Where have all the Panera's Gone?

I am very sad today . . . I've come to the realization that there are no Panera's here nor are there any Caribou Coffees. I'm so thirsty right now for a good decaf skim mint mocha--one that is made right. I was forced into the local starbucks since my favorite coffee places aren't here and tried to order my favorite drink. Besides the baristo being overly friendly and obnoxious, he screwed up my drink. Well, there goes $4 down the toilet.

Don't Judge a Bar By It's Cover

I'm kinda proud of myself. Since I've been here, I've seen the inside of 3 bars/clubs. And like the title says, don't be too quick to judge a bar by its looks. A couple of Thursday's ago I noticed something a bit unique about AZ when I was chaperoning the "neighbor boys" to the local bar. It was in the middle of a strip mall. Yea. That's kinda weird don't you think? This was not the only one. As I drove to work I kept my eyes open for more bars and sure enough there were several more planted right in the middle of a strip mall. Now, mind you these are pretty much smaller sports bars, not the clubs. But it's just a bit odd. I've been to a bar in a strip mall back in Illinois and it wasn't pretty. This bar was actually okay. And the drinks--super cheap! Maybe I'll be taking another field trip there tonight.

Impressions of AZ

So now that I've been out in AZ for 2 weeks, I can begin to comment on the things that are quite mysterious to me. First things first, who taught these people to drive? Actually the question is Do they offer driver's ed in school out here. I seriously can't believe the # of MVAs that happen out here. I know what a lot is coming from the Chicago area, but come on. Seriously. I've seen more patients who were in an MVA in the 8 days I've treated patients than I ever had in the 4 years I was back in Illinois. Actually we have a patient right now who has been in 4 serious car accidents and is only 23. I'm sure you're thinking "what could be the cause of these horrible accidents?" I know I've been wondering that for 2 weeks. Here's what I think, in a list:

1. speed limits on interstates at 75mph
2. drivers who ignore the speed limit even if it's 40mph
3. no courtesy--they will not let you merge even w/ out of state plates--I think that makes them not want to let you merge even more
4. it is legal to carry a weapon--so think twice before you pony up to another car to flip the bird or lay on the horn
5. I have yet to experience it, but I've heard when it rains the oils come up to the surface of the road making it really slick leading to lots of swerving and breaking glass.

And as you all know if you have a problem list it is best to come up w/ a solution list. So here's mine and it's not a list, just 1 simple thing:

Bus all these idiot drivers to Chicago in February when we have 10" of snow on the ground. They'd learn really fast.

Vacation before I moved to AZ

I forgot to post pics from a trip I made to visit my cousins out east. I spent 5 days w/ them in various cities. You'll know where I went by the following pics.

Description of the pics

The pictures below include the vast expanse of Oklahoma (energy conscious), the Arch, a rock formation possibly in TX or NM or AZ. I don't quite remember. The photo of the adobe homes is called Montezuma's Castle and is on the way to Sedona, AZ. It's an ancient cliff dwelling. Very cool.

On the Road Again

So, I now think I can post pictures, but have run into another problem. I updated my profile name and location, saved it, but it is not posting on the blog page. Anyway, I made my way out to AZ ~2 weeks ago w/ my mom as my co-pilot. It was a long trip. We left our butts back in Albuquerque. Since I've been here, I've gone to a D-backs game, hiked to see Bell Rock in Sedona (before the Brin's fire got too big), saw Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West, and boated in Canyon Lake.