Sunday morning is a change of pace

Yet, it is not a change of format.  It is MTV VMA weekend, so I’m doing this now, as I’ll be writing about that debacle the rest of the night.  Onto the news that South Dakotans can use or ignore as they see fit.

Google tells me three things about three congresspeople, and every one of them gets flagged in this story about the farm bill.  Now that’s one stop link shopping.

KDLT bought some new graphics, and they shopped at the SCARE THE HELL OUT OF YOU store.

Mike Rounds, the notorious G.O.V., wants road fixers to keep fixing, because they’ll get paid by South Dakota, and South Dakota will get paid by…they cut them?  How much?  Oh damn.  Well, you’ll still get paid…somehow.

South Dakota is seeing a surge in…protection orders?

On that note, this pic makes it look like Sophie wants one from Larry.

Small town lawyer shortage?  Cue the late-night lawyer jokes.

Soccer players in Sioux Falls are now just numbers, and for a reason that both makes sense and seems a bit extreme.

This one is a stretch, but I found my RC Journal animal story.

“No no, she was supposed to get voters, not fry them.  What?  Metaphor?  Huh?”

Main in Brookings is a bit behind schedule.

Tim and not-Lenny are having a nicer, gentler campaign.  Tim could use the break, since he just washed all the Johnson/Thune mud from 2002 off.

This story made me chuckle, and I don’t know why.

Tonight MTV has their annual Video Music Awards show.  Every year, I do a blog about it at MySpace, and this year I’m trying something a bit different.  Using wordpress and my Verbiage Dump blog, I plan to post updates as the show airs.  I’m very excited to try this, and hopefully it works out well.  Also, I hope the show is a trainwreck, because those are more fun to write about.

Since I don’t have the Sunday night news, I might freshen things up with a midweek news blog.  Stay tuned.

To shred or not to shred

What does google have to say this week about South Dakota’s congressional delegation?

Tim Johnson, YOU MUST DEBATE according to this person.  Somebody had the great idea of submitting the candidates a questionnaire to fill out, and then the results would be published in the Argus and elsewhere.  I really like that idea.

John Thune is pretty good about getting bridge funding, I’ll give him that.

The most recent Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin story is a hearty thank youfor the work she, Tim and John did concerning a De Smet situation.

Now, back to our weekly list of links that caught my eye.

Kelo finds a few political women in South Dakota to speak on the Palin pick.

Attention all salmon who wish to spawn in Lake Oahe: good news.

For the sports fans, here are your preseason football poll results.

Pierre’s school district hashes things out in court with a local radio station.

Speaking of Pierre, any comment to this seems a bit inappropriate to me today.

I swear, the Brookings Register decided to be less funny lately.  This is the best they could offer?

On the plus side, the Register honors their oldest paperboy.

How does one have a barn and not notice it’s on fire?

A crime wave in Spearfish?  What next?

“Thanks for stopping by our new wind farm Mr. Thune, but come back when we need a gust of hot air.”

Also, the wind is soon to be harvested by Brookings.

Brookings also plans to outlaw the crazy cat ladies.

South Dakota Republicans issue their expected “duh” statement.  Interesting tidbit from the story: the last time the state voted a Democrat for president was Lyndon Johnson.

Speaking of duh statements, they Brookings City Council had to vote on allowing more liquor licenses.  Guess how that went?

Residents of Clear Lake (the one that’s just a lake, not the city by Gary) can continue to use the lake as a toilet.  Ewwww…

My home county is experiencing more shrinkage.

Aberdeen’s county has a budget, and it’s a whopper.

This week’s animal story in Rapid City is not one to be taken lightly.  At our house we put out cheap, dry cat food for the strays.  If we lived in rapid we’d have to put out Wal-mart steaks.

New Underwood is only 100?  The state has residents older than that.

Today I started going through some old paperwork and a few boxes of odds and ends that have accumulated over the years.  I managed to get a garbage bag half full of things to throw away, but instead of being happy Kate was concerned with the half empty tote of stuff I was saving.  She likes to give me grief about being a “hoarder in training” or some such nonsense, and sometimes I think I’m teetering on being owned by my stuff.  There is a lot I could get rid of, but I feel a need to save things to keep some memories alive.  Everything I put in the tote reminds me of something, and I’m sure someday I’ll go through it and just surf the wave of things to remember.  We watched a special on hoarders on TLC a few weeks ago, and they talked about how a hoarder’s mind worked.  The stuff = memory thing I just used to describe myself was talked about in the special, which didn’t make me feel so good about my future.  I really don’t think I’ll be buried under a mountain of my crap.  Or maybe I’m hoping.  There are so many childhood details I don’t remember, mainly because a lot of things from my early childhood are long gone.  College and post college seem so much more vivid because of all the mementos, or because it’s closer in time.  I’ve had to really think hard to remember some details for my Farmington blog, mainly because I only have one or two things from the experience left.

One thing I did find today was an old card from my mom.  She talked about her usual things that didn’t make too much sense, but at the end she put something that threw me for a loop then, and still does when I think about it.  “I still miss your dad sometimes” was scrawled at the bottom.  It was odd finding it again today, because he passed away twenty-nine years ago today.  That is one day that needs no mementos.  It is probably for the best that I don’t have any.  I had put it mostly behind me through college and the first few years afterward, but in the last several years the wound has started to reopen a lot more often.  I could list a number of reasons why, but that’s a whole other blog for another day.  I’ll just say I’m thankful to have Kate around to help me through it when it happens.

On a happier note, while shredding documents, I found something from our mortgage company.  I was about to feed it until I noticed it was our annual escrow statement.  Again, I was about to shred it until I noticed an overpayment check for around $150 at the bottom.  Needless to say, it didn’t get shredded, and now Kate and I are going to hit some Labor Day sales, as I’m taking Labor Day off for the first time in my life.  Severe weather permitting of course.

Is this necessary?

Sarah Palin: first VPilf?

I mean, really?

America, is this what it has come to?  The -ilf trend has to end. 

Yes, she’s attractive.  Yes, I laughed at first.  Then, it hit me.  We’re ascribing -ilf to someone who could be the next president, if McCain wins and the job over-stresses him. 

Maybe I’m just bitter that I didn’t think of it first.  That site is probably getting mad hits.

Or it’s just the new carpet fumes talking.

Keeping up with appearances, or at least the virtual ones

First up, we have a new feature here.  By we, I mean me.  And by new feature, I mean “Googling Washington”.  It’s where I type in all of South Dakota’s congresspeople and sort the stories by date.  What’s on top on a Sunday night?  John Thune is quite happy with the money he snagged for tribal law enforcement.  Knowing my state, this will help him get a few votes both on and off the reservation.  Tim Johnson might be facing a promotion if the Democrats take the White House and he wins re-election.  Sorry not-Lenny Dykstra, but CQ thinks Tim will be back next year.  Finally, my former congressional crush (sorry Nancy Pelosi) Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin just gets some lip service in a piece from the Mitchell paper, a paper I’m not happy with right now, but more on that later. 

Holy spit!  Groton about burned off the map this weekend.  This story is worth the click, just to read how bad this could have been.  A worst case scenario would have made Groton another Manchester, but with more explosions. 

I’m not a big Olympics fan, but when someone from South Dakota gets involved, I get a bit more interested.  My friend James has all the details you’d ever need.

Brookings gives us a headline one doesn’t expect to see often, but seeing is relieving.

I don’t usually find much on the Vermillion site, but there was this nice piece about a local clothing store.

Speaking of clothing stores, the type of store where my mom buys all her stuff will have quite the selection this year.

If I see a story involving California and Blunt, my first reaction is “Did Snoop Dogg get arrested?”.  This is not one of those stories, nor does it involve Snoop Dogg in Blunt, South Dakota.

Rapid City is an adventure?  I’d agree, if by adventure you mean “drivers crazier than the ones in Sioux Falls”.

Speaking of Rapid City, last week I didn’t have an animal story.  Fear not, as this week we have the horse masseuse.

The two or three West River Democrats are pumped about Joe Biden. 

Good news Pierre.  US 83 should be back to normal in time trick or treat.

Brookings is nuts about books.  Well, in their defense they do have some awesome bookstores.

Sioux Falls continues to see the fruits of the Phillips project grow. 

Pie?  in the Park?  Maybe I’ve been to harsh on Huron.

Indigenous hasn’t gotten a good write up in a while, so it was nice to read one.

South Dakota’s rails might be rattling a bit harder.

Finally, Mitchell’s paper is now requiring registration on every story I try to click on.  Boo that.  Now, much like Watertown, I’m afraid I don’t know and/or care what happens there.

Over at Verbiage Dump I let my iPod try to predict my future.  I suggest my iPod keep the day job.  Farmington30 deals with my journey from Farmington to Alamosa, Colorado.  This was a very frustrating blog to write.  On one hand, the drive from Farmington to Alamosa was so beautiful and breathtaking it almost defies description.  The views down and up the Rockies, the long swaths of trees sloping downward, the narrow roads surrounded by rocks and evergreens…all of it seems to be too much for words to contain.  When I read the entry, it seems like I didn’t even try to convey what I saw.  If I’m going to be serious about writing, I feel the need to tackle that trip with a lot more detail, or at least some.  The combination of my fuzzy memories (1984 isn’t getting any clearer upstairs) and my lack of confidence in conveying the views, along with the feeling that no words can sum up the sights gets me where I am now.  Before I move to the next part of the story, I might just have to add to it.

The other day at work I got into what I’d call a ‘mini-argument” at best with a co-worker and fellow South Dakotan in exile.  He was talkin’ the smack (one of his defining characteristics) about South Dakota politician Larry Diedrich, and by that nature he was talkin’ the bad smack about Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin.  I won’t say it got to a shouting match, or even heated discussions.  It was just a clear split along a party line.  I don’t like to subscribe to a party line, and I don’t like to be called one or the other.  About fifteen years ago I leaned to the right, but for the past decade my lean re-centered and started going left.  I hadn’t realized I was at the tipping point until that exchange, but I had some hints from a few other exchanges with telephone solicitors.  Which brings me to another thing on my mind of late.  I have a great relationship with my father-in-law.  He’s a great guy.  We get along fine.  He’s a hard working, self made man.  He accepted me as a son-in-law and seems to genuinely like me.  I know you’re waiting for the “but”, so we’ll get to it.  He’s a big time supporter of the N.R.A.  I’m not a member, nor would I be after the phone call I got from them.  I have no problem with people owning firearms.  If that’s what folks want to collect, let them.  I have no beef with current gun laws, nor am I seeking to make it harder for citizens to get them.  However, the phone call I took basically made it seem like any attempt to further restrict gun laws was going to end life as we knew it, and that anyone on CNN with a “D” in their description wanted to come and take all the guns away.  What tweaked me was the statement about Democrats wanting to take away our “civil liberties”.  I went on a rant about how the current administration has taken away more civil liberties than just the right to own a gun, and just hung up.  Did I mention one-issue voters really get my dander up?  That’s a story for another day.

The station has the new Metallica single.  Everything I’d read about Death Magnetic had me looking forward to this release, but now my enthusiasm is a bit more tempered.  The song sounds better than anything on St. Anger, from a production standpoint.  It treads the line between the production values of Load and …and Justice for All.  Here’s where the problem comes in, because I just mentioned …and Justice for All.  I know plenty of Metallica fans who love that album, but I’m not one.  My problem with that CD is the total lack of low end.  It is no secret that the bass tracks were all but stripped out of that album, and Metallica needs some low end to really have that oomph for me.  This single sounds lacking in low end, and I’m worried James and Lars had another moment of fear that having a bass player was somehow ruining the memory of Cliff Burton.  I’m pretty sure he appreciates the gesture, but he’d also want you to put some freakin’ bass in your songs.

On that note, next week I hope to have something to say about the new AC/DC song, which goes to radio at the end of this week.

Two things that rise: hot air and your heat bill

There are two ways to break it to people that heat is going up.  There’s the direct approach, and there’s the Brookings approach.

A real good feel good music teacher story?  This week we have one in stock.

North and South Dakotans are united, but Canada wants their pipeline pretty bad.

Governor Rounds isn’t making a lot of friends West River, but luckily for him there aren’t as many people out there, and trends indicate they wouldn’t vote for his opponent anyway.

My home county is making progress towards a Sportsman’s Club.  Still no gentleman’s club.

Speaking of my home county, they invited a representative from each town to a meeting on law enforcement.  Guess who didn’t show up?  I can only deduce that it’s 100 per cent lawful, or it’s anarchy.

KSFY looks at how a meth bust can just linger for years.

Speaking of KSFY, they have a “new” weather guy.

SD Tech is on the cusp of a breakthrough in transparent aluminum, or something less Star Trek IV related.

John Thune brings T. Boone Pickens to Rapid City.  I didn’t know turbines could work on a train.

Factoid I didn’t know about South Dakota until today: we have an official state soil?

I was wondering when these guys were touring with their new singer…wait, wrong kind?

Who’s up for some chicken wings?

This past weekend Kate and I finished up our baby shopping in beautiful Sioux Falls.  We bought most of our stuff locally, but we had a free night (thanks to Kate’s parents) at a hotel, so we decided to get the last few things there.  I also had the pleasure of dining at Old Chicago for the first time.  The Italian Nachos are a welcome retaliatory food against Mexican Pizza.  Now, if I could get both in one meal I’d be set.  We had a great time, and other than one or two things we won’t need until the baby is home for a few hours, we are set.

I’ll just warn any semi-regular readers now, that I have no idea how the tone of my writing will change once baby is here.  I’ve heard so many of my friends with children tell me how it changes a person, yet they seem more or less the same as before.  Some of them seemed different for a time, but eventually they didn’t seem toodifferent.  I’m expecting to write more about how scrambled my brain gets from the experience, as it might be something the lad can look back on and face-palm about.

One added bonus about our trip is that our DVR seems to have…grown somehow.  We should be at around eighty percent capacity, but it reads as sixty percent.  I’m looking forward to the next week or so of TV, as I have none recording.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m very excited for the new season of “Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles” and new “Mythbusters” resuming in a week or so.  I’m hoping to work on a few projects and get a lot of writing done while even Stewart and Colbert take some time off.  I wonder if I have the Olympics to thank for this development.  While I usually don’t care about the Olympics at all, I’ll admit I watched the last two outs of a baseball game on Saturday.  We beat Canada, for what that’s worth.  I expect Cuba and Japan to be tough customers in the medal round.

I haven’t plugged my ongoing story blog Cliffhanger Theater lately.  Honestly, when I look back at old entries, I sometimes cringe.  Stuff I’ve posted lately reads better to me, but at the same time I think I still have a long way to go.  I’ve been putting a fair amount of time into my attempt to keep KKCK on the internet while we work on our new website.  I’m hoping to get back to some short story work, but I’m not sure where to pots it.  Verbiage Dump has become a music blog of sorts.  I’ll need something to post on my Farmington blog once I’m done with that, but I have some other ideas for that blog as well.  One option I’m considering is the “secret” blog I link to on this page, but I’d have to sort out what posts are private and which aren’t, and then I’d have to change the privacy settings.  Stay tuned.

Going off the rails on a crazy train?

John Thune is confident that the DM&E merger with a Canadian railroad will go through.  Nothing to see here.  Move along please…wait, was that last link from “right wing news”?  Nope, that isn’t a sarcastic site title.  Wow, John seems to be making friends on bothsides, and by friends I mean people writing bad things about him.  I hate to pile on somebody, even somebody I disagree with like Mr. Thune, but come on.  These railroad ties (no pun intended) should have been disguised a lot better.  Did Ted Stevens do everything for nothing?  He did if all the young congresspeople don’t learn from him.

Meanwhile, Ms. Herseth-Sandlin reaches across the aisle for some biofuel legislation.  Kudos.

Rounding out the big talk about South Dakota’s congresspeople, here’s the latest on Tim Johnson and the debate issue.  I’ve said before that Dykstra is a guaranteed loser, but this development has me wanting to hedge my bet a bit.  The Argus thinks this hurts Dykstra more, but the empty chair idea could either swing it back Dykstra’s way, or make him seem like a total dick.

Rapid City has tales of skulduggery, back room deals and other shady tactics…at the Humane Society?  From now until I’m off the kick, every week I’ll scour the RC Journal for some animal related story.  I’ve actually been to the Rapid City Humane Society.  My niece goes in and visits the animals frequently, and helps out in other ways.  I went with her once, and after seeing a large room full of kennels, I asked where the cats were.  My heart literally sank to the floor as I walked into a room full of cages, and each cage produced a feline rainbow of paws, just looking for someone to pay attention to them.  Between that and the large bulletin board of lost pets…I couldn’t keep it together.  I had to cry when nobody was looking.  That’s not something I’ve ever admitted to, but it’s all I could think of reading this story.  I just hope most of the cats found good homes.

Getting back to trains…Yale is doing just that.

Here’s an idea for Aberdeen…stop breaking all the freakin’ laws!  I know it might seem boring, but live in Veblen for 18 years.  Aberdeen was a big deal on the weekend for us.  Let’s all relax and take up Xbox live or stamp collecting or blogging or something.

Sioux Falls invites you to come jam against hunger.

After that, you can check out some Sioux Falls nightlife. 

The Brookings Register doesn’t bring much in the way of funny this week, but they do mention the city’s forrestry department.  Because when I think forest in South Dakota, I think Brookings.

Perhaps my message to the bored rabble-rousers of Aberdeen can also apply to Pierre.  That picture is one I’d expect to see attributed to a much larger city.

The Cap-J also takes notice of blogs and the 2008 election.  They didn’t ask me anything, but that’s cool.  I know somebody who they should have talked to.  Those would have been some great quotes.

Kelo crunches the totals from Sturgis.

This is one of those websites you wished you had thought of.

Finally, in birthdays this week, happy 100th birthday to McKennan Park in Sioux Falls.

You may have noticed my blogs are starting to get a bit more political.  I’m not trying to rabble-rouse, or drive anyone away.  I have typically stayed away from a lot of discussion about politics because of how my brain works.  When I hear one side of an argument, my first instinct is to always try and figure out why the other side feels the way they do.  It makes me sound like I’m always sticking up for other sides, and never finding my own take on things.  My wife and friends can tell you how annoying this is.  I’m not exactly in love with this trait myself, but I am learning when to suppress it when the situation calls for it.  In terms of politics, this condition manifests itself in such a way that I assume each side is looking out for the best long term interests of humanity and the planet.  The longer I watch things unfold, the more I’m wondering if anyone ever has that specific goal in mind.  I think I’ll continue to evaluate my political choices on a case-by-case basis.  That, and giving John Thune crap to cut through his smug layer seems like the right thing to do, and as my friend Brian M would say, the tasty way to do it.

Oh, and a Romulan farewell (belated) to Lisa Garza.  I don’t know Romulan for goodbye, and saying it in Klingon would insult her.  I’m not even sure “live long and prosper” would be appropriate.  I’ll have to hope she accepts my farewell in Terran.

One more term, one more show, and one great life ahead

Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin thinks she has one more term left in her.  Well, that and a baby.  Speaking of elections, I saw the HQ for the guy running against Tim Johnson while in Sioux Falls.  I imagined a hypothetical scenario playing out somewhere.  “I’m Joel Dykstra, and I’m going to lose to a guy who almost died.  I’m Joel Dykstra and…I paid for this message?  Honestly guys, worst campaign slogan, like, ever!”  Sorry Joel, but try again in six years.  Tim always finds a way to win, and Tom Daschle and Steve Hemmingsen can tell you about the unofficial “three term” rule, in that no South Dakota senator has won a forth term.

I wonder if that old billboard that said “if you plan on brining drugs into South Dakota, plan on staying a long, long time” is still up.  If it is, I bet these two brainiacs laughed at it.

Do you know what a convective heat burst is?  Sioux Falls does, now.

Aberdeen rocks out with Skid Row.  Well, without Sebastian Bach and Dave “Snake” Sabo, but still, Aberdeen rock fans can’t be choosy.

Brookings checks in with a heartwarming story.

Then they get back in it with three reasons I love checking their website.  Reason number one is a clever pun.  Reason number two is some creative wordplay.  Reason three would be telling it like it is with a flourish.  Honestly, this is becoming one of my favorite Sunday web clicks, including comics.

When I’m in my seventies, I hope I’m able to rebuild a motorcycle.  That means I should learn how to do it now.

Vermillion has a recycling plan that actually has some opposition.  Weak.

Do you get the impression that Pierre’s paper wants people clicking to it to move to Pierre?

While I collect ways of getting out of painting outside, I won’t add this one.

Rapid City has…aw, who cares?  Check out the RC Journal’s Indian Taco recipe.

Also, the smokey smell in the western part of the state isn’t just motorcycle exhaust.  It’s just other states on fire.

Sports news?  Well, a few things.  The Sioux Falls Canaries have no regrets about switching leagues.  Also, WNBA star Becky Hammon takes some heat for her spot on the Olympic Team…the Russian Olympic Team.

Finally, birthday wishes to KILI-FM.  This may have been my favorite story of the week to read.

Saturday was a grand day to be in South Dakota.  I found my way to Phillips Avenue to check out the Radio Specialists, the new music venture from the brothers behind Spooncat.  I had the impression it would be different, and it was, but it was also familiar.  Part of that was due to an injury to one of the members, which resulted in a few more Spooncat songs being tossed in.  It was one of those things that really hit home just how much I’ve changed.  In my younger days, if a band I liked went in a new direction and brought in some new members, I’d probably have thrown a fit and not given the new material a fair shake.  Then, after ranting and raving for a bit, I’d begrudgingly give the new stuff/singer/direction a chance, but not an open minded one.  Last night I wasn’t sure what to expect, but since I loved everything the band principals did before, I was open to them trying some new things and I brought a sense of curiosity.  I won’t say I enjoyed each and every song, but I’ll say I enjoyed all but maybe one.  One thing I did enjoy was their cover of Sting’s “If I Ever Lose My Faith”, but it was reworked to be a duet (featuring the new female singer the band found, or she found them, depending on the P.O.V. of the story).  The people who turned out for the show had a good time, and I had a good time.  I’ll be on the lookout for their next show, and hopefully I make it to this one on time.

The main reason I was late was because I was looking all over town for They Might Be Giants.  No, the duo wasn’t in Sioux Falls, but I needed a few of their CDs.  If you thought I had them all, you’re almost right.  I didn’t have their kid CDs Here Come the ABCs and Here Come the 123s.  Kate is all but ready to go, so the time to get some music for the new arrival is approaching.  I have a speaker/dock for iPod, and I think I’ll use my old 40 GB iPod in his room for some TMBG, along with some classical I just need to upload.  Maybe a few non-offensive 80s songs and some Glenn Miller too.  Some days I get really excited about what I can expose to his young mind, other times I wonder if I’m not going to doom him to an existence geekier than mine.

Hopefully he’s a baseball prodigy, because my fantasy teams need help.

In closing, I want to talk about my wife Kate.  I don’t blog about our marriage much, mainly because it’s going well.  I always imagine marriage blogs being rant-fests, and some days I think that if my wife wrote one it would be about me (and deservadely so).  I was a solitary individual even with a roommate, and some days thinking of “we” or “us” or “our” as opposed to “I”, “me” or “my”  just doesn’t happen like it should.  I give Kate grief now and then about being impatient, but she shows more patience towards me than I deserve.  Lucky for me, she still loves me.  I just hope she knows how much I love her, and how lucky I feel every time I come home and hear her voice greet me.

May all who read this find something like it, and if they have it already, to appreciate it.

South Dakota news happens

I just happen to like reading and linking to it.

“Union County residents, you can’t complain about the Hyperion plan since none of you own land near it.  Wait, that one guy there.  You can keep complaining.“  This story should provide fodder for discussion on many fronts for months.

Stanley County has a problem.  I’d offer to move to Pierre, but so far I only have one rugrat on the way, and that won’t help the demographics very much.

This would be one ticket for me, if I only knew more about computers than how to reboot.

Brookings mulls over the debate between municipal rot gut or private rot gut sales.

While not sure of the future of booze, Brookings is getting into real-estate.

Rapid City struggles with a population boom…wait, rabbits?  Slow news day much?

Meth was the new kid on the block.  The new kid is always popular for a while, but eventually their popularity wanes.  Sooner or later, people want something familiar, something retro, and something 80s related.  This is one 80s comeback we could do without.  I’ll just stick with the revived “Knight Rider” on NBC.

Bored in Brookings?  Don’t break windows.  Go to Brost’s Aquarium and Hobby and roll some dice.  Believe me, you’ll be better off in the long run.  While it may not lead to girlfriends for you guys, a criminal career might lead to boyfriends later in life.

Some days I wonder if all the rigmarole involving video lottery is worth it.  Ask me when I’m a resident again…whenever that might be.

Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin is happy in D.C., but she’s not ruling out a shorter commute.

That annoying “can you hear me now guy” is coming, but maybe he’ll force other choices.

Tourism remains strong in Rapid City, but the demographics are shifting.

A few hundred thousand bikers is a good motivator for the South Dakota D.O.T.

Hey North Dakota, get your firefightin’ shiz-nit together!  We can start our own fires just fine, thank you.

If you find yourself in Pierre or Deadwood and want to drive to Deadwood or Pierre, check to see what road they’re taking, and don’t take it.  You’ll need one long passing zone.

South Dakota has big plans for ol’ I-29.

How do you preserve a historic downtown?  Ask Dell Rapids.

North and South Dakota Senators join forces to fight crime on reservations.  Let’s hope this passes, because plan B involves John Thune, Byron Dorgan, and spandex.

The courthouse in Britton turns 100 years young this year.  I’ve not been there in many years, but I remember going there with my mom.  It really is a beautiful building, especially inside.

You don't look a day over 50.

 The weekend was a doozy.  We brought in new furniture, bid old furniture a fond farewell, and the basement has been reborn as a big ol’ bedroom for Kate’s mom to stay in for three to four nights a week (she works in town across the street, and stays with us).  The other side effect of all this movement was opening the room that was her bedroom up to other ideas.  Right now, it’s an office of sorts.  At least, the room holds my computer desk and other things.  I don’t mind being out of the living room.  In fact, I’m hoping not being in the same room as the TV may allow me to focus more on writing.  There’s a cable hook up in the room, but it doesn’t work.  I’ve never had my computer in a room without a TV, so we’ll see how it impacts my productivity.

I’ve been focusing a lot tonight on the new KKCK blog.  I found some old Shagg playlists and put them up for all to wax nostalgic about if they so choose to ponder the modern rock leanings of ten or eleven years ago.

Felonious felines and photographs

 Well, maybe more a crime against felines that a crime by felines…

Cat in a hat?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh wait, we found our feline felon of the day.

 My thanks to the Aberdeen Crazy Days pet contest.

South Dakota gets a peek at the future?  Also, one of the solar car pioneers is one of our own.

Sioux Falls begins to adjust to less driving.  Also, check out the first comment on the story.  I don’t know if I get his point.

South Dakota just notices the mortgage crisis?  I can understand, since I saw a tacked up sheet at a thrift store offering a house with five bedrooms and two bathrooms in Waubay for less than 40 grand.  Granted, you’d have to live in Waubay, but still…

John Thune has no idea what McCain’s thinking.  Don’t linger too long, as you can feel the smug radiating from the picture that KSFY picked.

I need a softball, so I’ll call this idea half-baked.

The Lakota people finally have a dictionary more recent than the one for the Klingon Empire.

In a follow up, the De Smet priest turned out not to be on a terror watch list, so he’s sticking around.

The writer of this met John Thune’s daughter once.  I’m not sure what it has to do with the rest of the story. 

The Brookings Register also extols the virtue of staying the course.  No, not that course.

This story from Fort Pierre about loose dogs is not one whose hearts are easily tugged by sad cat stories.

OK, so maybe things aren’t totally back to normal, water wise.

Wait, there were bombing ranges in South Dakota?

I bet she doesn’t have a TV either.  Seriously, good for her, but I couldn’t do it.  When my car is in the shop, I feel incomplete.  I’ve always equated a car with some funny notion of independence.  When I have a car, I feel at any moment I can throw my favorite belongings inside and just drive away from everything.  Not that I would, but it’s always nice to have the option.

One phony hundred dollar bill is enough to get the Secret Service to Brookings?

The truth about E10?  The headline makes it sound like an attack, the read makes it a nitpick.

If you want to save on a new South Dakota tax, try removing one of your wheels. 

This story is not a South Dakota story, but it is in the Argus, and Pipestone is close to the border.  Anyway, a long standing tradition is ending.

Veblen High School represent!  One old schoolmate of mine is running for office, while another totally nailed the result of the Home Run Derby.

Alright, so I promised some pictures from my brief trip to South Dakota, so let’s get to it.

One can almost feel the bad vibes from the photo. Almost.

Sica Hollow has bad vibes.  Well, I used to feel them.  I’ll be honest, I wasn’t feeling it this time.  Granted, I kept trying to convince Kate of the park’s bad ju-ju for most of our drive through.  She was sceptical to say the least.  Hopefully we’re able to make it back for fall, when the fall leaves make a beautiful place even more so.  I didn’t get as click happy in Pierre as I thought I would, but here’s a few scenic looks.

Where all the cool lawmakers hang out in Pierre.

The capitol at sunset.

The South Dakota Veteran's Memorial.

A few blogs ago I talked about my feelings for Webster, and I have some of the same feelings about Pierre.  A lot of my oldest memories that I enjoy remembering involve our trips to Pierre to visit my brother.  It’s where I saw my first movie (Empire Strikes Back).  It’s where I had my first Pineapple.  The town also had an elevator at the Red Owl Superstore (now Dakotamart).  My brother’s apartment was across from a doughnut shop (which is still there).  Something about the Pierre/Fort Pierre area feels very much like home, even though I’m lucky if I get there once every three or four years.  The town would be on the short list if Marshall ever kicks me out (and to be honest, I don’t recall the town kicking anyone out, ever).  It isn’t a spot to visit for everybody, but the riverwalk, the capitol tour, checking out Oahe Dam, and just enjoying all the wide open spaces around the town.

Also, my nephew’s wedding was a blast.  Kate had a great time as well, and even my mother (who is hard to please) said she had a good time.  Thanks for stopping by.

A capital weekend at the capitol

South Dakota was a righteous good time.  Each stop had something to offer, and those stops included Watertown, Veblen, Sisseton, Britton, Aberdeen, Hoven, Pierre, Fort Pierre, Highmore, Redfield and Webster.  I’m hoping to write more and include some pictures later in the week.  First off, its’ time to see what all has been going down in what is more or less KELO-land.

First off, Sioux Falls will play you in indoor football anytime, anywhere.

Small claims in South Dakota get a bump for inflation.

Also, the state’s marijuana laws now mean less is less, but more is more.

A fireworks tragedy cost a Brookings man his life, and educated me about sparkler bombs.  Also, a sparkler bomb is a felony?

I was excited to see if the mole people were finally discovered, but the secrets beneath Brookings are a bit boring.

Has the state’s growth boom started to flatten?

Wind power makes so much sense, of course it is being tied up in Washington.  Johnson and Herseth-Sandlin are making sense, and John Thune is blaming everything on Harry Reid, who should be his best pal (due to Mr. Reid’s endless caving to the Republican minority).

Getting back to the Pierre/Fort Pierre area for a moment, mini-golf?  Pierre never fails to continue to win me over.

Brown County had a meeting, but…ah forget it.

Birthday time!  Well start with Woonsocket.

Then we move on to Willow Lake.

Brookings isn’t losing Cook’s Kitchen, so relax.

Other South Dakota blogs have touched on it, but for those who found this one first, our new license system has a few bugs.

Roslyn has tough decision to make, and they are asking the residents to help make this tough call.

I’d like to write more, but I’ll save it for the picture blog in a few days.