Moneychangers

Yesterday Bobby and I spent almost 8 hours working a craft fair for the organization I intern with. We were in a Sunday School room at a church, along with three other booths. There were many more lining the hallways, and filling other rooms. Everyone was selling their wares, there was a bake sale, and the cafeteria was selling lunch. After about two hours in, Bobby turned me and said "Jesus would totally flip our tables over", referencing that story in the Bible where Jesus goes berserk on the moneychangers at the temple. I laughed and said "no, no, no, it's ok because we're selling silk scarves from Cambodia, not doves in cages". Anyway, it was much more funny in person because for one we were exhausted and for two we were bored.

Other highlights of the day included the coconut almond latte I had for breakfast, and the picture organizing I was able to do since I brought my laptop- multitasking win! Oh, and the old lady at the booth next to us earnestly telling an old man that "Canadians sneak over the border to have their babies in the US so they'll have US citizenship". Then a woman said "I'm Canadian and we DON'T do that!" and the old woman just pursed her lips, gravely shook her head and said "Yes, yes you do. It happens all the time over the border".

What the hell? As if Canada is some terrible 3rd world country that people are begging to escape. The Canadian woman just walked off, muttering under her breath about the old lady. Later, the old lady at the booth dropped another awkward bomb. A woman in a Crazy Horse sweater walked up to old lady's booth, and old lady inquired as to how the statue was coming along. Crazy Horse sweater lady- who looked to be Native American herself- said it was coming along great. Then old lady at the booth shook her head, pursed her lips, and spat out "I guess that's the next group we'll have to be giving land back to!". Crazy Horse sweater lady just kind of stood there for a moment, and then walked away shortly after. There were more verbal gems after that, but you get the drift.

At first, I just thought old lady at the booth was a bit out of it- but then I realized, no, she's just kind of a jerk. Furthermore, if one is selling things, it's usually a good idea not to make divisive and potentially inflammatory political statements to would-be customers who may hold different views. But maybe that's just me. I do know that Bobby and I made sure to surreptitiously whisper our moneychanger joke when no one was in the room, instead of, say, dressing up like Jesus and running down the hall flipping over tables screaming out the scriptural reference for our outburst. Tact, people, it's about tact.

After the craft fair we loaded up, unloaded at the teahouse, and then headed to Denver- about an hour's drive from us. We had a fine time at a Moroccan restaurant with good friends, and I do have to thank old lady at the booth for giving me some comedic fodder for dinner conversation *tips hat to old lady at the booth*.

And now for random pictures of the belly dancer at said Moroccan restaurant. She acted like she was a bit drunk. But she was a hell of a lot nicer than old lady at the booth, and she was funny, so we forgave her potential drunkenness and just chalked it up to her being "sassy".




Some of those dollar bills are from my friend, Mandy. The belly dancer admonished her with "Two hands! Use two hands!" when Mandy tried to slip the money in. With a skirt that tight, there was no slipping. The belly dancer gave good advice- Mandy had to pull the waistband away, and then slide in the money. All to the soundtrack of hand bells ringing and "two hands!" being repeated. Then Bill gave her more money, and got up and danced with her. I told you she was sassy (and or drunk).

After the belly dancer and dinner we hit up an awesome bar in downtown Denver called "Double Daughters". It looks like Tim Burton designed the inside. I never drink, so of course I drove home, but I was exhausted and it was touch and go there for a while as I fought sleep like a toddler- complete with whining about how tired I was. We slept in this morning, Bobby made biscuits and veggie sausage, and writing this blog post is about the most productive thing I've done all day.

Off to eat pizza for dinner. A cherry Coke will be involved. Life is good.

Friday Fluff

Kittens, I have about 250 pictures left to scan, and then I will be done with everything save a small box of veeeeeeeery old (we're talking black and white at a photography studio) pictures of my Great Granny and family back when she was a baby and a teenager. I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and as it turns out, it is not a train full of more pictures about to crash into me.

But speaking of train wrecks. Check out this video. Oh, and this little girl is 4. Yes, 4. It's sad that it only takes a few short years for an irresponsible parent to create a monster out of an innocent child. Watch, and be horiffmazed. You know, horrified and amazed. Also, blogger wouldn't allow me to embed it or link it- it randomly does that to me. I think it read that post a while back where I talked about how terrible it is when it comes to pictures. Sigh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3wXyyE4_m0


And yes, this is a complete 180 from my last post. I thought we could lighten the mood a bit.

Human Life vs A 2010 Mercedes- Which Wins?

One of the things I love about living in Colorado, specifically our town in Colorado, is that it is so bike friendly. Anytime I am driving anywhere I see many cyclists- some obviously training, others using their bikes as transportation. Bobby bikes to work 80% of the time, and as you've seen on this blog we go on longer rides on the weekends together. I bike to the gym, and to the grocery store when I'm not doubling up on car errands. The point is, we're those nerds that eagerly keep up with cities installing bike lanes, or the newest green bamboo bikes that are coming out, or how some cities are created pedestrian only zones. It's a part of our lifestyle, and we appreciate living in a city that caters to it.

So. Imagine how pissed I was when I hopped on Facebook, and read a news article linked by a friend of ours- the same friend that went with us on our Tour de Flats 2010 bike ride. A wealthy financial manager, Martin Joel Erzinger, struck a cyclist- Dr. Steven Milo- on the highway in a town near where we live. Erzinger did not stop to see if the human being he struck had been killed. Instead, he drove to a local Pizza Hut where he called a tow truck and his insurance company to take care of his 2010 Mercedes. He didn't even place an anonymous call to 911 to send an ambulance out to his victim- no, his only concern was his car. Instead, another motorist came to Milo's rescue, and luckily Milo's life did not end on the side of a highway that day.

Now, I know you're thinking "that's terrible, but unfortunately people are crappy and hit and runs happen all the time". Yes, that's true. But it gets worse my friends. Much worse.

The DA, Mark Hurlbert, decided that Erzinger would not be charged with a felony- which is the standard charge. I mean, if you leave a human to die in a ditch on the side of the road, I kind of think a felony is getting off easy. But not Hurlbert. Oh, no. You see, he is on the record stating that Erzinger will not be charged with a felony because...

oh wait for it...

IT WILL AFFECT ERZINGER'S PROFESSION, AND HE MIGHT LOSE HIS JOB.

Yeah, read it again. A man is not being charged as he should because he "manages more than $1 billion in assets. He would have to publicly disclose any felony charge within 30 days, according to North American Securities Dealers regulations."

Oh, wow, I'm sorry. How terrible to have to suffer the consequences of your actions! I mean, I kind of thought the point of LAWS and the CONSEQUENCES OF BREAKING THEM is exactly what keeps people from doing so. If you didn't want to lose your job because of a felony, here's an idea- how 'bout you not COMMIT A FELONY??

So, here's the lesson kittens- if you make enough money, you are above the law. And people won't even try to hide that- they'll admit it to local papers and not even think twice about whether or not it's a good practice to remove negative consequences from one's actions, as long as one is wealthy. My friend Matt said he e-mailed DA Hurlbert and asked him "if he had a handy chart of net-worth to crimes you could get away with" committing. Because it's that blatant.

For the record, Milo- you know, the one who was LEFT TO DIE IN A DITCH- has stated he doesn't care about receiving monetary damages. Milo is a doctor, and presumably he is ok financially. Rather, he would understandably like Erzinger to be punished according to the law, not according to how much money Erzinger handles and makes.

If you, like me, are appalled that any DA would admit to not charging a criminal appropriately because it would affect the criminal's ability to enjoy his salary and keep his job, please sign the following petition-

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/da_mark_hurlbert_dont_drop_felony_charges_against_hit-and-run_wealth_manager

Here is the original story-

http://www.vaildaily.com/article/20101104/NEWS/101109939/1078&ParentProfile=1062

And here is the DA's information if you are so inclined to mail a letter, call, or fax regarding his decision:
Eagle County

Physical Address:
...Eagle Count Justice Center Annex Building
955 Chambers Avenue
Eagle, CO 81631

Driving Directions:
Click here for a printable map.

Mailing Address:
Eagle County District Attorney's Office
P.O. Box 295
Eagle, CO 81631

Phone Number:
970-328-6947
Fax Number:
970-328-1016

Lazy Halloween

Bobby and I were both pretty wrapped up in the election and volunteering for it leading up to Halloween, which didn't lend itself well to planning. Plus,we went on the aforementioned bike ride full of flats on Saturday, and by the time we got home and showered we didn't feel up for going out that night, which is when most of the Halloween celebrations were. So, we slept in on Sunday and then decided to be festive, but still lazy. I have a bag of costumes from years past, so I threw on some bunny ears and Bobby chose the cat ears and we set our sights on Halloween-ing it up, albeit on the day of and with no plan.


We got Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" playing on Hulu...

poured some celebratory holiday Silk...

and Bobby retrieved our enormous CSA pumpkin from the balcony where it had been living for the past two weeks.

Poor defenseless pumpkin, you know not what awaits you!!

We settled for a Jack Skellington style pumpkin- not too difficult but still more fun than triangle eyes. Of course back in Texas my mom and her friend were carving intricately detailed horses and owls into their pumpkins, so we were still lame by comparison.

Roll up your sleeves and dive in! This thing was huge and I was glad to give carving privileges to Bobby. I've never personally cared that much about carving pumpkins anyway, and since it was "the best pumpkin he's ever had" I thought it only fair.

This thing was stuffed full of seeds and slimy rind.

I helped with all of this part at least :)

Bobby started carving at the dining room table and I started roasting the seeds- several recipes suggested boiling first, which seemed weird to me, but apparently that makes them more crispy and less chewy.

I made three flavors- wasabi ginger, cinnamon/clove/honey, and cumin/chili powder/garlic salt. I didn't like any of them but Bobby thought they were good- I think I'm spoiled to shelled pumpkin seeds.

Fun with stencils! This picture is so ridiculous to me on so many levels. I was wearing my Obama/Biden shirt in honor of the upcoming elections, in case you were thinking "What the hell does that have to do with Halloween??". Although, many people in my small town seem to think Obama is the Anti-Christ, so, I'll admit that's pretty scary. No really, I've been told my many people via e-mail forwards that the Bible clearly says Obama is the Anti-Christ ya'll. For serious. But, moving on....

Yay! It's done and looks very Jack Skellington-y.

We decided to get marginally "dressed up" and head downtown. I wore my skeleton hoodie and actually put on makeup- weird- and Bobby added the tail to his cat ears.

That tail had me cracking up all. night. It was so absurd.

Creepy bunny in the background downtown. And yay, my little skelly-hood is showing!

I know I've said it before, but I seriously love our downtown. We wandered around for a bit people watching and talking, and then we decided to get some dinner at a place we'd never eaten.

Let me say, it's my new favorite place. It's an Italian place, and it has strawberry mojitos (virgin)...

This amazing rosemary bread with fabulous olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it into...

arugula hummus (apparently arugula is the sign of being an "elitist", all I know is it was delicious)...

and a dessert flight to end it all. I hope we always celebrate Halloween with pumpkin tiramisu!

We came home, lit our pumpkin, and lounged on the couch talking. I'll take a long Saturday fall bike ride and a laid back Sunday Halloween over a crowded loud bar full of drunken half naked college kids any day. I've been there and done that, and while it was fun I was glad to skip out this time around. A stress free, laid back Halloween was just in the cards this year, and it was great.

I Voted. Thank You 19th Amendment!

Today is Election Day. More specifically, these are mid-term elections, which for some reason gives people the idea that they are not important. As a result, America's already abysmal voter turnout becomes even more pathetic during elections that occur outside of the glitz and glamor of Presidential politics.

Personally, I don't understand why people would waste an opportunity to exercise a right that so many people have fought, died, and protested for. I'll be damned if I'm going to sit home on election day and spit in the face of the 72 years of struggle the women and men of the Suffrage Movement went through so that I, as a woman, would have the right to step into a voting booth and cast my ballot. Thank you 19th Amendment. I hope I never take you for granted.

Further, mid-term elections are just as important- if not more important- than our Presidential elections. We all know that when it comes down to it a popular vote does not elect a President. The Electoral college does. And yes, while the President can set the tone for certain policies, and she or he can veto certain bills, it's the Senators and Representatives that are actually drafting and voting on and passing or not passing laws that affect our entire nation. Depending on the state, Governors have wide ranging decision making power. Why would you not want a say in all that? Let's say you ardently supported Candidate X for President. Then, you skipped out on mid-terms, since, you know, they're apparently not important. But now the Senate and House are controlled by a party you don't agree with, and suddenly President X doesn't have much support for her administration. And suddenly all these laws are being passed that you disagree with... oh but wait. You didn't vote, right, because it "wasn't as important"? Hmmm. Maybe it was, don't you think?

What I love most about our democracy is the egalitarian nature of the voting booth. We all get one. single. vote. Rich or poor, whatever color we may be, or religion we may practice, or beliefs we may hold, however powerful or weak we are in our day to day jobs, when we each step into a voting booth we are truly equal. It is, perhaps, the only full expression of the ideal of equality put forth in our constitution. We all have a chance to be heard. One person, one vote. A chance to really dig into the machinery of our democracy, and decide to change this, take that out, build more of this, tear that down and turn it into something else, no, leave this section alone, it's fine. We get to dictate our leaders. It is our will that decides who has the right and the responsibility to hold office and be a human conduit of the principles that make up our country. That is an awesome privilege. And a huge responsibility.
But overall, I agree with my father's perspective- that it is our fundamental duty as citizens. We live in a country guided by laws that are organic. This system requires our commitment to participate, and participate often. If some of us sit it out, the picture gets skewed to one extreme or another. The more we participate, the more our government actually reflects the people it is meant to represent.

So please. Vote today, and vote every chance you get. There is never a more or less important election. If you care about the way our country is run and the way our daily lives are affected as a result, every election is important.


"Every voter ought not merely to vote, but to vote under the inspiration of a high purpose to serve a nation." -Calvin Coolidge

Fall, Seen From Our Balcony

Flats. And More Flats. And Then...More Flats.

Today Bobby and I headed out, bikes strapped to our car, to meet our friend Matt and his friend Laura. We planned to drive to the trailhead, bike a portion of the bike trail that follows the river, eat lunch in the neighboring town, and then bike back to our cars. Round trip we'd be doing about 35 miles in great fall weather. Plus, the restaurant we were going to is seriously the only good Mexican food I have had since moving to Colorado. It was worth biking 15+ miles one way to be rewarded with that veggie chile relleno at the end. Trust me.


Bobby, ready for a (potentially cold) bike ride

Me, modeling my sweet argyle socks and "I'm a real cyclist!" padded shorts. They are pretty much not flattering at all because you look like you're wearing a diaper. But that extra half inch of padding truly does make a big difference.

I was telling Bobby he looked creepy driving with his gloves- there may have been a "Dexter" reference in there somewhere.

We got to the trail head and Bobby so kindly unstrapped our bikes from the car. It had warmed up a lot, and instead of being 49 degrees it was high 60's/low 70's.

I'm ready to go! Mostly I wanted to get to that Mexican food asap.

The start of the trail- fall has been beautiful here, but unfortunately the wind has been blowing like crazy this week and most of the leaves are gone now.

We did our first leg- 15 miles- and arrived to a patio table at the restaurant. Good food was had by all, we rested a bit, and then headed back out to finish out the ride.

Matt and Laura, waiting. Waiting for what, you ask? Oh just this...

Bobby discovered a flat tire as we were getting reading to head out. Luckily, he was prepared with a spare inner tube. He fixed it, and off we went to the Panaderia we had passed on the way in- I love traditional Mexican bakeries, freshly made churros are incredible.

So, we hit up the Panaderia, get a bunch of treats, and continue on our way in the lovely fall weather. There are no bike lanes in this town, so we had to use the sidewalk. We come across a toddler- seriously, younger than 2- playing in the sidewalk, unattended, in front of a house that faces a 4 lane busy road. While this was troubling, we were more concerned with the open front gate that was blocking the sidewalk completely. We had to veer off into the rocky strip that bordered the road, and as soon as we were back on the sidewalk, we discovered our tires were full of goathead stickers. Bobby's tire immediately went flat. Mine was full of stickers as well. Matt and Laura seemed ok. We decided I would wait with Bobby while Matt and Laura biked back to our cars. So, they left us, and we walked our bikes up to the park where the trail joined the street. As we turned the corner, we saw a girl walking her bike towards us... it was Laura. Her tire was now flat.

Laura decided to call her friends, and Bobby called Matt to let him know we would be getting a ride to the trailhead.

Once everything was settled, we tucked into our bakery treats and waited to be rescued. Laura's friends picked us up, and we made it back to the trailhead safe and sound. And as soon as we got home we headed straight to REI for new tubes and tires.

All in all, it was a very good Saturday.