Good Stuff

Did I mention that I turned 25 on Friday? That I'm another year older and can reeeeeeeaaaally feel the pressure of that last year on my shoulders? Twenty-five is good, waaaay better than twenty-four, but so much has happened in one year that I really FELT a year older this time around. Never had that before.

On to the good things that liven up life:

1. My girlfriend has just started a blog and I think some of you would really appreciate her writing style. She is a poet, a true writer, a master of words, and a lyrical genius. She is trying to get her start in the online world, so check her out here.

2. One of the elderly (70 year-old) residents I care for at work exclaimed aloud, "I'm an addicted knitter!" and went on to describe how many balls of yarn she goes through in a month. Of all the things to be addicted to, I don't think there's a medication for her weakness.

3. My girlfriend and I were at a gas station near her house in the evening a few weeks ago when we heard gunshots from two fences over. I swung open the driver-side door as a joke and was like, "Shield yourself!" She finished pumping gas, and then, being the good citizens we are, we dialed the police to report the shots. As we drove away, M's comment was, "You know you're in the ghetto when gunshots ring out, and the people at the gas station look at each other and say, "Were those gunshots?"..."Yep."...and then keep pumping gas like nothing happened."

4. Got my car back tonight! JOYRIDE!

It's like rolling triple sixes in Yahtzee--A lot of points, but you can't really cheer for that

Prepared to share the strangest sequence of events yet this year, beer in hand.

A lot of people hit periods of bad luck, even more claim to have been cursed at some point in their life, yet astoundingly, only 13 percent of the population believes in any type of luck at all. If it's not bad luck, maybe it's karma, but how many people believe in the validity of karma's actual existence? (Besides 65% of Americans aged 18-25?)

Whatever the hell is going on, better calm down soon, or I may join the small minority of adults who believe in curses. Let's start at the beginning; it's logical, unlike the recent happenings of my life.

1. I'm on my way to work at 7AM on a Friday morning in Denver's most treacherous traffic ties, when suddenly, while at the front of the line at a stop light, my car dies. No rhyme or reason, just dead, and the Old Man Henry (my car) refuses to start again. Two complete strangers help push my car onto a side-street where it remains for days. (Who has money for a tow truck when your car is dead literally three blocks away from a repair shop?)

2. I now must take public transportation to work. This all involves waking up before sunrise, and getting home an hour later than preferred in the evenings, thus sucking away precious relaxation time. The lightrail is more fun when it's a choice.

3. The side street where my car was left for scrap has street cleaning on the first Tuesday of the month, meaning if I didn't move it by Monday evening, I would receive all kinds of parking tickets the next day. Enter my girlfriend giving me countless rides, and helping me push my car three blocks to the west to avoid crime. Those three blocks felt like eight. Henry needs to lose a few pounds.

4. Saw something I didn't want to see at work, and was required to report it to my boss--not terrible, but legally needed to be reported--and was then retaliated against the next day when the co-worker filed a false complaint against me. If you don't want to be written up, don't do the crime. It's not my fault I was standing there when it happened.

5. Acquired and then immediately kicked out a new roommate. We're talking a turnaround time of three days. Long (ass) story short: Annoying dog, followed by outrageous demands, accompanied by the night I had to spend in my landlords basement, equals DISqualified. It only added stress and anxiety to the week I was having.

6. Finally got car towed, thanks to a Pal's AAA, only to discover that my right front tire found its way to Flatville while sitting on the side of the road. Then, to top things off, the repair shop lost my car keys and I had to take two busses both ways to the shop in a snowstorm to give them another key. I'm not gonna say I wasn't a happy camper because I'm always a "happy camper", but nothing kills the joys of your day-off like riding the ghetto #43 bus.

7. Turns out, the repair shop I finally got my car to, is closed on the weekends. Closed. On Saturdays. And Sundays. Both. CLOSED. On the weekends.

8. We lost another person in my department at work, so not only did I have to work the weekend shift (as usual) this weekend, but I had to work it alone. Basically that means I did the job that is best completed with three people, as a solo.

9. Last night, I rode the bus home after 9 hours of exhausting work, walked the six blocks from the lightrail to the house, only to discover upon stepping onto the front step, that I had completely locked myself out. My keys were inside on the table, my girlfriend had left for work two hours prior and wouldn't return for another four hours, plus the dogs were inside, and so was the couch. My. Feet. Were. Killing. Me. I tried the neighbor, as he has a key, but no one was home. I called the gf to see if there was a key somewhere outside I didn't know about, but no answer, as she was swamped at work due to the Rockies playoff game. I called a good friend who's been chauffeuring me around for two weeks, but she was at the gym.

With temperatures now dipping below 30 degrees, and the sun fading quickly, I was left with little options: time to build a fire. You bet your ass I crumpled paper and burned a wooden alley-pallet to stay warm. My feet were already freezing by the time I reached the house, and the only thing on my mind was getting my body warmer, and quick. Thankfully the gf has a fire-pit in the backyard along with a jug of lighter fluid, so it made the process a lot smoother.

Finally, after warming my hands and feet, great ideas dawned on me from every direction. I kept calling friends until someone said they could give me a ride downtown where I planned to get an extra key from the gf! Genius! The first person I called, good ol' Pal, not only said she could be there in two minutes, but it just so happens she ALSO HAS A KEY TO THE HOUSE. Rescued. And I only had to sit around the fire for an hour and fifteen minutes. Brr.

10. Car shop called. $400 to fix the ignition. I was hoping for an $80 spark plug change.

11. On my way home from work today, exhausted again, and loathing the walk from the lightrail, the train suddenly flips its course, and backtracks in the middle of downtown, a very far distance from where I need to be dropped. Apparently, they discontinued the D-line after the downtown stops tonight to save extra trains for transporting people to and from the Rockies playoff game on the C and E lines. WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?! $10 bucks for a cab to take me the rest of the way.

12. It's small, but it just adds--Sammy knocked the recycling bin down the basement stairs, and I haven't even entertained the idea of picking that up until I've had supper, sweatpants, blankets, and hot chocolate.

Here's my question, how can so many unfortunate things happen all within two weeks? I'm not saying these are horrible life-events, they're not the worst that could happen, and to be honest, I've been through worse--but WHAT THE HELL?

I finally had to sit myself down yesterday and make myself believe that all this bad energy that's floating around will soon evaporate, and a wave of good karma will come crashing my way. I'd just rather move on from this series of unfortunate events, and get on with other things in life. Like JOY. And sunshine. WHERE DID THE SUNSHINE GO DENVER? We went from Summer straight into Winter in three point eight seconds, do not pass go, do not collect two-hundred dollars. Leaves fell off trees last week, but THEY WERE STILL GREEN. The Rockies just officially played the coldest series game of all time. I want my sunshine. I want it. And I really freaking want my car back.

Now, here's a short list of the things I have gained from these experiences:

1. Strangers are very helpful sometimes, even the annoying ones in Denver, especially when your car is in their way on the road to work. They were like, "Hell, I'll push ya outta the way. Freakin little green car, blockin my route to work."

2. Some people have to commute much farther than I do, and my bus and train time only totals to one hour each way. I heard a story the other day about a guy who spends two hours both ways just to get to work. I could be that guy. But I'm not. My car is just temporarily out of commission.

3. While pushing my car three blocks I was reminded of the fact (FACT) that I need to start working out more.

4. I know I did the right thing at work, and at the end of the day, that makes me sleep better.

5. Never find a roommate on Craigslist. Ever. Don't--do it.

6. The #43 bus DRIVER has it worse.

7. I couldn't have picked up my car on the weekend anyway, so they might as well take all week to fix it, and besides, maybe them having the weekend off made them feel more giving and joyful, and my car won't get a crap repair job.

8. We may have lost a person at work, but I have the opportunity to work overtime and rake in some extra money, which happens to work out well considering my repair bill.

9. While sitting in the cold, locked out, isn't my first choice for fire gatherings, I did get to enjoy the warmth and comfort of a crackling fire last night. Minus the part where a homeless man walked through the alley and peeked through the gate to ask who's fire it was.

10. I get a new ignition.

11. A lot of people got to ride my D-line train to a Rockies game while I wandered around trying to hail a cab, so...good for them.

12. I've been wanting to tackle my fear of the basement for months now, so picking up recycling off the concrete floor in the dark will really help my phobia.

Wish me luck! The good kind.

I think I need a new pen

In the past, writing on this blog seemed to flow easily. I never had to wonder what I would write about, I'd simply choose something that was on my mind for the day and spit out my words. That hasn't been so easy lately.

I sat trying to understand this unusual silence I found myself in, and concluded that I want to write, but most days have no idea where to start. When life piles up and so many changes happen all at once, and so many things are happening around me, my brain runs wild. The kind of wild that should only be seen at a safe distance in a zoo. So wild in fact that I struggle to keep up with and snatch any of the ideas that chase each other through the mazes of my mind.

I decided I would write about this really frustrating conclusion today, in hopes of calming my thoughts down, and narrowing down topics to share. Writing about work is a no-no, except for some of the hilarious comments. Writing about my dog seems entirely too gay, even for me, and I'm longing for something deeper to reach the pages of this blog. I'm still tossing ideas around, but when I know, you'll know, and then we'll all know for ice cream.

So, Today Could Have Been More Exciting...

But nothing beats lounging around on your day off, watching football, eating mac & cheese, and snuggling with your dog.

Just a Rainy Monday

It's a very gray and rainy morning here in Denver. The Broncos won their second football game of the season yesterday, and as I drove past the stadium on my way to work, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever make it to a pro football game.

That's a completely ridiculous thought, as football remains an unavoidable distraction for me every Fall. (Let's be honest, I BREATHE football right now--did you see Mark Sanchez yesterday?! Poor Brady.) But, have you ever hit a point where you start to wonder if you will ever accomplish all those idealistic dreams you set out with?

You know the ones I'm talking about--my girlfriend and I had a discussion a few weeks ago about that young spirit we all have when we're just starting out on our own. I wanted a job where I got to travel the world, help people, be creative, and live out all my dreams (motorcycle included.) But the older I get, the more difficult attaining those dreams becomes.

Now, the jobs are about paying bills, not fueling aspirations. Sure, it's nice to work somewhere that I enjoy, but at the end of the day, it's really just a means to an end. I'll work to pay the bills, and spend my free time trying to squeeze in my dreams. A phase I like to call, "Idealism Meets Reality."

Hopefully the phase after this can be called, "Mission Accomplished" -- but not in that cheesy George Bush way. More like a "my-dreams-finally-paid-off-and-now-I-can-cross-off-at-leas-five-things-from-my-bucket-list" kind of way.

I guess the real lesson I'm finding today is that if you want your dreams to happen, you have to make them happen. You have to work hard, and never let them fade into the background. I'm working on putting songs together for a CD, as well as starting work on a book. Cheers to never letting life get in the way of your passions.

Free Time...bwahahahahahahahaha.

It seems like I constantly have all sorts of goals for myself in life. I find small, attainable goals help keep me active and enthused with life, and when it seems as though there is nothing to strive for, I come up with something like running a 5k.

No, I'm not running anymore races any time soon, but I am back on campus taking classes again. Photography and Painting classes to be exact. I'm not seeking a degree, I just needed something to stimulate my creative side and give me a little more experience so I can apply these concepts on my own. Well, that's truly enough about that BORING AS HELL SUBJECT.

In other news, Sammy very much disliked his seatbelt the first few times he wore the thing, but he rides with me so often that he quickly got used to being harnessed--as evidenced by this photo:

I'm thinking we should make a Seat Belts Save Lives ad campaign for dogs...any takers? The thing really freakin works.

I also made this painting for an out-of-class assignment using a limited pallet. It's not done, but it did take me over six hours, spread out over two days, and I thought you might like to see what the hell else I've been spending my time on BESIDES WRITING--WHICH I WISH I WAS DOING 24/7 BUT AM OBVIOUSLY NOT.

Did I mention I now have a dog that takes up all my free time? Between the lake, hikes, and the dog park, he really should pay me rent. S.P.O.I.L.E.D. Time to clean house. Dog Fur vs. Wood Flooring, who do you think is winning?

Because No One Can Be Gone This Long Without Explanation

In one paragraph, Mandy's computer was stolen, so mine has been living at her place for the last two months. I finally got settled in my own place, but didn't have internet until last week, but then I got a new job and started classes again, so life was a blur. Many apologies for being gone forever, but I promise to make it up by writing and reading like a STORM for the rest of the year. The End.

The real blog for today:

SAFETY CONCERNS

Sammy has this love of wind that I can't quite comprehend. Like most dogs, he loves to hang his head out the window of the moving vehicle, but he differs in his next move. Sammy must have half his body dangling from the car as we speed through town and through highways. This. Is. Dangerous.

A few weeks ago, as he was half-out of the car, I had to make an abrupt swerve to dodge a horrible driver, at which point Sammy took a slip right out the window of the car, saved only by his leash in my hand. I jerked him back inside in time to prevent his complete fall, but talk about a mini heart-attack.

Besides falling out, we have the issue of having a full car. When Mandy and I decide to take both dogs to the lake, they ride in the back-seat, but Sammy (nicknamed Fathead by Mandy) insists on still having his partial-body dangle from a window as we travel. I have a two-door. Having a puppy paw on your left shoulder as you drive is not only annoying, but in the event of a sudden stop, you're left being strangled by your own seat-belt, as the dog lands on the steering wheel. No good. For anyone.

As if these arguments weren't enough to take action, yesterdays reasons were the convincing factor. Sammy and I were on our way home from watching a friend's rugby game, and he was flopping himself out of the car as usual, soaking in the sunshine. Suddenly, I hear struggling in the seat next to me and think Sammy is trying to make a jump out of the car, only to realize he has stepped on the auto-window button with his paw and is strangling himself in the rolled-up window. I panic momentarily, trying to use my driver's side button to counter the rolling up of the window, but his paw is still pressing the button, preventing it from releasing his head.

Finally, I manage to reach over and remove his paw from the button, then put the window down so he can be free. I'm all, "SAMMY! OMYGOD YOU'RE STUCK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! MOVE YOUR PAW! HOLY SHIT! YOUR LITTLE HEAD! OKAY, I GOT YOU, DON'T WORRY! THERE....there...aww...my little guy. Are you okay? Poor little Fathead." He laid his head on my lap for the remainder of that trip. Scared himself to death.

Today I made the purchase. Doggie Seat-Belts exist, and he will wear one from now on for the protection of all involved. Even if he looks ridiculous. Poor little Fathead.