronger today!), and OJ.
After breakfast we headed upstairs to shower and get dressed, our plan being to do that and head into town before getting picked up at 10:30. Actually, while Dana was upstairs showering, I did head into town as I didn't pack any gloves and wanted to go get a pair.
I headed to a bike/ski shop two blocks away but they weren't open until 10 (it was a hair after 9am at this point), so I walked across the street to a fly fishing store that I noticed had outdoor gear (coats, etc) earlier in the weekend. I walked in and looked around (the man behind the counter was busy with another customer), and when he saw me waiting for him he asked if he could help me - I told him I was looking for a pair of gloves and he told me what he had but none of it was very appropriate - really he just had fishing gloves. So, he hopped behind the counter and picked up the phone to call a buddy of his down the street, to see if they were open.
He was on the phone for a bit (obviously talking to a buddy) and sent me down the street to Straightline, a fishing/skiing/outdoors store a couple blocks away.
I walked over there and started talking to the guy behind the counter (I had been introduced on the phone as "a guy looking for a pair of gloves"), introduced myself as the "glove guy", and told him what I was looking for.
I picked out a cheap (but nice!) light pair of Mountain Hardwear gloves, and talked to the guy at the counter - basically told him our story - why we were in town, that D was interviewing for a Peds position and did sports medicine, where we were staying... It came out that the guy behind the counter was dating a girl who works at the B&B that we met, and that he's the coach for the junior high/middle school football team, and would love to have a sports medicine doc around in addition to their trainer (whom he doesn't trust). Already with connections in Steamboat! We shook hands (he threw in some chapstick that I wanted to get) and he gave me his card in case we come back and the team wants a doc.
So, I headed back to the B&B, showered, and got dressed for the showshoe expedition. As I mentioned before, we were going to head into town beforehand, but as it turned out we didn't have much time.
So we waited in the B&B living room (the foyer is pictured here), had some tea and read the paper(s) until we were picked up.
We hopped in the car with Ron, Lisa, and Primo (their 4-month old baby) and headed up to the summit of Rabbit Ears Pass. It was getting pretty "gnarly" up there (a word I hadn't heard in years before our trip to Steamboat) with snow and slush, and the Range Rover slid around a bit - it was a little nerve-wracking but not too bad, and once we got to the top we parked, hopped out, and started getting outfitted.
Ron gave me a pair of snowpants and borrowed snowshoes, D got some snowshoes and thingies that covered her boot/pant interface (couldn't tell you what they're called - but they were like this: aah. gaiters), and off we went.
Overall, snowshoeing is a lot like...well, like walking. On snow. With big platforms on your feet. Personally, it was a lot of work for my ankles (I was told that the pair I had didn't have a great binding system), but otherwise nothing too difficult. I only fell over once, when the tail of one of my snowshoes got caught under the front of another. Luckily, I just tripped in some snow. Dana and Ron kind of took off ahead, and I lagged behind, with Lisa behind me. Ron had Primo strapped to his chest so just his little head was poking out of Ron's jacket. He kept sticking his little tongue out (Primo, that is, not Ron) as if to taste the air - really cute.
The snow was falling around us, and it was really like a winter wonderland up there - a welcome break from the 80-90 degree temps in Houston we've been having, and quite possibly the only snow we'll see all winter. As I mentioned, I was falling behind (Ron kept up quite the clip), but on the downhills I caught up just fine, and Lisa was kind enough to not overtake me and leave me in the dust. We had a good conversation the whole time, though - talked about Steamboat, cycling, and the practice. Overall, we were out for about an hour, and by the end I was one overheating monster (though again, on the flats and downhills everything was fine. I just had to push things a little when we were climbing).
We got back to the car and the snow was still coming down, got un-geared (I didn't want to say undressed, lest you all get the wrong impression), and headed back to Steamboat for some lunch at the Slopeside grill.
We had a couple beers each and everyone but me got burgers (I got chili and a salad), and we talked more about the practice. Dana dropped the bomb (as we had discussed she must do, since nobody was taking the next step) and asked what the next step was (in the grand interview scheme of things). Ron told her that everyone (he, Lisa, Sheila and Wes) were going to meet that night and discuss, that he would like some references from Dana, and that he'd get back to us soon, but that he thought that Dana would work well in their practice.
We continued lunch with some more discussion and Ron and Lisa brought us back to the B&B. We said our goodbye's (Sheila and Wes were picking us up at 3 to head to the airport), and we thanked them again for the great time and their hospitality.
Then D and I changed, got some more tea, and waited for Sheila and Wes to show up. They did, we loaded up the car, and the five of us (they brought their 18-month old Jonah along for the ride) headed out to the airport in the now steadily-falling snow.
I got an automatic update from United, though, that our flight was on time, and Ron had called Dana to let her know that he checked online and we were going to be able to get out no problem.
To Be Continued...
First things first: congrats, Garrett, on your engagement. Sounds like the second best proposal ever. :)
OK. I can't tell you how many requests for an update on our Steamboat trip I've gotten. So here it is. I'll preface the story with my excuse for why it's so delayed: though we were supposed to return Sunday evening, we didn't get in until last night (Tuesday). So it's not like I'm slacking off.
Oh, and a warning, this is going to be a long one. I think. If I can handle it. Maybe I'll split it into parts. Also, you can find all our pictures (not many) from the trip here.
Thursday
We arrived in Hayden (about 30 minutes outside Steamboat) at about 9:30pm Mountain time, and were greeted by Ron, the man who started the practice where Dana would be interviewing. I suppose a little history is called for: Ron started the practice about 7 years ago, and three years ago hired on the practice's second doc, Sheila. In addition to the two docs, there are a number of nurses, and Ron's wife, Lisa, is the office manager. Dana interviewed for what would be the third (and final) pediatrician in the office.
So, Ron picked us up at the airport and drove us into Steamboat. An amicable fellow, he reminds me of our friend JPO, but taller and more soft-spoken. It was hard to get a read on him in the car on the way to Steamboat, but he seemed nice enough. He dropped us off at the Steamboat Bed and Breakfast (pictured above), an altogether awesome place to stay. Since it's what the locals call "Mudseason" (between the two tourist seasons), we had the run of the place - there was no one else there. So we walked in and took our stuff to our room, Ron and Dana agreed on a time he could pick her up on Friday, and he took off.
D and I decided that we were too awake to go to bed, so we ventured the short two blocks into Steamboat's downtown area and found a place to get a drink. We ended up deciding on the Old Town Pub, had a couple drinks (Dana's favorite Half-and-half a change from the normal, as they made it with Guinness and Fat Tire), and headed back to the B&B.
Friday
Dana woke up early to get ready and I stayed in bed to try and get more sleep while she did her girly stuff in the bathroom. We headed downstairs for breakfast (served from 8-9am), picked up the papers (Steamboat Pilot and Today and the Denver Post), had some nice homemade breakfast (the one complaint I have about the B&B is that the coffee was pretty weak), and Ron showed up to whisk Dana away. She was off with him doing doctory things so I went upstairs, read some Steamboat materials I had picked up the night before, showered, and headed out for a walk and look about town at about 10am.
About 30 minutes into my walk, Dana called saying she was done for the day, and that we didn't have anything scheduled until 7 or 8 at night (drinks and dinner). She came and found me in town, since she needed the key to the room to change (she wore a suit to "work", Ron showed up in jeans and cowboy boots). We changed, grabbed some lunch (where did we eat Friday for lunch? I don't remember), and took off in the car for a look around town.
Digression: When we arrived at the B&B, there was a (very pretty) Audi (A4?) Quattro 1.8t wagon there waiting for us - and Ron gave us the keys. Apparently the practice has two of these Audis (actually, the other one has a bigger engine), and basically Lisa gets one and Sheila gets one - nice perk. End Digression
So we take off in our Audi - which drove wonderfully, I might add - and headed north of town up Elk River Road toward the Sleeping Giant - a couple of mountains that supposedly look like a giant lying down to sleep - to get the lay of the land, look at different neighborhoods, etc. Then we turned around... ah, yes - ate at the Tap House, and then headed south of town to Stagecoach Park and Reservoir, walked around a little, and headed back to the B&B.
I think we took a nap for a little bit, both got ready for dinner, and Ron came to get us at about 7pm for drinks before we met everyone else (his wife, Lisa, the other doc Sheila, and her husband Wes) for dinner at Steamboat's nicest restaurant, Cafe Diva, where we split a couple bottles of (very expensive!) wine and I had an incredibly tasty Elk Tenderloin and some yummy garlic mashed potatoes. We had lots of fun with the other four and it felt less like a first date than I would have expected, considering that's essentially what it was. I'll let Dana give the details as to how she felt everything went and what she did when she was with Ron at the office/clinic/whatever, but we had a good time talking and basically just all getting to know each other.
After dinner, D and I were driven home (Ron chauffered us that night) and went straight to bed, as it was another early morning for her Saturday, when she was rounding with Ron at the hospital. (actually, I remember now we watched a movie, then went to bed)
Another pseudo-digression: While we were in Ron's car on our way from drinks to dinner at Cafe Diva, he dove headfirst into how Dana would be compensated, what the options for partnership were, and how the business is structured and shared between the four of them - Ron, Lisa, Sheila and Wes. Overall, the compensation he talked about seems fair, and the option for partnership is more than fair - as things stand now, it seems as if Ron and Sheila are equal partners in the practice - 50/50 split right down the middle - and that for whomever they hire the same kind of agreement would be put in place. Of course, it wouldn't be a day one thing, but the fact that Ron is willing to evenly split - over time - the practice that he went through so much to get started - is very encouraging. End Digression
Saturday
Our last planned full day in Steamboat, Dana started the morning at the hospital (after breakfast at the B&B, of course - French Toast!), and when she got back our only plans were - again - for dinner that night, 8pm at Ron and Lisa's house.
After D returned from her rounds with Ron, she and I headed to the local little bookstore, got some coffee and tea, and tried calling Scott, a friend of Matt and Crea's who is a Steamboat native and also happens to be a realtor in Steamboat. I got his cell and left him a message, so D and I went to grab a sandwich at Backcountry Provisions - a sandwich place (very yummy!) just around the corner from the bookstore. After that, we headed back to the Old Town Pub for some "discussion fuel", a pitcher of Avalanche, and we talked about the possibility of moving to Steamboat (after all, that's why we were there). We both like the community a lot. The town is beautiful, there are a ton of things to do, and everyone is very active. But it goes beyond that. I classified it as "Small Town ++" - it's got all the benefits of a small town - a close-knit community where most people can get involved - but also has a lot of things to offer that you wouldn't normally find in a small town - two(!) butcher shops, one which imports fresh seafood daily. Over 70 restaurants/pubs. Obviously a ton of things to do outside. Events scheduled to bring the community together, including the Winter Carnival (supposed to be spectacular) and a ton of race series - running, cycling, mtn bike, skiing (nordic and downhill), etc. They have an active arts community. A hospital. A sushi restaurant. A scuba shop(!). Everything you would expect a medium-sized city to have and some things you wouldn't expect (a scuba shop? In Colorado?). The major downside - property is REALLY expensive. But with that being the only real negative we could think of (sure, there are others, but that was the most glaring), and the fact that we both liked the city so much and (perhaps more importantly) the people Dana would be working with, we think it would be a fine place to live.
So, with that in mind, we went back to the B&B with the intention of taking a nap, but instead ran into Barbara, the woman who runs the B&B, who has lived in Steamboat forever and loves to talk about Steamboat. And talk, and talk. She was great - a very energetic personality who held nothing back. Quite entertaining.
After our discussion with her, I think we headed into the TV room to catch a movie/nap, when Scott called us back. We went to visit him at the realty office where he broke down the city for us and told us what we were likely to find where. After leaving him, we hopped back in the car to take a further look around town, heading up towards Fish Creek Falls (which we didn't really get to see because it had really started snowing at this point), then back downtown and across the river to the west side of town (next to Howelsen hill), then back to the B&B. D showered before dinner, then Ron came to get us at about 8. We followed him in our car so he wouldn't have to bother driving us back at the end of the night, and we headed up to his place for dinner (where Sheila and Wes were to join us again).
We got a late start, had some wine/beer and appetizers while Lisa prepared some homemade pizzas, and didn't actually sit down to dinner until about 9:30 (in the meantime there was chatting, Ron gave us a tour of his house, etc). Dinner was nice, but again it was just a bunch of people hanging out, having dinner. Very nice. After we finished, I excused myself to use the restroom (and release some intense gas buildup), and returned to comment to Ron on the picture in the bathroom - a satellite photo of a small section of Wyoming. It had come up earlier in conversation that he had a cabin in Wyoming, so I asked if that's what the picture was, and we escaped to the computer room where he showed me another, closer satellite pic, and then pics on his computer of the cabin that he and his buddies were building out there. Like, with their hands. Pretty cool stuff.
We joined the rest of the party after about 30 minutes of that, and Wes and Sheila were getting ready to head out. I decided that D and I should head out as well, and suggested we do lunch on Sunday - we made plans with Ron and Lisa to go snowshoeing the next morning followed by some lunch, and left it that they were going to come get us at 10:30.
We went home, exhausted, and went to bed.
Sunday
Snowshoeing was awesome - I am way out of shape, and the altitude certainly didn't help, but we had a blast. It was beautiful (I had to go buy some gloves earlier in the morning, but was otherwise overdressed), and with the snow falling through the trees it was really beautiful.
Today
OK. I'm getting really lazy now because this entry is getting so damn long. In that last paragraph I condensed like 5 hours into two sentences, and I'm not doing it justice. I'm sick (now) and need a nap (now) before I head to class tonight. I'll update with the rest of the story later tonight or sometime tomorrow. Be sure to check D's blog for updates in the meantime.
As you can see from this picture, it's obvious my prediction about D getting nervous has come true. She can't take the wait for the airplane, and asked me to knock her out. I obliged by bopping her on the head.
Well, we're off pretty soon (OK, in like 7 hours) for Steamboat, and our three-day interview (I say "our" because I will be interviewing with the locals - Dana's the only one who has to do some real work here - though we both did get hairscut to keep up appearances).
Anyway, I'd be lying if I said we were anything but excited (hey - it's like a paid-for vacation for me!), and I'd also be lying if I said we were anything but confident (perhaps this will be our downfall). I don't think that either of us expect Dana to *not* get offered the job, but no doubt Dana's nerves will activate (it's like a superpower, I swear) sometime around when we approach the airport. I wish there was some kind of warning sign...
Anyway, it will do us both some good to put on our "skeptic" glasses (or goggles, depending on the forecast) and really look critically at the town and people.
Instead of meeting with the real estate agent they offered, we're going to meet with a friend of Matt and Crea's - a Steamboat native who left and then decided to move back, and is, will wonders-never-cease, a real estate agent (he's also a former member of the US Ski Team).
Other than that, we're not quite sure how the weekend will look. We arrive this evening at about 9:20pm and are being picked up by Ron, the founder of the practice. Not sure what's on the docket for Friday, but Dana seems to think that Ron and Sheila (the other pediatrician in the practice) have commitments that afternoon, so maybe I'll save the Moots tour for 2pm and she can join me (I have to do SOMETHING touristy while I'm there). After that I guess we can just drive/walk around and check out the town and surroundings, see what it has to offer.
Tomorrow (Friday) night, we have dinner at Ron's house (with his wife Lisa, the office manager, and their baby), and Saturday all we have scheduled is a hike at some point and dinner in town. Sunday is wide-open, as far as I can reckon.
We're going to meet with Scott (the real estate agent/friend of Matt and Crea) sometime Saturday or Sunday (we're playing phone tag and I have to call him back). He sounds excited to have an opportunity to "sell" his town to us (both literally and figuratively -- a little real estate humor there).
Anyway, we're very excited. Add to the concoction the fact that they've taken their listing off of pedjobs.org, the site we found it, and it only raises our eyebrows further.
I've been doing my due diligence, however. In addition to my work responsibilities and bad temper (see yesterday's rant, if you dare), I am reading two books on moving from a large city to a small town (something D and I had discussed doing even prior to the Steamboat opportunity, but becoming more real every day), we've been getting the Sunday edition of the Steamboat Pilot for two weeks now (I told you I was doing my due diligence), and D has kept contact with people at a number of other groups as backups/other opportunities to look in to.
But nothing holds the allure that Steamboat does. And it's not just the fact that it's a snowboard resort (it's NOT a "ski" resort, but they do allow it), but it is an outdoor paradise with a yearlong draw. They've got a growing economy (good for small towns!), a very active community (active in the sense that many people are athletic and also a part of the community), and the more I think about it the more I realize that community involvement is something I could very much take to. I'm excited for the opportunity.
OK, I do have to get back to work, you know. But I welcome comments and questions. And I'll do my best to blog while we're there.
Kansas education board downplays evolution - Science - MSNBC.comIn addition, the board rewrote the definition of science, so that it is no longer limited to the search for natural explanations of phenomena.
What to do if your "theory" doesn't meet current scientific standards? Why, JUST REDEFINE THE WORD "SCIENCE".
Fucking brilliant.
As an aside, I've decided that people who live in Kansas aren't people at all. They're fucking idiots.
And yes, part of my harsh reaction is because another stupid, stupid ban on gay marriage was constitutionalized due to the MASSIVE 17% voter turnout yesterday in Texas (disclosure: I'm not a registered voter in Texas, therfore I didn't vote in the election, which some of you may feel puts me in an ill position to argue my side of this topic, which wouldn't be entirely wrong. But this is my blog, so hang on). Not that same-sex marriage was LEGAL in Texas in the FIRST PLACE (it's against the law already) -- but "they" wanted to Constitutionalize it because that makes the law harder to overturn (which, I pray, is inevitable much in the same way the freeing of slaves was).
One of my favorite quotes from the paper recently was from the minister of some church saying how normally he doesn't tell his congregation which way to vote, but that this vote was just too important.
How in the world is this state issue of marriage a matter that the church should involve itself in? Why is it any more important to the religious right than welfare or tax reform? Because it's a hot-button issue that they know people will follow them blindly on. Becuase they know that if they tell people how to vote that people won't question the issue for themselves. And this is what is at the heart of all of the Neocon thinking: if they repeat something loud and often, there is no room for rational thought about a subject. If people are told what to think, they won't bother putting the time in themselves.
What's so wrong about allowing same-sex unions? How does this threaten our democracy? How does it weaken our country? How does it usurp the justice system? It doesn't.
Legislating morality isn't out of the realm of what our government does - it has always done so, to some extent or another. But just because things have always been one way doesn't make them right.
And don't give me "the Bible says this..." or "it opens up the door to polygamy..." because that's total bull (note: I'm not calling the Bible total bull, I'm calling that argument total bull - call off the fire and brimstone, please). If you're not secure enough to be able to handle two people who love each other wanting to make a public (note: not religious) commitment to one another, then... well... I don't know - I guess you're in the right place.
The thing that peeves me the most about this is that I don't know enough about government to know whether or not they are truly within their rights to do this. I don't know whether this should be a state or federal issue (my common sense tells me it should be neither, but if legislators had common sense we wouldn't be dealing with this problem). The heart of my piss-and-vinegar mood is that this legislation is borne of religious dogma and advanced by religious groups - and I strongly feel that is inappropriate. I'm not saying that private groups can't advocate for their desired political outcomes, but it pisses me off that people are actively preaching unacceptance, superiority, and discrimination.
...and I've been in such a good mood lately.... sigh...
EDIT: For the record, the Vatican has even come out against Intelligent Design, stating that the Catholic Church believes Darwin's Theory of Evolution is wholly compatible with the Catholic faith (nobody told Mel Gibson). See a google search on the subject here. And yes, I fully realize that to my Protestant friends out there, saying that the Pope believes something to be true is not an argument in my favor, and I also realize the irony in posting this fact about how "open" the Catholic Church is in the same post where I rail against religous groups being against gay marriage - I'm only using it as an illustration that (duh) not all religions are created equal(ly), and since I'm railing especially against Christians thought I'd give my denomination of influence SOME credit.
Wow. Ad on the Metra that must be 30 years old. I hope the cheesy text comes through as i've already forgotten what it says..
Since I lost my PS2 in the move to Houston, I haven't been able to get my Katamari fix, and Dana has been missing Silent Hill 3 on those overcast days.
Remebering, of course, how much we loved Frequency, Amplitude, and the Karaoke Revolution games makes me think of how much I need to have this one. Especially with reviews like this. ROCK ON! (plus, I'm dying to try out Shadow of the Colossus!)
I would link to all these other games I'm talking about, but can't be bothered. Time for me to go to lunch!
Yeah, well. Who ever said I know anything about sports? :) The Bulls came from behind in a crazy comeback. It ended up being a great game - but when I sent that text message, they were down 20 points and had been for at least as many minutes. It's like they didn't even show up to play until the beginning of the fourth. Crazy.
Well, today marks the beginning of my employment with IBM. So to celebrate I'm going to go out for a long lunch, do some shopping, and leave early! Yay for new job!
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