Thursday, June 02, 2005

Bet you thought I fell off a mountain. Not yet, but there's still time.

I've been at the Y for about a week and a half now. Arrived safely on Monday the 23rd, and went right to work at 8AM the next morning. Had my days off yesterday and today.

I've been driving every day, which is like riding a 15 passenger bike. I've also been training the new drivers how to do this highly demanding job (Refer to Summer 2003 entries to see whether this was a good idea on my bosses' part).

The roommates, David and Matt, are fun. David's from Kansas and goes to school in Illinois (having just declared, of all things, a philosophy major); Matt's goes to Virginia Tech. We get along great. There was fear that we'd have to seperate since I found out last Friday that I'd been put in the wrong room, but things worked out, and I thankfully I don't have to move a third time in as many weeks.

There are a few people who have returned from the last time I was out: Allison, the only other Iowan I know of; Slav, who is doing an 18 month internship now; and Becky from Grand Forks, who made the same mistake I did by skipping last summer.

The weather this week has been--even though it seems impossible--crappy. Last week was nice and cool, but Sunday and Monday it downpoured all day and the mountains dissappeared behind thick clouds and fog. It hailed a bit today, too. Not the most ideal hiking conditions. I will get out on the trails soon, though; but I definately need to get in shape, because as the Housekeeping office manager Tina said to me, "You've put on a little weight."

Hmm, what else? Ran into Steve and Cindee Hays at Our Lady of the Mountains on Saturday, and after an hour and a half long Mass, complete with a Corpus Christi procession (outside around the church, processing and singing all at once--I'd been at 7500 ft for a week and was gasping for air; I felt sorry for the visitors who'd just arrived and hadn't acclimated yet...) we went out to eat. Went out to their trailer on Tuesday night for a delicious steak dinner, too.

Last night David and I discovered where the bowling alley is located. Wednesday night is when the entire Y staff goes out, not so much to bowl, but to drink. It reminded me of the bar in Buena Vista we visited last August where the rafting guides congregate. Josh is the only one who will appreciate that little analogy. Good story.

So, yeah, that's about everything worth relaying right now. Don't forget to send me your address so you can get a beautiful postcard from Colorado.

We'll chat later.