«City of Boise Survey»

So yesterday I got this letter in the mail from the Office of the Mayor. They want each household's opinion on how safe they feel they are, how the city is spending tax dollars, and how they perceive Boise as a place to life. It's an online survey. They ask that the adult in the household who has had the most recent birthday take the survey. That would be me.

So they sent out a letter, they obviously want people to take the survey. The best way to get someone to do something is to make it simple. Right off the bat they hit you with a rather long URL that you have to type in by hand. After mistyping it once, I get there and I get this:

We are experiencing technical difficulties. This survey will be back online later this afternoon. If you would like to be notified when it is back online, you can send an email request to [address removed]

Do note, this was about 9:00 PM that I tried this. Exactly when does "this afternoon" refer to? Remind me again, do they really want people to do this servery? Or did they just feel like wasting envelopes and paper?

I planed to answer fairly well on the survey. I'm quite happy with Boise as a whole. I love the Greenbelt (a bicycle path that runs along the river). They seem to maintain it well; there's construction on the Greenbelt now, and they are building a new bridge in another section. The parks are numerous and well maintained. Road construction doesn't take forever... Maybe I've just got a skewed perspective because I come from the craptacular town of Ketchikan, where everything is half-ass patched and takes forever to be completed.

In fact, I'd say the survey website is about the worst thing about Boise so far. They made a point in the letter to make it clear the survey is hosted by ORC, an external and independent website. So the only fault of Boise is contracting their survey out to the wrong company!

EDIT: Just want to say the survey is working today.

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«Table Rock»

August 18th I rode my bicycle up to Table Rock. It's a viewpoint that looks out over Boise Idaho. Click an image to view full.

Here's what it looks like up on Table Rock. The heat that day made getting up there tougher than it should have been.

Zoomed in on Boise, if you look a bit you can see the dome of the Capitol Building.

There's a path that goes down and around the cliff face. Every square inch of that cliff is covered with graffiti. Not just spray-painted, but carved into the soft rock.

There's also a cave under Table Rock.

Because you can see most of Boise from table Rock, it's a good place for cell antennas. Ironically, I had a rather poor cell signal up there. Must have been all the interference.

Also something you can see from most of Boise is the giant cross they light up at night. I don't know who owns the land, but it just seems wrong... And why are the other religions neglected? I demand a giant Flying Spaghetti Monster to be lit up at night on Table Rock, that would be sweet!

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«Idaho Capitol (Photo Heavy)»

Some of you may know Boise is the capitol of Idaho. Monday (August 30th, 2010) I visited the Capitol Building and took a few photos. Click an image to view full.

One thing I can say about state capitol buildings is their exteriors are highly photogenic.

Idaho State Seal on the sidewalk outside the Capitol Building.

Standing on the entryway stairs, looking down Capitol Boulevard.

Inside is a grand architecture designed to make one feel small. It's beautiful, but struck me as a waste of space. Most of the building is for show. They just need a fountain in the center...

And of course, Big Brother is watching...

A decapitated angel on display. This really is Hell's stronghold.

Government doing what it does best: keeping those Lobbyists safe and secure...

I mean really, that door was sort of a WTF when i saw it...

Directly below the center of the dome, looking up. What's with the children's star wallpaper in the very center? Kinda ruins the mood, don't you think?

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«And I'm Back»

I've got an apartment in Boise Idaho. I'm roommates with a friend of mine. Got most of my mailing addresses updated, along with all the usual crap when you move.

It's nice to be away from dismal Ketchikan. There's not much I miss about that town yet. I'm going to miss the ocean, and even some of the rain. I find myself stepping outside on the rare occasions that it does rain here in Boise. The thunderstorms here are a treat. Despite the constant rain and wind in Ketchikan, there isn't much thunder and lightning.

The heat is actually quite nice. It's a dry heat so it is quite tolerable. I think the winters are going to be mean, though. The ocean in Ketchikan regulates the temperature, so the winters are quite mild. Here in Boise on the other hand... It gets cold.

So far I like it. Stuff is cheap here. Some things (like food) cost half what they do in Ketchikan. I still need to find a job though... As much as I'd like to get enough income from the ads here, it's just not going to happen.

The bad part of all this is, no matter how far I go I can't get away from myself. I'm still me. So I'm finding myself living like a hermit again. I'm not as bad as I was in Ketchikan, but I'm headed there. I'd like to find a group of like-minded people to hang out with. From what I've seen on the internet, Boise is a pretty lonely place for a nerdy atheist.

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«Landscape Change»

What a sharp contrast in landscapes. I came from a lush temperate rain forest in Alaska to a barren desert in Idaho... And I love it.

Just take a look at this.

Click image to view full.

I love deserts because they are so different from anything I grew up with. And oh yeah: I'm coming back to blogging.

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