JByrdie's Nest

Energy

2008-12-22T14:35:00.002-07:00

"When we cling to past experiences we keep giving them energy ... and we do not have much energy to spare."

"Until we embrace our personal ability to shape our lives we will be like leaves caught in the wind."

--My iPhone's Ponder app.

Impermanence

2008-12-22T09:30:00.002-07:00

In an attempt to make myself blog more, I plan on posting some of my favorite quotes. At least maybe this will keep people from wanting my domain

"We should not complain about impermanence,
because without impermanence, nothing is possible."
--Buddist teachings

JUST SLOW DOWN!!

2008-11-12T08:43:00.002-07:00

Every morning I see people crossing the street when they shouldn't. You know the "do not cross" red hand is up and there is a green light for the cars. Invariably, the person crosses the street just as the people in the cars realize they have a green light, honking ensues, and everyone is stressed out. Except, usually, for the person who crossed the street. Either they pretend like nothing is going on or I've seen a few actually hit a car that's honking at them and cusses the person in the car out. Which always makes me think, don't you realize you were in the wrong? Maybe they do, maybe they don't. People make mistakes and think they have a walk signal not a do not cross signal sometimes, I suppose. And yes, the pedestrian is always supposed to have the right-away, but what about the people who KNOW they weren't supposed to cross? Do they feel guilty or just sneaky? Like they got away with something?

I think the root of this has to do with people always being in a hurry. Someone crosses the street when they're not supposed to because they're late to this or that. Or maybe they're not late - they just figure, why wait my turn when I don't have to? I almost get run over by other pedestrians daily, because I'm a slow walker. I can sometimes imagine what they're thinking. "Hurry up! Go faster! Get out of my way!"

And I'm guilty of this too. I've gotten right up on other walkers' shoulders before who were going slowly. I've been impatient. I've even crossed the street when the red hand was up (but only if I've checked a both ways to make sure there's not a car nearby.)

But usually when I'm all crazy and frenzied, I try to think, "Why am I in such a hurry?" Do I have a good reason? If not, what's wrong with slowing down a little bit? Taking in the scenery?

Why are people (especially in urban environments) always in such a hurry? It reminds me of when I was 16 and heard people talking about speeding vs. not speeding (it usually happened after one of us got a speeding ticket.) You speed one day and then you don't speed the other day. The day you speed, you only get there like five minutes before the day when you don't speed. So you might be a little bit tardy, but is it that big of a deal? Not usually. You just say, I hit traffic, and I'm sorry I'm late. Then you leave five minutes earlier the next day.

So is it worth stressing yourself and everyone else out around you to get someplace a measly five minutes early? Is it worth possibly getting hit by a bus or getting in a car wreck?

Why do we humans rush so much? What in our psychology causes us to do that? Or is it simply societal pressure? If more emphasis was made on slowing down, would we have fewer accidents and less incidents of stress-related disease? How do we advocate for people to JUST SLOW DOWN?? If anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Obama Rally

2008-11-12T08:22:00.003-07:00

Now that I've posted those other albums, here's my Obama Rally photos. Taken Nov. 4, 2008, in Grant Park in Chicago.

Obama Rally

The rally was amazing. I've said it several times, and there were tons of descriptions of this on the news, but it was so great -- all kinds of people (black, white, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, young, old, etc.) -- and everyone was smiling. It really made me feel hopeful for the future.

Photos I haven't posted

2008-11-12T08:17:00.002-07:00

My mom reminded me that I never update my blog. Yes, it's true. That's why I've decided I have to start doing it again. So, here are some photos I've put up on Picasa that I haven't posted here on the 'Nest.

First, photos from this summer, including my trip to Colorado and Lollapalooza.

Colorado, Lollapalooza

Second, pictures I took at a Halloween Dogs Parade in my neighborhood. I took them with my iPhone, so some of them aren't the best.

Halloween dogs!!

2008-11-06T17:39:00.002-07:00

I'm so happy an adult is back in charge.

Fireworks

2008-07-06T18:08:00.001-06:00

Here are some pictures my brother took Thursday night at the big fireworks celebration in Chicago. The show was really awesome -- but it was freakin' freezing!!

White Sox game from May

2008-06-16T23:04:00.002-06:00

I meant to post these a long time ago. My friend Erin's aunt works for the White Sox. She's a very good person to know. The seats we got to this game were on the front row, right next to the Twins' dugout. It was awesome!!!

Is Google Making Us Stoopid?

2008-06-16T22:14:00.002-06:00

Atlantic Magazine poses an interesting question this issue. Is Google making us stupid?
I've often thought how different my life would be if I didn't have the internet close at hand. I use it to read the news, communicate, check my bank account, shop, find phone numbers, restaurant reviews, etc., etc. I don't really feel the need to remember anything because I can just quickly look up anything I need.

Ironically, the internet went down in my office this morning. I couldn't do anything! I had to call a money management firm and couldn't find its number. I didn't even know where to look -- we don't have phone books anymore! Basically, I sat around and waited for the internet to come back up. The Atlantic article argues (in part) that the internet has made it much more difficult for us to focus for long periods of time on a singular text. We want to jump around all the time. The Wikipedia of the brain, so to say. I definitely find myself having difficulty focusing on a long article (such as the Google article.) This isn't too far off what Neil Postman argued in Amusing Oursevles to Death.

Wrigley tour

2008-06-15T19:45:00.012-06:00

I went on a tour of Wrigley Field with the KU Alumni Association yesterday. It was really interesting. There's so much history at Wrigley. It's a rare thing to see. And the other great thing about Wrigley is that it's in the middle of a neighborhood, not surrounded by parking and highways. It just feels so accessible. A treat for sure!

The Cubs' locker room

Carlos Zambrano's locker

Going into the locker room

My friend Scott hanging out by Tom Glavine's locker

Look at how much stuff they have in the visitor's locker room bathroom!

In the press room

Kaitlin and Scott out on the field.

It's been some time

2008-06-13T15:10:00.004-06:00

So, I got an e-mail offering me $50 for this address since I hadn't updated it in eons. It could have been a scam, but I needed it to get my butt motivated to blog again! I was like, oh no dude, Jbyrdie's Nest is mine!! I stopped blogging for a long time because my old computer was moving so slow. But now that I have a new one and have actually settled down in a place to live, I'm out of excuses.

Well, very sad news today. Tim Russert died. I used to love watching Meet the Press. I kind of stopped for a while when I got disenchanted with politics but I always thought Tim was great. Of course the first thing that came to my mind when I heard the news was that his death was probably a heart attack and must have had something to do with the stress of the news business. One of my friends pointed out that it also probably had a lot to do with all the medium rare steaks! Everyone has stress in their jobs. It's just so important to let it not be all consuming. But at least Tim seemed to LOVE what he did. So, RIP, Tim Russert.

Ruby and Slash

2008-02-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

My brother's cats Slash and Ruby. Aren't they cute?

A mess.

2008-02-01T11:16:00.001-07:00

Chicago is a mess with the snow and all. I'm glad I take public transporation everywhere. Cars are stalling, swerving and ending up in ditches. But the Trib had this really cute picture of a dog today :-)

Move to Chicago

2007-07-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

I just moved to Chicago. So far, so good. I'm renting a condo in the South Loop. It's a pretty good location that's seen a lot of changes over the past few years. Chicago Magazine had some good stories on the area in June. I'm about four blocks east of Lake Michigan and the museum campus (see map.) Oh, and Soldier Field is super close, so maybe I can go see a game when it's not freezing!

Here are some pics of my new place:

The balcony.

The view from my balcony. You can kind of see the Lake (but it's kind of hard to see.)

Little Rock

2007-07-08T22:02:00.000-06:00

My friend Emily and I took a trip down south this weekend to Little Rock, Ark. We visited the Clinton Library and other notable places. Here are some pictures from the trip:
A Chihuly Christmas tree made for the Clintons during their time in the White House. The museum wouldn't allow flash photography, so some of my photos are kind of blurry.

There's an apartment at the top of the library where the Clintons stay when they're in Little Rock. The tour guide said Bill comes usually at least once a month. Who knew?

Das Capital.

Cotham's Mercantile. A run-down general store in Scott that happens to be famous for its fabulous food. I don't think I would have stopped if someone hadn't brought me. Yummy, yummy southern cookin'This is the back of Cotham's. The brick legs are the only things keeping the building from falling into a swamp. :-(

The Big Dam Bridge. The longest pedestrian-only bridge built for that purpose in North America.

Little Rock Central High School. This September will be the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock nine.

My new digs

2007-06-10T11:10:00.000-06:00

I'm staying at one of my parents' duplexes in Springfield while I try to decide what to do with the rest of my life. $700/month for a three bedroom, two bathroom place. Springfield is so cheap!!

My new 42" Sharp Aquos LCD. It's fabulous. I've been spending a lot of time staring at it.

The backyard.

Chi-town

2007-06-10T10:59:00.001-06:00

I went to Chicago last weekend to help my brother move apartments. Here's the view from his apartment--it's pretty awesome.

Slash!

The apartment--with a bunch of boxes

Mike and Shannon on the couch

Slash again!

Ruby--she can be kind of shy.

Ruby--could probably lose a little weight :-)

Utah/Colorado/Lawrence

2007-05-14T11:41:00.000-06:00

Driving across Utah from Vegas

In Colorado on I-70

Madinah and Dan outside the Air Force Academy Visitor's Center

Madinah and I in Colorado Springs

Madinah and Dan with the Air Force Academy Chapel in the background.

Inside the chapel. It was very modern--kind of seemed like I was inside a space ship.

The Chapel

New Life Church, where Ted Haggard was senior pastor before his downfall.

Pike's Peak (with a storm brewing around it.)

Fun in Lawrence! Heidi and her friends at the biker bar!

Anton with the jingling Ike!

Ike has all kinds of costumes.

Vegas

2007-05-14T11:04:00.000-06:00

Blueberry

Dubbes

John and I at Red Rocks

John with his dogs Dubbes and Blueberry. They were the cutest dogs ever!

I totally wanted to get this as my Hoover Dam souvenier. Who wouldn't want a ring-tailed cat plush toy?

Statute at Hoover Dam.

The Chihuly ceiling at the Bellagio

California, Day Two

2007-05-03T23:33:00.000-06:00

Does anyone know what this plant is? I think it looks like the plant from "Litte Shop of Horrors." Feed me Seymour!!!

Crossing the Golden Gate bridge.

California

2007-05-03T00:01:00.000-06:00

I kept humming the theme song from the O.C. today. Such a catchy tune. The California coast line is bee-a-ut-iful!!! I drove curvy Highway 1 for hours. I'm staying tonight in Petaluma, which is a little north of San Francisco.

Sunset as I was getting closer to San Francisco.

Pretty!

Who knew my high school had a pier named after it?

Aka: Highway 1

Look at the size of the lumberjack compared to the truck! At the Trees of Mystery place.

Can I PLEASE get my own gas?

2007-05-02T23:14:00.000-06:00

So, a really weird fact: You can't get your own gas in Oregon. A gas attendant comes up, takes your credit card, swipes it in the machine while you wait in the car or go into the convenience store. I was amused by this at first. The gas attendants were nice and it seemed like an "only in Oregon" type of thing. But it started to really anger me after a while. First of all, I just think it's weird. Second, why can't I get my own freakin' gas? I was getting ready to leave the state today. Figured gas would probably be cheaper in Oregon than California. I pull up to the station and get out -- like normal. I get my credit card out, ready to swipe it in the machine. "I'll be there in just a minute miss!" a rough voice yells. An old man is staring me down. OK, this is no longer cute. Why can't I get my own freaking gas? Turns out, it's against the law. It's also against the law in New Jersey, but I've never tried to get gas there. Strange. Very strange.

The beautiful Oregon coast.

Oregon sand dunes

Tillamook Cheese plant.

This was from when I left Washington state two days ago.

You can kind of see the bottom of Mt. St. Helens (darn clouds...)

Where are you from?

2007-04-29T00:08:00.000-06:00

Another big problem with not having a stable home I discovered this weekend: Customs. I was barraged (well, maybe not barraged, but asked) a bunch of questions crossing the border both ways. I’m not sure what I was expecting – something along the lines of me showing them my passport and them welcoming me to Canada/U.S. Yeah, didn’t go that way.
First question: Where do you live? Hmmm…that’s kind of complicated. I want to go with the simple answer, and since all of my paperwork says it, I say, “Missouri.”
What are you doing here? “I’m going on vacation.”
How long are you going to stay? “Probably two days.”
Probably? “Yes, two days.”
What are you doing up here, I mean, in this part of the country?
OK, I’m nervous by this point. What does he want? My whole life story? “I was in Olympia for four months working as a reporter covering the Legislature.”
He stopped asking questions after I said “reporter.”
On the way back to the U.S. (I took a ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles), I was questioned by three different officers. It was kind of crazy. First question: Where are you from? Ughhh…not THIS question again. I explain myself. One of the officers: “You’re traveling ALL by yourself?” Yep, is that strange or something? “Why did you go to Canada?” Uh, vacation. “Were you visiting a friend?” OK, I don’t see why she needed to know this, but if she finds it SOO unfathomable for a 20-something single female to travel ALL BY HERSELF—I tell her, I did see a friend. We had dinner. It was true, after all. “Well, OK, then.” I know she’s just doing her job, but customs officers make me very nervous. I don’t think I’ll be leaving the country again for a while.

Crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca Going into Port Angeles.

Gorgeous view from the Olympic National Park.

At Hurricane Ridge.

Pacific Ocean from the west side of the Olympic Peninsula.

Victoria: Pretty buildings and good pho

2007-04-28T23:23:00.000-06:00

I took the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo. The drive down to Victoria took a couple hours. When I decided to take that route instead of the more direct Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay, I thought it’d be a cool drive. Well, that would have been true if it hadn’t been RAINING!!! It’s April; I really need to quit my complaining. Victoria is a nice city. The downtown has a bunch of shops and the Empress Hotel and the Parliament buildings are beautiful. I had dinner James – a friend of Staci’s -- and his girlfriend Sheena. We went to a pho place, which is actually a healthy food that I’ve become quite the fan of.

Horseshoe Bay

The Empress hotel in Victoria, B.C.Parliament

Royal seal (I think?)

It says: "The Virtue of Prosperity is Temperance"

I can't seem to stay away from legislative buildings.

The rotunda.

Her majesty.

Her Majesty, part two.

Vancouver Rain

2007-04-26T17:39:00.000-06:00

So, it has rained the entire two days I spent in Vancouver, but I suppose that's normal for this time of year. I walked around downtown yesterday and spent some quality time in the Library---which takes up an entire city square!! I suppose that tells you something about the priorities of the place. I always find it so interesting listening to Canadians. They're chatting away and sound like Americans. And then there are the particular words that take you buy surprise -- about, out, PROcess. Anyway, Vancouver seems like a very cool city. I keep imagining how beautiful it's got to look like when the sun is out. And, note to self: Granville Island Pale Ale is muy bien. Loved all of Granville Island.

Granville Island has a big indoor farmers market on it. The market is not quite as big as Pike Place Market in Seattle, but still a very nice place to wander.

Pretty flowers by Canada Place. You can kind of see the convention center in the background.
Vancouver has the second largest Chinatown in North America the city tour said (I'm guessing it's No. 2 behind San Francisco, but don't quote me.)
A cool looking steam clock in Gastown.

Vancouver Art Gallery. The aquarium in Stanley Park. I didn't go in because the line was too long---lots of people wanting to get out of the rain, I guess. And lots of children running around and screaming makes me nervous.
Stanley Park.
Pretty flowers in Stanley Park.
The Stanley Park Pavilion. So, I kind of want a house that looks like that. In my dreams, right?
Vancouver is hosting the winter Olympics in 2010--the countdown is ON!

San Juan Islands

2007-04-25T22:10:00.000-06:00

It was kind of a rainy day, but it got better as the day went on. I was surprised by how many people live on the islands -- and the prices of the houses for sale! I'm sure people love living there, but I kind of question the development of these "natural crown jewels" of the United States. But I guess the building has been going on for a long time. Lopez Island is called the "friendly island" because everyone waves at passersby (if you know them or not.) The man working on the ferry boat told me that Lopez has a lot of "artsy people with alternative lifestyles, you know." I'm not really sure what that means, but he also told me that if you move there, you have to start waving at people. I got off at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Since I didn't take my car, that was one of the few places I could get to as a "walk-on." The huge semis coming out of the ferries kind of surprised me. But, how else do you get building materials to the islands? But with all the natural beauty of the islands, the huge diesel trucks looked out of place.

Beautiful sunset pictures on the way back to Anacortes from Friday Harbor.

The ferry coming into port at Friday Harbor.

On the ride to Friday Harbor, it was pretty cloudy and rainy.

Deception pass between Anacortes and Oak Harbor.

I took this from the bridge at the Deception Pass. All the cars driving by scared the crap out me though, so this is one of the few pictures I actually got around to taking on this side of the road. The two pictures above were taken from the other side of the road, which wasn't nearly as scary!

It will live on in infamy

2007-04-23T16:44:00.000-06:00

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Another cute photo from slog

2007-04-21T00:18:00.000-06:00

Hehehehehehe....

2007-04-19T19:19:00.000-06:00

I don't watch...

2007-04-10T00:04:00.000-06:00

Dora, the Explorer, but this clip from Saturday Night Live is still pretty hilarious.

Kitty Playing the Guitar

2007-03-22T21:04:00.000-06:00

From Slog:

More pictures

2007-03-19T23:37:00.000-06:00

So, I found a better way to post pictures. Here are some more for your viewing pleasure (or, maybe just mine):

A penguin in Seattle.

Mt. Rainier. A view from a neighborhood near my apartment.

War protesters with really big heads that came by the press house a couple weeks ago.

In Tacoma. I think this was a part of the art museum.

The Chihuly bridge in Tacoma. Dale Chihuly is a famous glass artist who lives there. He's actually "world renown." His stuff is beautiful.

The Chihuly bridge.

The office cat not looking happy.

At the Pacific Coast in Ocean Shores, Wash.

View of the Olympic Mountains from the Tolmie State Park in Lacey. (It's like five minutes from my apartment.)

View of Mt. Rainer from Tolmie State Park.

A cool looking tree stump in the Tolmie State Park.

The City of Roses

2007-03-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

I went to Portland today. It was great. It doesn't have one of those must-see landmarks (ie: the Space Needle in Seattle, the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the Arch in St. Louis.) But it is one of the most "livable" cities I've been to. It's got good public transportation, ample parking, open spaces and beautiful parks. I think it's going to be one of those cities I'll always love because the first time I went, it was a beautiful Saturday. Denver was that way. Anyway, here are some pictures I took:

So this game made me nervous...

2007-03-11T16:24:00.000-06:00

The Big 12 tournmanet championship game made me nervous, but it was a great win for KU!! And I see now that the Jayhawks are the No. 1 seed in the West, but are playing first round games in Chicago. So, how does that work? I would not think of Chicago as "West," but maybe they're changing the way they do things now.

Anyway, I'm excited about the tournament (even though I probably won't get to watch much of it because of the darn Legislature...) Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

This might turn into the "Friday Night Lights" blog

2007-03-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

So, even though I was working last night and couldn't watch it live, I was really bummed this morning to find out there was no Friday Night Lights last night. Since I know one of the loyal 'Nest readers is also a fan of this fabulous show (shout out to Heid) I think I will spend quite a bit of time writing of it's wonderfulness in future posts. Hopefully, if it doesn't get cancelled.

Which brings me to ... I stumbled across the Save Friday Night Lights site, and wanted to share it with the world. You know, I've never really cared about keeping a TV show around quite this much. I actually wrote an e-mail to NBC!! (Which I'm sure will carry oh so much weight.) I guess I just think there's so much crap out there, that worthy television (even if it doesn't get high ratings) should stick around. I really think this show would get higher ratings if NBC wasn't stupid, putting it up against "American Idol." I mean, come on, Kyle Chandler (the coach) is smokin'!!! And all the players aren't bad either :-)

This is a great show. If you're not watching -- and you have the time -- or, even if you don't have the time -- you should start watching. All the episodes are available to watch for free even!!! Come on, how much easier is that?

So I think I've heard this...

2007-03-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

So, this is how Missouri became known as the "Show-Me State":

From the Missouri Secretary of State Web site:
The most widely known legend attributes the phrase to Missouri's U.S. Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver, who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1897 to 1903. While a member of the U.S. House Committee on Naval Affairs, Vandiver attended an 1899 naval banquet in Philadelphia. In a speech there, he declared, "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." Regardless of whether Vandiver coined the phrase, it is certain that his speech helped to popularize the saying.

BIG 12 CHAMPS!!!!

2007-03-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

WHOO-HOO!!!! I'd like a little more ROCK with my CHALK!!!

The office cat!

2007-03-02T23:37:00.000-07:00

He goes by many names. "Copycat," "editor," "the lobbyist," and "dog" are just some. But he makes our day in the press house much happier with his presence!! Photos by John Frosh (not me!)

Love me some Jayhawks

2007-03-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

So, I don't live in Lawrence any more, so I'm not quite as plugged into Jayhawk men's basketball happenings as I used to be, but after watching a few recent games, I must say -- love, love, love KU this year!!! I'm uber-excited about watching them play Texas on Saturday (even though it'll be 9 a.m. out here--yikes!!) And, I have all kinds of final four dreams. I wish I was around more people who could appreciate the awesomeness of KU basketball!!!

Will Smith at the Oscars

2007-02-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

To paraphrase:
All of these American movies have one thing in common: They have nothing in common. They're all distinctive, like the people in this country. We may not all agree on things, but we damn sure make sure we're heard...

or something like that...thought it was a good line.

I have a crush on...

2007-02-22T21:36:00.000-07:00

...the TV show "Friday Night Lights."
I downloaded the free pilot off itunes this weekend (to test my new video ipod with) and became slightly obssessed. It's really good!! I did some googling, and found that it's been a critical success, but the ratings haven't been very good.

Some fans have started sending care packages to NBC. I don't really want to go that far, but I would definitely sign some kind of a petition. Keep good television!!!

So at least there are some other people who are spreading the word. A McClatchy writer wrote a column urging people to watch. Time also had a story about it.

Please NBC, keep Friday Night Lights!!!

"Things sort of happened"

2007-02-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Great quote from the NY Times article on the new president of Harvard, Drew Gilpin Faust:

“One of the things that I think characterizes my generation — that characterizes me, anyway, and others of my generation — is that I’ve always been surprised by how my life turned out... I’ve always done more than I ever thought I would. Becoming a professor — I never would have imagined that. Writing books — I never would have imagined that. Getting a Ph.D. — I’m not sure I would even have imagined that. I’ve lived my life a step at a time. Things sort of happened.”

Pictures from Seattle/Port Townsend/Port Angeles

2007-02-01T22:04:00.000-07:00

Light house in Port Townsend.
Mt. Baker across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles.
The pizza cutter at the Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle.

Olympic Sculpture Park.

New pics

2007-01-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some new pics I've collected lately, but haven't gotten around to posting...
These aren't great because the weather has been bad. But hopefully I'll have some better ones eventually.

Stadium High School in Tacoma (featured in the movie "10 Things I Hate About You")

Seattle!

2006-11-19T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone. I'm moving to Seattle in January. Whoo-hoo!! Sushi, coffee, technology, yeah!! I'm excited. (For full disclosue--Staci--I stole this picture. But the photog's copyright and name are at the bottom, so hopefully I'm OK on this.) If anyone has any Seattle contacts they'd like to pass on, I'd be very, very grateful to have 'em!

Checks.

2006-10-11T18:48:00.000-06:00

Why do people still use checks? I'm sure there are reasons out there, but I just can't think of them. Debit card and credit cards are so much faster! And you can see all the movement on your account on the Internet.

Last night I went to the grocery store and got in the WRONG LINE (if you know what I'm saying.) It didn't look like the lady had too much stuff, so I started unloading my groceries on the belt thingey. The cashier looked like he was in high school -- he'll probably end up a drama major. He had a comment about EVERY item she bought (not kidding.) And, of course, this slowed him down significantly. Then the lady had coupons he struggled with. Had to call a manager. Finally, a total!!! Yes! Then, the lady pulls out her checkbook and proceeds to write VERY slowly. Oh, he didn't use one of the coupons! OH NO!! The lady had already started writing 71 and she now had to change it to 68. The travesty. She wrote a new check. Finally, it was over and the cashier started to check me out. I think the look on my face gave him the idea I didn't want any commentary.

OK, OK--not too bad. But then, today at lunch, I got stuck behind another person writing a check. She had her checkbook out, so I looked to get in another line. The line next to where I was standing didn't look too busy. I checked it out. Another lady writing a check!! Jeez!!! Why? Why? Why??????

A sampling of bumper stickers...

2006-09-26T18:44:00.000-06:00

I was out walking around today (had the day off) and decided to take some pictures of bumper stickers on cars around my neighborhood. I thought you might find some of them entertaining (and they said Montana was conservative...disclaimer, I am in Helena, home of state government, aging hippies and health food nuts.)

Proof of snow

2006-09-25T19:59:00.000-06:00

OK, here it is. I finally went out and took a picture of the mountains south of Helena. Proof of snow. It's actually been really nice this week, so most of the snow has melted. But a couple of weeks ago it was everywhere. I have to drive back and forth between Butte this week to cover a meeting, so I really have my fingers crossed that a blizzard doesn't decide to pop up. I don't have "chains" or “studs” for my car tires yet. I'm kind of wondering if I even need them. I guess I'll need to figure that out soon.

Watching the New Orleans-Atlanta game on Monday Night football now. Somebody (hint, hint--not me) needs to do a study on this. The role of football/the Saints/Superdome in the recovery of New Orleans. Sports and society is such an interesting topic (yes, I know, I'm still talking about it even after my disastrous thesis experience.) I just keep hearing all kinds of interesting things that I think would make a good paper.

Cake.

2006-09-20T17:43:00.000-06:00

Wow. That's the most comments I've ever had on a blog entry, I think. And it was about cake. So I'm thinking about making that the focus of my blog. Maybe I should change the name. "JByrdie's Nest o' Cakes" has a nice ring to it.

I went out and bought a cake last night. It was all about research, of course. I had to figure out how they make all those flowers. On the cake was this sticker. I put it up because it reminds me of a funny KU story. Lisa got up in front of 500 freshman and sophomores and told them one of her biggest pet peeves was the word "moist." So, of course, the kids tried to work "moist" into all of their papers during the semester. I don't really get it. Moist doesn't seem like too bad of a word to me.

Most of the snow has melted here and I was too lazy to go take a picture earlier. So sorry. But don't worry, I'm sure I'll see plenty more and will eventually get a picture up.

Here are some of my favorite cake-gazing links, for your pleasure:

Cakes by Sam
Cake diva
Mike's Amazing Cakes
Colette's Cakes

Yes, it snowed

2006-09-17T22:37:00.000-06:00

I'll put up a picture of the snow-capped mountain peaks tomorrow. It's actually quite pretty. None of the snow stuck in the valley though. But it has been in the 50's. Kind of weird for September... I think it's supposed to snow later this week too.

I went to Missoula today. That place is awesome. So pretty. The college-town vibe reminded me of Lawrence, which was great. Had some sushi too, which was great. I haven't had sushi since I was in Chicago in June. Yum, yum.

I have a new favorite show: Ace of Cakes on the Food Network.

I love the cakes these people make. It really makes me want to go to culinary school and become a professional cake decorator. That would be AWESOME (mind you, I've never actually decorated a cake before...oh well, details.)

For more awesome cakes to look at, go here.

It snowed here today

2006-09-16T20:15:00.000-06:00

But this isn't a picture of that. It was too cold outside to do that...
This is a picture I took coming back from Great Falls. It's a lonely looking tree, don't you think?

I kept meaning to update my blog, but I'd go to and see Rocky and think 'I don't need to update, Rocky is so cute!' Anyway, I figured the first snow fall was a reason to blog. Not much to say here, actually. I just wanted to change things up.

The Real Rocky.

2006-08-14T21:15:00.000-06:00

I got Rocky to sit still for his portrait today. Isn't he adorable?

Whickedy Whack for the Soul

2006-08-14T20:17:00.000-06:00

Here's a little quiz Y tagged me for:

2 moments in your life you'd like to erase:
1. Falling during the Wyoming State of the State address in front of Iraq war veterans.
2. I'm sure there are many, many more. I just try really hard to block moments like that out and now I can't remember any.

4 moments you'd like to relive:
1. MU-KU football game my first year of grad school. It was awesome.
2. Hanging out with Emily, Shannon, Ia, Cassandra and Luke at SMS.
3. Going to the White House press room.
4. Partying with friends in Kansas.

2 places you wouldn't go to/go to again:
1. The transient motel I stayed at in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Actually all of Cheyenne, Wyoming, period.
2. Lambert's in Ozark. My stomach would be upset for days.

4 places you can't wait to visit/visit again:
1. London. I've got to spend more time in the British Museum and Westminster Abbey.
2. The Louvre. Each time I went the line was too long to get in.
3. Aruba. Hopefully I won't get abducted.
4. Lawrence. Rock Chalk!!!

2 foods you can't stand:
1. This is a hard one. I basically like everything. Funnel cakes (they're so sugary they give me headaches.)
2. Dark meat chicken. Uck.

4 foods you love:
1. Strawberries.
2. Indian food. Any of it.
3. Andy's frozen custard
4. Seafood (salmon, shrimp and crab are at the top of the list)

2 songs that make you change the station:
1."Honky Tonk Badonkadonk." Yes, I'm in the country now.
2. "Shake your bon bon"

4 songs you play over and over:
1. "I Like the Way" by Bodyrockers. It makes me want to dance.
2. "Ruby Blue" by Roisin Murphy.
3. "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. Also makes me want to dance.
4. "When the Stars go Blue" by Tim McGraw.

2 books you'd never finish/read again:
1. Most of the books I had to read for grad school. That's more than 2.
2.

4 books you have read more than once, and/or will read again:
1. Pride and Prejudice.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird.
3. Catch 22.
4. America the book. Hilarious.

I'm supposed to tag someone: Staci...now that you're done at KU I know you have the time for this!!!

PUG FEST!!!

2006-08-12T14:41:00.000-06:00

I went to the first annual Helena Pug Fest today. Pugs are so freaking cute. And they really seem like good dogs. There were probably 50 or so pugs at the fest and I only heard a few of them bark. I think they're starting a "pug club" here. How cool is that? Even though this is a small town, they do some interesting stuff.

I've kind of been obsessing about dogs lately. I think with moving around so much I need a friend and the idea of coming home to someone always happy to see me would be awesome!!! But I'm very reluctant to get one because I don't want to be one of those bad dog owners who doesn't have time to take care of their pet. Dogs are a huge responsibility (almost like children) and I don't think I can handle that yet. But once I do decide to break down and get one, pugs will definitely be on my list now!!!

More pics!!!

Rocky.

2006-08-03T21:15:00.000-06:00

My landlords have the most adorable bernese mountain dog named Rocky. He's HUGE!!! This isn't a picture of him -- I never seem to have my camera when he's outside -- but this gives you a good idea. He's just the sweetest, most calm, wonderful dog. And he used to be a show dog, so he's so well behaved and shiney. I want to get a dog, but I'm not sure if I can take care of one. But, oh how I love Rocky.

Heat Wave

2006-08-02T12:50:00.000-06:00

You know what's awesome about a heat wave? Not being in it. It's in the 70's here. Just beautiful. :-)

They're/there/their

2006-08-02T11:58:00.000-06:00

I was just reading over some of my recent posts and noticed I've been having a lot of they're/there/their problems. Yikes!!! That was one of my biggest issues in high school writing classes. I thought I had them conquered, but it appears not. How embarrassing!!

One of my favorite pics...

2006-07-22T14:55:00.000-06:00

I took this in Australia last year. I kind of forgot about it until I was going through and deleting pics... It was such a beautiful scene.

My view!!

2006-07-22T14:44:00.000-06:00

This is the view from my apartment. Pretty, huh? I like the mountains and want to go climb Mount Helena, which is right behind my place (can't see it in this pic, sorry.) But it has been super hot here, so I think I'll wait until things cool down a bit. Being in an upstairs apartment with no a/c during 90 degree heat is no fun :-(

This place is definitely better than the transient hotel in Cheyenne. Much better. I know you all miss hearing stories about that place though :-)

Stop Signs.

2006-07-20T22:25:00.000-06:00

What is the deal about no stop signs in residential areas? I never really experienced that in Missouri or Kansas, but out west there everywhere. So you're traveling along and then another car is coming the other way and nobody knows what to do. I'm really impressed there haven't been more wrecks. It's very strange.

Social Capital

2006-07-19T23:30:00.000-06:00

To all you KU-ers oout there that read the “Nest,” I know we’ve all heard up to our eyeballs about social capital. Well, I’ve been thinking a lot about the subject lately. I have good news. Social capital does still exist. Not everyone is “bowling alone” in America. For example, people in Helena know their neighbors. They come over for dinner, they chat on walks. You really can’t be mean to anyone (i.e. flip someone off who cut you off) because you might work with that person. Or maybe it’s your neighbor’s sister. Living in a small town means you have to be more civil. In large cities, it’s easy to cut someone off, push them, slam a door in his/her face. The likelihood of seeing that person you did the bad deed to is very small. Of course, what goes around comes around, as they say.

But, yes, more people are out walking dogs and talking to people here than watching television or surfing the web. Or at least that is what appears to be happening. I thought that was some good news I’d share.

More pretty house photos

2006-07-15T13:18:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures of mansions. Once I find out some history on them, I'll share. Wildfires are getting pretty bad out here. There more near Billings, but still pretty scary.

Mansion District

2006-07-13T13:00:00.000-06:00

Helena was founded as a gold rush town. So there are just some amazing old mansions around here. I actually live in the "mansion district." I took a couple pictures while out on a walk the other day, but there are many, many more. I'll go out and take some more pics soon. I think some of these houses are just beautiful.

This is the view from my apartment. You can kind of see the mountains in the background. It's actually a pretty cool view. The photo doesn't do it justice.

WHO wants some spinach artichoke dip?

2006-07-13T12:42:00.000-06:00

This entry is a shout-out to my friend Heidi. While I was in Kansas City last month, Heidi and I went to eat at an Italian restaurant in the new mammoth shopping center by the Kansas Speedway. We ordered spinach artichoke dip and when the waiter brought it to us he held it up and said, "WHO wants some spinach-artichoke dip?" Like he wouldn't give it to us unless we said "Me! Me!" Heidi and I just kind of stared at him. Uh, we do, since we ordered it and all...

He kept doing it throughout the meal. WHO wants some ice tea? WHO wants some bread? WHO wants some Diet Coke? Heidi and I were absolutely cracking up about it. I think the dude overheard us making fun of him and gave us the evil eye. But, come on, we're not five-year-olds. Oh, it was hilarious.

In Helena

2006-07-07T18:53:00.000-06:00

I made it to Helena last week, but haven't been able to post because Bresnan is taking FOREVER to connect cable/internet at my place. Good thing Helena has a couple cool coffee shops with wireless. Without them and work, I would feel completely shut off from the world!

Helena is nice. It's surrounded by mountains and has a nice little arts scene. I'll post some pictures once I get the internet up and conencted at my apartment.

North Carolina! Go on and raise up!!!

2006-06-15T15:21:00.000-06:00

I went last weekend to visit my friend Lisa in Raleigh, N.C. We toured Duke, UNC and took a nice trip to Wilmington to see the beach (and so I could see the hometown of my most favorite, favorite basketball player of all time -- even Dwayne Wade could not overtake him in my heart I don't think -- Michael Jordan.)

OK, quick thoughts.
*Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke's home court) is TINY!!! It reminded me of a high school gym. But I can imagine how loud and intimidating that place can get with screaming fans right on your back. It looks much bigger on TV, I suppose. They were having a high school graduation when we were there (see pic.)

*Duke is really just a small liberal arts college that has built up a prestigious name. The campus is quite small and kind of reminded me of Drury in Springfield. It does have a giant (and gorgeous) chapel in the middle of campus and medical and law schools though.

*UNC has a really nice campus and Chapel Hill is a neat place. But KU and Lawrence are still better :-)

*It's nice to be around southern hospitality. If someone runs into you in a store, they say "excuse me." Men let women eat first and open doors. It was a little weird for me...

*Sweet tea is yummy. But too much of it can just give you a headache.

*The Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area is much larger than I thought it would be (it's quite spread out and the population is just under a million.) I'm not sure why I thought it'd be smaller -- I guess I was just expecting small college towns or something. You don't think you're in an urban area most of the time because of all the trees that line the highways. But then you see some crazy driving and you remember you're in a place with a lot of people (some of which are absolutely NUTS and don't know how to drive.)

A few more photos

2006-06-15T14:35:00.000-06:00

I've been having some difficulty posting multiple photos. The text isn't wrapping properly. But here are a few more photos from my trip out west.

In Teton National Park.

At the Crazy Horse memorial in South Dakota (it's close to Mt. Rushmore.) Only a little bit of the actually memorial is finished on the mountain right now, but the statue in the front is what it's supposed to look like. They started the project more than 50 years ago, but haven't gotten too far yet.

At Grand Teton National Park.

Where Custer made his last stand.

Trip continued...

2006-06-05T22:01:00.000-06:00

I made it to Chicago today, which means I have enough bandwidth to finally post some more pics.
Old Faithful was cool, but not as tall as I thought it would be.

Mom and Dad at Devil's Tower in northeast Wyoming. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was shot at Devil's Tower. It's a natural formation and I don't think the picture does justice to how big and cool it is.

Teddy Roosevelt got gypped, I think. He's in the back of the sculpture and you don't notice him as much as the others. You can see George Washington from far away. He sticks out more than the others and his collars are included. None of the others have collars. I also thought it was funny that Lincoln had no ears. Did Borglum get tired? One thing about Mt. Rushmore I didn't know: The idea came about because a local leader wanted to bring tourists to the area. His first idea was a sculpture of western heroes, like Lewis and Clark, Buffalo Bill, etc. The idea that it came about to be a "tourist draw" kind of weakened it for me. Part of the town around the mountain reminded me of Branson.

They're partying it up in Hell

2006-06-04T21:36:00.000-06:00

6-6-06. Oh boy.

From Jackson, Wyo.

2006-05-28T19:16:00.000-06:00

More pics!
Even though it's been snowing and cold, Jackson has been awesome. The Tetons are breath taking. Literally. My breathing stopped when I first saw them (but then again, maybe that's the altitude...) My dad and I went on the Jackson Hole Tram, which is being retired at the end of this season, to the top of Rendevous Mountain today. We were about 10,000 feet up, I think. Most of the view was in the clouds, but you could see out in certain spots. I was a little woosey on the tram ride up, but it wasn't too bad. Jackson is definitely a touristy place, but the locals seem really eccentric and interesting. Houses are extremely expensive, but given the views, I can understand.

No Dick Cheney sightings (*sigh*) He's supposedly at his Jackson-area house for the weekend. No Secret Service sightings either. Maybe he and Lynn cut their trip back to Wyoming short. Good thing he ran Haliburton for awhile--I'm not sure how many politicians could afford to live here.

Da Vinci Code comments, etc.

2006-05-23T23:01:00.000-06:00

So I went and saw The Da Vinci Code. It was a couple days ago, but this is the first chance I’ve had to write about it. I liked it. I don’t know why all the critics seemed so turned off by it. It was slow in a couple places, but overall, I was entertained (but that doesn’t really take much these days.) It was fairly accurate to the book. There were a couple things that bothered me – like how Langdon was interrupted by police in the middle of his lecture at the beginning. In the book there was a good sequence of him sleeping at the Ritz and ignoring police calls. I liked that scene because it personalized him more. And I still don’t really like the casting of Tom Hanks as Langdon. He’s just not what I pictured Langdon would look like or act like. And, maybe my memory is just going, but I don’t remember the sequence about young Langdon falling down a well in the book. Maybe I just missed that part…

You know, the story is female empowering, I think. Maybe that’s why I liked it. Obviously it’s just fiction, but the idea of a vast conspiracy to oppress women for centuries doesn’t seem that far off base to me. It did happen, you know. Of course, I’m simplifying the story line severely.

Anywho. Good movie. Made a lot of money. It showed those critics and religious protesters what it was made of, eh?

This is my last week in Cheyenne. I’ve got to say, I’m quite happy to get out of here (you would have NEVER guessed that from my previous blog entries, right?) Getting out of the hotel will be the best part. I never realized how much I like having “my stuff.” My parents are coming on Friday and we’re going to take off for Jackson and Yellowstone on Saturday. It’s Memorial Day weekend, but I’m hoping there’s not TOO many people at the parks. I’m really excited to see the Grand Tetons and Old Faithful. I think this is the reward for coming out here – if I hadn’t come here, I probably never would have gone to see these cool places. Yes, I feel better now. After Yellowstone, we’re going to head up to Helena to do some apartment hunting. I hope I can find a good place. Since I’m going to be there a little longer than I was in Cheyenne, I’m hoping to avoid a hotel. I think I can probably get a short-term lease on an apartment, but we’ll have to see.

After Helena, I want to swing back around northeast Wyoming and go see Devil’s Tower (where Close Encounters of the Third Kind was shot.) I wanted to see it on my trip to Gillette, but the blizzard kind of ruined things. I’m also hoping we can swing over to South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore. That’s something I’ve always wanted to see and we won’t be too far away.

I think we’ll leave my car in Cheyenne, so after coming back I’m going to take off for Chicago. I may stop off in Lawrence because I really want to see some friends. Oh, I’m so excited about this road trip!!! It’s so great to get away. Only three more days left!

Isn't this an awesome picture?

2006-05-12T20:57:00.000-06:00

It was published in the Powell paper today. The photog has got to be brave getting that close to a grizzly. But the picture sure turned out cool.

I got another story on a national wire--this one went out on the financial wire and is about bentonite. It's intriguing stuff I tell you!!!

hotel... driving... me... INSANE!

2006-05-07T15:07:00.000-06:00

OK, this hotel I’m staying at is starting to drive me crazy. For the last few weeks, there’s consistently been a car parked in the fire lane, making it extremely difficult to get out of the driveway. It seems I have to Austin Powers my way out of a parking lot just about every day. In most places, when a car is blocking the driveway by parking in a designated fire lane, they’re towed. Right? Makes sense. But no, not here. It’s Wyoming—you can park anywhere and everywhere. We don’t need no stinkin’ parking rules. If there was a fire, a fire truck couldn’t get in. Which is starting to really concern me because everywhere I turn I see someone smoking. The people next door were doing it in their room, so the smoke was escaping underneath the door between our two rooms, totally stinking up my room (which, by the way, is supposed to be non-smoking.) Hello, people, wake up. Smoking is disgusting. And it kills people. I think I’d like it here a lot more if I wasn’t staying at this place... It’s really going to make me appreciate having “a home” in the future. Every time I come back from going someplace the old men painting the building are out on the balcony blasting music ... and staring at me like I’m a foreign creature. It’s really starting to freak me out. Shouldn't they be working? Only 19 days left!!!

Denver is super cool. Plus, Cinco de Mayo fun!!!

2006-05-06T20:37:00.000-06:00

I went to Denver today. It was sooooo cool (but, then again, I’ve been big city starved for awhile here…) I think I lucked out. I remembered hearing something on TV about how Denver has the world’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration. Since May 5 was Friday, I thought I’d missed it. But I guess they celebrate all weekend. So I kind of stumbled upon this giant Cinco de Mayo celebration. I had some wonderful Mexican food and a great opportunity to people watch. I didn’t see any “backlash” against the immigration boycotts that I’d been hearing about on TV. One thing I thought was interesting—the Navy had a HUGE presence at this thing. Giving out all kinds of free stuff, having Navy seals sky dive in, etc. Trying to recruit some not-exactly-legal residents possibly? That’s just my cynical mind at work, I guess.

For pics of the trip, go here.

Downtown Denver (especially the 16th street mall) is SO COOL. And what kind of surprised me was how clean it was. No trash, clean air, no graffiti, etc. The city provides free public transportation up and down the mall and all the buses are hybrids. No diesel stinking the place up-—which was really nice. The weather was really great, the shops were cool and the people were fairly nice. There are some really cool condos near Coors Field. That would be such a great place to live. Right close to baseball, restaurants, bars, shops and a 30 minute drive to the mountains – what more do you need? Too bad the Denver Post is buying out its employees right now. Ironically the Denver Post-Rocky Mountain News building (I think they're owned by the same company now) is right across the street from the state Capitol, which was where all the Cinco de Mayo celebrations were taking place. The newspapers have really nice, big buildings. One was at least 20 stories high, the other was probably around 12-15. They were doing construction on part. I'm guessing the newspapers rent out a big chunk of the space, but should they really be doing all this construction on an already really nice looking building when they can’t afford to pay their employees? I’m sure there's MUCH more that goes into that – but it kind of struck me.

My friend Madinah and Dan were thinking about moving to Denver. I don’t think they are going to now, but I definitely give it two thumbs up!!

Mountains

2006-04-30T19:17:00.000-06:00

I went to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park with my friend Jennifer today. It was gorgeous. We went hiking for a while and then it starting looking like rain so we turned around. Colorado is really beautiful. I can’t imagine what it would be look to live in Fort Collins, Loveland, Boulder or Denver and be so close. There are such great views. I guess people probably get used to it and don’t treasure it enough. They get busy with other things. But I thought it was super cool. I may try to make it back out there again before I leave. And to top of the trip, we stopped in Fort Collins for Indian food. Yum. It’s so sad Cheyenne doesn’t have an Indian food restaurant.

To see more pictures from the trip, go here.

I had two stories published this week that I was kind of proud of. They were both interesting to report and write. Both went out on the west wire (not the national wire,) but I liked them. One is about Michigan workers coming to Wyoming because the Michigan economy is not so hot. The other one I wrote Friday. It’s about an increase in fees to film in the national parks.

I just got back from walking down to the coffee shop down the street that has wireless. I thought it would be a faster place to upload my photos from today’s trip. It was closed, but as I was walking at least five people in cars stared at me. True, I was the only one walking. But this is a downtown area – made for walking. It’s always kind of bothered me in these mid-sized towns that if you go out to walk it means either your homeless or crazy. That’s how it was in Springfield. That’s how it was in certain parts of Lawrence. It’s just expected that you drive everywhere. That’s why we have an obesity problem in this country.

I’m excited. I think Grey’s Anatomy is new tonight!!! Yeah!

The Adams Family

2006-04-26T21:24:00.000-06:00

I went to Madinah and Dan’s wedding this weekend. It was so much fun!!! Kansas is so green. The ceremony was held at Spring Hill Suites and then the reception was at the Lawrence Arts Center. The arts center was such a cool place to have the reception. Madinah’s family is so cool. It was nice seeing them again. Dan’s family seemed super cool too. I love Lawrence. It’s one of those things you think about when you leave a place—how much you miss it. I love all the hip shops and the unusual people. College towns are the best.

More pics from the wedding here.

www.flickr.com

jennifercbyrd's Madinah and Dan's wedding photoset

Another one of my stories went on the “A” wire. Here's a link. It wasn’t picked up by as many sources as the Brokeback story, but still not bad. Pretty cool, actually.

So I went to Casper yesterday for a Wyoming Pipeline Authority meeting. The meeting was basically looking at why oil from the Rocky Mountain area is priced so much lower than the world price. They’re producing quite a bit of oil, but there’s not enough infrastructure to get it out. So after sitting through that extremely loooong meeting (full of white men--I only saw two women who were not reporters and no minorities,) I got in the car and listened to numerous public radio stories about high gas prices. It really seems like we have enough energy in this country—we just don’t know how to utilize it. There are so many possibilities – and things are starting to happen – but it’s not happening fast enough. Oh, and gas in Casper was only $2.55. Amazing. In Denver it’s over $3 a gallon. I know it’s a ton worse on the coasts.

Casper is fairly interesting. There’s a mountain range (or maybe they’re just large hills) directly to the south of town. The mountains were covered with snow and they were really pretty. And, of course, the drive was really nice. Not many people. Cool scenery. The only bad thing was all the construction. ;-(

Wide open spaces

2006-04-19T22:14:00.000-06:00

I went to Gillette, Wyo., and Belle Fourche, S.D. on Monday and Tuesday. You know, Wyoming has some pretty cool scenery. Especially on I-25 between Gillette and Douglas. I took this picture from my rental car, so it's not too great. But I think you get the idea. The drive back was pretty rough because of all the snow. I made the mistake of thinking I could cut off some time by going through the Black Hills. Wow, big error. The road was extremely curvy. I was going up and down mountains. Mind you, this was all during blizzard-like conditions. The snow was literally blowing sideways. With 60 mph gusts. A couple times I had no visibility and thought I was going to be engulfed in a white cloud. It was pretty scary. I hit Lead, S.D., and got out to ask someone if the road was going to continue being curvy. She took one look at my rental car and said, "turn around." I guess the road ahead was even worse, so I turned around and headed back to Gillette. Good move. That drive was much better -- even if it took longer.

During the trip I interviewed these guys who just moved to Wyoming from Michigan because the economy stinks in Michigan (with all the auto layoffs and such...) I kind of felt bad for them, but most of them actually seemed to have wanted to move to Wyoming. They had different reasons -- always wanted to go west, wanted to get away from people (especially the Flint guys), etc. That's got to be a pretty tough transition though. They tried to act all tough, but I could tell the younger guys were homesick. Just like me. You live in one state your entire life and then you pack it all up and move someplace completely new. You know, this may sound conceited, but I'm really glad I went to school and have a college degree. Doing the type of work those guys do -- laying pipe, construction, working in the coal mines -- really does not sound like much fun. But they're making a good living and taking care of themselves. It's all about survival, one guy said. How true that is.

Over the weekend I went back to Springfield for Easter. It was a really short trip. I flew out of Denver on Saturday and was back Sunday. Springfield was so green. You really do start to miss trees out here. My uncle showed my brother and I all the tornado damage to his house. It was pretty bad, but did not even compare to some of the other houses. One looked completely normal from the front, but the entire back had been ripped off. It was sad because these were new, big, beautiful houses -- dream homes really -- that were just torn to shreds.

On a lighter note, Mike and I went camera shopping on Saturday and I got a new Canon SD600 elph. My old camera has been starting to die and since I was taking the trip to Gillette on Monday, I figured a new camera might be a good thing to have. The AP has no photographers for the entire state of Wyoming. So I need to take my own. A story usually does much better if it has some graphical/multimedia elements. I like the new camera. It's super quick and takes pretty good pictures for a point and click. I'm excited because I'm going to get to use it at Madinah's wedding this weekend. I can't wait. It's going to be a blast. It's really weird because I went on their first date. It was kind of double date, but things didn't work out between me and the guy I went with. But now Madinah and Dan are getting married. Amazing.

Ryan Howard

2006-04-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

Ryan Howard, a guy I went to college with, is becoming a really well-known baseball player with the Philadelphia Phillies. I didn’t know him – I think I interviewed him once. But I definitely remember his name. This article, which was the lead story on ESPN.com the other day, totally took me by suprise. I wasn’t aware of it until reading this article, but he was named Rookie of the Year last year. Wow. Go fellow Bear!!!

I’m a little surprised nothing is going on with immigration in Wyoming. Hispanics are by far the largest minority in the state, but they’re still only at 6.4 percent. Of course, not all illegal immigrants are Hispanic or Latino, as Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez points out. I know there have been several protests in Colorado and I’m not surprised. I went down to Greeley this weekend and parts of it reminded me of Mexico. Lou Dobbs has been talking about immigration for at least the past two years. I remember writing a blog entry about him being completely OBSESSED with the topic. Well, he’s finally having his day now. He’s pretty much been on every CNN program during the past week—I’m getting a little sick of seeing him. It’s an important topic though. I think the only reason it’s coming up now however, sadly, is because of politics. It gives fuel to both the Republicans (keep them out, build a fence!!) and Democrats (come on now, that’s too extreme!!) This article about Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback interested me. It would be hard for him to come out too strongly against immigrants, given the many, many illegals work in rural Kansas. And the farmers and business owners want to keep them.

My friend Luke called me this weekend to make sure I was “doing OK.” He had been reading my blog and I guess might have been afraid I was suicidal or something. Things have been really negative on here lately, and I apologize. It seems the only way I can make myself feel better is to write about it. I was kind of surprised. I didn’t really think anyone was reading this, because no one comments. Blogs are really so narcissistic. I mean, really who cares about how many “saki bombs” my day was? I’m going to try to keep my Wyoming-hatin’ comments away from this blog now. It could be a lot worse—at least I’m a legal U.S. citizen. I have a lot to be thankful for.

MySpace.

2006-04-05T21:33:00.000-06:00

I discovered that a coffee shop downtown has wireless. And it’s good wireless. It doesn’t come and go like my hotel’s wireless (which is soooo slow.) So I proceeded to sit there for, like, three hours and finally figured out MySpace. I signed up a while ago, but never had time to write more stuff on there, find friends or change my background. Of course, now I’m obsessed. I stayed up late working on my profile and finding old friends. It’s kind of cool you can catch up with people you haven’t seen for years through these Internet sites. Seriously, how did people survive pre-Internet? I don’t think I could do my job very well without it. You know how journalists used to keep treasured rolodexes with the names and numbers of all their sources? Yeah, my Rolodex is Google.

Anywho, despite my new obsession with MySpace I think I’m going to keep blogging here. I like Jbyrdie’s Nest and I feel like we’ve got some good history together.

So I saw a car today that I decided I should write about. It was just a regular gold Honda accord – nice car, I must say J – but it had all these bumper stickers all over it. A red, white and blue ribbon with “Freedom isn’t free.” A “Keep Christ in Christmas” sticker. A “Pro-Life” sticker. A “W: The President” sticker. And so on … you get the drift. While these stickers no longer surprise me – I am aware of the fact that I’m no longer in liberal Lawrence but in reddest of all red Wyoming – I was just kind of taken aback by this vehicle. I mean, why so many stickers? Plus, pretty much everyone in this town agrees with his point of view. I guess he felt he had to make a statement. Of course, I’m assuming the driver was a “he.” When I drove by and tried to look in, the windows were tinted so much you couldn’t see a driver. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be known as the guy with all the conservative bumper stickers? It was just weird.

Click my heels...

2006-03-26T22:02:00.000-07:00

I went back to Kansas this weekend for my friend Madinah's bachelorette party. We had a blast!!! I miss those girls. It was hard to leave. It's always so great to see friends. Life is hard, friends get you through it.

The party didn't get too crazy ... no strippers unfortunately. :-( Come on, what's a bachelorette party without strippers? Madinah did get up on a table and danced, which was hilarious. The college boys started giving her dollar bills. Kinnard and I were so pissed we didn't have a camera to document it. I'm so happy for Dan and Madinah--it's great to see people happy together.

I got back to Wyoming not too long ago and have to go back to reality tomorrow. Ugh. Why can't life just be a constant party? That's what I want to know...

More pictures here!!!

Jenny Byrd: Eat. Drink. Be Lazy.

2006-03-18T23:39:00.000-07:00

Went to Boulder today with Staci and Bryan. It was a blast, but the drive back to Cheyenne was kind of rough. Will it ever stop snowing? Loved Lazy Dogs bar. I think I picked up a new life motto.

More photos here.

Dick. Cheney.

2006-02-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

A pic of Air Force 2. In other news, it's -16 degrees here right now. No kidding. It was a very, very, very frigid day. My fingers felt like ice cubes ready to break off. It was so cold, Dick Cheney's shot gun must have froze!!! Haha. OK, enough with the gun jokes...

I saw him get off and get back on the plane. That was about it. There weren't many people at the airport to great him because it was so darn cold. But it was an exciting day.

Hooker boots.

2006-02-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

I saw four women wearing hooker boots at the Capitol today. They're really not that bad. A lot of women wear them (you know, the black leather boots that come up to your knees). Maybe I should stop referring to them as "hooker boots." I don't have a pair. But I've heard they're warm. They're probably a good idea for out here since it's so freakin' cold!

Grammy's. Stories.

2006-02-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm disappointed Kanye didn't win best record. Come on, Boulevard of Broken Dreams has been out forever, right? Wasn't that song in last year's list? I guess not, but whatever.

Oh yeah, I've had some more stories published. None of them got the play my first story did (I think I was just luckly on that one,) but if you want to read them, here are some links:
UW license plates
State Rodeo
Governor
Legislator who blogs

Rock Chalk!!!

2006-02-05T14:08:00.000-07:00

KU beat Oklahoma today! It was an awesome game. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!!

Pics.

2006-02-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

I promised some pics! I couldn't quite get them up on this blog (my connection is too slow). I did make a "Wyoming" album here.

Creepy People.

2006-01-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

This hotel is full of some pretty creepy people. Around the corner is a room full of Indian guys who always have their door open when I walk by. Usually there’s one of them smoking outside, putting his ashes into a plastic cup. It’s kind of weird.

The other night someone started blasting Metallica at 2 a.m. I thought about getting up but decided to just fall back asleep. I haven't had this much fun since the dorms. My room's kind of ghetto. The thermostat doesn’t work so I have to manually turn the heat on and off. The shower curtain WILL NOT stay in the right place when I take a shower. Oh, it’s annoying.

OK, enough ranting. Things are really not too bad. And when I get really pissed, I just think “it’s only three months, it’s only three months…”

In other news, Smallville was really good tonight. I had to call my Smallville-buddy (you know who you are!) and discuss. I was really sad Jonathan Kent died, but it was kind of predicatable. We knew he was having heart problems. There were all kinds of foreshadowing hints lately. I wasn’t really surprised Lana died at the beginning, considering Clark told here everything about him. But I didn’t think she’d stay dead long…she’s too big of a character. OK, I’m a dork who has parasocial relationships. But I’m in Wyoming people!!! TV is all I have!!!!

Military.

2006-01-25T21:40:00.000-07:00

I’m guessing on this, but I think nearly half of all the people in Cheyenne are somehow connected to the military. I see Department of Defense stickers everywhere. Camouflage, uniforms and “support the troops” signs are everywhere. There is a large Air Force base, which explains this presence. But I don’t think I’ve lived anywhere with such a large military presence before. If the base left, this town would come close to dying, I think.

The girl at the bank who helped me set up a checking account—her husband is in the military. The girl who helped me at Wal-Mart (more on that later)—her husband is in Iraq. The girl at the gym—yep, husband is military. Most of these women are younger than me. Meeting these people really makes the Iraq war seem more real. I’ve been in a bubble most of my life with very little contact with people in the military. They’re all nice and I almost feel sorry for them. Many of them are far away from home and would not be here if it weren’t for the military.

Oh yes, Wal-Mart. It’s weird living in a town with a SuperCenter again. It’s basically the only place to shop. After living in Lawrence for 2 1/2 years I became accustomed to SuperTarget and shopping at many non-chain stores. SuperCenters are in a class by themselves. They’re just simply HUGE! And there’s stuff everywhere. The new thing (compared to when I used to go them in Springfield) is that you can order McDonald’s at the checkout line. Hello, obesity! There are some pluses to SuperCenters. The main one is that you can get everything you possibly could ever want for a cheap price. But the amount of stuff also makes them severely annoying. I walked up and down a million aisles this evening trying to find forks. And the people with “the May I help you” on the back of their jackets really aren’t that helpful. Maybe it’s because they’re not getting their healthcare paid, being sexually harassed and being forced to stay after their shifts are over. I guess that’s the “liberal” coming out in me.

I’ve been listening to Fox News. I don’t really know why. I guess it's because I think it’s important to listen to what everyone has to say. Oh, yeah, also because I'm in a REALLY red state and it's on a bunch of the radio stations and always on TV when I'm going around and about. Bill O’Reilly was talking about journalism schools this morning. He basically called them places for liberal indoctrination. His main argument was that when you ask a journalism student what they want to do, they answer, “I want to change the world.” Well, that’s not your job, Mr. O’Reilly says. I don’t think journalists can necessarily change the world, but you definitely have to have some kind of drive. It’s not an easy profession. You’re going to get yelled at from a variety of different angles. You’ve got to have tough skin. Oh, and you don’t get paid very much. So something’s go to motivate you. I think at first it is that desire to really be involved in what’s going on in the world. Is that really such a bad thing? Should journalists just be completely apathetic? If Mr. O’Reilly considers himself a journalist, isn’t what he’s doing is “trying to change the world”? He would never admit to that. Just say that he’s being “fair and balanced” and telling the truth. But anyone with half a brain can tell O’Reilly is also trying to change the world.

In other news, I think I may have pink eye. It’s that or my allergies are severely acting up. My left eye feels like it has glass in it. I keep picking at it, which is just making it more red and puffy. I went and got some eye drops tonight (found those relatively easy at Wally World), so hopefully they’ll help.

10 minutes or less

2006-01-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

The nicest thing about Cheyenne is that you can get pretty much everywhere in 10 minutes or less. The roads are good and I haven't been stuck in a traffic jam once! This least-populated state in the country thing definitely has some advantages.

Trucks

2006-01-22T19:40:00.000-07:00

This town is full of trucks. A lot of big, loud trucks. I thought there were a lot of trucks in Springfield, but it doesn't really compare. It's especially annoying when they drive up and down the street outside my hotel. Jeez...shut up people!!!

Made it!!!

2006-01-20T17:56:00.000-07:00

After a nice snowstorm and eight hours of driving (at least) I finally made it to Wyoming. I took off from Topeka at 7:45 a.m. and arrived around 5 p.m. (CST). As soon as I made it to Colorado the weather cleared, which made the drive much easier. As I approached the Rockies, the scenery was beautiful. There was a light dusting of snow and I kind of felt like I was in one of those Coors beer commercials. I just kept imagining Pete Coors sitting in a rocking chair on the side of the road.

The toll road around Denver was weird. I had to stop three times to pay $2 (definitely higher tolls than Kansas). Couldn't they just ask for $6 at the end? Oh well. Above is a picture of the semi-seedy hotel I'm staying at. Really, it's not too bad. The wireless Internet, cable and heat work--so I'm happy. Plus, the bed is comfy. I haven't taken a shower yet though...

Everyone has been (in the words of Sam Alito) "super-duper" nice so far. I'm excited to look around some more tomorrow and Sunday before starting work Monday. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Happy 2006!!!

2006-01-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

2005 hasn't been a great year. It started with a devastating tsunami, several people died in the London bombings, hurricanes killed hundreds and shamed the entire nation. Problems in Iraq worsened. On a personal level, I left Washington D.C.--a place I love--at the end of 2004 and have spent 2005 mainly in Kansas. I ran into several problems trying to finish up grad school and had a couple mental break downs. But I'm confident 2006 is going to be better. As I sit surrounded by boxes in my apartment, all I can think of are all the great people I've met in the past 2 1/2 years. I'm going to miss my friends in Kansas (I'm getting ready to move to Wyoming.) And I've come to this grand life conclusion: No matter where you are or what you're doing, it's the people who matter. I'm so grateful for everyone in my life. No matter how bad or good things get, we (as human beings) have to remember to always look out for each other. Kindness is what matters.

I love puppies

2005-11-18T00:41:00.000-07:00

Aren't these little guys cute? They're from a NYTimes story about dog products.

Kansas is not crazy...

2005-11-08T16:43:00.000-07:00

...But these people are.

They'll be voted out soon and then we'll go back to the old standards. It's just this stupid back-and-forth that makes the state look moronic.

People in Lawrence don't seem to be like the rest of Kansas. At least the educated crowd are pissed off by this. That's good.

I love when this happens.

2005-11-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

Thesis in!

2005-11-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

I turned the final draft of my thesis in on Friday! I still have to go through the defense and I'm sure I'll have to make some changes, but it's still a great feeling. I think it turned out OK. I've lost a lot of the excitement I first had for the project, but hopefully I did well enough to get the heck out of here!!

Yeah!!!!

Scalito

2005-10-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a chance to read everything about Alito, but I am really disappointed Bush nominated another white man. How disappointing. And, of course, he's Princeton/Yale. What an old boys club. How annoying it is to us who are "out of the club."

I think I would have been happier with a more conservative woman or minority. Maybe that's superficial and wrong, but that's the way I feel.

"We have lost hope"

2005-10-25T21:09:00.000-06:00

I'm watching C-SPAN and David Gergen is chairing a panel on "Leadership in America." It's based on research done by U.S. News and World Reports. Howard Schultz, the chairman of Starbucks, just said the "chasm" between the haves and have-nots is so large in this country that most of the have nots "have lost hope." Jeff Canada mentioned that the government is spending $29,000 (I think a year, I could be wrong though...) to keep people in jail. But if he went and asked for $29,000 a year to help poor children, people looked at him like he's crazy. He cited a studying about how scientists used to drop rats in water to study their resiliency. Wanting to find what characteristics the rats that fought to survive had. His reaction was, "why are we dropping rats in water." That's the same thing we're doing with poor children. Dropping them in water and making it very hard for them to survive.

A lot of this panel echoed a lot of what Richard Harwood is looking at. The panel started by giving results of a survey that said most Americans do not trust leaders in general. It's scary. I don't think things are hopeless, but things need to change. But I guess this is what democracy is all about--discussing things and trying to make the world better.

Howard Schultz in interesting. He grew up very poor and is new chairman of one of the largest companies in the world. Read more about him here.

Naples Web site

2005-10-24T23:10:00.000-06:00

Rob Curley left the Lawrence Journal-World and has taken over at the Naples (Fla.) newspaper. I think the Hurricane Wilma coverage shows the willingness of the newspaper to move to convergence. I think this is the future of journalism. But, more importantly, it is just pretty cool to look at. I love well put together news Web sites. They make me happy.

This makes me furious

2005-10-20T16:58:00.000-06:00

According to this article, the only abortion clinic in my hometown, Springfield (Mo.), has shut down. This makes me very, very angry. I don't "endorse" abortions, but a woman should be able to get one if she so chooses. I just don't like people imposing their opinions on others this way. The doctors who perform them in Springfield are scared. And scaring doctors is just plain stupid.

The Right to Life guy said, "demand obviously is not enough for them to weather the storm." But the clinic did 1,500 procedures a year. I'd call that demand.

This type of thing is making it really easy for me to make the decision to never move home. I basically want to move as far from the Bible Belt as I possibly can. I can't believe it. What's wrong with these people? The last time I checked, abortion was still legal in this country.

You know, with education and birth control we probably wouldn't even need abortions. But these religious people are so nutty they don't support either of those options either. People are going to have sex. If they don't use birth control, the woman may get pregnant. The woman may not want to be pregnant. Nobody should decide what happens with that woman's body other than that woman. I don't like abortions. I would probably never have one. But they need to be an option. Now, the crazies in SW Missouri are going to require scared, young women to drive at least four hours to do something that is every bit their right. This is a bad topic. I don't usually like to write or talk about it. But this story made me mad.