Jenga Madness(record height achieved)
Fireworks Fun(Melissa's husband is the middle, I'm just a back support)
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Pictures!
I realized that I didn't actually have pictures of the 4th of July fun, so I asked Melissa to send some my way. Feast your eyes on these little gems while I work on updating with more stories!
Jenga Madness
(record height achieved)
Fireworks Fun
(Melissa's husband is the middle, I'm just a back support)
Jenga Madness(record height achieved)
Fireworks Fun(Melissa's husband is the middle, I'm just a back support)
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Month o' fun!
July was an exciting month for me. Not only did three of my best friends come to Colorado for a visit, but I also lost my job. Now that's not really the type of excitement that one craves but nonetheless it was there.
First Melissa came from Seattle for the 4th of July festivities. She was here a week and though she spent most of her time with the family and in-laws we got in a little photo swapping session. I was kindly invited to a BBQ at her house on the big day and a viewing of the usual fireworks at Stenger field in Arvada. The great news about this was that I managed to finally meet her husband! I'm afraid I have no pictures as evidence but I'll get them at some point.
Next Stella journeyed all the way from Hong Kong to do a little three-stop US tour to visit family and friends, and I was privileged to have her company for two days. We didn't do a whole lot in way of activities but mostly hung out, took it easy, chatted and of course our usual - watched tons of movies! It was nice and relaxing.
I should mention it was on the day Stella flew out that I discovered I would no longer be part of the STA Travel team. The vice president of the whole company came out to Boulder to inform myself and my colleague Todd of the closure of one of the offices in Boulder and the subsequent merger of the branches into one office. Of course the merger was going to combine 6 employees into a space barely able to accommodate 4, so the two of us were cut loose. Our former manager was magically turned back into a travel advisor and Todd and I were issued severance packages.
I will admit there was a bit of tearage on the day and then boozing it up later that night with Scott. He was kind enough to listen to me yammer on for quite a few hours before I finally had to go pick Stella up from the airport. It was then that I found the poem you see in the prior entry. It was hanging on Scott's fridge and in my inebriated, depressed state it really struck a cord with me therefore I copied it and brought it home. I hope it strikes a cord with you too.
After Stella had moved on to her next destination it was time for my old friend Mike to make his appearance. He was swinging out this way before heading to a business trip in San Francisco. We had the obligatory Starbucks chat session and managed to get a few of the old gang(s) (mixing of high school and college friends) to go to a play in Boulder for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Good times were had as we watched As You Like It (a first for myself).
One night, I was even allowed to tag along when the old home boys (those from Mike's elementary) had their "piss up" - British for drinking session. It was great as we bar hopped and eventually crawled back to Scott's place that was "20 minutes away". Scott language for about 5 miles away. We made it to his place at last and all crashed. The next day those of us who were awake (that being everyone but Scott) managed to meander our way back to the center of town and find our cars for the rest of the way home. It was a great time and there is evidence of that but it is in Mike's possession. See his blog for the photo proof of our fabulous night.
All this took place in just the first two weeks of July! Wow, my head's still a-spinnin' from the excitement. Next time I'll fill you in on the last few weeks which included a bachelorette party and a wedding (usually the two go together). Stay tuned!
First Melissa came from Seattle for the 4th of July festivities. She was here a week and though she spent most of her time with the family and in-laws we got in a little photo swapping session. I was kindly invited to a BBQ at her house on the big day and a viewing of the usual fireworks at Stenger field in Arvada. The great news about this was that I managed to finally meet her husband! I'm afraid I have no pictures as evidence but I'll get them at some point.
Next Stella journeyed all the way from Hong Kong to do a little three-stop US tour to visit family and friends, and I was privileged to have her company for two days. We didn't do a whole lot in way of activities but mostly hung out, took it easy, chatted and of course our usual - watched tons of movies! It was nice and relaxing.
I should mention it was on the day Stella flew out that I discovered I would no longer be part of the STA Travel team. The vice president of the whole company came out to Boulder to inform myself and my colleague Todd of the closure of one of the offices in Boulder and the subsequent merger of the branches into one office. Of course the merger was going to combine 6 employees into a space barely able to accommodate 4, so the two of us were cut loose. Our former manager was magically turned back into a travel advisor and Todd and I were issued severance packages.
I will admit there was a bit of tearage on the day and then boozing it up later that night with Scott. He was kind enough to listen to me yammer on for quite a few hours before I finally had to go pick Stella up from the airport. It was then that I found the poem you see in the prior entry. It was hanging on Scott's fridge and in my inebriated, depressed state it really struck a cord with me therefore I copied it and brought it home. I hope it strikes a cord with you too.
After Stella had moved on to her next destination it was time for my old friend Mike to make his appearance. He was swinging out this way before heading to a business trip in San Francisco. We had the obligatory Starbucks chat session and managed to get a few of the old gang(s) (mixing of high school and college friends) to go to a play in Boulder for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Good times were had as we watched As You Like It (a first for myself).
One night, I was even allowed to tag along when the old home boys (those from Mike's elementary) had their "piss up" - British for drinking session. It was great as we bar hopped and eventually crawled back to Scott's place that was "20 minutes away". Scott language for about 5 miles away. We made it to his place at last and all crashed. The next day those of us who were awake (that being everyone but Scott) managed to meander our way back to the center of town and find our cars for the rest of the way home. It was a great time and there is evidence of that but it is in Mike's possession. See his blog for the photo proof of our fabulous night.
All this took place in just the first two weeks of July! Wow, my head's still a-spinnin' from the excitement. Next time I'll fill you in on the last few weeks which included a bachelorette party and a wedding (usually the two go together). Stay tuned!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The Invitation
By Oriah Mountain Dreamer
It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.
It doesn’t interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.
It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you touched the center of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life’s betrayals or have become shriveled and closed from fear of further pain. I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it or fade it or fix it.
I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own, if you can dance with wilderness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, to be realistic, to remember the limitations of being human.
It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me it true. I want to know if you are disappoint another to be true to yourself; if you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul; if you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.
I want to know if you can see beauty, even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence.
I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand on the edge of the lade and shout to the silver of the full moon, “Yes!”
It doesn’t interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I wan to know if you can get up, after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone, and do what needs to be done to feed the children.
It doesn’t interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.
It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you, from the inside, when all else falls away.
I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Freak Hail Storm
So perhaps its not all that exciting, maybe it's making you snore just from reading the title, but in order to appease the Blogger Police (who have been hounding me for weeks now to update) I thought I'd share with you something mildly exciting in my life - the freakish Colorado weather.
One fine day in late June, I was talking with Darren via Skype (great way to keep up with long distance calling) I suddenly heard strange sounds outside my window. The rain, for it had been raining a while turned into something else.. something harder, scarier. I looked out and saw this:
"A hail storm! Oh dear god, my car! Oh well, it's a piece of crap anyway.." Quickly my mind is all absorbed by the storm, my eyes glued to the window to watch as the hail covers the streets like snow. I realize that I'm no longer listening to Darren's story (told in the manner of Nathaniel Hawthorne - too many descriptors for his own good).
I exclaim like Tattoo "the hail, the hail!" as Darren ever so-subtly jibes - "there's no rain in Colorado, ever!" Which compared to Darren's home country of England, yes this is fairly accurate.
Before the excitement vanished I excused myself from the conversation for a minute to snap these few photos. I like how the hail formed a little river going down the sidewalk. Of course the minute it all ended the moisture was dried up in a matter of minutes but it was exciting for a little while.
And that dear friends is that. I hope its enough to keep me out of trouble for a while and next time look forward to hearing how once again I am jobless. Until then, good night and good luck.
One fine day in late June, I was talking with Darren via Skype (great way to keep up with long distance calling) I suddenly heard strange sounds outside my window. The rain, for it had been raining a while turned into something else.. something harder, scarier. I looked out and saw this:
"A hail storm! Oh dear god, my car! Oh well, it's a piece of crap anyway.." Quickly my mind is all absorbed by the storm, my eyes glued to the window to watch as the hail covers the streets like snow. I realize that I'm no longer listening to Darren's story (told in the manner of Nathaniel Hawthorne - too many descriptors for his own good).I exclaim like Tattoo "the hail, the hail!" as Darren ever so-subtly jibes - "there's no rain in Colorado, ever!" Which compared to Darren's home country of England, yes this is fairly accurate.
Before the excitement vanished I excused myself from the conversation for a minute to snap these few photos. I like how the hail formed a little river going down the sidewalk. Of course the minute it all ended the moisture was dried up in a matter of minutes but it was exciting for a little while.And that dear friends is that. I hope its enough to keep me out of trouble for a while and next time look forward to hearing how once again I am jobless. Until then, good night and good luck.
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