The Perks of Being Poor

There are few advantages to making the pitiful excuse of a salary that I make.

But I've found one.

I qualify for affordable housing. I'm moving into a new apartment next week.

Affordable housing can mean the "projects" in larger cities. Not in Bozeman. These are nice, brand new apartments made for the people who have too many zeroes missing from their paychecks.

That's me.

The best news, I'm moving out of my current place. It's been a fine place to live but I'm really sick of having roommates. I want my own place.

Now I'm getting it. Woohoo!

Long time no blog

It's been a while. Sheesh.

Where do I begin? How about the President. In my last blog I wondered why everyone cared so much that the president said "shit." A co-worker of mine, Shawn, agreed and then said everyone should be focused on the disgusting way Bush was shoving food into his pie hole and talking with his mouth open. I agreed. He seemed like a bit of a slob.

I have a new co-anchor. She starts August 30th. There were 3 finalists for the job...including my current co-anchor, Beth, who had been filling in since Melissa left. I was rooting for Beth. She does a great job and I thought she deserved the position. The powers that be felt otherwise. I'm confident things will work out and I am excited to meet my new TV wife...but at the moment I feel for Beth and her disappointment.

I saw "An Inconvenient Truth." Excellent movie. I highly recommend it. Why did Al Gore have to become so cool AFTER the 2000 election. We could have used the coolness factor back then. Anyway, go see it. It's worth it.

The Olive Garden followed through on its promise to send me a gift card. A $10 one. I was surprised by the amount. I was expecting $5. Now if only they'd build a restaurant in Bozeman.

I suppose that's it for now. Adios.

The Sh_t Heard 'Round the World

So the president said "shit."

Big deal.

I am no fan of of President Bush, but I like him just a little bit more tonight.

Everybody swears. EVERYONE. I don't care how religious you are. I don't care how inappropriate you think swearing is. At the very least...when you are alone...you swear. You know it.

So our president is no different than us.

So let's attack Mr. Bush for every other stupid thing he's done...but not for the use of a four-letter word.

The Olive Garden's Response

Dear Lincoln:

We understand your disappointment with the removal of Chocolate Lasagna from our menu. We make decisions about our menu based on guest demand, along with an effort to keep our menu fresh and interesting. Guests help determine what remains on the menu by ordering those items, and conversely help determine what is eliminated from the menu by not ordering those food and beverage items. We regularly review the preferences of our menu items and make additions or deletions accordingly. Please be assured that we are interested in your comments and have documented your preference for Chocolate Lasagna for future consideration. In the meantime, in the hopes that you may find a new favorite, we are sending a complimentary gift card to try one of our other menu items.

Erich

Olive Garden Guest Relations

(I'm still somewhat unhappy but at least they responded to me. Plus I'm getting a free gift card. :) Now if only they'll build a restaurant in Bozeman so I can use it.)

The Waters of Madison County

I've been in Bozeman for almost 8 months now and I finally took part in a local tradition of sorts. I floated the Madison.

(Disclaimer: I have no idea who the people in the picture are. It's a random one I found in cyberspace.)

The Madison River begins in Yellowstone National Park and meanders for 133 miles before converging with the Gallatin and Jefferson rivers to form the mighty Missouri. There's a small whitewater section along its path but for the most part the Madison is a gentle, wide waterway.

Every weekend during the summer, hundreds and hundreds of people, (mostly from Bozeman) grab whatever flotation device and jump into the river. Coolers of beer get their own inner tubes.

A lazy day of floating down the river. It was awesome. I'll be doing much more of it I'm sure.

I'm also nursing a nasty sunburn. It's been a while since I've had one.

It hurts.

A Sad, Sad Day

I have devastating news.

The best dessert in the entire world has been discontinued. Olive Garden officials, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to stop selling the beloved Chocolate Lasagna. Is there even a reason to eat there anymore? (Not that I can that often anyway because in another brilliant business move...they have yet to build a restaurant in Bozeman).

Kathryn broke the news to me this afternoon. She, more than anyone, knows what Chocolate Lasagna means to me.

This news has so upset me that I even sent a message of complaint to The Olive Garden on their website. I don't do things like that. Even when I was a kid and my favorite microwave snack, Suddenly Smores, disappeared off the supermarket shelves, I didn't take the news this hard.

I encourage all of you to contact The Olive Garden and demand that they bring Chocolate Lasagna back to the masses.

Please. I beg of you. Help me in this important endeavor.

Roadkill #2

Ahhhhh.....Isn't he cute? Well, cute and dead that is.

I'm an animal lover. So don't think I'm just casually talking of Mr. Squirrel's death as if I don't care about him. I do.

But damn....these are some stupid, stupid animals.

They are Columbian Ground Squirrels for those who don't know. They look like prairie dogs. They act like prairie dogs. They are NOT prairie dogs. I promise. They are however, dumb.

I killed two (and watched a third one dying) on my way home from Glacier over the weekend. I've killed countless others in my four years spent in the Big Sky state. They just can't seem to learn that the roadway is a dangerous place. They'll trot out into my lane...and sit there. The imposing edifice of my Toyota Camry (I'm sure from the ground a Camry looks imposing) racing towards them doesn't seem to phase the little bastards. They will simply NOT MOVE. Don't they see the car coming? Are they just blind? Are the processes in their tiny little brains not working fast enough? I don't know. What I do know is they appear to be on suicide missions. They run into my lane and simply wait to die.

What's worse is that the rest of the Columbian Ground Squirrel family will quickly choose to devour their fallen comrade. It's disgusting. They in turn stand a great chance of also being run over. I've seen it happen. It was a little squirrel graveyard. A squirrel would die. Another would try to eat it. Said diner would also be hit and killed. It's a never-ending cycle.

They are dumb, but I feel bad for them. I've never intentionally hit one and I never would. They are fairly adorable. But come on guys...smarten up a little.

I also hit a bird again. I've started to feel less sorry for them. If you can FLY and you still end up being hit by a car, you aren't using that flying privilege to its full potential.