my little experiment

Half way through Monday, I realized I was suppose to be meditating on the encouraging words that Sheralee had given to me. Ironically, the word was encouraging.

Here's what I realized: I need to become more encouraging to myself. I think Sheralee is right, I am encouraging to my friends. I fully believe I have the best group of friends. I have surrounded myself (here and around the world) with people who are fully loving, who are capable of changing the world, who have strong convictions and aren't willing to back down on what they believe in. However, most of the time, I don't believe that about myself. In fact, I'm pretty damn abusive towards myself. My friend Sara reminded me of that on Monday night when we had birthday desserts.

So, here's to hoping that I will give myself a little grace and a lot of love and start building myself up. Here's to encouragement.

enjoy the ride...

Fall in love or fall in hate. Get inspired or be depressed. Ace a test or flunk a class. Make babies or make art. Speak the truth or lie and cheat. Dance on tables or sit in the corner. Life is divine chaos. Embrace it. Forgive yourself. Breathe. And enjoy the ride... -Solbeam

On my birthday, my friend Sheralee handed me a small, handmade card. She selected 12 words, 12 words of truth she sees in me. And she's right, I don't believe in these 12 words are the truth about me, especially these days. But I'm trying to. I've made the active choice to spend the next 12 days meditating over these truths. My hope is simple, hopefully by the end of the 12 days I will know they are very true.

encouraging...smart...sexy...vibrant...generous...faithful...fun-loving...strong...beautiful...spontaneous...brave...hilarious...

yeah, yeah, it was my birthday

I've recently said that 2009 is in the running for the worst year. I don't know 2005 can be topped, but it so far, 2009 is in the running.

I typically spend the entire month of March celebrating my birthday. However, due to the circumstances of 2009, I had no desire to celebrate. I couldn't find a reason to spend the whole month celebrating.

So, I put my desire to celebrate aside. In my words, it wasn't worth celebrating. However, my beautiful friends decided otherwise.

Here's how I spent my 29th birthday. Technically it started with dinner on Sunday night with a friend. I was taken to a great Italian restaurant here in Denver and enjoy the company of a good friend. Monday included breakfast at Snooze, only to be surprised that my friends Christie and Daniel were more than generous, all the way from Kansas City and took care of my meal, pedicures with Maria, margaritas at Wahoos, dinner at Maggianos with Sheralee and Maria and drinks at the Bull. Throughout the day, I got lots of loving messages from friends and family. For a day that I didn't want to celebrate, it ended up being a blessing. I felt loved, wanted, appreciated...and for the last few months, that hasn't been true.

Thank you to everyone who participated. It wouldn't have been the same without you.

Maybe 2009 is starting to look up...here's to hoping for the best 29th year possible.

Having a voice

One of the things I love most about our new administration is that our President is allowing the people to voice their opinion on the changes he wants to make. Whether you agree or not with the changes he wants to make, he does want to hear from you. Amazing...a President willing to listen to the people.

I received the following email from a friend of mine regarding the new changes on health care, specifically on receiving complete and accurate reproductive health information and services.

President Obama has begun the process of overturning the Bush administration rule that limits the rights of patients to receive complete and accurate reproductive health information and services. The Bush rule is a huge threat to women's health, and this is our best chance to reverse it.

In order to overturn the Bush administration rule, Obama has to allow 30 days for the public to comment on what he proposes to do. We need to show our support NOW to make sure his proposal to reverse the rule succeeds.

I want to make sure that doctors and hospitals aren't allowed to use their personal biases as an excuse to withhold health care information and services from their patients. That's why I joined Planned Parenthood in speaking out in support of President Obama's plan to undo this dangerous rule.

Will you add your voice? Here's the link with all the info you need:
http://www.ppaction.org/campaign/hhsorcp_ppol?rk=KdwN_7718C-IW

Like I said, you have the right to voice your opinion on what you want President Obama does on this. Speak up, use your voice. It's not every day in every country that you can say what you need and what you want from our President. I personally don't care what you want to say, just say it. Don't be lazy and not say anything and then bitch and moan after it's said and done.

Having a voice is a privilege in this country. USE IT.

60

Here are some things you might not know about the number 60:
The 30th even number is 60.
The 127th and 128th digits of pi is 60.
Neodymium's atomic number is 60.
A snowflake has six main arms that are 60 degrees apart.
A honeycomb is a hexagon with outer angles of 60 degrees.
Diamond wedding anniversary celebrates 60 years of marriage.

60 days ago, I worked my last day at my job. Here we are, 60 days later, and I still do not have full time employment. The reality is, it's been over 2 months since I was at my job.

I had to go back the other day, to finish up some paper work for my stock options. Walking in there was horrible. It affected my entire day. But I realized on Thursday, that is the last time I will ever have to walk in there. I once said I would almost consider going back and last week, there isn't enough money in the world to have me go back.

Someone recently asked me how the job search was going. Here's the reality, it is what it is. There is nothing new to report. Jobs I want, I don't get, the one job I've been offered, I couldn't take for multiple reasons.

I just don't know what else to do. A friend of mine has offered to review my resume and I signed up for a class through Denver's YNPN (Young Nonprofit Professional Network) for my resume to be reviewed by multiple Nonprofit professionals.

I never expected 60 days to go by without me have a full-time job. I don't know if I can do another 60 days. And selfishly, I still want one as a birthday present and that's 15 days away. Many people I've spoken with has said that their 29th birthday was worse than their 30th. I have a strong suspicion mine will be similar.

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. -- Harriet Van Horne

I've had a friend ask me a question recently about my cooking. Not that I do it, but why all of the sudden with all the new recipes.

I've tried some that work, some that need to be added to every one's repertoire, and some that I'm too afraid to try.

Here's why I am doing it...I'm choosing not to eat out as much and since I am not, I need to find some items to make it feel like I am eating out. And really, I needed to move beyond the fajitas, killer meatloaf and baked ziti I have mastered.

So, I am trying new things. Keeping my options open and reminding myself that this can be a learning experience, not only about what I am capable of doing within the kitchen, but that it can be applied to life.

Perhaps there are other risks I need to be taking.

Fear

You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

For the last month, I have cried almost every day. And I'm not saying that for sympathy, I'm saying that as fact.

I hate being unemployed. I hate it. I would never wish this experience on my worst enemy. It forces you to deal with the lies you tell yourself, the reality that they actually might be true and the inability to find the truth in the midst.

Not only do I fear what my reality is, I get stressed out about it on an almost hourly basis. I have 6 weeks until my birthday. And all I want is a job. And right now, I'd almost take any job. While Starbucks provides me with a much needed escape each week, it only provides me with a 12 hour escape.

I know others have it tougher than me and to be honest, I can't always see that reality. Right now, I see my reality.

So, readers (if there are any of you out there), what do you do when you are facing the fear, the stress, the inability to grasp that something bigger and better is out there? Because right now, I can use all the advice I can get.

It's just a ride.

Note: Any desire to be home constantly has been diminished by unemployment.

While, I am appreciative of sleeping in and moving at my own pace, the reality of unemployment often seems bleak and really not as much fun as I would have hoped for or imagined.

I have lots of song I am listening to on repeat these days, to subside the constant flow of emotions I feel. By the way, these emotions range from anger, to bliss, to deep pain, to frustration, to overwhelmed. And yes, a majority of these are sad emotions. Welcome to my head.

My current repeat song is "Just a Ride":

Life, it's ever so strange
It's so full of change
Think that you've worked it out
then BANG
Right out of the blue
Something happens to you
To throw you off course
and then you

Breakdown
Yeah you breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Truth, we don't wanna hear
It's too much to take
Don't like to feel out of control
So we make our plans
Ten times a day
And when they don't go
our way we

Breakdown
Yeah we breakdown
Well don't you breakdown
Listen to me
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you round and round
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared
don't hide your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget it's just a ride

Slowly, oh so very slowly
accept that
there's no getting off
So live it, just gotta go with it
coz this ride's, never gonna stop

Breakdown
Don't you breakdown
No need to breakdown
No need at all
Because

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you all around
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared now
dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget enjoy the ride.

It's just a ride, it's just a ride
no need to run, no need to hide
It'll take you all around
Sometimes you're up
sometimes you're down
It's just a ride, it's just a ride
don't be scared now
dry your eyes
It may feel so real inside
but don't forget enjoy the ride.

I'm ready to get off this ride...

Stop and cherish this moment

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. -- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States of America

What an amazing day...

To choose hope over fear, love over hate, unity over discord.

It is possible. It will not be easy or quick, but it is completely possible.

It is a new day.

At least I'm not pregnant

Over the last three years, there have only been a handful of things that are consistent. The Worleys, Great American Beer Festival and my job. I had started with my job as a temp. I was the executive assistant to one of our Chairman for our Cherry Creek office. This was something unlike I had never experienced before. I complained about the needing to change outfits in the middle of the day because I wasn't wearing the proper attire. I had the chance to go to a beautiful hotel and relax completely. I found areas that I am very confident in and areas that should be left alone.

And while I have been wanting to move on for a while, here's the reality of my life. As of today, December 31, I am without a job. My position was dissolved and I will be working at Starbucks until I find something permanent. There are things I will miss about my job, and mostly it's the people. I have some good friendships at my office. We have a routine there. I will miss those people. I will miss my discussions about The Hills, ANTM, and The Office. I will miss the events that I planned, the areas of strengths I developed and the chances I was given. But at the same, it's time for me to move on. My passion doesn't lay in the financial services area, it's not the best area for me and what I believe to be true about me. And at the end of the day, what I do from 8-5 Monday through Friday, doesn't get me out of bed in the morning. In fact, it makes me want to stay in bed.

But as the news is slowly getting out, the overwhelming question is "what are you going to do next?". I wish I had a more eloquent answer than "I just don't know yet". I have over 50 resumes out in the Denver area. I have applied for things that I don't qualify for to things that I am over-qualified for. I have applied to jobs just to apply and have had two jobs that I really wanted deny me. But unfortunately, I have no idea what is going to happen next. And while I appreciate everyone asking me and their concern, it's a similar question to "why are you still single?". I have no idea how to answer either, so my new standard answer is "well, at least I'm not pregnant.".

I have no idea what the future holds. Actually, that's a lie, I do. I know it involves cleaning the hell out of my place, searching and applying for jobs that I want, spending time with Rowds, breathing deeply, enjoying some much needed space. Sure this might mean that I might have to stay at Starbucks part time a little bit longer and sure this might mean facing some deeper issues about being alone and sacrificing a constant going out, but hey...

At least I'm not pregnant...

New Year's Resolutions

It's getting towards the end of the year. And I won't lie, 2008 hasn't been the best. There have been many struggles, many sacrifices, many losses. There has been humility given out by the fistful, too many tears, too much heartache.

And with the end of the year comes reflection and hope. While I haven't taken the time to read through my posts from 2008, I have begun to think about what I want out of 2009. There is the possibility of going back to Kenya, a place where my heart is still kept, where I still long to be. There is the possibility of Spain. There is Vegas, Chicago, Fargo... There will be new jobs, new adventures, new loves, new heartaches. And instead of making the traditional New Year's Resolutions which are bound to fail, I came across some mantras from the Dalai Lama. Perhaps these should be the goals I have for myself in 2009:

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

3. Follow the three R's:
Respect for self
Respect for others and
Responsibility for all your actions.

4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

8. Spend some time alone every day.

9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.

16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

next steps

I've been thinking more and more recently about what I should be doing.

Should be. It's a dangerous grouping of words. I should be cleaning my house, walking my dog, studying for the GRE, working more at Starbucks, creating more intentional time with friends, meditating, caring for my soul...the list could go on. But those two tragic words together induce such shame. I really should be doing what I think is best for me.

I'm tossing around the idea of going back to grad school. However, this is where the pull is. I already have a master degree. Why do I need another one? If I go back to school, shouldn't I be going after a PhD? Not that my first isn't important, but outside of the church, most companies have no idea what the hell to do what a Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership, hence the fact I leave the Transformational part out on my resume. And really, do I need another master degree to do what I want?

But that leads to the ultimate question...what do I really want to be doing? I know the things I believe about myself, that I was put on this planet to create change in it. That the systems we have in place aren't helping people and I want to help people. So does that mean I need a different degree? Do I need a Social Work or Public Policy degree?

(And if someone could tell me what a degree in Public Policy really does, I'd appreciate it.)

But in the same breath, the ultimate question brings up some great fears. Do I really want to pay $90,000 for a degree in Social Work when making that will never happen? Why do I have to take the GRE because I suck at standardize tests and already have a degree, shouldn't that be enough? How would I make ends meet?

Maybe this is all a ramble, but at the end of the day, I need some direction. But I know, I definitely need to start looking at some next steps for my future.

What an interesting time we live in...

I won't lie. With the election just around the corner, everything is heating up. The conversations are heated, the vibes are heated, even The Onion posts are heated.

And here's the truth...I.LOVE.IT.

I don't know if our country has ever experienced anything like this before, and it might never happen again. People who have never been involved with politics are making phone calls, purchasing buttons, and supporting the hell out of their candidates.

We will all never agree, however, living in this country allows us the freedom not to agree. It allows us to speak our minds freely and have the fun/hard/heated conversations. We are living in a land that gives us the chance to try something new and think about possibilities. If we all agreed, what would be the fun in that?

It surprised me the other day to find out that someone who is as avid McCain supporter removed me from their friends on Facebook because I support Obama. They have every right to support McCain and I have every right to support Obama. It doesn't make either one of us a "bad" person because we support the candidate we do. Our country, our liberties give us this chance...why shouldn't we embrace it? Hell, even the avid McCain supporter I sit next to in my office looks past who I am voting for and we still get along.

It's my hope that somehow this election, these times, allow us to embrace each other's opinions. Why we don't, why we choose fear and why at the end of the day, it's easier to hate instead of breathing deep and seeing a chance to learn how to listen better is beyond me.

Do the research, register to vote and take a chance. Embrace the opportunity we have...you may never get it again.

Obama/Biden 2008!

Issued by the McCain campaign

Someone recently asked me to engage a conversation on why I feel so passionate about this Presidential election.

There are many reasons, but one of the major reasons is McCain's stances on women's issues.

Here is where John McCain stands on basic women issues:

McCain Opposed Equal Pay Bill for Women, Said They ‘Need Education and Training’ Instead. McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. If he had been there to vote, he said he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill. The bill addressed a recent Supreme Court decision that said Steelworker Lilly Ledbetter could not recover back pay for 19 years of discrimination at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. because she had not discovered the unequal pay until she retired. The bill would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to allow employees to file charges of pay discrimination within 180 days of the last received paycheck affected by the discrimination. [Source: aflcio.org; H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08; Associated Press, 4/28/08]

McCain Voted to Gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. [Source: aflcio.org S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]

Source for the following information: Planned Parenthood

McCain opposed spending $100 million to prevent unintended and teen pregnancies. In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.

McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based.
McCain voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.

McCain opposed Title X, the nation's family planning program.
In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control. (Because low income families should also worry about cancer and the inability to pay for screenings on top of every thing else.)

McCain opposed requiring insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and to require insurance coverage of prescription birth control. (Because paying for a birth is so much cheaper than my $30 a month birth control)

McCain opposes comprehensive sex education.
In an interview aboard the "Straight Talk Express," McCain struggled to answer questions about comprehensive sex education and HIV prevention. He also stated that he supported "the president's policy" on sex education. (Because obviously giving teens all the information possible will lead them to have sex. I was shamed and scared into waiting till marriage to have sex by a youth group and that was such a better tactic.)

McCain unsure where he stands on government funding for contraception.
"Whether I support government funding for them or not, I don't know," McCain said about contraceptives.

McCain opposed repealing the "global gag rule."
In 2005, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule," which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country.

McCain supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
In February 2007, the AP quoted McCain stating, "I do not support Roe v. Wade. It should be overturned." In May 2007, he reiterated his desire to overturn Roe v. Wade during an appearance on Meet the Press stating, "My position has been consistently in my voting record, pro-life, and I continue to maintain that position and voting record."

(Thank you Barak Oblogger for posting these!)

I'm not here to argue whether or not Roe v. Wade should be overturned (though I do think it should be available), but as a woman, I can't think of a worse possible President (let alone a male) to dictate my body and my reproduction system. That should be my choice, with my ethics and my morals that lead me to make those decisions, not the government.

So, maybe the picture wasn't issued by the McCain campaign, but I have a feeling he might agree with it.

Attending the Acceptance Speech

Yesterday, my friend Julia came to my desk to ask if I wanted to go see Obama. I simply thought she meant go back outside to the hotel where he is staying and watch the motorcade drive by again. I grabbed my camera and said sure.

That's when she surprised me. She meant go see Obama. I immediately said yes. No matter what needed to be done throughout the rest of the day, I had to be there. After clearing it through everyone, we left.

Unfortunately, we didn't really think this part through. We got a taxi that took us to the Pepsi Center and then walked the 2 miles to meet our tickets. Her friend, a lobbyist with Planned Parenthood, had 2 extra tickets. (Thank you Planned Parenthood for the seats and I will be voting against 47 in November!) And then we waited. And we waited. And we waited. We stood in line for 3 1/2 hours to get through security and up to our seats.

When the Rockies were in the playoffs last year, I sat in the 2nd to last row of the stadium. When Obama spoke last night, I was in the 10th to last row of the stadium. We had a great view of the back of every speakers head. But I was there. I was there when Obama accepted the nomination. I was a part of history.

My only complaint about last night isn't the walk or the long line, or the location of our seats. It was that I couldn't hear Al Gore or Obama speak. The echo was horrible that high up and when the crowd got excited, well, it should have been an adult from a Peanuts cartoon. Thankfully CNN always posts the text from the speeches and I was able to read what each man had to say.

Historic? Definitely. Aw inspiring? You betcha. Chance of a lifetime? Of course. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

And if that wasn't enough, in a crowd of 75,000, I was able to see my friend Jeni, randomly on the street. Want proof of the evening? Click here.

BREAKING NEWS

I GET TO SEE OBAMA TONIGHT...LIVE, IN PERSON, AT INVESCO.

yes, you should feel the excitement.

The DNC

Once this week finally settles down and I can finally breathe, I'll post on what having the DNC in town has meant to me. For the time being, after watching most of it on TV over the last few days (and tonight at a watch party), here's one of the better parts from Bill Clinton's speech:

The Republicans will nominate a good man who served our country heroically and suffered terribly in Vietnam. He loves our country every bit as much as we all do. As a Senator, he has shown his independence on several issues. But on the two great questions of this election, how to rebuild the American Dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world, he still embraces the extreme philosophy which has defined his party for more than 25 years, a philosophy we never had a real chance to see in action until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and Congress. Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades were implemented.
They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty - and millions more losing their health insurance.
Now, in spite of all the evidence, their candidate is promising more of the same: More tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans that will swell the deficit, increase inequality, and weaken the economy. More band-aids for health care that will enrich insurance companies, impoverish families and increase the number of uninsured. More going it alone in the world, instead of building the shared responsibilities and shared opportunities necessary to advance our security and restore our influence.
They actually want us to reward them for the last eight years by giving them four more. Let's send them a message that will echo from the Rockies all across America: Thanks, but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm.

Why I feel like I'm going to fail at the DNC

In recent months, I had a brush with a celebrity and froze in the moment. I figured that I could redeem myself and somehow, I wouldn't embarrass myself come DNC time.

However, after last night, I think that I am going to fail miserably in the next few weeks.

My friend Sara and I went to see Joshua Radin last night at my favorite venue in Denver. As we stood in the crowd, I realized we standing next to Joshua. Eventually I asked him if he often stands in the crowd and his response was no, but that he thought he should. When the opening act finished, I reminded him that he had to go get ready. His response "Oh yeah, I have to go put on my eyeliner".

When the lights dimmed, I realized my mistake. The person I had been talking to wasn't Joshua. It was his bass player.

Oh. My. God.

I felt like the perpetual L should be branded on my forehead. I felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

I realized in that moment, I'm either going to confuse someone or not even recognize them come DNC time.

But the show was fantastic. Especially the part where Joshua came out to the crowd and stood about 100 feet from us and played acoustically.

"That could have been a really difficult conversation"

On Saturday, in the 99 degree weather, Christen and I went to the Mile High Music Festival to see some great bands, enjoy the great weather and do some great people watching.

I watched the following bands:
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
O.A.R. (Of A Revolution)
Steve Winwood (this is only because part of the Tom Petty concert became a Steve Winwood concert)
Spoon
Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
Citizen Cope
Lupe Fiasco
Gavin Degraw
Josh Ritter
Newton Faulkner (where I saw Ingrid)
Eric Hutchinson

And I'll be honest, I now love Spoon. I plan on seeing them the next time they are in Denver. They are totally worth it. It was also hilarious that they interrupted their concert to help the audience member looking for shrooms.

Christen and I beat the heat by lounging in the shade tents, enjoying the bands and the day. We had a great discussion about pepperoni, and that we wouldn't murder each other. We also found out that Steve is the greatest person ever.

The day could have been ruined by awkward run-ins, arguments, and in general horrible vibes, but it was a great way to spend the Saturday vibe free and not being around people who would have been a bust on the entire day.

It was worth it...every penny and I hope it's back next year. I'd go to both days next year.

My moment of greatness...and I froze

Working downtown provides me with entertainment on a daily basis. I've gotten pretty good at identifying the truly homeless from the posers who want to appear homeless. The investment bankers from the high-end real estate agents. And then, there's the occasional celebrity.

Sure, I've seen the Mayor (at the local bookstore, and he was behind me. Thankfully, I was asking for a smart book) and the Governor (he said good morning to me as I was walking to get Starbucks). But last night, it was a real celebrity.

This guy walked into Starbucks and he had this look like a rock star. He heard my coworker and I discussing concerts and so I asked where he was playing. He didn't answer. He took his bottle of water and left. About a minute later, he walked back in. This time we really got after him. I asked again where he was playing and he said Red Rocks. I asked what band he was in and he said I would have to go home and google it. I asked again and he said Stone Temple Pilots.

This is the point where I could have asked every legitimate question in the book but here are the two questions I asked:
1) Is Scott on tour? His answer yes...
2) Is Scott sober?

Is. Scott. Sober. That's the brilliant question I asked. Not what's it like to play Red Rocks? What it's like to be on tour for ages with a great band? Can I have free tickets? And a backstage pass?

Ugh...Hopefully, when I meet Adam Duritz in September, I won't freeze and will be able to ask him the real questions.

By the way, it was Dean DeLeo, the Stone Temple Pilot's lead guitarist, I met last night.