My South Dakota Incident (1 Viewer)

[Brad_W]

Well my wife and I went to see her mother and step-father in South Dakota (actually, I'm still here and we leave on Tuesday but I thought I would write this now) in a tiny little town called, Spearfish.
Things that have happened so far:
1. My allergy to cats has kicked in over-time due to the three short hair cats in the house.
2. I've spent most of my time reading Clive Barker's Books Of Blood: Volumes 1-3.
3. Due to the higher altitude, the air is thinner and I am in a perpetual state of asthma (also due to the kitties).
4. Her parents are non-smokers so we have been forced to smoke outside in the harsh cold weather. I'm anxiously waiting pneumonia or bronchitis.
5. Because this is a tiny tiny town all of her friends hang out in the bars (which is really not my thing, but still okay) so I've drank more than my fair share of alchohol.
6. I've seen more cowboy hats than I ever want to in my entire life.
7. I've had a lot of great "relations" with my wife (if you know what I mean )
8. Her step-father is a big action-movie buff so I've watch several action movies that I don't care to admit seeing.
9. My wife gave me a tarot card reading and I found out on three different occasions that I am going to die of natural causes before the age of fifty. Yeah... ... .... ... that's all I can really say about that.:frowning:
Two lame situations:
1. One night at the bar (almost all college kids) this lame group of cowboy hat wearing-cowboy boot doning-big belt buckle toting-creepy serial killer vertical pin-stripe shirt (see pictures of Jeff Dahmer) wearing-lasso using-mullet adorning group of hicks of the 30 something crowd came in and sat at a table. While I was zoning out to the music and drinking my screw-driver (drink, not Phillips) I suddenly realized COUNTRY music came on. I could go on about country music, but I won't. But I painfully sat through two country songs in a row. Then, after I almost achieved hernia status from the pain of country music, harder type rock came on and from bands I actually had CDs of. That's when the real lameness occured. As I was grooving to the the "P-Hat and awe dat" sound, one of the lame hicks got the attention of the waitress and asked that the music be changed.
I couldn't believe it.
Becuase they were dumb hicks, they didn't realize that it was the magical "jukebox" that was spouting out the devil's music. So, they turned off the speakers in all but one area by the pool tables. I couldn't hear the music and there was no place for me to go by the pool tables, I was stuck having to stare at "Dakota Lasso Team" on the back of one of the guys jacket for the next 20 minutes. I was dumbfounded.
Not only did these people waltz into a public establishment and demand that the atmostphere be catered to their tastes/preferences, but to some degree... IT DID GET CHANGED!!! Needless to say, I was very lamed out.
2. I saw The Lord of the Rings for the third time in this small town theater and it was the worst movie theater experience in a long time. I'll break it down since this thread is a little too long by now:
a) The theater had no stadium seating and during the first 45 minutes of the film I only saw 2/3 of the film screen because of "Satchel Pete" and his big head. I finally moved during the:
b) when there was supposed to be a reel change, "Scooter" forgot to do his job and suddenly the film when out for about 10 minutes. I made my move.
c) These two moms, "Linda" and "Donna" behind us kept talking loudly throughout most of the film and commented on EVERYTHING. And "Donna" kept saying, "UH HUH" in the most obnoxious way I've ever heard. They were so busy talking that they kept asking each other what was going on becuase they didn't pay attention. Chatty blubbering moms.
d) "Rosco" kept breathing through his nose so loud that I actually heard him four rows away during loud scenes. Then he kept eating and crumpling his popcorn bag in the most annoying manner during most of the film. I mean, think about it! I could actually hear someone breathing through their nose over the loud action parts in a movie theater!!!
e) The theater didn't even have Dolby Digital. If they did, it wasn't properly working/connected because I sat right by a surround speaker and not once did any sound come through it or the other surrounds.
f) There was a constant light source being reflected on the screen which annoyed the crap out of me.
g) Even though this is the third time I've seen LOTR, I loved every minute of it and looked forward to all scenes.
Thanks for letting me vent. I can't wait to get home and submerge myself in Final Fantasy X!

 

[Kevin Potts]

Dude, If I were you and were embarking on a trip of such horrible magnitude, I would seriously consider consuming substances that have much more of a kick to them than alcohol.
Have fun.

 

[Max Leung]

Next time, skip the theater. I'm sure you could work a bit harder on the "relations" angle.

 

[Neil N]

Hey! I've been to Spearfish, and didn't find it that bad.....of course I was only there about 1 hour
I can attest to the fact that the only thing to do in small midwest towns is go to the bar.....you've just got to accept it and go with the flow.
The jukebox thing reminds me of my former roomate. He used to take the utmost pride in being able to select songs on the jukebox that would clear the bar, or, at the very least, make it necessary for us to leave quickly before being lynched.

 

[Jon_B]

Sorry to hear that you had such a bad time. At least you you got to do #7 on your list. That's always a bonus.
Jon

 

[Philip_G]

Hey, look at the bright side! south dakota is WAY better than North Dakota, and you only had to visit, I live here :frowning:

 

[Rain]

Rough. This is exactly why I avoid my family like the plague around the holidays.
Click your heels together and repeat after me. "There's no place like home, there's no place like home...."

 

[Kurt B]

I have to second Rain's feelings.... I stay home for the holidays for much that very reason. At home I can do my thing and enjoy the time off.

 

[Ashley Seymour]

Brad_W

I'm not quite getting what types of entertainment in Spearfish that you might enjoyh and would consider coming back to see.

The Passion Play is performed there and draws tourists from far and wide. Also, in the summer you can look forward to the gutteral sound (and appearance) of thousands of bikers as they congregate in Spearfish. From your comments I'm not sure of your preference, by I might discern a leaning in one direction.

. I've had a lot of great "relations" with my wife (if you know what I mean )

I am looking hard at your post to find something about your experience that may help me to emulate and repeat your "success" in this area.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

This reminds me of my first wife and a trip she planned for the summer of 85 to visit her parents in Kansas. She started planning this excursion in January of that year, involving a flight to Kansas to spend 2 weeks with her folks in their non-airconditioned home in August, in Kansas.
Having spent a couple of weeks in Oklahoma in the summer that seemed more like 5 years of humid hell, I was not about to go to Kansas for 2 weeks and stay in a house with no ac.
I checked my fellow employees' vacation time requests, and actually convinced one guy to sign up for the 2 weeks my wife had planned for her pilgrimage to purgatory.
Imagine my tearful face as I explained to my beloved that I could not get the time off from work to accompany her to her folks sauna for 2 weeks of nonstop heat, humidity, and misery.
As it turned out, I enjoyed 2 weeks of blessed relieif from her and her 2 spoiled rotten offspring from a previous marriage, and the temp in Kansas was 100+ with 90% humidity the whole time she was there.

 

[McPaul]

you know...this wouldnt have happened if you had gone to north dakota.

 

[Brad_W]

Well, I am officially home. And guess what? Due to the continued smoking outside and what not, I have bronchitis. Suprise Suprise.

It is indeed great to be home.

The Passion Play

From what my wife tells me, it's a religious play.

I'm going to just sit here and shake a lot while moaning from the fever and coughing up a lung.

 

[Craig Chatterton]

Hey Brad_w, glad you made it home in one piece. At least you have some good memories to share with us!
And as a non-smoker, it always cracks me up to hear smokers complain about getting lung related illnesses because of "smoking outside".
Hope your holidays were good (overall)!

 

[Jagan Seshadri]

lame group of cowboy hat wearing-cowboy boot doning-big belt buckle toting-creepy serial killer vertical pin-stripe shirt (see pictures of Jeff Dahmer) wearing-lasso using-mullet adorning group of hicks of the 30 something crowd came in

That made my day.
I assume you've been to mulletsgalore.com?

-JNS

 

[Stacie]

Hey, Brad,

Your description of your trip to Spearfish made me laugh. I grew up in Rapid City, a bigger town (pop. approx. 50,000) about 50 miles southeast of Spearfish on I-90.

Believe it or not, Spearfish is probably the best place to live in the Black Hills area besides Rapid City. Note, for example, that it even HAS movie theaters. And during spring, summer, and fall, the area surrounding Spearfish is incredibly beautiful, and there's plenty to do in the Hills. The motorcycle rally, however, is in Sturgis, which is halfway between Rapid City and Spearfish. Otherwise, though, Sturgis has even less to recommend it than Spearfish.

Movies in Rapid City: Rapid City has 14 screens first-run and 3 (I think) for second-run -- and all except the big second-run theater downtown completely bite. I've never been to the movies in Spearfish, but I know how much going to the movies sucks in Rapid City, and I'm sure it must be worse in Spearfish. My husband and I were there over the holidays, too, and saw three movies. One (Monsters, Inc.) was tolerably presented, one (Ocean's 11)was slightly out of focus and incorrectly framed, and one (LOTR) was shown in a room with a blown-out surround speaker that rattled annoyingly throughout the entire film.

Next time you have to go to Spearfish, get outside as long as the weather's not too bad. Though it wasn't like this this year, the Black Hills often has gorgeous mild winters. 65 degrees on Christmas day (in town) is not that unusual; it might be 10-15 degrees cooler in the Hills, but if it's sunny and dry as it usually is, that's still great weather for an easy hike. If the weather's a little colder but there hasn't been too much snow, you might take a drive through the Hills. There are lots of beautiful routes.

Oh, and if all else fails, take a trip over to Deadwood (really close to Spearfish) and go gambling. Or go to Lead for a little skiing. There are other things to do than just hang out at the bar (though you'll always, unavoidably, end up doing some of that).

Stacie

Proud South Dakota native (notice I don't live there anymore)

 

[Brad_W]

This is actually my second trip to Spearfish and my third trip to South Dakota. About 2 years ago my wife and I went to Spearfish and she took me hiking througout the area. Then she got poison ivy after two days of being there and we still had ten days to go! I've been to Deadwood both times also. We actually spent New Years eve in Deadwood, but it was very lame because my wife and her friend were really drunk within 1.5 hours of arriving. Her friend was so drunk in fact that we got kicked out of the bar we were at because she could barely stand up and it was still only 11:15!!

Oh well, next time I'll bring heroin and really enjoy myself.