Colorado Springs: Chapter Two

So, the 4th of July went well. Then came Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thursday was spent sleeping in and relaxing. Michael and Alycia were very good hang-out partners while Thayne was at work. In fact, I'm invited back to the Springs around Thanksgiving time. Why? Because the whole group of friends got along with me. Which is unusual - apparently, there's always at least one of the friends who doesn't like someone new. But not me! I'm special... :)

Friday, Thayne and I went out to dinner with Lori and Colleen (Lori is Thayne's Mom). We've always gotten along, so it was really good to see them! Colleen looked great - as she is now the head basketball coach! They were about to head up to Canada (Lake something or other) and have a little log cabin get-away = fishing, eating, sleeping. Rinse, wash, repeat. But I guess up at that lake in particular, you catch your own food. But the food at Zio's was delish!

As was the mini-golf afterwards! I tied Thayne, Lori beat Colleen by one point. But I think that's an unfair advantage: Lori golfs more regularly than the rest of us. But mini-golf is always fun - except if you forget your camera there. Oops. At least I remembered where it was the next day before heading to the airport... Ha!


Here's Lori putting through an active volcano.


Thayne putting. If he didn't make the hole, he did this little frustrated dance. Hard to get a good picture of a jerking leg and fist.


Thayne and I fencing. Notice I'm protecting my very important body parts.


Sorry it's not right side up, but we decided to look cute with our golf putters for once.

After mini-golf, Thayne was talking to his friend Tim for a bit. I put my headphones on since it seemed to be a not-so-light conversation. He seemed really tired after that phone call, so it was just Michael and me who went to the hookah bar. It was then that I noticed I didn't have my camera with me. Hence, no cool photos of anyone blowing smoke. And yes, smoke is cool, but only hookah. Met some of Michael's friends, who tried to teach me how to blow O's, but the sexual connotations were too much for me to handle. So, I failed miserably.

It was great to get out and meet people but feel relaxed at the same time. And anyone who can go out and smoke hookah is a friend of mine. (Jacob, Shawn - are you reading this?) That was a late night, but completely worth it. Michael and I stayed up and watched an episode of "The OC" - to which Michael is addicted. Go figure. But Saturday morning came around, so Thayne and I had to leave to go see "Transformers"!!!!!

F**king awesome!! I would see it ten times over, the special effects were so out of this world! And Shia is becoming his own little rockstar. Thayne liked the girl of course... But they kept the original sound the Transformers make when they're transforming. Also, they kept the very cheesy way of speaking the Autobots have - especially when Prime and Megatron are sparring. But the human humor was great - Anthony Anderson anyone? Giggle. Go see it! It's the best kind of blockbuster summer movie! And you'll be singing the old-school theme song in your head as you leave the cinema.

And then, I had to leave. :(

My flight to Chicago was uneventful. Peanuts, headphones, darkness. I worried that I couldn't get a hold of Emily since my phone was truly dead and out of batteries. But I got my backpack, waddled outside (man, was it humid!) and Emily was right there. Just pulling up to my exact corner. What rockstars we are!

Colorado Springs: Interlude

Just wanted to say hi to everyone reading this. And make some corrections.

So, hello to Mom, Dad, Fern, Jen, Thayne (you're sitting in the other room), Marie, Jesse, Alexei, Ian, the other Ian, Emily (you're next!), Shawna, Devin, Kim, Bryan, Peter (you better be reading this!), Felix, Niclas, Theresa, Scott, Jennifer, and Stephen.

Name corrections from chapter one: Marin not Maren, Alycia not Alysia. Hi to all the new CS friends too! CS = Colorado Springs, not couchsurfing....

I should probably also say thanks to the parents for being very supportive and fabulous! I'm old enough to live my own life, but you two remind me that while age sometimes matters, it's also about what you have in your head. And sometimes I have nothing... so thanks for filling me up!

Colorado Springs: Chapter One

My flight into Colorado Springs was a pretty good non-event. There were some lovebirds sitting in the row in front of me. I thank God for the day he made iPods! Not just because of the lovebirds, but because of the kids sitting next to me. Praise the Lord for window seats and pillows! But the flight arrived early, so I definitely didn't expect Thayne to pick me up anytime soon. Little did I know that he got lost driving to the airport. Apparently, in darkness and without mountains, Colorado is a tough state to navigate.

So we finally got back into the Springs after midnight and quickly fell asleep. We both woke up to the alarm clock and proceeded to sleep-in. Not bad for Liz, bad for Thayne. Late to work is an oops. Tuesday was a great day for more Liz recovery time (I'm only today getting through a head cold). I stayed inside, watched TV, slept - all was right with the world. Thayne had rehearsal after work and then an improv show at Club Q. The improv show didn't impress a lot of the audience (me excluded), but the conversation outside on the patio afterwards was grrrreat! (No, the Sudafed and Hefeweizen didn't have anything to do with that!) And Thayne's Mom and Colleen showed up, which was nice. We set up a date for Friday night to have dinner. Smiley Liz!

Yesterday, Thayne and I slept in. But Thayne didn't get in trouble because he didn't have to work (yeah for holidays!). We spent the afternoon at Angie's apartment, where we ate yummy hamburgers, brats, potato chips, pasta salad, deviled eggs - need I go on? And needless to say, everybody was laughing and having fun because of the other great American July 4th tradition - beer! It had been raining most of the afternoon and early evening, so we weren't sure if the fireworks show was going to happen on schedule or not. Luckily, it stopped raining just in time. Although, it was a tad cloudy (they called it fog, but what do they know?), so we didn't get to see everything too clearly. But hey - they're fireworks...

Here are some pictures of my July Fourth:

This is Michael. He stole my sunglasses. I hate to say it, but he looks good in them.


The vibe was laid-back.

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Angie and Alysia having a conversational moment.


A dance party to celebrate all the people in the room who can't get pregnant.


Michael being mischievous with a disposable camera. Maren not digging it.


I threw the frisbee around with Thayne, but he wanted to play with someone else after I pulled off some pretty amazing catches. Snicker...


So Angie obliged. I think her catching stance needs a little improvement. What do you think?

Yes, all in all, it was a good night. Liz made some new friends, had yummy food and beer, and got to sleep on the couch. I mean, seriously, can my life get any better?

Actually yeah, I'd probably change the couch part of the equation. :)

More to come...

My Itinerary

July 2-7 - - Colorado Springs, USA
*Visiting a best friend of mine, Thayne - Will be seeing fireworks, the movie "Transformers" and a Tuesday night improv "show".....

July 7-11 - - Wisconsin/Illinois, USA
*Visiting another best friend of mine, Emily - Will be watching drunk people at Progress Days, going to Chicago, and drinking Emily's boyfriend under the table....

July 12-13 - - Frankfurt, Germany (or the travel to get there)
*Long flight from Chicago to Frankfurt, overnight in Frankfurt before the short flight to....

July 13-17 - - Granada, Spain
*Visiting the beautiful southern city of Granada with its incomparable Alhambra, Albayzin, and Sacromonte. Can't wait to eat some free tapas with drinks! Maybe I'll get a massage at the Arab baths....

July 17-19 - - Madrid, Spain
*The Reina Sofia, Retiro Park, Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, more tapas, and of course - churros con chocolate!

July 19-23 - - Barcelona, Spain
*Las Ramblas, The Eixample, Sagrada Familia, Chocolate Museum, Magic Fountains, possibly a trip to Montserrat.... man, I'm gonna need more tapas and wine because this is a lot of stuff I'll be seeing!

July 23-26 - - Bonn, Germany
*Relaxing couple of days with Michelle! Old haunts, good food, sigh... can't wait to have some down time (read: time for laundry)

July 26-August 2 - - Oslo, Norway
*Time spent with a very pregnant Camilla, Hanne, Trond and the rest of the YFU gang! Maybe I'll even get in some hiking...

August 3-5 - - Hamburg, Germany
*Couchsurfing weekend with Stefanie et al. Some good drinking time at Knallhart, St. Pauli district here I come! There better be some yummy breakfast in the Fischmarkt!

August 6-17 - - TBD

August 17-29 - - England (Puncknowle and Norwich)
*Visiting family and celebrating my cousin's wedding! More down time and possibly some time to burn CD's for friends?

August 29-September 10 - - TBD

September 11 - - Back to Chicago from Frankfurt

--> I'm not sure where I'll be after September 11th. There is a possible visit to BFF Jen in Portland before coming back to San Francisco.

Three More Days

I'm sitting here listening to Jamie Cullum sing "Blame It On My Youth", taking swigs of my Raspberry Lemonade Gatorade and sporadically eating Circus Animal cookies.

And I wish someone else could be here to live this moment with me.

Em would appreciate the music, possibly the cookies. Jen would like just chilling out and not stressing about work. Felix would be looking over my shoulder at what I'm typing, and possibly mocking me for my words. Or he'd be giving me a shoulder massage. Shawn would be rummaging through the things on my desk, eventually finding something he could fiddle with. He'd also take a handful of the cookies. Mom would be sitting in the big chair, reading a mystery book. Dad wouldn't want to stay too long in my room... because Dad's don't spend time in their daughter's rooms past a certain age. And I wouldn't let him have any cookies, he's not allowed - doctor's orders. Kim from SF would be looking at my school books and making a face. Kim from YFU would be tapping her feet or drumming her fingers, because she's impatient and can't sit still for too long. Devin would be digging the music, as well as taking a handful of cookies. He'd also be checking out the "artwork" on my walls and smiling at some of the pictures on my laptop. All my Delta Psi Sisters would be talking to each other, gossiping, as well as munching on my cookies. And it would be good to see them again and hear their voices.

Suddenly, I'd be out of cookies and I'd snap myself back to the real moment. Of me, now tired and sleepy-eyed and ready for bed, where I'd dream about many more moments I wish I could have.

Weekend with Felix

This is Felix. And me. On a ferryboat. In Seattle.
















This is Seattle. From the ferryboat.
















This was a dog. At Nicole's art studio tour. On Bainbridge Island. He was old and tired. But still loves balls.
















This is Mount Rainier. From the ferryboat. Looks better in person.
















This was at Endfest, a rock concert. This is the lead singer of The Subways. He crept across the scaffolding. One side to the other. It was cool.
















This is Rock Kills Kid. They are very cool. And I love their music. They are better in person. Ditto with The Subways.
















Felix took this picture. It's me. At Endfest. Eating a spicy dog.




















Felix took this picture too. We took pictures of each other. I like this one. I don't like the one I took of him. So, it's not here.

What The F Bomb?

Let's recap Liz's life so far.

She was born with a crooked spine and hammer toes.
She wanted to be Peter Pan and "flew" off the jungle gym, only to scrap her nose on the way down.
She met her best friend, Jen, at age 8 and never looked back.
Her mom taught her how to shave her legs at age 13. She was terrible at it. Still is sometimes.
She made a fool of herself at her 16th birthday party, where nobody came and the presents sucked.
She made a fool of herself again when she drank too much alcohol for the first time and nearly threw up on some guy's shoes.
While at college, she had her first real boyfriend, who completely understood her and now rarely ever calls, even though he claims to be one of her best friends.
Also while at college, she alienated some people, while endearing others. She's still amazed at how this endearment process happened.
She decides to go back to school for her Masters, which is causing her to have migraines and no social/love life.
And while at her summer job in Seattle, a bad waxing experience causes her chin and eyebrows to swell up with the worst acne you've ever seen, which leads to half her right eyebrow hairs falling out.

Yeah, I skipped some stuff. I've archived it for your future referencing.

Needless to say, I'm in a pretty deep hole and have no idea how to get out of it. On top of this, the book I just read was the definition of an open ending. The main character is up and down with emotions and I'm completely hooked until right at the end when you think it might be resolved, THE END. So, I emailed the author and told her the ending was terrible and she'd caused me to waste a good night of sleep over her crap book. Thank God I only bought it for $5 on the bargain shelf.......

It's 3:30 in the fucking morning. Help me.