Meghan's Blog

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June 19, 2006

Noteworthy

I'm always surprised when my tiny corner of the world makes it to the national news. We've made it to that level at least two times in the last week or so. If you're interested in a glimpse of what I do in a day-to-day context, this isn't exactly it. These are what I would call out-of-the-ordinary experiences that do happen from time-to-time. However, they are representative of the sort of job that I do, wherein myself and my many coworkers provide emergency services for tourists and residents at Yellowstone National Park.

One might wonder why emergency services are needed at a national park. After all, people just come here for vacation and respite from their lives, right? However, more times than not, the visitors to our national park not only bring their problems to this national park when they visit, but they also manage to make all kinds of trouble when they get here. I mean this in a most affectionate context because I love my job and I love helping people out here. I do wish people wouldn't get themselves into this much trouble, though. You know? Mostly I think it's just very sad, when a preventable tragedy occurs as a family is trying to vacation and spend time together. Be careful out there, all!

Another noteworthy topic for this blog: my resolved racing dilemma. The dilemma was whether to race the Jackson Hole Half Marathon or the Beartooth Run this weekend. At first I was planning to do the hill climb at the Beartooth Run, just because it looks awesome and it's close to home. Then, I changed my mind to the Jackson Hole Half Marathon because making a weekend of playing down in the Tetons sounded like even more fun, and I thought I was perhaps better equipped to actually race a half than a big hill climb. I went to register for the half yesterday, only to find that online registration had closed. The website didn't mention any on-site registration, so I emailed the race director and asked. No on-site registration, no exceptions. I know that big races, say those with several thousand entrants, typically don't offer on-site registration. But, come on, we're talking about a few hundred people here! I know as well as everyone else that they would make a bunch more money by allowing a few dozen to register on-site. Sigh. So, the decision has been for me. I shall race (read: attempt to run well and not die) the Beartooth Run this weekend.

Today, I had to venture out into a thunderstorm, complete with pea-sized, hail in order to get my run in. I've before mentioned my slim window of time to work out while I'm working, and my window just kept getting even more narrow with today's weather. I stayed low, didn't climb up any of the nearby hills, and did laps around the maintenance yard and the campground. All the while dodging rain bursts with bits of hail as well. I found myself feeling exhilirated, but I can't quite say the same for my poor weather-weary dog. She was torn between wanting to run and having to run in a thunderstorm. Much dog angst was experienced.

And, a final note, my dog's name is June. It's short for June Bug, her original name, given by her original owner. I just presume that she was born in June, or at least when the the junebugs were out and about in Texas. So, I celebrate my dog's birthday on the summer solstice, as it's in June and it's a good time to celebrate anyways. This probably sounds lame to many, but I don't care. She is my main responsibility in life, so I'm going to do her birthday right. I'm thinking chicken and rice for the menu? She's got simple tastes.

Ok, I'm going to stop typing now, before I devolve any further.

Posted by Meghan at June 19, 2006 7:04 PM

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