Colorado and more

Lake Lenore (a prostitute, so i heard)
So, I'm back in the 'Cuse after a week in beautiful Colorado and I'm feeling, now more than ever, like I want to live somewhere rustic and beautiful. until this trip, west was last on my list of places to go; my childhood memories consisted of an ugly and barren waste-land devoid of the color green. Perhaps I only remembered the dry, prickly land my uncle Carey lives on and now uses as his junk yard. >:(

Things of beauty are a rarity; a lone pink flower was the only one I encountered....

The Colorado that I saw was, instead, a lovely mix of landscapes. Green everywhere, red mountain tops, rocky snow-covered peaks, rolling hills spattered with pine trees, picturesque towns, and of course, the desert....

Ouray, Colorado

Ridgway, Colorado-the whole gang

The train ride from Rockwood station to Tall Timbers was one of the highlights of the entire trip. a little over half an hour along the Animas River which offers some of the most beautiful views I've ever seen, accented by a little bit of excitement; the train cars were rocking pretty violently as we passed by rock walls that couldn't have been more than 10" from the window and chugged through passes that were so narrow, the ground disappeared beneath the car. Crumbly rocks and steep forest floors on one side, pine trees trickling down the other side to the river hundreds of feet below. No barriers, buddy.


Then we arrive at tall timbers for our day of soaring through the tree tops and over the river. coolest thing ever.....Maybe not ever, but it was reeeeeeeally cool. :) The first picture shows the "tree hugging" system that allows the soaring platforms to be suspended in the trees in a non-invasive manner. The trees sustain no damage, no piercing or drilling, and they can grow comfortably while allowing the platforms to remain in place.

Aspen Alley...Keep your legs and arms close to your body!!!

Rescue over the river. She got stuck! Haha

Rainie, Nick, Daddy, & me before heading into the trees. the first platform is visible behind us

Daddy going up to the 100' platform (where my hat fell off)

Rafting on the Colorado was wonderful, although much of my time on the river was technically spent IN the river. The rapids were mild at best, so Chad let us get out and float down the river. At one point, we even floated through a good little patch of rapids. Could have spent all day floating down the Colorado River....... After the rafting was over, we headed over to Arches National Park for some awe-inspiring rocky landscape. Nick and I did it up redneck-style (in the back of the the truck) so we could get better pictures. I think we did.

Arches National Park

Balanced Rock

Cattle Drive on the way to Moab, Utah

On one of our free days, I was determined to ride a horse; it was essential to my happiness. So I made the plans and did it, and at the last moment, Nick decided to join me, which made it even better. Our guide, Post, was an authentic cowboy, full of cowboyisms and the requisite dirty jokes. What a silly little man he was. Too bad I can't remember more of his quips. The ride was short but thoroughly enjoyable, even for Nick who was stuck behind my ridiculously gaseous horse.

Nick and I in another life on Diamond C and Rascal, respectively

So that was Colorado. What an amazing time. It was good to be with the family again, and hopefully it won't be too long until the next time.

Day Three

the apartment is being invaded by bugs!!! ugh, i hate bugs...they completely freak me out. there are flies, june bugs, daddy long legs, beetles and moths popping up in every room, every day. where the hell are they coming from?

pretty boring day. looked for a job a little bit, but i'm once again disappointed by the lack of opportunity in syracuse.

Day Two

voilà! today is the day i kinda sorta quit my job. sadly, i didnt do it with gusto, and now its too late to go back. as of now, i'm washing my hands of it....

she-devil left me 2 messages saying she wanted me to come in to discuss things; clearly, that's not going to happen. after 24 years, 10 months, and 9 days of being on this here planet, i know that that meeting will only lead to tears for me, and even when they are angry tears, tears just make you look weak. so in order to save myself from said meeting, i called to tell her i don't plan on coming back and she knows why. the plan was keep the tone and volume of my voice under control, keep the words simple and to the point, and don't let her get to me. so i called.... and BAM! she played her power card--left me on hold for a minute and a half. as i waited to hear her voice on the other end, my blood was beginning to boil, my heart was racing, and the words were becoming a jumble in my head. the anticipation was making me nauseous, so i hung up. she can call me when she is ready for me.

lesson learned today: most people cannot be trusted with your business, so don't tell them any of it.

alex and i went to see the incredible hulk today... enjoyable for sure, however, the most exciting part (for me) was the whole opening scene with the shots of the brazilian shantytown. ah-mazing. its so bizarre to think that people actually live in such places... like it should be fictional. oh yeah, and edward norton is hot, so that was good too. :)

Day One

The day began as well as a day can begin, but oh, how it turned sour in such a short time. Tears and hypocrisy ensued. The she-devil is pure concentrated evil. There is a picture of her below; she is hanging from a vine. God only knows why....

Really need to find a job here, but my opening line hasn't gotten me very far yet- "Hey I'm moving in 6 months. Can I have a job?"

Netflix instant watch is my new friend. Just wish that I could watch on the Mac. Boo.

Below are some pictures from the past couple days. You will see:

1) Sloth vilified by the lights
2) Sea anemone swaying smoothly
3) Spotted Shetland ponies





Alex and I sporting eerily similar hairstyles. :/

Carly Pants and Me