MEMBERS

RETURN TO:

Marissa's Blog

SEARCH

Advanced search

Mon Sep 18, 2006

In Russia, finally

actually, I've been here for two weeks, but just with spotty internet access. So far, PI've sat three feet away from the vice-minister of international affairs of Russia while he said that NATO was the enemy of Russia (we don't think foreign students were really supposed to be at this lecture, but the bureaucrats sent us to get rid of us) and some mafia guys doing some business a block from my dorm. Also Swan Lake by the Bolshoi company for 80 cents.

Classwise, I lucked out and got in a higher level, we're reading Chekov and Berdyaev and such. I also have been able to get to the anthro department, and have started sitting in on lectures there. So far, some more biological determinism than I'm used to, and we also started from a discussion of earlier hominids in an ethnology class, but of course it's hard to draw any sweeping conclusions as of yet. No word on Sanskrit or Mongolian yet.

Will write more later of course, for now, my time is running out.

Mon Aug 07, 2006

good things, bad things

well, my health seems to be rapidly improving, really a load off. I was very concerned for awhile... Anyhow, everyone here is really ready to get out of Beloit, although we are sad to leave each other. I don't know if I'll ever see Andy or Sarah again, not to mention a bunch of other people I really clicked with. I'll definitely send Andy his hat from Mongolia, and email both of them though.

Unfortunately, I still have a stumbling block on the path to Russia. I finally sent in my visa app, but they called my house Friday. I don't know what it's all about, but hopefully nothing serious. I'm having trouble getting back to them today, because they close for two and a half hours for lunch. I think I'm just going to come to class late after trying to get ahold of the embassy. I've become a real bum about coming to class on time, paying attention in class lately, and I wasn't so great before. I really hope that I haven't lowered any opinions of me too much. Russians can be freaking impossible to read.

Anyhow, really, really looking forward to being back in Cody. My dad wants me to meet him in Sturgis as well on Friday or Saturday... so it's looking like I'm going to have an exciting few days, after a few more days of interminable boredom in an overlit, freezing basement.

Wed Aug 02, 2006

blashnost, ya terpet ne mogy tebya

well, i finally moved out of my building last night, and I started to feel a little better. I went to a neurologist yesterday, even though it seemed uneccessary. He decided to give me a sinus x-ray, just to see. I haven't gotten the results yet, but I suspect that a sinus infection might be my problem. Have to wait and see. In any case, I decided to not go to class today, and I'm hanging out in a friend's room.

In any case, I'm really ready to go home... only a few more days. Paul and Sarah might ride with me to the Twin Cities, and we might go to the Russian art museum there... should be good whatever we do. It's just too bad that I have to be back in Cody by the 14th to get some teeth filled.

Sat Jul 22, 2006

tak problemu

man, what a day, or some weeks, I guess. Things are going good here as far as learning lots of Russian, or brushing up and reinforcing, maybe. People are mostly cool, too, I've made lots of new friends. But, I've been having these tension headaches, really weird, I never have headaches. I had a CT scan this morning, and everything is normal, so I need to calm down about it. Only three weeks left living here, in the humidity, low pressure systems, and the way too damp dorm. Everyone is starting to feel pretty awful.

Anyhow, realized a few days ago that I might not see someone I care a lot about (who is here now and goes to school with me) after the program ends, if he graduates on time. Tonight we were at BOP (Burt's Other Place), this somewhat sketchy bar downtown, when we had a heart to heart... I really hope he doesn't think that I've rejected him or anything like that, because I haven't. I'm just shy and cautious.

Sun Jun 25, 2006

ya cavu

I'm being a bit of an insomniac. Things are going pretty good here, though, don't get the wrong impression. The work is just the right amount; watching NTV (Russian news), Soviet comedies, and reciting Pushkin (not my favorite activity). Everybody here is pretty cool, some of them are annoying drinkers, but that's about it. Went to Sud's (where they don't card, it's amazing because I think they're the only nice bar in town) on Friday after a day in Milwaukee... people I went with just got really annoying really fast, that "let's chug pitcher after pitcher" attitude. Went back to school and had some tequila in peace with Jordana.

Thu May 25, 2006

end of the year

it's been quite awhile since I posted last... since then I've driven back to Cody, packed all of my stuff into my car, gone to a Secret Machines concert with some folk in Chicago, hung out with Kim Mills (but have still been feeling really betrayed by the anthro department and unsure of who to trust)... basically a much fuller post-finals pre-going home time than I had predicted. But I'm feeling pretty chilled out now. I think that I have everything pretty much in order now for Russia and Mongolia, just have to send in my medical report and deposit for Mongolia tomorrow.

Going back up to the Beartooths this weekend, which should be pretty fun. Then about a week left; will be going to Yellowstone, probably some other random shit. Going to Denver before getting back to Beloit for the 9 weeks of speaking Russian and only Russian for several hours a day at least. My dad said they have that plasticized bodies exhibit at the natural history museum now, so will probably check that out.

[4] comments (303 views)

Sun Apr 16, 2006

coming down again

I've entered a state of deathly calm... a lot of time wasted this weekend, but I think I got a little bit done. Papua New Guinea paper, symposium, and film all worked on, magazine on track... hopefully tomorrow will be productive. If I get stuff done before and after that hellish orchestra dress rehearsal... we're playing Beethoven's 6th, a Mozart symphony, Romeo and Juliet, and yet another symphony. At least two hours. I play first on Beethoven, which means several solos in the very high register. Here's to my lips not falling off.

On the "wasting" of time, though; just yesterday. First, after dinner we went to Dairy Queen, then played cricket and hoola hooped by the river; Shannon had a bubble-maker, but it didn't work. Then some of us went roller skating last night with 3 people who couldn't skate at all, one other who could. The three who couldn't took me back to my first time at the Skate-A-Way; Erin's birthday party in 2nd grade when I ran into her and gave her a bloody nose. Won a can of soda at the number game. The place was about like you would expect of Beloit on a Friday night. Five boys who kept picking on this one guy who pretended to work there but really didn't; they kept telling him his mom looked like George Washington. There were a couple of other sketchy teenagers there, one of them had a boyfriend who seemed to be in his late 30s... but none of this seemed to dampen the skating experience. At least they didn't get pissed when Joanna and I spun around in the middle and semi-played crack-the-whip. After that, found Laura; Jordana tried to get us to go to Heather's to drink daquiris, tried to lure with Narnia. I was just too tired at that point, and Heather and Jordana get a little crazy for me. I just like to speak the Russian when I drink... So Laura, Joanna and I went on a midnight drive through Rockford. I started losing my voice, we bought some doughnuts, listened to the Darkness and Wolf Parade. Pretty awesome.

This morning I woke up and had no voice, felt pretty crappy until I got up, then went into the bathroom, and discovered that we have no hot water. Went to the seder that many Jewish friends put on, that was cool. Before that, I went to Woodman's for the first time ever; amazing amazing, like the old IGA in Cody. We found the fish stuff that they wanted for the seder, scary looking stuff. Other than that, it rained most of the day, which sucked.

Tonight, after working on the film for a good three hours, went upstairs and ran into Laura and Joanna, who were just checking some things out. So I went and got a book off reserve, read that until the library closed an hour later, and found L and J with Claire talking. They'd been talking for the last hour, outside. Said they were "future-planning." One of our favorite past-times. By the time I got there, it was pretty short-term... how we were going to wrangle a townhouse or other four-person accomodation from Ecuador, Scotland, Mongolia and the high seas. They'd been talking before though about the old grad school... but how none of them wanted to go "right away." in spite of myself, I said "lame." Which they said they knew I would say...

Interesting, because lately I think I've been questioning whether or not I want to go to grad school (I really don't know how seriously). I just sort of switched back to really wanting to again without even realizing it. It was so in the other direction the other day that my dad of all people was almost talking me into it. He's been an unexpected source of support the last few days. Refreshing change. In addition to helping me fix this car crap, of course, he tipped me off to a job with a consulting company that studies the "socio-economic" impacts of oil/gas development. It's really nice to feel like someone gets a little bit of what you are trying to do.

Tue Apr 11, 2006

eagles of death metal

so I went to this concert last night; it was the Strokes, but opening were the Eagles of Death Metal. Pretty cool, Queens of the Stone Age guy is their drummer, the others are a collection of rock standards... kind of nerdy bald/mohawk guy, aviator-wearing cop guy, and greasy long-haired bassist. Not bad. They do kind of get the Eagles plus metal sound, hard to describe. Maybe like Queens of the Stone Age, but as 80s rockers? The Strokes are okay too, but not really my favorite kind of music; that "suave" guy voice, like Franz, doesn't really get me.

Other than that, Beloit just broke the world record for the longest continuous frisbee game ever. Unfortunately, that means my project partner didn't sleep all weekend, beginning on Thursday, we haven't spoken since Thursday, and we supposedly have a twentyish page paper due this Thursday. But enough of that. Spring Day is Thursday, which means at least no class. I do also have to take car of my car, which overheated on Saturday and is leaking coolant everywhere. Not good, I have to get it to Janesville.

Sat Apr 01, 2006

finally, nice weather

it was a pretty good week; the reinstatement of the weekly trip to Culver's for custard, breaking the ice with Saul (he's like Eric... but a Sephardic Jew... who gives hair care advice), class discussion in a couple of classes being much better, and getting my collaborative ethnographic film project more on track.

i definitely think that i was having some seasonal depression issues. In any case, I do still feel a little overwhelmed by my workload, as I have all semester, but have faced it for most of the week with optimism. Also got some crap like financial aid out of the way, pretty much finalized my study abroad for Russia (and will hopefully be sending out the second app for Mongolia next week). I'll be really glad when all that is in order. Then I can face the summer with... hopefully not anticipations of boredom.

I realized the other day that since coming to school I haven't been home for more than three weeks at a time. And it usually has been a mixture of great times with really low ones. I think going home and getting a job would be good, and being around for a little while help me get some kind of social life there, not to mention get over some family things. still thinking of doing something else for a month or so, checking out some short term abroad things, and I think I will probably do some kind of academic project in Cody... I'm thinking rodeo tourism right now. Some how, I don't think I'd even mind doing something with the museum, but nothing close to full time. In any case, things look good, for now.

[3] comments (254 views)

Sun Mar 19, 2006

ups and downs

man, I'm just riding a roller coaster of depression and highs. I really don't have a real feel for what the function of blog should be, but if it's just getting stuff out there that you can't say, but need to express to another person/people to feel better, I guess I can do that. And one of my frustrations is not being able express myself in speech well enough.

I'm going to breakfast. Maybe I'll finish this later.

Wed Feb 15, 2006

bye Beloit

hells yeah, the school approved me to go to Russia and Mongolia next year. One more application for Mongolia, but it shouldn't be a problem, I'm applying a year early. Also a scholarship that I should be competitive for... thank you Wyoming citizenship.

[2] comments (261 views)

Tue Feb 14, 2006

damn olympics

yeah, they're addictive. Plus I'm feeling really tired and driveless lately. I think it will get better, though. I've decided to drop that stupid history of anthropology class, so I think that will cheer me up. Today should be interesting, didn't really prepare or think about my Russian test at all, and have to show this short I made for ethnographic film. And I didn't practice my bassoon at all, but that's hardly unusual. Didn't get much of my reading done for philosophy/history/anthro class either. Cognition just doesn't excite me, I guess. I've had enough about reading how much Descartes sucks for awhile, maybe. Oh well, I guess that I'm hanging in there. Melanesia class in half an hour, hopefully that will be cool. Professor should talk about when she lived with the Mundugumor. Margaret Mead's agressive cannibals.

[2] comments (282 views)

Thu Jan 26, 2006

ahh, just a weird day

ah, I really hate those times when you feel like you're drifting away from people (you really aren't, everyone gets annoyed with people they spend almost all of their time with...). I just really had one of those days where I really felt socially awkward, alone in my intellectual interests, blah blah. All day, I was just clumsy and would blurt out the weirdest crap. Like at dinner, though at that time my friends were being supportive of my "man, I'm having a bad day." I can't remeber what I said, but I blurted out a couple of things that were really depressing and just out of context, while i was staring at the napkin basket. I'm really glad that I can just tell everyone that I was in a weird mood and they were immediately sympathetic... after dinner, I felt less like I have been drifting away a from my friends a little recently.

but of course, on the negative side of things again, I really feel intellectually alone a lot, and I don't quite see how to remedy that. At lunch, Rich and I were talking about a class we're in together, he's a philosophy major I don't know terribly well, but respect a lot, and he said something about not liking anthro a lot, which is fine, and i didn't really persue it. I can understand why people would feel like that; at the very least I could point to the fact that I'm also really frustrated with the kinds of crap people say in most anthro classes, the quality of conversation is considerably worse than the classes with philosophy and history majors I've taken. Then I almost ripped Scott's head off (scott is a physics major, by the way, but in my history of anthro class) in the library when he started saying how great it was that Dan Shea (history of anthro professor... probably shouldn't even start on him...) was "crusading" for the use of more statistics in anthropology, saying at one point "well, they are the only social science that really doesn't." As far as I'm concerned anthropology should be addressing questions that aren't things you can answer with game theory, but I had a hard time trying to elucidate this to him... my example was one Dan used in class: look! I did the numbers for lineage types and subsistence types for all the cultures in the Yale Comparitive Ethnology Database and there's kind of a correlation! That (besides being a load of crap, why should I care about the fact that most pastoralists are patrilineal when I'm working with pastoralists that are matrilineal?) really doesn't tell me why some people reckon lineage through their mother, or (much more importantly) anything about what that means or can tell be about how people work and do things with each other as a whole... I really think that I'm going to talk to McDowell about some of this tomorrow after class, if someone else doesn't try and dominate her time (yeah, I have a particular person in mind...). Rob talked to me about some of it last semester, and really made me feel better in some ways, but worse in others. Like that cultural anthro here is crumbling, though we are still recognized as having one of the best undergrad programs in the country.

I really don't understand how people think that they can reduce people to deterministic little mathematical models. They of course realize that you can't, tendencies are tendencies and you have to be on guard for "exceptions" and "deviations" and doesn't that defeat the purpose of doing it?

Mon Jan 16, 2006

highs and lows

ugh, christmas break kind of sucked, but now that I'm back at school, things are looking up. I found Joanna and Logan almost immediately after getting on campus after hours of travel, which was cool, we moved some shit around the Russian house, walked down to the river to see if the ice skating pond was frozen, watched Shaolin Soccer. Yeah, Stephen Chow is awesome. Classes should be pretty good, I start tomorrow. Also talking to Donna about studying in Russia tomorrow morning some time, she said something about paperwork, which kind of seemed premature and freaky, but I guess that we'll see... also, Bill came up on me in AV and sort of offered me a job this summer on the Bad River rez traipsing about looking for old gardens with the Ojibwa, as long as he gets the grant. Hopefully, it sounded like more of a sure thing than last time he mentioned it. I realized that I really don't think that going back to Cody would be best... I just feel like I have to get out so much, like I don't have anything in common with my family, I can't explain anything to any of them. Here, there's anthropologists and historians, they treat me like I know what I'm doing... I guess that that explains it... If I can't work with Bill up there this summer, I think I decided that I'm going to do a work thing over the summer in Norway. You pretty much stay on a farm and work for/ live with the family, you get a stipend the pays back the fees, sounds pretty sweet. Well, that's all for now. Maybe I'll post more? I don't know. Russell, if you ever want to kick me off your webspace, just let me know...

Tue Nov 15, 2005

onward to thanksgiving

it's almost thanksgiving, and after that, it seems like everything will be downhill. I just have to finish a few papers, I guess... I really can't say that I don't like writing long pages. A 30 page book reivew about structure, history, and Polynesia, that's attracted never-ending potshots from other anthropologists? No problem. And another one about Crowheart Butte as a place, and what about eating hearts? Okay. I just hope it all turns out okay. The other classes, like Sanskrit, Russian, and T & T of archeology seem a bit tenuous, though. I mean, the archaeology professor is just picky as all hell, and kind of scary, scarier as I get to know her better. I hope I never have to watch her dogs... Russian and Sanskrit, I'm kind of the kid that half-asses everything but turns out good on the tests.

But in regards to real life, I dyed my hair purple semi-accidentally this weekend. Olga (Russian professor) said it's "ashy" (гепелый, or something like that. It is more gray than purple, true.

[4] comments (1147 views)

Tue Oct 11, 2005

obligatory weekend post

pretty good weekend, no room for angsty posts now. I went to Rockford with some folks, got to Target, got Zissou hats at the JC Penney outlet, and something perhaps even better. In the checkout line of Target, I saw something really amazing... the woman in front of us had Hogan's Heroes on DVD. So I went back and got it and ended up dropping 30 bucks for the 2nd season of that amazing sitcom. Later that night, I ended up camping out in a quad with the Theatre of Confusion, some weird club that people just started up, and found some fellow Hogans fans, and we watched a few episodes. This was after going to a couple pretty cool parties... there was a masquerade ballroom think that was mildly amusing, and then the Talking Heads party which simply kicked ass. So that was good. And I managed to get some of my work done. I'm still amazing on track. I just got more duties for this travel magazine I'm doing art type stuff for, and I joined the choir, because they're doing Messiah. I sang the bass part last night. Seriously. I'll probably end up joining with the tenors though.

Wed Oct 05, 2005

ethnographic randomness

because maybe that's why I like cultural anthropology. It's not all about accumulating a lot of facts, but that's part of the fun.

So anyways, I'm transcribing these interviews with Odawa quillworkers, and they were just talking about killing porcupines. Before, I thought from what they were saying that they always just used roadkilled ones, but no. They kill them with fucking bats. Beat them to death. This struck me as just really insanely weird at first and then significant somehow. I have a real interest in the anthropology of killing animals, I guess, as well, which is the only way I can say it. Hunting and such. And this initially really funny statement about beating porcupines became really "real" when they started talking about apologizing to the animal. No, I really can't believe that that is maybe just some kind of "quaint account" anymore. And yeah, now that I think about it, even my family has talked about that sort of thing. Not the saying sorry literally, at least that I can remember, but about not killing certain animals, feeling really bad about having to kill a calf because you killed the mother. And when I was a little kid we would go fishing and my brother would ask if the fish had feelings, and insist that it did when my dad tried to say kind of but not really. And why is it when I talk to my friends about hunting and i talk about these kind of things in defence of it it seems slightly artificial? Maybe it won't now, at least for a while. Gah, I hope I can sleep now. Seriously. Does getting hung up about this kind of stuff make me unusual? Well, an essay on this question did get me accepted by an Ivy League school, so maybe not everyone thinks I'm a hick destined for the intellectual ghetto. It was probably just diversity bullshit. And I feel so torn. Here, I'm that weird kid from Wyoming. At home, I'm certainly not of the ranch/farm set. I come to school, and yeah, I talk about irrigating my grandma's horse pasture, and chasing the fuckers back in there from across the road with my grandma, and going to the ranch and riding the combine, and how next summer I want to go help harvest. But at home it's not something I really think about. My uncle makes fun of me for going East... and a lot of others do similar crap. "why do you act like you're better than us." I know nobody just fits in life. I really feel it now. And it's not all bad. I value it.

Wed Sep 28, 2005

almost halfway?

in a few weeks, my fall semester will be halfway through. Sort of a scary thought. I was thinking, next year is going to be really weird. Everyone is going abroad, for one or both semesters. So the spring will probably be pretty weird. I'm planning on going to Mongolia or Eastern Russia (Irkutsk) now next fall for sure; going to start working on the paperwork right away. Very exciting. The international studies folks told me, to my suprise, that they think that those programs would be perfect for me, that I should just ignore Donna and Olga (really pushy Russian professors). It feels good to have my "fuck Tolstoi" attitude justified. Now I need to talk to my advisor, who actually supported my idea to go to the Faeroe Islands for whale killing last summer (before the other cultural anthropologist asked me to work for her).

In other news, I'm still reading Kant, it's lots of fun; planning to go to Chicago (bum around the U of C with my friend Laura and her friend, perhaps; if not just freeload for a night or two with my great aunt and uncle I scarcely know. Hey, it worked well with the third cousins in Minneapolis.) and the Northwoods for fall break, possibly Rhinelander as well; just kicked off Celtic Club tonight with some buddies; getting ready to start researching a paper about land usage/division by the gov't in Wyoming/Out West (topic narrowment at this point) and Sanskrit is still pretty easy. Rote memorization-based. Brilliant.

Tue Sep 13, 2005

it got me finally

so now I'm sick. And it's no mere allergies... I've been forced to medicate. I actually lost my voice this evening, during a seminar... there I am, mid-sentence about Homer and the Bible or some such crap, and I quit projecting completely (the class is this crazy "ideal vs. real" in history and anthropology... BTW, if you want something really cool to read about Western thought and narrative, read Erich Auerbach's Mimesis).

It's not horrible, everyone else is sick. I also did still manage to go to a rowing practice (yeah, it's a fucking stupid elitist excuse for a sport, but my friends all do it, and I need an excuse to work out.) and ran up and down the stairs in the science building for about 40 minutes without dying. It's just that it's such a mix of germs, Lord knows which one (or many) of the strains I caught. Should have been more careful with the cotton candy...

[7] comments (314 views)

Sun Sep 11, 2005

the canadian that says man a lot

It seems that I was never making up the whole "I have an excuse to do anything weird because I'm from Wyoming." People actually keep saying that. "Marissa can ride her bike around in a circle around that patch of grass, because she's from Wyoming." "It's okay for Marissa to say that feminism is stupid, because she's from Wyoming." Apparently I also have some Canadian usages that were noted last year, but forgotten. Kraft dinner (I don't say it all the time...), snowmachines, and dinner for lunch. And I say man and dude a lot, which people attribute to Wyomingness for some reason, but I can't really justify that. Joanna's dad calls me man-girl for that. Ack.

Ah well, I'm coming down from large amounts of cotton candy. I got conned into helping out with the folk and blues festival this weekend. We did start a grease fire, so it wasn't all bad. There's a pick on flickr, if anyone wants to see. Not too big, but still alright.

[3] comments (281 views)

Sat Sep 03, 2005

domine in salvum fac

yeah, there's been an awful lot of shit going down the last week or so. Scott and I got here on Friday, I had nowhere to sleep, so I read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and kipped on a chair in Phi Psi. People started slowly arriving over the weekend. I had some issues finding computer cables, etc. in storage, but that all finally appeared yesterday. Thank God. Still missing my Bose radio. Tonight, I got sort of messed up tonight on vodka, met the new Russians, earlier went to dinner with Joanna, Sarah and Sarah's mom (Sarah was Joanna's roomate over the summer... felt like I was imposing a bit, but they asked me to come several times...). Besides that, class, which though taking a lot of, is going well. Sanskrit, Russian, "Archeology of Landscape" (bullshit seminar thing, but fun; there's four people, and the prof (visiting) is going to let us hang at his place in Madison eventually. He also almost got us into the belltower...), "Square and Round" (part of a four-part seminar on East Asian anthropology/history, philosophic underpinnings or something. Right now we're reading Kant. It's a weird seminar thing. Also pretty bullshit), and Theory/Technique of Archaeology (fun but easy). Advisor says I can't do all this, but I have a burning desire to prove her wrong. I'm also working in A/V, transcribing some interview tapes for the museum about Ottawa quillwork, and maybe cowriting a paper sometime?
So that's about it. Went to Steak and Shake a few days ago, going to the Rennaissance Fair in Kenosha on Sunday.

Mon Aug 22, 2005

insomnia

luckily, I was able to keep hanging out with people. Erin's house again, this time we watched SpongeBob, same floating along through the evening... I enjoyed; I hope everyone else did. Hovland, Evan, Scott, Jay, Hayes and Forrest over here last night, and Hovland and Forrest stayed all night; we did Playstation after watching Life Aquatic and the Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu. They enjoyed the latter more than Life Aquatic, actually; I was a little concerned. I didn't think that LA would be so much like Royal Tennenbaums, with Bill Murray... Anyways. Drove up Cedar to watch the sunrise, then Hovland and I went to Bubba's for breakfast.

So I took a nap after that, then my grandma called and asked me to go to Powell with her to get weedspray for her horse pasture. We ended up at Big R and Blair's too. Not a bad day all in all, I guess. I was more grouchy than usual with her, but not tired... the building of a four-lane highway between Cody and Powell really bothered me.

I can't go to sleep now. Kurt's funeral is at 10 tomorrow. I missed the viewing; maybe wouldn't have gone anyway. It was at five, and I didn't get the paper and look at it until around 9. In any case, Eric did a great job with his article.

Thu Aug 18, 2005

nothing to do

It's been really nice to be back; I've actually done a few things with other people... It is hard because there's, well, not a lot to do that doesn't cost money. I don't feel like I can invite anyone over, either, because the basement is pretty empty and lacks seating. Maybe later. I've always been bad at that kind of thing. My mom has been going out at night, but she doesn't give me the notice to set anything up. Well, who knows if I'll see anyone again. I'm probably leaving next week, and I was going to go to Yellowstone on Sunday with my mom.

So I went to Lewistown Sunday, went to the ranch, rode the combine (we caught the barley harvest). Talked to my great uncle about political type stuff; we seem to agree on most things, but he tells me I'm a liberal. Well, I guess for Central Montana I might be. Lewistown is about the same as I remember, an agricultural center that has been since passed by in favor of Billings and Great Falls, and is in a tepid state of decay. Yet my mom's family is still hanging around. It doesn't make since.

I just found out that Kurt died in a car accident yesterday. I guess it hasn't really sunk in. We didn't hang out too much last year, but he was still a pretty interesting kid. This just really sucks. I actually tried to call Tully today, I hope maybe I can get together with those guys. I wonder when Northwest starts?

Sun Aug 07, 2005

escaping the midwest

so I got home at about 8:30, after leaving Minneapolis at around 2:30 in the morning, Cody time. I really didn't get tired. It was suprising how easy it was for me to drive for all that... if you just stop when you feel like your hip is going to come out of socket or your eyes start drooping, it's fine. I stopped in Mitchell SD to see what the Corn Palace is all about, and went to the Cabelas (my aunt and uncle in Cody were talking about it... hunting freaks) and saw the amazing feats of taxidermy. I stopped at Wall Drug to make a phone call, too many tourists and bikers. Bikers everywhere, once it hit about 7:00. Once in Wyoming, I took the detour to see Devil's Tower, and still lots of bikers. By the time I got to Gillette, though, I didn't see many more.

So that was that. Going to Hovland's about now for lunch and ice cream. I think I should have plenty to do around here; my mom is pretty much expecting me to put the basement together. Joy. Well, if anyone is reading this who wants to get ahold of me, I have my brother's cell, 899-2664.

Sun Jul 31, 2005

free at last (almost)

yeah, so I went to cabinsit for the professor on Monday... it was interesting. Unfortunately I couldn't go outside much, because it was rainy and about 30 degrees for a good chunk of time. So I had an all-out fest on the satellite TV, using a fair portion of the solar battery's storage... but I really enjoy staying up for 24+ hours, and find the effects to be anything but deleterious. So anyways, the dogs were pretty good, and the cats were annoying, because I hate cats...

In other news, I get to leave here on August 7th (next Sunday). So hopefully all will go well with that, and I won't get ambitious and end up hotel-less in the general vicinity of Sturgis. I expect to be in Cody early the 9th, if I stop in MN/SD and Sheridan (I want to enjoy the Bighorns).

[1] comments (345 views)

Sun Jul 24, 2005

now i am nineteen

yes, now I am nineteen, and was able to celebrate with bar cheesecake, goat's milk, and eggplant parmigiana.

Best birthday in a while. Friday we just stayed here, but Sarah (Larry) bought me a bag of goodies with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (book), some cigars (I complained about these one's at Mike's party not being rank enough), and Aldi chocolate (it's imported-- Aldi is a weird European grocery chain that has stores in the Midwest, if you are familiar. Super cheap. Sketchy cheap. But the product is actually quality...) Plus a card with mules. When people ask me if I have horses/like horses I always say no. It happens too often. Sometimes I say I much prefer mules. Other Sarah bought me a cheesecake from the "Clearlake Inn" (it's a bar where the cheesecake guy will make you a daquiri with 4 shots of 151 in it... but the cheesecake is unbelievable). Mike brought me root beer and cream soda (Milwaukee brewery... Schprecher's). good stuff as well.

On my actual birthday, my mom called me at 8, and woke me up, which made me utter expletives, and she hung up really quick. I think we patched it up later though... she's just a bit passive aggresive... ack. then i went and cut up whole chickens and did the dishes, usual stuff... after that, Larry was going to take me to hang with her cousin Ingrid, who never showed up, but we went to Joe's Pasty Shop (mmm... pasties) and her house afterwards... amazing place. Goats, chickens, rabbits, ducks, german shepard, shitloads of broken cars-- trucks (pickups and sanitation vehicles), Colt Vistas, Saabs; her dad was fiddling with a Japanese tractor at the time. And her siblings, who are varied and interesting... after that we came back up here and watched Billy Elliot, which isn't a bad flick. Mike showed up eventually, ate some leftovers from their fridge, etc.

So tomorrow, though, I have to go to house/dogsit for my professor for a couple days. It should be real interesting. Besides the 2 lab/dane mixes that are like fucking horses, there's a few cats, solar power, and a propane fridge. Hopefully some cool Papua New Guinea stuff too, but didn't see any last time I was there. In any case, chance to practice my bassoon and do a little illegal fishing.

[2] comments (308 views)

Mon Jul 18, 2005

keep cody tacky

yeah, I know. Two posts in about as many minutes. But I was just on the Cody Emptyprise site, and they're taking down the waterslide. First the drive-in theatre, now the waterslide. If they turn the lot into another fremont motors, I'm gonna flip out. Cody should resemble Thermopolis more than Jackson, in my humble opinion. ( on a note unrelated to the rant, I just noticed the construction guys are from Otto... I thought that last thing in that town was the oil well my dad corked in January. Apparently not...)

[8] comments (332 views)

superior pasties

yes, the pasty hunt was a brilliant success. In a little place on the side of the highway, in the Finnish part of the Keewenaw (the roads have names like Sutinen, Kuivo, Jurmo, etc.), I found Keewenaw Berry Farms. $3.44 for a great pasty-- cube steak, swede, etc. with the handle. (The only problem was this weird guy with a Brigham beard who watched me walk back to my car afterwards...) I'm sure if anyone is reading this, they have no clue what I'm talking about, so I'll move right along.

Checked out Houghton (typical mining town... like Butte MT, nice (dilapidated, but nice) old buildings, on the side of a hill, evidence of past cultural diversity due to mines... they even had a synagogue), then Lake Linden/Hubbell (where my grandpa's from). Still rusting mining equipment, abandoned buildings (Torch Lake, which Hubbell and Lake Linden are on the shore of, is a Superfund site).

Kept driving, figured what the hell, ended up at the tip of the peninsula. Swam in Lake Superior at a couple of points, cold, but not as cold as Buffalo Bill. Also found some real topography (1300 ft above sea level!). For something about half as steep as the Sheridan hill they have signs that tell you to use a lower gear, like Dead Indian. Interesting. In summary, the UP is great, would really not mind living there. (tons of places for sale; NICE old places. Like my great uncle's, which they unfortunately sold when he got dementia and had to move to the south of MI) People just can't get out of there fast enough. I love mining towns. So, Bys Kernow, and all that. Next post will probably be more coherent.

if you want to see pictures, you can check my webshots.com account; marissas23. May put up some pictures within the next few days.

Sat Jul 16, 2005

of chocolate and drumsticks

so I saw Charlie and the Chocloate Factory last night... it was awesome; all of the cool stuff of the old one (and Depp didn't try to be Gene Wilder either, which was great), plus Tim Burton threw in his father/son relationship stuff, which worked (I don't know if that was something Dahl wrote about; I haven't read the book in years).

Also spent some time with Mike; he's a great kid. He started telling me all this stuff about former relationships again for some reason. I listen, of course, I just don't get why he's telling me these things. We got caught up on Strong Bad emails too, though, which was fun.

Driving back, I satisfied a craving for a Drumstick (the ice cream kind), after passing several Marathon stations (yeah, I don't need to support those bastards... laid off my pa and stuff). So it was a great night, all in all. Toying with the idea of driving up to the Keewenaw tomorrow (that funny little piece of Michigan that reaches up to Ontario), see where my grandpa's from, grab a pastie, etc.

[2] comments (417 views)

Wed Jul 13, 2005

movies...

alright, I just watched Prozac Nation, and it really disturbed me... I hate movies like that. Why do people make them? Yeah, it made me think a little, but also seemed like stuff that has already been beaten into the ground much more effectively through avenues besides condescending films.

On the other hand, I saw Fantastic 4 on Sunday, and actually enjoyed it quite a lot... it looked really terrible, but it was alright because they realized that they were making a movie based on a comic book...

On to things that actually matter; I'm getting restless here because I don't know when I'm leaving yet... trying to make plans, but without a date, that's pretty impossible. Professor coming tomorrow, so hopefully I can know then. Can't wait to get back to Cody (hopefully with at least one "i've never been west of the Mississippi" kid) and do a lot of very little, I guess. Actually, I really want to go back to school. Ack. I'm really feeling weird tonight. Usually I don't feel like I care much about anything either way.

Tue Jul 05, 2005

if you don't have to waste time with your family, go bother someone else's

yeah, so I went over to Asher's great aunt's for the fourth. Asher is this interesting guy from school, who really wanted someone to come over when I was in Beloit last weekend. He found out I would be up here, and I told him I would come. (Joanna went from being all "yeah, you should come over and hang with my cousins" last month to being really hesitant and "I'm gonna be with my family..." I totally understand, but it kind of confused me, even hurt my feelings a bit. I called her house on Friday, when I knew she'd be in Green Bay; I felt like I was being too persistent/inviting myself/etc. but she was cool and we talked for a bit about junk.) I was a little hesitant to go over to Asher's, for various reasons, but I really had a great time. His family was extremely cool about my just showing up more or less unannounced. And all of his second cousins are military, so they know how to blow shit up. They were mostly just shooting off conventional stuff, but it was still fine. If I would have stayed it would have been better... plus, it is Wisconsin, we were on this completely populated lake, and trees don't like road flares. Plus, everything is illegal.

The forth was cool too, watched some movies, went to someone's house for a bit... yay for drunk Northwoods kids. Like certain Cody people, but with a fun accent.

Wed Jun 29, 2005

i played with a laser today... what did you do?

yeah, besides doing the New Age health spa thing, I'm also learning about concrete. We used a laser level today. Been pretty busy last couple of days.

Beloit was cool; went to Cub Foods, watched Oh Brother, Where Art Thou and hung out with the Russian teachers (who made me play my bassoon for them...). Joanna's room mate for CLS is pretty chill, she goes to Macalester. Knows her Russian literature.

Also went to Madison, got a bit lost coming out though. Anyways, caught a cool used bookstore on State Street. Have to tell Laura about it.

Hanging out with Laura was good times too... I mentioned to her and Jojo that I'm looking for someone (or some people...) to drive home with me in August... if it's late August, Jo can go, if it's early August, Laura can. Logan might go too... but I haven't asked him about it. Maybe Jordana... So, there's my ideas for a road trip.

[2] comments (314 views)

Thu Jun 23, 2005

batman and beloit

well, i haven't put anything up for a few days... I went to see Batman Begins on Sunday; I enjoyed it, but it was hella long. The 7-theater movie place here is hilarious. They have this log cabin thing going on, and deer mounts and shit on the walls of the huge lobby area. They do have stadium seating, though. I was impressed; Rhinelander, like Cody, has about 8000 people. But there are a shitload of little towns around, so I guess that changes things a bit.
Get to go again tomorrow; Sarah also wants to see Bewitched.

Going to Beloit on Saturday, to hang with Joanna (studying Russian at the summer language institute we have) and Laura (working for admissions). I get to eat at the Russian table and be harassed to speak Russian by Olga (for non-Beloiters, the overbearing Russian Russian professor at Beloit). Plus capture the flag-- Russia vs. Japan, or Russia vs. Ukraine.

Sat Jun 18, 2005

white trash trailer bash

alright, so the Sarahs (who work here) invited me to Sarah (we'll call her Larry, because we really do that)'s brother's 21st birthday party. I also went with them Thursday night, which was Mike's official birthday. We went to a softball game, and then to the Northwestern, this seedy 50s looking bar... all the stereotypes about northern WI are totally true. They make a mean BBQ sandwich though. Ended up at a bonfire. So anyways, last night was a bonfire too. There was a kiddie pool full of cheap beer, but I didn't really partake... I realized my liscense wasn't in my car, plus the cops out here are kinda mean like that, and I don't really enjoy being drunk anyways. Fun times, though. I think I've hit it off fairly well with these guys. Prolly going to watch the new Batman movie with Mike and some folk tomorrow night.

Wed Jun 15, 2005

first post

alright, Eric never got around to using this blog, so I guess its mine now (thanks Russell!). I'm living at this health spa place in Rhinelander, WI (the center of the Northwoods...). It's cool so far. I get to eat real food, hang out and watch movies, and probably go to a few parties even (two of the four people living here are college-aged-- one just out of school and the other getting ready to go back). Today I just watched Love Actually, did the dishes, and some weeding...