Mumbling Madly

I took advantage of Colorado’s early voting and got myself down to the court house last Friday. I was in the middle of making No Pudge Brownies when I realized, shit, I need to get out there today and not bother with the ceremony of voting on Nov. 2. So I left, brownies mixed and ready to go and the oven still set at 360, figuring it would take me only about ten minutes. I rode my bike the three blocks to the court house with my voting card and my id. POW! I was met with a huge line. I had to sign my card in the presence of a little old lady before I could even get in the voting line. After waiting in the first line I called and left a message for Josh: Put the brownies in the fridge and turn off the stove, I’m gonna be here a while. It took me a full hour to get to the ballot booth. I was so neurotic and jumpy by than I actually had a moment of: Wait, did I fill this out right? What if I accidently filled out the Bush box instead of the Kerry box…For senate, I voted for Salazaar over the unfamous, wealthy, beer mongor, Pete Coors. I also voted against the well-known, local, hispanic turned white, Mayor Martinez in favor of his lesser known democratic competitor. I voted for a cigarrette tax increase, (pretty steep, 60 additional cents per pack, but the taxes go to anti-smoking campaigns). I waffled when it came to whether or not Judge so-and-so should remain another term, I don’t know who any of these guys are….and there are six up for reinstatment.
All and all I did my part and got my “I voted” sticker. I must say that CO is having RECORD TURN OUT at the polls. My hour wait confirms this. There were all sorts of people there, from punk rockers to farmers to suburban moms and local business owners. Everyone was very jovial despite the long wait. People were walking around wearing Halloween costumes and chatting with total strangers. Nobody started chanting: “Four More Years!” Which was my initial fear standing in line with a bunch of Colorado voters. Nobody started pushing their personal agenda or cut in line or even muttered about the various tax increase initiatives on the ballot.
Get out there, everyone! It’s time for a change…

Last night Josh and I pulled our “Late-20s-lying-around-always-tired-hard-working” asses off the couch and to a show. It’s really ridiculous that we don’t go out and see more. We live two blocks away from The Aggie and four from The Starlight…both decent places that bring in great bands. (Shit, I missed Ministry two weeks ago, MINISTRY).
We went to see the Ska is Dead Tour which featured: Catch 22, Mustard Plug, Big D & The Kids Table, and Suburban Legends. Big D came highly recommended by Ryan, and since he’s sequestered away in Seattle, Josh felt very passionate about getting him a t-shirt per his request. Now, the last time I saw a show at The Aggie it was Dick Dale & The Deltones, (infamous show where one of the guitarists asked if he could buy me a drink…yowza! Still got it!) The crowd was aging, wearing surfer inspired printed shirts, and the drinks were pricey. Last night, the drink were still pricey but the crowd was filled with good natured college kids, high schoolers, and the random, rebellious 8th grader. (It was actually kind of nice, once Josh and I got over the fact that we’re older than dirt). The crowd was small, the place intimate, and Josh got burned in the first five minutes by plopping down three perfectly good dollars for a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon–a CAN.
I recognized a kid from the ballet, and I do mean a kid, this girl is about 13…she actually came up to me, maybe to impress her friends, and asked if I ran the dance store in town. We chitchated about pointe shoes, dance classes, and her breaking the rules big time by attending the show, (Dad was picking her up in 20 minutes though, and she was pissed). Five minutes later another one of my students from the ballet strolled by, an older one this time, but still I hid from her…it was really wierd, even though I didn’t have a beer in my hand and I was with my husband, I felt like I was strangely ruining the Good Teacher image these kids have of me…either that or they thought I was some aging hipster attending this new form of music called SKA.
The show was rousing, each band played a healthy set, and the crowd loved them. At one point, the lead singer of Catch 22 had to sort of instruct the crowd on how to form a circuler mosh pit. Everyone was taking great care of each other, helping each other up when they fell down, etc. There’s a no-smoking ban in F.C. so the best part was not inhaling cigarrette smoke while listening to the band. A few people actually dressed up in suits and one guy had a bowtie, but overall it was extremely college casual. Suddenly I realized that this was the first Ska show I’ve ever attended where there weren’t skinheads lurking around. No wonder the pit was so nice!

I’ve done it…I’m horribly addicted to a brand name…an expensive one! I LOVE GSUS! I have no idea who or what their deal is exactly, but Gsus is sold at Kansas City Kitty, where I also sell my bracelets. Recently I have traded my consignment money from KCK for Gsus clothing. Check out this top I bought recently with my bracelet credit here and note that it is REVERSIBLE. Could there be anything better? Remember when reversible clothing was the SHIT when we were kids? Who knew it had filtered into the world of adult clothing. Do you SEE the detailing on the arm? And do you notice how there is a big naked patch right above the left breast….let me tell you, I wore this shirt at our opening night party and it is a head turner. This shirt truly exemplifies the “Less is More” theory.
I’m crazy about this brand…as long as I sell bracelets at KCK my income slowly trickles over to the magical, well-designed, beautiful cothing of Gsus. I’m having some issues finding clear, English, descriptions of their clothing line on the web. I guess they’re truly a US import and therefore more popular abroad.
And now I’ll end this entry with one of my past Gsus purchases:

(Would you LOOK at those stars in the pattern and that incredible asymetrical line?!)

Tech weeks is over…for six nights I performed A Winter’s tale. It was quite the grind, it really was. Last night was our opening night, which is usually good because the audience is so supportive, they want you to succeed…and they laughed at the funny parts and kept their mouths shut during the baby toss. Josh thoroughly enjoyed it, and yes, understood it despite Shakespeare’s complicated verbiage. My in-laws came unexpectedly, and they enjoyed it, raved about all the costumes I got to wear. (I kept my mouth shut about how much I hate having six costume changes plus an entire make-up change in one show).
We all partied down at Enzios afterward, and gorged on pizza and made fun of each other and met each other’s significant others. Inevitably we all got drunk and the staff had to throw us out. Many people went to the notorious Hot Tub Party that always follows an opening night shindig. Josh and I opted out (a year of Josh being a pool and spa tech has hindered my desire to dive into a hot tub with multiple people). We went home and stayed up and ate corn dogs and watched The South Park Movie on Comedy Central, (I didn’t know you could say the f-word on cable after midnight!)
My skin has surprisingly held up despite Ben Nye’s wicked hold on my fair pigment. Speaking of skin, it has taken me several years to figure out a skin care regiment. (Lord, that sounds dorky). Colorado is painfully dry, in a way that I’ve not experienced when living in the NW. It took me a while to realize: Ooooh, when your skin is dry your body produces more oil. So that’s why acne pops up. But than the problem is one starts thinking they have oily skin, therefore using products that dry the skin out and reduces acne…but this turns out to be wrong, because actually one has DRY skin. This has become very complicated. Anyway, after much tinkering, I’ve managed to take it all into account, right down to wearing the necessary SPF 15 sunblock to avoid CO’s harsh UV rays. If anyone is curious about the true nature of cosmetics, I strongly reccomend the Cosmetic Cop. From a scientific standpoint, this woman analyzes every product on the market, from what it’s made of to what it claims…and she usually disproves a lot of cosmetic marketing. I really enjoy watching an informercial on ProActiv and than checking out the Cosmetic Cop’s opinion: Advanced Blemish Treatment ($17.00 for 0.33 ounce) is a 6% benzoyl peroxide solution. However, the fourth ingredient is alcohol, which makes this unnecessarily drying and irritating. There are far more gentle 5% and 10% benzoyl peroxide products at the drugstore for a fraction of this price.
Here! Here!

So, since moving CO, I admit it: I shop at Walmart. It’s just so cheap! But than I read all the bad things about it, and I boycott it for a while, and than I’m drawn back in by promises of a lower grocery bill. It used to be over 100 bucks to feed Josh and I for a few weeks, at Walmart it’s 80 and under. Plus they have EVERYTHING, they really do…they even carry Kashi now,and healthy granola bars…so it’s not like it’s all bad.
Well, we’ve moved up the road and further away from the lurs of Super Walmart. Safeway is a block away, so it makes more sense to go there. If you hunt and search really carefully at Safeway you can pick out the coupons, the savings with the card, and buy the generic Safeway brand. (It’s not like that at Walmart, everything you pick up has been discounted at the expense of all the foreign workers, lack of health care, and poor hourly wages).
A few months ago, while we were in Portland, we found out that the power had been disconnected in our new home. There was some billing confusion, and everything in our fridge was lost. Our landlord was kind enough to give us a gift card to Whole Foods to make up for it. Ft. Collins has had an Alfalfas for a while, and they have various health food shops and a co-op downtown, but Whole Foods coming to F.C. has been a very big deal for the locals. I didn’t realize why until I finally got my ass over there last weekend.
When I entered the monsterous store, I was assaulted by the sent of fresh cut roses, cheerful displays of apples and pears, and samples, everywhere there were samples! I chowed on fresh salsa, guac, and chips, moved on to the all natural oreos and power bar samples. Since it was a Saturday, everywhere was bustling: Happy Hippie Moms with dreads were loading organic yogart into their carts, wealthy fathers were chasing after their immaculate children, and everywhere you went giddy Whole Food employees were mingling with the customers. It was incredible. I was lost in a sea of well-merchandised organic food, a loan warrior caught up in awe over what I had been missing. A bell chimed and suddenly I heard a voice call: “FREE CAKE SAMPLES!” And before I knew it I was eating a fabulous slice of white cake with real buttercream frosting.
Right than and there I fell in love: The fresh, homemade food! The Olive bar! The handmade truffles! The crusty loaves of bread! The fresh seafood and happy, free range, meat! Combined with the right store lighting, I felt like I had stepped into an entirely different world. Gone were the sterile, looming, flourescent lit ceilings of Walmart…Gone were the carts filled with crying children…this was truly a heavenly place…this Whole Foods.
I made a pact with myself: One day I will be able to afford to shop at Whole Foods. Not just for the healthy part of it, but for the full experience. You can see why Walmart’s cheapness is such a trade off. Sadly, there’s no way I can afford regularly shopping at Whole Foods…and I know it’s expensive so they can support a politically correct corporation. My father recommended splurging on the healthy meat, that if you’re going to spend a little more on something, put it towards free range chickens. But what about all the other great stuff? How can one even CHOOSE? Sigh…

A friend of mine is going through a divorce. I actually don’t know her all that well, but I do know that she and her husband had been separated for a year. Now the divorce is final and she’s non-stop crying; every time I see her she’s leaking. So I came home one night with the inspiration to draw a picture of her with her two daughters, but I didn’t have any paper. So I used a paint sample brochure and every kind of art medium you could think of. It’s a large painting, but I wanted to scan it anyway (I scan all the art I give away).

I ran into Megan, randomly, over the weekend. Some of you may remember Megan from our wedding; Her father is a pastor and due to his liberal views and kind nature we chose him to perform our ceremony. Megan left us last summer to attend college in Northern CA. She and I were both hired at the store several years ago when I was a brand new manager and she was barely sixteen. We bonded over ballet, a similiar Northwest upbringing, and a mutual dislike for Fort Collins. My brother shot this picture of us…I am obviously thrilled to have run into her.

My brother is in town, goofing off, messing around, reading to bronze children…It’s been a good time.

Of course I had to take Sam to the one big F.C attraction: Swetsville Zoo.