College Happenings

I don’t know if it is because I live in the Bitterroot or what, but people can not grasp the concept of closed. At my work, we close at 9:30. The signs will all say closed and part of the lights will be off and people will still come in. Then they get all pissy when I won’t serve them.

Some people came in at 9:45 and I told them we were closed. “Oh well we just want some icecream,” they say. I tell them I can get them some to go, but they acted all butt hurt and crusty. “Nevermind!”

Good nevermind. The kitchen is almost done with everything, and the dining room is nearly clean and these people want me to sit and wait for them to eat thier icecream, for which they would probably tip $.75. No thanks.

Some of you probably think that is bitchy, but how many of you would go into a store after it is closed and hang out.

Last night two people came in after all the signs said closed and the main entry hall way was dark. There were two tables still eating, but we had turned the ovens off and were cleaning up. I find it hard to believe that they didn’t look at the signs.

The other waitress told them they could order a sandwich to go, but they were mad and left.

One time people knew we were closed, but they sent thier daughter in to ask if they could come in and eat anyway. They got to that night. I guess we were feeling generous.

I personally think it is bad manners to go into places after they are closed and expect service.

The Bitterroot Brewery served up a fine blend of burgers, tacos and Joan Zen with a little Huey Lewis on the side for customer appreciation night this past Saturday in Hamilton. There was no coverage charge and all ages were welcome.

Joan Zen delighted the large crowd with original songs and covers. Deborah Hicks on lead vocals and rhythm guitar has a full and rich voice with great range. Her band member’s drummer Jason Hicks, lead guitarist Dylan Ankney Mike Delaney and bassist Ted Pence Don Maus blended together effortlessly. Their sound, which could be described as a mix of Joss Stone and Wide Spread Panic, was clean and clear.

The blended crowd of fifty-some things, college students and toddlers danced, if one could call it that, to original mellow tunes such as The World is Coming Down and If I Only Could. The crowd’s enthusiasm picked up along with their awkward dance moves for upbeat tunes like Push of a Button and quick rhythm crowd favorite No Motivation.

Mid-way through the second half of the performance the band announced a guest appearance and part time Bitterrooter Huey Lewis made his way up to the stage. Everyone who hadn’t already been dancing charged to the dance floor and began to cheer. Lewis joined the band for a rendition of Grand Funk Railroad’s Some Kind of Wonderful. The band complimented Lewis’s raspy yet smooth voice. For the next number Lewis pulled out his harmonica and blew the crowd away. Everyone in the house was on their feet bouncing with excitement.

After Lewis left the stage the band continued to please the crowd. Deborah Hicks belted out a quick paced version of Fiona Apple’s Criminal. If one wasn’t looking they might have thought Apple was performing. Hick’s voice was so deep and soulful, her version of the song was almost better than the original.

The Brewery has high vaulted ceilings that make for great acoustics. The high ceilings also allow for a spacious loft in which patrons can have a great view of the band or sit down and enjoy tasty fried chicken, burgers or tacos.

The first floor provides room for dancing near the stage as well as seats along the tall windows. There is a long bar on one end of the building and a kitchen area where one can place orders and pick up food on the other end of the building.

The tall windows and high ceilings create a bright sunny atmosphere where one doesn’t mind being inside on a nice day.

If you plan on checking out Joan Zen or any other band at the Bitterroot Brewery go early so you can get a good seat. Shows usually start at 6:00 pm and last until 8:00 pm.

Joan Zen can be seen this SaturdayFriday in Hamilton for S.A.F.E.’s annual fundraiser at the Bitterroot River Inn. For ticket information call 363-2793.

Their debut album, Intramission, is currently on sale at The Music Box, Bitterroot Brewery, Rockin’ Rudy’s and online at cdbaby.com/joanzen and at all live performances.

It was an absolutely beautiful day today! The sun is shining bright, the sky is clear and there were a million people on campus today. Everyone was out in the oval playing frisbee, reading or just soaking up the sun.

As I was walking I heard a girl say “I love how the nice weather brings out all the hippies.”

I looked around expecting to see some people playing hackie sack or passing a J around. No, none of that. I did see a group of long-hair granola looking people, but that was it.

It made me think, since when does long hair equal hippy. My man used to have long hair and people would call him hippy. He is in no way hippy. He is what I would classify as a greaser. He just happened to like long hair and he also said it kept the ladies away. And he thinks that he is so good-looking that he needed a lady deterrent. (he is very good-looking, but please)

I looked up the word hippy.

Wikipedia says this

Hippie (often spelled hippy, especially outside the United States) is a term originally used to describe some of the rebellious youth of the 1960s and 1970s, although there is currently a neo-hippie movement (these neo-hippies hold the same beliefs and values as the hippies of the 1960s and 1970s). The word hippie was popularized by the late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen

I personally think of hippies as lovers of life. There are two guys on the amazing race that everyone calls hippies, and they are…to me. They are fun loving and kind, and seem to be about peace.

What do you think? Does a long hair equal a hippy or is a hippy a state of mind and a way of living?

Happy 4/20 everyone.

The weirdest couple on earth, Tom Cruise and Katy Holmes had a baby girl yesterday. They named her Suri.

Gyneth Paltrow had a boy, and named him Moses.

Brook Sheilds also had a baby. Not sure about the sex or name.

It is baby boom time in celebrityville.

Next up Brad and Angelina’s baby.

If you didn’t know any of this you probably don’t own a TV or like my friend Kristin, live to far up in the mountain to get reception.

Have a great day!

A friend sent me a list of bumper stickers she liked. I picked the best ones from the list.

Some people just don’t know how to drive…I call these people “Everybody But Me,”

Don’t like my driving? Then quit watching me.

If you can read this..I can slam on my brakes and sue you.

Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them. (So True!)

Jesus loves you… everyone else thinks you are an asshole.

I remember when Easter morning was about finding hidden Easter Baskets and finding more eggs than my brothers. I think my older brother was a cheater because he always found the most eggs.

I remember when my dad would take my brothers and I to the big Easter egg hunt at the information center in Sheridan. None of us ever won any of the big prizes, but it was still pretty fun.

Now Easter is more about dinner with family and friends and of course the resurection of Christ.

However you spend this day, finding eggs, feasting, or going to church, enjoy it!

My friend Liz and I were taking a walk the other day and starting talking about Indians. India Indians and whether or not they could be called Middle Easterners. I said I didn’t think so because they are from India. She said that is in the Middle East.

Then we started trying to figure out the difference in Islam and Muslim and Sunni’s and Shiites. I took a class called Multi-Cultural and Diversity. I had learned that people who were Muslim are Islam. And I knew that people from Iran are Persian. But I didn’t really know what that meant.

So I looked it up. I figure I am not the only one that is confused by it, so I thought I would share what I found.

Islam can be said to have been founded in the year 610 C.E. by Muhammad ibn Abd Allah in the city of Mecca (present day Saudi Arabia). Followers of Islam are called Muslims, but in some texts (especially older ones) you may find the alternate spelling “Moslem.”
The principle texts of Islam are the Qur’an and the Hadith. Islamic beliefs and practices are contained in the Shari’a, the Sunna, and the “Five Pillars.” The two major groups of Muslims are the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. Two minority, but important, groups are the Sufis and the Wahhabis.
Currently, Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with about 20% of the world’s population calling themselves Muslims (for comparison, about 33% of the world’s population calls themselves Christians). However, Islam is the fastest growing religion, and estimates suggest that they will outnumber Christians sometime around the year 2020.

This info is from the About website

Now, if you didn’t know this, you are smarter than you were before you read it.

Last night I watched a piece on PBS. It was China and what happened in Tianamen Square in 1989.

I had no idea about any of it since I was only 10 at the time. Basically there was a lot of upheavel in the country. Students standing up to the government and getting killed.

What I found really interesting however was what is going on Today in China.

Did you know that Google has different regulations on thier searches in China. For instance if in America you do an image search on Google for Tank Man you will get up to 15+ pages of images of the man who stood in front of a row of tanks and stopped them. It is the image that represents what happened in Tianmen Square. In fact if you search Tianmen Square, you’ll get images of the tank man.

But, if you are in China and search Tank Man or Tianamen Square you will get none of those images. The Chinese Government and Google have a contract for Google to basically censor searches.

Another interesting fact I learned was that Yahoo actually assists the Chinese government in finding people who are opposed to the Chinese government. They provide names of people who are searching things the government is not ok with.

It is amazing the things you can learn from PBS.

Last night I had a dream I killed a mountain lion with my hands. I felt terrible about it.

I dreamed I was on a ranch and a mountain lion came down from the mountains. In my dream my cat Daryl was out in the barn and the mountain lion spotted him. I hollered at Daryl to hide, but being Daryl he just purred and rubbed his head on the edge of a horse stall.

I kept yelling at him, but it was no use. The mountain lion was ready to pounce. So I grabbed it around the neck and held it back. I was trying to get help and keep the lion under control. Soon it became evident that the lion was going to break free from my grip, so and this is sad, I saw a nail sticking out of the wall of the barn. I took the lion by the neck and pushed his neck against the nail and he hung there dying. Isn’t that horrible!!! Why would I dream that?

The lion was so pretty in my dream and I felt aweful for killing it. I was glad Daryl was safe but sad that it was at the expense of such a beautiful animal.

Maybe I ate something wierd yesterday and that caused the dream. Who knows. I am glad it wasn’t real, cause the lion probably would have torn me and Daryl apart.

Odd.

Today is my birthday. So I thought I would take a look at the events that have happened since I was born.

1979 - Jaime Drummond was born
1980 - Ronald Reagan defeats Jimmy Carter in US presidential election & John Lennon Assassinated & Mount St. Helens erupts
1981 - First Woman Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court & Prince of Wales marries Lady Diana Spencer at St Paul’s Cathedral
1982 - Michael Jackson Releases Thriller
1983 - Sally Ride Becomes the First American Woman in Space
1984 - Vietnam War Memorial Opened in Washington, DC
1985 - Hole in the Ozone Layer Discovered
1986 - Challenger Space Shuttle Explodes & Chernobyl Nuclear Accident
1987 - New York Stock Exchange Suffers Huge Drop on “Black Monday”
1988 - Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board as well as 11 on the ground
1989 - Exxon Valdez Spills Millions of Gallons of Oil on Coastline & U.S. President Bush Announces That He Doesn’t Like Broccoli
1990 - Nelson Mandela Freed
1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union & Operation Desert Storm
1992 - Official End of the Cold War & Riots in Los Angeles After the Rodney King Verdict
1993 - World Trade Center Bombed & Cult Compound in Waco, Texas Raided
1994 - Lorena Bobbit Takes Brutal Revenge & Nelson Mandela Elected President of South Africa & Rwandan Genocide Begins
1995 - Oklahoma City Bombing
1996 - Unabomber Arrested
1997 - Princess Diana Dies in Car Crash & I graduated from highschool
1998 - U.S. President Clinton Impeached
1999 - Killing Spree at Columbine High School
2000-Vice President Al Gore conceded the 2000 presidential election to former Texas Governor George W. Bush more than a month after Election Day. Gore, having won the popular vote but losing the electoral vote
2001- September 11, Terrorists attack New York City and Washington, DC, the worst attack in our nations history & in May I earned my AS degree
2002 - Enron accounting scandal & Jimmy Carter awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
2003 - I moved to Montana
2004 - March 19 United States invades Iraq & May 1 Iraq War officially ends
2005 - Hurricane Katrina Strikes the Gulf Coast of the United States
2006 - I will earn my BA

“People are taken aback by a confident, pretty girl who knows what she wants in life and isn’t going to let anyone get in her way. And you know what it’s all about? Jealousy.â€? - Summer Altice (she was born in 79 also)