The No-Labor Labor Day Weekend

Today was the last Friday when we could enjoy our summer hours. Next week we're back to full working hours on Friday, and we will no longer be able to leave at 1:00 in the afternoon. I left right at 1:00, I didn't bring work home with me, and I vow to not check my work e-mail at all this weekend! If I do end up checking my e-mail or if somehow I find myself working, then I give my friends full permission to kick me.

Current mood: moody
Current music: Dead Can Dance
Current drink: peach martini

Nothing to Say

I would write a more extended post, but I don't have much to say and I'm not in the mood, really. Besides, my computer is somewhat occupied right now...

Photos

Yesterday I took the twisting, winding road all the way to Ned--or Nederland for you non-Coloradans--to take some pictures. It's an old, cozy mountain town, so I thought it would be the perfect place to take pictures. Well, it is the perfect place for pictures, but I went at a not-so-perfect time. Again, it was right in the middle of the day when the sun was at its harshest. I didn't like the "conditions" so I didn't take many pictures. But I do plan on going back on a day when I can manage to drag myself out of bed earlier than I have been. So I won't share my Ned pictures just yet, but here is your standard shot of the Flatirons with an old wooden fence in the foreground.

Furies

Tortured and tormented
Blinded and silenced
Overcome by these dark clouds and shades
These Erinyes...these Furies
Born from blood
Surrounding me
Hounding me
Retribution, Revenge, Vengeance
Iron claws tearing at my flesh
Clenched around my neck
Dragging me to such depths
Past the river Styx
Past Acheron and Charon with his rotten boat and old coins
Deep into dark-walled Hades
Robbing me of my mind
Robbing me of my soul...

--work in progress with a mythological twist...

Sigh...

Well, it has been another busy and crazy week at work. That part isn't so bad. I like to keep busy because it makes the day pass faster. But on Thursday we found out that one of our co-workers will be leaving the company. It will be hard to see her go because we will be losing so much experience. But she seems to be doing something that will be good for her, so we're all happy for her. But we're crushed.

I've been an emotional wreck this week--you can ask one of my friends to verify--so I think I'm going to grab my camera and try to find a nice place to take pretty pictures.

More later...

Current mood: moody
Current music: Beth Waters. Beth Waters
Current drink: coffee

Sunsets

Healthy

So, once again, for the millionth time, I'm on another health kick. I think I'm on this latest kick because many of the books I've been editing at work have to do with health and fitness--Ten Years Thinner, The Gluten-Free Vegan, and 50 Secrets of the Longest Living People with Diabetes. Working on books like these give you a little kick in the pants to be healthy. I'm not a gluten-free vegan, I'm not diabetic, and I don't need to be any thinner, but each book has some very useful information. So as part of this new health kick, I was inspired to eat a huge salad for dinner tonight.
This is my happy salad. And, yes, those are tomatoes, and, yes, I actually ate them. I have a mild acceptance of tomatoes. Usually I only like them if they are part of sauces or salsas, but I tend not to like them if they are in their whole or chunky form. But I topped my salad with grape tomatoes because they are sweeter. Normally salads are something I eat before I sink my teeth into the flesh of a juicy, tender steak--I'm a gluttonous carnivore--but tonight I had a salad as an actual meal. This, of course, is my salad right before I topped it with blue cheese dressing... baby steps, okay...

With apologies to my beautiful and wonderful vegetarian friends...

Boulder Falls

Today I was determined to wake up early so that I could hit the road and drive somewhere to take some nice pictures. I planned on leaving home at around 7:00 or 8:00, but last night I had a dream that I was attacked by a bear (again!), so I took that as an omen and decided to sleep in a little longer and leave a little later.

I ended up at Boulder Falls, which is about nine miles outside of Boulder and up in the mountains. It is always a gorgeous place to go to and a great place to take pictures. I'm still shocked, though, that there are idiots who visit there who insist on smoking. Not only do they ruin the wonderful smell of nature, they are also a fire hazard. Whatever. In spite of these idiots, other visitors to the area were wonderful and friendly. I was also able to take some decent pictures. There is some harsh sunlight on some shots, and I'm still learning how to soften things like this. But all in all, I'm happy with what I got.

This is just a black & white shot that I like.

If you want to take a look at more, check out the pictures here. And I want to reassure my family that in spite of all of the danger and warning signs, it was still a very safe place to be!

Storms

The second storm we had this evening was a nasty one. It was much worse than the one we had earlier in the afternoon. The lightning and thunder were really bad. At one point lightning struck something near my apartment. You could actually smell the charge in the air. Hence the reason why I shut down most of my electronics because the last thing I need is a surge through my apartment. The thunder was incredibly loud, too. This was the kind of thunder that cracked and shattered through the air, if that description makes any sense. It shook my apartment and set off car alarms everywhere. And, yes, like an idiot, I was standing outside my apartment watching and listening to the whole thing with a glass of wine in my hand. It was absolutely wonderful.

Duck and Cover

Okay, we're having a second storm. Lightning just hit something near my apartment. Shutting down...

Thunder, Lightning, and Moods

Thunder and Lightning: We just had an amazing thunderstorm. I was out making a quick trip to the grocery store, and I got home right before things got really bad. The lightning was especially bad. They were some of the largest bolts of lightning that I've ever seen. But I love it, because lightning like that brings the type of thunder that will shake your room. It rained pretty hard, and a part of me wanted to run in the street to dance in the rain. But I didn't. It would have been wonderful though. The storm passed in about twenty minutes, and now the sun is shining again.

Moods: I'm feeling a little better now that I survived to see the weekend. Things have been pretty busy and hectic at work, and I've been feeling exhausted. But, fortunately, I've finished everything I needed to do this week. I have a bunch of books that are ready to send to press, but they are pretty much sitting on my desk until other people provide some essential pieces of information before we can actually send them in. Oh well. It might be anticlimactic, but at least they are finished.

Dollar in My Pocket

I found a dollar bill in the parking lot of my apartment complex. Maybe my luck is about to change...

Less Cranky

I'm felling a little bit better today. I'm still cranky, but less cranky. I think it is just a case of the mean reds. The wine makes it better.

Current mood: cranky
Current music: Beth Waters. This Little Piggy
Current drink: Ravenswood 2005 Lodi Zinfandel

Crankier

Okay, now I'm just in a foul mood.

Cranky

I didn't sleep well last night. My clothes are annoying me. My hair is annoying me. My chair in my cubicle is annoying me. Everything is annoying me right now. I'M FRUSTRATED AND CRANKY!

ARGHHH!!!

Relaxing and Cooling Off

I've either been working too hard these days or not sleeping well enough. Whatever is going on, I've been able to get a lot of sleep this weekend. I went to bed early on Friday night, and woke up late in the morning on Saturday, giving myself about twelve hours of sleep. I went to bed at about 11:00 on Saturday night, and I had grand plans of waking up at 7:00 a.m. to run some errands and do some shopping. I sort of woke up at 7:00 but rolled over and fell asleep again. I finally rolled out of bed around 10:30. I guess if you add it all up, I got about 24 hours of sleep this weekend. I guess my body needed it. But, as much as I love sleeping in, I always hate the fact that I essentially have only half the day to get anything accomplished. Oh well.

It's been warm all week, and this weekend has been really hot. But just an hour ago or so, we had a nice shower of rain. It was brief but it was enough to cool things off a bit. We had lots of thunder, too. And, in typical Colorado fashion, it rained while there were still several patches of blue sky and while the sun was still shining. I can never figure out how that happens. But I don't question it, I just enjoy it.

I don't have anything profound to offer right now, but maybe there will be more to come later...

Relaxation and Hobbies

This has been a busy week, and I've been tired. Last night I went out for dinner and dessert with a friend. We decided to try a new Mexican restaurant, and since it was a nice day, we decided to sit out on the patio. It was nice and the food was okay, but we were attacked by flies and bees the entire time. I think the bees were attracted to the planter and flowers we were sitting beside and the fruity margarita my friend was drinking. It was sort of a problem because my friend is really allergic to bee stings. We asked to be moved to a different table, but the hostess and wait staff said no and wouldn't let us. They got a tip that night, but not the best tip! Oh well. After dinner my friend and I walked around and found a nice coffee shop that had gelato. The gelato was wonderful! I got home a little after 9:00, and even though it was early on a Friday night, I just went to bed around 9:30 because I was so tired. I must have been really tired, because I slept in until about 10:30 this morning.

After I had my breakfast, I grabbed my camera and decided to wander around Pearl Street. There is always something going on, so I figured I would get some good pictures. You can always find some kind of entertainment on Pearl. You can see everything from a cello player to a violinist to a juggler to drummers and dancers. Today the hot spot was around a group called Kissidugu which is a troupe of drummers and dancers who perform African music. The music was great and the dancers were full of energy. I kept walking down Pearl and came across the typical sights--hippies, interesting art, and interesting architecture. I only took a few pictures today, and I'll take more on another day. But if you want to check them out, you can see them here.

Soapbox

My posts are usually lighthearted observations about the world around me. Usually they are tongue-in-cheek or sarcastic. But here are some rare, deeper thoughts. Tonight was the night of the "Visible Vote '08," otherwise known as the great gay debate, where the presidential candidates came to a forum to discuss LGBT issues. Naturally, most of the Democratic candidates were present. An offer was made to the Republican candidates to attend but none accepted the offer. Does that really surprise anyone? Anyway, the forum was co-sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and the Logo network, and it was aired on Logo. The forum was often described as groundbreaking and monumental. Without a doubt it was groundbreaking and monumental to have a forum dedicated specifically to LGBT issues. It could have been more groundbreaking if it was aired on CBS, ABC, NBC, or CNN, so that it could have reached a wider audience. Honestly, how many of you have even heard of Logo before reading this post? In any event and needless to say, the fact that it was hosted and aired at all is a big deal.

The debate was pretty interesting. Some candidates were surprising, others were less than exciting, and one probably should have stayed at home. There was a lot of talk about equality and equal rights and how we're all entitled to these things. However, with the exception of two candidates, everyone else avoided or would not endorse the dreaded M-Word (marriage). Sure, they all agreed that gays and lesbians should be entitled to the same rights and privileges as heterosexual couples, but we must call it "civil unions" and not "marriage." Some might say that it is all a matter of semantics and what difference does it make. If that is the case, that what difference would it make to call the commitment between a same-sex couple marriage? Why is that M-Word so scary and intimidating when applied to a same-sex couple? If we're supposedly entitled to the same rights, why not be entitled to the same defining term? To me this is almost equality.

I personally (obviously) don't understand the fear to begin with. Does the marriage of a same-sex couple harm anyone physically? Does it harm anyone economically or financially? No. It doesn't hurt anyone any more than the marriage of a straight couple. I highly doubt that granting equal rights and privileges and giving the commitment the term "marriage" will cause society to spiral out of control in mass hysteria. The world didn't end when African Americans were given the right to vote. I don't think it will end if a gay couple got married.

Naturally, people will bring up the religious argument of why a same-sex couple shouldn't get married. Well, if God is good and great, then I highly doubt that he would make any mistakes in his creations. And, yes, I said "creations." This is not a choice! And, remember, love thy neighbor, judge not, and cast no stones.

And, to wrap this up, if you really want a tongue-in-cheek moment, here it is. They say that the divorce rate among straight couples is usually around 50%. Then, shucks, why not give gay and lesbian couples the equal opportunity to completely fail at marriage, too?!

Still Working After Hours

It's Monday night, and I had to bring work home with me again. There is just too much to do. I'm not ready to get started. So instead I'm blogging and eating a bowl of popcorn for a snack. I really should eat an apple... I bought a bunch yesterday. I'm trying to eat more fruit, and I failed at eating bananas. I think I failed mostly because I'm allergic to them. I keep buying bananas, though, because each time I'm hoping that I'll be less allergic. But every time I eat them, it does bad things to my throat, so I'm giving up. Too bad, too, because I love bananas. So I bought apples and strawberries instead.

I really want it to rain right now. A lot of people get depressed when it rains. I like the rain. I don't get depressed, I just get pensive. I wish I didn't have to work tonight. I'd rather just sit in a dark room with a glass of wine and be pensive...

I'm not tipsy right now. This is just stream of consciousness because I'm in a mood...

Grrrr... Need Wine...

These page proofs I'm working on are really starting to annoy me. I'm breaking down and I'm opening a bottle of wine to get through them...

Current music: Beth Waters. This Little Piggy.
Current drink: Rutherford Hill 2003 Napa Valley Merlot

Getting Back in the Groove

For most of the time at work this week, I was simply trying to get back in the saddle and trying to figure out where I left all of my projects. My co-workers were incredibly nice to keep an eye on things while I was away, but there was a lot that needed to be done when I got back. I had to bring some work home with me this weekend, and I've been working on it this evening.

Right now there is a downpour of rain. It is cooling off a hot summer evening and it is making everything smell wonderful. I can see flashes of lightning and hear the rumble of thunder in the background. I wish I didn't have to work right now. I'd rather open a bottle of wine and sit outside my apartment and watch the rain right now.

New York: Day Four

My fourth day in New York was a day that I had all to myself. All of the meetings were complete, and rather than fly home that day, I decided to stay an extra day to explore the city. My main reason for staying was to go to the Met to see their Greek and Roman gallery. I could have taken a cab or the subway to the museum, but I decided to walk. You can't exactly see much of a city when you are underground in a subway or in the back of a cab praying with your eyes closed. I wanted to walk and I wanted to look at everything around me. I walked up Park Avenue South then turned down 34th Street to make my way toward Fifth Avenue. The Empire State Building is on the corner of 34th and Fifth Avenue, and, yes, it is very tall. Like the typical non-New Yorker, I looked straight up at it and thought, WOW! Sure, there are some tall buildings in Denver but nothing like what you see in New York. And there certainly aren't many tall buildings in Boulder. In fact, I think a few years ago the city passed a law that prohibited tall buildings because they wanted to preserve the views of the mountains. Although the tall buildings are amazing, I do prefer the sight of mountains instead.

Anyway, after I had my fill of the Empire State Building, I started to walk up Fifth Avenue. Along the way I walked past the New York Public Library which was gorgeous. I then wandered around in Rockefeller Center but didn't spend too much time in that area, so I continued along Fifth Avenue. I walked past Tiffany's, and, no, I didn't have breakfast there. I kept walking along Fifth Avenue, and when I was close to Central Park I thought that I would be close to the Met. I was wrong. I still had about twenty more blocks to go. In the end, the distance from the hotel to the Met was about four miles. And, naturally, I didn't bring an extra pair of walking shoes, so my feet and legs were a little tired once I got there. But, the four mile walk didn't seem that bad because of of all of the activity along the way. And, walking four miles at sea level is much different than walking four miles at a mile high.

I arrived at the museum just a few minutes before it opened. Surprisingly there were already a lot of people there, and I was a little worried that these people would get in the way of my precious Greek and Roman collection, but I think most of them went to other galleries. Fortunately the Greek and Roman area was relatively quiet, so I had plenty of time to enjoy myself and to take lots of pictures without other people getting in the way. I think that by the end of the day I had taken about 250 pictures. They had a nice collection of work and a lot of pieces. And, yes, a part of me was really starting to miss school while I was looking at everything. I absolutely love working in publishing, but think I will always be a Classicist at heart.

I spent a lot of time in the Greek and Roman galleries, but eventually made my way to other galleries. I enjoyed the Egyptian and the Medieval galleries. And the Renaissance sculpture was quite nice, but, of course, a lot of their sculpture was based on Greek and Roman mythology. I had lunch in the museum's cafeteria, then looked briefly at some paintings. I was looking for the Rembrandt paintings but I had a hard time finding them. I didn't spend much time with the paintings because paintings of Ben Franklin and George Washington--though quite nice in their own right--don't interest me that much. I walked through the Greek and Roman Galleries one last time, took a few more pictures, then went to the gift shop to pick up a few presents for myself. By that time of the day, my feet and legs were tired, so I hailed a cab for a quick ride back to the hotel.

I had a wonderful time at the Met, but next time I would love to go with a friend. I would love to share my love of the Classics with some friends. But, on the other hand, I would probably drive my friends crazy with my obsession with the Classics.

All in all, I had a great time in New York and would love to go back. But, if and when I do go back, I would like to spend less time (or better yet, no time) in meetings and more time out on the town.

Here is a link to a small collection of the pictures I took at the Met.

Julius Caesar

Last night's post was brief. It was late and I was tired. So I'll explain a little more.

On Thursday, a lovely friend and I decided to see a performance of Julius Caesar at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival held on the CU campus. Earlier in the evening we had a glass of wine at my apartment, and, because I live close to campus, we simply walked to the theater. Earlier in the afternoon it was sprinkling, but by this time it seemed as if all the rain had passed. We had perfect seats in what I realized was the perfect small, outdoor theater. Things were great, but then we started to feel an occasional drop of rain. As the play moved along it seemed as if a storm was passing above us. Then, just at the moment when Caesar was being assassinated, it started to rain. The actors continued to perform, and as things in the play intensified the rain started to fall harder. The actors still continued to perform. It was odd. It was almost as if the rain was actually a part of the whole experience. It added a physical element to the mood and tone of the play. The rain started to fall harder, and because the actors and audience were getting soaked, they paused the play. Several people fled inside, and others of us stood under a tree which provided the protection of an umbrella. The rain stopped after about twenty minutes, and they resumed the play. And, again, as the action in the play intensified, the rain started to fall again. The actors still performed, and I'm fairly certain that they would have kept performing even if a flood washed over the stage. The rain was getting harder, but because there were flashes of lightning in the sky, they stopped the play entirely.

The best thing about all of this was how patient everyone was in spite of the weather. They don't allow umbrellas in the theater, so the audience just continued to sit there in the rain. Colorado people are tough in that way. We probably would have sat through a blizzard. And, as I just said, the actors kept performing in spite of being forced to shout above the noise of the rain and thunder. When they called off the play, the actors simply broke from the middle of their scene and bowed and waved toward us. The audience was wonderful to give them a huge applause.

At that point my friend and I still had to walk back to my apartment. It rained for most of the way, but eventually it stopped. Fortunately my friend and I both love the rain and walking through it seemed wonderful. It was great.

What would have been a ruined night for some people was the perfect night for me.

Wet Night

Tonight I went to see Julius Caesar with a friend. It was wonderful even with getting rained on. But my entry on "New York: Day Four" will have to wait. It's late and I'm tired.

New York: Day Three

Nothing too exciting happened on my third day in New York. The meetings started around 8:00 and lasted to just after 5:30. I went back to my hotel, had dinner, and relaxed for the rest of the night. The most exciting day on my trip to New York would be the next day, day four...