turtlemadness

"I have your brain scanned and permanently backed up in case something terrible happens to you... which it's just about to. Don't believe me? Here. I'll put you on. [in a high pitched voice] Helloooo! [normal voice] That's you! That's how dumb you sound! You've been wrong about every single thing you've ever done, including this thing. You're not smart. You're not a scientist. You're not a doctor. You're not even a full-time employee. Where did your life go so wrong?"

It's obviously been a while between entries, but I attribute that to moving and work. Yup, I'm all moved in, at the corner of 11th and Acoma, in the Golden Triangle. I love it here. My studio has a gas range and oven, absolutely no counter space, the fridge is about ten feet from my bed, and I finally got my Internet hooked up last Thursday. That also kept me from writing.

I made some awesome chili last night, and then visited Ben, Lea, and Logan at the old place. Kevin has been working on the Ecto Magnum, which is coming along really well. He's putting a lot more time and effort into this one, and it really shows. That's not to say the old Ecto was just a piece, but you can tell he cares more about the new one. Such humble beginnings.

I felt some need to pick up my car, even though I can only park it here on the weekends and after five. We ended up going to Jerusalem Restaurant in University Hills. I got coffee and baklava, both of which were completely delicious. Ben crashed the Jetta he just bought (sad) and broke his leg! I didn't stick around for too long, but I did pick up a few things I forgot. We exchanged comics (I finished Demo, he finished Scott Pilgrim) and I drove back to my place.

Today has been fairly uneventful. I walked up to the library (love how I can do that now) and picked up 100 Bullets #1, Tank Girl #1, Shutterbug Follies, Sin City #1, and some other stuff, including a Doctorow book I've read before, but wanted to pick up again. I stopped by Target to pick up some essentials, and was disappointed to find out that Ore-Ida doesn't make waffle fries in the Extra Crispy variety. I watched some Firefly, and then started watching A Scanner Darkly.

It's raining a little bit now, and Poncy is coming down from Fort Collins, I guess he needs to meet some family here tomorrow morning? He'll be staying in the guest room (the closet, or by the front door, wherever his sleeping bag fits best) and we might go to Boulder and visit friends, or just hang out here in Denver.

I got to meet with my landlord today to sign my lease and pick up the keys. I can't start moving things in until Friday at the earliest, since they've got some work left to do (read: exterminator for summertime) on Thursday. I'll start moving stuff in on Friday night, so I can reduce my workload for Saturday. I've been walking around my new neighborhood a little bit. I went up to the Whole Foods and saw more bikes in the parking lots than cars, and the place was dripping with beautiful women. The Whole Foods by my old place was mainly filled with cougars.

I borrowed Demo from Big Ben, which was also written by Brian Wood. I didn't even notice until later, but when we were at Barnes & Noble looking at stuff, I picked up a few of the graphic novels he had written without realizing it, mostly because I liked the art. It's one thing to have pretty pictures, but it's nothing without a great story. I'll probably be reading some more Local during lunch today. I've been bringing lunch instead of buying it in hopes of saving some money, but I always seem to dash my own plans during the weekend.

It's kind of strange to have most of your stuff packed up, but still be completely functional. I'm thinking about getting rid of some more things, because when I was packing my things, I realized just how little I use. I'll need to buy a new stereo receiver soon enough. One with RCA outputs so I can actually use my existing speakers. I also need to find a few chairs for my kitchen table. I'm not completely sure how I'll set up my apartment yet, but I think I know where my bed is going, and knowing is half the battle.

Remind me to pick up a bag for my laundry.

I've got a new place. I'm right at 11th and Acoma - one block west of Broadway, in the Golden Triangle. It's a little 600ft² studio, for only $100 more than what I paid at Norman Court. It's really close to work, shopping, food, all that stuff. I'll be moving in on the 13th, the same day as the Westword Music Showcase, in my neighborhood. Should be fun! Just about all my stuff is packed, and fits in the Jetta. I'll also have to find parking for my car, which I'm not so excited for.

Mom and Lynn are coming down on Saturday. I'll be taking them to the Columbine Steakhouse, and Mom wants to take me shopping for some furniture and the like. I can deal with that. All I really need is some chairs, a microwave, and a toaster. Shit, I'm excited for this move. Not as exciting is all the work I'll have to do to get stuff up and running (Xcel, Qwest, etc.) but on the whole, it'll be grand.

I also promised butter:

Since my last update, I got my Sidekick, returned my Sidekick, went on vacation/family reunion in Fort Worth, didn't get to look at a new place to live, spent way too much money, had my room flood, and did a lot of reading.

So yeah, the Sidekick LX 2009? Neat phone, but it's got some wonky features. The "push" email, which used to work flawlessly on the Sidekick iD, often took hours to arrive. None of the applications I needed (like Terminal) were available in the catalog. I couldn't set custom MP3 ringers, I had to buy them. It was 3G, and mostly handy, but not the device for me. I returned it to T-Mobile, and I'll stick with my Sony Ericsson z780i for now.

Fort Worth was great. I love getting drunk with seeing family. Ali and I got to hang out, we made plans for Austin City Limits later this year, and I slept on a comfortable couch in a Hyatt Place for $60. The breakfasts were great, too. Ali and I presented the gifts at my Grandma Jones' funeral mass. I found it odd that it was asked of us, as neither one of us are very religious, but it was perhaps more spiritual or symbolic than an actual religious rite. I'll miss Grandma Jones.

The day after Memorial Day, I thought I had an appointment to look at an apartment. I showed up about five minutes early and stuck around for fifteen minutes past. Nothing. I called the management company, and they still haven't returned my call. It's a great location right on Speer and Logan, and the price is right. I have a few other places I might be interested in, and I really need to just ride around and look for 'now renting' signs in the area.

Oh, it rained a whole lot last weekend. That was awesome. Awesome in that part of my room flooded, soaked my floor, nearly shorted out my surge protector, and made the carpet stink. I pulled up the carpet and cut out the soaking part of padding that had obviously been replaced before. The carpet is drying, and the room doesn't stink anymore. I'll need to pick up new padding, and maybe some new spike board since it's all rotted out. How lovely. Basement rooms are great, no natural light and always prone to flooding!

Since I forgot to bring a fork, I'm going to pick up some lunch now. Some delicious lunch.

Remember that whole 'get the hell out of Denver' attitude I had a few months back? Right around the time I got home from Portland? I've figured it out, and it's so obvious. I've romanticized vacations to that awesome city. Maybe I should take Gov. McCall's advice, "Come visit us again and again. This is a state of excitement. But for heaven's sake, don't come here to live." I love love love Portland, but I love love love Denver. Pretty sure I'll be here for a while. I've found a place I'd love to move into, just off Speer and 4th. I'm saving money, my line of credit is almost paid off completely, I've almost hit break-even on my car loan (and someone might be purchasing it) and I'll be able to buy a road bike in a few months.

On top of all that, I'm looking into joining an ultimate league this fall. Kevin, Shauna, Ben and I piled into the Jeep and drove down to REI, where Kev bought this year's glow-in-the-dark Frisbee, then romped around downtown for a bit. We ended up at My Brother's Bar, where I got the Boulder Burger - veggie patty. We threw some Frisbee in Riverfront Park and headed home. The house was a toasty 83 degrees, so I climbed on the roof and removed the metal sheet blocking the airflow from the evaporative cooler.

Hopefully my books get here soon...I'd love to have something to read on the trip to Texas this Friday.

I'm not sure why, but I've got an inkling (hurr) to get a tattoo. I'm thinking something like a cog or chainring on or around my calf. This biking stuff is the best. I can't wait until I've got enough cash saved to buy a shiny new road bike. I'm looking at the Jamis Aurora right now, but the Surly Long Haul Trucker is pretty awesome, too. If I could just sell my car, I'd be able to save a lot more...

I left a message with a property management company, hopefully I'll be able to find a nice studio close to downtown for cheap. Something close to stuff, with some life in the neighborhood, and no yard.

Not much else has gone on since the weekend. I did buy a new Sidekick LX 2009 from T-Mobile, it should be arriving sometime tomorrow. This is a source of much excitement for me, as my current phone (Sony Ericsson TM506, flashed to Z780 firmware) has been acting up lately. It also runs really slow. Hopefully the new LX will be awesome. The reviews look great, so I'm pretty jazzed.

Friday night rolls along, including Beer Friday at work, BBQ with Logan, and Star Trek with Kevin, Shaunners, Logan, Lea, Kris, Ben, Ben's Dad, Travis, Zack, and some guy named Matt. It was awesome. So awesome that we're going to see it again tonight, and I'm totally fine with shelling out the $10.

I'm listening to a new group I found thanks to the SXSW torrent - seems to be a recurring theme this past week. I've actually purchased three albums from iTunes, since they're finally offering the kind of music downloads that I want - 256Kbps, DRM-free. It's actually wildly easier for me to download from iTunes than to pirate, depending on the popularity of the artist, etc. Some things you can only get from torrent downloads, some things you can only get from iTunes. Currently listening to We Were Lovers, if you were wondering.

Saturday is pretty nonchalant, just hanging around the house and helping Ben get all settled in. I did purchase groceries from both Whole Foods and Safeway, and plan on bringing my lunch/snacks in most of this week. I placed 'Good Calories, Bad Calories' on hold at the library, and also ordered Scott Pilgrim from Amazon (but not amazon.ca) which should be arriving soon. Saturday was also Salvagetti's first moonlight picnic ride! We rode from the shop at 1234 Speer up the Cherry Creek Trail to the South Platte Trail, all the way down to Evans. We actually rode Evans over Santa Fe, then crossed Broadway at Acoma, ended up at Harvard Park or something like that, where we shared delicious food, a bit of whiskey, delicious guacamole and brownies, laughs, and fun. It was a blast getting to know everyone from the shop. Bike people are the best people!

We started the ride back about 10p, when it started to rain. I'd left my fenders at the house, or so I'd thought - they were in my bag the whole time, and I didn't realize it until I got back home, completely soaked. The ride home was from Iliff to Franklin, through Wash Park to Marion St, then up Downing back to 18th Ave. I ended up back on the train and got home a little after 11p.

Today was more lounging and cooking. I started re-reading Uglies (I plan on buying Specials and Extras next paycheck) which is the first in my teen girl fiction series by Scott Westerfeld that I love so much. I even got the Insider's Guide to Uglies (Bogus to Bubbly) to confirm my teen girl status. It'll have to go on hold when I get the next Scott Pilgrim, though. I think I can live with that.

We're heading out to Star Trek in a few minutes, so I'll wrap it up for now. Live long and prosper!

Does anyone else ever get that feeling? For me, it's right when I get back from lunch. I get really tired, even if it's a small lunch. I feel like I should just lay down and nap. It never happens after breakfast or dinner, only at lunchtime do I hit the midday brick wall. Maybe I don't notice it after breakfast because I hop on my bike and head into work.

Speaking of biking into work, I definitely popped my front tire yesterday! I went into the garage this morning to head out, and checked my tires (as always) to find a flat front. Awesome! I didn't have any spare Presta tubes, but I did have some rubber cement patches. I cut a patch and slapped it on the tire, pumped it up, and caught the train to 10th and Osage. Salvagetti recently designed some awesome new patch kits so I picked up one of those and a new tube and headed off to work.

Logan and I picked up lunch at Mendelson's Deli and stopped by Russell's on the way back to the office. Greg is picking up the refreshments for Beer Friday, and I'm just finishing up my tasks for the day. What a week. We're headed to Star Trek tonight, so that should be completely awesome. Weekend starts now.

Uh. Haven't posted in just under a month, and a lot has happened since then. My mistake. I did this with Tu so I'd have some kind of outlet for planning my life and keeping interested people updated, but like most blogs, it's gone by the wayside. I intend to change that, whether you care about my precious little life or not.

So, the most awesome thing in the past month is new wheels for my bike. Salvagetti sold me some Mavic OpenSport rims with Profile hubs. omfg. These are the most amazing wheels I have ever seen or rode. Sure, the stuff that comes from the factory isn't bad OH GOD WHO AM I KIDDING THEY ARE TOTAL SHIT. Every machine-built wheel has busted on me, or gone horribly untrue. I'm a fatty rider with aggressive tendencies, and now that I'm on a single-speed, I'm torquing the rear wheel like crazy. I've given these wheels a fair beating so far, and they're still in perfect shape. Yes, it's only been a month, but I ride back and forth to work almost daily, or at least downtown on the weekend.

All that said, I'm trying to sell my car ($3800 FYI) and I'll be moving closer into the city, probably in mid-July. Our lease is up August 1st. Kevin and Logan will probably be staying in the house, I don't see them moving anytime soon. Maybe I just keep the car, and find someplace close by my new place to garage it. That would be nice, but not having a monthly payment for the car would be nicer...

Wild. I've been in Denver for almost a year now, which means I've been with Teliax for almost a year now. How fast they grow up!

Busy days are the worst. I'll admit that it's nice to have things to do, but not when they're unahppy things. In the event that you didn't know, I spent a good portion of my birthday at work.

There I was, at Backstage, talking flirtatiously with Leslie, the oh-so-cute barista who bought my coffee that day (birthday, woo) and who also had a lot of customers that day. Right when it gets to downtime, my phone started to ring crazy with after-hours calls. I packed up and pedaled down the block to 910. I left my bike in the lobby, then grabbed the elevator to the 7th floor, into the bathroom for a leak. I stepped out of the bathroom, and the second my foot hit the floor, everything powered down. Everything. Alarms went off around the building. It was horrid. Logan and David both showed up about the same time, even Greg stopped by. No one could get in the front door of 910, since the power was out to the card reader.

Long story short, I spent about four to five hours at work, on my birthday - but spent the first couple hours hanging out with Leslie.

Shaunners, Lea, Ben, and myself then went to the vi (yes, they call the Village Inn on Colorado/I25 'vi,' which I think is awesome) and then to Target, and then to home. I went to bed early and thought about the rest of my life.

So, yeah, back from San Francisco...it was awesome. I don't have much to post right now, kinda busy catching up with work, and waiting for Logan and Kevin to post pictures.

I've got two days of work this week, I get to see my sister, purchasing a real mp3 player (opposed to my mobile phone) and listening to the SXSW 2009 Showcasing Artists 'soundtrack.' It's payday. I'm tired, I'm hungry, we have a kitchen table, and the house is cleaned up. Salvagetti will be building me a new, bomb-proof wheel when I get back from vacation. The muni bills will be paid on time this month, and I'll have ATT off my back about that damn wireless card. I have apple-chicken sausages from Target. It was an amazing day today, and I found a brown and blue shirt that I really like. I'll be buying an awesome hoodie sometime soon, even though it's getting warmer, it's still not, you know, that warm. I have committed myself to not hit 'Forward' on iTunes in order to find more music, and I have not been disappointed. I was surrounded by great friends tonight, and we ate Japanese food. Scott Pilgrim #4 is now part of my collection. Speaking of books, I finished Jennifer Government for the second time. On Saturday, Logan and I visited friends in Fort Collins, ate Cane's, had steak, listened to a shiny new mix I made (called drivemix v2) and drove around a lot. You're reading a wall of text. I picked up a frame for my signed Octopus Pie signed print, and another frame for my Scott Pilgrim poster. I drank PBR from a can. I renewed my Xbox Live subscription and did some serious zombie pwnage. Kevin got the accessory bar for the Jeep done. I did some reading this weekend, but I haven't been to the library in far too long. I'm thinking about putting a crate on my bike. I'm thinking about painting my bike. I like taking public transit to work, but I wish I lived closer to more things. Logan messed up his ankle, and I need some new shoes.

So, yes, I did have a good weekend.

Finally got my emissions done and then renewed my plates. I had to get up bright and early to trudge through snow, so I could catch the 65 to the 15 to the 7. I got to the Motor Vehicle place five before eight, and was out by 805. Of course. I did have a tasty breakfast at Sam's, and had a very productive day.

Kevin and I took the Jeep out to SE Aurora (whoo, all the way to E-470 and Hampden) to pick up another LoveSac. It was cold, to say the least. He did buy dinner, though. That reminds me...forgot to pick up groceries on the way home! I should also pick up some books, or something. I need to find some hobbies. I need to get my bike tire built! Suggestions on 'what to do' welcome.

Logan and I will be in California on the 18th, so I'm pretty excited for that. He just bought a new DSLR, so he'll get the chance to try it out on the trip. Kevin is also joining us, but he will be flying in a day later. That means he'll miss Ali's graduation, but at least the three of us will be on a trip together!

Geoff and I talked a little bit after work. He's convincing me to stay here in Denver at least a little bit longer, to save up some money and get into a better position before moving. He does think moving would be a good idea, especially at my age, but that I really shouldn't do it unless I'm prepared. I need at least six months in my current expenses before moving. Really, I want to find a part-time job there, and then spend the rest of my time...trying to figure out what to do.

Moving. Can't really do it without some money. Mom was right, I should have started saving long ago. Lucky for me, I set up direct deposit to my savings ($100/paycheck) last month. My decision point is June 15th. Not very far off. I'll be saving more and more, and I'm selling my car this month or in April, which will save me about $300/month. I should be able to save around $1000 a month, so in four months, that's a good chunk of change.

While I probably won't be able to get a 'perfect job' right away, I'm certain I'll be able to find something to do for a while. Honestly, I would like to work part-time so I can devote more time to living - finding out what I want to do, exploring, things like that. There's a lot of thought that goes into something this huge. I'm compiling a list of all the things that are convincing me to move - but if it's Portland I'm moving to, who needs convincing?