My Chinese New Year Shoes

See post of Dec. 31 for more info. I just found a web site that says in addition to buying new shoes, you should also buy new clothes (did that), pay off all your debts (got that mostly covered) and clean your house. Oh well....three out of four ain't bad...right?

Happy Anniversary!

Twenty-eight years ago today, two friends and I were in a car accident. It was a minor accident....the kind where no one got hurt....but your parents got really mad. It started out as one of our fun Saturday nights at After the Goldrush, a long gone 3.2 bar. I was a senior in high school, and my friends were a year older. It was the height of the disco scene, and we were there boogying with the best of them. We were supposed to be spending the night at Sandy's, who had her own apartment...but...we met some boys, and things changed. One of these boys had HBO at his apartment. That was a rare thing in 1978.....and we were VERY impressed, so we HAD to go check it out. I swear....we only cared about the HBO! So, we leave the bar, to follow the boys to their apartment, and I let Sandy drive my car, because my contact lenses were bothering me, and I had had a couple of drinks. We get on the freeway, and the boys made a quick exit that Sandy wasn't prepared for. She tried to follow them, but we hit a patch of sand and the back end of the car slid into the guardrail. Sandy quickly assured me that all was well, because SHE was alright, but all I could do was shriek, YOU WRECKED MY CAR!"

The boys...gentlemen that they were...saw our plight and came to assess the situation. We all decided that there was no reason that a little car wreck should end our fun for the evening, so we elected to not call my parents, and to drive the damaged car to the apartment. It made a horrible noise, but we drove on. In the morning, we drove back across town with the boys following us to make sure we were okay. (I told you they were gentlemen!) As we pull into Sandy's apartment parking lot, Jamie, Sandy's roommate, hears the loud racket of the car approaching, and opens her bedroom window to investigate. When she sees us, she begins yelling, "Where have you been? All your mothers have been calling!" I thought we were in big trouble then, but that Jamie is a quick thinker. She told my mother that we decided to stay at Teri's house, and she told Teri's mother that we stayed at my house. That crisis was averted, but my troubles were not over. I still had to tell my parents what happened. It was Sunday morning, and I decided to wait until they were at church and call them there. I thought maybe the yelling would be less that way. They didn't yell...they just told me to get home. So I'm thinking, I'll just go to bed, and they won't bother me when they get home from church. Yeah....right. They woke me up....imagine that! So yeah....I was in a bit of trouble....but we all survived it.

So...why am I writing about this 28 years later? Because, when the one year anniversary of the event rolled around, someone decided we should go out to dinner to commemorate it. We included a few additional friends besides the original four who were actually involved. Then we did it again the next year.....and we've been doing it every year since then. I've enjoyed all our get togethers, but I'd have to say my favorite was our 10th. We decided to go back to After the Goldrush. While everyone else was still 18 and drinking pitchers, we were pushing 30, two were VERY pregnant, and we were ordering up champagne.

Who would have known on that cold night in January, that a little car accident and some HBO would bond a group of girls....now women....all these years later? We've been thru marriages, divorces, births, deaths, good times and bad.

Tonight, there were a bunch of high schoolers at the restaurant, all decked out for their winter formal. I looked around and wondered if any of them would have a bond that would bring them together, 28 years later. I know my mother still doesn't find it amusing that we celebrate a car wreck that they ended up paying for, but I for one am glad it happened. It's nice to have friends who share your history....who know where you come from. I hope we'll be doing this for many years to come.

Confessions of a straight girl at a gay bar

Okay....So last night was a first for me. I have some gay friends, and we've been out together before, but for some reason, I've never been to a gay bar. My friend Steve is always raving about 80's night at his favorite gay bar which happens to be a couple blocks away. So, last night, he and I and our good friend Scot Bingry (not his real name) went. It was so much fun. I'm sitting here this morning thinking of last night's events and literally laughing out loud.

As I was preparing to go out, I was fretting about what I was going to wear and trying to make myself attractive, and all of the sudden it hits me...."You're going to a gay bar....It really doesn't matter how attractive you are!" But...what I failed to take into account is there aren't just gay guys at a gay bar....there were lesbians too....and not long after our arrival I discovered that apparently I had made myself sufficiently attractive. I was totally checked out by a woman there....which was a very odd experience. Luckily, it only went as far as checking me out. She was with someone so she didn't approach me. I'm so glad. I didn't want to have to break her heart.

Then we went into the room where they were having the drag queen show....and I discovered something about myself. Drag queens scare me! I can kind of handle the ones who really look like women, but the larger than life ones....who look like men on Halloween kind of give me the creeps. I don't know why...but when one would come by, I'd cringe and look the other way. So then I started wondering which bathroom the drag queens used, and Steve said that the Men's and Women's signs really don't mean anything there. It's pretty much just a free for all. He also said that there were no doors on the stalls, and if I was scared, he would come with me. Oh my....what an experience THAT was. I was laughing so hard I could barely go. It was just a moment that I'd never pictured in my wildest dreams....that someday I'd be in a stall in the bathroom of a gay bar with Steve acting as my door. Wow....All I can say is that we have bonded in a whole new way!

The dancing was fun. We pretty much danced non-stop the whole night. The 80's had some great dance tunes. The good part was that even with all the drinking, I lost a pound today . I think I may have to incorporate this into my weight loss plan. Oh....and did I mention the drinking? Two Dollar Cosmos! Need I say more?

Other highlights of the evening:
-Meeting Robert the cute and sweet waiter. Yeah....I know he has a boyfriend.....but I'm SURE I can turn him the other way.
-Calling Sara at 1am to tell her we loved her. I hope you enjoyed our drunken message, Sara and that we're still friends. I think you knew we were drinkers and dialers when you gave us your cell phone number. You had to know you were taking a chance!
-Staying until they kicked us out at closing time and professing my love for Robert to the whole bar. He probably gets that all the time.
-Being with two really good friends who always make me laugh and feel loved....even when we're not drunk. I love you guys....and I'm totally sober!

More from the 15

Tonight's interesting site on the 15......a woman gets on with the most tattered coat I have ever seen. I mean...there just isn't much left of it....filling falling out and the whole bit....but she is carrying a pristine gold foil Neiman Marcus shopping bag. It just makes you wonder.

A Late Night

My friend Steve's grandmother passed away last night, so he called upon me...his travel agent friend to help him get back to Seattle for the funeral. I didn't know anything about it until after I got home from work, so I was trying to figure out options from home using the Internet, rather than my airline computer at work. I called United and got a quote on a bereavement fare that even though it wasn't the lowest option, seemed to make the most sense. So, Steve comes over with a bottle of wine in hand, (always a good idea when you ask your travel agent friend to work after hours) and we decided to call United to hold some space until I could ticket it tomorrow. He gets a res agent on the phone and tells her his dates of travel and she tells him there is absolutely nothing available at the bereavement fare. I found that hard to believe as I had been watching availability for a few days, knowing that this was coming. So, we decide to traipse off to my office at 11pm and check it out for ourselves. Sure enough, the flights are WIDE OPEN!!!! ...just as I had suspected. What is wrong with these res agents.? Believe me...it's not that hard to spot these open seats. It took me about 15 seconds. Grrrrr......I can't stand incompetence. The lesson here is....it pays to check with someone who knows what they are doing...and never believe anything an airline tells you.

A period of mourning

Last week I heard the news I had been dreading. Smiley's has been sold. They are going to re-develop it into retail and condos. I guess it's good for the neighborhood, or something like that, but gosh...I hate to see that little piece of character go away. The interesting thing that I learned in the article is that there really IS a place that keeps track of the size of laundromats, and Smiley's really is one of the largest in the country. Now...they don't officially say they are the "world's largest" as the sign states....but hey.....close enough for me. Maybe I'll have to look into buying a condo and living IN Smiley's instead of behind Smiley's.

Note the sign "World's Largest Discount Laundromat"

I love the signs. One says "Smiley's is one of Denver's Most Exciting Landmarks...A place you will never forget." Another says "Dumb Looks are Still Free." Then there's the one that says "Denver's Friendliest Laundromat." What you don't see are the signs on the back of the building. "WARNING by the Denver Police Department: If you walk across this parking lot, and you are not washing clothes at Smiley's, you will be arrested, sent to jail, and prosecuted to the fullest extent possible." Real friendly...huh? Here's a link to a more recent picture of Smiley's and the new day-glo painted windows. I love how they advertise the free Wi-Fi. I don't think I've ever seen anyone in there with a laptop.
I think in tribute, I'll gather up some laundry and go wash something at Smiley's, even though I have my own washer and dryer. Anyone care to join me? I'll be the one with a laptop, blogging all about it. Hey...SOMEONE needs to use the free wi-fi.

There ought to be a law

The Stock Show is in town. All of the sudden everywhere you look downtown, there are Wrangler jean and cowboy hat clad men. I must tell you, I'm not a big fan of this look. I don't think Wrangler jeans do ANYTHING for a man's tush.

So, yesterday morning, I get off the bus, and I find myself walking next to one of these men. The one thing I'll say for him is that he must be a very law abiding citizen, because if the sign flashed "Don't Walk" he didn't walk....even if there were no cars anywhere in site. Because of this, I ended up walking a little ways in front of him. Next thing I know....I hear this disturbing sound, and I turn to find that it's this man....singing LOUDLY to his headphones. I'm sure it was some horrible country song that I don't even want near my ears. I swear....anyone who thinks this practice is a good idea should really have their own voice fed back into those headphones...just as the outside world hears it. Either that, or they should have a sock shoved in their mouth.

Blog Glitches

I finally started telling people about my blog, and people kept telling me that they were reading it, but couldn't figure out how to post to it. Come on people! It's not that hard. I figured it out! So, in spending time telling all my friends how they could get accounts so that they could post to my blog, three of my friends who were pretty clueless about blogging, have actually started blogs of their OWN.....and the best part is....my very own friends are now commenting on MY blog. That's not to say that Sara Z, and the SLC Urban Princess aren't my very own friends...they are...but now my longtime friends are posting...which is great.

But....I didn't KNOW they were posting, because for some reason, I'm not getting the e-mail notification anymore. Anyone else having this problem? I need to know when someone posts so that I can immediately drop everything and read it.

Also, I don't think the Library Thing is working right. My random books seem to be staying the same for a long time. Hey...you longtime bloggers....do these things just happen and fix themselves? Or do I need to do something to fix it?

Anway...welcome to my new blog friends. Hopefully your blogs will give me many more glorious hours of time wasting at work!

Resolutions

I'm not much of a believer in resolutions. I think it's because I'm just a little too rebellious to conform to what's expected. Like right now, I can't take all the weight loss commercials. I hate it because I'VE been losing weight since June, and I don't want people to think I'm just on the New Year's weight loss band wagon. It almost makes me want to eat, just to be different. But I won't. I'll find some other way to express my rebel side.

There is something about a new year that makes one want to reflect and think about change. So, here are some changes I've been thinking about. Not resolutions mind you....just changes.
1) I want to be less of a pack-rat. I think there is something about getting rid of the old to make room for the new. I could use some new in my life. That is...something besides new shoes and new clothes. I'd like some new adventures.
2) I want to do more with my little nieces and nephews. They are all so fun and adorable, and I love my time with them so much. There will be many more slumber parties in my future.
3) I want to live more intentionally and creatively. I'm not totally sure what that means yet, but I've got a few ideas that hopefully I'll talk more about as time goes on.
4) I want to actually read some of the books on my Library Thing list.

Now, here is a change that I wanted to make, that I'm not so sure how it's working out. I decided my bed was becoming a little more like a media center than a sleeping place. I watch TV in bed....I read in bed...I listen to music in bed...and I use my laptop in bed. I was thinking maybe I would sleep better if I actually dedicated my bed to sleeping. So, my solution was to move my little computer desk that I had set up right next to my bed, to a location across the room. Now, if I want to check my e-mail in the middle of the night, I actually have to get out of bed to do it. I feel pretty weird with my computer that far away though. I don't seem to be blogging as much or writing as many e-mails. It's just too inconvenient. So, I don't know. The computer desk may return to where it was. Right now, the desk is across the room, but the laptop is in bed with me. I'm not sure what the point of that is. Oh well....I tried.