First dispatches from Boise

• I've gone on three runs thus far: one on the paved Greenbelt along the river, two on trails in the foothills. (Can I tell you how much I missed trail running?) All were great experiences. And there were people everywhere! Boise is a very active town. Keep in mind that two of my runs took place mid-morning on weekdays. Don't these people work?
• I live in a small apartment complex, just 10 units around a small yard. On a scale of 1 to 10, my apartment is a 9. I can live without an on-site laundry facility; however, the lack of air conditioning could be a problem. I have gigantic west-facing windows. And guess in which direction the sun sets around here. My place turns into a little heat box after 5:00 p.m. But it's no worse than the bedroom I had in the northwest corner of the building in Mission. Hot in summer and freezing in the winter.
• Campus is a five-minute walk away. My neighborhood is great and pretty quiet. Folks in golf carts drive around throughout the day, serving as the eyes and ears of the place. Being so close to campus, however, makes me wonder how the serenity is going to change once the fall semester begins. Then again, Boise State is a commuter school.
• Speaking of close, downtown is another 15-minute walk from campus. Like Juneau's First Friday art walk, Boise has what's called First Thursday. So, I checked that out two nights ago. I visited the Idaho State Historical Museum (for free), bought a new overpriced water bottle to take along on my runs, and bought a Cowboy Junkies CD for $4. The CD compensated for the water bottle.
• I'm not one to run with people, but I'm going to check out the group run next Saturday morning. It was my intention to meet the group at 7:00 a.m. this morning, but I was up past my bedtime last night after a late movie. I figure the running group might be a good way to meet people. If I don't like them, I can veer off on a different direction, never to return.
• There's a great independent movie theater, which I visited last night. Imagine the Nickelodeon in Juneau just with more screens. Like the Nickelodeon, I sat against the wall last night. Ah, the security of the wall. The only trouble was picking which film to see. I went with "Please Give." Not bad.
• I got my BSU ID card Thursday. Hello student discounts!
• I signed up for my first race, a trail run in August. I need the month to acclimate because...
• It is so freaking dry here! Good grief I'm thirsty. I don't know how I'm the only runner out there carrying a water bottle. I started running with Gatorade in Mission because of my fear of dehydration while running the lonely dirt roads. But here? I have to be even more judicious with my fluid intake.
• I like my part of town. But there's a point within Boise the farther west you go where it turns into your traditional grid of streets found throughout the western U.S. and its accompanying big box stores, fast-food joints, and traffic. It's fairly easy to get around town, even with lower speed limits than you'd expect, construction, and un-timed stop lights. But I'm glad I chose to live "in town" close to campus instead of in suburbia.
• I'm not working yet, but not freaking out about the money situation. I'll find a job eventually. I do have a good nibble on one position and applied for another yesterday morning which would be a perfect fit. Let's see if they feel the same. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my time off. Class doesn't start until the 12th.
• Overall, I like Boise so far. It'll be easy to call this place home for at least two years. I'm not too concerned with the traffic situation because I really won't have to deal with it much once I get more settled. Boise has more people than what I'm used to and comfortable with. But I've lived among the masses before.