NedFest 2005!

Two years ago, at NedFest actually, I re-learned how to hula hoop. You could say I'm sort of addicted to it now.

Check out our pics from Nedfest this past weekend:

(click on picture below)

NedFest
Originally uploaded by Rosalicious.

Groovy times!

In which I don't do Ned justice.

Having grown up in a rural area in Virginia, I was very comfortable living up in the mountains of Gilpin County. Gilpin County, I think, is the stereotypical image of what people who've never been to Colorado think it must be like. Denver, I might point out, is nothing at all like Gilpin County.

It is very dark at night in Gilpin County, with lots and lots of stars....so many of them! You've never seen so many stars and such an inky black sky. It is extremely quiet at night too, even though we lived on a relatively well-traveled road. When my friend Allie, who lived in San Francisco, came to visit, she suggested I get in the car and drive by a few times with a booming stereo and a honking horn, just to make her feel at home so she could sleep.

But aside from the serenity, it can also be quite treacherous. Most mornings in the winter entailed scraping the windshield, warming up the car for 15 minutes and driving on snowy and icy roads down the canyon to work. The wind would howl at night and would blow in the cracks of our wooden house. It could be so bitterly cold with that wind....you couldn't leave the house without wearing a hat, gloves, and a down jacket. I haven't worn my down jacket once since I've lived in Denver.

You have to be pretty tough and resourceful to live in Gilpin County. Besides the strong weather, there are no stores. There is only a gas station, a library, a small liquor store, a bar (we lived next door to it!), and a brand new rec center (which of course I joined). Nederland is the closest town (besides Black Hawk and Central City, which are small touristy gambling towns), and even then Nederland's B&F Market is not the best place to buy your provisions.

We did spend quite a bit of time in Ned while living in Gilpin. Kevin, having lived there for 2 years prior to me moving up there, still sort of considered it home base. There really is no place quite like Nederland. Really. It's kind of a hodge-podge of a town.....quaint, lots of character. There are vacation homes there, in areas surrounding Barker Reservoir, but the homes in town are piece-meal; kind of ragged, kind of charming. That's the way I would describe the people there too.

Hippies, drugs, counter-culture. That's mainly what folks think about Ned, and for the most part they're right (It is only 17 miles outside of Boulder, after all!). But there's also an unpretentiousness and self-sufficient community vibe going on there too-something Denver and Boulder lack. At first glance Ned borders on exclusivity but once you linger long enough you easily feel at home.

Ned is a place where the service in restaurants is slow, but you don't care because hey-it's Ned. There is one theater, an old community theater, that shows one movie a weekend--$5 admission, $1 popcorn. The owners raffle off prizes before the movie starts. People clap at the end. No one's cell phone accidentally rings.

In Ned you can buy coffee out of an old train car, hike in a gazillion different places, never wear makeup, wear sweats out and still feel totally comfortable, buy organic food at the local co-op, take your dog everywhere, sit on a porch and eat breakfast while looking at the continental divide, ride your mountain bike, watch famous musicians (SCI, YMSB) play in local bars, and pick up hitch-hikers and feel totally safe.

Ned's not right for everyone, but it was right for us.

Smatterings, in list form.

Listening to:

Kathleen Edwards: Back to Me
Uncle Earl: She Waits for Night
Railroad Earth: The Good Life

Watching:

Netflix Queue: Most recently Real Women Have Curves and Pieces of April

Eating:

Daily breakfast yogurt--today's flavor is PEACH
Cherry Tomatoes, grown by yours truly
Leftover Pad Thai (for lunch!)

Drinking:

Hot Passion Tazo herbal tea

Pondering:

Why the trash that is thrown out on our sidewalk is always JUNK and FAST FOOD. You'll never see an organic granola bar wrapper or a banana peel in the yard.

Why it's so damn cold in here.....brrrrrrr!

Whether or not my drunken ironing burn on my arm is going to chill out, literally.

If Jen is going to have her baby today - nephew James, you're late!

If I am going to get a stripper for Em's bachelorette party.

If Megan ever got her keys to her new digs and ripped her landlord a new one for not having the joint clean last night.

That I need to call my mom, and Sarah Brill.

That next week I am going to be someone's boss.

Sittin' on the porch!

This is momentuous, guys. I am sitting on my FRONT PORCH blogging! It's about damn time we brought some good Rosie soul to this blog...lord knows the front porch (NOT the bar I speak of so often)is the place where my soul feels free.

I'm excited for tomorrow. We're going to NedFest--a music festival that happens in Nederland, CO. I used to live up there.

A word or 2 about Nederland:

I miss it. I love living in Denver, I really do, and for so many reasons I will discuss later. But there really is no place like Nederland.

We actually lived 8 miles south of Nederland, in Rollinsville, which is along the Peak-to-Peak highway. It's at about 8,500 feet....mountainous and gorgeous. We had National Forest land right behind our house--that was Lucy's daily walk, as opposed to the city parks she now experiences. It was the kind of place you couldn't leave your trash or kitty cats outside because there was a strong possibility wild animals would get it. We had no yard to mow, no possibility of growing a garden--but it was spectacular.

(To be continued after NedFest when you'll get some good honest-to-god reflection on what it's really like.)

I didn't mean to sit down and start this--WINE--and now I must go hang out with my man!

YAY wireless!

Kev and Granny.

So busy....in the meantime...

Here, have a cute picture of Kevin and Granny:


kev and granny
Originally uploaded by Rosalicious.

She is the sweetest thing. Loves her Bourbon slush, writing long letters, ironing, cleaning, and her grandson Kevin.

My kinda woman!
(And if you didn't notice, we seem to have a lot in common!)

Melt your sweet little ears with this.

OMG- I love this song!

Go to The Reals website and click on "Download." Then click on the MP3 for the song "Anchor."

It rocks.

Speedy gonzales!

WHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEE!!!!

We just got wireless internet! This exciting event will undoubtedly change rosalicious and her blogging capabilities immensely.

Glass of wine....blogging my innermost thoughts....I can't think of a better way to spend an evening. Watch out!

P.S. Hi baby, I know you're reading this right now. Don't worry, it won't be like my drunk dialing episodes--promise.

Jess!

Got the package.....at work! What a treat for a hum-drum afternoon in the old workplace! The shoes fit, they totally fit. Good call, thanks girl!

I totally owe you a letter now; a down-home, non-bloggerfied, hand-written letter.

It's coming.

Hope all is well!

Love,
Rosebud

Detox.

This past weekend ended up being a 3-night bender, with a little work thrown in. (Does that make it a "blender"....not quite sure!)

Friday night, K and I hop the bus downtown, eat a nice dinner at Lime, and proceed to the place where all drunken debauchery goes down: The Front Porch. Several vodka tonics later, it's time to catch the bus home. K has to drag me away from the place as I've reached that point where conversation and laughing flows freely. We get to the bus stop, realize we have half an hour until the next bus, so kill the time with another cocktail at Willy G's, which is a steak joint I do not recommend. I befriend some drunks, who promise to call me with front row Rockies tickets. Yeah, right.

The next day I cook up a veggie omelette and grits, clean a little, and go with K to play 9 holes of golf. We get rained out at the last hole, so still in drinking-beer-and-playing games mode we head to the local bar for some pool. Shar and Alex join us and it turns into another night of vodka tonics and bingers.

Sunday is finishing my book in bed with coffee, then making caprese salad and mexican zucchini salad for the cook-out we're going to that night. I head into work, deal with my 300+ person event, which I single-handedly planned myself, and come home, ready to booze.....again. We ride over to Jenn and Yoni's BBQ where I proceed to drink up 3/4 of a 1.5 L bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and take shots of tequila while playing Hoopla.

As you can see, in retrospect, there's only one word to describe this past weekend:

DETOX.

Funny words from this morning.

"Uhhhhhhahhhhh. I don't want to go to work today."

"What makes this morning any different than any other morning?"

"Tequila shots."

***

"Pbbbbbbfffftttttpppttbbt."

"Baby, did you say something?"

"My butt said something."

Alright, I'm breaking the no-work-on-the-blog rule.

TGIF!

This is me this morning (Note the new hair! For a comparison just look at my profile picture!):

me in my office
Originally uploaded by Rosalicious.

The great thing about being so busy at work is that I REALLY love the weekends. It makes me SO much more appreciative of them.

Check out my new work digs:


Movin' on up! Today I had my first experience offering someone a job. She is going to be awesome as my Associate Director. Well, she currently works for Outward Bound, so of course she's "bound" to be! (Get it? Har, har.)

I can't belive that I spend almost 3,000 hours a year here:


Yes, my desk is always that neat and tidy, even when I'm slammed. It makes people think I do nothing.....but here's a hint I often take myself--spread some papers around every once in awhile! Just for grins. I know, and you know, we neatniks are extremely skilled in keeping our work places in order even when there's chaos. I pride myself on it.

Well, folks. It's that time again. The time when we promise ourselves we are going to go home and go for a run, then end up succumbing to the Friday afternoon happy hour temptation. I know that's my plan.

Instead of filling you in on my big weekend plans, let's make it a surprise for Monday, shall we?

New hair.

I have finally broken out of my hair rut.

I got new hair! I love it! I love my hairdresser for having the foresight to give me a cut that actually goes with my hair texture and curl! I have been sporting the same old 'do for years now, varying length only by inches, staying safe with longish layers. Giving myself some long swoopy bangs was about as adventurous as I got.

Now? My hair is all layered up and stylish and blonde. Well, some serious blond highlights are happening...I would never give up the red, not for anything. It's too much the crux of my being.


me, lucy, and the new hair
Originally uploaded by Rosalicious.

Maybe it's not that drastic (no one at work said anything), but the sign of a good cut is when you wash it, let it dry naturally, and voila.....fabulous looking hair! I used to be so preoccupied with the straight sleek look, now I'm embracing my natural curl. Why didn't I do this so long ago! We always want what we don't have, right?

I feel so chic and professional and so un-frumpy! Hippie-look be gone! Pollyanna-look be gone! Laura Ingalls Wilder-look be gone! Goddamn, I've got flair! Flair hair!

Making up for lost blogging time. Well, sort of.

I think my mind is aging faster than my body. Actually, I'm sure it is.

I look really young; I always have. I'm almost 30 but people think I'm 22! Case in point: last Friday night Jenn and I went to the Front Porch, the bar where her husband works. The crowd there is....ummmm, primarily women who are quite young? Tight trendy jeans, silky tank tops, blonde streaks in the hair. (OK, not a good description--given that I was wearing just that!) But hopefully those of you who are my age know what I'm getting at.....cute, hip little girls with plump upturned bottoms and flat stomachs who have nary a blemish, an ounce of back fat, and look hopelessly wholesome and impeccable.

One of those types of girls sat down next to me and struck up a conversation. The next thing I know she is suggesting that we exchange numbers to hang out since she just moved to town and needs some girlfriends. I wanted to laugh, hysterically. Me? What, and go shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch and sip frozen Starbucks double soy-vanilla-lattes?

Good lord! I don't think so.

As sweet as she was (I did the polite, drunk thing and squealed "definitely!"), I am old enough to be her, well, aunt? Older sister? I was half amused, half flattered. Lately I have been feeling so matronly. It kinda felt good to hear that I looked like someone who could be in her Lindsay Lohan-loving social scene.

Looking young is a drawback in the professional world for sure, but as everyone says...I'll be thankful later. Well, I'm already starting to feel thankful.

***

Speaking of youth, I have been physically feeling like a spring chicken lately! I finally got back into running, I've been taking a great yoga class every week, I'm eating lots of veggies, staying active and positive. I have tons of energy. I know that a certain little pink pill I pop every morning is helping, but I'm sure as hell going to take some credit for it!

***

Kevin comes back from Kentucky today! We have all missed his sparkling eyes and perfect white teeth! Unfortunately, nephew James did not yet make it into the world while Kevin was there. Timing and birth can be a tricky thing.

***

Hendrix had to go to the vet last night. Gross out alert: he pooped out a combination of snot and blood. On the floor. Luckily he's not dying (as I am apt to fear, as much as I love that puss!), he just has a little case of colonitis. Now he must take shots of kitty pepto, which I think he secretly likes.

***

I told Megan I would pay homage on the blog to our delicious Sunday night dinner, so here's the official props to the meal, which consisted of: grilled salmon burgers from Whole Foods; fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato salad and fresh italian bread (again, from Whole Foods); grilled sweet corn; grilled zuchini (from my garden); salad (from my garden); and a great Pinot Noir, consumed in its entirety.

***

Now, I hope you'll all forgive me for my shoddy postings lately. It seems lately I only have time to post at lunch, if I even bring my lunch and sit in my office. I'll try to be more proactive, y'all. Like the shit Jessica Simpson puts on her zits.

Peace out. (I hate when people say that. I also hate when people sign off "Cheers." Ummm, unless you're really cheersing me on your end with a cocktail, then no, sorry. I'm laughing at you.)

CF.

Kevin's mother passed away three years ago yesterday because of a still uncurable disease, Cystic Fibrosis. She lived an extraordinarily full life, having three healthy, rambunctious boys (those with CF are usually sterile) and living into her fifties, which is almost unheard of.

I never met her.

Take a moment to send some good vibes to the thousands of people currently battling CF. Or if you're feeling especially philanthropic, go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website and throw a few ducets towards the effort to find a cure.

My tummy is raw.

Drinks happened last night, but dinner was nowhere in sight.

Ughhhhh.

Ummmmmmm.

I just did something so old-ladyish. I went out to the Mountain Man Fruit and Nut truck that comes by our office and bought 2 bags of overpriced snacks! Next thing you know, I'll be buying Mary Kay make-up and stocking up on frozen Schwan's chicken breasts (both salespeople also visit our office)! Please shoot me if you soon see me wearing sparkling white walking shoes with pantyhose and a suit during lunch!

In other lunch news, I ran into a girl I went to grad school with at Wild Oats today. Totally random. She went from a high-powered, money-making job at an educational consulting firm to managing a Starbucks. Hmmm. Is this what our English graduate degrees have come to??

I would also like to point out that I made the best fucking salad for lunch while at Wild Oats. Yummmm, it was so delish. They actually had free-range chicken on the salad bar! And hearts of palm!

Last night for dinner I made grilled baguette with garlic butter, pesto, and shredded asiago cheese. I also made an old family favorite which I so aptly renamed "Rosie's Bountiful Garden Salad." It's a simple salad my mom used to make a lot consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, basalmic vinegar, and olive oil. The best part? Everything except the vinegar and oil (obviously) was from my garden!

Alrighty then. Back to snacking on $8 almonds.

Working.

I wish I wore glasses at work so I would look more writerly. I would wear them when I had a big project due and pull my hair up in a big knot held in place with a pencil.

When my project was all polished and finished, I'd pull my bun out in one graceful swoop, remove my spectacles, and go out for extra dirty martinis at the bar downstairs......ala Ally McBeal.

Can you tell I have writer's block?

They don't call it wilderness therapy for nothing.

Even though I was in this magical, wonderful, scenic place, I....ummm, how can I put this without you wanting to smack me over the head with a piece of wet spaghet? I couldn't stop thinking about work! I'm mortified to admit this, since it is sooooo not like rosalicious to take her work home (or any place other than Room 212 in the CSM Annex Building), but alas... it's true. I was thinking about direct mail plans and segments and events and speeches while I was hauling my ass up 12,000 feet above sea level.

What's come over me? After 2 hours of soaking in Cottonwood Hot Springs, a big delicious breakfast of eggs and green chile that I scarfed down like a pig (knowing I would soon burn it off), 3 miles of hiking straight uphill, and 250 mosquito bites, I finally--sort of--remembered why it was I came out here.

I still thought about "it", but remarkably less so once we finally got to Hartenstein Lake.

The trip was great; much needed, actually. Despite looming thoughts of the upcoming work week, we took a bunch of pretty pictures, found a fabulous campsite (no fire though--fire ban in effect!), explored around the lake, took cover from the storm in the tent, had ourselves a nap ("nap"....hee hee), ate spinach dal and brownies, drank Early Times Kentucky Bourbon, joked about bears, dug poop holes and used them, and eventually discovered we were the only people up there!

Granted, it took me longer than usual to relax, but in time my body pulled through for some good times on the old trail. I'm back in the swing of daily work life, itching my gazillion mosquito bites, but feeling AWESOME! Healthy! In shape! I love how a simple 2-day backpacking trip so quickly rubs away your rough edges, like water over rocks, and leaves you feeling so grungy and stinky, yet so clean.

To view the slide show of our trip, click on the picture below:


Backpacking. It does a body good.

Hemmin', hawin', and exclaimin'! Hallelujah, it's Friday!

I'm now all comfortably situated in my new (bigger!) office. While I still don't have window privileges, I gotta say it sure beats the hell outta my old digs! I have a new computer too! Flat screen monitor! CD burner!

It's the end of a very long week and I'm waiting for Kevin to get here to pick me up. We're going down to the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area for a quick backpacking trip. A desperately needed, somewhat romantic (we haven't spent much QT together in awhile), truly therapeutic foray into the wild!

Tonight we're car camping it and going to some awesome hot springs where they let you go naked! We will have to refrain ourselves! Tomorrow morning we hike in (up, actually)to Hartenstein Lake, where we'll frolic and hike and eats lots of gorp! And drink whiskey! And cook up Indian food!

And it must be an exclamation point kind of Friday!

Have a good one, y'all!

rosalicious Tip: Drinking and shopping do not mix.

It is never a good idea to go to REI after you've had a few glasses of wine.

Mysteriously, $100 will be gone from your wallet. And you didn't even purchase what you went there for.

Keep your wits about you in the wilderness.

I have a mild infatuation with keeping tabs on our neighbors across the street - the Haneys. They aren't that interesting, really. More like wholesome. Or something. They own the coffee shop next door (oh so convenient!) and they're always out and about being neighborly.

Yesterday, as Lucy is pawing the door with her usual exuberence at Kevin's arrival home from work (I don't let her loose until Kevin is actually out of the street and in the yard), I see John Haney run across the street to Kevin's truck.

"Any word on your co-worker?" He asks excitedly. John is a detective for the city of Denver. Kevin works for the USFS. Those government officials, well, they just can relate.

I can't hear the rest of the conversation, but I imagine that Kevin explains that he works for the U.S. Forest Service, not the National Park Service. He also probably explains that is he going to be part of the USFS search team to search for the Rocky Mountain National Park ranger that's been missing since Friday.

News of this missing park ranger hits close to home. I get nervous about Kevin working and hiking alone in the wilderness. I know the USFS and the NPS preach the gospel of safety and survival and all that. But still, that masculine/outdoorsman sense of invincibility makes me uneasy. Kevin has it, and I'm sure that missing ranger has it. Guess it comes with the territory.

Lest the tough woodsmen forget, this territory also belongs to mountain lions, bears, snakes, moose, and dangerous rednecks weilding gnomes and bottles of Wild Turkey. Not to mention bad weather, rough terrain, altitude, fire, falling trees, and a whole host of other potential natural or man-made disasters.

All I have to say is Baby, please be careful. I can't help it, it's the mother in me.

Multi-tasking over the weekend.

Rode: 5 water slides at Water World, my bike, the crimson wave.

Watched: Igby Goes Down, The Fog of War, drag queens.

Attended: Dragon Boat Festival, going-away dinner, friend's house for a cookout, the grocery store, Denver International Airport.

Read: People magazine, O magazine, Memoirs of a Geisha, the Boulder Daily Camera, the Boulder Weekly, the Onion, Denver Urban Gardens newsletter, the Westword, street signs.

Cleaned: 2 bathrooms, the garden.

Ate: Tacos, fruit, vintage Irish cheddar and water crackers, low-fat sour cream and onion Pringles, arugula and shitake stuffed chicken, salad, sauteed vegetable medley, pad thai, bagel and lox, grilled portabello mushrooms, grilled zuchini, corn, more salad, cottage cheese and pineapple, more salad, frozen pizza, vegetable fajitas.

Drank: Vodka tonics, beer, 4 bottles of white wine, coffee, iced tea, diet coke, water with lemon, more beer.

Said goodbye to: Mark and Sunya, my brother.

Slept: Like a champ.