Hiked part of cheyenne mountain today with scrabble girl. One of the views looking back down towards co. springs.

Whole Lotta Randomness

I really should rename my blog "Whole Lotta Randomness." But really all I have floating around in my head is a bunch of random things so here we go:

* The other day I was watching an old movie called Indiscreet that has Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in it. There's a part where Ingrid's character is terribly depressed and doesn't want to leave home much to the distress of her older sister. Her sister then says something like, "Oh come on, you'll feel much better in a girdle" to try and convince her to go out. Which I happen to find terribly amusing. I plan on making that my new catch phrase every time someone is down in the dumps or I'm trying to convince someone to do something with me.

* In regards to making the same mistake over and over again. Thanks to Allie's strong woman vibes and help from my oh-so-wise friend Jill I have taken steps that will ensure I don't make the same mistake again. And then end up wallowing in my misery because of it. I have set boundaries, extremely clear ones, and I'm dedicated to staying within those boundaries. And the boundaries are livable, so i feel certain that I'll be able to do it. Cross your fingers for me.

* My lovable but chronically ill Jane is now feeling much better after some major repair work on the muffler system. For a while now she's had this awful jangling sound every time I put her into gear and it hasn't been fun driving my dear ghetto-mobile around with people staring at me everywhere. Apparently the pipe leading to the muffler had rusted completely through so half the system was just hanging and bouncing around as it pleased. I'm a little surprised I didn't die of carbon monoxide poisoning since I had been driving her around like that for so long. Oops.

* I went swimming at my local YMCA this morning and as usual there were a ton of old people there. Which is not a bad thing, it's just a fact. My YMCA is populated with mostly old people, a few children, and myself. And the teenage workers. Anyway, there were two very cute old men sitting in the lobby and I eavesdropped on their entertaining and snarky conversation as I was filling up my water bottle at the drinking fountain.
Snarky Old Man: I keep getting all these offers from people claiming they'll be able to lower my mortgage.
SOM's friend: Oh yeah?
SOM: Yeah. Every time the phone rings it's someone saying they can lower it by a hundred or two hundred dollars.
SOM's friend: Well that's not too bad.
SOM: I always ask them if they can lower it by three hundred dollars and when they ask why I tell them that's how much my current house payment is. Then I hear the click. *Laughs maniacally*

* I have decided which triathlons I'll be competing in this summer. The first one is one is the Buffalo Creek Triathlon (short course) on June 16. Even though it's off-road I think it will be a good starter course. The second one I'll be competing in is the Rattle Snake Triathlon (olympic length!) in Aurora, CO on August 18. Yikes! I think I'll probably add a small bike race or 10k into the mix during July, but I haven't decided upon anything definate yet.

A Couple of Ponderings

1) When I moved, I decided that I wouldn't tell any of my new friends about my blog. For some strange reason it makes me uncomfortable when select people I know read it. Weird since a whole lot of people I have never met before read it and that seems to be okay. Maybe I'm just old fashioned in that I want people who I see on a regular basis to get to know me the regular way. Unfortunately Scrabble Boy found out that I have a blog and now wants to read it, especially since I told him he couldn't. Maybe it's my paranoia that if our friendship ever dissolves he'll keep reading it and I'll have a silent Internet stalker. I already have one of those and really don't feel like having two. Anyone else get a little weirded out when people they know in person read their blogs?

2) I've decided that I have to be the dumbest person on the planet. Most people fail at something once and then don't let it happen again. I unfortunately do not seem to be able to learn from my mistakes. Every time the same thing starts all over again my head and heart get in a big huge war and my heart wins out. This time it's not going to be that way! Nope! My head is winning and I'm not going to let myself go down that path again. Must. not. give. in...

Brain Dead Jennie

I just got done sitting in a waiting room at the car shop for four hours. I'm officially brain dead. Once again, my chronically ill car, Jane, is trying to give up the ghost. Poor Jane. Brain dead Jennie. Maybe it's from all those mechanical smells.

My Life According to Google

Allie has tagged me with a fantastic meme. Just google your name along with "needs" and voila! Everything becomes clear in an instant! Here are my results:

Jennie needs our backing to beat scourge. That's right. I don't understand why I'm not getting more support in overcoming my drug addiction. I expected more from the blogosphere.

Jennie needs encouragement to clean her teeth properly. I try so hard, but sometimes I just can't make myself do it. Like google says, please encourage me.

Jennie needs time to process instructions so give her time to respond. Right, so be patient if I don't immediately follow your good advice in overcoming bad hygiene and drugs.

Jennie needs to milk the cows. Sorry cows, I'll get on that... someday.

Jennie needs your vote! At this time I'd like to announce that I'm officially running for... most rockin' awesome blogging triathlete in America. Feel free to cast your votes multiple times.

Jennie needs a special home that can commit her to rehabilitation. Only because I'm not getting the backing I need to beat my drug scourge.

I'll tag Heidi (fellow Google addict), Diane, and Hot Bawdy.

Famous For a Day

Lynette has been kind enough to humor me with some fantastic interview questions. Here goes:

1. A crazy billionaire wants to bankroll one of your passions - but only one. Which would you pursue?
Oh no! Only one?! Very difficult. I can easily eliminate all but two: triathlon and photography. It'd be a dream come true to have a darkroom of my own, numerous cameras, unlimited film, traveling money, etc. On the other hand how can I pass up free bikes, sporting gear, and trips to random places with great races? It just can't be done. Triathlon is the winner. Plus, the feeling of pushing myself through a really tough workout can't be beat.

2. What is your favorite state or region in the U.S. and why?
Another very tough question. While I am completely in love with several of the places I've lived (Hawaii, Colorado, & Minnesota), I have to go with California. Gorgeous groves of Redwoods and Sequoias, picturesque San Francisco, Monteray Bay, Lake Tahoe, perfect beaches, San Diego, and great scuba diving off of Catalina Island. But the best thing about California is Yosemite National Park. I fell in love with it the first time I went and can't get enough of it. It's awfully tempting to become a backpacking bum and just live there. Pretty sure my parents wouldn't approve though.

3. Think of the celebrities that you find totally hot. Now picture them never having been famous and pumping gas in some podunk town. Which one(s) would drop off your "hot list"?
Christian Bale would be hot doing pretty much whatever so he gets to stay. Jimmy Fallon is cute, plays guitar, and charming so he also gets to stay. And since Jon Stewart is hilarious and smart he's not booted either. I have a feeling that if Edward Norton and Alan Rickman were pumping my gas and decided to hit on me I'd be fairly creeped out. *Shudder*

4. If you could put yourself into any movie, which would it be and how would you work into the story line?
My all time favorite movie, Casablanca. I'd be the Nazi spy disguised as a lounge singer who tries to seduce Victor Lazlo to get the Letters of Transit from him. After failing to obtain them by those means (because obviously Victor loves Ilsa and doesn't even have the letters) I would succeed in stealing them from Rick's piano. Later on I would have a change in heart, give the letters to Ilsa and Lazlo, and win Rick's undying love.

5. Who do people say you remind them of - is it a famous person or a friend/family member?
People are always telling me that I remind them of someone they know or trying to play the "I know I've seen you before and let's try to figure out where from" game. I've only ever had one person tell me that I reminded them of Princess Leia, but I'm pretty sure they were smoking dope.

Happy Not-So-Lame Birthday To Me

Okay, call me a pessimist but I was completely expecting my birthday yesterday to be lame. Seeing how I just moved somewhere new, all of my old friends are in SLC, and half of my new friends are out of town for spring break. Like partying with me isn't as good as a vacation :)

I happened to be completely wrong. It was the best birthday I've had in quite some time. Low key but extremely enjoyable. I started it out by letting myself sleep in. Then I went biking on Cheyenne Mountain (see previous post below for a picture). It was a great little ride. Only about six miles but still a good workout because it's uphill. Then I treated myself to lunch and some Barnes & Noble action. Rounded out the day with friends and DDR. I know it's completely nerdy to love DDR so much but I've never professed to be anything but nerdy. Is it possible to be rockin' awesome and nerdy at the same time? I think so. Clearly achieving it. Oh! And Scrabble Boy learned how to play "Victoria" by John Mayer as a most wonderful birthday present. Love love love that song. He wins brownie points for sure...

View after biking gold camp road, a short but steep climb.

Awaiting a Flood

I'm a bit baffled. I think I'm getting taller. Or all of my pants are getting shorter. I have short legs and I'm too lazy to get my pants hemmed so I tend to invest in shoes that have a bit of a heel on them. This past week I've tried to wear my tall shoes with some of my pants and I couldn't. I looked like I was awaiting a flood. How is this possible? I don't understand. I don't think people get taller at 23. Do they? Could my pants spontaneously shorten themselves? Huh.

The South Will (Not) Rise Again

On Monday I happened to find myself at a ChuckECheese birthday party (which is a story for another day). While rollicking in the mouse fun, I was lucky enough to meet a guy named Branden. We started chatting about the usual: what do you do, where are you from, etc. During the conversation I found out that he is from sweet home Alabama! I then shared with him my intense fears of The South. Most people are afraid of the unknown. Some view the unknown as Arabs, Latinos, Canadians, etc. My unknown is The South. In retrospect I probably shouldn't have shared my thoughts with him as that's not a very good way to make friends with someone from The South.

There are two things in life that I'm terrified of and here they are:

1. Germs- specifically kitchen germs

2. The South

Why am I so afraid of The South? Good question. I've known plenty of normal Southerners and they seem mostly normal (well, most of them). As normal as the rest of the country anyhow. But maybe that's just because they've lived elsewhere for a while. Maybe the people who actually live in The South and never come out are the weird ones. I'm pretty sure that's it.

If I ever moved down there, I might end up flying a confederate flag in my front yard and another one on my car for good measure. And go around saying things in my slow Southern drawl like, "The South Will Rise Again!" or "Damn Yankees!" Sending my children to bad schools and letting them marry their second cousins. Canoeing through swamps. Catching alligators. Oh, and I might become a republican. Although since Utah and my parents didn't do that to me, it'd be a long shot.

Here's just a little excerpt from a website called The Confederacy Project that illustrates these fears. "Another PC myth was that slaves were mistreated, starved, and beaten. Not true, slaves were treated better than share croppers and day laborers; they were provided adequate food, shelter, clothes, and medical care. Slaves were private property and were expensive to buy and keep so they were not used for the extremely dangerous jobs such as mining, building of canals, and other such projects because the risk of loss of slaves in accidents would have an high economical impact on their owners, especially if they were injured and not able to work any more. So much for another PC myth that slaves built the infrastructure of the nation and so reparations must be paid to their descendants. Even after the War Between The States, many freed slaves stayed with the families that formerly owned them." Right... so it was okay to treat people like property. I mean, as long as they were well taken care of. Just like cars or a house. They're worth a lot so you take care of them. No biggie...

They say that to overcome your fears you should face them head on, but I just don't think I can do it. Nope. Can't make me.

Wicked!

Ha! Wicked is coming to Denver in May and I'm slated to go see it with my dear friend Samantha. Totally pumped!

Love Fest

Have I mentioned yet that I LOVE living in Colorado? Because I love, love, LOVE it here. Here are some of my favorite things so far:

*The gorgeous skies. Everyday I walk out of my apartment and am amazed at the beautiful blue sky always dotted with lovely, puffy white clouds. After living in SLC where the skies are covered with inversion 50% of the time, I can't get enough of the blue.

*The constant breeze. I think Colorado Springs should take over Chicago's title of the "windy city" because it's always going. Maybe in the winter I won't love it so much but right now it's spring and the breeze is fantastic!

*There are bike trails everywhere. Not just bike lanes, but honest to goodness trails that twist through neighborhoods and connect the many, many parks. I'm in heaven. After this I don't know if I'll ever be able to live in a place that doesn't have a fabulous trail system.

*My scrabble groupies. Yes it's true, I already have scrabble friends and they are quite lovely. And they're good too. It's hard enough to find people who like to play, let alone people that will give me a challenge.

*The little children living in my apartment complex who have taken to calling me Miss Jennie. Of course it's extremely possible that they only love me because I let them play with my "Twister" & "Rockem' Sockem' Robots" set and read my children's books, but I'm okay with that.

*Palmer Park. This park is like a ski resort for mountain bikers. Each of the many trails in this park are labeled like ski runs would be: green, blue, black. And it's free!

*Manitou Springs. This neighboring town is like my own little Park City.

Did I mention that I love it here?

Okay, I'm officially done with my love fest...

Views from the top of palmer park. This fabulous biking mecca is close to my apartment. In this pic pikes peak is the one to the left with snow.

Someone Else's Embarrassing Moment

I'm sitting in the library using their computers because, uh, they're free. Anyway, this poor kid's computer across the way just announced to the whole computer lab in a high squeaky voice "Hey everybody! I'm watching porno over here!" Which of course he wasn't (it is a public computer lab and all). Turned 5 shades of red while the rest of the patrons snickered. So cruel I know, but amusing nonetheless.

Pictures Below

Yesterday I had a bit of extra time and decided to hit the large area on my map that said "Garden of the Gods." So glad I did! It's this large park on the outskirts of Colorado Springs that is southern Utah meets mountainous Colorado. All I can say is that I think I found my new favorite cycling location. Woohoo! Snapped a couple of pictures with my phone and mobile blogged them yesterday. Hence the pictures with very little explanation :)

Garden of the gods 2

Garden of the gods

Time for a Filter Change?

My friends and I always joke about my lack of filter and how I need to obtain one for the purpose of screening some of the things I say. I am in the habit of saying what I think when I think it and that's not always a good thing. Sometimes I'll mull over things if I haven't formed a concrete opinion but as soon as I form one.... out it goes. But I don't think I'm the one in need of a filter overhaul. The past couple of days I've had the great fortune of encountering two male specimens who need a new filter.

First I'll give you creepy mattress boy. Here are just a few things that slipped out of his mouth while I tried to shop for a mattress and he tried to get a date and make a sale (neither happened by the way):

*If I were you I'd definitely go for the queen size bed because, if you don't mind me saying, you're a cute girl and you might be wanting to have a few "adult" sleepovers. If ya know what I mean. Wink wink.

*I can give you the best deal because I don't care about my commission. This isn't my real job. I'm really a news anchor in New York City.

*Don't get a firm mattress. I have two screws in my back and I'm telling you that soft mattresses are the way to go. I got injured when I saw a chiropractor for a news story I was doing.

*I used to be a world class runner. And I even did triathlons on the side!

*Do you like dogs? What are you doing tonight? Do you want to walk my dog with me at the Doggie Park? Here let me show you my dog's web page on MySpace.

*You've only been in town for a week? Then I'm really going to hit on you now! (Like you weren't doing a pretty good job of it already).

Seriously. You need a filter Creepy Mattress Dude. Get one now. No your lack of one did not get you a date. Instead I booked it out of there as fast as I could.

Now on the other end of the spectrum I give you Been Friends Forever And I'm Holding a Grudge Against You For Something You Said Three Years Ago That You Don't Remember But It Really Bothers Me And I Won't Address The Issue Guy.

I recently found out through a mutual friend that I had said something really stupid and hurtful to this friend in jest. No I'm not proud of it. I don't remember saying it. It's not even true. But apparently it really hurt him. I wish that he would have addressed the issue with me. I was really dumb. I would apologize. Several times. If something is going to bother you for three years, you should say something!!! And now I can't even take up the issue with him because I was sworn to secrecy. Driving me crazy!

It really shouldn't be this hard to get a happy medium should it?