North Dakota in the news...

I've been hearing North Dakota in the mass media recently. The mass media is not being very nice.

In a radio ad for McDonald's, a man has brought home one of their new ice-cream sundaes for his wife, who is suspicious of the reason behind his generosity. He proclaims to be offended -- can't a man bring home a sundae for his wife without getting the third degree? -- then lets it slip: "Oh, and we're moving to North Dakota." "What?!"

On the "Daily Show" on June 20, Jon Stewart got a crack in: "We're turning now to more pressing matters... Korea, which, much like Dakota, has two parts -- a relatively friendly South, and a North that hates the world... [aside] Have you been to North Dakota? It wants the world dead."

Hi ho, Hi ho...

Since everybody who is anybody has a YouTube video, here's mine -- a short movie of what my drive from home to work will look like. Again, it's about a six-and-a-half-mile ride. Here goes -- click on the triangle to start playing it....




For the record, I did not hire a helicopter to take the pictures, nor did I paint a purple stripe between our house and the federal courthouse. The movie was generated by Google Earth, and captured by SnapzPro.

One month to go!

It looks like we'll be packing the moving van on Monday, July 10, and taking off from here on Tuesday, July 11. If we drive two 12-hour days, Jen with the kids and dog in the minivan, me in the moving van listening to bar review tapes, we should pull into Fargo on Wednesday night. That gives us a little cushion before the judge's reunion festivities kick off on Friday night.

We're renting a 26-foot truck from Penske for $1,097, and have 6 days from Monday to drop it off in Fargo. The modern diesel engine should save us $197 in fuel costs on the way out, the Penske Web site helpfully tells us.

Before we go, our good pals Matt and Sue are throwing us a goodbye party on July 4. (If we know you, you're in the D.C. area that day, and we have somehow neglected to invite you, just show up at our house that afternoon...) We'll cook out, then stroll over to downtown Rockville for the fireworks. Our great friends Christi, Chuck, Eli, Macy, Meg, Michele, Peter, and Sarah are going to be spending the long weekend at our house, perhaps helping to pack a box or two, and our great friends Suz, George, Hank, and Ty will be staying nearby.

Some might say that entertaining twelve houseguests is not the best way to spend your last weekend before you move across the country -- bah!

Exchange Program...

Well, just as the Washington area is about to lose us to North Dakota for a year, it is getting what I believe is its first North Dakota-themed restaurant, Agraria. It is owned in part by the North Dakota Farmers Union, and is meant to showcase fresh ingredients from the Peace Garden State and elsewhere.

The Farmers Union threw more than $2 million into the project, and its tag line is "From Our Fields to Your Table." According to The Washington Post, Agraria has had a little trouble getting off the ground. Its executive chef quit days before the restaurant threw open its doors, and they are revamping their menu as a result.

What an interesting project! I don't know if we'll be able to get there before we head out. Hopefully, it'll be waiting for us when we get back to D.C. Seems that the menu tends more toward "thinly sliced beef carpaccio with truffle oil" and less toward "hotdish."