Day 2

Day two in Boise. Something about this place. I don't know if its just being out west, or being away from home, but I find myself doing things that I tell myself I'll do on a regular basis a lot more out here. Friday, I went to Walmart and bought a bunch of fruit, pasta, milk, cereal, and tea, and I've actually been eating somewhat healthy. Hopefully that trend will stay. Today, I finished cleaning my room and building the dresser I bought which sorta finalizes me moving I guess. I set out to find another job to hold me over until the fire season begins. I found this outdoor retailer much like Hudson Trail Outfitters that I had looked up. The place is absolutely awesome. Its not a national store, its just the one local store that has remained close to its roots since it has opened. The thing that excited me the most was their library. Oh, their library. More Lonely Planet guides than I knew what to do with. They had all kinds of old maps and books from different countries and in different languages. I really didn't want to spend the money but I ended up buying a map of the Tetons, a book entitled Antarctica by Reinhold Messner (if you're a hardcore climber, you'd known that name and how cool the book must be since Messner's writing it), and a 4 foot French wall map of Antarctica. Needless to say, the second I got home, that map went up and a push-pin and sticky note marked the spot of my future job I'm praying for. The people that work there are absolutely great. As a matter of fact I got the talking with one of the guys and I now have at least one climbing and backpacking partner here in Boise. I finished up there and at home and I headed 20 miles west to Nampa, ID for our fire crew's barbecue. Same faces as the day before. When we all started sharing different stories involving firefighting, EMS, alcohol, women, etc, it got me really excited for the fire season to start. After some steak, beans, and corn, I headed back home where I went out with my roommates Josh and Stacy and we hit downtown Boise which I must say is just as packed as Georgetown or Adams Morgan on a Saturday night. I was pretty damned suprised. And the women! Ohh, the women. Living in a college town has its perks let me tell you. Tomorrow, I'm going to hit the "foothills" to try to finish breaking in my fire boots and do a little much needed PT.

Todd