Spring snow tomorrow?

That's what the forecasters are saying. Apparently, we could get up to a foot of snow by tomorrow evening, which makes me sad. All the flowers and trees are blooming, unaware that their effort will shortly be buried under snow. I guess I can't blame them, as the early bloomers tried last week and got snowed on, then frozen under sleet. As soon as the weather cleared and the temperatures warmed again, anything that hadn't bloomed before furiously worked on the task. So now the campus is filled with flowers of all kinds and I feel compelled to photograph them all. I love taking flower macros, and now that we've been here long enough to experience all the seasons, I've learned that I really have to seize the day, for they may not be here tomorrow.

R.I.P.

Kurt Vonnegut has passed away. The world has lost someone very unique and our culture has lost an important voice. I am very sad. I've read and loved many, many of his crazy books. I always thought of him as immortal, but at least his words are.

Honeymoonin'

Yay!!!!! At long last, we are taking our belated honeymoon! When we were planning our wedding for August of 2005, little did we know that I would be starting my new MA program just a week after our wedding date, several hundred miles away. We picked up the moving van the day after the wedding, so needless to say, our honeymoon had to be delayed.

Fast forward to now, and we are finally taking it! We had talked about Iceland, Costa Rica, Europe and other places as well, but thanks to some free tickets from my wonderful parents, we are going to our 45th state together: Alaska! Neither of us have ever been before, but we've heard such wonderful things about it from friends and family who've been.

Yesterday, we booked all the basic/important stuff. We have the place tickets, the ferry tickets (the Alaska Marine Highway, AKA a ghetto cruise, but actually it's supposed to be way better than a regular cruise and WAY cheaper), and even our car rental. Now I just can't wait for the semester to be over so we can see some gorgeous stuff! I'm planning on taking a TON of pictures and we are figuring out how to rig stuff so that we can upload our pictures to our iPod so we can clear out the memory cards. So exciting!!

Easter Party 2.0

Today we had our second annual Easter brunch (yes, I'm aware we were a day early, but that's how the fates aligned this year). Last year, we had an easter egg hunt in our living room, a bunch of great people, good food and a ton of fun. Part of me was a little worried this year wouldn't live up to last year's fiesta (it was the only party we had that people still talked about months after the fact). Would people be too busy on Saturday? How could we top last year's egg hunt?

Thankfully, I needn't have worried. We have awesome friends and the weather was extra crappy, so I guess we were the best thing going :-) That, and Peter had plans to expand the hunt considerably. I accidentally bought way more eggs than he had planned (they were on sale!), so we had 103 and a half eggs to hide in our rather small apartment living room. Amazingly, it wasn't that hard at all and we could have hid many more quite easily (next year, Gadget, next year).

Thanks to my sell-out video, I learned how easy and fun stop-motion movies are, so I decided to make this my next project. Want to see how crazy 20 people hunting for 100 eggs in 250 square feet is? Check out the video:


Looks like fun, huh? Join us next year when we hide 200 (or more?) eggs!

Holy crap!!!

I juts got the email that said I passed my comprehensive exam! I really thought I was going to get called in for oral exams, and I'm not really sure why I didn't, but I'm happy!

Luxury

The past few days have been heavenly. I've done pretty much nothing, or only exactly what I want to do. It all ends tomorrow, but I've certainly enjoyed the time I've had. I like working hard, but I also like doing *nothing* really productive when possible (like most people, I'm sure). Today I was thinking about when I was a kid; I couldn't understand the concept of adults liking work. I would hear people talk about feeling productive like it was a good feeling and all I could think about was, "How is this better than playing? If you have the chance to play and choose to 'feel productive,' how is that good or fun or even remotely preferable?" I understand it now, though I'm not sure exactly when that transition took place. I can only "play" for a few days now before I start feeling restless and need to be productive. In fact, many of the things I do for fun are actually productive in some sense (or at least give me the feeling of being productive). I like making movies, taking pictures, writing blogs. Even getting through more of my Netflix queue makes me feel good in that I feel like I've accomplished something by taking three more movies off my list.

Some people lament this change from the days when playing pretend in a field was all we needed to be fulfilled. I think it's just a necessary step for a functioning society. If no one ever derived any satisfaction from a job well done (or even a job simply done), would anything ever get done? And if things did get done, would anyone ever be happy? I think it's good to enjoy doing work, but it's also good to play pretend once in a while.

Sold Out

I do polls sometimes for Harris Poll. Not to get any money, since I've never won the "sweepstakes" they always claim they have, but because I can earn points for overpriced prizes with very little effort. A week or so ago, I filled out yet another survey, only this one asked to call me with a follow up. Sure! Why not? So I get the call this week, and they want to pay me real money ($75!) to make a short movie about how I use media in my life (more or less). I just have to sign something and upload the video to their website. Fine. I sure could use $75 and I can make a 1-2 minute video, no prob. Before I get the contract to sign, I'm thinking about what it might say. For SURE I think it's gonna say they get the rights to my masterpiece. So I think, well, I'll just do a half-assed job; it's not like my $75 depends on it actually being GOOD! Especially if they broadcast this shize on CNN or something (I think that's one of the sponsors of this poll).

I get the contract, sho 'nuff, I have to waive all my "moral rights" to my video. And TimeWarner can show my video "without limitation throughout the universe in perpetuity by any and all means now known or hereafter discovered..." and I won't ever get more than my $75, even if my video rocks the foundations of civilization as we know it. OK, so I just make a crappy video, right? Yeah. I wish I could. Now the video I've made is so cool, I want to make a *practically* identical video so I can show all my friends. Cuz it's pretty cool. If you are near me, or are related to me, or otherwise want to see this video, let me know and I will figure out a non-illegal way to show you (read: no YouTubing it for me on this bad boy. It's totally right in the contract).

Man. I sold my creative soul for $75. Ah well, now we know my going price.

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Yesterday:

Today:

It's all good

I took my comprehensive exam for my Master's degree on Friday. Phew! I'm just glad it's over and I can let my brain relax a bit. Last week, I had two other major tests in addition to the comps; I honestly don't think my brain has ever been that full before. This week is Spring Break, so I've just been trying to decompress, catch up on the little things around the house I've been neglecting, and just take advantage of the eye of the storm. One of the things I want to do with this time off is post a bit more to this blog :-)

Overloading Cute Overlaod

Like Cute Overload, but wish there were more puppies? Me too. Enter The Daily Puppy, uber puppy goodness. Check out the videos too. Try not to squeal so loudly you wake the neighbors.

Awesome Video

If you've ever wondered what a man getting chased by a cartload of monkeys would look like, here's your chance to find out. (Oh, and definitely check out the first link. Guaranteed for at least five minutes of fun and wonder at our crazy language).

Taste of Spring

Today was absolutely gorgeous. May I order another, please? I was more inspired to take pictures today than I have been in quite a while. Maybe it was the light, or the spring fever palpable across campus, but I just wanted to pull out my camera and capture everything. I took the photo to the right while I was talking on the phone with my mom (As a side note, she does not have thyroid cancer! Yipeee!!!!). I balanced the camera on my knee, tried to aim a little bit, and shot. This was by far the most non-crazily-lopsided take of the bunch.

Also inspiring me photographically is Threadless. I've blogged about this great site before, but they are having another sale, so last night I went on a shopping spree (well, a spree for us, anyway). They have a thing where you get credit for taking pictures of yourself wearing their shirts, and you get more credit if they love your picture, so I've been trying to think of some really creative, pretty ideas for compositions. My biggest obstacles are: free time while there's still daylight, free time in general, and a photographer. Since I have to be in the picture (wearing the shirt), it may be hard to get the results I want with someone else shooting. It's not like I have anything too fancy-shmance in mind, but I do have something in mind, you know?

Anyway, that brings me to what I've been thinking about more lately. I need to do more posed photographing of people. I'm a crappy people photographer right now and I'd like to change that. All I need are some willing subjects. Any takers?

Here are some portraits or a more (or less) willing subject:

Finally Counting My Chickens

I got into the Speech Pathology MA program! I had been hoping I would (obvs.) and had hear from many other people that "of course I would get in," but I really didn't want to bet on it. Now I just have to pass Comps to actually get *this* MA (less than three weeks!), and finish this semester. I was freaking out about the course load for the new program, but I looked again, added up the credit hours, and it seems like it will be much more manageable than I had feared. I might even be able to take some extra classes and be done earlier (maybe). Yay for knowing what's in store!

All Good Things

Our lovely streak of lovely weather came to a crashinghalt this morning (literally). I had been starting to feel nervous and on edge about the nice weather; I knew we were living on borrowed time with all the bike rides and weekends that didn't have snow. This morning as I left the apartment for my 8 AM class, it had just started sprinkling snow. It wasn't realy sticking much yet and our outdoor thermometer said it was only 35 or so, so I risked it with just a scarf, though I did wear my heaviest wool jacket. Thank goodness I did, because by the time I started hiking up the hill 4 minutes from our front door, the snow was really starting to come down, with the wind gently blowing it into every crevice of my scarf, jacket and backpack. Even when I got to class, there was barely a thin layer of snow on the sidewalks.

When we came out of class two hours later, though, it was a different story. Two or three inches had fallen in that time and it was still coming down. I only wore sneakers (because it was just a light snow), so I had to be extra careful with the snowdrifts and piles of slush pounded under hundreds of Ugg-booted feet. The snow caused the predictable problems with buses, driving and general mood, but luckily both of us only needed to walk places today. *Sigh* Oh well, at least this winter is going to make for a REALLY appreciated Spring!

Another reason I love Apple

Peter bought a refurbished video iPod a month ago (a Christmas present from his parents), but he noticed that it basically would only hold a charge for 15 minutes before completely conking out. 12 hours of charging for 15 minutes is not cool, people. He just wanted to return the damn thing and be done with it. Only problem was, he couldn't just return it for a full refund unless it totally didn't work from the moment he opened the box. After a frustrating afternoon on the phone with the tech support people, he found out he could supposedly take his iPod (refurbished, remember, so much much cheaper than a new one) to the Apple store in town and trade it in for a new (non-refurbished) one. Seemed too good to be true! But he went in and sure enough, got a new iPod. We'll just have to see how this one works :-) I have the (non-video) iPod he gave me 2 1/2 years ago, and it still works quite well. Sure, I don't listen to it for hours on end, but it serves me well as I walk to and from class every day. Thank God for podcasts!

In other tech news, but without the happy ending so far, we got the "Watch Now" feature activated on our Netflix account (yay!) so we can theoretically watch movies at home anytime we want through the magical Interwebs. The program doesn't work on Macs yet (boo), but we have Peter's laptop hooked up to our nice big TV (yay!). But I've so far only had mixed success getting movies to play. Plus, no subtitles and the kind of jumpy, non-DVD quality you get from internet movies. People who think the future is entirely streamed video content seem to forget that even with very high quality internet (like we have here for free, but which usually costs a lot), so far you still can't touch the quality of a DVD. Until they really refine the process (I'm thinking chapters, subtitles, and maybe extras), I'd much rather see movies I really want to see on DVD. I'm even willing to wait a whole day or two to get it.

Scenes from the Boulder Bike Path

I took Bluebell out for an inaugural ride yesterday, taking advantage of an unexpectedly free afternoon and the nice weather before the next blizzard was supposed to hit (though it didn't, yay!). As I rode, I saw the usual characters: the bikers in racing gear, with fancy road bikes that cost 300 times as much as Bluebell (at least), eyes hidden behind metallic reflective sunglasses; bikers on mountain bikes or garage-sale beaters who are using the path to get from one place to another, usually riding either at a leisurely pace or standing up to pedal furiously; the runners of all kinds and speeds dressed in clothes that would make a less active person freeze; and the townfolk out for a stroll, maybe in pairs or singly, generally seen outfitted in some kind of high-tech, brand-name outdoor wear.

I also saw some unusual people. I rode behind a trio of girls, junior high-age, who blithely took up the width of the path (unheard of etiquette on the usually very busy path). They were goofing off, lifting up their legs as they coasted, weaving in and out between one another and generally enjoying the lovely afternoon, free from the fetters of school, homework, chores, and anything else that could tie these free spirits down. I was so strongly reminded on my own childhood friends and the beautiful bonds that we shared. I then remembered exactly why they make movies about those kinds of relationships: they are lovely, fleeting as childhood, and very rose-colored. I hope they can carry that lightness I saw in them into high school, puberty and beyond.

The other, extremely odd sight I was treated spurred my curiosity more than my reminiscing. It was a middle-aged man, maybe young 40s, dressed in a fleece vest over a long sleeved shirt, wearing khakis or slacks, clearly dressed for a stroll along the path, running at absolute top speed. His red cheeks were puffing, his fleece vest bouncing up and down over his heavier-than-Boulder stomach, and his arms and legs were pumping as he literally sprinted past me. What on Earth was he up to? Was he a visitor walking the path who felt shamed by all the runners and other athletic types zipping past him? Was he an engineer at the nearby lab who suddenly remembered he forgot to turn off his nuclear oven? Did he get a life or death phone call on his cell phone? My mind spun with possible scenarios, but sadly, he was running far to fast in the opposite direction for me to ever find out.

Coming up for air

Sorry for the long down time between posts. This past week was even busier than usual, thanks to putting in about twice my usual hours at one of my part-time jobs.

Good news:
Peter has a bike, but if we want to go out together, he has to run while I ride the bike (we'd go 50 feet if it were the other way around). We'd talked about getting another bike for me, but we didn't want to spend as much as a new bike, or even a good used one, would have cost for something I might use a few times a month. Until Monday. Peter scored this beauty:
Guess how much? $6.50! OK, it didn't have a chain then, but even with a new chain (at less than $20, with installation), it's still the deal of the century! I've named her Bluebell and she is very fun. She's a little on the small side for my daddy-long-legs, but we're going to see if we can get a taller seat post so my legs aren't perma-bent. Compared to Peter's mountain bike, she's super fast and really light. I love the lightness because we live on the third floor, and I always struggled carrying the mountain bike up three floors of stairs after a long bike ride.
And now we can go on bike rides together!

Let's see, what else? We went to see Jeff Corwin a few weeks ago, but I forgot to blog about it. We're settling in to our schedules, but it's hard to get used to seeing each other for only a few hours a day when we usually were able to spend most days together (even if we were both just doing homework). The weather has been fantastic, giving everyone a lovely taste of spring, but we've lived through enough of this winter to get nervous if the weather is nice for too long. We don't want to get our hopes up because Mother Nature will just squash them under three more feet of snow. But this stretch melted almost all the snow! There are still a few black icebergs on those streets that never see sunlight, but those are generally avoidable.

Come on, Spring! We're more than ready for you!

New toys

So, we are definitely delaying the new computer purchase until June, when (hopefully) the new Mac OS will be released, along with (hopefully) the new iLife. To make life bearable until then, we got the new RAM chip in my Mac, and today, we bought a simple little device that will make Peter's tiny laptop much more functional. To wit, Peter set up the laptop to plug into our LCD TV screen, increasing the screen size from about 10" to 32" (not to mention the fact that his laptop screen is dim to begin with, because it's a different kind of screen you can use in sunlight). So there's that, but then we bought a wireless keyboard and laptop so we can sit on the couch and use the TV/computer like true couch potatoes. Much comfier and easier to see. That should last us till June, right?

Food glorious food!

Peter went shopping today at Costco, and I would be shocked if there was anything left on the shelves there. They must have been having some pretty good sales because he came home with a lot more, and more different kinds of things, than usual. I can't wait to get a chance to cook with some of them!

Comps, comps, ooh la la!

We had our first study session for comps today (like the ultimate final exam, the little test you need to pass to get your MA). Only 6 short weeks (or so) to study! One of the additional stressors this semester, and not a tiny one. Luckily, today made me feel a lot better about the topic we were going over, though I think that is my strongest area anyway. It's kind of funny to look back over what I've learned in the past year and a half or so and realize how far I've come. I thought I knew and understood linguistics when I came, the product of the vast experience I had gained getting my minor in linguistics from 3 classes, but I know realize I had only the shallowest and narrowest understanding of the field. Even now, there's so much I don't understand, or even know about, but I know a lot more, and even better, I realize how much I really don't know.

Stress Management

I need to readjust my skills for coping with stress this semester. The classes I'm taking are organized much differently from the classes I've been taking for the last year and a half, and they are taking their toll on me. For one thing, I now have lots of tests and quizzes, when I used to have 1-2 a semester. The level of preparation and stress that goes into a final exam is much more than semi-weekly tests, but I don't think my fight-or-flight reflex has figured that out (little tangent: for the longest time, I heard that phrase as "fighter pilot" reflex, so I thought fighter pilots had the most stressful job ever, so this thing relating to stress got named after them).

Right now, I'm in a bad place, where every little thing I need to remember to do, from studying for an exam, to watching a videotape for a class, even writing a thank you note, the memory of all of these obligations sends the little thrill of stress through my blood stream, and make my head throb a tiny bit. I need to calm down. Yoga, anyone?

You know it's too cold when...

There is a quarter inch of ice on the window... inside the bedroom.

See you on the flip side

It's 6:40 AM on Monday, and I have another frighteningly long week ahead of me. Test today, quiz, and presentation on Thursday, and lots of meetings and whatnot in between. Wish me luck. I may not be seeing you for a while :-)

I wanna talk to the manager

OK, who gave the go-ahead on this new round of snow? Seriously. This wasn't supposed to be a big storm (in my head), but we already have 2-3 inches and it isn't even 11 AM yet. It's only allowed to snow today, but at this rate, that's all it will need.

At least they are pretty, fluffy flakes. They are so light and fluffy that some of them are literally going *up*! I tried to encourage them on that path, but none of them seemed to listen.

Peter says they look like coconut shavings. There was an episode of Studio 60 that had them running out of fake snow for the Christmas show, so they used coconut shavings instead. I decided that God's run out of snow in Colorado and is now using coconut shavings. Mmm... coconuts... Now when I look out the window, sigh, and say, "It's snowing," Peter says, "No, it's coconutting." It sounds much warmer that way.

In happier news, we bought a new RAM chip for the iMac, doubling its RAM, which makes it (and us) much happier. Everything is twice as fast, so I can keep twice as many programs open and it now runs at a normal speed! As long as Peter's laptop doesn't die, we should be able to make it until June or whenever Leopard, iLife 07 and (fingers crossed) an upgraded iMac line is available.

We also got a weather station with a remote outdoor sensor. Now we can know if we need a sweater or a parka *before* we are halfway to class and already getting frostbite! Here it is valiantly standing up the the relentless forces of nature:

Phew!

Well, I made it! First full week with all my classes, transcription job and Writing Center hours. Basically, I was on campus for a really long time (11 hours one day) for most of this week, and I have many days where I hardly have time to eat. A few things were this week only, though, so I have hopes that things will improve. I think we'll be making a little bit more money this semester, since I'm working three jobs (one of which is extremely sporadic) and getting paid a little better for one of them. Still not enough to actually make ends meet, but thank God for loans!

Ipso Facto

I'm not sure what that really means, but we'll pretend it relates to this post.

It's the weekend, therefore it's snowing. Again. Not so much this time, but enough to make me sick of the snow. Again. But it's supposed to get up to 40 and 45 in a few days! Yay! Come onnnnnnn..... MELT! Really, I woudn't mind it so much if it just melted before it snowed again, as is the Colorado (and Reno) way. Stupid El Nino. How do people live in Minnesota or Michigan or, God forbid, Alaska? Clearly, I am not a snow person. Growing up in Cali will do that to you, I guess (and yet I will never claim to be a Californian).

Off to have some hot chocolate!

Fun with Photoshop

I've had a wee bit of downtime, time when I was too tired to work, but too awake to sleep, and I've been playing with some effects in Photoshop. I can't decide if I love these effects, or if they look too silly, so please let me know your opinions. (Sample pics are our wedding photos by the wonderful Monique Sady)

Original:

Photoshopped:

Comments? Suggestions? Which do you like better?

Today's Random Thoughts

I had a blog post about me making an edible multi-course that included steak ALL WITHOUT A RECIPE, which was truly groundbreaking, but I hadn't saved it when Peter closed the browser window. Hazards of sharing a computer.

My classes are going well, but it is a bit of a transition to go back to undergrad classes. A girl in my ASL class flipped when she found out I was married and 25. I forget they are babies and in a very different stage of their lives. On the plus side, I have about 1/100th the reading of last semester (granted, I don't have my textbooks yet), so my brain is happier for the moment.

I am applying to the MA program in Speech Pathology here. Didn't I just do this? Two years is not a very long time to recover from grad school apps. It's not fair.

We watched GoodFellas and Sleepers from Netflix this week. Both were excellent. My brother is apparently big into the "illegal movie blogs" and we watched the first five minutes of a horrible tape of Happy Feet. None of us could stand the ridiculousness so we all agreed to turn it off. I've heard such good things, I can only hope it gets 1000% times better after the first 5 minutes ripped straight from a dumb version of March of the Penguins. Stheriously. Plus, I really realized that I would rather pay $18 a month for Netflix to get movies I can actually see *clearly* than free bootleg interwebs versions.

I spend too much time reading blogs. Google is wonderful (I just discovered Calendar), but their Google Reader RSS feed is getting to be too much. I need to unsubscribe from the really prolific blogs. I just can't keep up.

OK , I better finish this bad boy up before Peter comes along and closes my window. See you all soon!

Things just may work out

I've gotten my work schedule for this semester, classes are pretty set (one is still up in the air) and I think I may just survive this thing. I've only had one class so far, so a lot will depend on the workload of the unknown classes, but so far so good. If I don't have as much reading as I did last semester, things could go well. My ASL class (the one class I've had so far) looks like it will be a lot of fun and it will be great to sign almost every day again. Luckily, the emphasis of this class is on expression and production, and unlike many of the other students, I've already had some experience with that. Even though I already have a paper and a presentation due next week, compared to the assignments I've had for my MA classes, this one should be a lot more fun and less stressful.

Even the job I was afraid I might have to quit looks do-able now. We've worked out a schedule that should work really well, and having the extra money will be nice too. Of course, I haven't started working at the Writing Center yet, since they don't open until the second week of school, so I may seriously be changing my tune shortly. Stay tuned.

My brother's in town, so we're going to try to go to our favorite restaurant in town here for happy hour tapas. I'm very excited because we only go out to eat if we have company in town, even if The Med does have my favorite kind of pizza for only 3.50 per entire pizza. And it's so good too. But yeah, homecooked food is so much cheaper, why waste money on restaurants, even if they are really tasty? And we can control the healthy-factor of food we make ourselves better too.

Speaking of which, Peter and I are doing the Discovery Channel Health Challenge with his parents. It's pretty cool if you haven't heard about it. They have a great website (I'll update this blog with a link when I get home) that allows you to track your weight, exercise, provides meal plans and allows you to join "teams."So far, I've lost several pounds and have been working out a lot more than usual (though still not enough), which is my goal. I'm not all about New Year's resolutions, as such, but I do like trying to improve myself in various ways, and getting healthier has been a big one lately. Let me know if you decide to join the health challenge and here's to good health for all!

The end is near

Tomorrow we go back to school. D'oh! What happened to all the amazing free time of vacation? How did it just evaporate with me getting only a fraction of what I wanted to do done? For starters, I think I was sick all break, plus I traveled to CA, Reno and Vegas, and I was also amazingly lazy. Even today, I didn't get up until 8:30, which is better than 10, like the rest of the break. But all this will seriously bite me in the ass when I have to get up for my 8AM class this semester. Yuck! And of course, I cannot forget that I found out that Glider Pro is now freeware and available to play in OS X! I thought it wouldn't be as fun as when I was a kid, since computer games have gotten so much more sophisticated, but of course, I was tragically wrong.

In other news, we decided to wait to buy the new computer until June, or whenever they release Leopard and iLife '07 and all the other stuff that would make our computer quickly outdated. So now we are going to buy an extra RAM card for the iMac, hope that Peter's computer doesn't completely crash, and take whatever precautions we can to extend the lives of our machines. I'm a little sad, but I also know that it is probably a smart move, since there is no truly pressing need for a new computer right now (and if we get it over the summer, maybe that will give me more time to play?)

Hope everyone is warm!

Snow?

My brudda's coming tomorrow (yay!) and we're supposed to get snow tonight/tomorrow (boo). I keep looking out the window to see if it's started snowing yet, but all I've seen all day are the ominous low foggy clouds covering almost all of the mountains. Those clouds always mean snow. Since I've missed the past three snowfalls, ahem, blizzards, I'm excited to be here for one, even if it isn't supposed to be ginormous. I could have done without it, though, if only out of sympathy for all the people who have been stuck here for the past month in the snow. Oh well! The snowboarding should be good for my brother!

Cure for sore throats

I don't seem to get sick too often, maybe once or twice a year, if that, but when I do and when I have a sore throat, only one thing works to help it. Throat Coat. My miracle. When we were in Vegas and in the 2-3 days of our respective colds, Peter and I got some Throat Coat tea at Whole Foods and it saved us. I would wake up literally unable to talk, but after a cup, I was fine. Between the two of us, I think we went through at least half the box in just a few days! It also tastes really goo (IMHO). I've heard some famous singers swear by it too, but I feel like it's still my little secret, since I've been using this since I was in elementary school or at least junior high, and it's possible we could have gotten it before it hit the really big time, since the company that makes the tea was just a few towns away from us. Mmm, Throat Coat!

Where does the time go?

This week is my only time at home on vacation before school starts next week and I have so very much I want to get done. First and foremost, I have a huge research project I need to finish for the incomplete I had to take thanks to my injured arm at the end of last semester. So I'm working on that as much as I can stand it every day, staying up way too late and waking up much later than I will be able to with my 8 AM class (ick). I really want to do a major overhaul of my website, but I know that's going to take a lot of time and passion that I need to keep in reserve for my project.

Instead, I've been tearing through A Series of Unfortunate Events, by Lemony Snicket. I'd read the first two in the children's library across from where I used to work in little chunks while I had breaks. They were amazing and I loved them, but unfortunately, Books the Third through Sixth or so were checked out, so I had to stop. This Christmas, Costco had the entire series (13 books) as a set for much less than normal (each book is usually $12.99), so we used some Christmas money to get them. I've literally read 1-2 books a day in the past few days, and I'm now on Book the Tenth. I just can't read them fast enough! I have the same problem with Harry Potter, but those I at least got them one at a time, so I could re- and re-read several times until the next came out. The Lemony Snicket books are (obviously) pretty quick reads, though the books are getting much longer. If you have a wicked sense of humor and/or were an English major, you should give them a try. Most of the references and hidden jokes I highly doubt any child would get, but they never distract from the story.

In other news, the new computer looms larger on the horizon. We went to buy it last night at our friendly local Apple Store, but learned that one or two of the upgrades we really wanted were only available online. So we're going to wait another day or two, just to see if any major software updates come out at Macworld (who needs an iPhone? Give me iLife 07!), but I don't think they are likely and we simply can't wait long enough for the new OS to come out (supposedly in June).

Since weather seems to be the hot topic in these parts these days, here ya go: today and yesterday were sunny and warm enough to melt a lot of the snow, but we are supposed to get another (smaller?) storm this weekend, just in time for my brother's flight here to likely be delayed. And it's supposed to be butt-ass cold. Highs in the teens. Yay. We'll see if we make it up to the mountains like we were planning.

OK, that's it for now, better get back to the project. A parting picture as a memory of Vegas:

From 65 degrees to two feet of snow

So we are back in Boulder. Happy to be home, but happy to have had a break and a nice time with our families. The snow here isn't that bad overall anymore, but there are definitely places where the piles are huge. We took this picture of Jessie at the airport in Ft. Collins, when she and Chris came to pick us up (such nice friends!). You definitely need a person for some perspective on things like this. Luckily, the drifts and piles aren't this bad in most places, but it seems like the roads are still fairly dangerous with ice and slush and compacted snow (though the big ones are mostly plowed). I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to school and back to the grind just yet, but I have a week to get accustomed to the idea.

We should be getting a new computer in the next week or so as well, so that's very exciting news. My little iMac is just too swamped with the 19.9 gigs of pictures and movies I've taken (and I took out all of 2003, when we went on our USA trip and took several thousand pictures). I do too much with pictures and video and DVD burning for this computer, with iPhoto taking at least 5 minutes to boot up and freezing everything else when I run it, and my DVD burner conking out, so an upgrade is in order. Also, Peter's trusty little laptop that got us through our USA trip is dying. The main battery no longer holds a charge, so having a laptop that always needs to be plugged in (and that crashes at critical points in writing final papers) is not exactly a good thing. Since the iMac still is a fine computer when it isn't trying to process 20,000 photos, we'll transfer all the pictures, wipe the slate clean and Peter will use this one for his stuff. I just want Macworld to come so we know if they are coming out with new and improved iMacs so we don't buy an insta-obsolete model! Must...wait...three...more...days!

Joyeux Noel

I hope everyone has a lovely holiday. I'm in Reno now, with my family, but away from the Hubband. I'll see him tomorrow, which is good because I miss him! Lots has happened in the past week, but I haven't had much time or desire to blog about much of it.

My cousin passed away earlier this month, but her memorial was planned for a little later, so I was able to fly out for it. It was truly lovely, but very sad because she was honestly an angel on earth. Because of that unexpected trip out to CA, our Christmas plans were changed. As it turns out, it really worked out for the best. Had we gone with our original plan, we would have been driving (or not) on the day the blizzard hit Denver. As it is, both of us were able to make it out of Colorado days before we would have otherwise, and with relatively little difficulty.

I've been busier than I expected, but I've been able to sneak in some "vacation" time. I had a bunch of papers I had to finish while we were in CA for the memorial, so I basically worked, cried, visited or was otherwise occupied for the first four days of my "break." It's gotten a little better now, but I still have a huge paper hanging over my head that I must finish before the end of winter break. That's the "mixed" part of the mixed blessing that is taking an incomplete. You don't have to finish it in time for the end of the semester, but you do have to finish it!

And the picture at the beginning of the post is from the night my brother PJ when expressed his need to give me the college experience I never had (because I was lame and never went to a party, but instead read the dictionary for fun. Seriously.). Beer pong at Sig Ep with a bunch of his old friends (many of whom are mine too), then we headed over to the Wal to close the bad boy down (where this pic was taken of one of PJ's brothers, I think), then a cold walk back to the Sig Ep house, which was enough to complete my sobering up. It was a lovely night and very fun. We managed to get over 20 people in PJ's room, which is so big that we still definitely could have fit at least 5-10 more if the stood in the closet and the bathroom. Fun times!

Best mail day ever

Last night was very nice. I was working when I normally don't, in order to make up some hours I'm going to have to miss next week (I'll write about that later), and Peter got out of class early, so we got to walk home together. We never get to do this because our schedules are so different, and it just felt really nice. He was also in a good mood because his semester ended yesterday and I think it went really well.

We got the mail on the way home, and O! what a mail day! I have been doing some fun online shopping lately (mostly for Christmas, with a few presents for us included), and have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of my purchases (the downside to online shopping). First, my Moo cards came! I had gotten ten free ones a while ago and realized they would make a great thing to give to friends and family (ideally in an upcoming Christmas or New Year's card, coming soon to a mailbox near you!). I have my email, my Flickr
, and another (secret to strangers!) photo site, as well as this blog address, all on the back of a cute little card with one of my wonderful pictures. I even had some made that have me and the Hubband on them, since I know there are some family members who are infinitely more likely to keep a picture of us (taken by someone else, obv.) than a weird-o picture I took of someone's feet. But I have to say, I kind of love the card with the feet. Heck, I love them all! Leave me a comment if you want one!

Not only did I get my Moo cards, but I also got a Christmas present I ordered from Etsy. I had it gift wrapped, so I don't even know what it'll look like, but I'm excited! I kind of wanted to open it myself to see what it looked like, esp. since we are now flying to Christmas and TSA drones will likely open it anyway. Why should they get the fun? But Peter restrained me, thinking they wouldn't open such a tiny package (I think they will, but there's always a chance!).

I so love getting good mail!

Video to make you happy

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

If time is a finite resource, and things we "save" with the 3 R's (see post title) are also finite resources, why can't we reduce our use of time like we reduce use of plastic bags? Reuse our hours like we can reuse tin cans? Recycle crappy days into better ones, like plastic soda bottles into warm fuzzy fleece?

I just made out my schedule for this week. Holy nut. I honestly barely have time to breathe. I was working from 7 AM to 7 PM for three different jobs with only an hour between about 5 and 6 to eat a little dinner. At least I was making money! But still. And the rest of the week goes similarly. When, O when will I have time to write all of my papers? And I'm definitely bringin' back the solo "O!" It's hard core. I'm going to sleep now, even though I should write a few more pages of one of my papers, but I'm just too tired. I hope I'm awake and inspired enough to bang out at least two pages before I go to class at 11. Yeah, that'll be my goal. 2-3 pages. And then I'll only have... a lot more to go!

Nuh-nigh, everyone...

The Real Reason I Blog

I blog because I like to read other people's blogs. Huh? Yeah, I read through my subscription list on Google Reader, notice that there's no new updates for various blogs I love, get sad, wish they would post something, anything, then get inspired to write an entry. Because maybe there's someone out there wishing that I would post something too! Even if I have nothing to say. Which is exactly why you are getting this post right now!

Cruisin' for a Bruisin'

So here are some pictures of my arm a week after The Fall. The big, purply bruise didn't show up until about Tuesday or Wednesday, while the one that's more yellow showed up earlier. The best part of these bruises is that the doctor couldn't really explain why they were there, since her diagnosis was that I strained the muscles in my forearm. Apparently, bruising can "track" to related areas, even if they weren't the affected part. An alternate explanation, offered by some of the football players I tutor who have been through the same thing, is that I had my arm hyperextended when I fell, which would explain the elbow bruising a bit more. Either way, I'm getting more mobility back, though my elbow is still pretty sore and there are still certain movements I can't make without a lot of pain. I can type better than before, though I still don't have the stamina to do it for very long. I hope you all think these bruises are as pretty as I do. Now that I can move my arm more, I like to check out Big Blue in the mirror (it's on the underside of my elbow). I hope you all are proud of me for taking such fine self portraits as well. It was pretty tricky, considering I had to take the pics with my left hand and hold the camera at an awkward angle. PS I think "awkward" is the most perfect word because it looks and sounds exactly like what it is, without being iconic (for any Lingies hanging around). OK, I'm past rambling now, so I need to harness this rambling energy for something productive, like one of my many, many papers.

Joy oh joy oh!

I went to the doc for my arm, I'm not broken, but I did strain it, so I just need to take it easy for the next few weeks. Of course, this is perfect timing, since I have all my papers due in the next few weeks, so I'm not really sure how much I'll be able to get done. I think I'll be able to complete my two 10 pagers, but I might have to take an incomplete in order to get my huge 20 page original research paper done over the break. Only crappy part about that is that I won't really have much of a break then, but If I am miraculously much better, maybe I can get it done really quick before I'm out of school mode again.

The best part is that since I now know it's not as serious as the first doc had feared, I don't need to be so overly careful. I'll still be careful, but man, I was being SUPER careful because if it had been fractured, I really didn't want to make it worse.

Other good news: last night, Peter and I did some Christmas/personal shopping online at Threadless and got some very cool stuff! They are having a sale now (and for 5 more days, I think) where all the shirts are only $10! Here are the ones we got:

For The Hubband:
"Nothing Rhymes with Orange"

For my Brudda (he'll like it, though I would never wear it in public):
"The Morning After"



















And for me:
"B.F.F. (Best Friends Forever)"




















"Get Some Fresh Air"














I am so excited! I think mine are the cutest, but there were so many others I wanted too. They have such fun, funny and cool designs! Eeek! I can't wait f0r them to come :-)

Typing is hard

Therefore, I've been doing more surfing than writing. In addition to Etsy, I found another fun new site: Threadless. They have awesome, reader-designed, limited quantity shirts, and they are having a sale! $10 each. Amazing. I think I'm going to get me one. Maybe this one:



Or maybe this one:

Posting Freeze

I may have fractured my arm over the weekend (stupid ice), so this will be a very abbreviated post. I likely will not post much for a while, though I may put up some pictures, since those are easier to do with one hand. It had to be the right arm, didn't it? Yeah, def. gonna have to get an extension on some papers. It'll take me eons to write even a page at this rate.

See ya later! Post some comments if you like to keep me entertained in my convalescence (words too long! Left hand... failing!)

New Obsession

So this is completely the wrong time of the semester to find a new website to explore for hours and hours, but I've found one. Etsy. I'd visited this site before, but I wasn't in Christmas shopping mode then or something because I glanced, thought it was cute and moved on. But now! Oh, but now I keep exploring, keep finding more new and adorable (and affordable) stuff that I simply must have! Or give!

For those who are completely lost right now, Etsy is like an online marketplace for people who make handmade crafts and items to sell to other people. It's super cool because it's like eBay in that you get a much wider audience than you could ever have on your own, but yet you still get to sell individual things. But WAY better than eBay because all the stuff is handmade, not Chanel knockoff stuff. So even though your cute little purse only cost $18, it's still a one-of-a-kind! Or at least, one-of-a-very-few! Plus, thought I haven't decided if I like all these features, Etsy has some very high-tech ways for you to "surf" other people's favorites, find products that are certain colors, "handpicked" things, and many others. Those search functions are fun, and yield some unexpected coolness, but probably won't help you if you are really looking for something specific. Luckily, they have regular search functions too, which aren't as fun, but find you pretty much what you want.

Enough talk, go over there now! (PS You'll probably like this better if you are a girl, though there are a few things for boys. Just not much.)

Daily Photo(s)

Taken November 29, 2006

Music, music, music!

I am utterly obsessed with Regina Spektor, whose music video I posted last. I've found as many of her songs as I could for legal free download (bless those amazing music blogs) and I've been listening to them constantly for the past week. I definitely need to buy "Begin to Hope." I'm thinking I might download it from iTunes, since it looks like you can get 6-7 more songs there than you get on the regular CD, but I think my dad might like her too. He likes "real" CDs with covers and artwork and everything, so if I wanted to give him her CD too, he would want the full package.

In other music news, the Hubband woke up at 5 AM to go wait in the snow and single digit temps to get the new KBCO Studio C CD. Studio C is a thing KBCO (a local radio station) does where they invite musicians in town for concerts to their studio and they do a live session of some of their music. Over the years, KBCO has gotten some amazing musicians in for this (Melissa Etheridge was the one who started it in the late '80s, I think), and each year, in late November or early December, they release a CD with some of the best of the best. Since there are limited quantites and it's become quite popular, people camp out overnight or get there extremely early to get one.

We are listening to it now, and I think some of my favorites are Seal's version of "Crazy," BNL's "One Week" (I think it's much better and way funnier than the original) and KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree." It's fun at least to be more of a part of the local culture now :-)

Casino Royale

Go see this movie. It's fabu. I don't think I was ever really into Bond movies before, but this one was amazing. Daniel Craig's 007 is such a bad-ass, it's crazy. Plus, you get to see him pretty much naked (which is not a bad thing).

Still snowing

It's probably been snowing for the last 18 hours or more. I haven't been outside since I came to work, but I'm guessing we have at least 6-8" and it's COLD. The busses are all way behind schedule, everyone is late, roads are messy and yet, school is still wide open. Apparently, they've only closed the university twice in the last 20 years. Does not bode well for us :-(

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat

Vineyards in Sonoma I
Originally uploaded by shanbrite2.

So last week, this is what I was enjoying. Sunny, clear days, a balmy 70 degrees, nights dipping almost to a frigid 40. Ah, California. There's a reason why so fricking many people move there (thus destroying the wonderful quality of life they came for).

Today, however, Colorado wanted to remind us that we were back and definitely NOT in California. We're supposed to have a high of 17 and there's at least 6 inches of snow on the ground now, with more falling and snow to continue through the day. The best part is that this is probably the fourth or fifth decent snow storm we've had this fall already. It's pretty, but I hate having to go outside in it. I would have been very happy to stay at home this morning, snuggled under the down comforter with Peter, waking up to some hot chocolate and the prospect of a warm, sleepy day interrupted only by the occasional peek out the window to see how high the drifts had grown. That would have been nice. Oh well!

Turkey Time!

I know what you're thinking, "Wasn't that last week? Does this mean we are going to get a juicy, blow-by-blow of the trip now?" Sadly, no. And I'm realizing that may never happen, given my schoolwork schedule for the next few weeks, by which time it will be Christmas.

No, last night, Peter and I made our first turkey. Costco had fresh turkeys for $.49 a pound, and since my baby loves turkey (and traveling for Thanksgiving means no leftovers), we decided to get one.

After shopping for all the ingredients needed, getting home from school and pulling the bird out of the fridge, we realized none of our pans would be suitable for roasting this bad boy (we got the smallest one Costco had--20 pounds). So, off to Bed Bath & Beyond and Marshall's to see what we could get. After much deliberation, we got a very nice, heavy duty pan for $25 (after rebate and our many coo-pins).

Finally, we got the 20-pound beast (we named him Freddie) into the browning bag, into the pan and into the oven at about 6 PM. For those of you who are math and turkey wizards, you realize that this means that our turkey would not be done until 9 or 10 PM. Right you are! But when it was done, the stuffing baked and the mashed potatoes made, oh, the deliciousness! We also had gravy and corn, and for dinner tonight, we'll have it all again with the addition of cranberry sauce (from a can) and crescent rolls.

And with a 20-pound turkey, we will be eating it for a LONG time! I'm also going to make turkey frame soup, probably tomorrow for dinner. That should also give us some nice leftovers. All this is fabulous because we are going to be poor December and January, so cheap food is great!

Requiem

One of my newfound heroes passed away last week. I discovered Robert Altman when I watched Gosford Park sometime earlier this summer. I was in love with the subtle plot, the beautiful and intricate characters and how deftly he was able to weave together so many storylines so beautifully. After that one, I went on to watch Nashville and The Player and I have several others on my queue. I also realized one of my favorite weird little movies, Cookie's Fortune, was directed by him as well. Losing him is truly a loss to the art of filmmaking. I can't think of many other directors who are so beloved by so many actors that their films can be made into a parlor game of name-that-actor with multiple cameos by actors of every strata.

I think I'm especially sad because I had just fallen in love. It's not like my love for Hitchcock or Orson Wells. They were long dead and safely ensconced as geniuses by the time I came around to them, and the new directors I love (Sofia Coppola, Zach Braff) are still so young and untested that their careers can't be judged yet. But Altman was such a force, was still working, and yet was somewhat proven as an artist. It's just not fair he was taken from us at the tender age of 81. I wasn't ready :-(

For a lovely eulogy, see this Slate article.

Jiggety-Jig

Home again, home again. We went to Reno and California for Thanksgiving, but since I am paranoid about posting things on the all-knowing Internet, I didn't want to write about it until we were home again so we could protect our enormously valuable personal belongings from any wandering marauders. 'Cuz even though I only have three readers, I'm still weird like that.

Anyway, we got to see lots of friends and family, have some amazing experiences and ate a lot at Thanksgiving. Only problem, I pretty much got zero homework done. Last year, we stayed here for Thanksgiving because we had such a short break and I wasn't sure how overwhelmed I would be with my first year of school. Now, I'm medium-worried about catching up, but I'm also not overly concerned, which might be a byproduct of my lovely week of relaxation.

I took a ton of pictures, some of which I'm rather pleased with, though I'm not done going through all of them yet. I'll try to get them uploaded to my Flickr page and to my Shutterfly page. Here's a sneak peek for those who might be interested (taken in Sonoma, where my uncle lives):

I need to take more pictures

I haven't been taking as many pictures as I would like to, since school and work are stealing time from my precious hobbies. Also, my iMac is almost 3 years old now and it's rebelling against the 15,000 pictures I already have on there, so it makes me reluctant to take even more. I was able to take a lot over the summer and so I got a lot more practice then, and I feel like those pictures were much better than the ones I'm taking now. I don't know if I just need some distance, some more inspiration, or simply more time to really compose and seek out good shots, but I'm just not satisfied with the few pictures I have been able to take. It's also hard when every day is so routine and I rarely ever go someplace out of the ordinary during the semester, so it's hard to see unique perspectives when I walk by the same creek ten times a week. I think I also feel like I'm hitting the limits of what my camera will do, since many of the shots I would like to take require a different set up than what I have now. I think I could probably achieve some of the effects I want in Photoshop, but that requires even more time post processing, and I'm not very skilled with that yet anyway. *sigh* Maybe winter break will allow me a little freedom to play. Something to look forward to!

Method Deliciousness

I just bought some stuff in Method's new holdiay "flavors." Spiced pear, frosted cranberry, and (my favorite so far) peppermint vanilla. Oh, the deliciousness! I got the first two in dishsoap (in fun little bottles that look like old-fashioned christmas light bulbs) and the last in a countertop spray. Our counters are going to be so clean!

Happiness Runs

We are obsessed with this song. I just downloaded two versions of it from iTunes. Isn't it freaking catchy?

I may die next semester

I've been trying to figure out my classes and schedule for next semester. Thanks to the perfect storm of a complete lack of classes in my department (due to a separate perfect storm of retirements, sabbaticals and positions not yet filled), and my attempt to take some classes to do double duty for this degree and for the next, I just might go insane next semester. I haven't yet talked to all the right people, but if my current plan stands, I will be taking 11 credits (I'm taking 9 this semester and ready to die, bear in mind these are "grad school" credits and therefore take up five times the normal amount of time). On top of those 11 credits (9 of which come from just two classes), I think I'll be working three jobs, if I'm offered the one I just applied for. One of them is fun and pays the bills (and takes 10 hours a week), one doesn't pay enough but is related to my future career, and the third is just a few hours a week sporadically and I would hardly consider it work at all. But all the hours add up and then I don't have any time left to blog! Boo!

Double Take

A few years ago, I started to notice a general pattern in my life. Whenever it came to big decisions, big life steps, other other important changes, I usually did them twice. The first time, I'm not quite ready for whatever it is, but I either am forced to do it or force myself to do it. After that first attempt (often aborted or failed), I usually wait a while, a month or a year, then I find myself truly ready for taking that step and I successfully take it. Sound weird? Wait till you see how often it's happened:

High school-chose to go to private Catholic school, not totally my cup of tea, but the lesser of two evils. Didn't do as well as I should have. We moved before my junior year, I got to start over and excelled. Not a "choice," but I did do better on my second chance.

Driver's License-I was putting it off anyway, getting my permit at 16 (at least a year late). I kept putting off the test itself, until my dad surprised me after school to take me down to take the test. I failed miserably (though a street was a one-way, when it definitely wasn't). A few months and a lot of practice later, nerves recovered, I took the test again and did very well.

Haircut-sounds minor, but it wasn't. I had had long hair (waist length or longer) since early elementary school, and I felt like I needed a change. Sophomore year of college, I got it chopped just below the shoulders and HATED it. I cried and cried and cried. A few years later, I decided to try again and I was really *ready*. I cut it shorter and loved it. Last year, I cut it even shorter (above the shoulders) and loved it even more.

MA program-I'm planning on doing two because I didn't really know what I wanted with the first one, but now I'm pretty sure I do, so I'm applying for a second one when I finish this one. Luckily they are related!

Proposal-OK, so I didn't have to choose to do this, but I did have to say yes! A year before Peter really proposed, he got inspired and started to do it (no ring, no planning, spur of the moment). I freaked a little bit, wasn't sure if I was ready (even though I had thought I was up to that point), and delayed until other people came and the moment was gone. A year later, I was *really* ready and he proposed and I really said yes!

For a little while, I was freaked out that my marriage was going to be a failure because I would have to have a "practice" marriage like I've had to have a "practice" everything (see above). I then realized I was being a total dork because I've had other long-term relationships, and therefore those were really my practice ones, so this one is fine. Also, if I need to quell my superstitious side, I just look at the double proposal and consider that the double take.

Yes, I am crazy. And I probably have weird commitment issues (weird because I don't have them in relationships).

Daily Photo

One of my favorite pictures from the football game last Saturday.

Kris's Clarinet Recital

One of our friends is a Ph.D. student in music, and one of the many things she has to do is complete 4 recitals. Last night was her first and it was amay-may! You know people who are getting flipping Ph.D.s in an instrument have to be good, but damn! We had never heard her play before and we were totally blown away. Here are some of the random clippages I took last night made into "movie" form:

Election Day!

So the results are slowly coming in from across the country. Yay for "regime change"! The only thing I'm a little sad about is that it doesn't look like the Dems will take the Senate. I'm sad for this because I heart Harry Reid, my former senator from Nevada, who we got to meet when we were in DC several years ago. He was so intelligent, well spoken and clearly important and busy, yet unassuming, that he made me proud he was my senator. He's currently the minority leader, so if the Dems took the senate, he would be majority leader and that would be so cool!

Other things of note: on the TV scrolling info, they have several races where one candidate got 0 votes. As Peter said, they would have at least voted for themselves! How can it be 19,000 to o? Plus, it's sketchy because they claim 0% of precincts are reporting. 19,000 people is 0%? Weird.

Also: Possibly super sad, the current votes are showing that Ref. I is down (but not by much). I really hope it passes; it would give same-sex couples the same legal rights as married couples. Gay marriage would still be illegal, but at least with I, partners would be able to visit each other in the hospital and have the same legal rights they deserve. The campaign tagline was "It's not marriage, it's just basic legal rights." I will be very sad if this doesn't pass, esp since it's looking like the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages will pass. Yeah, that SO needs to be in the constitution when we already have a law against it.

(PS Our new [Democratic!] governor just called us "Coloradoans." I thought we were Coloradans?)

Are you ready for some football?

I'm working for the athletic department now as a tutor in sign language, and as an employee, one of the perks is free tickets to the game for me and one other (very restricted, not even all immediate family members qualify) person. So Peter and I are going to our very first, and possibly last, big time university football game. I medium-enjoy sporting events, though I always have much more fun cheering and groaning with the crowds than actually really following the game (since I usually have no idea what's going on). The real reason I really really wanted to go to game is because our mascot is a real live buffalo and the tradition is to run her into the field with the entire football team behind her to start the game. Doesn't that sound cool? Plus, one of Peter's classmates is one of the selected few Ralphie handlers, which means he gets to lead her onto the field and help care for her (it's a her because female buffalo are smaller and slightly easier to handle, which is rather important).

It's also fun that we are finally going to a game because we live so close to the stadium that we can track the success (or not, this season) of the team by the noise of the crowd. When I hear a really long, extended cheer, I usually run upstairs to the bedroom window, get out the binoculars and check the scoreboard to see if we scored. The picture on the left is of the scoreboard the only time we've won this season. I'm hoping we'll be a good luck charm today! We're so close that they sell spaces in our parking lot for tailgaters, so it's fun to walk around and see how crazy people get, but it's also annoying because we feel like we can't leave on game days because we're never sure if they'll sell all the spots, leaving us with no where to park. But after being on the outside so many times, it'll be fun to be on the inside for once!

Why I don't know why I don't own ten of these at this very moment

These are Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies and I *will* have one one day! Here are two images from cuteoverload.com. If you've never been there before, you must go immediately for vast quantities of the cutest animals ever to walk the face of the planet (animals of all kinds, they don't 'scriminate!). Without further ado:





And the killer:





Aackk!!!! How can you resist??? (AOUS????)

Reno hotel burns

Very sad story, about a fire in a historic hotel in downtown Reno that killed at least 6 people. Not only are the deaths very, very sad, but so is the gutting of a landmark. The Mizpah wasn't on the sight-seer's to-see list, nor was it a cherished landmark in a city that earns its living from the newer, flashier casinos, but it had a quiet dignity that can only be found in those grand old buildings just a few blocks off neon-lit Virginia Street.

I love Reno and its old buildings, partly because they are generally so unloved. Here in Boulder, old downtown is celebrated and has been gentrified. The old buildings are occupied and still very much alive in the heart of downtown, overlooking the parade of street performers, vagrants and vagabonds, shoppers, restaurant diners and tourists. Everything is generally clean and happy.

But Reno's historic buildings have been pushed aside from the hub of activity, sometimes physically (several historic buildings have been moved, several times) and sometimes metaphorically. As newcomers stream into town, different areas become hotspots for new activity and building, and the town's collective history quickly dims in the memories of the shrinking percentage of natives. Most of the historic buildings are now in less than great areas of town, occupied by tiny businesses and the less-than wealthy. They are the kinds of places you don't want to linger after dark, they are haunted by their own pasts and by people with their own haunted pasts. They are unnoticed, unremarkable, merely average... until you look up. Most of them might be plain brick or stone at street level, but at roofline, their Art Deco roots show in the ornate tiles and other detailing. It's this hidden surprise in plain sight I love so dearly. That so many can pass by them day after day and never notice what a gem sits glowing under that slight film of grime.

My own personal temple is the Art Deco post office next to the river, the "main" post office for the city, though no longer truly the hub. I can go in there and feel my soul relax in its vaulted ceilings and gorgeous "silver" detailing present everywhere. Even the tall tables for sorting mail were designed to live in this building, echoing the "futuristic" style of the 1930s seen in the window casings, the service windows, the mailboxes themselves. At one point, there was some talk of tearing it down to accommodate the flood plan, but if such a thing ever comes to pass, I will chain myself to its glorious walls before I ever let them tear down such a beauty. And yet no one says anything about its architecture, its decoration... no one even talks about it at all! If I ever mention to anyone how beautiful it is, the most I'll get is an odd glance and possibly a remark about the length of the lines there.

But if everyone loved it, I would not feel so passionately about my "secret" bit of beauty.

**Edit: Someone else loves my post office too! See some pictures of it here and read about its history here.

Also, I was looking for pictures of the Mizpah to show you, and came across this:


This is funny because this is a different Mizpah hotel located in Tonopah, NV, one which looks nothing at all like Reno, let alone the actual Mizpah (pre-fire):

Those silly Canadians...