Nostalgia

Out of the blue last night, I got a craving for some local music. One of my favorite artists while I lived in Cleveland was Anne E. DeChant. Good ol lesbian folk music, of which one can never get enough of (ok, you can, but shut up). When I was with my first girlfriend, we went to every show we possibly could, regardless of how far we would end up driving. I own many of her albums, and looked forward to listening to them on my way in to work today.

As I looked back over the countless times I saw her play live, I remember one with such clarity it's like I was there last night. It was a couple days after 9/11 and she was playing in Lakewood. Angie and I had a tradition of meeting at Tim and Kate's, taking them with us to a show, and then going to my place. Anne played her usual stuff, and then, at the closing of her show...with no musical accompianment, she started to sing Amazing Grace. Anne was outside of New York during the attacks, as adoring fans, we were all worried. As she sang, the normally loud bar fell silent. As she concluded, she nearly collapsed on her way off the stage. I don't think anyone knew how to deal with their grief and confusion over the event. I remember seeing the first plane in the sky the Saturday after, and thinking...wow, I never thought a day would come that I was taken aback by a plane in the sky.

I have so many great memories around Anne E. DeChant shows. Kate's mom getting tanked, birthdays, heartbreaks, and great music. If you live in Cleveland, I encourage you to see a show. Anne also happens to be a great story teller. and I have never been disappointed at one of her shows.

It's always funny to me how one memory can bring a flood of emotions. I have been extremely nostalgic lately, I miss everyone in Cleveland, and I miss things that were familiar. I am slowly learning the ins and out of Colorado Springs. I look forward to finding things that I enjoy doing, places to go, and all of the things that go with making a town feel like home. I look forward to friends coming out to visit, and seeing more of my future take shape (I start my MBA in April).

Not a day goes by that I don't think about my dear friends. And somedays I even think about jumping in my truck and driving home, even if it's just for the Thai food.

90 points

My family has always played board games together. Some games I loved playing, others not so much. I should have known something was amiss the day my brother Steve taught me to play chess. There is 6 years between us, and little did I know in my youth that the Bobby Fisher books he was reading after the chess lessons sealed my fate. It was this evil streak of his that made me hate word games. Scrabble, upwords, and the like, were evil. Steve's vocabulary was always impressive...and an 8 year old was no match for him.

Christine and the boys like board games too, and of course, Scrabble is Christine's favorite game. Last night she was playing with Max, who at 13 isn't much competition for his mom. I offered to help, only because I was quite sure I could come up with words that earned more points than "fat" and "fatty". In the course of my helping, Max disappeared. So, I continued to play for him, even though scrabble frightens me. Somehow (it had to have been an act of god) I was able to put down the word "vortexes". 90 points...yes, I kick ass. That handy little word pulled me out of the depths of the one syllable nightmares and actually gave me what I needed to beat Chrsitine. I have never played an entire game of scrabble in my life...and last night I won. I finished my evening my calling my mom and brother, who were very proud

Woot

Woot is one of my favorite websites, mostly because of the humor. If you haven't checked it out, go to www.woot.com and discover my latest addiction. They post a new item everyday, and I have found myself staying up until 11:00 pm mountain time just so I can see the new item that has been posted. Last night, speakers were the item, and I had no interest. Out of habit, when I checked this morning, it was something different. Today, is where internet addictions get created. Today is a Woot Off day. They post a new item everytime one sells out. I have been glued to my chair for the past hour, waiting for something that appeals to me. They also have wine deals and t-shirt deals. I love their t-shirts, they are funny and well made...plus cheap.

In other news, we are going mattress shopping this afternoon. I am so excited, as my neck is really displeased with sleeping on the couch for the past month. It will be so nice to sleep on something wide enough for me to roll over.

Otherwise, life goes on around here in the ever gorgeous west. I found out that we have a hot air balloon festival labor day weekend. Me and my crazed picturaking self will be there, hopefully I'll be able to enter a pic or two into the photo contest.

it takes all kinds

I stumbled upon this site while reading the news.

http://www.hookersforjesus.net/home.cfm

Oddly, this isn't a joke...well, at least the people who are on the site don't think so. I have a hard time not laughing.

on the mend

little by little, my eye is getting better. my pupil is so over dialated that I can't read very well, which is why I'm still on medical leave from work. Hopefully by next week, I will be able to see well enough to read the magazines that are piling up on my desk. This, is what mess up vision looks like...



And for your visual enjoyment, here is a pic of our little road trip to cripple creak. It's only about 45 minutes away, and the drive is breathtaking.

out of sight

I swear, I'm not trying to avoid blogging. My left eye has been dialated for almost a week now, which has made reading rather difficult. I promise, once my eye is back to normal, posting will commence. And pictures will be uploaded.