I decided to get a pendant while I was in Texas and I looked and I looked but I didn't see one while we were out and about. Here is the pendant I found at the airport just before getting on the plane. I really like it. The stones are amber, different colors.
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Dallas TX
I just got back to Colorado after a week training on our new platform's accounting system. While I was there, I saw my best friend from high school and college, who I haven't seen in over 2 years since she moved to Texas. Instead of boring and long evenings at the hotel, I was treated to her charming company and whisked away from the mundane every evening.
My favorite evening was Wednesday night we saw Star Wars Episode III. We sat in the air-conditioned silence of a mostly empty theatre as the epic drew itself to a close and whispered back and forth about plot and our thoughts. Afterwards, we even talked about it over dinner at Firewater, a bar and grill close by. While we were eating possibly the worst meal ever (definitely the worst on the trip) some music came on over in the bar area. We finished what we could of the meal (and sent back the bad, colored vodka disguised as a Cosmo) and went to check out the music and discovered it was a live band playing.
Outside there was a large porch area with a bar and a bandstand. Bad Karma, a four (sometimes five) man band from Ft Worth, was belting out covers to songs from the 80s to today that sounded as good as the originals, with great flair and gusto. We stayed to the end of the second of three sets and ended up on stage dancing and singing to Mustang Sally with the band. That was fun.
Afterward, during the set break, I asked the bassist if they had any cds - he said no, they mostly did covers, and I told him that they sounded really good, just like the originals they were emulating. (besides Mustang Sally, my favorite was The Georgia Satalites Keep Your Hands to Yourself). He got us cards and said to check out the website (which we were already planning on doing). Before we left, he came back and said they were playing Friday night in Ft Worth. Which was a real bummer, seeing as my plane ticket was for Friday afternoon. Altia was all ready to follow them the next night, damn our current plans.
The next time I'm in Dallas, I'm definitely checking out Bad Karma's schedule... it was a lot of fun (and did I mention that the lead singer was hot? Altia said that she thought that he would be more Girlzoot's type... he reminded me vaguely of BNL's Steven Page.) I think I'll forgo local offerings for a chain that night... just to be safe.
So the training was ok; I did learn some things. The company, however, was stellar. I had such a good time, getting back to the hotel progressively later (oooh, the last night was after midnight - ok after 1 am... hehe) The one thing I regret was we didn't get a picture together of us. I forgot my camera every night except the last and it just didn't work out... But I have lovely memories :) And a small Texas State flag blowing in the imaginary Texas wind.
My favorite evening was Wednesday night we saw Star Wars Episode III. We sat in the air-conditioned silence of a mostly empty theatre as the epic drew itself to a close and whispered back and forth about plot and our thoughts. Afterwards, we even talked about it over dinner at Firewater, a bar and grill close by. While we were eating possibly the worst meal ever (definitely the worst on the trip) some music came on over in the bar area. We finished what we could of the meal (and sent back the bad, colored vodka disguised as a Cosmo) and went to check out the music and discovered it was a live band playing.
Outside there was a large porch area with a bar and a bandstand. Bad Karma, a four (sometimes five) man band from Ft Worth, was belting out covers to songs from the 80s to today that sounded as good as the originals, with great flair and gusto. We stayed to the end of the second of three sets and ended up on stage dancing and singing to Mustang Sally with the band. That was fun.
Afterward, during the set break, I asked the bassist if they had any cds - he said no, they mostly did covers, and I told him that they sounded really good, just like the originals they were emulating. (besides Mustang Sally, my favorite was The Georgia Satalites Keep Your Hands to Yourself). He got us cards and said to check out the website (which we were already planning on doing). Before we left, he came back and said they were playing Friday night in Ft Worth. Which was a real bummer, seeing as my plane ticket was for Friday afternoon. Altia was all ready to follow them the next night, damn our current plans.
The next time I'm in Dallas, I'm definitely checking out Bad Karma's schedule... it was a lot of fun (and did I mention that the lead singer was hot? Altia said that she thought that he would be more Girlzoot's type... he reminded me vaguely of BNL's Steven Page.) I think I'll forgo local offerings for a chain that night... just to be safe.
So the training was ok; I did learn some things. The company, however, was stellar. I had such a good time, getting back to the hotel progressively later (oooh, the last night was after midnight - ok after 1 am... hehe) The one thing I regret was we didn't get a picture together of us. I forgot my camera every night except the last and it just didn't work out... But I have lovely memories :) And a small Texas State flag blowing in the imaginary Texas wind.
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Good-Bye House
Last night friends of mine had a "Good-bye House" party to celebrate the house they lived in for over 25 years. This little bungalow in North Cherry Creek has been sold, sadly not for the beautiful house, but for the land beneath it. My friends are moving to a smaller house a few miles away.
The next door house (which was not nearly as cute as this one) has already been scraped and a hulking building stands where once was a yard both front and back and even on the side. Most of the block now has succumbed to the scrape and build epidemic that is raging through some of the most beautiful parts of the metro area.
A friend once told me how she hated to see the scrape-offs, and the resulting hulks squating where once a home lay sweetly on the lot, these houses built with speed and money. At the time, I thought the houses she pointed out looked nice, they were big and new.
But I changed my mind when my "Uncle" sold a house that was scraped to make way for a complex of townhouses, tall and shining, but lacking warmth and charm. I'm sure the people who live there feel that their home is lovely, but the little house where I stayed with a friend and consumated an illicit love affair will always be in my mind when I drive past that lot.
And after today, when we plan to go visit once more (everyone was tired when the last guest left so we didn't actually get to talk) I don't think I will ever drive down that street again. This house has been part of the landscape of my life for as long as I can remember. I celebrated my first Christmas in Colorado by the fireplace here, we fingerpainted in the living room and danced to records on the old victrolla. It started out as a cozy and dusky home of friends of my mom's and became partly my home, growing up with their son then daughter, watching the renovation expand and beautify the house, hearing Hummer work in the back yard deep into the twilight, playing pool and asking personal questions of my "little brother's" friends in the oubilliette. This is a place in my world that I will never be able to go back to, except in my mind's eye. I guess it's true you can never go home again.
The next door house (which was not nearly as cute as this one) has already been scraped and a hulking building stands where once was a yard both front and back and even on the side. Most of the block now has succumbed to the scrape and build epidemic that is raging through some of the most beautiful parts of the metro area.
A friend once told me how she hated to see the scrape-offs, and the resulting hulks squating where once a home lay sweetly on the lot, these houses built with speed and money. At the time, I thought the houses she pointed out looked nice, they were big and new.
But I changed my mind when my "Uncle" sold a house that was scraped to make way for a complex of townhouses, tall and shining, but lacking warmth and charm. I'm sure the people who live there feel that their home is lovely, but the little house where I stayed with a friend and consumated an illicit love affair will always be in my mind when I drive past that lot.
And after today, when we plan to go visit once more (everyone was tired when the last guest left so we didn't actually get to talk) I don't think I will ever drive down that street again. This house has been part of the landscape of my life for as long as I can remember. I celebrated my first Christmas in Colorado by the fireplace here, we fingerpainted in the living room and danced to records on the old victrolla. It started out as a cozy and dusky home of friends of my mom's and became partly my home, growing up with their son then daughter, watching the renovation expand and beautify the house, hearing Hummer work in the back yard deep into the twilight, playing pool and asking personal questions of my "little brother's" friends in the oubilliette. This is a place in my world that I will never be able to go back to, except in my mind's eye. I guess it's true you can never go home again.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Kitty Cave
Here's my cat, Alec. It was nice out yesterday but he decided to crawl under the down comforter and take a nap. Whenever I can't find him, this is one of the first places I look...
Saturday, May 07, 2005
Runaway bride
The whole thing on the runaway bride from GA has got me thinking. She said, in a prepared statement, that she wasn't running from the wedding, but from herself and issues and fears that had become out of control for her.
Perhaps it's a personal perspective thing, but a 600 guest wedding with a 26 person wedding party is a big, huge thing. And it could be a scary thing, whether or not you are deeply in love with your fiancé and are committed to spending the rest of your life with them. But, it also can be a way of life, all milestones and events are celebrated with vast numbers of friends and family, and this was normal and expected. So possibly it wasn't scary. But the thought of letting down a single person or even a handful of people (fiancé and parents, friends, family) in whatever way could be a crippling fear.
The fiancé said that the first thing he did when she got home was place her engagement ring back on her finger. Now, I can see that perhaps she took off her ring to go jogging (she disappeared while jogging, remember) but the legacy of the engagement ring has always seemed to be to wear it until the wedding, and switch the band and the ring after and never never take it off again. I know that some people do, but I would rather wear the ring and know where it was at all times than take it off and possibly lose it or have it stolen. Regardless, what if the wedding was part or all of her reason for fleeing? Wouldn't putting the ring back on her hand signify a ball and chain, a terrible weight on her? When she first returned she had not, to my knowledge, spoken to a professional therapist about her problems, and I see the possibility that this would only add to her stress.
Of course the ring's return could have been comforting, but then why didn't she take it in the first place? If she was running from other things, but her commitment and dedication to her husband-to-be was so strong, wouldn't she have taken the ring as a reminder, even if she wore it on another hand or on a chain? But she took off so fast, you say? Bullshit, she purchased the ticket days in advance of leaving. She had plenty of time to get the ring if it meant that much to her.
And on the pressing charges / suing the runaway bride, I'm of two minds. First of all, she didn't know that she was being looked for on a national level. Have you ever ridden a bus from GA to Las Vegas? It takes nearly 48 hours. How much news do you think she saw on the way? Also, people disappear all the time, and some of them are looking for a new life, they disappear themselves. Perhaps in her state of stress and fear, she didn't think it would be a big deal. She was wrong; it became a huge deal, but she shouldn't have to pay for it. She was not the one who set off the national media, her family and fiancé did that. Not every missing person gets national attention, but then again, not every bride has 14 bridesmaids either. Does this mean the wealthy are more important and get national coverage? Gee, I never thought of it that way. Perhaps she should pay for it, after all, she has the money... Or was the sheriff's office duped into looking for someone who didn't want to be found?
On the criminal charges, I think she should be charged for false reporting of a crime. I'm pretty sure that's a felony. She was trying to make herself look a victim instead of a runaway when she said that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Again, she probably wasn't thinking straight (as the whole situation leads us to believe) but from my perspective, she still knew right from wrong when she lied to the authorities in NM. And when people lie about crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault, it makes it more difficult for the true victims to be believed and heard.
The most important thing to come out of this situation is that the bride-to-be gets some help. From a brief interview I saw on the Today Show this week, her fiancé stated that she was seeking help and had been talking to someone. In no way do I trivialize her fear or whatever issues led her to flee the arms of her family and soon to be husband, and I sincerely hope that she can get the help she needs to resolve the issues that took over her life in such a dramatic and farflung fashion.
I admit I don't watch the news much, and I haven't taken to reading the newspaper or news-feeds online. Most of my news is from the radio and a brief buzz on the TV in the morning. I imagine while this situation, which took up quite a bit of my news time these past weeks, several more people were killed in Iraq; I know that the Number 3 man in Al Qaida was captured, and that somewhere children are starving. I'm not terribly informed about these things, but this story and the Teri Schaivo story are the two most recent and all-consuming by the media. Is it because they are domestic stories? Human interest? Both were terribly personal stories, things I did not need to be privy to as a complete stranger far from either of their homes or lives. But I know, and even I know a lot. I'm sure that says something, but I just can't put my finger on what...
Perhaps it's a personal perspective thing, but a 600 guest wedding with a 26 person wedding party is a big, huge thing. And it could be a scary thing, whether or not you are deeply in love with your fiancé and are committed to spending the rest of your life with them. But, it also can be a way of life, all milestones and events are celebrated with vast numbers of friends and family, and this was normal and expected. So possibly it wasn't scary. But the thought of letting down a single person or even a handful of people (fiancé and parents, friends, family) in whatever way could be a crippling fear.
The fiancé said that the first thing he did when she got home was place her engagement ring back on her finger. Now, I can see that perhaps she took off her ring to go jogging (she disappeared while jogging, remember) but the legacy of the engagement ring has always seemed to be to wear it until the wedding, and switch the band and the ring after and never never take it off again. I know that some people do, but I would rather wear the ring and know where it was at all times than take it off and possibly lose it or have it stolen. Regardless, what if the wedding was part or all of her reason for fleeing? Wouldn't putting the ring back on her hand signify a ball and chain, a terrible weight on her? When she first returned she had not, to my knowledge, spoken to a professional therapist about her problems, and I see the possibility that this would only add to her stress.
Of course the ring's return could have been comforting, but then why didn't she take it in the first place? If she was running from other things, but her commitment and dedication to her husband-to-be was so strong, wouldn't she have taken the ring as a reminder, even if she wore it on another hand or on a chain? But she took off so fast, you say? Bullshit, she purchased the ticket days in advance of leaving. She had plenty of time to get the ring if it meant that much to her.
And on the pressing charges / suing the runaway bride, I'm of two minds. First of all, she didn't know that she was being looked for on a national level. Have you ever ridden a bus from GA to Las Vegas? It takes nearly 48 hours. How much news do you think she saw on the way? Also, people disappear all the time, and some of them are looking for a new life, they disappear themselves. Perhaps in her state of stress and fear, she didn't think it would be a big deal. She was wrong; it became a huge deal, but she shouldn't have to pay for it. She was not the one who set off the national media, her family and fiancé did that. Not every missing person gets national attention, but then again, not every bride has 14 bridesmaids either. Does this mean the wealthy are more important and get national coverage? Gee, I never thought of it that way. Perhaps she should pay for it, after all, she has the money... Or was the sheriff's office duped into looking for someone who didn't want to be found?
On the criminal charges, I think she should be charged for false reporting of a crime. I'm pretty sure that's a felony. She was trying to make herself look a victim instead of a runaway when she said that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Again, she probably wasn't thinking straight (as the whole situation leads us to believe) but from my perspective, she still knew right from wrong when she lied to the authorities in NM. And when people lie about crimes like kidnapping and sexual assault, it makes it more difficult for the true victims to be believed and heard.
The most important thing to come out of this situation is that the bride-to-be gets some help. From a brief interview I saw on the Today Show this week, her fiancé stated that she was seeking help and had been talking to someone. In no way do I trivialize her fear or whatever issues led her to flee the arms of her family and soon to be husband, and I sincerely hope that she can get the help she needs to resolve the issues that took over her life in such a dramatic and farflung fashion.
I admit I don't watch the news much, and I haven't taken to reading the newspaper or news-feeds online. Most of my news is from the radio and a brief buzz on the TV in the morning. I imagine while this situation, which took up quite a bit of my news time these past weeks, several more people were killed in Iraq; I know that the Number 3 man in Al Qaida was captured, and that somewhere children are starving. I'm not terribly informed about these things, but this story and the Teri Schaivo story are the two most recent and all-consuming by the media. Is it because they are domestic stories? Human interest? Both were terribly personal stories, things I did not need to be privy to as a complete stranger far from either of their homes or lives. But I know, and even I know a lot. I'm sure that says something, but I just can't put my finger on what...
Busy Busy
Haven't been updating as much as I should due to training at work. I'm on a project team working toward implementation of a new ERP software package for my new company (we combined forces with two other CPG companies and are going to market as one entity). While this is VERY exciting and I'm thrilled to be part of the project, I'm pretty worn out. I've learned more about my company and the way things work on a macro level this week then in the last 2 years. Of course I had my nose in my numbers and worked in my little corner of the company most of the time anyway.
So now I'm hoping to get some balance and to post here a bit more regularly (well as regular as I ever am...)
So now I'm hoping to get some balance and to post here a bit more regularly (well as regular as I ever am...)
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