Yawn.

Hey peeps.

What’s shaking?

Anyone have big plans for the 4th? Isn’t it great that it’s on a Friday this year?

And hey, tomorrow is my 1/2 birthday! It also would have been Lucy’s 5th birthday (*sniff*). We still have her ashes in our bathroom cabinet, right next to the weed. We need to spread them, have that closure. I think we’ve both been avoiding it.

Ok then! I didn’t mean to go there.

The 4th of July isn’t really my favorite holiday. It’s kinda like New Year’s Eve - overhyped. I don’t know. I am probably just saying this because we don’t really have plans. Only, we do have plans - they’re just not solidified. Plus, I am not all that into fireworks. Mainly because people cram up into each other’s crotch all romantic-like while watching them. I much prefer hootin’ and hollerin’ with my fireworks.

Yawn, this is boring. I have things to say and stuff I’ve done lately, really! It’s just that I feel like I can’t write anything on here anymore. It’s tough. The only person I can write about with any amount of “non-permission” is myself. And because I don’t live in a vacuum, this is about as interesting as watching paint dry. Other people, relationships, my job…these are the things I’m made of. But I feel like I can’t write about them.

I got to thinking about this the other night. Can I not write about people I know or about work because I am saying bad things, or things I wouldn’t normally say to them in person? Well, the answer to that was mostly yes. So then, what kind of person does that make me? A catty, negative beyotch?

But then again, I don’t write about other people simply out of respect for their privacy. I don’t write about certain things because I don’t want to be viewed or judged in a certain way. I steer clear of certain opinions and views because I fear people will think I am talking about THEM, even when I don’t use names.

This blog just doesn’t feel authentic anymore.

Or, maybe I’ve just lost confidence. I dunno. The blogs I like to read the most are the ones where people just don’t give a fuck - they’re real and raw and honest.

This blog just isn’t that. And I wish it were. But can it be, without causing drama and severing ties? Hmm.

OK then! I really didn’t mean to go THERE either :)

Maybe an anonymous blog is the answer?

* * *

Anyway, hope everyone has a delicious and safe weekend. Eat lots of watermelon.

Nueva York

Yeah, so New York City rocked! I wish I were better about recapping while it’s all still fresh in my mind, but…here goes:

We flew in late Friday evening to La Guardia, where our friend Makr was kind enough to pick us up. After arriving back at their place in Jersey City (Jersey City, the new and affordable Brooklyn!) we stayed up until the wee hours (4:30 am) drinking martinis and snorting Mongolian snuff. I OD’ed on snuff because since M and S moved to the east coast, I am totally out of practice with my Mongolian welcoming rituals.

Saturday morning, after a delicious breaky at a Taqueria, we boarded the PATH train to the F train to CONEY ISLAND. To witness the Mermaid Parade AND to meet up with my fam. Yes, rosalicious’s mama, sister, and step-paw were in NYC this past weekend as well. After a few directional text messages, we all met up beneath some scaffolding from which my sister hung like a monkey. Even with the scaffolding to stand on, we were not able to see any of the parade. But, we did see plenty of BOOBAGE milling about nonetheless. (Text from Sophie: there r tonz of boobs itz wild).

(Side note: What the eff is up with NYC and all the fucking scaffolding?)

Mama and I (and everyone else) decided that cold beers were (clearly!) needed, so we went into a bar where the line was long and the waiters rude. One dude, and I quote, goes “what the fuck is this, a dip shit’s bar mitzvah?” Try saying that in a Brooklyn accent and there you go! This little Southern belle simply rolled her eyes. Eff that! So I left, still needing a beer and still needing to pee.

Rounding up the troops, we battled the insane crowds out to the boardwalk, where the crowds did not abate. I don’t know how many of you have ever been to Coney Island before but I know now for certain that one trip there is going to be enough for me. DIRTY! We finally procured beers and found ourselves a dirty little patch on the dirty little beach. I had memories of Rio.

After the fam left to go ride the Cyclone (no thanks) we found Kevin’s friends from KY at a beachside bar and FINALLY got to comfortably sit and sip cold Coronas. I have to tell you though, being out in the sun swilling beer all day does a NUMBER. Add to that 2 hours traveling on trains and you have a group of burnt out drunkie-style city folk by 9 PM.

BUT! Back in Jersey City we rallied. We rallied and went to Hoboken for sushi. Now, I was also all like Hoboken? too, but Hoboken actually seems cool. And there was no wait at the sushi place, the price was right, and best of all, you could bring in your own liquor!

After sushi, we took the PATH train into Manhattan, where Makr and Suyna headed off to a party and Kev and I met up with my girls from college for cocktails at Balthazar in SoHo. It was here that I got my first taste of NY pricing - $15 for a glass of wine and $15 for a Maker’s Mark Manhattan. Yeowch! All of us being a little buzzed, we stood outside (at 1 am) trying to decide where to go next. A bar called Hi-Fi in the East Village was the verdict. It was a fun little joint and it was so good to catch up with the girls and have them meet M and S! (Hint: A dirty vodka martini at 2 am put me over the edge.)

Sunday I did not get my lazy bones out of bed until 1 PM. We scrambled about to get ready for the BBQ at Makr and Suyna’s at 4. I was TOTALLY impressed with their ability to whip up a party like that in no time flat (Suyna, rosalicious seal-of-homemaking-approval ;) and soon their east coast peeps all began to arrive, my fam included! We grubbed on yummy food, we drank yummy drinks, we talked about dirty things, we had a group dog walk, we listened to my mama and Makr play music, and we danced. And y’all, I swear to god: if I ever hear Gypsy King’s Volare again I am going to shoot someone!

Monday morning I was up and AT ‘EM. Rearing to go. Pedal to the metal. Me, Kev, Deaner and Andy (yes, they were there too! Does that just totally add to the fun quotient or what?) had breaky at a cute little cafe in Jersey City and then took the train into Manhattan where we met up with my fam for a bike ride in Central Park. Now, this was the last of the coordination efforts and thankfully, my friends were chill with my need to incorporate fam time and conversely, thankfully, my fam is chill. (Uh, does that even make any sense?)

So we hopped on cruiser bikes and sweat our way around Central Park, which is absolutely lovely. I didn’t expect it to be so pretty! And clean! Mama almost got mugged while she was walking her bike up a hill, but was prepared with her swiss army floral knife in her bag (ha ha.) Once we were finished biking, in true fashion…guess what? Beers were in order! After saying our final goodbyes (like on the Bachelor!) to my fam, we paid our bill of $140. FOR MID-AFTERNOON SNACK. Awww yeah, Nueva York prices.

We then walked to the Museum of Modern Art, where we were on the guest list. This was a blessing seeing as we only had 30 minutes until it closed. So, in we whipped, checking out the special installation, and then we were outtie. In a New York Minute. And thank god we didn’t pay the $25 just for that mere 30 minutes. We all met Suyna at work after, and then had happy hour at both a chi-chi joint and a dive bar.

(By the way, does a New York Minute really mean a New York Hour? Because seriously, everything there takes SO long. While in NY, I really truly had to muster all the patience I had stored way deep down in the depths of my bones. I mean, by the end of the trip I was literally scrounging for patience. We all know that patience ain’t my virtue.)

OK, so after the dive bar what did we do? OH! Yeah! We went to Suyna’s cousins FABULOUS apartment somewhere, don’t know where? Mid-town? Uhhhhhh. All’s I know is that it had a fantastic roof and a fantastic view of the Empire State Building. We ate PIZZA and drank WINE and dreamed about seeing Orlando Bloom. His girlfriend is the cousin’s neighbor.

(We only saw ONE celebrity the whole time, much to my disappointment: Morgan Freeman, entering the Letterman Show.)

Monday night we were home at the relatively decent hour of 1 am.

Tuesday we had a Jersey-style breakfast, complete with bad music, hideous art, and long nails. Kevin and I packed up our stuff after breaky, said goodbye to Makr and D and A, and boarded the Ghetto Cruiser for the subway station. Buh-bye Jersey City! We were fortunate enough to be able to store our shit at Suyna’s work in Manhattan, so we did that, then hopped aboard the ubiquitous New York double-decker bus.

Yeah, you heard me! Double.Decker.Bus. And it ruled! It was the perfect way to see what he hadn’t already seen in a timely manner - and our guide wasn’t bad either. For $39 it was worth it. Except that it poured down rain right in the middle of it and we all went running into Macy’s, where we encountered everyone and their mama in there. Most unpleasant.

Anyway, after that was all said and done, we grabbed our crap and headed to Port Authority, where we caught a shuttle bus back to La Guardia. Not to end the trip on a sober note, I downed two glasses of wine in the airport.

Other (lame-o) observations that didn’t make it into my (lame-o) narrative above:

- New York made me want to watch every single episode of SATC again.
- People really don’t dress all that fancy in NYC - I saw A LOT of flip flops.
- Not every place serves up $15 glasses of wine. There are cheap places to drink.
- My little sister is quite the text messager.
- There are a lot of bathroom attendants.
- It takes a long time to get places.
- Times Square is horrid.
- Greenwich Village is great.
- The subways are hotter than Hades.
- People go gaga over yards.
- Space is at a major premium.
- Everyone eats out because their kitchens are non-existant.
- The City seriously never sleeps.
- People there work hard and play/party hard.
- Once you get familiar, it’s not hard to navigate.

So….here we are, back in sunny, peaceful Denver Colorado! NY is full of life and energy, but I don’t know if I could do it. Live there, I mean. But it sure is fun to visit!

- Have a great weekend everyone!

Missed connections.

I am gonna confess, I totally just did this:

I just checked the missed connections on CL to see if the Starbucks barista from this morning had a missed connection with me.

OK, you can stop laughing now!

I’ve developed an awful habit of hitting the Starbucks drive-through near my house on my way to work. When we’re out of coffee at home (or don’t have time to make it), it’s just super convenient, ya know? Pull up and pay, easy peasy.

Anyway, there is this one dude who always works the window. I should point out that he is not even remotely cute - so don’t get any ideas! It’s just that…he smiles at me in this awkward way every time. And tries to be funny and, if I may say so myself, a wee bit flirtatious.

Today he wasn’t working the window. But when he saw me pull up to the window from his post behind the counter, he dropped what he was doing and ran over to ask me how I was this morning. I know, right?

So, you know how CL missed connections are all about connections in Whole Foods and Starbucks? Well, I thought this might be my chance!

(Full disclosure: I totally read CL missed connections on a regular basis. Don’t judge.)

Needless to say, I didn’t find any missed connections looking for a red headed grande house coffee with cream and sugar drinker, but I did find this one.

Seems someone at my local Starbucks might be all about him! :)

(No people, I don’t drink vanilla lattes.)

* * *
New York trip recap coming soon!

Summertime fun.

Is it me or is this summer just cruising by?

Lord have MERCY!

So far, this summer is turning out to be a super fun one.

Kevin’s cutie-pie brother and his equally as cute girlfriend have been visiting us. And we’ve been showing them allllllllll that wild and wonderful Colorado has to offer.

Here’s what we’ve been doing:

Saturday afternoon we walked up to the hot-as-balls (95 degrees out) Highland Street Fair, which, even though I love my ‘hood, was rather lame. The people serving up the cocktails in the cocktail booth moved as slow as molasses and so over a 3 hour period I had only 2 itty bitty cups of sangria because the lines were so damn long. But once I had my grubby little paws on a cup of it….ummm ummmm. Fruity goodness on a hot day.

Oh, and our friends adopted a dog there. We, however, did not board that train. But, soon! Soon, people. Soon we will have a fuzzy little wee one to love on.

Saturday evening we walked downtown for dinner at LoLa, drinks on the roof at Vita, and general mayhem at the Front Porch. All places of major rosalicious debauchery. I had myself a little secret and that’s….all you get to hear about that. *wink* I know, I am a BIZNATCH. After cabbing it home, we had a late-night grubfest on Lucile’s leftovers.

Yeah, we went to Lucile’s for brunch - forgot that part! YUMMY.

Sunday we drove down to Buena Vista for camping and hot springs. My favorite combo :) We took a 5 mile hike up to a mountain lake, but couldn’t make it to the very top because of all the SNOW. Uh huh, it’s still in full-force up in the high country. Then we drove to Leadville for dinner and beers at Rosie’s Brew Pub. I have a Rosie’s Brew Pub sticker on my Subie now!

Then, back in Denver, we’ve just been kickin’ it…well, not me. I have been working. But they’ve been kickin’ it. Tonight we’re going to a Rockies game, although I am tossing around the idea of skipping it because…

I feel disgusting! I have not worked out once this week (except hiking and the good old hand-to-mouth bicep curl) and I have been eating FRIES and drinking BEER and generally overdosing on CARBS. Ick! And it’s not going to get any better because we are heading out on Friday to…

NEW YORK CITY! Yay!

So tonight I might stay in and have myself a healthy salad and a good night’s sleep.

Yeah….

RIGHT.

Sex and the Mountains.

This title is for my friend Deana, who wanted me to write a post about, well, Sex and the Mountains. I told her that I didn’t have any good material, that my life was SO terribly boring and lame and that the action happening on our new tempurpedic was definitely not blog-worthy.

(Not blog-worthy as in, NONE OF Y’ALLS BEESWAX, not as in “not that interesting.”)

Anyway, then I kind of realized that although I am all cozily shacked up with my man, that doesn’t mean I don’t have insights into what I see as a very VERY happening singles scene here in Denver.

Yes, I would be devastated should Kev and I break up. But eventually, I’d pull myself up by my Chaco straps and get back on that snowboard and hike my ass up to the top of the dating game again. (Are you diggin’ my Colorado-style analogies?) Because there is plenty to choose from here. Because being single in Denver is not a death sentence.

There has been a cluster of break-ups among my friends lately. While I have empathy (I have been there!), I also have confidence that there is a better person out there for them. I know that’s easy for me to say, sitting here all snug as a bug in a rug with Kev, but beyond the hurt and pain and anger there is happiness and light. Everyone deserves to be happy. No one should be with someone with whom they can’t be themselves. No one should settle.

Really though, I truly TRULY believe there is someone out there for everyone. So, if you aren’t with someone who completes you, you can find someone who DOES.

Love is way more complicated than any directive I’ve just written, I know that. I know it’s not as easy as simply “moving on.” That’s like telling a depressed person to “cheer up.” But I do think that if you’re gonna break up, maybe Denver is the place to do it.

There’s not as much of a stigma attached to being single in Denver. It’s not like the South, where you’re an old maid if you’re not married off by the age of 26. Singledom is practically revered here.

So, now might be a good time to really drive this whole Sex and the Mountains thing home with a true Carrie-style technique:

THE QUESTION!

Is being single a huge mountain that stands in the way of happiness or is it an enjoyable ride up in a gondola that eventually might (or will) lead to something beautiful?

(AHHAHHHHHAHHHHHA! I am killing myself!)

The answer? GONDOLA, all the way. Preferably the one in Telluride, where lots of cute boys live ;)

I had drinks with a new friend last night, a girl who just broke up with her boyfriend of 8 years. We talked about how breaking up sucks, but can be a blessing in disguise. And how Denver is not such a terrible place for it to happen. How it’s not the kind of place that makes you want to run far far away, to escape memories, to escape mutual friends and places you went together. It’s big enough to start over, yet small enough to meet other people. Other single people, because there are lots of them.

So you see, the beauty of Denver and Colorado does not solely lie in its snow-covered peaks, its awesome skiing, and its expansive wilderness. It’s a gorgeous place to be single as well.

I think our motto should be, “Don’t care about a mate? Colorado’s your state!”

Heh.

Things people don’t need to tell me.

I am a clean-freak.

I would lose weight if I’d stop drinking so much wine.

I should be the bigger person.

I have too high of expectations.

I can be materialistic.

I should run hills to make my butt smaller. (ha ha)

I’m nosy.

I should wear sunscreen 24/7.

I shouldn’t drink on a school night.

I get annoyed too easily.

I am impatient.

* * *
If we are aware of our flaws, is that worse than living in oblivion?

Help, I’ve resorted to lame cat videos!

Here, have a boring video of me meowing at Biggie Purrs.

I promise you something of quality very shortly ;)

more about "Flickr Video Embed: here comes biggie…", posted with vodpod

And so here I am.

I’m thinking that maybe if I stop avoiding the blog, maybe I’ll stop avoiding some of my looming work tasks. Consider this a warm up, maybe. Although, I’m sure you’re just dying to read those peer reviews I’ve been putting off. Come to think of it, maybe not! They could be juicy tell-alls of what I really think about my co-workers. God, this sucks. Starting over…

Hi. How are all of you guys?

My hair is REALLY blonde now. I can’t complain, I did instruct my stylist to do “chunky white streaks” but wow, it is shocking. I washed it this morning, so it’s curly again and the blonde isn’t so…..blonde. It’s better blended. I used to love a straight blow out, but now, not so much. I think straight hair on me makes my face look fat or something.

Yeah, so back to the work thing. Once again, I am so not feeling it here. I don’t think I am exactly the “marching up the corporate/non-profit ladder” type. I’m not into leadership development seminars for women, not into professional management goal-making, not into suits and cutesy lapel pins. It’s all so not me. I mean, for the most part I like what I do and I like my current position. But I don’t want to stay in it forever. So how can you go into an annual review to discuss professional career goals and say, You know? I don’t see myself sticking around this business. Then it makes you sound like you’re not working towards anything.

I think I was talking about this with Kevin the other day, but an ideal job for me? Doggie boutique owner. I know! Way to use that Master’s degree Ro! I’m not saying that’s my dream or anything, but when I think about something I’d really enjoy getting up in the mornings for, that’s kind of it. Be my own boss, go to merchandise shows, decorate and organize the store, hang out with (my own) pups and their owners, be a part of the community, WEAR NORMAL CLOTHES. I know that small business owners face their own issues, but that’s why Kevin would keep his professional job with benefits and insurance! (ha ha)

Seriously. I don’t know what I want to do. I feel like I’ve got a few good years of coporate life left in me, and the money is good, so I may as well. I think the next step for me is to take some classes and start doing other work on the side. Tossing around: Feng Shui, yoga teaching certification, Reiki.

In other things worth bitching about, our landlord took $100 out of our security deposit for A DEAD PLANT. Wait, let me be more specific: a dead evergreen groundcover plant. He said we were responsible for it dying because we didn’t water it. For one, evergreen groundcovers don’t exactly scream “water me” and two, how can he prove that we are responsible for its death? I mean, couldn’t it have been natural causes? A bad plant, bugs, fungus? And three, ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS??? It’s so irritating because we SLAVED over keeping that yard weed-free and the grass watered and we even planted pretty flowers and everything and now we get charged for the croaking of a sad little evergreen bush? Dude.

We aren’t going to do anything about it though because he didn’t catch the broken screens that resulted from 2 separate locked-out incidents. All’s fair, I guess. I am just glad to finally be landlord-free!!!

Ok, well I feel so much better now! The remedy for writer’s block is always so easy and is always the same: just sit down and DO IT. Now I think I might be ready to take on those peer reviews (hate).

And really, how are all (4) of you? No one reads this blog anymore!

Girly.

I saw Sex and the City last night.

I saw it with 3 other girls.

I wore a cute summer dress.

I had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc first.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I even cried.

I drank 2 cosmopolitans after it was over.

I am such a cliché.

Working out, drinking, being busy…I don’t know what the hell this blog post is really about.

It’s a very sad fact, but drinking drives me to work out.

(Hmmm, maybe that’s not so sad?)

Case in point: I have been getting up every Friday morning at 5:30 am for a 6 am body sculpting class. Now, if you know me, and know me well, then you are probably thinking: WTF? rosalicious does not do mornings. Trust me, I still really don’t do mornings.

But the reason I do these particular mornings?

So I can guiltlessly and shamelessly get my happy hour groove on as soon as the clock strikes 5 on Fridays!

Well, mostly.

So I don’t always go to happy hour on Fridays (does that surprise you?) but nonetheless, it is SUCH a great feeling to greet the weekend without the weighty question of DO I or DON’T I work out after work? I work out every other day during the week and so on Fridays I feel endlessly guilty hitting the bottle without hitting the gym.

6 am class? Voila! Problem solved! Bring on the booze!

I was chatting with a work friend yesterday about how we’re so busy but not. I mean, when people are busy BUSY, you think they must be working two jobs, caring for kids, and going to school - all at the same time. Us, we just work, work out, do house stuff, and, here and there, try to fit in the social life that people without kids still get to enjoy. And yet, we’re still busy! Or, busy-feeling.

Working out takes up a huge chunk of my time each day, but it’s become a priority. A priority that I didn’t have 8 or 10 years ago, where I was thin simply because I partied all the time and had no extra money to indulge in shopping at Whole Foods (uuummmmm….gourmet cheese….). Or maybe I was just thin because all those bottles of wine I drank back then didn’t decide to take up residence on my abdomen like they do now…

Aha! Another reason drinking drives me to work out!

So I feel busy when really I am just living normal life. Or prioritizing the things that I want to occupy my time. Wait, is this post about being busy or working out or drinking? I have no idea. All 3? How about: working out causes me to be busy and also allows me to drink earlier on Fridays? YAY!

Oy. Cocktail time.

And now for something I address periodically on here: I know it must sound as if I am nothing but a drunken lush. While I am not going to pull your leg and say something ludicrous like “I don’t need alcohol to have fun,” you have to realize that the whole lush-factor of this blog is part of my schtick. I don’t drink ALL the time, ya know. I mean, it’s not like I am loading up my water bottle with vodka and taking swills between Mountain Climbers (oh god, do you guys know what those are?).

I don’t feel defensive or anything, because I’ll be the first to admit that I’m certainly no teetotaler. But, I do sometimes want to clarify that while I’m still all-aboard the party train, I (mostly) have my shit together. And, should we ever meet and go out, I will NOT force that jagerbomb on you. Unless it will disappoint you if I don’t ;)

Have a great weekend, everyone!