My list of things that strike me as a little odd...

Ice Dancing. Its the first sport that I actually thought was really really Gay...

The Vice-President accidentally shooting a fellow hunter and nobody knowing anything about for over a day.

Some idiot who believes his wetlands should be plowed under just because he lives twenty miles from the nearest lake or river (navigable body of water)

The fact that many many people are dying in Sudan from a genocide, and yet the only thing on the radio was this guy currently being tried in a court for trying to prove that Gas Chambers were never used in the holocaust (this is not a statement of truth, only perspective)

Ah yes, these things always make me wonder...

Finally Cable and Internet!

After a week and a half of not having any cable or clear reception, it finally got installed today. The cable person was a nice guy who talked like my deceased uncle. He even changed one of my cable wires for something better, although I couldn't say how. He also thought it was pretty nice that I had everything mostly set up... I believe that by setting up things before the cable guy gets here, the faster he will leave.

So now, I can watch the last few days of the Olympics, watch Lost without any fuzzy lines, and not have to spend my time with watching the PBS station at of Alexandria.

On other news, today is my first day off from work. Pretty great isn't it, Ive already been paid for three days of work, will get my first real check in a week, and I have a Presidents day off. Although I'm going to the commission meeting, and aging presentation tonight.

I'm not sure how I like the job yet, its pretty overwhelming, and the guy before me didn't leave any notes on projects needed to be completed, where the most updated data for the different counties are, and I'm expected to bring in something like 36,000 dollars of money within the next six months. Fun (this is sarcasm.) Its really not that bad. It just makes me a little nervous that I will fall below expectation.

Just a little information on where I work, its a non-profit public organization that helps the five county area (Lac Qui Parle, Swift, Big Stone, Yellow Medicine, and Chippewa) with economical development. Basically, we are a consulting organization that is in existence to help the different counties do things they can't do individually. They pay us to do stuff for them, so we need the contracts to bring in money so the staff gets paid. It is non-profit, so we are not in it to make money.

Anyway, I'm off to start some sort of account at a local bank that will give me a ATM card, find a few garbage cans at the local dollar store, and attempt shopping at the local Country Market for milk.

P.S. - Lost last Wednesday was good. It will even be better this Wednesday when I can see things clearly...

Things Accomplished, Things Still Need to be Done

Remember my New Year's List? well, I already broke my first resolution, although it was because of my second... Yes, I found a job. I moved in yesterday, and I start tomorrow. Unfortunately, I won't have internet until next Monday, so I will have to post from a little cafe, in the middle of nowhere.

So a little about my job, Its exactly what I want to do, but its in Montevideo, MN. A little town, 2 hours west of the cities, with nothing much to it. During my first trip here, looking for houses, I discovered that there is some sort of art scene hear, along with a large number of organic/ environmentalist type people, so it might not all be country music and cows. I checked out the library yesterday, and finally got a library card for the Pioneer Land Library System. My Mom should be proud of me. Now, all late fines I acrue will be on my card, not hers.

The job itself seems to be good. Its for company called the Upper Minnesota Valley Development Commission, its works with the five counties in the area to do things that the individual counties can't do, or won't. GIS falls in this category. None of the five counties need thier own GIS person, so UMVDC provides one for them. I will got to do a lot of different things, and hopefully get the experience that I need to get a job closer to the cities.

The other nice thing about this area, is that house prices are low. What will go for 150,000 or more in the cities, goes for about 65,000 here. So, if I like this place, I might be getting a house sooner than anticipated. And when I get a house, there will be a dog.

I really like this coffee shop. Its warm, and homey, and the cheesecake I had for breakfast was yummy.