Interesting about stores closing early because of weather! Though to be honest, I haven’t noticed much of a difference in weather between 8pm and 10pm.

Always up for more life experiences, though I do have plenty! I’ve lived in three countries and seven states and traveled all over the world. I feel that it is because of (not despite of) my life experiences that I’m seeking something more that simply isn’t available here. I can’t change my own personal preferences and interests at the drop of the hat. As far as things driving me nuts for the rest of my life–it ain’t gonna happen because we’re not planning on staying in this area for more than three years, max. And two would be just about right. This move was always temporary. And I can’t imagine staying somewhere I didn’t absolutely love any longer than necessary. I think that’s probably the biggest difference between me and the people who live here, who either love it or are resigned to it. My goal, however, is not “assimilation”–I plan on keeping my unique preferences and distinct love of things like culture and nightlife (if that’s what you call wanting to sit in a cafe open past 8). I’m making the best of it, but simply can’t imagine replacing my favorite things with deep freezers and indoor hobbies!

Good conversation, both here and through e-mails. I’m enjoying the comments, and all the different perspectives and places people are coming from.

Part of these issues you have come across (like the lack of late night activities) are related to our climate, I think. We have had really nice winters the past few years, but I can recall years with some doozies. There is no way any store/business is going to stay open late and potentially have employees and customers stuck inside the building overnight. It is also way too dangerous for an employee or customer to end up stuck on their way home in some snowdrift. When you get terrible weather, customers don’t pour into a business or stay all night, and it’s a waste of money to heat, light, and pay employee wages for limited customer patronage. It’s also a little difficult for parking lot or road maintenance to remove snow or deice when vehicles are in the way. We as residents don’t like the fact that stores aren’t open 24/7 either because we need to use them too. This winter has been just a joy for us because we didn’t have to worry as much about ice, stalled vehicle engines, chapped lips, runny noses, and fun stuff like that. Most years, we pretty much hibernate to stay away from those problems, but this winter wasn’t bad.

I’m really glad your boyfriend is willing to take you around this neck of the woods. That will be great for you. The more life experiences you have, the better. Minnesota and Wisconsin are very similar as far as plants and climate and the people in Minnesota are wonderful, so I hope he will be sharing that side of the Mississippi with you too.

After thinking about it, I think you are sort of becoming assimilated a bit because you already see and know some of the nuances of the people, the community, the issues, the lifestyle, etc. To me, it seems like you’ve picked that information up pretty fast. You may not be able to deal with it as some of this may drive you nuts for the rest of your life, but you may be able to avoid those annoying things because you are so aware of the issues. To me, the highest priorities are things like locations with no tornadoes, earthquakes, or floods. I can deal with anything else.

My boyfriend’s from St. Cloud, and he has a list of places he wants to take me when it gets nicer. We’ve been to Fall Creek for a workshop on tree ID (which I blogged about) but other than that… and Menomonie… we haven’t seen much yet, it’s true.