Time Passes Quickly

It's hard to believe that it's already the end of June and that I'll be heading to the Middle East in a little less than two months. My reading and studying for that venture have been shortened and I'm looking forward to having the time to study again.

Yesterday I got into a discussion with one of the interpreters at the Chateau about the status of Palestine and the Palestinians. Like Northwest Iowa and Pella, North Dakota is pretty conservative and republican and my (more or less) pro-Palestinian arguments were met by very pro-Israel views. It's been awhile since I've had a discussion with someone that was pro-Israeli (aside from my grandma, that's a different case)...quite possibly since before I took History of the Muslim World. This interpreter is headed to Afghanistan sometime in the fall with the military. It seems like we will be seeing the Middle East from completely different perspectives...it will be interesting to get his take on the situation later in the year -- perhaps well have to swap stories.

Thursday is one of my first full days off from work and I'm sincerely hoping that it won't rain during the day. I was hoping that the hike to Theodore Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch site would be on Thursday, but it's on Wednesday instead...so, plan B. I'm hoping that I can find my way through the scenic loop drive in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park (henceforth referred to as TRNP) back to the Wind Canyon trail. Unfortunately, it appears to be that part of the season when all of the baby rattlesnakes begin hatching. We've already had run-ins in the park and at the Chateau and have even heard mention of some within Medora! If I go, I'm starting to think that I'd want to bring someone with me...

I left work at the Chateau early this afternoon because I wasn't feeling well. After spending most of the day sleeping, I feel refreshed and ready for work. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll sleep very well tonight.

I'm excited and ready for the challenge that awaits me, both tomorrow and beyond.

Uneventful Week

I've posted some of my Medora pictures on Facebook and hopefully I'll start a Picasa album soon.

I'm getting really frustrated with living in a dorm again and I'm really missing REAL food! I see the types of lunches that my colleagues bring to work and I start wishing that I had quick and easy access to a kitchen. I also have to move my van out of the Bandlands Motel lot tomorrow because of the car show that's coming to town this weekend. I already have to walk a decent ways and now I have to walk even farther to get to the van.

I'm opening the gift shop on Thursday for George, so hopefully that will go well. So far, business has been pretty slow overall. Hopefully we'll get more people soon.

Clean Up on Aisle 7

(written Friday night)

I worked at the gift shop today and it went pretty well, but we had a rather eventful morning. Eleven boxes of t-shirts arrived for us today and Carol and I managed to fold and “put away” four of those boxes. Unfortunately, the washer and dryer weren’t hooked up correctly in the upstairs apartment and we had water on the floor under the t-shirts in the store. We then had to remove all of the medium-sized t-shirts and some of the x-large ones, too. It took a lot of effort, but hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to put all the t-shirts back and organize them.

Speaking of tomorrow, I’m working 12 to close… Not exactly what I had planned, but George is short people and Carol has to train another new person in the store…and we’re expecting about 300 masons in town tomorrow, too. So, in short, and for tomorrow to run smoothly, George wants an extra person in the store. Thankfully, I was able to get off until noon, so I can still walk out to the site where the duel between the Marquis and Riley Luffsey took place and I can also go to the History Alive! program at the Chateau, make some spaghetti, and take some pictures at the Chateau, too. Most of the other things that I intended to do will have to wait yet another week.

I’m really glad that I can say that I enjoy both of my jobs here in Medora. If things work out, I’d like to work at these places again next summer…although I’ll probably try to find different housing. Anyway, I’m getting tired and I don’t have internet to post this… :(

A Post

On Sunday, I worked box office at the Billings County Courthouse Museum and after one of the shows, Karen took me up to the top of one of the bluffs to see the cemetery that is mentioned. The view from the Chateau is still one of my favorites, but you can see so much more from up there (it's a higher butte). Coleen also brought Papa Murphy's pizza to work (yum!).

Tuesday and Wednesday I spent a lot of time getting ready for or doing the senior and children's tours. As of now, I've written/worked on 3 of 5 of the travelers' "speeches." I've also got to spend a lot of time up at the house this week, which makes me pretty happy. The house is my favorite place to be...

Yesterday, I was at the gift shop again. It was a pretty good day overall, and I'm getting used to the different rhythm of that job versus my internship. There are different people at both places (obviously), but I have a great time working with both sets of people.

Anyway -- I have work at the gift shop again today and tomorrow's my day off. The list of things for me to do on my day off just keeps growing...

Snow!

My first official day off work and it's snowing. How crazy is that?

Dakotah Territories

I had my first day of work at the Dakotah Territories Gift Shop today. It went pretty well (only an 8 hour day, compared to my usual 10), but I didn't really have much opportunity to sit down at all -- so my feet really hurt tonight. I learned the cash register operation fairly easily (with only a few errors) and I am getting much better at counting back change. Unfortunately, I have about 5 or 6 things that I want to buy now (from that shop alone) and I still have no money...

Hopefully I'll be able to get to the grocery store in Dickinson on Saturday. I've been craving pickles since Sunday when Sharen (one of the ladies that works in the gift shop at the Chateau) was talking about them. I'm also running pretty low on food, but I should be able to make it until Saturday. I might go over to the Chateau to make pasta salad and spaghetti tomorrow morning, though.

The Medora Musical started last night and apparently it was pretty chilly. (I haven't gone yet. I plan to wait a few weeks -- and I haven't gotten my free ticket yet.) Carol (the lady I work with in the DT Gift Shop) said that lots of people were in the store yesterday buying jackets and sweatshirts. I don't blame them... This weekend it's supposed to be chilly -- only 50ish degrees during the day (I'd like to compare that to temperatures in Iowa).

Anyway, I'm pretty tired and I'm working again tomorrow at the DT Gift Shop (not until 10:30, unless I go to the Chateau).