Montana update

The preparations continue:

• We have so much to do. Mostly around the apartment. We have very little packed up at this point. We are going to mail a bunch of stuff and sell/give away a bunch. At the moment that translates to having several half full boxes scattered around the living room.
• I sent in my order form this weekend for a quarter of beef. It will be about 80-100 pounds. Nikki's parents are graciously loaning us a freezer that they aren't using. The beef is from a ranch that raises cattle and sheep on grass without hormones or antibiotics. The ground beef that will be part of the purchases is 95% lean. We can feel very good about this purchase. And the ranch is within 20 miles of Nikki's parents'.
• I plan on getting a MT driver's license and plates for the car. I think I am due for new stickers in November anyway. Also, most places have a law that you have a certain amount of days to get local plates if you move somewhere. I begrudgingly got a DC driver's license last year so I could register our new car. They spelled my name wrong on it. That's the DC DMV for you. I still haven't gotten that fixed and I think I'd better before we leave so I don't have to take the driving test in MT.
• Becoming a Montana resident also means I won't be paying DC 'state' tax. While I enjoy contributing to the millions this city spends on graffiti removal and needle exchange programs, I think I've done my share. DC can continue to have the best-funded, worst-performing schools in the country without me. I was initially excited to be ridding myself of DC's 'state' income tax because I thought my paychecks would see a bump. Then I realized that by declaring MT my state of residence, I was losing out on this region's cost-of-living adjustment. So I think I'll break even, though as I said, I'd rather help fund Montana's programs than DC's. It's unfair to other states that so much tax revenue from federal jobs goes to the state governments of Maryland and Virginia and the 'state' government of DC. I guess I've found a way to beat the system for a little while.
• Being a Montana resident also means I will get to vote in the presidential election. Because I was forced to give up my Texas residency but don't currently live in a state, I wouldn't normally be able to vote. Or rather I could vote and it wouldn't count, which is worse in my opinion. Nikki and I are both getting excited again for the election. It got really boring for a while there. It'll be exciting to see who picks whom for VP. My guess is that McCain picks a young guy and Obama picks an old guy. Beyond that I have no idea.
• I am toying with the idea of starting a Montana Beer Blog. I really want to try as many MT microbrews as possible and it would be fun to document them. I think I'll also try to brew beer while I'm there but I'll have to see. I'm not bringing any equipment other that my wort chiller. Copper has gotten too expensive to replace that cheaply. But I think with some plastic buckets I can make do. It'd be a nice way to warm up the house once it starts to get cold. Update: I did start a MT Beer Blog after all.
  
• I don't think I've mentioned our new car seat yet. Actually we have two new car seats -- one my dad bought for their car that we are using in our second vehicle for the time being. It's a Graco SafeSeat identical to the one we were borrowing but in another color. The one that we got for our car is the Britax Diplomat. This seat should last Georgie until she's ready for a booster only. And while we picked it for its excellent safety specs, we do take some pleasure in the fact that it's in cow print. Georgie now has a diaper, a pair of babylegs, and a car seat in cow print. It's getting to be a signature pattern, though Nikki scoffed at the idea of making 'Cowgirl' Georgie's theme.