Monday, October 30, 2006

Rise all loyal cougars!

Saturday the ear doctor and I made the trek down to Colorado Springs to see the BYU cougars annihilate the Air Force Falcons. It was pretty much the perfect day for the following reasons:


  1. I wore my hair up in two big messy knots on both sides of my head and had very cute blue polka dotted ribbon. I wore my old tried and true gray BYU t-shirt. I got this shirt when I was in high school eagerly anticipating my college experience. The fact that it looks old and worn out gives me some street cred. When attending a football game I feel it is necessary to wear your teams colors as loudly and proudly as possible. Looking kind of like a cheerleader helps too.
  2. The weather was beautiful, despite the huge piles of snow that took up 2 sections in the Falcon stadium. The ear doctor and I both got bright raccoon eyes. Glorious because then everyone asked us the next day about them and we could brag about the Cougar victory.
  3. I successfully navigated my car through the muddy/slushy parking lot. This was a feat that involved a lot of rocking my car back and forth to avoid getting it stuck in the swamp.
  4. I had the most delicious stadium food of my life. The air force food vendors were AMAZING! I had a smoked sausage that brings tears of joy to my eyes when I remember its hot, juicy goodness.
  5. Every time the cougs scored I could stand up and belt out the fight song and it reminded me of my mom getting me out of bed during high school. She'd sing it at the top of her lungs from the top of the stairs (my bedroom was in the basement).
  6. While at the game I realized what I was going to dress up as for Halloween, but I'm not telling here because I don't want to give it away to people who might be reading this.
  7. After the game we came home and went to a birthday party for a friend. His awesome wife, and my Colorado BFF, made the most amazing spread of food. It was GLORIOUS!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

How can I resist?

I love Christmas. I love it so much it often overshadows every other holiday. As soon as it starts to get cold (which, in Colorado, is Oct 1) I start thinking about fun parties and awesome presents to get people.

It takes every single fiber of my will to avoid pulling out my Christmas CDs before Halloween. This year I didn't make it, but it isn't really my fault.

It snowed really early and I was drawn to the special CD wallet that contains my 15+ Christmas disks.

Then, the ear doctor got me Diana Krall's Christmas CD from Costco last week and I didn't want to hurt his feelings by waiting to listen to it (just kidding, I barely had the plastic off before I was trying to shove it into my car's player, the ear doctor had nothing to do with it).

Then, it snowed again this morning and I pulled out my warm, off-white beautiful scarf I made myself last year. So wintry and pretty.

And, someone brought one of these into work for everyone to nibble on:



So now there is a little trail of ground up popcorn from the kitchen to my office and I'm thinking about what theme to make my awesome Christmas party this year.

Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder if that popcorn tin is from last year. Stale popcorn anyone?

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Totally nerdy

This admission is slightly shameful for me, but I have been wanting this for so long that it seems like it is the appropriate time to shed some light on my dorkiest desire.

I want this book:

In case some of you out there don't know what this is, or the glory that is buried deep inside it's pages, let me educate you.

This book tells you how to make anything.

It is the magic key without which everything in the modern world would just fall apart and be heaps of trash all over.

Want to know how fast to set your endmill to make a nice, clean cut on a chunk of Titanium? look it up!

Want to know what the pitch diameter is on a 1/2-20 UNC bolt? Look it up.

You never have to be dumb or uninformed when you go to talk to someone with world's more experience than you because you can just look it up.

It is a glorious little gem that has saved my butt on multiple occasions.

So, this is why I want this book. It would be worth more to me than any book I purchased during any phase of my education.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Cake

Sometimes life gets so busy that I forget to take a moment to work on my relationships. In the crazy whilrwind of my personal life I get distracted and stressed to the point that I don't make time for anyone outside the direct path of my personal maelstrom. Then, nights like last night happen.

Two of my friends have the same birthday...and it was yesterday. One of their husbands test-messaged me in the afternoon to invite the ear doctor and I over to their house for birthday cake. Having zero self-control when cake is involved, I gladly accepted.

When we got over there I was overwhelmed by the affection I have for these two people and their spouses. Such fun, alive people who make me laugh with reckless abandon. And the way they they've accepted the ear doctor into their homes/lives/friendships makes me care for them even more.

After eating our 900 calorie a slice red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, we bundled up and headed back home. The whole drive home I gushed over them. How amazing Amy looked with her little pregnant belly, how genuine Ja is, how Kristian makes me laugh so hard and how Brett is a real friend. I felt deep gratitude for having friends who are constant and sure. People who, if we didn't see each other for 10 years would open their arms and embrace me like no time had passed at all.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

My mom would be so disappointed

For lunch today I'm having the following:

  • Diet Pepsi
  • Cheetos
  • Twix bar

This is a major reason I love being a grown up. You get to eat what you wanted to eat when you were 10, but no one is there to tell you not to.

Glorious!

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Ahhhh, now that's more like it

I've always been a banana republic girl. I love to look put together. I love an outfit that makes me feel simultaneously girly and professional. BR has been it.

Except for the past year. It seems like every time I'd walked in their door my sense of excitement and hope for something great was immediately squashed by boring, drab clothes. No color, no unique cuts, nothing that even close to tempted me to shell out $100 for something I really didn't need.

I had all but given up on the store for anything but basics until I stumbled upon this gem:

That actually made me check my bank account to see if I could buy it. Sadly, I can't, but maybe if I stop eating for a month....

Hello?

What kind of moron wears open toe shoes to walk across campus on the first snowy day in Colorado? I mean seriously, get a clue. Did you wake up this morning and look around and say to yourself, "my, this looks like a fabulously sunny day for which my perfect favorite brown leather peep toes would be apropo"? Haven't you been taught better? Couple that with your wet, un-hat-covered head and you are a mess. You're kind of person your mother would simply shake her head at and wonder what kind of wolves rasied them. I hope your swollen red little toes turn black and fall off from frostbite. Really, WHO DOES THAT?

Oh wait, that was me.

Friday, October 13, 2006

A moment of silence

My doughnut bringing co-worker moved to another branch of the company on Monday. I didn't realize what that meant.

This morning there were no chocolate covered circles of joy.

How am I going to get through this day?!?!?!

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Barking Dogs

I've had the same pair of shoes for almost 3 years now and they still hurt my feet. I don't know why I keep them. I'm like that stupid mouse that can't figure out to stop eating the cheese that shocks the be-jeezus out of him every time he reaches for it. Call me a classical conditioning drop-out.

It's just that I love them. They looks so much different from all of my other shoes. They are mesh and elastic and remind me of black and purple aqua socks. Whenever I want to look truly Coloradidian I reach for them and my down vest in one motion.

I think the problem is that I will wear them one day, limping all the while and after that day shove them to the back of the shoe heap. There they will linger, allowing my memory of their vindictive pain-producing ability to fade. One day 6 months later I'll find them down there and think, "my, those are cute shoes. Surly they only hurt me the last time because I haven't fully broken them in. Don't they look like they will just slip on and feel so good on my feet?"

But, fool that I am, I have fallen for their looks. A moth to a flame. If my feet could talk I'm sure they would squeal out a frantic warning to me as I draw them into their black mesh and velcro prisons.

I walk off to school thinking, my these shoes are glorious. The are warm and soft, yet breathable and light. All through my morning I will almost laugh at my own silliness at not wearing them every day of my life.

Then, the afternoon sets in.

All I can say is, my poor, poor achilles tendon.

The once close and comforting fit has become a raw and pulsating legion on my right heel. The secure closure of the velcro pinches in the wrong place and causes my left pinky toe to fall asleep. As I hobble home from work I am filled with disgust. Not really at my shoes, but at myself for once again believing that I could find comfort in their embrace. It is my fault. I am the fool.

These stupid shoes are being pitched into the darkest corners of my closet and THIS time I will remember.

I WILL.

Monday, October 09, 2006

It's all over

See, I told you fall doesn't last long here.

Today is supposed to be the first day of snow here in the Denver metro area and I'm not excited. Winter and I have an interesting past. There is so much game playing in our relationship that most of the time I have no idea what is going on.

Last year he was the typical "cool guy." The one who never seemed really invested in the relationship. The guy who sat around and waited for me to call. The guy who gave little hints of affection...a frosted windshield, a few slowly falling flakes. Just enough to pique my interest without becoming committed. He waited and waited and waited. He even let Starbucks introduce the gingerbread flavored drinks before he was willing to put his full energy into the relationship. By the time he really came around I had been wearing my ski boots around the house for fun and the Christmas CDs had been in the stereo for a month!

This year he has pulled a role reversal. This time he's started too early. It's as though he's a date who droped the L-word casually over our third date dinner. I don't want him because he wants me too much. His cold and dripping presence is everywhere today. I can't get rid of his pervasive, water-logged demonstrations which are clearly needy, suffocating attempts to get my attention. It isn't like I want to treat him badly...he's a generally nice season and I don't want to be the mean girl who breaks his heart, but come on. Can't you take a hint when a girl doesn't want you around?

Why oh why can't this season and I get in phase with each other. It is so frustrating to be in a relationship where when I am up, he is down. When all I want to do is sit and be content he insists on being nowhere around.

I guess timing really is everything.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Fall

Fall in Colorado happens overnight.

One afternoon you'll be bathed in gloriously warm sunshine and wish you could take the afternoon off to go to the pool and the next morning you'll wake up to a frost covered windshield and bright yellow leaves crunching underfoot.

For about one week all the leaves will be the most intense eye-burning colors. Leaving the confines of the indoors and stepping out into the glaring sun is so breathtakingly beautiful that you involuntarily stop short, in awe of what you see.

The heavy, earthen scent of fall is so pervasive that for a moment you are transported back to the afternoon you spent raking leaves and jumping into the pile. You expect to open your door to the inviting smell of cinnamon and pumpkin pie. You wonder why there isn't more brown and orange in your closet.

All you want to do is take the day off to enjoy the unearthly majesty that is open to anyone for the taking who will step up and take it. No, not the unearthly majesty. The complete, quintessential earthly, terrestrial experience.

You want to grab it, hold on, soak every moment up into your being so that you can always experience a day like this. An hour like this. A moment.

You realize that in a month (that will trip by without being noticed) you will be locked into the cold, gray death-grip of winter. Then you will look back at Colorado fall and realize, with deep regret, that you spent those few weeks indoors. Took for granted the sun and the dry hem of your currently ice covered jeans. Never went in a corn maze or picked a pumpkin from a real patch. Never made that pumpkin pie.

And instead of those thoughts making you sad, you'll realize that fall will come again. Colorado will never let you down. And next time, you won't waste a minute.