I am officially in California on an adventure that began six days ago.  I will be blogging with more frequency when I have a place to live.

Here are some things I've learned the past six days:

1. It doesn't matter how old you are, sometimes you still need your mommy.
2. Just because you've gotten A's in school doesn't mean you get an A in life.
3. Cacti are really, really cool in the desert.
4. Marriage is awesome and it sucks to be away from your spouse for an extended period of time.
5. I drove forty miles on a five-lane highway, had a rough first day of work, and made it back to where I am staying without taking a Xanax, crying, or being scared.  Sometimes confidence peeks out when you least expect it and more importantly, when you most need it.
6. Just because technically you don't have home doesn't mean you still can't miss it.
7. California is as beautiful as I remember.

Well, I should have time to tell all my stories this weekend.  Later!

On Coffee

The perfect cup of coffee does not taste like coffee at all. It is filled with caramel, chocolate, and topped with whipped cream. It comes in a white paper cup with a hole in the black lid. The whipped cream oozes skillfully out of the hole delightfully tempting my taste buds.

On Friday mornings, my husband and I drive separately to the local coffee shop. It gives a chance to smoke a couple of cigarettes, enjoy the delicious goodness that is Kona coffee and most importantly, we get a chance to have a nice chat before heading off in our separate ways to face the day.

The smell inside the coffee shop is superb. The shop is not too bright too early. Occasionally there is a line although it is not so bad because everything smells so delicious. The baristas are pleasant but not overly cheery; they have started to use my first name. This is nice. There are brunette coffee beans for sale in candy machines that are lined against the chocolate colored wall. Animal paintings are for sale and surround coffee and teapots that are scattered on shelves.

Every so often, we will make coffee at home and I do not indulge in a cup during the workday. Fridays are an indulgence, a delicacy in our world of hurried breakfasts and Coca-Cola. This Friday morning ritual is a great reminder to take time out to enjoy the morning and a great cup of caffeinated splendor.

Twitter-pated

Technology can be scary. It makes life so easy but still it is hard to take the leap and know what is truly the latest and the greatest. It took me a couple of attempts to get a blog up because I was afraid of putting myself out there. Forty posts in, I feel I am comfortable.

I tried Twitter yesterday for forty-eight minutes and felt that it crossed some sort of boundary. Am I really interesting enough to follow 24-7? Probably not. Facebook, blogging, and an email account are enough for right now.

How do you feel about Twitter?

Dwellings

I am feeling a wave of anxiety with the start of a new week. It is the last week in Denver.

Yesterday, Bobaloo and I went to say goodbye to Boulder. It is where we started in Colorado. When I look back at me when we first came here, I was so scared of everything and everyone. There have been many changes. I was able to find the closest Target on the third day of living in Boulder, for the next two weeks everywhere I went I mapped out by its proximity to Target. Now, I can find any Target in a twenty-mile radius.

It was the first time we lived together, my first home without my parents, and the start of many fine adventures. I will miss Pearl Street and the 470 square foot apartment we shared, called “The Shoebox.” Our first summer was filled with afternoons with Gary the Squirrel, grilling, and we started what would become a three and a half year Yahtzee tournament.

We lived in the “Chicken Coop” after Boulder. It has been torn down along with all the bad memories of the place that could do no right. We met many great neighbors in this place. We were able to walk around downtown Golden whether to see the creek or get a beer and play air hockey. I look back at that time and remember how excited I was to start school and Bobaloo finally got the hang of fly-fishing. This was the year my brother went to Iraq for the first time, I became an aunt, and we went and saw John Prine for my birthday.

The place we live in now is my favorite and I will miss it a lot. The apartment has no name yet. I love the two patios, especially the one overlooking the pool. We are minutes from Red Rocks where we have seen Widespread Panic every summer. There is a lot of sunlight in the windows. It is the first place we unpacked every box and decorated. We have the proximity of the mountains and the city. This apartment has seen us check out the Denver scene, learn to snowshoe, host our first Christmas, and get married. We have made excellent friends at the local watering hole, and have had great neighbors, aside from the yapping dog.

Goodbye Colorado. Not forever, just for now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bobaloo and I are not big celebrators of Valentine's Day.  Today, we are having some cocktails and making some food at home.  But, in honor of the day of love here are seven out of a thousand reasons I love my husband.  If you have a propensity for getting nauseous at the sight of schmaltz, you might want to skip this post!

Bobaloo has the best smile.  It can be empathetic, charming, and goofy depending on which one is needed.

Only he can make me laugh until I cry.  I love his sense of humor and Carl the Curmudgeon.

Because he is adventurous, our life is never boring.  I am so excited for our next adventure.

After we got married I didn't think anything would change.  It turns out I love him more everyday.

Living with him, I have found him to be the best cook ever.  He is very talented with calzones and pasta with white sauce.

Once I told my best friend I'd only get married if I found someone who loved music more than I did.  I met him and married him and his c.d. collection.

Our song is "You Made Me Unlonely"  by John Prine.  The song is beautiful and Bobaloo has made me unlonely.

Happy VD

Well, apparently everyone is celebrating VD a day early. I found this interesting heretical rhyme generator and wrote a VD poem for my blog. Go ahead and try it out!

http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Poem/

Ode to Blog

I love you blog, happy Valentine's Day

as you drift abroad to the shores

Through the Fjords of Norway

and please don't score.

Wait, what?!? Anyway, happy Friday the 13th and Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Pie Day Part II. Big up Canada!

Have you ever tried having an intervention while you were drunk? I don't recommend it and I am terribly hungover.

Da Plague! Da Plague!

My dad compares giving two weeks notice to having the plague. I agree. The first few days have been somewhat awkward. I planned a “Pie Day” for Friday, hopefully that will ease the rigidity. It is probably one of those scenarios where people hate change in the landscape of every day life. I cannot say I contribute too much to the office except for a little humor and well, pie.

Oh well.

I am very excited about the move now because everything is lining up as well as possible. My mom is going to fly to Denver and road trip with me to San Diego. Woo-hoo! She is referring to the road trip as, “Jill and Mom’s excellent adventure.” Wow. I will be sure to bring the camera for this.

Yay.

I am proud to announce that this morning is the last time I will ever scrape my windshield. I really hate getting up earlier to do that. People should not have to preheat their cars; it should be a rule or something. Navigating the frozen roads with ice-covered idiots driving frantically is the worst.

Endings and Beginnings

I accepted the job in San Diego and in two and half weeks will be living there. Everything has been such a whirlwind. The hardest part was giving two weeks notice to a job that I really enjoy most days. It made me sick to my stomach to say farewell. Goodbyes are hard. I prefer them to be quick and painless, not long and drawn out.

It is hard to believe that I have two weeks to say goodbye to everyone and everything that has been so wonderful in Denver. However, it is real. The apartment is already loaded with boxes and planning has commenced.

I am excited to stay with my sister-in-law and nephew and have the opportunity to get to know them better. I am bummed and a little nervous to be away from my husband for a short time. I am jazzed about the new job and meeting new people and sad to leave such good friends behind.

What a mix of emotions.

I did it

I got the job in San Diego. Stay classy.

Home Fires

Like everyone else, my husband and I are feeling the effects of the economy. We have been trying to save money this winter and the easiest way to do this has been to stop going out. That is easier said than done since we are happy hour regulars. Give us an excuse to go out. Anything. It could be poker night though we do not play cards, karaoke night though we do not sing, or just friends getting together.

About a year ago, we met our friend Sam at a local watering hole. He is a hell of a good friend who moved to Colorado many years ago from South Louisiana. While he is a Coloradan now, he still has a hint of his drawl and plenty of southern charm. He too, was looking for ways to save money.

This is how the every-other-weekend bonfire got started. Sam has a beautiful home and a large backyard. His roommate J. bought him a portable fire pit, which is placed on his patio surrounded by metal chairs. Bonfire parties are a lot cheaper than the bar. All you need is firewood, beer, and tunes.

There are some evenings when it is just Bobaloo, Sam, and I at the fire and nights when there are a dozen people. Anyone is welcome to stop by and stay as long as they would like. Some nights we shut it down at midnight and there are bonfires that see the morning light.

Something happens to people when they sit around the fire. There is comedy, philosophy, and some good old-fashioned bull shitting that occurs. Everyone brings their brand of something to the fire.

Bobaloo is the fire-poker who loves to throw logs on and switch between the teepee and Lincoln log fires. Sam loves to put the music on and does well at matching the evening’s mood. I make snowmen and put them in any empty chairs. They usually turn out scary looking, but that is my contribution. J. brings jokes and James Brown to the bonfire.

Some evenings there are musicians, people from faraway lands, or old friends. At ten degrees, there we are, all bundled up and huddled around the warm fire. It must be a sight to see.

Miracles

I just found out my prescription is $500 month. The pills are a welcome miracle. Apparently I cannot afford miracles.

Well, I had a job interview for a job in San Diego yesterday. The interview went really well but I worry that they will choose someone who currently lives in the area. I am so nervous. I am trying not to build it up too much. However, if I get the job I will be a Californian by the end of the month. If not, we will still move there over the summer. Top 10 reasons to move to San Diego:

1. I have family there.
2. The city is more "happening" than Denver.
3. The ocean.
4. Dini's by the Sea.
5. Ron Burgundy.
6. The climate.
7. Proximity to Mexico.
8. It's a totally new scene.

I can't think of ten. Eight will just have to do. Keep your fingers crossed!

Wordle

Let's Share

I was tagged on Facebook to do this. I thought I would bring it over here. Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. Consider all of y'all tagged.

1. When I was little, I wanted to be a dentist so I could drill out the teeth of my enemies. Sadist.
2. I still have the phone numbers to Mr. Movies and Dominoes Pizza in Apple Valley, MN memorized.
3. I got married on one of my best friend's birthday (Amy).
4. I collect trolls, books, rocks, coins, etc. Stuff in general.
5. I just learned to play catch two years ago. Well, sort of. I can play with a Frisbee, but still not a ball. Baby steps.
6. I love the smell of hotels. And Sharpies.
7. I love moving. Whether it be to a new state, city, or apartment. I hope to be living in California by the end of summer.
8. I am a terrible cook. My husband does all of the cooking in our house. I make scrambled eggs in the microwave.
9. I love to swim, even though I do not know how.
10. I am almost finished at Red Rocks Community College. I hope to be at San Diego State by this time next year to study Spanish, English, or Linguistics, or a combination of them.
11. I am a blogger and have four people who regularly read my blog. Yep, I am sure this makes me somewhat famous.
12. I am a very shy and nervous person.
13. If I were not so shy, I would start a band with my friends Jillian and Rachael. However, I do not know how we would do long-distance practices. Hmmm. I also do not know what the band name would be although I have TONS of great ideas!
14. I am obsessive about brushing my teeth. My social paranoia is having food in them.
15. I had my first legal beer with my dad at Shenanigans in Rosemount, MN and my first legal cocktail with my husband at Billy on Grand in St. Paul, MN.
16. My younger brother Kyle will not be my friend on Facebook.
17. For a skinny person, I am fanatical about food. I seriously love food more than life itself. I especially adore appetizers.
18. I met my husband Bobaloo at a Halloween party. He was dressed as John Belushi from Animal House. I did not have a costume on.
19. Three of our friends who were at the party we mat at were also at our Halloween wedding reception six years later to the date. http://picasaweb.google.com/ScrambledJill/TheWeddingReception?feat=directlink
20. Since moving to Colorado, I have learned how to gold pan. It is a very relaxing and Zen-like activity.
21. I have known most of my friends longer than I have not. I have known some friends longer than I have known my brother. I love them dearly.
22. I love to read. I started with a list of 100 books to read before I die. I keep adding to the list so that I never have to die, there are about 230 books on my list to read now.
23. I am a receptionist, which is somewhat hilarious because I am an introvert who does not like talking on the phone.
24. Coca-Cola is my favorite beverage. Even when there's not rum in it.
25. I took me a really long-ass time to come up with 25 things. Thanks for reading.

Are you there internet? It's me Jill

Dear Internet,

I never knew how much I would miss not having you around. I actually looked forward to coming to work today because you were broken at home. All weekend, if I wanted to see you I had to go to the library.

My Facebook status has been stagnant, my bank accounts have gone unchecked, my blog unwritten in, and my inbox slowly filled with junk mail. I could not watch my favorite HBO shows or read the newest headlines.

What was I to do? I did not have anyone to have virtual happy hour with. I did my homework because there was not an easily accessible procrastination tool that could compare to you.

I cleaned. Yes, you heard me. Things got desperate on a boring Sunday night without you.

I hope that we will be together again by the end of today. I did not realize how much I needed you. Please come back.

Love,

Jill