To be or not to be (social)

I vacillate between wanting a busy social life and not wanting one at all.

I think I've always been this way: Upset when I only receive a couple calls on my birthday, but enjoying the peace and quiet the other 364 days of the year. I can remember feeling it as a child, those conflicting pulls of "I need more friends" versus "leave me alone!"

I'm not turning into an alcoholic, people.

I'm just enjoying the freedom.

For instance, I didn't really like the alcoholic whipped cream so I gave it to my roommate, who ran it over to her bestie's today. It's dairy and perishable so I figured someone might as well enjoy it before it goes bad because I'm not going to have it again.

Where they will spread my ashes when I die

A Crazy Woman Canyon, through which a Crazy Woman Creek rushes, is in the Big Horn Mountains about an hour west of here near the historic town of Buffalo.

I haven't been to the Big Horns yet. I did make it to the foothills of the Black Hills, which are about an hour east of here, but I didn't take any photos, unfortunately.

Gillette is in a basin that's in between the two ranges.

When I figure out who this Crazy Woman was, I will share. Stay tuned.

Good Times

The Holy Roman Empire was not holy, nor Roman, nor an empire. So I assumed Good Times Discount Liquor wouldn't necessarily be a good time or have discounts. Was I wrong. It was a most excellent time, and it may be my fave liquor store in Gillette.

The prices are meh. The sales are good, though.

Let me begin by introducing you to the alco-Slurpee machines. I was so surprised when I first saw these, on the Fourth of July, looking for something refreshing for an outdoor get-together with friends. It's convenient pick up a container of alco-Slurpee on the way to a picnic or party. It means no more having to blend a pitcher of margaritas at home, hoping it won't slosh around in the car, crossing fingers it won't melt.

Follow me

I'm working on my personal brand. Or I'm pimping my career to death. (Depends on how you see it, possibly a bit of both.) Anyway, you can be friends with my career alter ego by clicking here.

Also, I'm posting Lisa Nova's classic, "Twitter Whore," for laughs.

Bag It

Saturday afternoon, I bought some stuff for my house at Kmart – the retail selections in Gillette are Kmart and Walmart. I chose Kmart that day because I felt a moral obligation to support the store that gives pregnant women preferential parking. When I got home, I realized the sales clerk packed my reusable shopping bag inside a plastic bag.

Apparently she didn't know what to do with it. Maybe I should have explained.

Earlier that day, at the checkout at Smith's Food and Drug, I presented the bagger with a reusable bag and told her to fill it up, then use plastic. (For cleaning up after my dog.) I walked out of the store lop-sided because the reusable bag was stuffed to the brim and the plastic bag had one or two light items.

I guess I'm going to have to become one of “those” types of women – I called them “Coupon Mothers” when I worked at Smith's as a teen, you know, the women who sadly become glorified slaves to their husbands and children and get high from bossing around the few people in their world who are lower than them – and micromanage the bagging of items. Ugh. I dread being that way. But I don't want 10 million plastic bags – especially when I have a great selection of reusable bags that include Whole Foods, Powell's City of Books, a bag from an Asian-American conference in Hawaii about 10 years ago (graciously given to me by Jo-Ann Wong when I was in college and complaining about not having a book bag) and lots of Trader Joe's bags.

Welcome to Gillette

Van loaded, car towed. Thanks to an uncle who owned a towing company and drove the van and car the 8.5-hour trip, it was a cinch. In fact, he beat my mom and me, who were following in her car! This picture is in Gillette.

Nestled between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills, Gillette is described as "high plains." For comparison, the elevation of Salt Lake City ranges between 9,410 (Grandview Peak) and 4,210 (probably near the Salt Lake City International Airport) and averages 4,327 feet, according to the city's website.

Another welcoming sign that emphases the city's energy wealth. Gillette is in the Powder River Basin, which produces 40 percent of coal in the United States, more than Kentucky and West Virginia combined. There is also oil, natural gas, methane gas inside the coal seams, uranium and the potential of wind and solar. As a result, the town's economy is boom-bust -- depending on energy prices -- but city economic directors are trying to diversify the local economy.

The city was incorporated in 1891, a year after Wyoming became a state.

Yikes! Despite the energy wealth, gas prices are among the highest in the country, according to AAA.

No mountain ranges in the immediate vicinity, just rolling hills. Notice the big sky. I love it. I took this picture today in the rain a few miles out of town.

More rolling hills and big sky. Notice the oil well. I've learned in my short time here that natural gas wells can be distinguished by small brownish sheds on site. This one is sans shed, so it's oil, I think. I wish I had a picture of a coal mine but I haven't taken one yet...

A mural painted on the side of a large building. It shows Gillette's industries in the last 100 or so years, starting with cattle (right.) Ranchers started making serious money when the railroads began rolling through town, transporting beef across the United States. While ranching is still an important part of the economy, obviously coal has gained in importance and the railroads primarily transport coal. The mines are 24 hours and so are the BNSF trains that roll through town.

I love the sense of humor they have here. By "Adult Daycare Center," the owners of this liquor store are referring to a few bar stools in the middle of their shop. A couple people were watching TV, smoking and drinking when I stopped in today.

Since I photographed the store's signage on the outside and dawdled and gawked on the inside, I figured the only decent thing for me to do was to buy something. I decided on Root Beer schnapps. I've never had it before but the people in the daycare told me to either pour it into ice cream for a root beer float, mix it with half and half and club soda or mix it with Coke. I went to Albertson's and bought some half and half and club soda and they're now in the fridge getting cold. The schnapps is in the freezer, also getting cold. A Sunday night treat!

"How do you like me now?" Wyoming asks.

Liquor aisle in Albertson's. I would have snapped a pic of myself in front of the liquor but I was having a bad hair, no makeup kind of Sunday.

This is supposedly a Dutch wine cocktail made of chocolate and (unspecified vintage) red wine. I've had similar stuff like this in the past and it basically tastes like mudslide. Anyway, I'll probably buy it again since I'm Sweetie. (A reference to a previous blog about restaurants written with a friend named Spicy Girl.)

For you Fat Tire fans out there, including Spicy Girl! I'll pass on the Fat Tire but I'd like to try some Molson's.

Shhh. Don't tell anyone in Utah about this.

A "Reserved for Expectant Mothers" sign near the front of a big-box retailer could have serious implications for the unpreggers in the Beehive State. Like, they'll be walking 100 miles to the front door of their favorite store passing rows upon rows of expectant mothers' vehicles.