I'm sure I'll look back on this post in November and laugh, but didn't somebody say it was supposed to be cold in SD? Seriously, it's mid-80s tonight; this is BS. I was trying to go the whole semester without using the AC. Sadly, the air's on tonight.
Other than that, we've acclimated pretty well to our furniture-less bungalow here in Vermillion. I'm writing up a storm, and Rachel is taking on her costume design and teaching job like a soccer mom at Macy's. Unfortunately, we've also been doing some damage on the credit front. Not having access to a local bank has really cramped the style of this budget-minded blogger. Without a debit or ATM card, I've been swiping the other kind of plastic for just about everything. We should be finalizing the bank account stuff this week, so hopefully all that is at an end, but for now, the net worth is definitely moving in the wrong direction. The diet's going well, and I'm starting to see some real progress there. Soon I'll be too sexy for my shorts.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Now we're in South Dakota
If you're following our trek across country, we've made it to South Dakota! Since the last post, we've traveled from Wisconsin, down to Gulf Shores, AL, up to Marbury, AL (the Rehome stomping grounds), and now we're in Vermillion, SD. On its surface, Vermillion reminds me of a quaint small town where everyone knows your name and your skeletons. People seem nice if not friendly, and Rachel is having a great time setting up her shop. I'm farting around fixing things in the new apartment and beginning work on my next great writing adventure (stay posted!). I'll be applying to MFA programs and submitting work for publication in the coming weeks. I'll keep on plugging, so keep your fingers crossed.
As for the purpose of this blog, I'm changing lanes a little bit. If you haven't noticed, the blog has lately drifted from its strict adherence to financial advice. Basically, I realized I didn't have enough advice to give. Also, it seemed kind of boring compared to what I want this blog to become. Instead, now we're just focusing on the way life is living close to the red line. I'll send up those numbers I promised in my first post and everyone out there can watch as we get closer (hopefully:)) to being worthless. I'm thinking of going more political with posts occasionally as well. Also health and what it means to leave a legacy. So many topics; so little time. Now aren't you glad I'm not sticking to money?
As for the purpose of this blog, I'm changing lanes a little bit. If you haven't noticed, the blog has lately drifted from its strict adherence to financial advice. Basically, I realized I didn't have enough advice to give. Also, it seemed kind of boring compared to what I want this blog to become. Instead, now we're just focusing on the way life is living close to the red line. I'll send up those numbers I promised in my first post and everyone out there can watch as we get closer (hopefully:)) to being worthless. I'm thinking of going more political with posts occasionally as well. Also health and what it means to leave a legacy. So many topics; so little time. Now aren't you glad I'm not sticking to money?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
We're in Wisconsin
Driving through the Wisconsin countryside, I can almost forgive my ancestors' shortsighted vision of a country of unlimited wealth and resources.
I've come to pick up Rachel in Spring Green, WI—where she is currently crafts artisan for the American Players Theatre—and will be trucking her back tomorrow to the land of sun and surf. Not having my wife has been pretty tough these three months. Thanks to anti-depressants, I've survived, but I'm glad to see that light rush through the tunnel. We've been pretty busy these past five days. I'm not much into reviewing movies, but I highly recommend Batman: The Dark Knight (as if I weren't the last man to see it) and Step Brothers. I can also recommend Arthur's Steakhouse for anyone who happens to be passing by Spring Green. Come on Friday; that's the steak buffet. And if you have both a river and your significant other nearby, grab a paddle and experience nature without the intermediary of a 52" flat-screen TV.
Being in Wisconsin reminds me of what life must have been like before my time. What life must have been like before computers, cell phones, giant construction projects, and endless highway repair. That is not to say that Wisconsin does not have these—there are Madison and Milwaukee after all—but Wisconsin still has those pleasant places where you can get away. There are entire regions without cell phone service; the area is more wide open than WIFI. Living in Alabama, I became accustomed to sparse populations of peasants trying their best to improvise a phone from a tin can. If a neighborhood had no streetlights, it is because it could not afford them. Wisconsin's backwoods are something different. There is a sense that Wisconsinites (or Wisonsonians or Wisonsinians) shun the big cities because they like to see the stars.
Before I left Alabama, I went with my father and mother to see Crosby, Stills, and Nash at the Wharf. While I enjoyed the concert—and I think Teach Your Children was a special moment for everyone—I was struck by the fleeting relevance of their message. CSN, like many boomers, decried war while gleefully spending war's spoils. How many protesters went to college on the GI bill? But more to the point: how can we denounce a war for oil (or resources in general) while pumping out ear-shattering decibels underneath a poorly orchestrated light show?
Spending the time in Wisconsin has proven to me that a return to those lost days of pre-Industrial life might not be as bad as it all seems, as long as we don't lose our heads. CSN, I solute your continued protests against this generation's Vietnam led by this generation's Nixon, but I believe it is time to listen to these quiet Wisconsonianites: it's time we start playing acoustic.
I've come to pick up Rachel in Spring Green, WI—where she is currently crafts artisan for the American Players Theatre—and will be trucking her back tomorrow to the land of sun and surf. Not having my wife has been pretty tough these three months. Thanks to anti-depressants, I've survived, but I'm glad to see that light rush through the tunnel. We've been pretty busy these past five days. I'm not much into reviewing movies, but I highly recommend Batman: The Dark Knight (as if I weren't the last man to see it) and Step Brothers. I can also recommend Arthur's Steakhouse for anyone who happens to be passing by Spring Green. Come on Friday; that's the steak buffet. And if you have both a river and your significant other nearby, grab a paddle and experience nature without the intermediary of a 52" flat-screen TV.
Being in Wisconsin reminds me of what life must have been like before my time. What life must have been like before computers, cell phones, giant construction projects, and endless highway repair. That is not to say that Wisconsin does not have these—there are Madison and Milwaukee after all—but Wisconsin still has those pleasant places where you can get away. There are entire regions without cell phone service; the area is more wide open than WIFI. Living in Alabama, I became accustomed to sparse populations of peasants trying their best to improvise a phone from a tin can. If a neighborhood had no streetlights, it is because it could not afford them. Wisconsin's backwoods are something different. There is a sense that Wisconsinites (or Wisonsonians or Wisonsinians) shun the big cities because they like to see the stars.
Before I left Alabama, I went with my father and mother to see Crosby, Stills, and Nash at the Wharf. While I enjoyed the concert—and I think Teach Your Children was a special moment for everyone—I was struck by the fleeting relevance of their message. CSN, like many boomers, decried war while gleefully spending war's spoils. How many protesters went to college on the GI bill? But more to the point: how can we denounce a war for oil (or resources in general) while pumping out ear-shattering decibels underneath a poorly orchestrated light show?
Spending the time in Wisconsin has proven to me that a return to those lost days of pre-Industrial life might not be as bad as it all seems, as long as we don't lose our heads. CSN, I solute your continued protests against this generation's Vietnam led by this generation's Nixon, but I believe it is time to listen to these quiet Wisconsonianites: it's time we start playing acoustic.
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