New Home Place

Boy, moving is a process! Don't ask me why I keep doing it every year. Well, actually do ask me. I love exploring the west like this. Colorful Colorado is fantastic so far and I'm beyond excited to finally be a full-fledged resident of my favorite state.

I moved into a building that's about 90 years old. It used to be a hotel but now it's apartments. Cleaning this place is going to be a continuous project. I do have to say that there has been some major progress made in this place over the past week and a half. Here's a tour of my new digs for your viewing pleasure.



Come on in and sample one of the many micro brews available at the corner store. My favorite today is 96 Shilling from O'dells. Also loving the Rising Moon ale from Blue Moon.



My build-in spice rack. Sweet!






My little breakfast nook.



PingPong loves the sunshine in his new spot. I think he likes being in my office, next to me all day. He especially likes causing a ruckus while I'm on the phone.



Another awesome built-in.


Ah, so peaceful.



So, here I am, all moved in. I've got a great feeling abut this new homeplace; I think I'm really going to like it here.

From the Road

Taken from my window while driving on Highway 25, north of the New Mexico/Colorado border.



The drive from Santa Fe to Denver began with low clouds. They covered the landscape, thick and cold, with whites and greys. I wish I had taken some pictures of New Mexico. I'm always struck by the muted jewel tones of the desert shadows there.



Happy to be continuing my residency out west.

A Stevie Wonder Wednesday

I know, I know. I didn't tell you all where I was going...

I'm taking off for Colorful Colorado, to the city of Denver specifically. Things are going swimmingly with the move just as I knew they would. I am such a believer in the power of positive thinking lately. The universe is a harmonious place when you find your rhythm with life.

This morning I was treated to a spontaneous and soul-lifting visit from my favorite sister-friends. It's funny how love and growth present opportunities for us all exactly at the moments when when we need it, when we ask for it. It works even when you're not sure where your faith goes, even when you're 2,000 miles away from your best friends. Ah, the deeply connected. It's a good thing.

Anyway, I'm off for more packing and jamming out to S-wonder. I hope Denver is as sunny as Phoenix!

The Sanity, It Is A'Fleeting

If you didn't know already, I'm moving. This week is the big transition and so I've got a million and one things on my list. I've been having a little bit of hard time getting some things on the list accomplished such as getting an oil change and finding a new desk (A new desk! Hear that? I'm going to have an office! A Place to work other than the couch!).

All of this running around and list making is driving me bonkers and leading me to very irrational behavior. For instance, this morning I was driving around town trying to get said oil changed when I drove by a Costco Home store. I thought perhaps they'd have the desk for me. So, I went in, paid $50 for a membership and spent 5 minutes walking around the store realizing that they had absolutely nothing for me.

Because I had shelled out this unbudgeted money for something I really didn't need, I decided to go next door and save myself some more money. This is the point in the story where I wish someone had knocked a little sense into my very full brain.

Here's a list of all the unnecessary things I bought in extreme quantities:

• 1 gallon of baby dill pickles
• massive rolls of Saran wrap
• 60 Swiffer refills
• 200 garbage bags
• 5 gallons of white vinegar
• 1 case of soymilk
• 8 cans of refried beans
• 8 cans of stewed tomatoes
• giant salt and pepper mills
• 12 oz. Tobasco sauce
• jumbo box of cereal
• 20 pounds of basmati rice
  

So, I'm now $200 in the hole from needless Costco shopping. I was pretty proud of myself from shying away from the candy and snacks. At least I bought healthy useless jumbo crap

**Update: I forgot the best part, a 32 pack of pudding cups!**

My Brain and My Bones Don't Want to Take This

I just listened to this album by Kate Nash and I really like it. She's hilarious. I love this one song called "Dickhead". It's like "why are you being a dickhead, you're fucking up situations". Man, if I had a nickel every time I wanted to utter those words to somebody....

My other favorite song by her is entitled "Shit". She says "darling don't give me shit, cause I know that you're full of it". Right on.

Man, if I was angsty I would totally gravitate to her honest and curse-worthy songs. I'm actually quite contented and excited about life though right now and there are few people I'd dedicate the dickhead song to today. But, I'm sure there are a few of you out there who might appreciate it.

Eh?

Yotta Music no longer exists? What in the dickens?

It seems Rhapsody online is easier now for Mac now which is nice. Though I still can't figure out how to download a player that lives on my machine. 

What about my badge, man?

Falling in Love with God

You Send Me Love Letters in the Moon
The Night Said to the Sun
And I Leave You My Answer
As Tears Upon the Grass
--Deepak Chopra

I chose some new agey tunes on Yotta this morning in an effort to ease the pressure on my brain (both physically and mentally). I found out quickly that nature sounds are not soothing; they are grating and annoying. Who the heck listening to an incessant babbling brook for relaxation?

I did, however, come across this album by Deepak Chopra of all people. It's got the requisite amount of cheese-factor, but I thought the particular sentiment above was quite beautiful.

From the Kitchen Tabe

It's far too purple around here right now, she knows. She is sitting with me, chained to her job right now. While taking a break and playing around with photoshop, she made this new titlebar. Unfortunately, she doesn't have time right this second to fix all the text colors. So busy....

At least there is music and coffee and an occasional visitor through the kitchen to give her a shoulder rub or wipe the beads of sweat from her forehead. Sometimes, the visitors even take her out for beers and heckling of bar flies; these things make her forget the pile of to-do's that are waiting for her and cluttering up my surface.

Here is a picture of her sitting with me. Naturally, she didn't include me in the picture. It's always about her!



Why is she working from my surface and not a proper desk? It's a long story but one that will have a happy ending soon enough. Actually, despite all of her whining, things are going very well. There is much in the works and things are in motion; overall her disposition is sunny.

'Bama

Alabama so far is grey but not too rainy. Grits and coffee are starting my day today and I feel really good about that. I love how everyone calls people 'baby' around here with that slow southern drawl.

"Hey Baby, you want some more coffee?"
"Yes, ma'am, thank you."

There are some things I miss about living in the south....

Dear Nintendo

Please make a version of Guitar Hero for Nintendo 64. Also, please send me a huge high def television on which I can rock myself silly to Foghat. Thanks a bundle.

Your hero,
B. Rocka

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll! I have a million and one things to be thankful for today. Here are just a few:

• Waking-up to Sunshine
  
• Cooking
• My New Coat
• Cutie Clementines
• New Old Friends
  
• My Job
• My Sister and Her Hilarious Children
• Big Mountains
• Hilary Hahn
  
• Good Books
• Not Having to Watch Football
• Facials at Secret Fountain
• New Beginnings
• Airplanes
• Etudes
• Christmas Lights
• Craigslist
• Eucalyptus
• Brandi Carlile
• Winter Air
• Pretty Canadian Money
  
• Golden Owl Charms
• Medicine Cards
• Enchiladas and Dos Equis
• Unslutty Knee-high Boots
• Homemade Chicken Soup
• Swirling Leaves and Blue Skies
  
• Holding Hands while Hiking
• Brown Pants Girl
• My Bed
• Lobster Corn-dogs
• Gilgal Garden
• YottaMusic
• The Smell of Pine Needles
  
• Narcissus (the flower, not the god)
• Netflix
• Golden Eyeshadow
• My Pencil Cactus
• Love in the Time of Cholera (the book, not the movie)
  
• My Heart, Uplifted
  

I hope you're all out there enjoying a relaxing holiday with friends, family and lots of good food. Happy Turkey Day!

Will Wonders Never Cease?

You know Biz Stone has been hard at work lately as Twitter just launched their new killer app, Foamee! Foamee allows you to track the people to whom you owe beers (and vice versa) using Twitter. This is a pretty neato thing if you're like me and you owe beers to lots of amazing, helpful people all over the country. Oh, and you can buy Foamee coasters and tee shirts. Foamee only works though if you Twitter!

I'll admit, I've been a negligent twitterer lately. My favorite mini-blog-messenger has been quiet lately as I'm been super busy and most of my Twitter friends have fallen off the Twitter map. I'm jumping back into the pool though!

If you're reading this and you don't Twitter yet, now is the perfect opportunity to join-up. This means you! It's fun, it's easy and you can get twitters directly messaged to your phone. Don't you want to know what I'm eating for dinner or what kind of creepy critter I just found in the back yard?

If you join-in, I'll owe you a beer.

Bottoms up!

shitballs!

Already, I am not able to posty post as I am supposed to for the contest. I'm not holding this against myself and so in my own mind, I'm still participating. Okay? OKAY?

I'm back in the states and grateful to be here. Quebec was so beautiful! Cibi, I was thinking of you and that gorgeous country you live in. People here say that Canada is a milder version of the US and actually, I have to disagree. Granted, I've only been to Montreal and Quebec, two very frenchie cities. I was really blown away by the preservation of historic buildings, the quaint restaurants and blustery weather.

I also found that my French isn't as horrible as I thought. Well, actually, it's pretty bad. But, I've got a decent accent and a great smile, both of which help me navigate foreign territory.

I was there for an academic conference which was like most of those thing; lots of time standing and talking to people, a little bit of time fending off scary academic romeos and even less time sleeping.

In other news, we had daylight savings! For me, living in Arizona where we have no daylight savings, this is a pretty awesome deal because we finally switch over to mountain time. I love mountain time. It means that I'm only 2 hours behind the east coast which makes for easier communication with the office and my family and a much better time dealing with east coast jet lag.

Even though I've already sabotaged my NaBloPoMo efforts, I'll still try to post more often this month so come back and visit moi.