7 Observations
Here are seven things I've noticed since living in North Dakota (Williston specifically)
1) The majority of people leave their vehicles on when they go into a store. When I go to walmart, for example, it seems like every other vehicle I pass in the parking lot is running and no one is in it. I don't know why this is. I thought maybe it was a "keep the engine warm" thing but it has been unseasonably warm here so I don't see the need. I don't suppose many vehicles get stolen since almost everyone has a well-paying job but I, for one, will not be leaving my car unlocked or running in the parking lot.
2) North Dakotans or maybe just Willistonites don't seem to care that there are practically no lines on the roads delineating lanes and turn lanes. It has snowed a few times and every time it does I can't see any of what's left of the faded painted-on lines. I just try to follow traffic and hope I'm in a lane although I know for a fact a few times I've been double lane driving and didn't realize it til later. You'd think with the high incidence of traffic accidents here they would want to repaint those lines so people couldn't say the accident isn't their fault because there were no lines. In fact that's probably the only reason I would cause an accident here and that's exactly what I'd say. It would also be nice if they would have those reflector things too but that's probably just wishful thinking.
3) The sunrise here is around 8:30. That has been really hard to get used to mostly because it is so hard to get myself out of bed when it is dark outside. I'm usually an early riser and 6:30 was my usual time to get up in NC. Once I got here I was usually in bed until close to 8. However Novan started school a week ago and has to be there at 8:15 so now I have to force myself out of bed early enough to get everyone ready and out the door. Brad gets up at 6:15 every day to get ready for work which is weird because for years I have always gotten up earlier than him.
4) There are practically NO minivans here! Actually there aren't a whole lot of compact cars either. But the minivan thing is a bigger deal I think. It's not that there aren't enough families. There are plenty. And plenty of kids. But no one drives a minivan here. Supposedly because when you have to drive through snow drifts, it's just not practical. Pickups are the thing to have and they ARE EVERYWHERE! I really dislike minivans and when I started having kids I vowed to never own one. I actually am really grateful to have my V8 Durango. It just fits in this rugged place. When and if it does actually snow significantly I think I'm going to be even more grateful for it. Brad, on the other hand, is horribly out of place in what is possibly the ONLY Prius in town. It's kind of funny actually. :-)
5) This may seem silly to some people but my one MAJOR complaint about this place is the lack of recycling. There is no recycling pick-up. And if you want to take your stuff to get recycled you can only bring paper, corrugated cardboard, and aluminum cans. No plastic. No glass. No regular cardboard. Does anyone else feel like a yutz when they have to throw something away that they very well know can be recycled? It's unbelievable how much more trash a person generates when they can't recycle! I must empty our kitchen trash every other day! I can't believe how wasteful it is out here especially when I think about how much I know other people use aluminum. And because they don't pick up recycling, pretty much EVERYTHING gets thrown away. It's awful! I must think about it every day because I can't seem to get out of my recycling habits... like washing yogurt containers only to realize they have to go to the trash and not recycling bin, or setting out my tin cans above the sink as they wait to be put in the recycling bin that will never appear, and figuring out how I am going to fit an empty cereal box in the trash. :-( It's really sad.... and downright annoying to have to take the trash out so often.
6) Men in general over women have potty mouths. Usually when I hear people use foul language I pity their inability to come up with more descriptive language. But I find myself getting angry over their lack of restraint and pitiable manners because it is so prevalent here. My only explanation is that the population consists of mostly men and that in general men just use worse language than women which is why I am hearing it more. In the DMV for instance I heard someone use the f-word and talk about church in the same sentence! What is wrong with people?
7) Everyone's car is dirty. Including mine. I saw a carwash and I wonder how much business they get around here. It's not just "I haven't washed my car in a while" dirty. It's "these roads are filthy and everyone drives on a dirt road a lot" dirty. And I live on a dirt road. So that's my excuse.
1) The majority of people leave their vehicles on when they go into a store. When I go to walmart, for example, it seems like every other vehicle I pass in the parking lot is running and no one is in it. I don't know why this is. I thought maybe it was a "keep the engine warm" thing but it has been unseasonably warm here so I don't see the need. I don't suppose many vehicles get stolen since almost everyone has a well-paying job but I, for one, will not be leaving my car unlocked or running in the parking lot.
2) North Dakotans or maybe just Willistonites don't seem to care that there are practically no lines on the roads delineating lanes and turn lanes. It has snowed a few times and every time it does I can't see any of what's left of the faded painted-on lines. I just try to follow traffic and hope I'm in a lane although I know for a fact a few times I've been double lane driving and didn't realize it til later. You'd think with the high incidence of traffic accidents here they would want to repaint those lines so people couldn't say the accident isn't their fault because there were no lines. In fact that's probably the only reason I would cause an accident here and that's exactly what I'd say. It would also be nice if they would have those reflector things too but that's probably just wishful thinking.
3) The sunrise here is around 8:30. That has been really hard to get used to mostly because it is so hard to get myself out of bed when it is dark outside. I'm usually an early riser and 6:30 was my usual time to get up in NC. Once I got here I was usually in bed until close to 8. However Novan started school a week ago and has to be there at 8:15 so now I have to force myself out of bed early enough to get everyone ready and out the door. Brad gets up at 6:15 every day to get ready for work which is weird because for years I have always gotten up earlier than him.
4) There are practically NO minivans here! Actually there aren't a whole lot of compact cars either. But the minivan thing is a bigger deal I think. It's not that there aren't enough families. There are plenty. And plenty of kids. But no one drives a minivan here. Supposedly because when you have to drive through snow drifts, it's just not practical. Pickups are the thing to have and they ARE EVERYWHERE! I really dislike minivans and when I started having kids I vowed to never own one. I actually am really grateful to have my V8 Durango. It just fits in this rugged place. When and if it does actually snow significantly I think I'm going to be even more grateful for it. Brad, on the other hand, is horribly out of place in what is possibly the ONLY Prius in town. It's kind of funny actually. :-)
5) This may seem silly to some people but my one MAJOR complaint about this place is the lack of recycling. There is no recycling pick-up. And if you want to take your stuff to get recycled you can only bring paper, corrugated cardboard, and aluminum cans. No plastic. No glass. No regular cardboard. Does anyone else feel like a yutz when they have to throw something away that they very well know can be recycled? It's unbelievable how much more trash a person generates when they can't recycle! I must empty our kitchen trash every other day! I can't believe how wasteful it is out here especially when I think about how much I know other people use aluminum. And because they don't pick up recycling, pretty much EVERYTHING gets thrown away. It's awful! I must think about it every day because I can't seem to get out of my recycling habits... like washing yogurt containers only to realize they have to go to the trash and not recycling bin, or setting out my tin cans above the sink as they wait to be put in the recycling bin that will never appear, and figuring out how I am going to fit an empty cereal box in the trash. :-( It's really sad.... and downright annoying to have to take the trash out so often.
6) Men in general over women have potty mouths. Usually when I hear people use foul language I pity their inability to come up with more descriptive language. But I find myself getting angry over their lack of restraint and pitiable manners because it is so prevalent here. My only explanation is that the population consists of mostly men and that in general men just use worse language than women which is why I am hearing it more. In the DMV for instance I heard someone use the f-word and talk about church in the same sentence! What is wrong with people?
7) Everyone's car is dirty. Including mine. I saw a carwash and I wonder how much business they get around here. It's not just "I haven't washed my car in a while" dirty. It's "these roads are filthy and everyone drives on a dirt road a lot" dirty. And I live on a dirt road. So that's my excuse.
I'm SO with you on the recycling, but I'm not sure we're in the majority in this country
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