"What Would Jesus Have Said to the Christian Nationalists?"

(A question posed in a video, from a channel created, and wholly produced, by Bjorn Andreas Bull-Hansen)
(btw - I like Bjorn. He's generally very considerate, intelligent, and kind, as well as an author and traditionalist. Check out his channel. Good stuff.)

(In response to his video, link posted below)
First, allow me to state that I enjoy your show. I appreciate the plethora of topics you speak on, particularly your common sense bearing on the errors of wok(e)ism and the feminization of our young men (and some older men). However, I think perhaps you're a bit out of your element on this one.
You admit you're not a Christian, yet you feel educated enough on the subject matter to speak on it. You're not American, but you feel informed enough to speak on it (MAGA, politics, etc.), as well.
Here is my position. I hope it helps your understanding.
I'm American. 10th generation. My ancestry is Scot, Irish, Saxon, and Norwegian. Probably why I like your show. I come from a very long military lineage. Even two of my boys are military - one Marine, one Soldier. I'm a Traditional Catholic (pre-Vatican 2 and pre-progressive/modernism). I'm an historian, philosopher, and archaeologist, by education. I'm a Constitutional Conservative.
When I was young and understood much less, I was democrat, progressive, liberal, and pagan. After years of education and research, and a few undeniable nudges from God, my world view changed. Essentially... I grew up. I put away the notions of youth and idealistic notions of utopianism. That is not the world we live in, nor was it ever. Our world needs order. It needs to hold on to traditions. I'm positive that you appreciate That one. Our world also needs God. When we do not follow him, our societies eventually fall to ruin, our moral center decays into nothing, and our very children pay the price for such hedonism and evil. That is also evident everywhere on this Earth, more so today than much of the past.
To be a nationalist is to be a patriot to your country. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as that country tries to maintain goodness and takes care of it populace, does not act out of evil or malice towards its own or its neighbors, exudes truth and good morals, protects the weak, aids those in need without compromising its own values or people. Too many people get this silly knee jerk reaction that "nationalism" means aryan, or national socialism, or fascism, or despotism... it does not. Those things are counter to true nationalism because they ultimately threaten the very thing they claim to protect.
You want a good example of nationalism? America, 1942.
You want a good example of Christian Nationalism? America, 1942.

Wanting the country founded upon God and Christian values to remain a Christian nation is not a bad thing.
It's the correct thing.
It doesn't mean forcing others to become Christian. That's between the nonbelievers and God. But it Does mean having a society that operates under the tenets of that religion (such as no murder, no theft, be honest, etc.) that gave those people the very freedom and peace they enjoy.
It also means not forcing demonic or insane garbage upon the Christian people of said nation because a loud, unhinged minority feel compelled to undo said nation, at the very fundamental core of its being.

Do I think America should be Christian Nationalist? Only if it is done right and not allowed to become a tyranny. Adhering to our core values as a Christian nation would see to that.
Do I think America 'will' become one? No. Because in this mortal life, we are not to find that sort of peace again, until Christ returns and the last great war is fought. That's Scripture.
It has hints of Ragnarok to it. Curious, no?

As far as MAGA goes... it's just a patriotic movement and slogan. We've had many over the last 250 years. This one will eventually fade into the history books, too. But for now, we need it. We very nearly lost this country to an evil, insane, despotic oligarchy taking orders from another evil, insane, tyrannical oligarchy (who probably meets in Davos every year).
We're trying to save our nation. And whether our cousins across the pond like to admit it or not... if We fall... eventually You all fall.
Pray we are successful. This fight will take a generation or more. If we're lucky.
God bless. Gruß Gott. Skol. 🤟

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyMp6MGmKvw

*FYI - This was a comment I originally posted on a yourube channel (link above), which the fascists running yourube (not the channel owner - he's cool) quickly removed w/o warning. Since I felt compelled to write it, and it took a little thought and had some meaning (at least to me), I'm reposting it here. Yes... in years of dealing with the purple hairs at yourube, I have learned to copy/save all my lengthy comments because yourube is actually run by modern day nazi scum, and I do not trust them any further than they can throw a football.


If you're interested in this subject (Christian Nationalism), here is a concise, thoughtful piece written by Prof. David Carlin:

https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2024/07/08/on-christian-nationalism/

Mom died today...

Sunday, January 5, 2025

"Mom died today."

It took me two days to write this sentence.
She actually died Friday morning, 6:50AM EST, January 3, 2025. She made it to 2025. I thought we had a few more months, but around Christmas time, she just couldn't keep going. Her body and her mind were failing her. In the end, she went in her sleep the morning after I spoke to her for the last time, on the phone. My sister placed the phone next to her ear and put it on speaker. I read Mom something I wrote half an hour before I called her:

'Mom,
It's me, your oldest boy.
I'm told your time with us is almost done and soon you'll be with Nanny and your Daddy.
(pause)
I just want to tell you that we'll be ok. (long pause, difficult getting the words out) You taught us well. I will do my best to meet you in Heaven someday, and with God's grace all my children will follow me there.
(pause) I am writing you into one of my books, with a slight name change, to honor you and so that your grandchildren might know you a bit more.
(very long pause, trying my best not to break down in tears) You were my whole world when I was young. (pause) My happiest memories all include you. (pause, tears) I'll remember them for the both of us.
I imagine you'll be watching over me soon. And I will be praying for you. (sniffle, straightening up in chair, wiping tears, pushing through)
Try to forgive me for the mistakes I make and ask Christ to go easy on me. I'm still working on my sailor-mouth.
I love you, Mom. May God keep you and give you peace. I will come find you in a few decades.'

There is a hole in my world, now. I have not spent much time with her in the last twenty years. After Nanny (her mom) passed on, Mom decided to sell her place and semi-retire to Florida for a few years. She lived and worked with a good friend of hers from high school. They catered parties and conferences. They also spent a lot of time sight-seeing and enjoying the beach. After a few years, she missed her family, so she moved to Kentucky to live with my sister around 2008. We saw each other only a few times after that. We spoke on the phone once in awhile, but life kept us busy. My job with Roadway and YRC kept me extremely busy. Then in December 2013, I moved to North Dakota, eventually got married, had another child, and worked very busy jobs until I took a sabbatical in December of 2022 to finish school and write books. By this time, after a few days we visited Mom in 2017, we had learned she had alzheimer's. From 2020 on, it progressed rapidly. By the end, she was blind, mute, and couldn't mobilize herself. She left this world helpless and in the dark. My only consolation is that she is with God, now, and will be with Nanny and Grandma Mac (Nanny's mom). She might even be with her Daddy and GrandDaddy Orr. I do not know where they were at spiritually, with Christ, before they died. I hope they made it. I hope they all made it. Hope is all I have left, now.
We are links to our past. Our parents are the links before us. When they leave this world, that link is broken. Like a wave erasing a shape in the sand. The ocean removes it. Flattens and smooths it out. Like it was never there. Only we remain to tell others what was on the beach. When we're gone, the story of it slips further into memory as our children must tell the story, and then their children, and so on. Our parents are our direct connection to our past, to our lived memories, to the world we grew up in that only now lives in our minds and hearts. Now half of my connection is gone.
At the moment, I'm part numb, part sad, part angry, a lot nostalgic. Sitting here, writing, listening to Chicago "Hard Habit To Break." No, I didn't plan it. It just came up in the 80s playlist I'm listening to.
I feel sad for my youngest son. He will never really know my Mom. He was too young, too far away. Mom only got to meet him twice. Once before the diagnosis and once a few years later. By that time, we all knew. She had aged considerably in those few short years. Just a few years after that, towards the end, she looked as if she'd aged twenty years in just seven. Mortality came for her with a vengeance. A stark reminder that none of us are immune. None of us will leave this world alive. My Mom was ok with me becoming Catholic. We spoke about it two years ago. She was happy I came back to God, and understood my draw to the Traditional Christianity of the Holy Church. I explained my reasoning, the nudges God had given me. She agreed that I was on the right path. I wish I could have brought her to a Traditional Mass before she passed on. It just wasn't possible. All I can do now is offer prayers for the repose of her soul. I know she will enter Heaven quickly, maybe even instantly. But a few extra prayers couldn't hurt to speed up the queue, just in case.
My extended family are protestant, so they wouldn't understand. Nor, in my experience, do protestants tolerate even hearing that they're not doing it quite right and, regardless of where their hearts are at, in rebellion against the Church Christ began. But my own family is my concern, now. My children are my legacy. It is they whom I must try and bring to Christ's true Church before the end. I need to do better, as well. I have been laxed, lately. School, holidays, illnesses, deaths... so many things blocking the way. I need to get back into the swing of it. Health, Church, Family, Writing, Research, Career. It's time to finish my life better than I started it.
I will miss my Mom. I'm sure more as time goes by. It hasn't really set in, yet. I can feel it hasn't. Still numb.
Goodbye Mommy.

Walking back into the Light

These are a couple of social media posts I have made, over the last 17 months. 

I have made some significant personal changes, and may reconstitute this blog accordingly. 

At least in order to include this new stage of my life, not necessarily become the sole topic of this blog. 

In addition to semi-retiring from the “rat race,” in order to become a fulltime researcher and author, I am putting my past experience in paganism to academic and literary use, as I further study materials pertaining to Angelology, Demonology, Exorcisms, Sacramental Rites, and the differences between the Roman Catholic Church, The Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Coptic Christian Church, mainly historical and fundamental doctrinal variances. 

Anyway… I would just like to share. I am not the same man I was a decade ago. Moreso even from three years ago. 

I'm not even sure anyone reads this blog, anymore. But, here goes... 

[*Some current notes have been added below, throughout] 

--------------------- 

[posted on Gab] 

My sojourn back to God 

Oct 15, 2021 

So, after meeting with my [new] Pastor last night, a nice three hour talk over ale and dinner, about the world today, the evil spreading everywhere, our insane subculture/cancel culture, etc., we also delved into the Lutheran doctrine (LCMS). 

I have completed my adult [Lutheran] catechism and (after years of research, comparisons, soul searching) have decided to be confirmed Lutheran (for those unfamiliar- think ‘evangelical catholic’, or as I heard in a podcast, jokingly, ‘diet catholic.’ Lutheran is the first protestant church: see Martin Luther – The Reformation.) 

I was raised baptist, then charismatic, brethren, presbyterian, and evangelical. 

Then I left the faith thirty years ago. 

I got mad at God and walked away. 

I spent years in various pagan traditions and the occult, even practiced the medicine path for a time. 

I went to college at 30 and discovered existentialism and nihilism. For a time, I hovered somewhere between agnostic and atheist for a long time. 

Then, Trump came and I watched the evil of this world reveal themselves openly after Billary lost the election. I watched as society turned itself inside out [and the Left went insane]. 

I watched as Revelations began to unfold. 

Long story short - I couldn’t ignore what I learned from the Bible in my youth, as prophecy came to pass. 

I began a very awkward, humble, procrastinated shuffle back to Christianity. But this time I did research [rather than blindly following someone else - ie., a family member or friend], found the denomination that not only felt right for me but scripturally [seems most] right. 

It’s hard, though. I sin. Every day. But I am determined to keep going, because it’s what’s right, because it’s what we’re supposed to do, it’s what my heart says to do, and because [I believe] I know what’s coming. 

I encourage all y’all to think on this, if you’re unsure or unwilling to kneel before God [let alone admit to yourselves that God really exists]. Our time here is growing shorter. Eventually, it’ll run out. Then it’ll be too late. 

Talk to God. Ask for his help, his guidance. 

Think about going to church. Find one that suits your spiritual needs and feels like a good fit. [Though I highly recommend one of the older Churches – pre-1600. Remember… the farther back in time we go, religiously, the closer to Christ we find ourselves. Look to the ancient Christian doctrines first.] 

And be not ashamed. [This world is wicked and demonic. Many will scorn you for seeking the moral, righteous narrow path to God. Stay the course.] 

God bless. 

--------------------- 

[posted on Gab] 

May 6, 2023 

[This is in response to a social media post by a Traditional Catholic. He had asked why Protestants rarely refer to themselves as Protestant, noting that Catholics and Orthodox are open and unhindered about proclaiming themselves as such. Many of the replies seemed to be from protestants, and they were not very nice. What follows here, is my rebuttal and comment to them.] 

[*Note - this describes, briefly, where I currently am in my Christian sojourn.] 

Reading through these responses clearly demonstrate why, after all these centuries, we're all [Christian denominations] still split up. We can't even find common ground on the number of Sacraments, let alone doctrine and Church history. 

This is what put folks like me off for so many years. 

I was raised mainly Baptist [as well as a few other Protestant denominations]. 

Then, I was pagan [black arts witch, wiccan, wittan, stregan, enochian, egyptian, hermetic, asatru, neomedicine path] and then [thanks to college], agnostic for decades. 

God led me back. That's a longer story [see previous post]. 

I had to do my own research, for a long time, about my direction. What Church should I go to? God gave me a few, very clear, way too coincidental hints/nudges on which way to go. 

I ended up at an LCMS Lutheran Church. 

Then, more reading and podcasts, more nudges, a year later I found myself in RCIA and attending Mass. I finally feel that my spirit [soul] is involved [engaged] and where it belongs. 

But I still have grave reservations about a few things. Mainly, what's been going on in the Church since 1962 [see “Vatican 2 controversy”]. And I think [Pope] Francis is demonically misled. 

So, I have also been reading about [Catholic] Traditionalism and [Catholic] Sedevacantism [as well as studying contemporary Church history, and portions of ancient through Medieval Church history, to gain a fuller understanding]. 

The deeper I go, in all my studies, the more I find that I have More to learn than previously thought... that I am not 100% convinced which path (Orthodox, R. Catholic, or Protestant.) is definitively correct, but I am going where God is leading me... And [in addition,] once I Finally sat down and took the time to understand about Mary and the Saints, I discovered that Protestants are wildly uninformed/misinformed on the entire subject [of Marianology and the Intercession of Saints]... and the Triune God [equally God, Jesus, & The Holy Spirit] is the true understanding [of the Trinity] (sorry, Orthos). 

The end result for me is that 95% of what Catholics and Orthodox do seems correct. Only about 30-50% is true for [some] Protestants [while other Protestant denoms are closer to 5-25% correct, like Jehovah's Witness, Mormons, or any progressive church that condones open defiance of God's Word]. 

This is my personal, informed observation as a Philosopher and an Historian, not as a Theologian [although, I am striving to become a Theologian - at least an amateur one]. 

So, I am trusting Christ to continue guiding me. 

But I'm pretty much in the Trad Catholic camp, now. [I attend Mass. I pray the Rosary. I’m seeking Confirmation, hopefully by next year. I may even take a few courses in Catholic Studies at the local Catholic University, just to further my knowledge and aid my research.] 

My youngest son is being brought up in Catholic, in a good Catholic School. [We pray and attend Mass together.] 

Everything feels to be in the right place in our lives, now. Religiously/Spiritually-speaking. 

Also, my 75 year old Baptist mom didn't freak out when I told her I was in Catechism. 

That’s a Bonus. 

---------------------

To absent best friends and family. 

Know that you are ever missed and ever loved. 

May you survive and thrive in these dark times. 

And may God watch over you.

Me, Connor, Wenny - Jan 2020

Bismarck, ND

Gavin, Connor, Wenny, Me, Liam -  Oct 2018

San Diego USMC Recruit Depot

Connor, Me - Oct 2018

Connor - Oct 2018

Me and Liam - July 2018

Lake Sibley, ND

                                 Where we're headed as a nation and society...

        *Originally posted on a conservative forum I belonged to in August 2019:

    Nine months ago, I officially gave Twitter, Jack, and the rest of the leftist nutbags the finger and abandoned Twitter. Account is deactivated. App’s gone from my phone. Link is deleted from my PC browser. [And since I discovered that I was perma-banned]
It’s just become too stupid and vicious. And, sadly, I was getting caught up in the (as Glenn Beck put it) “Outrage” addiction.
    I turned 50 on that day. People still tell me I look like I’m mid-30s. But I’m 50. That means I have had the opportunity to observe close to 4.5 decades of societal change in this country, on this planet. I have watched as our schools eroded. I have witnessed the weirdo, drug addicted, zero morals leftists from the late 60s/early 70s slowly worm their way into our educational system and political machine, and change things from within - for the worse. I have seen tyrants and crooks lose power only to be replaced by others who took up the corruption mantle and became despots themselves. I have watched technology blossom and then get stuck for twenty years in a reboot/upgrade/expansion cycle (we should be living on the Moon by now). And I have watched, over the past 25 years, as the democrats used "hope and change" mantras to deceive the general populace, while they insidiously worked their socialist agenda into our daily lives, beginning at the most rudimentary level with the most basic social programs and policies, from welfare expansion, to mandatory seat belts, to social services kidnapping children, to widespread indoctrination in our schools, universities, and media & literary venues. 

    Now, they are crafting legislation to destroy our 2nd Amendment, greatly restrict or abolish portions of the 1st Amendment, openly ignore the 4th Amendment, and discussing the real likelihood of enacting the 25th Amendment. We have democrats who ran a campaign on an openly socialist platform and WON. We have ignorant, mentally deranged, fascist thugs roaming portions of the larger leftist metropolises, starting brawls, riots, destroying property, sending people to the hospital, stealing, committing arson… all while the local police either stand back and watch or show up in riot gear but do very little to halt these lunatics from breaking the law. And uneducated buffoons like Bloomberg and Pelosi want you to call those same police forces to come save you in an active shooter situation, rather than you being armed yourself and saving your own life or that of your family’s.
    I have seen a lot of change in the world over the past 50 years. Most of it was not for the better. Perhaps more interesting. More distractions and social opiates (like smartphones, tablets, 1200 cable channels and lifelike sim video games). But in general, we have lost our way. Facts are apparently no longer truth (just ask Biden). Virtue is scoffed at. Morals have become subjective. Honor isn’t even understood anymore. Honesty is relative. Ethics, principles, integrity are meaningless when compared to convenience, instant gratification, and reality shows.
    God has become a relic of a long forgotten era, or so thinks most youth and many adults these days. Instead of the creator of the universe, he is seen as a fairy spirit in the sky that has no more validity than a unicorn or a smurf.
    While I may struggle with my belief, hence my agnosticism, I understand the need for a divinity in our society. Without the thought of an all-father watching over us, and someday passing judgment on us, it seems most people simply run amok. It’s like the parents are gone for the weekend, so they break in to the liquor cabinet and re-enact Animal House. Whether God exists or not, we need God to be in our world, in our heads and hearts, in our actions and intentions, in our nation and our homes. He is sorely lacking in all these places today, and we are seeing the damage it is causing.
    In 50 years, I have gone from thinking the world was somewhat manageable and ok to utterly chaotic and in a tailspin. My last perception, I think, is the most accurate.
    As a student of history, I have read about the internal strife and collapse of many civilizations and countries. What I see today sends chills up my spine, because what I see, read, and hear from our own nation and world is echoing what I have read in many of my historical texts. Nazi Germany, Communist China, Rogue North Korea, and Stalin's Soviet Union used the same tactics and rhetoric as today's leftists (democrat, socialist, progressive, liberal sheep) employ.
    If we do not retake our country from those who would see it undone, then I fear within a generation - two at the most - we will no longer have an America.
    So, I will sit here at my desk, sipping my coffee, thinking of my family and the possible battles ahead. If they come, I hope they come when I am still young enough to hump it through a field with a rifle and a pack, and spare most of my children the need to endure what our direct ancestors had to endure on the east coast, 244 years ago.
    My father is a marine. One thing he taught me was always be prepared, hope for the best, and expect the worst.
    No matter how crazy this might sound - America is tearing itself apart and headed for a 2nd civil war (or perhaps Revolution). It’s happened before, virtually everywhere else. It can most certainly happen again. How ready are we? Who will actually stand up? How many folks on the wrong side of the line (yes, I am talking about you, Leftists) will realize it, before it's too late, and rejoin their fellow Americans to save their homeland from its decadent, out of control spiral to ruin?

A belated farewell to the best Vulcan

    When I was a young boy, every week I would spend a particular evening with my family gathered in the living room. My mother would be sitting on the sofa, my father in his recliner with a jar of planter roasted peanuts. My younger sister and brother would be laying on the floor with me, all of us at my father's feet.

    At the designated magical time, the TV screen would go black, then we'd see a few stars appear, moving, then that familiar music followed by a young William Shatner's voice, "Space... the final frontier...".

As I was too young to have been witness to the original airing of the series, Star Trek was rerun for many years during most of the 1970s. My exposure to Sci-Fi, Star Trek, and the varied personalities, as well as philosophical concepts and questions began at an early age. It would seem I may have paid attention more than I realized at the time. My way of thinking began to change, grow. Not simply with age, but in my perception of the universe at large, the people within it, why things were the way they were, and how they could be made better.

    One of the key figures in my birth of knowledge-seeking was a strange and (mostly) stoic character many have come to revere as an icon of intellect we should all strive to become. A human-vulcan hybrid named Spock.

    Admittedly, when I was young, Kirk was my hero, as he was to most boys of that time and culture. However, as I aged, and my interest in science and astronomy began to develop, I came to notice Spock more and more. When I reached adulthood, and some level of maturity in both physical, as well as mental capacity, I found myself drawn to a new series. Star Trek The Next Generation. In it, I found myself drawn to Captain Picard and Data, as they seemed to be the more intelligent, honorable, and philosophically/logically inclined. But always in the back of my mind, I thought of Spock. That's what Spock would say, or That's what Spock would do. Somehow, sometime during my life, Spock had imprinted something into my thought process that stuck and began to shape how I processed most of my intellectual patterns and inner debates.

    I imagine it was this imprint that led me to develop a more logical means of thinking and living my life, in general. My love of philosophy grew from this, I posit, as well. I studied the subject intently, for six years, while attending my state university. Logic and Critical Thinking were the first fields, but then I soon branched out into Existentialism, Ethics and Morals, Religious, Feminist, Ancient, and a few others. The scope of my thinking and perception of how everything 'is' expanded beyond my limits, for a time. I gained a much more holistic view of the universe. My life had been changed forever, just as my thought process.

If you were to ask me twenty years ago who my heroes were, I would have said something like Spider-man, Robin Hood, the Lone Ranger, Luke Skywalker. Ask me now and I'd say Robert E. Howard's Conan, Nietzsche, Picard, Sun Tzu, Plato, Socrates, Sartre, and Spock.

    I realize Leonard Nimoy was simply an actor (as well as being very talented in many other fields), but the life he breathed into a character for a dated scfi series back in the 1960s propelled him, as that character, into legend. He became immortal. He became Spock. And he provided us with one of the greatest icons for logic, peace, and intellectual advancement we could have ever asked for.

    We will miss Mr. Nimoy, greatly. But We will miss Spock even more.

    
    Live long and prosper, Leonard.

I invaded Aliens

That's right. This past Saturday, I travelled to a local cheeze joint to immerse myself in fake, plasticy big-eyed, little-mouthed, scrawny-body alienism.

*Note   not all of the photos you see here were taken by me.

And I wanted to assess their cheeseburgers. That's right. We come fer yer burger, Chuck.     :)

This was the Planet Zombie burger. That's Alien-speak for "Taco Burger". I wasn't feeling that brave, yet.

So, I settled on my comfort zone. A cheeseburger and fries. Or "Alien Burger".

  

*queue spacey Twilight Zoney music.

The sandwich was about 30-40% larger than McDonald's Quarter Pounder and one of the better burgers I've had in life. And filling.

The fries were not bad, either. In the upper 50% category. Tastier than Five Guys' fries but not quite as good as Big Boy's.  Wow... rereading that last sentence felt reeeeally naughty.

ANYWHO... they have a FaceBook page, if you're interested. And a website, with a pdf menu I will link in this post.

Space Aliens in Bismarck was exactly what I expected. A bit crowded, lots of fluff and cheap effects, tons of tiny people running about, over-priced arcade, too long of a wait for a table, and very young adults trying to keep it all afloat.

They did have a real spacesuit, from one of the earlier Apollo missions, displayed in the arcade, however.

Neat.

But, the atmosphere was comfortable, the seating wasn't bad, the decor in peripheral blur mode was nice, and the food was awesome.

And the inside of the domed ceiling had a nice airbrushed mural of space. I would have gone with more realism, but still not bad. Better than a boring drop tile with greasy lighting.

The place was a bit expensive. $9.50 or so for a cheeseburger and fries. But at least I got a spiffy cup on request. And it is a big ass cheeseburger, folks.

All in all, worth the trip.

The building itself was interesting, if not a bit touristy.

           

Obviously not my pics. The world displayed here isn't currently in Ice Age mode. Mine is.

As promised, here is their menu. Couldn't get the pdf to upload, so this is a link to it.
Space Aliens Grill & Bar menu
Fairly standard, though they do have a few themey items listed.

I can tell you their cheeseburger rocks. And the BBQ was very good. Think it's called the Martian Munchie platter. And the Raspberry tea was enjoyable. They even have an onion blossom thing, which wasn't bad at all - but nothing compared to Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion.

On a 1 - 10 scale, for good food and good environment, I'd give it an 8.

And I will be going there again. If only for takeout.

So... This is what a tundra looks like.

This will be brief. I'm still getting settled in to my new hometown, new life, new world, new everything. Possibly even a new country? Feel pretty far removed from the world up here.

While I realize North Dakota isn't exactly Siberia, it's still pretty distant from where I grew up and the life I used to know.

The drive here was fairly rough. Stupid me for trying this in the winter time. Hit an ice covered bridge in Wisconsin and had my first ever wreck. Yay! Thanx for keeping your roads clear, cheese heads.  *flips Wisconsin both birds*    .I.  :Þ  .I.

It was a bit terrifying, though. Trailer swung out from behind my SUV and just yanked me around the bridge like a ragdoll on an ice rink. I came within about 3 feet of going over the edge. Thirty foot drop to the highway below. I got lucky. Very lucky. That could have been my end.
Regardless, took some damage to my SUV and the crappy Uhaul trailer I was pulling.

Thanks to that, it was a full two days to get here.

Ended up driving through all of Minnesota and North Dakota at night, which sucked because I wanted to See everything. never been to either. Well, not true. I was about 90 minutes into southern Minnesota once. Thirteen years ago. And it was -85 with the windchill.
But that aside, yeah. Five hundred miles of driving, in the winter, in snow, twenty below, in the dark, in two states I've never been. Did I mention I'm stupid?

So, eventually, I get to North Dakota and you can 'feel' how wide open it is. The trees were so few, I sensed their presence as I passed by. That was creepy. This boy grew up around woods and forests. They are kinda missing way up nort' here. And with all the open, and all the snow, what few lights and towns there are, sorta lit up the ground decently. And the interstate was a bit more visible than it should have been back home. Not that that helped much. My view all the way to the capital was like...

But eventually I made it. You could see the city glow for about 45 miles. Surreal. 

Once I cleared the last big hill, though (yeah, that was a joke), and the valley of my new hometown came into view, I have to admit it was pretty breath taking. Even in the dead of night, of this hellish arctic zone.

I am still getting used to things. It's a little more expensive than I am used to, but nothing like Cali or Colorado. And there is no Kroger's here. Grocery shopping just isn't the same. Especially when you see regularly stocked items on the shelf like 'Herring in Wine Sauce"  

Really? Wtf?

Lots of blonds and redheads up here, too. And beards. Many, many, Many beards. Lots of German and Nordic descent about, from what I'm told.

But the people are pretty nice. Very helpful. They kinda stick together. But I guess that becomes inherent when you live on HOTH.

This weekend should prove intriguing. We have a blizzard watch, and a wind chill warning, and a white out watch. Prolly a buffalo stampede watch in there somewhere. Perhaps a "freeze to death since you're stupid for going to ND in the winter time" watch, too.

The company does make it all worthwhile, though. Very few regrets. I miss my children, of course. And one other.

But this is what it is. And I will enjoy. One way or another.