Altitude Sickness

I've officially gained experience in one not-so-fantastic aspect of this state. Namely, altitude sickness. In the past 3 days I've seen some beautiful territory; Estes park, Steamboat, Rocky Mountain National Park, and honestly - the drives up and down and between all 3 are fantastic as well. Unfortunately, between going up and down and changing between 1 and 2 miles above sea level in a matter of hours every day....my poor head feels like it's permanently locked in a vice grip that even double doses of Advil can't seem to phase.

So far, that's the only negative thing I have to say about this place (except, possibly, my complaints about the cost of living) But overall, I'm incredibly happy. My Dad blames the wind in Wyoming (his home state) on the fact that Colorado sucks so much....but I find that pure and simple bias. ;)

This Year

If my life were a movie, this would have been one of those defining scenes. I was on hour 7 of the 8 hour trek from Omaha to Denver (my new home....craziness!) singing to random songs on the iPod. The song This Year by Chantal Kreviazuk came on - and the verse goes something like this:

'This year is gonna be incredible, this year is gonna be the one. All the planets are lining up for me. This year, I'm gonna have fun...'

I drive over this huge hill and all of a sudden, THERE ARE THE MOUNTAINS!! Spreading from the far left to the far right hand edge of my windshield.

*sigh* I'm so happy to be here!

Lackadaisical

I've always liked that word. Were you to point a gun at my temple at this exact moment and demand I finish my presentation, I'd shrug and wait for you to pull the trigger.

I am so incredibly unmotivated. Typically the possibility of scorn or derision sparks at least a semblance of motivation to research and understand the material -- but not this week.

Sixteen(ish) hours left at Mayo.

Sparkler Olympics

Mark your calendars and begin preparing now. July 4, 2009 shall mark the official opening games of the first annual Sparkler Olympics.

The phoenomenal Ms. Amy Hill absolutely made my day yesterday by buying me sparklers. We were outside enoying them when someone was struck by the ingenious concept of Sparkler Olympics.

The events and judging criteria (so far) are listed below. Additional suggestions for events are welcome. I plan to have a megaphone on hand for commentary, placards for the judges, and plenty of booze to quench accidental flames. Amy's already reserved rights to the song "Coming to America". Participants will be awarded extra points if they perform in costume, but inappropriate appearances in leotards will result in harsh deductions. You have been warned.

Synchronized Sparkling:
Precision
Patriotism
Originality
Difficulty

Sparkler Relay:
Time
Transitions

Sprolicking: (interpretive sparkling dance)
Patriotism
Originality
Difficulty
Choreography

Let the training commence.