Patia Stephens :: Missoula, Montana

Vegas and back

My blogging hiatus of the last 10 days involved preparation for, travels to, and recovery from Las Vegas. The actual trip was Nov. 24-27. I met my cousin Kat at the Vegas airport on Thanksgiving Day. She came from Seattle; I flew from Missoula via Allegiant Air, a private airline that offers cheap, direct flights to Vegas. After a solid week of Missoula fog, I was nervous about getting out, but we did. I was fortunate to have good flights both ways.

We stayed at the Mirage, a South Seas-style hotel/casino complex in the heart of the Strip. It was my first trip to Las Vegas. I'd been wanting to go since my 21st birthday, so it was only a 17-year wait. I celebrated my 38th birthday Friday.

Highlights:

Eating enough prime rib to last me at least a year.
Swimming, soaking and lounging at the Mirage pool. (Even if it was a bit chilly.)
The free strawberry daiquiris with whipped cream in the Mirage casino.
The Cirque du Soleil show, "Ka," which had amazing sets and awe-inspiring acrobatics.
Laughing with comedienne Rita Rudner at New York-New York.
Getting custom-fitted for a toe-ring at Cleo's in the Stratosphere.
Lovely "Goddess" jewelry from Kat for my birthday.
The fantastic sky-painted ceilings and Roman sculptures in the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace. (Pictures to come.)
Servers and retail clerks that were often surprisingly friendly and helpful.
The $10 store in Treasure Island. (Whooo!)
Realizing I'm not cut out to be a gambler, because I quickly grew bored with losing money.
Spotting the spectacular Bellagio fountains from the taxicab window Friday night.

Low points:

Waiting in the cold Saturday night for the Bellagio fountains, which ended up being canceled due to high winds.
Two- to three-hour waits for the dinner buffet at the Mirage. (I like a good buffet, but not that much.)
Getting stuck on the slow bus to hell.
Sitting next to Perfume Overkill at one performance and Puke Breath at the other.
Moronic tourists that don't know how to walk down a crowded sidewalk. (It's just like driving, people -- keep right, look before merging and don't stop or suddenly change directions in the middle of the road.)

The best part?
Leaving behind the crowds and noise and glitz, and returning home with renewed gratitude for my quiet little cabin, snuggly kitties and the relative sanity of Montana.

Slogan du jour

Pale is the new tan.

-- Spotted by my best friend, Michelle, on a T-shirt.

Web weirdness

My iBook registration entitled me to a free six-month subscription to MacWorld. After filling out a brief form, I encountered this message:

*As an identifier please select eye color (this information is required by Macworld's auditing company in lieu of a signature to prove your request of this free offer.)

It was accompanied by a dropdown menu listing "brown, blue, green, hazel, other."

How does eye color prove anything? Totally bizarre.

Thursday thoughts

Does Congress ever agree on anything?

They did yesterday. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill creating the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. (Thanks, Conrad and Max!)

Now we just have to get it through the House of Representatives. (Go, Denny, go, Denny.)

The trail will run from Missoula to the Pacific Ocean -- along the path traveled some 15,000 years ago by massive floods from Glacial Lake Missoula -- creating interpretive centers and signage along existing roads and highways. (Think Lewis and Clark Trail, but with cool rocks.)

Links:

Ice Age Floods Institute Become a member!
National Park Service's Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment
Sedimental Journey A story I wrote a couple years ago about my trip along the floods path.

***

With lucky timing, tonight's Glacial Lake Missoula Open House at the Montana Natural History Center was a huge success. I can't count worth a darn, but I'd guess at least 200 people showed up. One of them even introduced herself to me -- she recognized me from my blog. That was a pleasant, if slightly surreal, experience.

***

You know it's winter in Montana when ...

you hear the crunchy sound of studded tires on asphalt.

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The Monkey's back!!!

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I really hate losing stuff.

I'm usually pretty good at hanging onto things -- keys, gloves, even pens -- but I have been on a run lately. I've lost my favorite silver ring and $50 worth of Christmas gifts I had just purchased.

What a rotten feeling.

***

My hands have lately been beset by small patches of an itchy rash my doctor said was contact dermatitis.

It's possible I've been overdoing it on the antibacterial hand cleaners.

***

My new iBook arrived yesterday, making the journey from China to Montana via Alaska, Indiana and Tennessee in only six days. I'm impressed.

I may be scarce for the next few days as I transfer data and get the new Mac set up. And rearrange furniture. And write a paper.

***

My thoughts are with my friends Linda and Brian and Baby Joel tomorrow, as the little guy undergoes heart surgery in Seattle.

iTravels

It's fun, but somewhat maddening, to track my new iBook's travels as it makes its way from China to Montana via FedEx. It started off in Suzhou, China; went to Shanghai; then to Anchorage, Alaska; then to Indianapolis, Indiana; now Memphis, Tennessee. It must be taking the scenic route. According to Apple's original estimate, it should arrive this week between Wednesday and Friday. At this rate, I'm thinking Friday is more likely.

BTW, I'm using Bloglines' package tracker, which tracks packages sent via FedEx, UPS and USPS.

Baby blog announcement

I just created a new blog for my friends' baby, Joel Jaymison Dumontier, who is still in Seattle battling a heart defect. The blog will follow his progress via updates from Linda's sister-in-law. There is also a picture of the little guy, with more to come.

Information overload? How to cope

This is one of the best pieces of time-management advice I have ever read:

A Quick and Dirty Reading Strategy When Time is Short (From Open Loops)

iAnticipation

Woohoo! My new iBook is on its way. I just got the shipping notice from Apple.

I ordered a 12-inch with an 80GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM. Also an Airport Extreme base station for wireless. I have been lusting after a laptop for a long time. I'm so excited to have a computer I can use at a desk, in bed, at a coffee shop, traveling, wherever.

However, I'm a little worried that I may never get OFF the computer again.

***

I googled "ibook missoula" the other day to try to find a store that had display models. My own Web site was the first result.

Several friends have also told me my site was at the top of their search results for various things around town.

***

My cabin is a little chaotic right now. There's a china cabinet in the middle of the living room (which is also my dining room and my office). I'm getting ready to dismantle my jury-rigged desk setup, because trading the iMac for an iBook will free up a lot of space. The china cabinet will go where the desk is, and my small dining table will become my new "desk."

I'm also getting some new bookshelves to replace the horrid wire mesh cubes I've had for years. Horrid, because dust, flies, cat hair and cat puke go right through them (onto my precious books). And because they fall apart when you try to move them for cleaning.

I can't believe how expensive halfway decent furniture is.

***

I am soooooo tired of cleaning up cat puke.

A homegrown meme

From Dick, via Meg.

I drive...
a sweet black Subaru coupe. (Covered in paw prints.)

If I have time to myself...
I relax, become inspired, creative, a night owl.

You wouldn't know it but I'm very good at...
1. cooking.
2. lifting heavy things.
3. touching my toes.
4. giving back rubs.
5. decorating in a way that makes people comfortable and happy.

I'm no good at...
1. math.
2. remembering movies or names.
3. public speaking.
4. parties.
5. men.

A book that changed me...
every book changes me a little, I think. But especially: The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver; Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson; The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf; The Evolution of International Human Rights by Paul Lauren; the Norton Shakespeare.

Movie heaven...
my bed, a stack of DVDs and the remote, a rainy day and snuggling kitties.

Comfort eating...
macaroni and cheese, chicken and dumplings, Chinese or Thai noodles, fried oysters and french fries with extra tartar sauce, ice cream, chocolate, popcorn. And now that Krispy Kreme has opened in Missoula, hot fresh glazed doughnuts.

When I was a child, I wanted to be...
a doctor, a veterinarian, a horse breeder/trainer, an actress/model, a hairstylist, a photographer.

All my (spare) money goes on...
clothes and books.

At night I dream of...
scary bathrooms.

My favourite building...
the log cabin I live in; the dream house I've designed in my head.

My biggest regret...
at 18, I moved in with my boyfriend instead of going to Evergreen College.

If I wasn't me I'd like to be...
fabulously beautiful, strong, fit, confident and rich.

My favourite work of art...
the Elly Simmons print, "Woman Series #1," that hangs over my bed. I also really admire a lot of the greats, like Michelangelo, Picasso, Van Gogh, Rubens, Renoir. And ancient art, like petroglyphs and goddess figurines. And so many photographs.

The soundtrack to my life...
eclectic. Too many songs to fit on one CD.

The best invention ever...
language, music, human rights, cameras, computers.

My problem with God

This year ...

275,000 people died in the South Asia tsunami.

90,000 died in the Pakistan/Kashmir earthquake.

1,300 died in Hurricane Katrina.

Thousands died in Iraq.

But God blessed this man with a yellow Hummer.

Thought du jour

A bird in the hand -- makes it hard to blow your nose.

--Seen on a sign in front of a Missoula insurance business.

Hang in there, little guy

I spent most of yesterday at the hospital with my friends and their new baby, who was born Wednesday and just diagnosed with a very serious heart problem. Baby Joel and his mama were flown via life flight to Seattle last night; I took his daddy to the airport this morning. I don't much believe in prayer, but his parents do, so feel free to send good vibes his way.

It's snow joke

Forecasters are predicting snow in Missoula late Friday and again Sunday. If it does snow, it will be the first of the season in the valley. It seems a bit late this year. Not that I mind.

***

Welcome to the world, Joel Jaymeson DuMontier!

***

I like my blue horns so much I want to wear them more than just once a year on Halloween. I'm thinking Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day .... And if I ever get married, they could be the "something blue."

***

Tango went to the vet this week for his annual checkup and bimonthly deworming. Dr. Kathy pronounced him fit as a high-performance athlete -- heavily muscled, slow heart rate. Not bad for a 12-year-old cat. (That's 64 in human years.)

***

I've been renting "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" on DVD because I don't get cable. The Fab Five totally crack me up, and they really do work miracles on clueless straight boys. I pick up a few good decorating tips, too.

I just wish the guys gave advice to women. I think I could use a "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl" intervention. I can hear them now: "Honey, lose those big black boots! They're so unfeminine. And if you want to catch a husband, you'd better learn to keep those opinions to yourself, sister! And, girl, the gym is your friend. Your best friend!"

***

Lately, it seems all I want to do is sleep or read home decorating magazines. Grad school has dampened my lust for anything more intellectually challenging.

***

"They want people like us to stay afraid," Mark Smith of Missoula LAMBDA, quoted in the Kaimin, UM's student newspaper.

Montana's hate crimes law currently covers race, creed, religion, color, national origin and involvement in civil or human rights activities.

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If you read only one resource on all the cool web tools out there, make it this one:

I want to - a page of utilities that help you do stuff you want to.

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If you want to see some really wonderful artwork, visit The Soul of Hope.

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I missed it, but I hear the Day of the Dead parade in Missoula last night was quite impressive. Check out these awesome photos by Denny and Precious Roy.

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Nearly two months after it was shuttered by Hurricane Katrina, Bourbocam lives!

This just makes me so happy.

***

Due to the liberal application of "No's" this week, I don't have to go anywhere or do anything this weekend (other than the usual homework, paperwork, housework, etc.). This also makes me very happy.

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