Happy head cold, I mean New Year

I must say that the last few New Year's Eve's have been pretty mellow. Last year in Vail our friends the G's were visiting. We partied so hard on December 30 that we just lounged on the couch for NYE '08. This year I was struck with a head cold and didn't do much of anything. This is hard for a person who rarely gets sick! Ben had just come in the day before from Ohio so I don't think he minded the couch time. We ordered pizza from a lovely place not to far from where we live called Proto's. The pizza was good, I thought. The crust was thin and crispy. I am not a fan of thin crust pizza that is on the soggy side. We shared a glass of red wine and I think I was passed out by 10:30pm. Pretty lame huh? Oh well, there have been plenty of crazy New Year's in the past!


Part of Ben's Christmas gift was shopping for a new coat and boots. The coat he found and I must say it is very dashing on him! The boots were another story. For all the women's shoe stores in the Cherry Creek mall there may only be one good men's store. What's up with that???

Anyway it's back to work for me tomorrow. Hopefully I am feeling better. Time for some of Ben's chili. Mmmm what a great chef he is!!

Human Powered

Good News. . .
I get to keep my second job. I wasn't sure if it was goiong to happen since I only have 3 days of availability now with the new salon job. Which by the way the new job starts Thursday. I am really trying to prepare myself mentally for the long hours and no doubt busy, physically demanding days that lie ahead. I figure if I really prepare myself I will be less likely to complain 4 months into it. It just seems like I always have all of the energy and enthusiasm going into something, but that kind of dissipates after a while.I am counting on my passion for hair to keep me going throughout this apprenticeship. So today I am off to Sully's where I work as a hostess. It really is an easy job. It can be quite enjoyable as well. I can't lie, I also see it as a good place to find hair models.


Yesterday was a school day. Sometimes my friend Joelle will pick me up and take me. BUt when he doesn't, I walk the 2.7 miles. I am sure that once the weather turns bad I will be relying on Joelle more and more. The thing about walking is that I have so many materials that I have to bring:



There are a plethera of things in this bag that I need to take to school. It would be really great if we had lockers at school so that I can keep my supplies there. I believe that most other students leave stuff in their car. But since I am Human Powered it's not really an option for me.



You'll have to check out the new sidebar piece I am working on. I am rapidly approaching 30 and I refuse to be a person who doesn't keep up with fashion trends. And believe me there are a lot of folks in the Denver metro that have not kept up on this. There are also lots who have. The way things stand I am too poor right now cannot really attain new things on a regular basis. So for this time where I am aspiring to be a rich and famous hairdresser, I want to keep postings on what I would be wearing if I could be wearing anything. My idea is that if I at least keep paying attention I won't wake up one day and realize fashion has gotten away from me. Fashion had always been important to my self expression. I think a lot of artists feel that way. It may sound silly to some, but I tend to start to feel really depressed and unhappy if I get into working situation where there is a dress code. I I going to be one of those mothers some day that lets her kids pick their own outfits everyday. It think it is an important part of having a self-identity. Anyway the look I chose for today you can find here courtesy of Urban Outfitters. Hopefully I will finish and post the new sidebar piece soon. . .

It's late, and I'm hungry.

I have stayed up too late. I am staring at the screen and my brain feels like mush. For this I have my "new look" to blame. I am sure this blog will evolve into a life of it's own taking on many physical changes along the way. The last image wasn't quite right, we all know I am not that whimsical. This may be more fitting. . .

At this hour, I am not even going to try to write amazingly. But what was amazing was the breakfast I made this morning:



Something like eggs Benedict but with romaine and romas instead of the Canadian bacon.

A fruit salad of blueberries, strawberries, navels, sprinkling of sugar.

Apple-chicken links and one slice of bacon.

Mmmmm I wish I could eat it all over again.

This Damn PC

Four days in the heart of it all will do it to you. Back at sea level there is a surplus of oxygen for your lungs and it was unbelievably and unseasonably warm. This put me in a trans-like state of complete and utter relaxation. I don't remember in all my years growing up in the midwest feeling those temperatures and taking in such beautiful fall foilage which is one of the best parts of fall in Ohio. Fall is rapidly becoming my favorite season of the year. What beats football, halloween, and sweatshirt weather?




My BF and I went for a wedding I was in. The G's were married on October 11th and it was the most perfect day you could imagine. Even I who has gotten used to Colorado sunshine was blown away at the gorgeous weather back home. Mr. and Mrs. G are most likely on the beach in Aruba right now, probably on their 3rd cocktail.



Now though, most of that relaxation has dissipated with the onset of two full bags of laundry staring me in the face, as well as this damn PC. I don't have to tell those of you that know me how much I despise PCs. I was born a Mac-user. Our first computer when I was 6 was an Apple. All through grammar and high school I was on Macs, and of course through college and my short-lived graphic design career it was always a Mac. My Mother got me my first Mac in 2002. I will never forget that day, a brand new Powerbook titanium G4. It is right up there with the day I got Zoe. (my pup)But after 6 long years, the G4 is out of commission. I opened it one day to find that the screen had gone black. The thing seems to be working fine, ya just can't see anything on the screen. So I have been forced to use this damn PC until my precious Mac returns. There's all this spyware, and virus shit that frankly is just an absolute waste of my time. Macs don't get viruses. And don't get me started on the whole iTunes-Windows compatability, ahhhem or should I say the lack thereof. Anywho this PC decided to crash on us last night and we had to reinstall the whole operating system. I should mention that this thing is 2 years old, not even half as old as my Mac and it is already crashing. Anyway I think I have my boyfriend sold on starting a fund for one of these. This will be a much-needed welcomed member to our family.

At the expense of keeping politics to a minimum, I will make this short. I am still on the fence as far as who I am voting for. But if my decision were solely based on the man I though was smarter and better under pressure, I would be forced to vote for Obama. Last night he remained cool under pressure, and out-articulated McCain with his plans 10-1. McCain was clearly rattled and less in control of his emotions. And by the way, since when is it acceptable for a prospective "Commander in Chief" to get so emotional? Can you imagine if Hillary had said she was very "hurt" by what congressman Lewis had said. This shows a McCain who is crying about something that some other guy said. He is like a little kid saying "you didn't wanna play with me" and "take it back, take it back". Obama's right; I don't give a shit about John McCain's hurt feelings and it is ridiculous that the last chance he had to talk to so many Americans at once, he chose to spend it talking about his hurt feelings.




Because of this it is evident to me that should McCain go into office the issues that the American people are most concerned about would take a back seat to his own pride. Yes, Obama is very inexperienced. But if I had no prior knowledge of that fact, it is McCain whom I would deem the least experienced based on this debate alone.
And that's all I'll say about that. . .

Oh Happy Day

Unvictorious, washout, unavailing, futile. These are all describers of the way I sometimes feel as a 27-year-old college grad who is working as a hostess in a restaurant. Let's be honest, anyone who owes upwards of $20,000 in school loans could start to feel this way when surrounded by 19 and 20-year-old co-workers. I actually know a few college grads who are working at similar low-paying jobs and are perfectly happy. But this is not what I had envisioned for myself five years ago when I threw my cap up inside Anderson Arena.

Be that as it may, there is still hope for success. Everyone has a different mountain to climb. Some people are climbing a slippery slope and just stay in the same spot for years and never seem to make it up. Some people excavate their way to the center of their mountain and take an elevator to the top. (These people are very smart, but may be missing the point. You know the saying "you get what you give".) In the last 10 years, I have gotten to know my personal mountain very well, and have become dedicated and infatuated with "the climb". It can be patronizing to be in a job one is over-qulaified for and this is part of the struggle; over-coming the self-pride and ego. But, the most important thing is the all-important end goal. Keeping your eye on the prize is the only way to get there.

Remember the Little Engine That Could? "I think I can, I think I can", etc. . . This is the way I have often felt on the way to the top except it has actually been my Mother's words that have been my driving force. "Never forget your dreams, and always know you can be anything you want to be". I wonder if she'll ever know how important those words have been to me.

On my trek up the hill I have had a few ideas of "what I want to be when I grow up". I guess part of knowing that you can do anything you want makes it difficult to hone in on that one right thing. I happen to know a lot of people of my generation who have that same affliction. But finally after some trials, and important life lessons I find myself back in school to become a hairdresser. Anyone who knows the hair industry will tell you that the education part of it is all backwards. In most cases, you would go to school full-time for a year or so and then, if you work at a high-end salon, you would apprentice for another year in that salon. It really doesn't make sense. The only true reason you are paying $14-$16,000 for school is to be able to pass your state board test and become a "licensed" hair dresser. Problem is that just being licensed doesn't mean much to most of the really talented people out there. They know that being licensed doesn't mean you are good. And thus the reason for the apprenticeship in the salon. In essence I am saying that where you go to school is really not as important. More important is the in-salon training you receive which along with your drive and motivation will determine how good you really become.

Today I have reached a new destination in my climb. I was hired at The Salon to begin their apprentice program. The Salon is, from what I can tell, probably the most successful chain of salons in the Denver area. Directly attributed to their success is their rigorous 10-phase training program. The director of my school has told me to be prepared for 70 hour weeks while completing their program. It's tough to get through, but anything that's tough can only make you better. Someone in my position, who has been climbing for so long is literally salivating at the mouth for success. Don't think for a second that this girl isn't ready for any challenge, or any amount of hard work this apprenticeship might bring. I can see it, taste it, and wow the sense of triumph is staggering! This, people is my arrival.

So thank you Mom. And thanks to my best friend, and biggest supporter BenJammin. Thanks to my girlfriends who convinced me that I am not a loser whenever those questions entered my brain. Thanks to Ms. Aguilar who gave me a solid foundation to work from. And for anyone who forgot-you all have a mountain to climb. All you have to do is engage it. You don't have to be stuck in one gloomy spot. There is always another place to be, you have the whole mountain to explore!

Mi Tesoro in The City

On another note BTB is here in Denver for good now. He may have to go back to his Vail job just once a week for the rest of the month.

I asked him when his new Denver job was starting and he said it just got pushed back because they found asbestos in remnants of the old building that is the new site. So now there are special teams that have to come in and I am guessing it will take some time for them to deem it safe again. I have a feeling he may not have much to do at the office for the next few weeks! I guess it is a good time for us to come home for a few days! He also told me that his boss that manages the Denver branch for Baker is taking a 4-year leave of absence from the company. He is going to Dubai to work on this other worldly hotel shown below. The guy is getting paid A TON of money to work on this job.

Smitten

So smitten I am with this city! Zoe and I were tearing up the pavement today. It is still 80 degrees and sunny here and we are loving it! I am finding Denver to be so much more open and warm than Chicago was. (I mean that theoretically not litterally)There is boundless creativity, gigantic beautiful parks, and so much character!


Little Man Ice Cream looks like someone dreamed that they went to a giant Milk can and got served ice cream. So what did they do? They made their dream come true. Our ice cream place when I was a kid was not quite as exciting. It was called "The Country Dip" and it just looked like someone's little red garage in a corn field. But Little Man even has a balloon machine! In back you can walk up to the machine, put in a dollar, and out comes a helium filled balloon! How cool is that? And this place isn't in the middle of an amusement park like you would think. It is just tucked right into a normal little neighborhood.

Ahh yes, my relationship with Denver is definitely in "The Honeymoon Stage". Right in the heart of LODO (lower downtown) or what some might call the warehouse district is the confluence of the Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. It's called Confluence Park and what a sight! A mini sand beach, plenty of lush green grass, and even hiking trails with tall weeds and grass that Zoe Can't get enough of! She feels like she is back in Vail again! She's always on the prowl, hunting for something.



It is hard to believe there is such a beautiful slice of nature right in the heart of downtown Denver! We might not have to go all the way up to the mountains as often as we think to get our fix ; )There are several really cool bridges that run right over this river too. Since I have been job-searching on foot, I have had the pleasure of finding lots of the ins, and outs, and nicks and crannys that house some really neat little shops and restaurants. I hate to compare Apples to Oranges, but I have only been here two weeks and already this city seems so much more amorous with what it has to offer than Chicago ever did while I was there. Alas I have found my true city love! You can see more Denver pics Here