Day 1 (Feb 26): Adventures with Random People

I touched down in Denver just before 10 AM, fighting the fatigue of my 3:45 AM wake-up call and made my way to meet Tyler & Jordan. My good morning greeting was a “you’re late” from Tyler, who imagined I told him my flight arrived an hour earlier. I said no such thing. Counting on the unreliability of Tyler’s friend in Colorado Springs, they decided to rent a car. As we walked toward the shuttle, Tyler turned to me and said, “I took off my pants”. I replied with a confused “what???” and he told me a story of how he had needed to tuck in his shirt so he naturally unbuttoned his pants to do so. It was too late before he realized he was in the middle of a public place. He was that tired. I laughed and then said, “Wait, you did that this morning?!?” “Yeah,” he said, “when we were checking car rental prices.” Naturally, I was paranoid about our remaining minutes in the airport as I hypothesized that he was under some kind of pervert surveillance but of course, I was more excited to be hanging out with one of my favorite people.

We bonded with some mountain men as we kept watching the car rental shuttle loop on another track, wondering if we were standing in the wrong place. They looked on me as a local because I was standing outside in short sleeves in 40-degree weather. Truth was it was a gorgeous morning but also my body temperature does rise about 10-degrees when I’m nervous. It was a trying time at the Advantage car rental counter. The lady had crazy spider eyelashes and was trying to up-sell Jordan, who was growing more frustrated by the minute. It definitely helped matters when I mentioned it was like traveling with my dad, and Tyler said, “yeah, that’s why we call him dad.” It’s kind of amazing these boys are friends. They are brutal to one another. We set off for Denver, but instead of leaving the airport, we ended up in a restricted access area and noticed we were growing increasingly closer to planes on the runway before Jordan finally turned around.

A friend of Jordan’s had recommended HBurger for lunch, so we made our way downtown (LoDo district) but instead of walking in to an expected burger joint, we were greeted by a classy-looking hostess and taken to a booth with a white tablecloth. I worried it might be expensive but prices were totally reasonable. I went for the signature HBurger with Angus beef, Hatch chili, smoked Cheddar, and sweet ‘n’ spicy bacon. I wasn’t sure about the chili but Tyler was like “just trust it”, which was funny since I ended up liking it and he was the one scraping it off. He & Jordan went for some milkshakes which were torched with liquid nitrogen. That explained why they were steaming. I found out later that the restaurant had only been open about a month. I was sold. Oh, and when the manager stopped to ask how we were doing, we all 3 had our eyes glued to the TV showing the women’s curling event. It wasn’t because we had any interest in the sport but because Tyler had just exclaimed there was a girl way too hot to be curling, and we were watching to see her. So the manager walks up and says, “Yeah, it’s just hard to get enough of watching curling isn’t it?” We barely averted our eyes as we gave an “oh yeah, it’s good stuff.” Too funny. The guys needed some ski gear so we walked the mile down to REI which was right at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte river. It was a good time, but they had to hit the road when we got back to the car leaving me a full afternoon to explore Denver.

I meandered around looking for a place to people watch and found myself at 16th Street Mall, a brick paved stretch of city blocks lined with shops and restaurants. I texted a hello to Chip who turned out to be on his way to lunch a few blocks from where I sat in Writer’s Square. When I joined the guys, I was counting on them watching the US/Finland hockey game since I knew at least Chip was hardcore hockey man. Pretty sure it was the most I’d ever seen of a hockey game. It was a nice second lunch with a new random group of people. I got to trade Freemarker gripes with another guy which was nice. Most people give me a blank stare when I mention it.

Once they headed back to work, I took off for more exploring. Then I heard someone yell my name, which is kind of unsettling in a strange city. I turned around to find a guy from lunch who mentioned we seemed to be walking the same way. I suppose that was true at the moment but since I had no destination, he had just signed me up to share the path longer. We walked by a homeless man as we were laughing about something and the man said, “aww look at you two. So cute.” For once, I wasn’t the one creating the awkward moment. It was a good opportunity to mention the other man on the street I’d seen earlier who kept opening his coat to passersby, revealing a white t-shirt with “Fuck the cops. Get some green” scrawled on it with a dollar sign & marijuana leaf drawn next to it. I couldn’t decide if he were buying or selling. Maybe he was just a consultant.

So I split off from my stranger friend and headed to the warehouse district, ending up at Coors Field and looping back by Union Station and ending up at Confluence Park, back by the river at REI. I sat on the patio with some tea from Starbucks and just stared off in to space. I realized I passed about 30 minutes doing this without listening to my iPod. It was brisk but sunny and it was just too peaceful to interrupt the silence with anything. I felt a million miles away from everything, and it was amazing. Then I noticed a huge white dog tied up outside. It was the biggest dog I’d ever seen and I couldn’t help but stare. The owner walked out and said a friendly hello and brought the dog over to say hi as well. He (the dog) was beautiful, and the man told me he weighed 140 lbs. That’s just crazy talk.

I noticed it was getting late as I gradually put on my coat, then my scarf & gloves, and finally my hat. It was too cold to just sit so I set off to walk the paths around the water but ended up finding another place to sit from which I could watch the sunset. I heard from Chip and he stopped by to hang out for awhile until Cerra arrived. Poor Cerra got trapped in traffic but eventually made it. She & I headed back to Boulder, but got side-tracked by a Petco stop. It was the first of several pet-related side trips. After making it to her place, we walked around the corner to Violet Flowers, which was indeed delicious. I just read they have one of the top 10 mixologists according to Playboy Magazine. I think Cerra had a Wet Buffalo and Kiss the Sky, which featured a little flower that our waiter adored. It was a fun time, and my one-drink wasted state seemed to keep Cerra entertained.

Day 2: The Day the Money Went Away

Cerra & I started our morning at Folsom Street Coffee, a cozy place packed with college students and hit the road to find some heavenly antique place Todd had discovered on his way back from the mountains…somewhere in the 60-mile stretch between Breckenridge and Denver. Well, we saw The Brass Armadillo and so began our day of comparing the price/quality/awesome factor of taxidermy animal mounts. Apparently, we hadn’t found Todd’s heaven, though, so we drove further to Ski Country Antiques. I wouldn’t call it heaven, but if I were decorating a ski lodge, I’d definitely swing by here. Where else can you find a bed with a bear head/footboard? There was a really cool wooden bar as well as some old safes. They also had a wolf head that would be petrifying to have in your house, which explains Cerra’s love for it. The $800 price tag averted any impulse buys.

We rocked some country music as we continued our journey to Central City, as Cerra had her heart set on gambling. We didn’t quite make it since we stopped at a casino in Black Hawk. The back wall of the parking garage was literally the side of a canyon. We ended up in The Golden Mardi Gras Casino, where a man on stilts greeted us at the door while we became the only two people in the place to have our ID’s checked and get our awesome 21+ wristbands. I’m mainly to blame for that since the security guy no doubt saw my overwhelmed/panicked face when we walked in. There were old ladies with walkers dawning Mardi Gras beads, flashing lights, and people laying down piles of cash. I turned to Cerra and said, “This place represents everything I hate about America” and she laughed and said, “It’s everything I love.” The stilts man was obnoxious and asked my middle name. I said “Marie” and then he tried guessing my first name before finally asking. “Marie,” I repeated. “Your name is Marie Marie?” he mused. Now, an hour later, a really witty reply hit me: “Yes, like Duran Duran” but I didn’t say something that funny. Instead, I just glared and said, “You’re not the only one who can screw with people.” Because, I’m a jerk.

I played my $5 at the Craps table and felt the flush of nervous energy coming. It felt like the place was 100-degrees. Cerra gave me a disappointed look when I lost $4 two minutes later and said I was done. Naturally, Cerra became BFF’s with the dealers as she accumulated, then lost, and then re-accumulated chips. I swore I knew 2 of the dealers from somewhere. I don’t know if they had failed acting careers in a made-for-TV movie, but I knew them from somewhere. I chilled out (literally) while watching Cerra play and learning some of the rules of the game. A couple walked up and each laid down $100 on the table. A little piece of me died. I can rationalize a lot of activities but putting money on a stranger’s roll of a dice is even more difficult for me to understand than paying extra for beverages with alcohol which will leave you thirstier. At least with the latter I might gain a flirting session with a cute boy. But Cerra won all her money back and broke even for the day, which half-explained why we kept forgetting we had gambled at all. It was more like a missing hour out of the day. We stopped back by the Brass Armadillo for the final decision round over animal mounts. After cracking up one of the workers over her intense interest for the stuffed coyote (wearing a red bandanna, no less), Cerra settled on an antelope and a deep sea diver helmet model. Oh, how the people stared, but she was soooo excited. Since it wasn’t going to work out to go to Colorado Springs that night, we headed back to Boulder for dinner.

Naturally, we didn’t make it without a stop at a Pet Smart. Friday night we almost left with a turtle. This night we almost left with fish. Instead, we saw a Buffalo Wild Wings and decided it would be a fun place for dinner. I hadn’t been to one since I lived in Indy. Once we got home, I was given my first Boulder liquor store experience. They literally checked both our IDs at the front door and then the cashier checked both at check-out. Crazy. We had to hang Albert the Antelope afterward and do some googling for details on the deep sea diver helmet. What a random trip. We settled in for a movie and Cerra broke out Girl Scout cookies. I loved her for remembering to save me some. We watched “Starship Troopers” and called it a night. I was all set to sleep, until Cerra reminded me, “Don’t be scared of Albert tonight.” Dammit, Cerra, I had forgotten about him! So I thought if I thought about how tired I was and never opened my eyes, I could forget about the antelope hanging 3’ above the sofa. Of course, I knew better. It’s impossible to intentionally forget things. The human brain is never that forgiving. I squeezed my eyes shut but each time the blankets got scooted, I worried about reaching for them without looking because in my head, my arms were 3’ long and I might accidentally hit Albert, sending him flying off the wall. That possibility was my biggest fear: he was going to fall off the wall in the middle of the night. I must have fallen asleep but when I awoke at 4 AM, it was game over. I was sitting there saying to myself, “You’re 28 years old. Albert is just a skin stuffed with cotton (self-assurance based on no actual facts). Cerra just said there are no earthquakes here. Nothing is going to shake the wall. Get it together.” My pep talk fell on deaf ears. So, in one of my saddest, most pathetic acts ever, I took the cushions off the couch and moved them to the floor. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up it was daylight. When I heard Cerra stirring, I hurriedly returned the cushions to the sofa in an attempt to hide my shame, shame I hope will stay concealed as I’m counting on her not reading this monster blog post. hah!

The Final Day: The Dog Hunt

Sunday morning, Cerra once again tried to sell me on a cajun breakfast, except this time she left me no choice. It was almost an hour wait when we got to Lucile’s but we passed the time by walking around the Boulder town square. The best thing about Boulder is that unlike Denver where you see the mountains off in the distance, they are literally right there. It was the perfect backdrop to the historic Victorian homes in town. I should have taken photos. Cerra wasn’t exaggerating about Lucile’s. I had the special which was fried eggplant & scrambled eggs with fennel red sauce and goat cheese. It arrived as a beautifully tiered entree with layers of eggs and eggplant, and it was as tasty as it was pretty. Combine that with a buttermilk biscuit and some amazing house spiced tea, and you have one killer brunch. The restaurant was inside an adorable arts & crafts style house which gave it great ambiance. It was well worth the wait.

We went to Target to find a light for Cerra’s new deep sea helmet to make it a lamp but somehow also walked out with a disco ball lamp. It was the best Target I’ve ever been to. The one here in Daly City has 0 selection. Plans to meet up with Tyler and his friend had yet to solidify so we went on more pet quests, stopping at a puppy pet store, Dumb Friends League, and finally the Maxfund animal shelter. The puppies were awesome. I’d made Cerra a couple promises this weekend. I couldn’t let her buy a buffalo head or a puppy. I should have made her return the promise. Thankfully I didn’t quit my job to relocate to Boulder so I could have one of the puppies. At our last stop, we were trying to take a lab named Pepper out for a walk, since the sign on her kennel said only this: “Pepper new - scared”. She was surrounded by huge barking dogs and was literally sucked against the back of her kennel, shivering. We wanted to give her some love. However, the lady asked us if we’d met Sundae. Well, we had walked right by her since there was a sign she had an upset tummy and couldn’t walk. So we met her, a black lab/corgi mix, and I watched Cerra fall in love. We took her out to meet her, and the poor thing was petrified, clearly had been abused. She showed us moments of trust, only when something scarier than us walked near her. Cerra set a return day to visit, but unfortunately, despite her telling her landlord she planned to get a dog, the landlord has rejected her request to get a dog. So if you’re reading this from Colorado, there is a sweet, loving dog in the projects of Denver looking for a home. She had been on the euthanize list before being transferred to this place. I’m really sad Cerra couldn’t take her home.

We headed straight for the airport from there, where we at last met Tyler and his friend, John, the infamous John I had heard so many stories about, few…err, none of them flattering. I only had 30 min to chat before I had to head for security. I ended up staying too long, resulting in running across the airport. It was not the best meet & greet after plans had fallen through so many times that weekend and both Cerra & I were a little frustrated, Cerra slightly more than me since this was her first impression for both Tyler & John. I was glad Cerra & Tyler were able to meet face-to-face, though, even if the circumstances were poor. Turns out, John thought I was cool and wished we had hung out more. (As if anyone could think otherwise…)

We saw the first traces of snow that afternoon, but I didn’t feel the full brunt of the front until I was up in the plane. It was the worst turbulence of my life. I had to strategically plan attempts to drink my water, more out of a desire to empty the glass than out of thirst, as it was splashing on my tray. I couldn’t even enjoy my snack food because it was bouncing around so much. Slightly disconcerting but we all made it home in one piece. Luckily, SF was still okay when I got home, too. Cerra had gotten an AlertSF text Saturday about a tsunami advisory. She said, “dude, I totally saved your life” because indeed, my neighborhood would probably get hit pretty badly. It wasn’t until later that night that we learned about the earthquake in Chile and looked at the Boston Globe’s Big Picture photos in disbelief. It’s amazing how few casualties there were. We breathed a sigh of relief when Hawaii was confirmed safe. What a surreal weekend it turned out to be on so many levels.

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