I AM

Tom Shadyac, an extremely successful Hollywood director, had all the toys and luxuries that money could buy but still wasn't happy.  Then he had a mountain biking accident which left him with post-concussive syndrome.  As he dealt with his injuries and continued to question, he set out on a journey that resulted in the uplifting documentary, I AM.  

I AM illustrates its message, "We're all connected" persuasively in scientific and straightforward terms.  It makes the case that cooperation, not competition, is far more important to the Darwinian world we inhabit and that the smallest of actions can have impact.  Rather than be paralyzed by the enormity of the problems, I AM encourages us to act with empathy and sympathy.

Shadyac did a Q&A session after the movie and I was impressed with the level of intelligence present in his discourse.  Some in the audience wished to take his message into the realm of new age spirituality and Shadyac did an admirable job of validating their views while still maintaining a grounded realism.  It seems to me that there is something to this idea that while we can't yet scientifically explain it, we are all connected on a physical, biological but mysterious level.  He uses an Einstein example of two spinning atoms separated by a great distance, each of which simultaneously mirrors changes made in the other's rotation.  We don't yet understand why it occurs, but we know it does.  The linear, rational being that I am appreciated Shadyac's well-reasoned argument.

I saw the movie, What the #$*! Do We Know, a few years back and left the theater feeling like I had just been fed a bunch of weird mumbo-jumbo.  It was just too over the top.  I AM strikes me as similar but much more plausibly presented than What the #$*! Do We Know. 

And taking its message to heart can't hurt.

Who do I look like?

Steve and I went to see Tom Shadyac's documentary, I AM, last night at the Wheeler Opera House, Tom Shadyac being the director of Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty, Liar Liar, among others.

As we were walking up the stairs, someone I did not recognize at all greeted me with 'Hi!  Good to see you again!"  Now, living in a small town, this is not an uncommon experience but usually the person is at least vaguely familiar. Not this time, so, as I was searching my memory in vain for some spark of recognition, I quickly smiled and acknowledged him with the customary niceties.  As we went our separate directions, I turned to Steve and whispered, "I have absolutely no idea how I know that guy."

A short while later, whilst sitting in the balcony of the Wheeler awaiting the start of the movie, a young guy across the way waved and smiled a greeting to me.  Again, no recognition.  Was he waving at me?  It sure seemed like it.  So, now I'm just wondering who else I'm going to see that I don't recognize and I'm feeling a bit sheepish about my lack of recognition skills.

The movie started and almost immediately, I saw the guy from the stairs on the screen.  What?  Tom Shadyac thinks he knows me?  Well, that's kinda cool.  But I did spend the rest of the movie wondering, "Who do I look like?"

(*I'll tell you what I thought of the movie in a separate post)

Disappointed

Although I'm disappointed in Obama's failure to go to the mat on tax cuts, I'm still enough of a fan that I'm open to an explanation that will help me understand.  In furtherance of that end, I watched yesterday's press conference and was struck by his monologue at the end.   What he had to say was compelling and I will be watching this story develop with interest.

So this notion that somehow we are willing to compromise too much reminds me of the debate that we had during health care. This is the public option debate all over again. So I pass a signature piece of legislation where we finally get health care for all Americans, something that Democrats had been fighting for for a hundred years, but because there was a provision in there that they didn’t get that would have affected maybe a couple of million people, even though we got health insurance for 30 million people and the potential for lower premiums for 100 million people, that somehow that was a sign of weakness and compromise.

Now, if that’s the standard by which we are measuring success or core principles, then let’s face it, we will never get anything done. People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are, and in the meantime, the American people are still seeing themselves not able to get health insurance because of preexisting conditions or not being able to pay their bills because their unemployment insurance ran out.

That can’t be the measure of how we think about our public service. That can’t be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat. This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people. The New York Times editorial page does not permeate across all of America. Neither does The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Most Americans, they’re just trying to figure out how to go about their lives and how can we make sure that our elected officials are looking out for us. And that means because it’s a big, diverse country and people have a lot of complicated positions, it means that in order to get stuff done, we’re going to compromise. This is why FDR, when he started Social Security, it only affected widows and orphans. You did not qualify. And yet now it is something that really helps a lot of people. When Medicare was started, it was a small program. It grew.

Under the criteria that you just set out, each of those were betrayals of some abstract ideal. This country was founded on compromise. I couldn’t go through the front door at this country’s founding. And if we were really thinking about ideal positions, we wouldn’t have a union.

So my job is to make sure that we have a North Star out there. What is helping the American people live out their lives? What is giving them more opportunity? What is growing the economy? What is making us more competitive? And at any given juncture, there are going to be times where my preferred option, what I am absolutely positive is right, I can’t get done.

And so then my question is, does it make sense for me to tack a little bit this way or tack a little bit that way, because I’m keeping my eye on the long term and the long fight -- not my day-to-day news cycle, but where am I going over the long term?

And I don’t think there’s a single Democrat out there, who if they looked at where we started when I came into office and look at where we are now, would say that somehow we have not moved in the direction that I promised.

Take a tally. Look at what I promised during the campaign. There’s not a single thing that I’ve said that I would do that I have not either done or tried to do. And if I haven’t gotten it done yet, I’m still trying to do it.

And so the -- to my Democratic friends, what I’d suggest is, let’s make sure that we understand this is a long game. This is not a short game. And to my Republican friends, I would suggest -- I think this is a good agreement, because I know that they’re swallowing some things that they don’t like as well, and I’m looking forward to seeing them on the field of competition over the next two years.

Rally for Americans in Favor of a Return to Sanity or Something Like That

"Which is what we gotta call it now"

President Obama renames Jon Stewart's (The Daily Show) Rally to Restore Sanity.
See the full excerpt (oxymoron?) here:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
BBQ & A<a>
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Tumblr

Since I have way too much time on my hands, I've started playing around with Tumblr.  It's kinda fun, the way it can gather all of my different social media outlets in one place.  As with any new toy, I have no idea how long it'll be before I tire of it but for the time being, that's where my "creative" impulses are landing.

http://iammbb.tumblr.com

Dear Rachel - 9.20.10

Dear Rachel,

I had a quiet day today.  Did some work from home, got caught up on some stuff, did some (but not all!) homework.  Now I've got a busy day tomorrow, what with payroll, a conference call and class.  Hmm.  Maybe I should have gone in to the office today . . .

Not much else to report.  I'm excited for Glee tomorrow night.  Have you already listened to all the music?  I'll wait.

I've been recording some stuff on the DVR but I haven't really watched any of it.  That's not really the point, now is it?  (Not sure where the comma should go in that last sentence.)

Sucks that you still haven't received 9/2 and 9/3.  But at least now that I've emailed them, you'll be able to catch up.  

How's that homework coming?  :-P

Love, 

Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.19.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, we're home but we had fun driving the TT down those lonely highways.  Steve got it up to 130 today.  That's crazy fast.  I didn't like it, I mean the car felt fine, it just seems like it would be too easy for something to go wrong.

Yesterday was very nice until I got sick.  Then it sucked.  Today too.  I drank a Sprite and ate Saltines.  I actually dozed off in the car which is very unusual for me.

Clark was very happy to see us and was pretty lovey-dovey for a little while but then Ellie went after him after he jumped off the couch onto her.  I went over to make sure that he was okay and while I was holding him, he scratched my temple and bit my nose.  I screamed at him in pain and he immediately just hung there in my hand.  Steve thinks we should just go ahead and declaw him since he can't go outside.  I'm willing to be persuaded.  He has trashed the side of the couch.

The aspens are in full yellow.  It was really beautiful driving through southern Colorado and over the pass.  There were even bits of orange here and there.

Work tomorrow.  I'm envious that you have the day off.  But, of course, you do have homework to do.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.17.10

Dear Rachel,

Back to little paper again . . .

Drove to Angel Fire today.  Got a later start than we wanted but don't we always?  Left Aspen just before 10:30 am and drove over the pass.  We stopped at the top and then once on the way down and then not again until we hit Taos.  I played with the TT, seeing how it felt and what it could do.  On one straight shot, I got it up to 115.  It could have done more comfortably but I was a bit freaked out by the number.  115.  I then set the cruise control at 94.  It was great at passing on the one lane highways.  And I loved telling people here, yep it's gonna be mine.  I told Steve that once I own it, he's going to see a whole nother side of me.  I'm gonna remind you of your dad, washing my car every week.  That's how I was when I had the Saab.

We got here before everyone and were starving since we hadn't stopped at all.  Steve really wants to walk around the Taos square so we decided to drive the 25 miles back there and find a place to eat.  We got there, parked, checked voice mail and found out that we were supposed to be meeting up with Campo back in Angel Fire.  So we loaded back into the car and drove back 25 miles.  Maybe we'll stay in Taos on Sunday night.

It's been fun talking to everyone but then it'll get sad.  Such a crazy thing.

We met at the golf club for drinks and then drove up to Sandie's parents' house where we visited and ate.  Then we came back to the hotel where the guys are still down hanging out in the bar.  The memorial is tomorrow at 2 pm so I'm sure we'll hang out some more tomorrow morning.  

Mark really appreciated our all being here.  I'm touched by how appreciative he is.  I'm glad we came.  It's so important to be there for your friends.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.16.10

Dear Rachel,

We just got home from picking up Kim's car.  It's complicated!  And even more so trying to figure it out in the dark.  It'll be fun to drive it over the pass.

I loved your text, "You know, I kinda like being the good girl."  I know I already told you but it made me proud.  I'm sorry you missed Aaron Sorkin but I'm proud of you for not skipping class.  Such a hard decision.

Hey!  We've got a full-time opening for a receptionist.  Want the job?

Nowhere near ready to leave in the morning so I'm going to bed so maybe we can leave somewhere near 8 am.

Love, Mommie  :-)

p.s. Yuck.  Boring, plain paper.

Dear Rachel - 9.15.10

Dear Rachel,

Hmmm.  Last printed sheet of this stationery too.

Struggling a bit to come up with something worth writing tonight.  Pretty mundane day so not much interesting to say.

I'm glad you were able to be productive today and that you feel good about it.  I'm proud that you're making such a conscious effort to stay on top of things.  That'll make a huge difference in keeping things manageable.

Crazy stuff happening in these mid-term elections.  Makes me want to be sure that you get a mail-in ballot.  Have you heard anything about the Tea Party lady in Delaware?  Scary.  If only the crazies vote, only the crazies will get elected.

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.14.10

Dear Rachel,

I'm sorry you think that you miss me more than I miss you.  It's not really a competition but it's natural that you're feeling more uncertainty and anxiety.  You're dealing with so much that's new, unfamiliar and stressful.  You're trying to navigate new expectations and challenges, all of which force you to miss the familiar more keenly.  But this is your time to explore and experience, still with some measure of a safety net.  Embrace the challenges and see where they take you!  And take comfort in the knowledge that the familiar is out there even as you create new familiar.

Envious that you have the possibility of seeing Aaron Sorkin.  Not thrilled about you missing class, though.  That's a tough call..  Can't condone it but can't condemn it either.

I had my photography class again today.  I'm learning a lot about all of the possibilities of digital cameras.  Will it make me a better photographer?

We got one of those water fountain things for Clark since he loves to drink from the faucet so much.  We also got an automated food dispenser.  It'll probably take him about two seconds to learn what that noise means.  He should be all set for his first weekend home alone.

We'll be missing the Snowmass Balloon Festival and some bazaar that they're having in Aspen.  Should be fun stuff for Grandma & Papa and the Havertys to check out.

You should call Grandma Nina.  Try to stay in touch with her regularly.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.13.10

Dear Rachel,

One of the productions companies responsible for the movie we saw tonight is called A Likely Story and its log is a drawing of a "Bad Panda."   Really!  You should google it.  They have a Facebook page with their logo.  Got me thinking about what you might name your future production company.  Sad Panda Productions?  Sidewalk to Nowhere Productions?  Happy Moose Productions?  Triquetra Productions?  CharmedFreak Productions?  I could go on . . .

The movie, Please Give, was odd.  Papa's response when it was over was "Wow."  Not "Wow!" but "Wow."  He and Grandma wondered if Jon Busch was going to come back on stage to explain it.

I'm feeling pretty productive this evening since I worked all day, went to a movie, finished my homework (sorta), posted a picture and am now writing your letter.  I never turned the TV on so that probably helped.

The saga of the car may be settling down.  The saleswoman wasn't able to find any black Q5s so Kim's going to just wait until December for the blue one that she already ordered.  Or so she says.  I'm not sure that she's patient enough.  We'll see.

I guess you're getting into it, the college grind, since your texts to me have precipitously fallen off.  That's ok, I'm just wondering if I pulled the trigger too quickly on the change in text plans.

I started moving books on to your shelves.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.12.10

Dear Rachel,

Oh no!  I missed a day!  I think the irregular mail delivery at the University Center has taken the wind out of my sails.  Well, that and the TV are probably both to blame.  I've been staying up way too late.  Friday night (really Saturday morning) I was up until 1:30 am even though I had to get up and go to class.  I was exhausted last night and now it's 11:15 pm.

We went to Grandma & Papa's for dinner and I DVR'd the MTV VMA's so we just watched maybe half.  Crazy stuff.  I'd never seen Justin Bieber before.  What's the attraction?  That Eminem song is growing on me.  Who is Chelsea Handler and why did someone think she'd be a good host?  These are rhetorical questions by the way.

It looks like we're back to December for Kim's car.  She really likes the blue so I think she should wait and get what she wants.  We're still planning to take it to New Mexico next weekend.  We're going to take Ellie too.  Poor Clark has to stay home.

Leaves are turning and it's getting cold here, especially early in the morning.

Love, Mommie :-)

p.s. Even though I didn't write a letter yesterday, I do get huge points for mailing your package especially since I had to go out of my way for an envelope since they neglected to restock the priority mail supplies in the post office lobby!

Dear Rachel - 9.10.10

Dear Rachel,

Well, I feel like I'm back in college.  I just fell asleep doing my homework.  Hopefully, I'll get up in time to finish it tomorrow.

More old school stationery.  We've moved from Woodstock and Peanuts to carousel horses.  I was quite a fan of carousel horses.

Kim found out today that she lost out on the Q5 that would have been here by the end of the month so now she's broadening her range of color choices in an attempt to increase her odds of getting one before Christmas.  The limitations of the lack of dealers in the valley are a bit frustrating.  She'd love to look at other makes but doesn't think it wise.

I'll be in class tomorrow while you are.  How cool is that?  Ok, not really, but whatever.

Clark's being a troublemaker.  Ellie got tired of keeping him in line so she left and now I'm unprotected.  He's got the huge pupils and he's trying to burrow under the lap desk again.  Now he's just lying in wait.  This is probably going to hurt but I have a spray bottle at the ready.

I'm glad you're going to brunch with Jackie and Zanny.  That should be nice.

Today was Ashley's last day.  We're sad.  We do however have high hopes for our two new hires.  You're going to come back and not know anyone . . .

Love, Mommie :-)

Hmph

The University Center appears to have a few kinks to work out with its mail delivery.  Although I have written and mailed a letter every day since we left Chicago on Sunday, 8/29/10, Rachel has only received the first three letters. It's been over a week since she's received one.

At least she's still receiving her packages . . .

Dear Rachel - 9.9.10

Dear Rachel,

Grandma & Papa are here!  We picked them up from the airport and then we went out to dinner at the Pitkin County Tavern.  I love those corn fritters!

We're testing our DVR.  Since we're losing our badge of honor of not owning a TV, we're seizing upon the fact that since our cable was turned on 24 hours ago, we've only watched the Vuelta a Espana on live TV.  And we've christened our DVR with the Daily Show and the Colbert Report.  So I'd argue that we're still occupying some high ground here.

Another work day with not much else to talk about.  Oh, except that Kim heard from the Audi saleswoman that her new car may be here by the end of the month.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.8.10

Dear Rachel,

I am so tired.  It's 10:38 pm.  The Comcast cable guy who was supposed to come between 1 and 5 didn't get here until after 7 pm.  He didn't leave until after 8, then we ate dinner (Steve cooked chicken.  He made tuna last night).  After setting up our new voicemail and playing with the DVR, it is now past my bedtime.  Still need to figure out why the on screen caller id isn't working and how to skip commercials but not tonight.

Cool, grey rainy day today but it cleared up in time for me to ride my bike home.  The weather should be nice for Grandma & Papa the next few days.

This letter is looking pretty short.  Not much going on since we didn't chat much and I basically worked.

More tomorrow?

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.7.10

Dear Rachel,

First day of college class!  Sorry you're not thrilled about one of your instructors.  Maybe he'll grow on you.  I'm heartened to hear your reaction to your classmate who's opting to go the Sparks Notes route.  As with most everything, it is especially true with regards to college that you get out of it what you put into it.  Cutting corners or being lazy academically only lessens your experience and limits the rewards to be reaped.  This is what I hope for you, that you make the most of your opportunities and allow them to take you in the direction of fulfillment of your dreams.

I had class today too.  It'll be fun for me to further hone my photography skills.  It's been such a great way to add a little variety to my day and an excellent motivation to get out and about.  

As much as I'm looking forward to Hawaii, this trip has become a bit of a pain.  Not that I want to have to choose but if I did, I might just have to opt for San Francisco.  But as I write this, Jack Johnson comes on Pandora and images of Lahaina and Ka'anapali float through y head and I get excited all over again.  Just struggling to balance work and travel.  It can be so painful to return to the workpile.

Looking around the living room, I like the new set-up.  It's cozy.  Cable guy comes tomorrow.

Grandma & Papa come the day after tomorrow.  The weather here has been nice but it's definitely getting colder.  It was 35 degrees when I left for work this am.  But it was a gorgeous 70 degrees at lunch.  Fall in the Rockies!

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.6.10

Dear Rachel,

So sad.  I've used up all the decorated sheets!  Oh well, it only took 30 years.  I can't believe we're averaging 25 texts per day.  I'm sure that average will drop once you start classes.  Tomorrow.  OMG.  Are you ready?

I found some really old video tapes today from like 1996 and 1997.  I haven't watched it all but there's footage of you skiing and of your kindergarten or pre-school graduation.  So cute!  Maybe I'll post it to Facebook or Youtube.

I put all the hanging clothes from my closet into your closet.  I'm going to put them back in my closet as I wear them and then anything left in your closet will go to the Thrift Store.  At least that's the plan.  We finally put all the boxes in the crawl space today.  I put your Venetian masks in a box by themselves with tissue paper so I think they'll be fine.  We had all of Grandma's dishes in one box but it was way too heavy so Steve put them in two separate boxes which were much more manageable.

We talked to Shelly today about Simone.  Shelly said that Simone has already been on a winery tour and will be touring the Guinness brewery when she does a school trip to Ireland.  Totally different deal in Europe . . .

Quiet day today.  We did some organizing around the house, then Jazmin came so we went to Big Wrap and then over to Barb's parents' house to help with a few things since they're moving to Grand Junction.  Back home, where I made dinner with some garden fresh veggies from Barb and some Saturday Market pasta.  Yep, we empty nesters sure are boring!

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.5.10

Dear Rachel,

 A bit of a lazy day today.  Relaxed at home this morning, then out to enjoy the weather in town.  We walked over to Wagner Park with Ellie, where we read and watched a little volleyball, a little touch football, a little kite flying and a little canine frolicking.  Then back home where we sat out on the porch until it started to get dark.

The only hiccup was when Clark Kent wandered into Chris' house.  You'll be pleased to know that he can't be an outdoor cat now.  Hopefully, that'll be the end of it.

It was great to see you tonight on Skype.  I had fun yelling at you from 1100 miles away.  :-P

Kim just called and told me why she didn't want me to say anything about the TT when we ran into each other earlier.  She was with two other docs who both have TTs.  One had been instrumental in talking her into buying hers and the other is bummed that he has to sell his 'cause he just had a second baby.  So there was no need for me to edit out the details online but whatever.  She just didn't want me bringing it up in front of those two.  Steve and I are going to take it to Angel Fire in two weeks.  That should make a sad trip a bit more fun.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.4.10

Dear Rachel,

Two nights in a row, you said you would text me good night and you haven't.  You must not love me!  :-P

I hope you enjoyed the fireworks.  Maybe it was fun seeing them with people who aren't as jaded about them as some of the people around here.

Steve's brushing Ellie right now.  She's not thrilled.  She got a shower earlier.  Her last one was the day I left for Chicago.  Clark's running around and meowing like the crazy cat he is.

We saw the Girl Who Played with Fire tonight.  Even though they're subtitled foreign films, they're thrillers so you might like them.  They are a bit violent, though.  This one was good but there were a couple of times I got angry because characters were doing stupidly implausible things.  Suzannah reports however that those particular events play out differently in the book.  Have you read the books?  I can't remember.  I thought Steve had but he hasn't.  I'm kinda confused.

Other than the movie, I did the Saturday Market and a little Labor Day sale shopping.  I also cleaned out two kitchen cabinets and packed up some dishes.  I'm starting the whole purging process.  Don't be too nervous.  I put most of Grandma's dishes in a box to go in the crawl space for you.

Aunt Leah called and left a message thanking us for the Kindle.  I texted her your phone number so she'll probably call you.  I just remembered that our voicemail says, "you've reached Bridget, Rachel and Steve . . ."  Hmmm.  Should I change it when I re-record it for Comcast?

Love, Mommie  :-P

Dear Rachel - 9.3.10

Dear Rachel,

You got my first letters today!  I'm glad you liked them.  We haven't yet had a chance to talk about them but hopefully we will tomorrow.

Steve and I went directly to the food area at JazzAspen and at at Sisters' Pantry (one of everything!).  Kim wasn't there today because she has house guests but she'll probably be there over the weekend.  We missed the first band, Calexico, but caught the second band which was a crazy mix of rock and polka and some Latin influences.  DaVotchKa.  Wilco was good too but the scene was nothing like Black Eyed Peas.

Clark is trying to burrow under my lap desk.  Crazy cat.  We sprayed that Keep Off stuff all over so now the whole house smells like cilantro and Ellie keeps sneezing.

I thought our text conversation about your clothing/fashion style was very interesting.  I'll say it again:  I'm very proud of you and I'm enjoying watching you become the woman you're going to be.  It's going to be a fun journey.

The saga of Kim's car continues.  She found out last night that if she gets a different color combination, her car could be here in the States in 10 days.  She decided today to go ahead and order it and she started to get excited.  But then the salesperson didn't get back to her all day so she's kinda deflated and left in limbo. 

Our Comcast cable and phone service is being installed on Wednesday.  Huge change.  The Comcast salesman was flummoxed when I told him I hadn't had a TV for 10 years.  Guess he doesn't hear that every day.

Love,

Mommie   ;-)

Dear Rachel - 9.2.10

Dear Rachel,

Sitting in the reclining chair, listening to Pandora Radio on the TV/DVD, waiting for Steve to we can go to Carl's and Red Box.

Earlier when I was thinking about what I might write to you tonight, I thought about how proud I am of your insistence on maintaining a positive attitude.  I loved your text about how if there's anything you know how to do, it's cope.  You're so strong.  As someone who shares this trait, I well know that there are plenty of times when you wish you didn't have to be strong, either because things were easier or because someone else was there to be the strong one.  But realize that our strength serves us well.  It is a huge tool which we wield to improve our circumstances and create a more positive reality.  I'm so thankful I was able to pass that along to you.

But that's just what I thought about telling you earlier.  Since then, I've spoken with you and experienced your excitement about your afternoon.  I'm so glad that your coping mechanism paid off so well and so quickly.

We just got back with The Messenger.  It might be a bit of a bummer.

Kim's in a bit of a tizzy.  She ordered her new car, an Audi Q5, which was supposed to be ready around Thanksgiving but she got a call back saying, oops, it won't really be ready until Christmas.  Now she's questioning whether she still wants the car or whether she should be starting her search over.  I told her she just has to make sure she gets what she wants.

I hope you went down to the dance.  Of course, I'll know before you read this . . .

Love, Mommie  :-)

Dear Rachel - 9.1.10

Dear Rachel,

Ah.  Back to my favorite pen!

We went to Get Low tonite.  Suzannah said they forgot the S.  It was pretty slow moving.  I"m glad I saw it but I wouldn't give it a glowing review.  It sorta deflated half way through the movie and the climax felt forced.  But the denouement did make both Suzannah and me sniffle.  We're talking about seeing The American next.  I wasn't sure I was all that interested but then Roger Ebert tweeted that he really liked it.

We might go to Angel Fire, NM for Campo's wife's memorial service.  It's on September 18.  We'll see.  We might feel odd since we didn't know her but we want to be there for Campo.

We're also talking about going to San Francisco in November for Suzannah's birthday.  That'll be fun.  She's thinking Napa and San Fran, both of which are on my to do list so I'm excited.  

I was kinda crabby at work today.  At one point, I had a mini mental meltdown and had to just get off the phone.  At another point, I was able to maintain my cool even when someone was yelling at me over the phone, although I did end up having to hang up on her.

Ellie just hid her biscuit under my leg.

But I'm slowly climbing out of the traveling hole.  I am very annoyed about an upcoming hearing. I'm having a hard time staying objective.

We ordered a new double ottoman today.  It's like the one we have but brown and twice as big.  Hence the double.

I'm also trying again to order sour cherry jellie bellies.  We'll see if this batch is in better shape.

I think it's ironic that I'm writing you letters on my college stationery but you don't have any.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 8.31.10

Dear Rachel,

This morning, the house was weird.  It had an odd vibe, kinda empty, like this is how it's going to be from now on, very different.  Clark spent the whole night curling up on my legs and waking me up.  There's a big indentation on  your bed where I think he slept while we were gone and Ellie was with Erin.  Ellie got to go to work with us for most of the day but even so, she was unusually excited to see us when we got home tonight from dinner.

We took Jill to the Pitkin County Tavern.  It still hasn't taken off like Double Dog did.  Not sure what it's about, why there's resistance.  Other than the fact that they serve Riesling by the glass, there's quite a bit of suffering by comparison.  But I had the corn fritters again and they're still good.  

(edit)

Today was a big day at work.  Almost a week's worth of checks waiting for me and they all had to be posted today for the month end.  Steve came in, got all the checks mailed out and got caught up on all the scanning.  He's not as distracting as you were!  :-)

Do you like my stationery?  I've had it since I was your age.  Clearly I haven't written a lot of letters in the last 30 years.

We rearranged the living room to accommodate the new TV.  The coffee table/trunk is now against the wall where the couch was and the couch is facing it, kinda in the middle of the room with its back to the wall of bookcases.  The TV and DVD/Blu Ray player are on top of the trunk under the painting of the Maroon Bells.  We're going to get one of those double bench storage ottomans (like the small one in front of the chair) for in front of the couch.  The couch is a little off center so there's a pathway into the seating arrangement between the desk and the couch.

We tried to watch a couple of my movies from China but kept striking out.  The Phillip Morris movie was dubbed in some Eastern European language with Chinglish subtitles and Toy Story 3 was Russian.  We were finally able to watch Seriously Moonlight with Meg Ryan but it wasn't very good.  We did test the cable to see if it worked but I vaguely recall the repair guy turning it off a few years ago.  I didn't have a chance to call today so it'll still be a bit before we really have TV.

It has occurred to me that if I take over your closet and dresser, you won't have any room for your clothes if you come home next summer.  I wonder if you will come home next summer.

I sent your robe today with a few odds and ends we found behind your printer stand and your shelf.  Nothing too exciting but, hey, it's a package!

Still have to post pictures so I'm going to end here.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 8.30.10

Dear Rachel,

Trying to decide whether to stop at Costco.  We have 12 miles before the one in the Denver area.  Or we could go to Sam's Club.  Or Best Buy, Wal-Mart or Target.  Where's the best deal?  Not enough time to research!

We can see the mountains.

Oops.  Just drove past Costco.  It snuck up on us so we'll get off at the next exit and circle back.

Success!  We are now the proud owners of a Vizio 32 inch TV and a companion DVD/Blu Ray player (we opted now to get the 3D capability).  So now we can watch movies even if we don't have cable yet.  Who knows?  Maybe we'll discover that we've had cable all along.

Now we're climbing into the mountains.  Poor little RAV is working hard. 

We just drove by Idaho Springs where they're watering the athletic field with the fire department hook and ladder.  Ah, small towns.

I think of questions to ask you but I'll save them for phone calls or emails since I don't want to pressure you to respond to my letters.  Plus I'm not convinced you would respond by letter and I don't want to get invested in whether you do.  The letters are my no pressure gift to you.  You're welcome to respond but there's no expectation that you do so.  No guilt!  You'll have plenty of other assignments to feel guilty about.

Starbucks stop!

Tomorrow's the last day of the month and I'm going to have a bunch of work to do for month end so I'm going to have Steve get up and accompany me when I go in early to scan all the mail from the past weekend mail out the checks I cut last Tuesday.  You know, all that stuff you used to do.

Love, Mommie :-)

Dear Rachel - 8.29.10

Dear Rachel,

This will probably all be stale by the time it reaches you.  It may also be less than legible.  But I thought you might appreciate something in your mail box, other than junk mail, bank statements or bills.  Email and texts are speedier but letters (even on stupidly small pieces of paper) are more satisfying.

We just crossed the Missouri River into Nebraska and have 270 miles to go to North Platte.  It's 4:35 pm in Denver and 5:35 pm in Chicago.  I don't know what time it is here.

We're listening to Bob Woodward's book, Plan of Attack.  It's a bit ironic listening to how the Iraq war started, now that Obama is pulling out the combat troops.  It's a bit, no, a lot, frustrating listening to all the speculation about WMDs, now that we know the truth.  At one point, they discussed a speech Bush made at a West Point commencement and I wondered how may of that day's graduates went on to die in Iraq for those phantom WMDs.

We've discovered that either our gas tank isn't as big or the RAV doesn't get as good gas mileage as the Forester.  Papa says he can get to Aspen on three tanks of gas and it's going to take us three tanks to get to North Platte.

Pen died.  I have refills but not here.  Now I'm writing with a pen from the Emerson Resort & Spa.  Is that the place we went for Aunt Leah's birthday?  Did I tell you that her Kindle finally shipped on Friday?  I wonders if she already has one.

I feel like I'm a bad mom 'cause I'm not terribly emotional about you going to college.  Everybody keeps asking me, implying that I should be.  No one's asking Steve.  I am going to miss you.  I know you'll miss me too but you'll be moving on, finding new people, making new connections, doing things with new friends.  I'm going back to my life, only it'll be missing a huge piece, a person with whom I did a lot.  But it's as it should be.  You're supposed to be moving forward, finding your future.  I know it's scary right now because it's all so new but I'm so excited for you.  I'm also very proud of your determination to stay positive.  You know my philosophy about creating your own reality.  If you maintain a positive attitude, you'll get repaid with positivity.

I wish I had my lap desk with me.  Maybe this would be more legible . . .

My plan is to keep a copy to post to my blog once you receive this (don't want to ruin the surprise).  So once you get this, let me know and I'll post a copy you can actually read.  I might edit it a bit depending on what I end up writing to you so you'll still have to try to make all of this out.

I know it seems unfair that we're talking about getting a TV now that you're gone but it's kinda because you're gone.  We think it might be really quiet in the house now.  We have visions of sitting in the house starring at each other.  We haven't decided but I did look to see where Costco and Sam's Club in Denver are in case we decided to stop on the way home to buy a TV.  We talked about how we would rearrange the living room to accommodate a TV.  As I write this, it occurs to me that we could turn your room into a TV room.  Hmmm.  Maybe not.  It might be too close to our bedroom and too loud.

It'll be interesting to see if this week ends up being a good thing, I mean, in terms of having a week before classes start.  It seems like it would have been disastrous for someone really homesick.  I'm glad you're in a more positive place.

Papa's going to mail your pillow cases and shams to you.  I guess they'll put slips in your box when you get packages.  I kinda wish you had your own box.  I liked opening my box and knowing that everything in it was for me.

I've already read your blog.  I pulled it up on my phone while we were still in Iowa.  I liked it.  Boy, we packed a lot in, the car and the week.  Literally and figuratively.  More stuff to go in Grandma and Papa's crawl space next summer.  I told Papa I'd try to get some of my stuff out of there but we didn't get to it.  I vaguely recall going up there once since we moved to Colorado and not finding too much that belonged to me.  But I could be making that up.

Hmmm.  I just looked up to see that the speed limit is 75 but Steve is going 68 . . .  I'll probably edit this part out when I post it.

Well, according to the GPS, we have 206 more miles.  It's 5:28 pm and we'll get there at 8:24 pm.  Still a long way to go.

I asked Steve earlier what he was feeling about this transition.  He said it's a mixture of sadness about how much we're going to miss you and excitement about all the new experiences you're going to have.  For me, it's both of those plus a small measure of relief that I won't have to engage in the balancing act between the two of you as much any more.  You two have been doing so much better but running interference still took a lot of energy.  I'm thinking it'll be easier now that you're in different states.  :-P

Well, that's frustrating.  We listened to the first 3.5 of 6 discs of the book and then it started getting really static-y.  I messed with all the levels to no avail but when we put music on (using the iPod), the sound is fine so at least it's not the speakers.  I'm guessing we'll never listen to the rest of that book . . . I'll have to try a different one later to see if it happens with any other audio book.

Love, Mommie :-)

The Other Guys' End Credits

We went to see The Other Guys on Friday night. While there were laugh out loud moments, it wasn't as consistently strong as Anchorman or Talladega Nights. It does leave you with funny takeaway moments, you know, the kind you laugh about as you're walking out of the theater.

The best part, though, was the surprisingly sobering end credits which laid out in eyegrabbing detail exactly how appalling the financial crimes shaking our economy are. Moviefone has an article about it and you can watch the end credits in their entirety below. If the video below won't play, here's the link.

Orientation

Wow.  I'm exhausted.  I don't remember college orientation being so exhausting.  14.5 hours of virtually non-stop activity.  

I am so jealous of Rachel.  She'll be living right on State Street in the South Loop, 3 blocks from Grant Park and the lakefront.  What a tremendous experience. 

She got her class schedule today, met some of her classmates, explored some more of the campus and learned more about what to expect and what will be expected.

But we still don't know how we're paying for it all . . .

Sunday, 7/11/10, 9:34 a.m. Home

Damn Ambien.  I literally fell asleep trying to journal.  My last paragraph was positively nonsensical.  And messy.  Each time I fell asleep, the pend would hit the page and make a mess.

As I was saying, the Arrival Lounge was plush.  A valet led me to a private room with a shower, toilet and vanity, stocked with a robe, towels and luxurey toiletries.

Off to our SFO to LAX and LAX to ASE flights.  Interesting to note that both flight times were the same.  It doesn't seem like San Francisco is the same distance from LA as Aspen so I'm not sure what accounts for that.

Just so we really knew we were back in Aspen, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy were at the airport to greet us.  Well, not really to greet us of course, but they were there.

Home. Ambien assisted sleep. Not sure if that counts.  Doesn't really feel like it right now.

Ah, jet lag . . .

Saturday, 7/10/10 9:09 p.m. Home

Today will have been a 37 hours day by the time midnight rolls around.

I got up before 6 a.m. and showered so that we could go out for a walk before we had to leave for the airport.  We walked over to the Forbidden City but since they're now charging to get into the courtyard, we opted to head across the street to Tiananmen Square.  There was a barricade across the closest entrance so we walked a bit further.  At 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning, there were hordes of people already lining up to view Mao's body.

After wandering around the square for a bit, Suzannah headed back to the hotel around 7:15 a.m.  Since we weren't leaving until 9 and I was already pretty organized, I wandered some more, making my way down Qianmen Dajie where I bought myself two last pieces of fried dough for breakfast.

Back to the hotel to check out and catch a cab (more like a "car" a la New York or London, a black sedan with leather seats that the driver had to dress up in its taxi paraphenalia for the airport trip).  Luxury hotel to luxury cab to business class treatment at the airport doesn't suck.

Met up with Susie and had breakfast with her at Starbucks.  Headed through security where they felt the need to empty my purse (but I didn't have to take off my shoes) and on to the gate where we waited until boarding and then went our separate ways.

Business class was plush and the 11 hour flight went quickly what with all the video selections.  I watched The Bounty Hunter, Valentine's Day, The Last Song (in honor of Rachel), The Art of the Steal and an episode of Nurse Jackie.

3 meals and 11 hours later, we sped through passport control and customs.  They even had adequate agents although one guy did give Suzannah the third degree because it appeared that she didn't have any luggage.

Since Suzannah was trying to get on my flight from San Francisco to LA (the reason her luggage had been checked on my ticket and the customs agent grilled her), we headed down to the Arrival Lounge where we had a valet lead us to private shower . . .

(Ambien addled, I was totally unable to complete this journal entry)

Friday, 7/9/10 10:45 p.m. Raffles Beijing Rm 7701

The Forbidden City ticket lines were a completely ridiculous zoo and combined with the heat really took it out of us.  We were also very disappointed to discover that they had replaced the excellent Roger Moore narrated audio guide with the totalitarian guide like the one we disliked so much at the Summer Palace.

So we did a bit of the quickie tour of the Forbidden City.  Too many people, too much heat. 

We did get all the way from the south end to the north end and I showed Suzannah my favorite part, the Imperial Gardens.  

We took cab (which we prevailed upon to stop illegally at the north gate) to the Temple of Heaven Park where I finally got to see the iconic Temple of Heaven

and we got a bit of peaceful park time.

A subway ride to the Silk Market where we did some damage and came away with some goodies.  We were surprised to come out of the subway to a downpour so came back to the hotel to shower and figure out dinner.  We decided to go to the Nihuge Jaoza place recommended by Lonely Planet which ended up being an excellent choice.  A walk in the rain down Wangfujing meant we accomplished all of our goals for the day, then back to the hotel to pack.

Hopefully up for a walk tomorrow am before we head off to the airport.

Friday, 7/9/10 9:24 a.m. Raffles Hotel Beijing, Rm 7701

Woke up at 6:30 a.m. after going to bed at midnite but due to adventurous day anxiety, couldn't sleep anymore.  Got showered, packed, breakfast and checked out, then headed to the train station.  We left our luggage at the Sheraton and took the subway to the train station.  The subway took an hour and a half, the train took a half hour.

Once in Suzhou, we headed directly to the Garden of the Master of the Nets which was superb.  I found out after we got there that it's considered the smallest but the best.  The central courtyard garden with its large pond was quintessential Chinese garden.  

We got a bit lost on our way out of the Garden of the Master of the Nets and in wandering through the alleyways, we stumbled upon a non-tourist jade market with huge pieces of jade spread out on blankets on the ground amidst tens of little shops with jewelers cutting and shaping the jade.  Very serendipitous.

We then headed to the Blue Wave Pavilion which is the oldest.  It too was beautiful with a more wild, natural feeling.  Next, we went in search of the canal scene and lucking into Pingjiang Lu.  A lovely walk along the cana with a stop at the Bookworm and then a cab back to our business class seats on the express train to Shanghai.

Once back in Shanghai, we tried to have dinner at Zen on Xin Tian Di but ran out of time so had to leave the restaurant and get a baguette sandwich at Paul.  Back to the hotel to collect our belongings and then to the Shanghai train station for our soft sleeper train to Beijing.

Once on the train, we found a number of English speaking Chinese and spent almost two hours chatting and asking and answering questions.  It was very interesting.   One young man in particular was very curious, asking a lot of probing questions on subjects ragning from family to politics, religion, movies, sex, travel, career . . .

Got up this a.m. just as the train pulled into the Beijing station, long line for a cab, long cab ride (time not so much distance) to the hotel, then a quite personalized check in experience.  We were greeted at the door, our luggage was whisked away from us and we were asked to take a seat at a cafe table.  The very proper Chinese gentleman apologized for troubling us for our passports and my credit card, then left us with some plum juice while he went to the desk to handle all the check in paperwork.  He then personally showed us to our room along with a bellman with our luggage.  It felt a bit like we had an entourage.

Now shower and out to hopefully see the Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Wangfujing and the Silk Market.  We may be being a bit ambitious. 

Wednesday, 7/7/10 11:19 p.m. Sheraton . . .

Trying to watch the Germany/Spain semi-final but for some reason, CCTV is showing us Germany/England.  Huh?

Got up early this morning and took the subway to People's Square where we walked up the Nanjing Pedestrian Street and saw the Chinese early morning ballroom dancing and tai chi.  We continued on to the Bund where we were unable to see the interior of the Peace Hotel because it is still under renovation construction.  We walked along the river for a bit and Susie left us to come back to the hotel and shower before catching her train to Jinan.  Suzannah and I then walked up Fuzhou to check out the art supply stores and Foreign Languages Bookstore.  

Next, to the Shanghai Museum where we stopped at the cafe for beef fried rice and curry chicken before continuing on to the bronze, jade and ceramics exhibits.  A bit of shopping at the museum store and then on to the French Concession.  

We started a Lonely Planet walking tour and were immediately rewarded with the Xin Tian Di shopping district, a less than 10 year old renovation of shikumen in the long tang.  Wonderful examples of European exteriors repurposed to cafes and stores with an excellent little museum showing the neighborhood changes and preservation work.

We bailed on the remainder of the walking tour due to the heat, arriving back at the hotel around 5 pm with time to lounge a bit before dinner at 1221 again.

Lightning did not strike twice.  While the food tonight was good and well prepared, it did not measure up to last night's stellar choices.  The service, while still friendly and professional, was quite a bit slower.

After dinner, we headed back to Xin Tian Di to check out the after-dark scene which was quite a bit more crowded, buy breakfast for tomorrow at Paul, and then back to the hotel to check out the train schedule to Suzhou for tomorrow's adventures.

We're going to try to get up early, get a train to Suzhou and back, do some sightseeing, get back to the hotel to gather our belongings, and get to a different train station to catch our 9:30 p.m. train to Beijing.  It should be quite a day if everything goes well.  It could be quite a disaster if everything doesn't.

We'll plan on the former . . .

Shanghai at night is amazingly colorful with LED light shows on the buildings and bridges.  Creates quite a sense of vibrancy.

Tuesday, 7/6/10 11:59 p.m. Sheraton Hotel . . .

Got up rather leisurely this a.m., had breakfast which we had purchased at Bread Talk yesterday, then Suzannah and I went in search of the Maglev train while Susie went in search of train tickets.  The Maglev was fun, traveling in VIP class and going 431 km/hr (268 miles/hr).  We checked out the Shanghai airport (which is where the Maglev train goes) and then after our return trip, the small information museum.  

Back to the hotel to meet Susie, lunch at Costa Coffee and then a few hours at the Expo.  In contrast to yesterday's cooler but steamy rainy day, today was sunny and hot, moderated some (very little) by wind.  We found out that China is in the midst of a heat wave, Beijing having broken a 50 year record high temp yesterday.

Took the ferry across the river which wasn't nearly the cluster I feared, walked thru the commercial corporate zone and then to the metro so we could get back to get ready for dinner at 1221, The Dining Room.  Very, very good.  So good in fact that Suzannah and I will head back tomorrow with the constraint that we're not allowed to order anything we ordered today.  

After 1221, we took a cab to Cloud Nine, the bar on the 87th floor above the Grand Hyatt whose lobby is on the 54th floor.

Tomorrow Susie leaves at noon so we'll go out early to do some sightseeing with her.

It is amazing how much you (I) lose your filter when no one around you but your companions understands what you're saying.  A bit trickier in Shanghai where it's harder to know but in Beijing, Pingyao and Jinan, very few people spoke English so were could commentate virtually unedited.  And the various difficulties gave us much to editorialize about.

Also interesting is the fascination with us.  We are often (less in Shanghai) the subject of open stares and the subject of photos and videos.  The teenagers will ask if they can have their pictures taken with us.  They're rather shy when they ask and very excited when we say yes.  Jinan, which sees the fewest foreigners, was the place where we saw this constantly but it happened everywhere. 

Monday, 7/5/10 11:15 p.m. Sheraton Shanghai Hotel, Pudong, Rm 2957

Uneventful night on the train.  We couldn't find the ticket windows at the Shanghai train station when we arrived this morning so we headed to the Sheraton where we checked into a very civilized room on the 29th floor.  Suzannah and I were able to get soft sleeper tickets to Beijing on the overnight train on Thursday but Susie is having trouble getting transport back to Jinan.  Suzannah and I booked another night here so we'll leave here to go straight to the Raffles Hotel in Beijing.

After breakfast at the Costa Coffee down the street, we headed to the Expo.  It was overcast and steamy when we got there at almost noon but it cooled off and rained so was tolerable.  The Expo site is quite impressive and we went into more pavilions than I can list right now (I'll have to check my photos).  The best was far and away the UK pavilion, the Seed Cathedral (see photo above), but we paid for it with an almost 2 hour wait in line (see photo below).  

We had Italian food for lunch at a Bricco Cafe and Indonesian food for dinner at the Ekna Cafe.  The lights at the Expo after dark were spectacular and the China Pavilion is almost perfect, marred only by a too large wall around its base.

After yet another sketchy cab ride, we're back in our plush digs.  

Tomorrow, Susie chases down a bus ticket, Suzannah and I seek out the Maglev train and then, heat permitting, we head back to the Expo.  Plans tomorrow evening include a nice dinner out.