I am so incredibly stoked to have my own kitchen again. So stoked that while in Minnesota, I bought five cookbooks. Yes, five (but they were each under ten bucks). Lunch today was soup. Homemade chickpea and spinach soup with garlic. It is an improvisation of a recipe in one of the cookbooks. I would like to be able to follow recipes, but not if I have to spend an arm and a leg on some the spices they call for. I had to go without five of the ingredients, but I made it work. And I made it much healthier. Rather than using a bucket of heavy cream and tahini, I used non-fat yogurt. I figure if you mix cream with tahini you probably get the tanginess of plain yogurt… so I used yogurt. And it is deeeeelicious.

Next on the recipe to-do list is peanut and tofu cutlets, thai chili corn fritters, and experimenting with eggplant. I have never been very good at preparing eggplant, but I hope to change this. Mmmmm! I love my kitchen.

Dear Santa,

I know it is last minute, but as you make your rounds tonight, I would appreciate it if I could be on your list of stops. Since we don’t really do Christmas in my family, I will have no presents to open in the morning unless you stop by. I’m visiting my mom, so I’m not at your listed address for me, but if you find yourself flying above Custer State Park (perhaps your reindeer would like to catch up with some pronghorns), please stop by our place. We have solar lights that could serve as an airstrip for you to land safely (just don’t land in the pond, or on top of the horses). Also, maybe use the side door since the woodstove might be kind of hard for you to get out of. We don’t have any cookies, but if you know where my stepdad’s hidden chocolate stash is, feel free to eat as your heart desires.

Anyway, onto the gifts. I would like the books This I Believe, The Body Has a Mind of its Own, and Listening Is an Act of Love. I would also like the Winged Migration DVD, the NPR Driveway Moments Collection (a six-CD set), the soundtrack to the movie Once, and a small digital voice recorder. I was also wondering if your elves could construct a 2.8 17-55 lens that fits on a Mark II, seeing as Canon has failed to do so. And I would like a plethora of houseplants. By no means do you need to bring me all of these, but I’d like to remind you how very, very good I have been this year. Please keep me in mind as you travel over the Black Hills. We will leave out some hay for Rudolph and company.

Sincerely,
Sarah

PS: I would also really appreciate it if you could leave a lump of coal for Senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

When I first left Minnesota, it was hard for me to go. I loved my home state, and I saw myself living there forever. Once I moved west though, everything changed. I knew I could never go back. What I once considered temporary became permanent. The west was best. It seemed Minnesota had nothing on it. But perhaps that wasn’t entirely the case. Minnesota does have its perks. It’s home to Minnesota Public Radio, second only to National Public Radio in size and awesomeness. We bred such greats as Bob Dylan, Garrison Keillor, Mary Tyler Moore, Prince, and Paul Wellstone. No stranger to big business, Target, Best Buy, and 3M call us home (though aside from the Post-It and Scotch tape, 3M can rot in hell in my book). Minnesota has an incredible music scene, a mouth-watering collection of ethnic restaurants (everything from Lebanese to Somali), and over 10,000 lakes. If shopping is your thing, we have the largest mall in America (though this is no bragging point if you ask me). And let’s not forget that we’re the setting of such Oscar-worthy films as Grumpy Old Men, Mallrats, and The Mighty Ducks. But at the top of its list of greats should perhaps be Minnesota’s incredible sunsets.

I’d forgotten what a sunset is supposed to look like until I returned to my homeland last week. I had only been driving in the state less than an hour, having just crossed the South Dakota border, when I realized what an incredible sight I was seeing. It was a sunset, like any other, but why was it so different than those in Utah? Why was the Minnesota sunset so vibrant, so outstanding, so noticeably different? I counted seven colors without a cloud in the sky. It started at red on the horizon, making its way to the blue of night in a space so small, even little mountains would block it. So that’s why the sunsets are so wonderful I realized… because Minnesota is so incredibly flat. I would normally consider this a hinderance in the state’s greatness, but perhaps it’s not. It’s what gives us these awe-inspiring sunsets. Beautiful as mountains may be, they force the sun to set much earlier than it actually does. Especially in Park City, nestled in the mountainside, the sun is gone long before it reaches the horizon. The town is shrouded in a blue shadow hours before the sun actually sets. The view might be better in Salt Lake, but the best colors, the ones right on the horizon, are still blocked by mountains… and filtered by smog. In rural Minnesota though, the colors are as pure as nature intended them. No work of the camera, of Photoshop, of smog… just all-natural, unadulterated Minnesota sunset.

I’m writing this from the Wall Community Center. Wall as in Wall Drug, as seen on London buses, a sign in Kenya, as seen in the New York Times. I am stranded here, sitting on a blanket on the floor with about 200 other people… travelers snowed in (so snowed in they shut down the interstate). There’s really not that much snow though… just wind blowing a lot of already existing snow. With wind gusts over 55 mph, white-out conditions, and roads as smooth as a baby’s bottom, I-90 is a death trap.

So we sit here, at first crowded around the edges, but now filling up the middle. We sit and we wait until the next update of road conditions, even though we know they won’t get better ’til the middle of the night and we might as well get comfy. I have settled in between a Christmas tree and two cats. Not as pleasant as it sounds though however, because as lovely as the undecorated fake Christmas tree is, the neighboring cats have obviously soiled their carrier. I get a whiff of cat piss every once a while much like one of those fancy air fresheners automatically sprays an “ocean breeze” every 15 minutes. Except not.

Blankets have been donated by local hotels, businesses, little old ladies. Food provided the same way. Highway patrol is on hand taking everyone’s accident reports. There’s a movie being projected on a wall. Outlets are flocked to, laptops plugged in.

While everyone chats amongst themselves, I sit here typing about them. A lady from Texarkana is wondering why we need to sign a piece of paper to stay here. A pizza delivery lady was searching for a Virginia, who I’m not sure was ever found. Lady with the pissy cats is talking to her granddaughter on the phone in a baby voice (almost as annoying as the scent of her felines). Some teenagers near me are playing Halo on a laptop (though one of them apparently has an XBox with him, but sadly no television). For the most part though, people are just telling their horror stories from the road. “There were times I couldn’t even see the front of my car,” one man said. Another detailed how a speedy driver zipped past him, then landed in the ditch. The guy on the other side of the Christmas tree just said he only lives about 35 miles from here, but he saw over 50 cars in the ditch and he’s not going to try to get home tonight.

There are all kinds of people here. There are ranchers, businessmen, college students, lonesome photographers, and everyone in between. I think we even have an Amish family here. I’ve made one friend here, named Maxine. Maxine is neither a rancher, businessman, or college student. She is a Pomeranian/Jack Russell no bigger than my Baby. Every once and a while, Maxine comes over and snuggles up on my blanket with me. I rub her belly, she licks my jacket. But then, out of sight, her owner calls her name and she disappears again, but returns to me before too long.

The cat piss is getting really annoying now though. It is times like now that I’m really glad I moved to the desert… even though that didn’t save me from tonight.

Been in the Black Hills for five days now and I’m taking off to the land of lakes in the morning. In good weather and no road construction, this should take me around nine hours… roughly 500 miles of which is on the interstate. I’m not looking forward to this. I hate interstates. I can’t even tell you how much I hate interstates. I infinitely prefer state and U.S. highways, but on this drive, it would take me 12 to 13 hours to do it off the interstate, and I’m not really in the mood for sitting on my ass for that long, especially in the middle of South Dakota. So I suppose the interstate will just have to do. Minneapolites, I’ll see you tomorrow!

Anyway, some parting shots from the Black Hills…

After driving nearly ten hours through blue skies, immense fog, and a big, fat snowstorm, me and the girls have safely arrived in the Black Hills, the land of my parents. I had to leave Park City though after only a night back to avoid making the entire drive in an ultra-fat, three-state snowstorm. But I am here, and though it is cold and snowy, it is beautiful.

Unstoppable migraines have had me laying low the past few days, but I finally busted out the cammer today when mom and I ventured to her friend Bill’s place in Edgemont. Like everyone out here, Bill has a wide assortment of animals… and we like to play with them.

Well, after not even five days, I am already leaving. No, not for good (this place continues to grow on me), but simply for a vacation.

I don’t start my new job for almost a whole month still. I took so much time off because I haven’t had more than a day off between jobs in far too long. That wouldn’t be such a huge deal were it not for the fact that my jobs have taken me from Minnesota to Maryland, back to Minnesota, to Wyoming, to Salt Lake, to Park City. It gets exhausting when you spend your one day off driving and moving. I knew I needed some time off until I started this new job so that I could go see my parents, which I have not been able to do in far too long. I’d have started next week sometime, but I figured it was pointless to start a job in the middle of December with the holidays right around the corner. So January 2nd it is. But now I have so much time off I almost don’t know what to do with it. Key word being almost.

I’m taking off on a see-everybody road trip. After several changes of plans, I’m now voyaging to Minnesota, with stops in Park City and the Black Hills. I’ll be back January 1st, just in time to start the new job January 2nd.

I really don’t want to take off after just moving in, but the thing is, I need to… for my mental health. I’m starting to get bored with not working and I really need to get my mind off certain things (people), and I can’t do that so well when I’m all alone in a foreign land. I need my friends to preoccupy me. I’ve done a lot the past few days, met a lot of new people, but it’s not enough. I still think about it, I can’t stop, and it’s eating me. This is so much harder than I thought it’d be. Granted long-distance driving is a horrible thing to do in times like this, the time with friends the driving leads to is well worth it. And so now I’m off… five days after arriving.

Almost 96 hours in, I figure it’s due time to introduce you all to my new home. So here we go. Welcome to Unit 2, my adorable little bungalow.

Because it’s still quite unfurnished, your view in will be limited. But here is my kitchen. It is lovely. Please note the previously mentioned 7-Up crate mounted on the wall. Awesome.

Next up is the bathroom, the cats’ favorite room. Stella has found a new home in the sink, while Baby has taken up residence between the two shower curtains. I love my bathroom. Because it is impossible to shoot good photos of bathrooms, this is all you get. You’ll just have to take my word about the shower being unbelievably awesome.

Then we have my fruit crate bookshelf, pretty much the only piece of furniture in the place (other than the previously mentioned television stand).

And now let’s talk about the scenery. The scenery ’round these parts is incredibly beautiful and incredibly varied. Town is surrounded on three sides by giant red cliffs. The south side opens up into the great expanse of Arizona, and eventually, after about 70 miles, the Grand Canyon. Five minutes north of town, the rock begins to turn from red to yellow. When you reach 45 minutes north of town, the scenery resembles that of western Wyoming… and it is this scenery that helps me feel more at home down here. Just west of town you can find a great expanse of sand dunes nestled in the middle of forest. Zion National Park is a stone’s throw, as is Grand Staircase-Escalante. Bryce Canyon National Park is 70 miles northeast, and Lake Powell 70 miles east. Basically, Sarah is going to be one happy camper down here… literally. Polygamyville is also not too far, about 40 miles, but I can assure you all I have absolutely no plans to go marry Warren Jeffs or any of his relatives.

Not bad, eh?

Took a drive today to Lake Powell. Was severely disappointed when flooded roads kept me from going where I would have liked, and forced me to stay close to the highway. Was also disappointed when the people at the visitor’s center wouldn’t let me come in with my pocketknife (because obviously I am going to blow up the dam with my pocketknife). Anyway, it was a nice to get out, but the lack of life over there makes me kind of uncomfortable. I suspect this is what the world will look like when all life is killed off… perhaps by a pocketknife.

I’ve now officially lived in canyon country for almost 48 hours… and so far it’s been pretty great. My place is tiny, but beautiful… and I have a feeling I will probably be staying here longer than my six-month lease requires me to. It’s still a bit of a mess, seeing as some primary pieces of furniture are still residing in Park City, but sooner or later, it will start to look like home. But until then, I’ll be sitting on a makeshift couch made of blankets and pillows strewn upon the floor.

And now begins the task of restocking my apartment supplies. Until I started hopping around the country renting rooms, I had always lived alone. But knowing I could never afford my own place in Park City, I ditched all my apartment supplies (pots and pans, brooms, furniture, etc.) so that I didn’t have to cart them around each time I moved. But well, now I need them. Luckily, the restock hasn’t been too much of a pain. Miss Molly took me thrift store shopping yesterday and I was amazed that there are five stores right here in town (not too shabby for Rinkydinkyville). I got an unbelievably awesome stand for my television for $7, and also a sweet old 7-Up crate which holds my international elephant collection perfectly, while also matching my old crate theme (I make my furniture out of old crates… which double as moving boxes). And then we went to the dollar store, which is by far the best invention in the history of the universe. I had planned on trekking to the city to buy the standard apartment utensils (Windex, broom, rags, etc.), but I got everything I could ever need at the dollar store. You ready? I got Clorox wipes, laundry detergent, paper towels, Windex, dish soap, sponges, a garbage can, dish rags, silverware tray, broom and dustpan, and my favorite shampoo… for $23. What did I say about master shopper? Oh yeah, still got it.

Anyway, so far I really like it here. I really like my apartment. I really like my neighbors. I really like the dollar store. I really like the scenery. I really like the lack of traffic. I really like most things. There are definitely some things I don’t like though, but we’re going to be optimistic here and not think about them. Besides, they can probably be assumed. For the most part though, I love it here. Granted it’s only been 48 hours, but so far, I dig it.

I wanted a small town, and a small town is what I got. I have only met two people since moving in, but now it seems I am a celebrity and everyone in town knows about me. Case in point: before picking me up to go thrifting, Miss Molly gets food and beverage from local coffee shop… and she is told there’s a new girl in town, a 23-year-old named Sarah, who’s a photographer too! Wow, word travels fast. Pretty sure if I were to catch a cold, everyone in town would find out within a day.

Since taking my new job, I have always joked that I hoped Brian Head would get more snow than Park City this year (well, it wasn’t really a joke, I really did hope it, I just didn’t really think it would happen)… but well, since yesterday afternoon, the Head’s gotten over 20 inches (which I actually got stuck in during my move), while Park City’s gotten what, like five inches? Take that Park City! Victory is mine! Let’s hope it keeps up.