Wednesday, On

Thank Goodness it's Friday!

Wednesday, Sephora and I attended a Salsa lesson / community dance in Denver. We returned home around midnight after dancing for 4 1/2 hours, I was completely exhausted. It was very very fun, everyone there was friendly and encouraging and I had a blast. Something I learned aboust Salsa; if your guy spins you somewhere, you stay there. Girls aren't allowed to move unless the guy tells you to, and it's all very close dancing. Have to work on that. Unfortunately I can't go next Wednesday as I have to work at the Restaurant - it's Student Night.

Looking forward to a few days off, I'll begin packing for school (eek!) and stocking up on much needed essentials for the next few months. The next big purchase is a digital camera from Radioshack, mucho exciting, which means I'll also be buying an extra memory card as I'm extremely forgetful.

On that front, I recently found my keychain I had been missing for a little over 2 months! It was in the pocket of my jacket, which I had been rehanging up when I heard jingling! It made my week.

Yesterday was a soggy day on the RR, lightning struck right next to the tracks and yours truly had to get out and move the rocks. Further on down the mountain, a rail was loose, so yours truly went outside again, this time with the trusty engineer and discussed the strategy of going over it. Who am I kidding? He discussed it with the other engineer, and I stood there looking thoughtful - and soaking wet. No such incidents today, although it was cloudy on top, which reduced my tour guiding skills to "It usually isn't like this, folks, it happens occasionally, this is what's called being socked in," etc etc.

Keep the fam in your prayers, Mom Dad and lil sis are out east, Sephora is hiking a 14er and Older Brother is baking potatos and marinating steaks. Unfortunately I think the potatos have come out a little on the crispy side. ;)

Scattered brains anyone?

The great dilemna in my life right now is what color to dye my hair when I get to college. Isn't it terrible that there are many other more important things that I need to be worrying about when I go away to school, yet I'm plagued with one needless detail that's taking over all of my mental capabilities? (Excuse the run-on-ness) Today for example: I'm bumping along Book 9 of The Illiad "Achilleus spoke to Diomedes, breaker of horses..." "Dark brown? Just streak it? Fine weave highlights and chunks on the crown?" (The last suggestion was from the lady who cuts my hair) Not only am I totally ignoring my bedsheet needs and alarm clock batteries, I've also put off emptying my closet and packing my trunks. Ugh. Procrastination and laziness are devils. DEVILS.

I have an unexpected day off tomorrow, so I'm going to call up my faithful boy and we'll trollop off to have an adventure! If we're lucky.

Dear Nutmeg, husband and children will be here in the next two weeks, hurrah! One last luau before Sephora and I leave the nest and venture out into the great wide world.

Which reminds me, I need to stock up on chapstick.

Books and Cats

Last night, Shrimp (Dear Friend who I'll miss when we depart to opposite sides of the country for college) and I tried to see the latest Pirates but it was sold out until 10pm. Since she had to work today, we drove back to Manitou to find something else to do, and ended up spending an hour or so in The Bookman. It's a used book store, so small it's overflowing with books, there are even books lining the shelving along the floor, binding up. It's a small paradise, but easy to get lost in. So we entered and Shrimp headed immediately to the sheet music section, while I perused Fantasy / Sci-Fi for any Tolkien that I hadn't read. Ultimately I made my way to fiction and spent the remainder of my hour there. I was delighted to discover that The Bookman is inhabited by two identical grey cats. They walked along the books on the floor, binding up, and twitched their tails with pleasure while we petted them. I had picked up a hardcover version of Anne of Green Gables and was reading it while this grey thing was on the floor beside me purring up a storm. In 10 years, I'd like to be in my own place, sitting in an easy chair with a thick book in my hand, Hot Chocolate on the table and a cat in my lap.

After we had played in The Bookman, Shrimp and I rented Nanny McPhee from Blockbuster and returned home to Ravioli and a Movie with dear sister, Sephora. A lovely way to spend a Friday night.

It's been raining here, we have Flash Flood Warnings through tonight, 70% chance of rain today. I think I'll change into some PJ's and read a book in the livingroom during the storm. Maybe I'll have tea.

Fortunate (?) Accidents

I believe I ran straight into two Serendipitous moments today. I was at work doing my job of guiding train tours, and as part of the job, I answer any questions the paying customers feel inclined to ask. One of the usual ones is where I go to college. After answering that question for the row before him, I progressed onward to a very excited looking gentleman.
"You go to Thomas Academy?"
It took me a second, "Oh! No, I go to Thomas Aquinas."
"In Santa Paula? Great Books?"
At this point I'm nearly jumping up and down, "Yes! You've heard of it?"
"My niece goes there!"
So he and I had a lovely chat. Said niece will be a sophomore, and we excheanged names, so I'll meet her in the fall.

End Serendipitous Moment #1

On the morning train today I was answering questions when I recieved another common one, where am I from. When I said Upstate NY, the gentleman promptly told me he used to live in Corning! This guy attended West High School, and he told me all the things he and his buddies did on Market Street, etc. It was an enjoyable 15 minutes of time on an otherwise mildly annoying train.

End Serendipitous Moment #2

Overall, a lovely day, including the rainy weather. There's something very honest about rain: the way it smells, it always takes the easy way downhill, it washes dirt away with persistence not strength. The smell I'll miss from CO is the way the aspen trees smell after a rainstorm. Musty, rotted-ish, but fresh in their own, earthy way.