What are you doing New Year's Eve?

It's New Year's Eve, and I actually have plans....fun plans. A week ago I didn't think I would have ANY plans, but then almost simultaneously I received two invitations and I had to choose. I HATE that. There was talk of a party at Scott's, but it was all kind of up in the air. Then I got an invitation from my long time friend (since we were 14) Betty to a little party that she was throwing with another friend. Right after that, the plans came thru and Scott's was a definite. It was a tough choice, but I decided to go to Scott's since I was kind of invited to it first, and since he lives close and I hate to drive anywhere on New Year's Eve. I promised Betty I'd make a drunken call to her at Midnight, though.

I heard something on the news this morning about some New Year's tradition I'd never heard of before. They said you should ring in the New Year with a new pair of shoes. It's symbolic of leaving the old behind and starting fresh. It seems I must have known this intuitively because I bought two pairs of shoes this week. I was on my way back from getting my new bus pass when I passed Famous Footwear on the 16th Street Mall, and decided to go in, since I'm still on the quest of those cute boots like those worn by the woman in Nickel Creek. They didn't have anything nearly as cute as those, but they did have a pair that would do, and they seemed to be the right balance of cute and practical, which is important when I walk for a good part of my commute to work. I took the boots to the counter, and the clerk said it was "buy one get one half price" and wasn't there another pair of shoes I would like? It just so happens that they had the shoes that the SLC Urban Princess wore that I had envied. They were already on sale, and then I got another half off of that....so how could I refuse? It seems that the Urban Princess and I are the only ones who like these shoes, because they still had a lot of them left! Anyway, those are my new shoes for the evening. I think they will go nicely with my beaded vest. I just hope the fact that I wore them yesterday doesn't ruin the tradition. I think it was a made up tradition anyway, because I googled it and could only find one obscure reference pertaining to CHINESE New Year. Maybe I'll get some more new shoes in January, just to be safe.

Urban Princess......Is this your shoe?

Would this be totally lame?

Yesterday I decided to forego the 15 and walk to work, in an attempt to pay for my sins over the holidays. As I was walking by the Ogden (a small concert venue nearby) I noticed a concert bill in the window for Constantine Maroulis of American Idol fame. Anyone who knows me, knows that I've always had a thing for long haired boys, so you can imagine that I was a big fan of Bo, Constantine and Anwar last season. I did think that Constantine got a little full of himself before he got booted, but he was still pretty cute. So, my question is, is it wrong to go see someone's show just because you think he's cute? Are you supposed to get over that when you're 14? Would you go? Would you admit to it? And...I wonder who else I could get to invest the twenty bucks to go with me. I really haven't heard any of his music except what was on the show, but with titles like "Rich B*itch" and "SomeofMyF*ckedUpWorld" I'm sure it's worth a listen. Also, the band has released both an explicit lyrics and a clean lyrics version of their CD. What nice guys! I just wonder how you do a song like "SomeofMyF*ckedUpWorld" with clean lyrics.

In other news...things are going quite well with my new barista. I think I love him, even though I don't even know his name. I know what hours he works, and unfortunately, I have to wait until 11am to get my coffee now. Oh well....its worth it. One of my clients just gave me some Starbuck's cards, so it looks like the relationship can continue.

I didn't dream this....here is proof

I was reading blogs today when I should have been working, and I stumbled across this great blog that some guy did all about East Colfax....my "hood." (I probably shouldn't use that term. It sounds like someone old trying to sound young.) It's a photo blog, and this guy has taken tons of pictures that I wish I had taken of weird things and people around here that I love. One of the weirdest is a guy I had seen on the bus a month or so ago, but when I describe him to people, they can't believe it....and now I've found a photo. <---(You MUST check out the link.) I'm so glad I found the picture, because it gives me the opporunity to tell the story of that night.....which I personally find pretty amusing. And that's what's REALLY important, right?

So....I get on the bus and take my seat near the front, as I usually do. I look up and the first thing I see is the guy in the photo....in his duct tape suit. I try not to stare, but it's pretty hard not to. And, I figure anyone who wears an outfit like that is probably used to people staring. Also seated in the front of the bus are two black ladies and a guy who is past stumbling drunk. I would call him, "Please let me get to where I'm going before I pass out" drunk. He could barely sit up and you can only imagine the aroma. He's kinda talking and laughing with these ladies and he decides to move to sit right next to one of them. You can tell she's not thrilled, but she attempts to continue the frivolities. Finally, she has all she can take of this guy breathing in her face, and she stands up and says, "Maybe Rosa Parks didn't do it.....but I'M moving to the back of the bus!" I found it hilarious, but as I write this, I'm wondering if it's one of those things where "you had to be there."

Anyway....I'm pretty excited about the photo blog. I love to see when other people appreciate the wackiness of where I live.

And now....the Magic

Next time I start whining about not feeling loved, I hope someone will slap me and remind me of today. In my family, instead of buying everyone a gift, the adults all bring a generic gift, and we play that game where you draw a number and pick a gift when your number comes up. Or, you can steal someone else's gift. Number 1 is the best number to draw, because you get to go first, but then at the end, you get your choice of any gift you want. The gift I brought to exchange was a wire flower looking thing that holds pictures or notes. I felt it was kind of boring, so I had the idea to print up a bunch of pictures of myself, and put them on the holder. I figured it would make the gift so much more desirable, or at least it would get a good laugh. So, my niece Tamie got number one, and she picked my picture holder. She laughed and asked if she had to keep my pictures in it if she kept it. I said no, but that I was sure she would want to. Her 8 year old daughter Haley saw the gift and she says, "Mom....I WANT that." Then she turns to me and says, "And I would keep your pictures in it." I should tell you that Haley and I have always had a special bond. I think it was because I introduced her to my old Pee Wee's Playhouse videos, and she loved them. I was the only adult that she invited to her birthday slumber party when she turned 7. So, Haley takes a hold of this picture holder and hangs on to it while everyone else chooses their gifts. No one stole the gift from Tamie, and then it came her turn to decide if she wanted to keep it, or pick any other gift. As she got up to look around at the other gifts, Haley begged her to keep the picture holder and actually got tears in her eyes as she held it close to her and looked at the pictures. Everyone in the room, especially me, was shocked at how important this gift seemed to her. Tamie chose to keep it. You know...in my head, I know that there are people out there who love me, but it's just not often enough that I really FEEL it like I did today. It was a great reminder to spend more energy cultivating the relationships I do have and spend less energy fretting about the relationships I don't have.

It's Christmas time in the City

Here's what Christmas looks like at my house.

A new Christmas Tradition

Are there any rules against drinking and blogging? I hope not. As I was running errands today, I thought that a night at home with a bottle of wine sounded like a good thing. So, after my stop at Argonaut Liquors, I came home, turned on only the Christmas lights, lit the candles, and opened the wine. Then, in the darkness of my living room, I put on a CD that Steve gave me called Dark Noel, Vol. 1. WOW. It's a compilation of a bunch of Goth bands doing Christmas music. I was ready to hate it when I put it on, but because I love Steve, I knew I had to listen to it. It's actually pretty amazing. It's Christmas music like I've never heard before. So far my favorite song is "Welcome Christmas" from How the Grinch Stole Christmas by a band called Love Spirals Downward. Now that's a song I don't have on any of my other Christmas compilations. What a refreshing change from all the "most wonderful time of the year" stuff. Sometimes I just want to scream when I hear that song. Tomorrow it's fun and family and craziness, but tonight I indulge in a little bit of melancholy. Life is definitely about both....Magic and Loss....as Lou Reed says.

Now, if only I can resist the urge to drink and e-mail. That's ALWAYS a bad idea.

Merry Christmas everyone.....or at least to the two or three of you who read my blog! I really will tell others about it soon. I promise!

I'VE ARRIVED!!!

....or at least my blog has. In just a few short weeks of bloggerdom I've made it to the sidebar of the Urban Princess's blog. This is a great honor because I have spent the last 2 weeks...since I actually met her in person...religiously reading her blog and many of the blogs she has linked. They are some of the most entertaining blogs ever....and now I'M ON THE LIST! It kinda feels like I'm part of a family or something. Now maybe I'll be brave enough to respond to the blogs of some of the other "family" members. I've wanted to a time to two....but I thought...."These people don't know me. I can't start responding to blogs of complete strangers," even though I guess it's done all the time. So, if any of you have stumbled over to my blog, please say hi, and I'll do the same, and I hope we come to know each other in that weird cyber "I don't have a clue who you are, but I think I love you," sort of way.

I must take this opportunity to thank Sara Z for letting me share her blog friends. It seems none of my other friends have blogs, so I've had to latch on to hers. Hopefully it's not too much like world's colliding for you, Sara! I just think you have fun friends. (I have fun friends too...they are just blog-less.)

The bad part of all of this??? I think I'm acquiring a new ping pong ball. Just what I need!

Oh what a night on the 15

I should have known when I got on the bus and was nearly run over by a radio controlled car, that this would be no ordinary night. It seems the guy sitting across from where I wanted to sit, just purchased said car for his 7 year old nephew for Christmas, but he couldn't wait to get home to play with it, so he had to run it up and down the aisles of the crowded bus. So, we go one stop, and 4 punk looking girls, each with a different color of neon hair, get on. They seem nice enough, except for one keeps singing the line, "I....wanna rock and roll all night...." over and over again in a real whiney voice. One of these girls sits next to me. Next stop, a bunch of gangster looking kids with their baggy pants that are held up by God only knows what, get on, with a baby in a huge stroller and arm loads of Chinese food....smelling up the whole bus. Next....the stumbling drunk crowd gets on.....and there are no seats....so the fact that they are stumbling becomes a real issue. I nearly had one guy in my lap. Another guy drops his coat, and a bottle of whiskey falls out. As he tries to get it, the hard hat he was carrying nearly falls on the head of the baby in the huge stroller. This sends the mother of the baby into a furry, and then of course the guys have to show their machismo and back her up. They start pushing and shoving, trying to push the drunk guys off the bus. Since this is nearly happening in our laps, the punk girl and I look to each other for moral support and shake our heads in disbelief. Luckily, the gangster kids got off at the next stop, before an all out riot ensued. The drunk guys then found seats (with a little help from me, because they were too drunk to notice them by themselves), the punk girl and I shared how this was the craziest we'd ever seen it on the 15, and I got off at the next stop, wishing the bus driver "good luck."

Once I was on the bus with one of my favorite drivers....a guy who had been a policeman in Baltimore, but it got to be too much for him, so he came to Denver to work for RTD. Someone asked him if he ever wanted a different route. He said, he was more afraid of the routes in the suburbs, because someone might hit him in the head with a laptop or something. At least on the 15, he knew what he was up against. That was one of the best things I've ever heard on the bus, but in thinking it over, I think I love the city for the opposite reason. I never know what I'm up against.....and it's never boring.

Books and Coffee

They opened a new Starbucks in my building yesterday. Apparently, the one 75 yards across the street was just too inconvenient to get to for some people. I've been watching them put the place together and train employees, and I've noticed one pretty cute guy among the mix. I've already begun to think of him as MY barista. I hope we will have a long and happy relationship.

So, I was on Sara's blog yesterday, and saw that she added this little Library Thing to her site. I thought it was great, so of course, I began logging nearly every book I own....or at least every book that I'll ADMIT to owning. The sad part is, I think I've only read a fraction of these books. My problem is that reading puts me to sleep. I'll start to read, and before I know it, I'm nodding off. I must figure out a way to overcome this problem because all of the sudden I feel this desperate need to read everything in my library. I think I have some pretty good stuff, although I must admit that some of it feels like it came from a former life. I don't think I'm the same person I was when I bought many of these books, but I listed them anyway. If nothing else, it shows the history of where I've been, and maybe even gives a glimpse into where I hope to go.

Ping Pong Balls Part 2

Remember that "food" ping pong ball that I thought I had under control in the last post? Do you suppose my stopping by Dairy Queen for a Blizzard when it was 15 degrees out might be a sign that it popped back up? I could barely hold the cup, my hands were so cold....but I still ate it. Guess I just needed some comfort from an old friend. Oh well....back on the wagon today. That's the important thing.

In other news.....I had a lovely time at Scott's new place on Friday night. Steve, Anne, and I were invited over for cocktails. Upon entering, if felt like we just stepped back in time to a very mod pad from the 60's. It was decorated impeccably, with no details forgotten....right down to the percolator for coffee. When was the last time you had coffee made from a percolator? It was very fun and Scott was a fantastic host.

In still OTHER news......the shoes worked out fine for the Nutcracker outfit....except they were not exactly made for warmth. My feet were FREEZING! But we had a good time nonetheless. I took four of my little nieces ages 8, 10, 10, and 12. After the Nutcracker, we went to Buca Di Beppo, and were lucky enough to score the kitchen table without reservations! That NEVER happens. The girls had a fun time saying "ciao" to everyone that walked by. Then...even though we were SOOO cold, I took them for a horse drawn carriage ride. We shivered, sang Christmas Carols, and shouted "Merry Christmas" to everyone we saw. Then, back to my place for movies and a slumber party. I believe I can state that a good time was had by all.....especially me. I just hope the bags under my eyes don't show too much today.

Now...if only I had a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Ping Pong Balls

I have an addictive personality. I like the analogy of addictions being like ping pong balls in a pool. You might be able to hold down a few at a time, but usually another one pops up somewhere. Mostly my "drug" of choice has been food, but for the time being, I have that one under control. I've lost 75 lbs and counting. So, now that I'm doing pretty well keeping the food ball under water, the spending ball is popping up. My Visa bill was a bit shocking this month. I attribute it to Christmas. Not that I'm buying that many presents, but just that I get caught up in the spending frenzy. Don't get me wrong....I'm not behind on any bills or anything. It's just that my bank account is not where I like it to be. I was thinking that I really should start trying to get THIS ball back under water, but as I was driving to Best Buy tonight to pick up my new laptop, I decided to stop at DSW Shoes. Ever since I saw Nickel Creek a couple of weeks ago, I've been wanting a cute pair of brown boots like the woman in the band wore. They didn't have the boots I wanted, so instead I found the cutest little pair of flats that match the outfit I'm wearing to the Nutcracker this weekend PERFECTLY! So, I decided to pull the credit card out once more. I partly blame...or credit...my new friend SLC Urban Princess. When I met her on Sunday, she had the cutest embellished flats on. I was going to go buy the same ones (with her permission of course), but instead, I got these that were inspired by her shoes. Note the black velvet on the shoes that match the black velvet jacket....and the salmon flowers in the shoes matching the salmon camisole top. And they are flat so that my feet don't get tired traipsing all around town with my little nieces. It just doesn't get much better than this! I just hope I remember this feeling when I get next month's Visa bill.

The 15 bus

I ride an interesting bus to and from work. You don't just get your average business commuter.....but you literally get ALL kinds. When I started this blog, I imagined I'd come home every night and write about my amusing bus anecdotes. But of course, then it seems I hit a dry spell. Or else, I've just gotten so used to the insanity that it doesn't seem noteworthy. So tonight, FINALLY I have a story. A young woman gets on the bus and sits near the front next to an older man who looks like he's been sucking a lemon. She turns to him to ask him the time, but he doesn't even acknowledge her existence.....so...she asks him again. He still stares straight ahead. Finally another woman nearby tells her what time it is. Then the first woman begins to explain that she has a watch (which she then shows) but the crystal fell off of it, so she super-glued the hands on so she wouldn't lose them. Now...what a surprise....it doesn't keep the correct time! (But she still wears it!!) (No...you can't make this stuff up.) Then I guess, she assumed that the woman who gave her the time cared to hear even more about her life, so she began to explain why she was carrying this very large Christmas bell, with a big red bow on it, which she referred to as a cow bell. She said she bought it for her friend's girlfriend. She doesn't really like this girl, but she felt obligated to get a gift....so she got her this "cow bell" which was on sale at the nearby thrift store. Then, just before she gets up to exit the bus, she says, "She's not fat or anything.....she's just a bitch!"

Gotta love the 15.

A Musical Diversion

One nice thing about living in the city is the opportunity for entertainment and cultural experiences at my fingertips. I don't take advantage of them as often as I should, but I'm improving. Last night, I found out that one of my favorite new artists, Andrew Bird was opening for Nickel Creek right down the street at the Fillmore. So, after work, I walked on over and got in a line about 1/2 block long, about 30 minutes before the doors opened. You could tell it was a bit of an "older" crowd, because all the people in the front of the line rushed for the seats on the side, leaving the front of the stage wide open. I got a standing spot front and nearly center.

Andrew Bird was weird and quirky and amazing to watch as he crafted his music. Since I'm terrible at describing music, I will quote the Righteous Babe website.

Bird is a masterful and intuitive singer / songwriter, and what he does while performing — alternately plucking and bowing his violin, then immediately sampling the results, layering the sounds with guitar, whistling, glockenspiel and vocals— bears little resemblance to what most people might expect. It's only one of several devices in his arsenal of instruments, melodies, and imaginative wordplay.

The glockenspiel seemed to give him a lot of trouble last night. It kept falling off it's stand. Luckily, there were no injuries! That can really ruin your evening.

Nickel Creek was a pleasant surprise for me. They are a young bluegrass band with a lot of rock influence thrown in. They are amazing musicians, and they put on a good show. The highlight had to be their version of Britney Spears' Toxic. Imagine that song with violin and mandolin. It was pretty unique. They also did some serious bluegrass music with beautiful harmonies and touching lyrics.

I don't know why I seem to always be attracted to the little known opening acts, but it's a great way to meet people when they are standing around saying "Who's opening tonight, anyway?" And I get to be exposed to some new music too. I can see some Nickel Creek cds in my near future.

Next week's shows will be Rasputina on Friday and The Dandy Warhols on Saturday....and I don't know the opening band for either show. How disappointing.