Chris came to visit

And it was glorious!

It was totally last minute, but so much fun. Both Nick and I were able to rearrange our work schedules so we could spend the maximum amount of time with Chris. He's an old college buddy whom I haven't seen in far too long.

We packed a lot into three days.

We played a bunch of games with our friend Keefe (Star Fluxx, Nuclear War, Illuminati), who totally trounced us at Illuminati, as usual. After that, we headed downtown and got lunch at Pete's Kitchen (a little greasy spoon diner that's a Denver fixture). It was delicious. Then we set off to catch a tour of the Great Divide Brewing Co. There was a very drunk, very garrulous man on the tour who seemed to be intent on telling the tour guide lots of things the guide already knew ("You guys are such a little brewing company, but you ship all over the country! You've got a really special thing going here, do you know that?" Yeah, man. He knows that).

We hit the Tattered Cover and Red Mango (Chris fell in love with it). I lined up a behind the scenes tour at the museum, which was AWESOME. We got to go onto the roof and walked around the catwalks above the dioramas. It was so much fun. Then, the boys participated in the museum's taste and genetics study, which involves getting your tongue painted blue.

My two favorite dudes with blue tongues after
participating in the museum's research study

We played Cards Against Humanity and Chris petted the heck out of Amber, Nick's corgi. She didn't like that at all. (False. She loved it.)

Then he went home. It was sad. I've decided that Chris will now visit us at least once a month. I wish I was rich so I could make that happen.

I like having guests. It gives me an excuse to get out and explore.

adventures

I think I may be hormonal, because I feel like I did in middle school - a longing for a life filled with passion and grace and fierce happiness and adventure and daring deeds. I think about the real world and get a little desolate. Good thing I'm a writer; better write novels that make other people feel the same way as I do.

Part of what's got me feeling all off-balance and cranky is that the kitchen is in pieces. Mike is DIY renovating a lot of the house. This includes laying tile, installing granite countertops, and putting in new sinks ... which he has never done before. I'm all for trying things and saving money by not hiring contractors. But, man, you gotta take the time to do it well, with precision. None of that is actually happening with the kitchen renovation. Fortunately, it's almost over.

Not being able to use the stove or oven, having to wash dishes in the bathtub ... it's really amazing how depressing that is.



But in unrelated, fun news, I went camping at the end of August.

Nick and I drove up into the mountains with some friends, Nick's little Honda heavy on its wheels with the weight of tent and food and toasting forks and sleeping bags and people. We walked around Estes for a while, watched a glass blowing demonstration and bought some saltwater taffy.

(I tried to convince everyone to take one of those touristy old-timey saloon photos, but they were being buttheads.  One day, I will manage to get one of those pictures taken. ONE DAY.)

It started pouring rain. It was cold and heavy with huge fat drops that audibly impacted with the ground. We held out our hands to feel the smack of rain on our palms, and then we ducked into a shop to look at fossils.

The rain let up pretty quickly, but it stayed cloudy and thundery - you could hear it grumbling away over the mountains. We drove to our campsite and set up the tent. We played some card games, then built a fire and had hotdogs, baked beans, and s'mores. Everything tastes better cooked over a fire.

I woke up in the middle of the night (thanks, bladder), but I'm so glad I did. Up in the mountains, away from the smog and lights of the city, the stars were crazy bright, Jackson Pollocked all over the sky. You couldn't see all the sky, since the pines hemmed it in on all sides, but it was still mind boggling, in a really great way. They looked so bright and moon-close, despite knowing how far away they really are.

Normally stargazing makes me feel both awed and insignificant. It's a positive and depressing experience at once. But this time, I just let the sheer beauty wash over me. Didn't think too hard about it. Normally, I'm all for thinking hard about things. But it was nice to switch off the brain and just enjoy the sight.



More good things: This weekend, one of my good friends from college is coming to visit! Nick and I are planning outings already. Casa Bonita, a tour of the Great Divide Brewing Co., maybe a trip to Boulder to play Boulder Bingo (with squares that say things like "man with ponytail" and "metaphysical bookstore"). I miss my college friends, and the collegiate life. I should go back to school.