Someone said to me recently that, in light of all the troubles lately, I should have faith in the universe. Things will work out. It will all come together. Trust in the universe, she said.
Yes, well, the universe has been kind of a dick to me lately, and just the other day, it saw fit to give me Bell’s palsy. Awesome!
Bell’s palsy essentially just ruins your face. Half of it stops working, and you can’t blink or chew right. There might be some drooling. Speech is also messed up — I can’t say P’s or F’s right. Phrases like “I’m a people person” are tough to say. And taking away F-words diminishes my vocabulary by about a half.
A quick Internet search will let you know that George Clooney had Bell’s palsy. And that chick who’s married to Tom Cruise. So that should make me feel quite a bit better, right? Of course it does.
You’d think that with modern medicine being what it is, some fancypants scientist would have figured out some kind of solution to this stupid disorder. But no. You just have to sit there with your stupid drooping face and live with it. Eventually, it goes away (most of the time).
I have a lot in common with George Clooney. Among our many similarities is the dreaded Bell's palsy affliction.
Of course I look like this more than I look like George Clooney. Thanks, Universe. Thanks a lot.
And so it is again that I whipped up some drywall mud, climbed onto a ladder, and tried to work my blue-collar magic. This time, though, I flew too close to the sun.
"His eyes seem so glazed / As he flies on the wings of a dream ... / Fly on your way like an eagle / Fly, touch the sun"
If I had any heroes growing up, it was probably Iron Maiden. They not only taught me how to rock, but also about history, mythology, math. Haha, I’m just kidding about math. Anyway, the story of Icarus, according to Iron Maiden, goes something like this: Dude had some wings made of wax. He flew too close to the sun, which melted his wings, and he plummeted into the ocean and drowned. The moral of the story, of course, is to construct your flying materials out of stronger substances. And also that hubris will be rewarded with failure, humiliation, and possibly drowning.
Back to the drywalling disaster in the kitchen. The ceiling had a lot of problems: A very old light fixture that needed ripping down, some cracks in the plaster, and a huge hole I needed to knock out to work on some electrical “issues.” After sealing everything up and taking everything down, there was only a matter of skimcoating the whole thing and making it nice and smooth.
Well, things didn’t happen like that. What happened instead is that I kept throwing drywall mud up on the ceiling, and it just kept getting lumpier and bumpier. Not the look I was going for. After Day 3, I said to Adrienne: It probably just needs another coat. She pointed at the still-visible seam running across the room and asked how many more coats it might take to hide the obviously uneven taping job I had been working on for three days.
Fine. FINE. We’ll call a professional, though I doubt he’ll have any better luck. This ceiling is just broken. Probably just need to get a new one.
Last year, when we bought the house, back before all our hopes and dreams were shattered, we had Bruce the Drywall Guy come by and knock out a quick project for the bank to approve the loan. He was fast, did excellent work, and was available immediately. Hired.
When Bruce came by and looked up at our ceiling, our lumpy, uneven ceiling, he wasn’t afraid or concerned at all. He was even polite enough to say with a straight face that I was “on the right track” with my efforts. Not only could he fix it, he could fix it today. It would need two coats. He worked a Saturday and a Sunday — clearly, this worker loves money (take this hint, other contractors who can’t be bothered to work on weekends). And when it was finished, that ceiling was glorious: Smooth, even, crack-free. No visible tape lines. Bruce the Drywall Guy is a goddamn artist.
I probably could have done it myself if I’d had more time, like maybe a few more months. But I’m very pleased that we called in Bruce the Drywall Guy to clean up my disaster. Later this week, we’re calling in the big guns to deal with the rest of our dumb house: Adrienne’s brother Brian. He wears overalls.
So after a few days in the kitchen, the ceiling still looked like this. Since it wasn't getting any better, it started to look like I exhausted my expertise.
So Bruce the Drywall Guy came in with his stilts and fancy tools and made quick work of the ceiling.
So after Bruce the Drywall Guy finished working, what was left on our ceiling was smooth, even, and beautiful.
This guy. This guy right here. Later this week, he will arrive and get shit done. Stay tuned.
A couple weeks ago we went to see the Ice Castles at Silverthorne and it was really neat!
Now you can get half off tickets from Groupon.
We took the scenic route to get there- Highway 24 to Highway 9 to I-70. It was a beautiful clear day like so many we have here in Colorado, and just lovely. If you go to the Ice Castles and you’re coming from Colorado Springs, I highly recommend this drive.
First stop: Happy Meadows, our favorite summer camping spot. The campground isn’t open in the winter but we walked around on the frozen stream awhile anyway.
Happy Meadows in winter
Happy Meadows, Colorado
There are many scenic stops along the way.
Scenic point along the way on Highway 24.
Made a stop in Fairplay for a snack. There are lots of little cafes in Fairplay but the best cinnamon roll in the whole world can be found at the Brown Burro Cafe. Two coffees and this huge treat was only $4!
Cinnamon roll from the Brown Burro Cafe in Fairplay, CO
The recreated old west town of South Park is also in Fairplay. It’s really neat, kids and adults will like it, there are lots of good photo opportunities and its’ definitely worth a stop. We’ve been there before so didn’t go this time.
South Park recreated old west town, Fairplay, CO
The rest of the drive is also really pretty but it was getting late and we wanted to get to the Ice Castles before it got dark.
We drove thru Breckenridge and debated hitting up Breckenridge Brewery because we love the delicious Vanilla Porter they make. But we decided maybe we’d come back thru later and go there.
On to the Ice Castles, which is about 20 minutes north of Breckenridge. The Ice Castles is a man made art exhibit. They run sprinklers all night long, the water freezes, and these neat sculptures are formed. You can walk all around them and even inside some of them.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
Ice Castles at Silverthorne, CO.
We didn’t know when we got there, but it’s open at night, too. It looks totally different at night and they let you come and go on one ticket, so we wound up going to Breckenridge Brewery afterall and then went back to the Ice Castles later.
Vanilla Porter at Breckenridge Brewery, Colorado.
Then back to the Ice Castles. By now it was pretty cold so we didn’t stay as long, but it was really pretty with the lights they use.
Ice Castles at Silverthorn, at night
Ice Castles at Silverthorn, at night
Ice Castles at Silverthorn, at night
Ice Castles at Silverthorn, at night
Ice Castles at Silverthorn, at night
So go get these half off tickets from Groupon and go check it out. And be sure to tell us what other interesting things you find along the way!
So the company I used to work for “reorganized” last month, and in the process, I got canned.
My severance agreement prevents me from saying anything bad about the company, so I’ll just say that despite the moderate income, it’s not a place I will pine for. I was not a good fit there.
Anyway, so we are now hurtling toward our life’s next phase. Not sure yet what we should do or where to go, but one thing seems pretty clear: Can’t stay in Colorado Springs.
We’ve been seriously considering either Chicago or Dallas. As many of you know, Adrienne runs Pink Kitty Studios, which has done fairly well here in the COS. But that was mostly because of the heavy military presence here, and with the wars winding down, so is her business. So wherever we land, it has to have opportunity for her to do her thing. If ultimately I can’t find any work, though, the unemployment will run out and we’ll be in my mom’s basement (she still thinks I’m joking about this).
Chicago
Scary, but exciting. So much awesome history and big-city amenities. Urban living. Chicago Blackhawks. Pizza. Surely I can find a job there doing something. But the weather. Ugh. Still, it’s Chicago, right? Quit your crying about the weather and be a man.
Dallas
Less scary. Less exciting. Reminds me a lot of Phoenix, where I’ve already lived. Suburban living, automobile culture. Slightly better weather, though, and a lot of very good local music. Barbecue. Can I get a job there? I dunno. Seems like less opportunity in Dallas, but not by much. Certainly more opportunity than the COS. Oh, also, Rick Perry.
So many tough decisions. What do you think, Internet? Chicago or Dallas? Or maybe somewhere else? NYC would rock, of course, but it’s a heftier commitment.
A big plus for Chicago: Rahm Emanuel, the nation's most badass politician.
That this guy won any kind of an election in Texas scares me a little.
When I'm living in my mom's basement, I will lay around all day with my firearms and play sweet, sweet tunes on my axe. I will also probably have to develop a marijuana habit and get into some kind of gaming.
I found these pictures on my computer from 2007 when we went skating on the lake in Evergreen. Since I was just talking about this I thought I’d post them along with what I was thinking at the time- it was so long ago!
I flew into Denver from L.A. , Mike picked me up and we drove out of town about 30 miles to Evergreen. THIS is the Colorado I was expecting. Mountains, hippies, organic foods and ice skating on a lake! I could practically hear John Denver singing.
Ice skating on the lake in Evergreen, CO
Was this only 5 years ago? Skating in Evergreen, CO
Mike doing some kind of hockey move.
Evergreen, CO
Anyhow, if you live in Colorado or are just visiting, you should go out there. It’s really fun and pretty unique! You should call the hotline first to make sure it’s open, (720) 880-1391
