Parking tickets are annoying.

On Monday of this week I was issued a parking ticket for being within 15 feet of a crosswalk. I was pretty angry, because even though I was within 15 feet, the street behind my truck hadn't been plowed out yet, and I couldn't back my little s-10 any further from the crosswalk. There were also two other cars within 15 feet of a crosswalk and they didn't get a ticket. So I marched on over to city hall and signed up to contest my ticket in traffic court. I then took a bunch of pictures with my friends' digital camera, and started to build a case. Traffic court is every Wednesday morning just inside the main doors to city hall. I got up early on my day off from classes to go to traffic court. I was called in, and after a few minutes I had gotten the ticket dismissed. It really wasn't as hard as one might think. I now believe the answer to the city targeting students for parking is flooding the system with students who have gotten parking tickets while they were in class. If more people complain, the more the city has to re-think the two hour parking that is so unfair. It also presents a safety hazard for students. If you have to move your car between classes to avoid a ticket then the risk of that student getting hit by a car ,or getting into an accident, has increased significantly. It also may have an inherent effect on that persons education. When you have to leave school and rush to move your car and then rush back, you get to class all flustered and that might hurt your ability to sit, listen, and learn. The City of La Crosse doesn't care about those things, they only care about the revenue flow brought to them from their parking authority. What do you think?

This happens to be the last require blog post for Written Communications, but I plan to continue my blog. I also don't have to be so polite with my wording which will be kind of nice. Having said that, this will not be a child friendly blog, just so ya know. Well, it's almost 7 a.m. and I have one class left for the semester today. I hope everyone had a great semester. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and yours.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

I'm sorry, but I am totally enjoying the blizzard. I had to shovel snow for three hours, but watching my dogs play in the snow was entirely worth it. I also had to give one of my friends a ride to his car, and he was scared stiff riding in shotgun. I admit that I probably shouldn't drive the way that I do, but it is just so much fun. I wait all year long to pretend I have a vehicle capable of spinning the tires and drifting around corners. To date I have done donuts with a garbage truck, a recycling truck, a flatbed truck, and a crane, along with many personal vehicles. I think everyone should do a little crazy driving in an empty parking lot, just to learn how their vehicles react in the snow. If you know how your vehicle reacts to snow, then you become a better and more informed driver. Knowing how to drive in the snow is something that we lose from winter to winter. So go ahead and do some donuts, it may save your life if you do lose control in a traffic situation.

My neighbor is from Texas, and he also loves the snow. Except, he hasn't been sledding once since moving to Wisconsin. It should be a crime to have not been sledding after living in Wisconsin for more than three years. I plan on taking him sledding this weekend. I think I'll take him to the farm that I hunt on. There is a massive sledding hill that goes straight down for about ten yards before starting to level out. It is a right of passage for Wisconsinites to go sledding, whether on a hill or behind a truck, and this weekend he will finally be a true Wisconsinite after going sledding.

Barely Coherant.

I'm really really tired right at this very moment. I have been up since 3:30 this morning, driven to UW-Stevens Point in the snow, registered for the spring semester, stopped at the in-laws, drove all the way back to La Crosse, was just about to pass out on the couch, and I remembered that I had almost forgotten to write my blog. So here I am, writing my blog at 9:00 at night.

Today was an intense day of running around, and filling out paperwork. By the end of the day I had my schedule and I was on my way. I had to take a wellness class, and I got to choose between jogging or karate. I'll let you guess which one I picked. I also have a history class and an art class. I am taking a total of five classes, but it's really more like six. My science class has a lab class three days a week. But I'm on my way, and that's freak'n awesome. And now I am going to go to bed so that I can wake up and do some more homework.

Eating can be as fun as hunting!

Well, hunting deer was less than successful so far this gun season. There are two and a half days left. Hopefully I'll see a deer before Sunday, but I haven't seen one in the woods yet this year. I didn't go hunting on Thanksgiving Day, I decided to spend the day eating. This year my lovely wife Jordyn made scalloped corn. I helped make the corn by going to the store for all the ingredients. At about two o' clock in the afternoon we drove to her grandparents house.
I then proceeded to eat like it was the last day on Earth. I ate some of everything, and a lot of some things. I had to convince myself to stop before my stomach exploded. Today, I will continue to eat the left-overs. Pecan pie, turkey, pumpkin pie, and scalloped corn. I justify my glutenous behavior by telling myself that I do enough excercise during deer season to balance the scale. I guess I'm not really that concerned about it, because I'm still going to eat the rest of this pie. I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving, and a good break from class.

Time to kill.

Once again it is time to put on the orange and head out into the woods. Many people in Wisconsin wait all year for gun season to start again. For me though, it usually means I'll get to spend a couple of days at the cabin, which in itself is worth the drive. No electricity, no Internet, and you can barely get cell coverage. Tucked away in the middle of a cedar swamp, and right on the edge Bob Howe Lake, it's very refreshing to leave civilization for a little while. I am hoping to come back with a deer, but that's not really all that necessary to have a good weekend. Hopefully this year I won't see any bear, at least not real close up, even though they are extremely fascinating. Usually me and my friend Matt just chill in the cabin, play some guitar, and sit by the fire. Hunt in the morning, have lunch, hunt till dark, and drink a couple of beers. I might bring my math book, but I really doubt that I'll actually look at it. Either way, it should be a pretty peaceful weekend, until Bambi walks out in front of me.

Procrastination or education.

Whoa!! Could someone please slow down the semester? It's going oh so fast. It feels like yesterday was the first day of classes and it's only a little over a month until the end of the semester. Homework started to catch up with me a bit last week, mostly because I procrastinated all last weekend. Hey, when the beer goes down good, keep it going down right. I have a phrase I used to say a bit back in the day:" I think I got the fear". Which basically means I'm afraid I'm going to be quite drunk later. Get it, got the fear, afraid I'm going to be drunk later. Yup, I got the fear. At least this Friday I finished my algebra homework and started on my econ assignments. So, tomorrow if I finish my econ and read my American National Government book, I can let myself go hunting. Well, I gotta go, my beer is getting warm.

Let it snow.

It's getting colder every day now, and to be honest, I can't wait for it to snow. There's just something about the snow coming that enchants me and awakens my inner child. Even though I have to shovel the sidewalks and driveway, I'm still looking forward to it. One of my favorite things to do is drive crazy in the snow. I think everyone should do some donuts and power slides as soon as the snow flies, because this way you better understand how your vehicle will react if you accidentally lose control of the car. At least this is the reasoning I use to justify the way I drive in the snow. But, who doesn't enjoy flying sideways through an empty parking lot? Other reasons I like the snow are making snowmen, skiing, sledding, and hunting. Hunting is a lot easier when you have some snow to contrast against the animals in the woods. It is of course much colder, but that's nothing new, we live in Wisconsin. Winter weather is a part of life in the mid-west, and most people are already preparing for the cold months ahead. This includes draining outdoor water pipes, cleaning the gutters, putting plastic over drafty windows, and storing all the patio furniture. I usually forget to do most of this stuff until the last minute. Regardless of whether you have chores to do, or don't like snow, it will be here pretty soon. Hopefully, it will be here sooner than later, because if it's going to be cold, it might as well snow.