April 2010 Archives

ok, so today i was in at 6am, and i made awesome pancakes after doing a bunch of prep work.  tomorrow i am in at 5am.  I think it's friday today but, guess what, it doesn't matter what day it is, all i know is if i am working or not and it is awesome!!!! it's like everyday is saturday.  the only thing i have to keep track of is dates, for all of you back home--birthdays and such.  i hike after work almost everyday, weather permitting.

yesterday was event called "shakedown." i was stuck in west yellowstone for breakfast kitchen shakedown.  it's where you peractice your learned skills on other staff.  so i got to eat fancy dinner last night...BUT i have a sinus infection AGAIN and couldn't taste a darn thing.  john ordered me some tea, gave me some meds, roomie annaliese gave me some meds, so i felt a little better.  the employee pub had their shakedown too so we went over there to check it out. on the way maxine kitteh calls and plays MGMT's "kids" over the phone for me which malkes me smile (more than i already was smiling).  anyway, so we go to pub and have two and i have to go home because of early wake up time for job.  couldn't sleep at all because of my condition and dreamt i was late but i was indeed NOT late...no lateness.  no.  anyway, after work, i ate some lunch, tried to washy wash some clothes but it was all full.  so i took a nappy-poo as annaliese calls it.  then ate supper and went on a short hike with steve and alan to mid geyser basin on the way to which some of our co-workers were watching a wolf eat an elk...we couldnt find a good place to stop and watch, and it was also very far off...then we goes to visit the firehole lounge and see how our friends are doing on the floor and such.  the thai girls invited us to their dorm room tonight for a party.  so we are gonna do that after my clothes are done then have one at the pub THEN this kitteh has to go to bed by 930pm for early work tomorrow!!!

so, i felt like i had to downplay my fun in West Yellowstone yesterday when i got back to work just now.  everyone was asking, how was it, how was it?  oh, you know...we made it.  dude, we had a blast meeting local people, drinking local beer, we kept calling about the road conditions though, because we value our jobs. first off, it was CRAZY to be going apparently...we (brandon, bill, alan, and i) did not realize that, we figured it was fine.  I had to get tampons though, that was my reason for going to West.  after grocery store, i take the guys to the grizzly and wolf center where my friend bonnie yeager works.  i mentioned it in an earlier blog. after that, around 230pm or so is when we first figured out we had a problem getting back, but the ranger told us to check back shortly.  so we went to lunch and then i went and got my park entry sticker for the season and then checked the gate again...nope, no entry. so then we go to hegben lake/earthquake lake area and i nearly get frostbite from running around feet of snow in chacos.  so then we thaw out on ride back to gate where there is no ranger to talk to anymore just closed gates, red lights and road closed sign...SO we go to the stage coach inn and play pool and drink a couple of beers and act happy to be alive and ask everyone about the park being closed.  THEN, the bartender shows me a picture of myself attached to my application packet and says, "you never emailed me back." and i said, "i never got your email!" anyway, so there is more to this story that i cannot divulge right now....BUT we got an offer to stay at bill's trailer however, we lost him at some point so ended up staying at the stage coach.  it is awesome and everyone there is nice, just like at the coal yard.  anyway, so since i was not dressed appropriately, i went and got pants and shoes in case we got stuck a second or third or fourth day, and then brandon and i checked the gate and the ranger, same one who saw us 5 times the previous day says, "give me 5 minutes and you can get in here."  HOOOOOOOOOO-RAY!!!!!!  we go pick up alan and bill and GTFO.  on the way back in, there are many bison on the road b/c it is easier to walk on a scraped road than in the snow, and they get over to the right just like they are supposed to with the flow of traffic.  so we get back, i jump in my uniform and run to the kitchen to have them ask how it was and to say, ok come back  tomorrow at 6am!  kthxbai! 

so, yesteray i flip the eggs so good they let me off today...kidding, i messed up all of the star burners practicing and spent a ton of time cleaning the stove off after i was done. but for some reason they gave the kitchen crew the day off, i mean, there have only been two actual hands-on days...whatever.   that is their decision.  so, what to do with today.  well, there's those 3 boxes of tampons that i left at home i should ride to West Yellowstone and replace.  i think that is the priority.  and then i will come back and play in the snow when my server-buddies are out of training.  cowboy has been talking to me this morning about breaking horses.  he is a character.  he works with me and lives in the same dorm here right by snow lodge.  he works at a millie hagins pace, if you know what i mean! 

 

after hiking around the geysers yesterday and getting caught in cold rain, we all came back to the dorm and thawed out and hungout in the common room. I love the folks i live with!!!  i live in a dorm with ALL kinds of people, divorcees starting over, fresh outta college kids, a group of girls from bangkok, cowboys, just plain weirdos--it's awesome!  there are countless stories within these walls, and i look forward to hearing a new one every day. speaking of stories, the best/funniest one came yesterday from john paplia outta palm springs, california.  when tere was a petition going around to support gay marriage, they started one that said, we will support gay marriage if you give us back the rainbow.  he is a nut, completely off-the-wall, and oh, so cool

 

so, i've never flipped eggs in my life, but today i learned how and my boss jenn told me she is making e the egg person and other boss david says he will have me flipping eggs with a pan in each hand blind-folded, standing on one foot saying the alphabet backwards.  also, i learned magical french toast recipe, how to make a vegan burritos, and the best homemade hollondaise sauce SO if you wake up in my bed at some point after this yellowstone stint, feel free to ask me for fancy yummy breakfast.  

FYI, if you wanna see me when you talk to me on the phone sometime, you can look up the old faithful cam, call me up and tell me to run out to the webcam and wave and smile at you while we talk.  pretty neat, huh?  the webcam was down last time i checked but maybe it is up/will be up soon? i mean, i am living THAT friggin close to old faithful, awesome. 

 

so we started main big huge orientation today.  it was SO long. but i got to eat nearly vegan all day today and last night too, and judging fomr the posted menu, i will be able to maintain veganism pretty much my entire time here. 

i left my phone's wall charger in gardiner, mt.  laura and eddie are holding it for me at the riverside cottages office; i wanted to get it tonight but the road closes b/c of construction.

ok, so i just remembered this:  i called mom friday night from the K-Bar, and she asks, "hey, baby, where are you," and I say, " I am here drinking a beer at the K-Bar, mama," and she says,"YOU'RE AT THE GAY BAR?!  WHAT?!"  no, mama, and i don't want to even repeat that out loud here...actually, there were tons of non-hetero chics in gardiner and nobody cared a bit.

I just shared my last few coors lights and some grey goose with my dorm and errrrybody is so happy and i am like king of obsidian dorm for 2.3 seconds. 

It's supposed to snow for the next 4 days.  when i got up this morning, and went outside, it was 19 degrees.  after long long orientation today, i organized my room some and walked down to old faithful before heading to eat my near-vegan delicious supper.  i am going to go drinky drink wiss my dormmates, ciao, xo!!!

 the quiet dorm is very quiet, any noise is like big noise here.  when i came to the common area yesterday to use my computer there is dude in here who has the music playing on his computer, SANS headphones.  he is playing his music out loud n quiet dorm.  i don't say "hey, dude, could you cut that shit out?" because, well, i am new and need to feel things out before i go bossing people around like in my country of souse caroleen AND his music wasn't too bad.  the other thing he did was complain about everything.  someone would mention something and whatever it was, this dude makes sure to put his negative two cents in about it.  i had to eventually leave computer room before i said, "hey, dude, if life sux so badly, why don't you go to yellowstone river and jump off observation deck and let the rest of us enjoy our time here, ok???!!!" i'm sure he is a good guy with problems like everybody else, i just have a difficult time with negative people.  it's so easy to bitch and complain instead of making lemonade i guess.  i like making the lemonade of life, it is super duper for self and good for sharing too.  i will share my lemonade with this guy next time he is being sour puss.

Annaliese Kester is my roommate, and she is from Greenville, SC.  We got put into the quiet dorm because the other dorms were filled up.  Bad news for the quiet dorm.  Ok, so, today was hectic, hectic and i was hungover, hungover from wild Gardiner Friday night.  thinking was a problem.  went to initial check-in at 9am in gardiner then orientation was at 1pm at Mammoth Recreation Hall.  After orientation, we were directed to our location.  well, the only location i knew for sure to be mine was the old faithful snow lodge so this is where i go and guy named andy says, "Can I help you?" and i say, "yes, i am working here this summer,blah blah blah..." and he says, you haz room-ski yet? and i tell him no so he directs me to personnel office in larkspur dorm where i get room from louise who carl houser said to make friends with.  louise likes carl a lot, says she misses him.  so, you know this kitteh eats like 5 times a day but not this day b/c everything is so crazy and feels so bad from hangover too; therefore, by the time i got to room, at 5pmish, i am starving so Annaliese and i run down to EDR.  the food is good, healthy, and i am looking forward to losing this weight i found in the last year...going to bed early tonight--have orientation tomorrow!!!

ok, so the Riverside Cottages are AMAZING as are the owners Laura and Eddie Cox.  If you come to Gardiner, MT, you stay here!!!  They have a goose named Lucy who is spoiled, Laura says, but I think she just likes to chat.  Anyway, I checked in here yesterday evening then went back to K-Bar on my bike.  ...i will have to finish this later because i have to eat something/get coffee/ get rid of this headache (maybe caused from alcohol last night...) happy birthday daddy joe!!!

so i go back to k-bar and meet two crazy park employees lauren and holliday.  everyone in south carolina knows of my innocence, but these two girls are unaware of my innocence so they completely debauched me last night. what is this beer they keep making me drink and shots they keep making me take?  it makes my judgment couldy and my morals get put in bicycle basket (yes, i rode my cruiser around town last night).  we went to blue goose saloon, everyone is nice, just like at k-bar.  it is lauren's 22nd birthday so to celebrate, we decide to drink all the grand marnier in the place, which happens quickly b/c since they don't sell a lot of it, they don't keep extra on hand. when someone says "shot," what they really mean is you will want to SHOOT yourself in the head the next day. jack sandusky, bartender from k-bar, i vaguely remember seeing him at blue goose.  SO, when you are shotted and beered heavily and are wanting to go down to the yellowstone river...don't...especially when the last part of the staircase is just a rope.  I woke up this morning temporarily puzzled as to why the eff my knees were so banged up and scratched like mad kuh-ray-zee...then it hits me--yes, i went down to river and almost could not get back up.  kittehs don't even like rivers, wtf was i doing this for except to impress hot dude named gabe.  i was like, "look at my awesome falling skills, hot dude, and hey, let's recreate the movie milo and otis while we're down here!"  gabe was like, o wow, girlz from sc are weird let me gtfo ov here, kthanxbainao, i have to go fart in shoebox.

i checked into work just a few minutes ago, have my yellowstone ID card and all and am fixin to head out to orientation.  i'm really hoping the awesome breakfast burrito i had doesn't end up on the sidewalk somewhere b/w here (Tumbleweed Bookstore and Cafe) and my car. Tumbleweed Bookstore has amazing quote from sue monk kidd's secret life of bees on the wall.  also, girl from sc is in my orientation group.  i'm sure i'm forgetting something but i will make up for it later.  xo

ok, so my day started perfectly this morning, my first sight being all the nichols's smiling faces, and after showering and talking to henry, i went to Pendl's Bakery, on Emmy Ann's recommendation.  SHEER prefection b/w the fresh squeezed OJ, the turkey, pesto, and cranberry savory and coffee.  I sat there and wrote15+ letters to Yorkies (i am going down the list so if you do not get one in the first wave, do not fret!!!), until my pen ran out of ink and chatted with the most awesome locals, Kim Day, her husband Jim Kleine (i love when married couples have different names), and Mary Mason.  They were talking lit so you know i managed to nose in on that conversation.  I'm from the south and always heard that we are the nicest people, but to tell you the truth, everyone i have met on this trip is nice enough to be certifiably southern at heart. 

So, when I am driving out here, there is much to see and it makes me smile and look around, and then my music, it makes me smile and look around, and then i'm smiling so much my eyes are shut and next thing you know, i haz  veered slightly off shoulder, but daddy joe taught me 15 years ago not to jerk back onto road, to let off gas and ease back on...it has only happened twice so everyone calm down...no biggie.  The road to W. Yellowstone says you MAY go 65, BUT it is advisable of you're happy and stuff that you should go slower.

BTW, WTF are "FROST HEAVES?"  I saw these signs in Targhee National Forest today and know not what that means???

ANWAY, i get to W. Yellowstone and have an email/pen pal/acquaintance there miss bonnie yeager whom i know through a friend of a friend and she is at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center so i stop in to meet her and she shows me around.  They take in Grizzlies that have "gotten in trouble" as she says, like they were fed and so got accustomed to humans and were in dangerous situations.  Long story short--don't feed the animals! They end up having to be put down, normally.  Luckily, this place is able to handle a few and save them from STUPID people.  If you're ever in W. Yellowstone, check this place out--it is awesome! Bonnie is also awesome for giving me a personal tour. 

Ok, so i made it to the park right after meeting Bonnie.  One of my greatest waking fears was that after I figured out I wanted to go west and everything serendipitously fell into place, I would die before I got here.  Well, as you can see I am not dead.  I drove through the park to get to my check-in point here in Gardiner, MT, and I am safe and sound.  Since pulling in, MORE certifiably southern hospitality from everyone.  Jack Sandusky, the awesome bartender at K-Bar called and got me a room at Riverside Cottages (like .3 miles from here) for the night and advised me about this and that.  Just scarfed down a buffalo burger wth cheddar and jalapenos--YUM!!!!!!   I've also almost finished my second local brew.  The west is wild, y'all BUT it's beautiful and kind as well.  xoxoxo to everyone

PS--nancy daves just got everyone in the coal yard to tell me they love me over the phone all at once and it made me cry...first time this trip.  I've been really close a few times but that did it--i will get you back, nancy!!!

Before I head into the park with little or no net access I want to take a rap star second to say thanks:

I am on the path not only that I should be on in life, but coincidentally (or not) it is the path that I WANT to be on, and I have many, many people to thank for that.  My family has always supported every decision I have made (wise or otherwise), aiding me in any way to turn my dreams into reality.  My family is my rock-solid foundation.  If you're not in my family then look at yourself as part of my dream.  Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) I've ever come in contact with has taught me something or inspired me in some way, and therefore is an integral part of my life story.  My gratitude is boundless--there would never be enough gigabytes to express it--I can only hope to teach and inspire y'all as much much as y'all have taught and inspired me. xo 

So, let me revisit Denver for ONE second, and then we will head on out of there...the bartender a the Cherry Cricket bought me $12 worth of beer and i am 99% certain she was not hitting on me--she was just being nice.  everyone on this trip has been amazing! Also, they have an board that says 86'd FOR LIFE, which had funny names on itof people who can no longer come in--NO KATS WANTS 2 BE ON DATS BORD!!!

 

 

 

 

 

serious blog. 

so, i have an intense emotional connection to Laramie, WY.  i never thought i would actually make it here and i tell, you what, sitting here at the Coal Creek Coffee shop is just paradise, but I probably would not have thought so back in October of 1998.  In fact, I probably would have considered it the antithesis of paradise back then b/c that was a) when i was just starting to come out and b) when i figured out there are homocidal homophobes like the ones who violently and unremorsefully took the like of Matthew Shepard in mid-October of that year.  Instead of running back into the closet, however, Matthew's ordeal inspired me to educate those around me.  I, lucky to say, have never experienced any discrimination whatsoever concerning my sexuality (actual or perceived), at least that I know of.  yeah, i'm sure there are some assholes who talk shit about me behind my back, but eff them bc 99% of the people i have ever come across are beautiful and compassionate and don't give a rat's about who's doing what with whom in the sack as long as it is bw consenting adults, and that my friends is why the born that way or choice argument doesn't even matter.  a person's sexuality is just one small part of who they are, not definitive of that person.  coming out is difficult for many people. luckily, everyone in my family has been super supportive of me, never condemned me and they have also been supportive of my friends whose families have not been so supportive. if you're a friend of mine, i hope that you offer support to anyone who may need it AND also reprimand anyone you hear spew some homophobic filth. Matthew Shepard's killers used the excuse that he hit on them to torture then kill him.  If that were a legitimate excuse for murder, I would be a killer a few times over AND i would probably be dead myself...if someone, male, female, gay, straight, bi, whatever hits on you and the attraction is not reciprocated, just be flattered and say thanks but no thanks.  anyway, the snow has stopped, and i have to get on to driggs...this entire trip has been very emotional,but especially this side trip to Laramie.  i already miss everyone and wish y'all were all here with me!!! xoxoxo

PS--FRED PHELPS will burn in hell right along with matthew shepard's killers for being a soul-less douche bag.  he's probably a closet case fag, because if you're that hell-bent on being antagonistic towards homosexuality...you got something to hide, buddy.  God doesn't hate fags but he sure hates fred phelps and anyone who thinks like that. 

Ok, so kansas is completely underrated.  I would definitely go back to kansas and ESPECIALLY salina, ks.  Crazy slightly smelly 'nam vet Bill that we met at Big Nose Kate's said kansas is a bleeding heart, and i believe him.  Everyone we met there is so very friendly.  Look to your left in kansas, you see further than your mind can conceive of open farm land with cows and oil pumps scattered around.  Look to your left and you see the same.  Being in kansas has been only what i can imagine being on another planet would be like.  The landscape is awe-inspiring, all i can do is stare out and wonder--it's the same feeling i get when i look at big mountains, like the ones we are headed toward right now, only the plains are the exact opposite of big mountains???  Both are extremes though, compared to where I come from. In Kansas, the interstate markers don't have the state shape with a number in the middle, they instead have this sunburst, flowery-looking thing with the number inside.  It's funny and cute. 

Oh, gah, the styrofoam cooler daddy joe bought for his coors light is rattling in the back right now and making me wanna gouge out my own ear drums to stop the noise.  I think missy rickenbaker told me that is called hyperacoustis...little noises are VERY loud to me and when repeated make me near-homicidal.  Anyway, daddy joe is completely unaware of the noise and also completely unaware of my volatile state of mind because of the noise right now. 

So, i totally forgot to mention this place called Toad Suck Park that was in Arkansas.  We did not go, but the name was memorable, look it up, there is an interesting blog on the web about the origin(s) of the name.  It's the only one in the us and probably the world.  We drove 748 miles Tuesday, and every inch of it was an adventure. Also, gah, OK has these awesome picnic areas.  They are shelters that look like something a smurf would live in.  I didn't get a picture bc we were clipping by so quickly (you can drive sehr fast in OK), but i bet there is a photo on the net somewhere. 

I slept like a baby last night in Russell, KS at the AmericINN.  Great name and super-nice lady named Terri at the front desk.  We are headed to Denver now.  I'm supposed to see Justin Cooney there if he can make it up from Colorado Springs.

This notebook comp was another great idea from the mind of Justin Kalweit.  He is the one who set up my blog.  Go to The Coal Yard, eat a steak, drink a SC beer, and tell him how awesome he is.

So we got way ahead with time as far as driving to Denver so we decided to stop in some little podunk places.  ARRIBA, co, crazy weird little town where we couldn't find the post office, pretty sure it doesn't exist, BUT we did find an antique shop call LEgacy Lane Antiques and the owner Jody was a very nice woman and her husband is in a  band.  There is a not on the door that says if they aren't in, call them and they will come unlock the shop for you.  Bought some little pill boxes and some dated rail road nails.  Then we stop off a few miles down the road at a "Point of Interest" in Genoa, CO.  this place is easier to find than the post office in arriba but not a breeze by any means.  anyway, this pt. of interest is for the birds...for realz...it's called the see 6 states tower and there are mannequins in the window and on the top which makes it super creepy and smart kittehs DO NOT ENTER!!! so we head on westward down I-70 and stop for eats at Oscar's Bar and Grille in Limon, CO.  I ask the guys there about the crazy tower and they have no clue about it, they don't travel any further east into CO than where they are.  lunch is HUGE, can eat it all but wisely choose not to.  omg, so much food, and i have two beers--one colorao beer called easy street wheat and an oregon ipa called mirror pond.  after lunch, we get on a scenic road, CO HWY 86...man, you can fly on it...until you get to the towns.  one town we passed through was elizabeth.  quaint, cute, could totally go back and drink a beer there. 

hoe-k, so...nao we iz en denvurrs and checked into hotel close to airport so daddy joe can get there real fast-like in the mornins for his giant bird home.  we are fixin to go downtown.  i tell him we goez to gay bar tonight.  he balks.  i tell him it's fun...that makes him definitely not want to go.   

UPDATE: we went to the Cherry Cricket in d'town Denver Wednesday afternoon and stayed there pretty much all evening.  i tried every chili on their menu, the red, the white, and the green--they were all deeeeelicious, and their guac was good to, but not as good as Rebekah Mitchells....R-Bex has THE best guac you will ever put in your pie hole, hands down.  Justin Cooney showed up and then we moseyed over to THERE coffee shop and bar but they were closing up so we went to HER bar which is owned by the same folks.  Well, the chic closing up at THERE said HER had the same chill atmosphere....FALSE!  anyway, not conversation atmosphere and daddy joe was confused as to which bathroom to use BUTCH or FEMME.  When has he ever wondered if he was butch or femme?  anyway, we didn't stay long there b/c it was all boom boom boom and we were anti-boom at that point.  17% less oxygen has gotten to daddy joe, he is sick kitteh...that guy TOLD him to drink half as much...

Ok, so, we getz up early today in memphis and GTFO and gah, we cross the mighty Mississipp into arkansas, and WOW, it is so pretty and WOW, you cannot go fast there...they DO NOT WANT you to GTFO, they want you to stay...4EVER!!! but like i said, it is pretty. we cross lake dardanelle and it is beeeeeeauuuuuuutiful, i look it up on google and get teh fax on it, yea! so then we get to okie and it is purdy 2. we eatz lunch in muskogee, at chrlie's chicken. then we getz bak on teh rd srsly, because in okie u kin go very fast, like twice the speed of light which means we were back in sc for supper. no, really, very high speed limit in OK, no harrassment by teh cops. everywhere out west the arkansas river is under the rd, we crossed it 5 times, purdy sher. then we go to kansas where toto bit teh witch neighbor. we did not see any tornadoes...NOT YET, as lolclint would say. we go for a beer at bill's bar on main street of newton, ks with ray, bob, bill, davey, budgy...they were ALL so very nice, and then we scoot on to salina. salina is AWESOME!!! fur reelz. home of some astronaut and the 43rd governor of ks. the avetts also have a song called salina. we ate at chili's and asked the bartender where to go locally, she gave us general directions to the older downtown section of salina. LOOK, if you ever get the chance, you go to downtown salina, ks and you go to big nose kate's...BNK was doc holliday's gf AND everyone else's too. daddy joe made lots and lots of friends there, sturn, bill, ben, and ben said before too long you wont be able to take a shit without "them" knowing it. by "them" he meant the FBI. anyway, xoxoxo, going to bedz.  this is april 20th, 2010 and i love muh mudder :)

so we GTFO of SC on schedule but the traffic gods are against us just outside of greenville...some kinda wreckage, it looked pretty bad.  so we lost an hour there BUT we gained it back when we got to the central time zone!  hooray! so that means extra hour for me and for pops on beale st.  drinking big ASS beers.  GA and AL are srsly concerned about speeding in their states.  we should have counted how many traffic stops we saw because it was a lot.  Do not speed in AL for sure, they will pull you over and then beat you to a bloody pulp.  the beating to a bloody pulp part may be an exaggeration, but i aint testing it to see.  so, memphis was fun.  erica at the tap room took care of us.  then we went next door and jeff took care of us and 4 of our closest austrian friends. they were our closest austrians friends because of their proximity to us and also because they were our only austrian friends.  daddy joe danced with one of the ladies.  he was put out b/c he had no leather-soled shoes and could not dance to his greatest ability.  ofw.  so we eats just up the street at blues city cafe.  they are slow with service supposedly bc of shift change?  then they bring me soup of the day which i swear is dinty moore so i pour some beer in it to make it taste bettah.  then they bring out a plate of sausage and cheeses.  eh, it was not worth the calorie content, for shuRzzle.  BUT main course of 3 beef tamales for me and deep fried catfish for daddy joe was fantastisch, as our austrian friends would have said.  so THEN after eating pounds of food at BCC, we semi-stumble down to dyers for deep fried cheeseburger, deep fried in oil that has never been changed, only added to.  my first burger in a while and it was good but b/w beef tamales and burger, my gastrointestinal tract today is screaming "DO NOT WANT," ala kitteh.  we drove 614 miles in day one from McConnells, SC to Memphis, TN.  I like this font.