One of My Most Favorite Quotes

A lie will easily get you out of a scrape, and yet, strangely and beautifully, rapture possesses you when you have taken the scrape and left out the lie. ~Charles Edward Montague

I think that good intuition usually tells you what to do long before your heart follows.

More Pics of the DNC

Who was she talking to while standing next to the Obama head?

I couldn't resist...I just love people who are braver than me...which is about everyone.

Okay, what you don't see, and what I'm not posting, is the 5 pictures before this was taken of this dude in the toilet copping a feel...he was allllllll hands!!!!!!

Hiking Reynold's Park to Eagle's View

Say It Like You Mean It

On Friday our two best friends got married...again. They renewed their vows at a cabin in Estes Park in front of about 30 guests. I can honestly say that I have never, EVER, in my life witnessed two people say more amazing, honest, loving and beautiful words to each other. I didn't even know these words existed. They spoke to each other in front of us for about 10 minutes each and then spoke to their children. They made promises. They thanked each other. They left nothing out. Their nine year old daughter sang a song to them...adorable of course.

The Best Peach I've Ever Had

Costco, tree-ripened...JUICY...this is the best peach I've ever had in my life. All others will pale in comparison. All other peaches are jealous.

How I Got Invited To Sit With The Delegates at The Democratic National Convention!

Some of you may have noticed...I like Obama. I've been moderately involved in the election process...more than anything, I've just been interested and feel my family has a stake in this election. I attended my local caucus and went on to be a delegate at the primaries. That afforded me opportunities for tickets to the convention. But as the convention got closer, I felt a calm and a peace about not being there. I thought that I'd be more comfortable watching it all on Youtube or tv. ha! What was I thinking? I was fine until Thursday, the day that Obama was to officially accept the nomination. And then I sort of freaked out. I was standing in line at the bank and I realized...I'm not there...I'm not there...I need to be there. So I cancelled my lunch date (sorry my friend...raincheck for next week right?) and hopped a bus headed for downtown. My neighbor came with me. Once downtown, we just walked around the mall and did lots of people watching. Long story long is that we found out a way to get tickets to the convention. It wasn't easy. We had to do some pretty good talking to get them. We then hopped two more buses, waited in a mile long line for over an hour (by the way, at this point I have blisters and am barefoot...I'm not kidding). Once inside the convention, we filled out a piece of paper along with 80,000 other people that went into a drawing. About an hour into sitting in our super cool but super nose bleed seats we get a phone call. "Hi, this is the Obama people, we're going to come get you and take you all the way to the floor to sit with the delegates". WHAT? WHAT? NO WAY! YOU'RE KIDDING ME RIGHT? Somehow, we won that damn raffle. Obama's security took us to the floor. At that point, the fire marshal was not letting anyone on the floor for some reason...probably too many people. I told the Obama people that I would find a way and that they could just leave us alone with our new credentials that they gave us and they could call me if anything changed but that I was going to get on the floor all by myself. With a little charm and a lot of luck, I was able to talk security at one gate into letting me in. He said "good luck getting any further"...ha ha ha...whateva!!! 5 minutes later I was rubbing elbows with congressmen/women, Fran Drescher, and delegates from all over the US. The rest of the night was history!



(the best picture I could get of Obama)



(a little girl playing with confetti...we played in it too!)

John McCain Was Wrong!

When You See the Abuse of Power...You've Got To Speak!

"Barack Obama is on the Right Side of History"

Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana Makes Renewable Energy His Topic

Hillary Addresses the DNC

And The Dream Lives On...

Michelle Obama, Soon To Be The Next First Lady Of The United States, Talks About The World As It Is And The World As It Should Be

All to often we accept the difference between the two, and we settle for the world as it is even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations...America should be a place where you can make it!

Hike To Idaho Springs Reservoir

I'm the one in front in the yellow...apparently posing for what I thought was a football group picture. I look like I should be holding a football! After the hike, all of us went to a restuarant called Tommyknockers (I haven't been there since I was a kid). The food was really good and the company even better. Although personally I would have much enjoyed to spend the time hiking higher and then having a picnic lunch consisting of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cheese and wine.

I was going to tell you my favorite part of the day but I can't narrow it down to just one...so here's my three.

1. Meeting a totally fabulous eclectic group of people from 25-65 and from different parts of the world including France and Spain!

2. The smell....ahhhh yes, you know I'm a smeller...and the smell of wet woods is so yummy.

3. Fun exercise. Very steady, rocky, up hill for a good hour and a half...felt sooo good!

Have I Mentioned That My Husband is Such a Hottie?

Only 10 thousand times huh? But he's also a good sport! He rescued me so many times at my reunion...never underestimate the power of muscle! He helped me unload all the auction items from my car, helped someone else set up sound and lights, kept me fed and watered while I worked the room...this is a pic we took at home before we left for the bar on Friday night.

I Can't Wait!!!

So I've got me some new friends....oh, but I'm keeping all my old ones of course....but my new friends, they like to hike and so we are hiking early Sunday morning to a place in the Colorado mountains called Idaho Springs Reservoir. It's not a difficult hike...only about 3.5 miles with the option to go on further. I can't wait to take pictures! I'll post them Sunday night as soon as I get back.

The Good News Just Keeps a Coming!

My very good friend, all the way from California is moving here!!!! Wahoo! Now if I can jut get him to buy a house on my street...then the block parties would be even more fun!

AWE!

I got the cutest card from my friend Francine....Thank you!

UGH!

Author Neil Gaiman (Anansi Boys, The Sandman, etc) was right here in Boulder last night!!!!!!!! And I find out by going to his web site TODAY!!! Not yesterday....nooooo.....I couldn't have checked his web site yesterday....I had to wait and check it today...one lousy day too late!!!!

"We Don't See Things As They Are. We See Things As We Are." Anais Nin

This film is about the life of Ryan Larkin, an award winning Canadian animator. It is brilliant! So beautifully done. I hope you can see the beauty in it. It is one man's visual of what life, drug abuse, alcoholism, and homelessness can do to you. The fact that it is animated is stunning because it captures Ryan's creative spirit so humanly and with such realness. This short was created by Chris Landreth and won an Academy Award for Short Films. I think Chris must be an amazing person to celebrate Ryan like he has in this film. Some strong language.

A Perfect Evening Spent

Circumstances had it so that I was able to spend the evening alone tonight...well, just me and Jane Austen that is. It is still raining. I climbed into my most comfortable pair of sweats and sank down into my pillows with anticipation. Tonight's feature...Becoming Jane.

I'm still smiling. If you are an Austen fan, this is a must see. The inspiration for her masterpieces come to life on the screen. It tells the story of her desire to marry for love...an impractical and absurd thing to do in the late 1700s. While her parents want her to marry for the absolute necessity of money and tell her that nothing destroys spirit like poverty, Jane falls for a poor student of law whom she despises at first because of his arrogance. Their bickering leads of course to frustration, which then leads to, well, I don't want to spoil it. But let's just say that to be together means they have to risk everything...they must risk everything for love...but do they?

I found myself clapping spiritedly several times throughout the movie, and of course tears welled each time love prevailed and laughter followed when Jane speaks of irony. But now I must go to bed...it is almost midnight...my body is confused, it is telling my brain that it wants to drink coffee and go for a run...but I must force my eyes closed. Last night I was awake almost the whole night, listening to the rain in a most melancholic state. Tonight's plan is to sleep.

My favorite quotes from the movie:

Tom Lefroy: How can you, of all people, dispose of yourself without affection?
Jane Austen: How can I dispose of myself with it?

Mrs. Austen: JANE!
Lady Gresham: What is she doing?
Mr. Wisley: Writing.
Lady Gresham: Can anything be done about it?

Tom Lefroy: What value will there ever be in life, if we aren't together?

Jane Austen: Cassie, his heart will stop at the sight of you, or he doesn't deserve to live. And, yes, I am aware of the contradiction embodied in that sentence.

Tom Lefroy: Was I deficient in rapture?
Jane Austen: In consciousness!

I Love This Conductor

Adagio for Strings is one of my favorite pieces of all time. It's been used in many films but my favorite two being The Elephant Man and Platoon. In this video it is being performed by the BBC orchestra in London and I just love the emotion that comes from the conductor (you must see the very end) and from the the fingertips of each musician. Have you ever watched a cello cry?

It rained alllllll night last night. I couldn't sleep so I went to the guest room where I could open up the windows and let the sound and smell in without waking the hubby. As I lie awake listening to the rain, I hear adagio for strings in my head.

Do You Ever Get The Impression That Life is Trying To Tell You Something?

I work two part time jobs and volunteer. I manage to keep a decent house, run my kids around town, get exercise, and do lots of playing. I'm not looking for something to do. But I received two job inquiries/offers/interviews this week, completely out of the blue. I wasn't looking for another job. I went on one interview last night. It was what I expected and could be a fun job. I'm not sure if it is challenging enough for me though. My other interview is downtown tomorrow. I hope this one works out. The person I am meeting with is someone I've worked with in the past, we get along great, and I know I can ease into the position and it will be challenging. Plus, I will make a lot of business contacts through this person. Both jobs are flexible and would allow me to work pretty much as little or as much as I want, still be able to drive my kids to school both ways, and still be able to volunteer. I would even probably keep one of my other part time jobs but quit the other. We'll see...I love new beginnings.

I Was Going to Write Something About This...But This Says It Better Than I Could

The Exotic Candidate is the One With Eight Houses

My 20 Year High School Reunion

A Few Pics From Our Block Party

No Time To Write...But Enjoy Some Bo

A friend turned me on to this guy about a month ago. He's a comedic genius! (not my friend, but Bo). I've heard Bo described simultaneously as "wholesome" and "disturbing". I agree. Bo just graduated from St. John's Prep, an all-boys' Catholic high school in Danvers Massachusetts but he is brilliant beyond his years. He is hilarious and oozes of satire. He's all over the Youtube world and Comedy Central...check him out. Oh, and if you are easily offended, lighten up and watch it anyway but don't get mad at me...I hate it when people get mad at me.

Bo Burnham Official Web Site