So... my car is packed (again) for a ('nother) voyage back to Iowa (fiery land of corn). Hooray?

For the record, my workplace did not burn down, and my financial aid situation was not resolved. I know the latter to be the case because I received an email today (dated last Friday?) telling me that one of my loans is unavailable until "4-7 days after [I] resolve the situation." I'm not sure what the situation is, but hey, it's only $1,700. No sweat, right?

Mother of mercy. I'm going to go get some sleep.

First, in local news: yes, President Bush is coming to town. Yes, the locals are going crazy. The right-leaning local daily has absolutely flipped, running a full page "welcome to the Black Hills" salute to George W Bush. No, it wasn't text. Just a full-page illustration depicting Air Force One flying over (on?) Mount Rushmore where the classified adverts usually begin. Here, see for yourself. Welcome, Dubya.

Unfortunately, only 2400 locals will be allowed to see Bush speak, all of whom picked up tickets yesterday. The daily also ran a photo of the first girl in line and a short explanation of how she and a few friends camped out for six or seven hours for the free tickets. This girl also briefly stopped by the ice cream store tonight, talking with a friend who had camped out with her about faxing some of the clippings her friends had given her to some other friends or something. I congratulated her on her score, and she ordered some food and wandered off. She seemed nice enough. Possibly an Ann Coulter-degree of scary just under the surface, but otherwise nice.

As for me... I have more dental work coming up. Ow. I also have these recurring dreams--thanks to the sleep provided by the acetominephan in the accursed Extra Strength Tylenol--where I'm back in high school, sort of. Not back in time, but taking some sort of college classes there. Some of my old classmates are there, too, but taking much more advanced classes. I'm sometimes back on the debate team in the dreams, wandering around strange places with Even, Cody, Meg, Jim, and others. It's starting to really creep me out; I didn't have these dreams in Iowa. Perhaps it is time to be leaving this place...

Is it a good sign when you call the people you're counting on to secure tens of thousands of dollars in loans for you with questions, and instead of receiving useful answers, instead you hear long, uncertain pauses punctuated with the occasional "umm" or "err"?

This update is mostly for Joan's benefit, but you can play along at home if you like. Anyway, I listen to Rewind on the local NPR outlet on the way to deposit my paycheck at the bank every Saturday morning because, well, that's the only vaguely news-related show on then. Rewind does a lot of kooky human interest segments like the one in today's show at 47:30 or so. The website of the "movement" to impart biblical lessons from Barney Fife, by the way, is available here, if that's your thing.

I don't really understand any of it, but maybe that's because my television watching is down to about two hours a week... if there's a good movie on the digital cable channels. I'm always amazed at how much good media is out there that I haven't seen because I never go to the theatres.

Ahh. The one thing I really like about dental work is that after twelve hours or so, the pain is gone completely. Go to bed hurting, wake up feeling fine. This never happens with, say, leg surgery or horrible illnesses. Dental work is all right by me.

Before I begin, I'd like to say "Ow," because my teeth hurt. At last I've overcome that silly childhood fear of dentists, and have learned that in the long run, overcoming fear isn't half as painful as submitting to it.

Anyway, Modest Mouse and company were a blast. Some highlights from each of the artists, straight out of the mouths of myself and those I was in the company of:

KINKY: "mas y mas mas y mas mas y mas MAS Y MAS mas y mas..."
MODEST MOUSE: "Look!"
"What, the guy in the blue?"
"Isn't that Isaac Brock?"
"It looks like him... but he's just standing there, tuning that guitar with the roadies. Shouldn't he be preening backstage or something?"
HACKENSAW BOYS: "You know, it's strange, but banjos and fiddles are perfect for warming up a crowd to a hip-hop act."
DE LA SOUL: "No, I don't smoke pot, but that's very generous of you, man."
"Err, no, I'm good. Those girls behind us might appreciate a kind bud, though."
"Hey Robert, what is it people smoke if it's in a tiny metal pipe like that?"
THE FLAMING LIPS: "I think the smoke's coming from the smoke machine... wait, isn't the smoke machine off to the side?"
"I think so. Oh, there's a fire in the amp racks!"
CAKE: "Hey, if we left right now, I bet we'd beat the traffic..."

...as an aside, no one was expecting the 'Lips show to be quite that crazy, but I suppose that when you mix that many drugs, college students, pieces of electrical equipment, and Battle Royale clips, the unexpected is to be expected.

Other than that... my teeth hurt. I leave for Iowa again in two weeks or so, and I'll try to post more between now and then, just not right now. Maybe I'll include a diary of my Quest for Financial Aid! But maybe not. For now, you'll just have to divest yourself on this fine collection of regression candy - Square 1 Television.

I will have "Less Than Zero" running through my head all night now... blast...

<rmcmahon> outlander! I invoke thy power!
<outlander> rmcmahon, this already is called outside METALCRYPT, obtain.
<rmcmahon> I shall obtain!

Rabbit rabbit.

Police on my street again. They had their lights on this time, at least... very much so. Wind blowing hard at my side, I was walking to a hot-tub session at a friend's house after work when I noticed a sheriff's deputy and metro patrol officer boxing in some house half a block from my residence. They had moved in pretty quickly; when I drove by about five minutes earlier, everything was quiet. And as I walked past, both cars suddenly came to life and sped off. It's really starting to get to me.

I don't have much in the way of content, other than that I'm done with school for the summer, and that thanks to a certain degree of bribery, Modest Mouse et alia seems to be on. I guess. I'm going to be so poor for the next month or so, but it will be worth it...

Now, let's see, a link... link, link, link... ah, here we are. The Anti-Forward. Thank you, Mr. Dash.