Stella!

Paw-Jama Party #3: Stella! What a fun pup!!

Stella’s a 1yo husky (/beagle?) mix. She’s definitely still very much a baby, and had lots of puppy energy!! Stel loved everyone we met, and spent a couple hours at the dog park barking at the big dogs, trying to get them to chase her. What a flirt.

She's got a silly little yelpy bark, but only used it when I cried. Loves her squeaky toys, loves attention, LOVES the car.

Sawyer

Paw-jama partier #2!
I didn't know how old Sawyer was, I didn't know what kind of dog he is. All I knew is he's a total snuggle-bug. We walked Church St this morning, and since he's a smaller dog, lots of little kids wanted to pet him. I held him so he couldn't knock them over, and he was very tolerant of small hands. A little freaked out around people and cars at nighttime walks, and not necessarily a fan of other dogs. When Lindsey visited he was hyper the whole time, but when it's just us he's totally mellow and lovey. I have since found out that he is a 5yo Australian Kelpie. I need to write his report card still, I'm confident he'll quickly find a wonderful forever-home.

Jaxon

My first paw-jama party guest, Jaxon. I just found out this weekend that he's out being fostered-to-adopt!! How exciting for him! A 6yr old lab mix, he was a wonderful house guest. He didn't like my neighbors walking up and down the stairs, and unless I caught it before he did and started talking him down right away, he would run to the door and bark. We walked Church St all morning on Sunday. He loved meeting new people and new dogs!! We went to see Mike's band, Traditional Medicinals, play at the Monroe St block party. There were lots of dogs and kids there, and he was a polite guest. However, he did bark when the sound system had feedback, and when strangers would walk down the street.

Rascal

This precious guy is my favorite. He belongs to my Bolton coworker, Ryan. I take Rascal running, he came to Camp Silver, he stayed with me for a week. He's an angel in the car, loves other dogs, he just wants to be everyone's friend!! When I brought him along to Camp Silver, he slept perfectly in the tent with Dan and me (although Dan thinks he took up too much sleeping mat). He loved playing and swimming with us all day. At night he was dead asleep next to the campfire, but when I got up to pee, he led the way and protected me, awwww. When Ryan was in between apartments, Rascal stayed with me for a week. I absolutely loved it. In the debate over getting a dog of my own, this was a pretty strong argument FOR it.

Then Ryan moved to Milton, and I haven't seen him since.

Why can't people be more like dogs?

Loudog is a 23-year old female Irish/English mix. She is food- and play-motivated, social, mellow, and generally friendly. She is protective of her space and her toys, and can be stubborn. Needs a household committed to using positive reinforcement and patience. She knows "sit," "eat," "hike," and "sleep." May benefit from further training. Loudog wants lots of activity and a sunny yard. She loves attention, but also needs a balance of quiet downtime. A house with no young children or cats would be best, other dogs would be okay. May be gruff or over-excited upon first meeting, but once she is comfortable with you, Loudog will be your best friend.

wag more/bark less

Check out some of the real write-ups on the HSCC website here http://www.chittendenhumane.org/dogs/default.htm

(I finally got to host a Paw-Jama Party! I had Jaxon, 5th from the bottom of the page)

Perks...

Well I guess I can't claim this job has NO perks. Last Wednesday I took the afternoon and hiked Mount Mansfield with my rep from Backpacker Magazine! We had the PERFECT day for it. Rascal is an excellent hiker, even if he doesn't like posing for pictures.

Just call me Angel of the morning...

In the winter, I'm a ski instructor on the weekends. I have to be at the mountain earlier than my regular job, and I get there on time.

But I just can't seem to get myself to work on time during the week. I calmly take my time picking my clothes, matching just the right necklace, bracelet, shoes. But then as soon as I step out the door and into my car, I start stressing - why did I hit the snooze those last 5 times? Who cares what bracelet I'm wearing?! Why is the car in front of me going so slowwww? Not a good way to start the day.

So why can I get to the mountain early, but still sneak into the office late? Because I WANT to go to the mountain. I DON'T want to go to the office every day. Somewhere in my brain, I know that. It's easy to say "Oh I'm not a morning person," but sooner or later, something's gotta give.

Mosaic

Look what I made!!

Lately

I have been slacking!! And sleep is no excuse for not updating my all-important blog. I have several half-written posts that I will do my best to finish soon, so don't give up on me!!
xoxo
Lou

My New Favorite!

So, pretty soon I'll be publishing some very serious, well-researched and hard-hitting posts about sunblock, Edward Hopper, and the double standards applied to sex in advertising. But right now I would like to draw your attention to my current FAVORITE website,

Pictures of Walls

As the name suggests, it's galleries of pictures of graffiti-ed walls (and other surfaces) - silly, political, personal, nonsensical...this one makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it:

I really like this one, too. Basically, you should go take a look.











If you're still bored after that, try Passive-Aggressive Notes, another favorite.

Edward Hopper

Mom and I went to mfa boston to see the Edward Hopper exhibit! I must say, before going I didn't know any of his work other than being vaguely familiar with Night Hawks. Many of his paintings are of bright sun-lit spaces, but despite the initial cheery appearance, he chose to capture people isolated or alienated among other people, or alone in daily life. (Although I must emphasis that being 'alone' is not always the same as being 'lonely.') The stark urban and rural scenes are eerily realistic, showing desolate structures and sometimes painfully isolated people.

His work is really beautiful to me! I love the very straight lines and geometric shapes he sees created by sunlight and shadows, I love the snapshot-like effect of showing people in their daily settings, just going about their routine. I love that his paintings do have a melancholy tone about them that I can appreciate and understand even if I don't know the cultural significance of a woman wearing lipstick at lunchtime. (According to the recorded guide that went along with the exhibit, it IS significant) His urban scenes are gritty, posing the light inside against the dark outside, while his rural pieces seem more airy, light. There's an almost voyeuristic quality to some of his pieces, but he manages to pull it off as observational instead of creepy. He creates an almost tangible emotional setting.

There's a brick building on Main St here in Burly, and when the sun hits it right, it seriously looks like it fell right out of his canvas.





Images: Room in Brooklyn, 1932
Room in New York, 1932
Night Windows, 1928

Ain't no sunshine

So, my garden is proving to be an interesting experience this summer. It was great fun to paint the boxes with Dad, and plant them on Mother's Day with both my parents. I love being able to see the boxes from my window, but the porch is proving to be an unsuitable place to sustain a garden.

Although the lettuce started sprouting up within two weeks, it has not lived up to that early promise. I guess I really don't have enough sun for it. The leaves aren't any bigger than those in the picture. I had to cut more than half a dozen to have lettuce on my burger!! A salad is pretty much out of the question. (But look at the cute little tags I painted!)

The pepper plant certainly looks healthy enough, which is deceiving. Don't be fooled!! It has lots of blossoms on it, that's true. But as soon as the flower falls off and the actual fruit starts growing in behind it, the whole thing FALLS OFF THE PLANT. It's happened three times already!! This does not bode well for my overall pepper harvest. All of the forks in the branches are turning black, which seems like a bad color for plants to be. Are there any pepper plant diseases I should know about??

The tomato plants are compensating for the lack of sun by growing three feet tall so they can reach the sun, which makes me think they're as determined as I am for them to actually amount to something. There are several clusters of tomatoes on the plant, and a lot of blossoms near the top. The plants (even though they're staked) blew over in the storms last week, so I tied them to the porch railing. Heh, just TRY to blow over now, stupid plants!! Good thing I have all that ribbon!

The carrots were planted in rows, but are all sprouting up in a big clusterfuck, and again don't seem to be growing very big. I've tried thinning them, but I don't know if it helped much. I guess I need to get more aggressive with them. The chives and tarragon are doing great, but of course how much of those can you really use at one time?

The cucumbers may end up being the stars of the garden!! I planted a row all along the back of one of the boxes, with a trellis behind them to climb, which they are doing quite happily. Now I just need to find some recipes that use cucumbers...pasta salads, anyone?

GoldieLou and the three dogs

Yesterday was one of those bad days at the office, and I was in need of some dog-time. BUT I don’t get out until 5:30, and that’s when dog-walking ends!! So I called the HSCC anyway, and to my delight, I could get there in time for “evening TLC” from 5:30-6pm!!

When I arrived they sent me right into Camp Take-me-home to visit with whichever dog I wanted.
I started with Jake, the one I had walked a couple weeks ago. But he seemed really tired, and didn't really seem to want company. Austin was barking and jumping around, so I went to see him, but he was a little too high-energy for me. He managed to wriggle out of his collar, and started running around the room...not good. I finally lured him back into his kennel room and got his collar back on, and decided I needed someone a little more low-key.

Then I found Annabelle. She’s a sweet little hound mix who couldn’t stop kissing me!! After a few minutes of licking my face, she settled down and snuggled up on my lap for some quality petting and head-scratching time until they had to kick me out at 6 for closing. I think I've found a new best friend. I told her I would do my best to get in my five hours of dog-walking so that I could take her home for a paw-jama party soon! She sealed the deal by licking my face again (at least, I assume that meant she approves).

What a perfect way to end the day – now that I know about evening TLC, I’m going to do it as often as possible.

Life takes...what, exactly?

I love the current "Life takes faster money; life takes Visa" campaign.

It's brightly-colored, visually pleasing, and fast-paced! There are new little things to notice each time! The music is peppy!

And at the same time, I hate it. It's reinforcing the idea that we always need to be moving faster, that human interaction is getting in our way. And frankly, I don't want to hear it.

My new arrivals

Awww, everyone loves a new baby!

Their first night in their new home!!

Lou's Bicycle

When the Burlington snow melted and the bike lanes were once again clear and visible, I decided it was time to try biking to work. I had even stronger motivation when my beloved little car had to go in for some work overnight. It took a little prodding (Ithaca beer), but Dougy reattached the front tire he had for some reason removed while my bike was housed in the guys' garage over the winter, and I was on my way! The rest is history...

There are lots of sites touting the many benefits of biking. Why do I do it? The most immediate benefit I get is improved mood. Biking to work is such a better start to the day than driving. It definitely takes a little more work (packing business clothes to change into, leaving early enough to be changed in time for morning production meetings), but that is more than outweighed by the boost it provides. There's also the smug satisfaction of it all...but I digress!

Second, there's that whole "environmentalist" thing. As you know, I love counting things, so I've kept track of how many miles of driving I've avoided. To date, I have biked 126.5 miles I would have otherwise had to drive. Each mile biked keeps about 3.75lbs of pollutants out of the atmosphere. That means I've avoided 474.38 POUNDS of air pollution.

Third there's the money factor. Gas prices are ridiculous. The less I have to fill up, the better. Originally my goal was to bike at least one day a week, but it's turning into a lot more - I biked every day last week! My new goal is to save an entire tank of gas (about 325mi) over the course of the summer.

Finally, there are the personal health benefits. Ski season kept me in pretty good shape all winter, but playing with puppies every other week is no suitable replacement workout plan. I've improved my commute time from 30min to 15, my slow stretches are less slow, hills offer less resistance, and I weave through traffic like a well-balanced pro (haha, that last one is a lie - but I'm better than I used to be).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
My parents' house is 80 miles away in NH. Supposing I travel at an average 10mph, that's an 8-hour ride. Add water/food/bathroom breaks, that's 9-10 hours. Then I'd have to repeat the trip back the following day. Think I can do it??

GOAL: Bike from my house in Burlington to my parents' house in NH

Paw-jama Party

Warmer weather has finally arrived in northern VT. With it comes an unexpected complication for me. Walking around Burlington has become like having that dream where everyone around me has what I want but can't have. I try not to be jealous of what seemingly every person I pass is proudly parading up and down Church Street. They've all got a best pal with a beautiful coat and a wet nose. I'm talking, of course, about dogs.

Dogs have become one of my new obsessions. I see them everywhere, but I just can't have one!! And with good reason. First of all, I live in a one-room apartment. Second, I don't exactly have an abundance of disposable income. Third, I work all day all week in a non-dog friendly office. But I must be satiated. So I found a way; I'm a problem-solver. I volunteer as a dog walker for the Humane Society of Chittenden County. It's less than a mile from my office, so when I can, I take my lunch hour to go play with the dogs.

The ultimate goal is to host a paw-jama party, aka foster a dog for a weekend. A party host is called in when a dog needs time away from the kennel, or the staff wants to see how a dog will react in a home setting. Or if a qualified host just wants a dog for the weekend, she can call and see if there's a dog available. I want to find a summer hiking buddy. But to become qualified, I first have to log in five hours of dog-walking.


This is Jake, we hung out together a week ago. It was a really hot day, so we didn't go too far. It was really more of a wander than a walk. So far I've got a grand total of 15min of dog-walking. Between the weather and my workload, I don't often take lunch breaks, so it's been kind of hard to bank much time. If all of my training time counted toward the 5hrs though, I'd be half done!

There are tons of volunteer opportunities at the Humane Society, from dog-walking to cat socialization to keeping a garden for the little critters. If you're in a similar dog love limbo as me, find your local chapter and volunteer your time! Probably the most mutually rewarding volunteering option out there.

"A Little Better" is a start

Check out this site - www.ALittleBetterGasStation.com

Quite possibly the most fun site I've found in a while. It's a beautifully made marketing site for BP to promote their new-found environmental conscience. Too bad my phone doesn't support their free ringtones. At least I can have their screen savers, and play Gas Mania. Some of the copy gets a little redundant (we GET it, it's a little better!!), but overall, worth a read-through.

Also check out www.TheGreenCurve.com

There's a ton of information on BP's efforts to be more sustainable. They acknowledge the fact that this station (which really exists in Los Angeles at the corner of Olympic and Robertson) is not a miracle answer from the future, it's a station for today that's a little better than the status quo stations. Check out how each part of the station was constructed, keeping "green" in mind (although they ARE still pumping gasoline...). Solar energy, green roof, Low-VOC paint, 60% post-consumed aluminum to construct the sinks, windows made from post-consumer recycled glass. I guess I can concede that until we stop using cars, we might as well have sustainabily-constructed stations.

As well, they present us with "The Green Curve," a sustainability spectrum that we're all on somewhere. There's a quiz you can take, and several categorized lists (Work, Travel, Car, etc) of pointers to live a more sustainable lifestyle. It's really simple stuff, like using a mug at the office instead of a Styrofoam cup, telecommuting, carpooling, etc. Worth a look, if you're wondering where to start!!

Get rid of it!

I have a confession to make. Those of you who know me at all will find this as no surprise.

I love saving stuff.

I have stuff of all kinds that I've saved for YEARS - fabric, ribbon, school notes, clothes, children's games, concert tickets, magazines - this list could go on forever. You get the idea, I'm a packrat. I mean, you just never know when you're going to need that article in SKI Magazine from 3 years ago, or your junior prom gown, am I right? And to be fair, I have actually worn that dress for multiple occasions all through college. However, that's only one of the several formal gowns I have socked away, that I wore and loved for one night, and haven't touched since. And the odds of needing my busted-up old cell phone any time in the future? Pretty slim.

Enter Martha Stewart.

As a media buyer, I get information all the time from publications wanting a piece of our ad budgets. Were you aware that Martha has a whole family of magazine titles under her belt? The list includeds of course the classic Martha Stewart Living, but also body+soul, Weddings Magazine, Everyday Food, and the newest addition, Blueprint. Somehow, I found myself on the Blueprint website. And somehow, I found the magical list, 100 Reasons To Get Rid of It.

Okay Martha, you crafty genius, I'll bite. Can you REALLY provide me with one hundred reasons to get rid of my prized collections and stock piles? Well I'm here to tell you YES. Yes she can.

This list is pretty fantastic. It's broken up into segments of 5-8 reasons/links with categories such as "Because You Have Too Much Stuff" (ouch...so true), "Because Someone Else Needs It" (that old cell phone? I donated it to Women Helping Battered Women here in VT. The dresses? Operation Fairy Dust. Also check out One Warm Coat and Dress for Success for those outgrown clothes), "Because It Will Make Your Life Better" (Around 23% of people pay late fees on bills they cannot find), "Because It's Old/Expired" (I had more bath products than any one person could ever use up, many of which were past their prime), and finally, "Just Because: What's the worst that can happen if you throw it out?"

These days, I love getting rid of stuff. Every time I visit my folks' house, I comb through and pick out more clothes, childhood games, etc to give away. Last week I posted our entire porcelain doll collection on eBay. These are things that are just cluttering up my space! I need to let go, I need to GET RID OF IT!!

Take a look at this list, when you have a second. I bet there are a few things in your closet that you could stand to get rid of, too.

IC Grad / Weekend of alumni mayhem!

Okay, so I went to Ithaca for the weekend to see Amanda and all my lovely graduates. There were SO MANY MORE alumni than I expected!! I spent the weekend with Emily, Fester, Amanda H, Amanda I, George, KEITH, JAY, and sooo many awesome people. We drank too much, remembered old times, hiked gorges, ate good food, drank too much again...hahaha.

I'm so excited for all of the graduates, but I remember how weird it felt to be...DONE with school. I mean, it's what we spent 16 years doing, now we have to go figure out something else to do! It's sort of jarring if you think about it too much. Kendra's got the best plan - she's staying in Ithaca for a year! Jealousssss.

I talked to Dean Lynch briefly. She was at St Mike's before going to Ithaca, so she actually knew my boss. I asked her why she hadn't warned me more strongly about him, and she replied, "Because then you might not have gone, and it's a really good place for you to be." And now it's all starting to make sense. No boss is going to be perfect, no job is going to be fun all the time. If I can live through this, I'll be that much stronger and smarter for it.

Come on, let's GROW

My parents came to the Bur for Mother's Day!! They brought the garden boxes I painted (I know, they look grey, but I swear they're blue and white), a bunch of compost, and seeds. We went to Gardener's Supply and bought tomato plants (2 types) and a red pepper plant. (Wow, look at how bright and green everything looks - this was the perfect lighting for these pictures!!)

In one box I planted the tomatoes, lots of lettuce, and chives.

In the other, I've got cucumbers (with a trellis behind for them to climb), carrots, peppers, and more lettuce! Basically I'm growing my own salad. Hopefully I'll get two rounds of lettuce in.

In separate pots I've got pansies on one step, and morning glory on the other that will theoretically climb the post and twist around the railing. Above it all, there's a hanging begonia. I'm so happy to have my garden started at last!!

Only problem is, I have no patience - I don't want to wait!! I wonder if I'll have any tomatoes when I get home from work tomorrow...

Let's cause a stir!

So, I was goofing off at work, and googled my name, just for fun...
www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1575845/posts

It's a repost of The Ithacan's article on National Condom Week, for which I was interviewed about ICFeminists' observances of the week. That's cool. But it's reposted on a republican site, and the comments that follow get pretty crude. First off, they insult all feminists as ugly man-haters with no need for condoms, keep referring to Ithaca as "The City of Evil," call IC women sluts, make assumptions about the intelligence and attitudes of ICF members, and then they get personal. They dug up an old picture of me, looked me up on the college directory, found a current picture, insult my body, my intelligence, and my assumed lack of kissing abilities (yeah, really). Then a poster calls the entire board cute, and suggests we'd be fun to invite out for lunch.

I think Dana said it best -
"Well, on the positive side, we must have done something right to be causing such a stir. If we made conservatives mad, then we were probably succeeding at sharing actual, worthwhile information that they'd like to deny. Yikes! . . . The amount of close-minded people out there never ceases to amaze me . . . ICF rocks. That's all there is."

She's right, of course. Basically, all I can do is laugh. I'm not going to change any of those peoples' minds about me or my beliefs through a republican chat thread, so I'll wear it as a badge of honor. I'll put it on my resume, and we'll add it to our war stories. Because that's all you can do when faced with something this ridiculous and small-minded. So thanks, Free Republic "freepers," for the reminder that I'm capable of causing a stir.

OH BABY!!

Haiden Fiore, in all his six-week-old glory!! OMG he is just TOO CUTE!!! Hmm...I think I'd buy baby food or clothes or tires or bubble bath from that face, wouldn't you? I see a career in baby modeling in his future.


He's five days old here, can't believe the difference!! I won't even recognize him when I see him in two weeks!!

Jess says his sleeping is getting more regular all the time, and he survived an entire errands trip with a good mood. OF COURSE Jess would have the perfect baby!! No one is surprised!!! <3

Never thought I'd say it...

I miss the Ithaca College Hammond Health Center. Yeah, you always had to wait forever, and they prescribe meds wa-a-ay to easily, but c'mon! Let's review:
1) Location - centrally located above Park, next to the campus center
2) Cost - Lab tests? Prescriptions? Well shit, I don't actually have money - charge it to my student account!
3) Walk-in - Sure, I carry a cell phone at all times, but who has time to call ahead and make an appointment?! I've got some free time *right now* so I'll go.
4) Prescription Room - If they don't have it, they'll get it. Prescriptions could be delivered up from the pharmacy down town so you never have to leave campus.
5) Waiting Room - okay, not necessarily key to quality health care, but the waiting room had a very strong offering for reading material. SKI, Skiing, People...it's all there.

Let's compare that to my current situation. I see Dr Baad at the GoodHEALTH Primary Care Center, and whoever at Planned Parenthood.
1) Location - GHPCC is in South Burlington, but not the end of SBur that I work in. Could be worse...could be better. PPN is near the UVM campus...also not great in relation to my office.
2) Cost - $25 copay per visit. At PPN, I'm getting the Gardasil shots, so that's three visits. At GHPCC, we're messing with my meds which means lots of follow-up appointments. This shit is adding up.
3) Appointments - I have to make one!! And I have to fit it into my work day!! What?!?
4) Prescriptions - Well, there's a room, but it's called Brooks Pharmacy and I have to walk there and then kill time until it's ready.
5) Waiting room - way to brightly lit, pharmaceutical brand placement everywhere you look, and let's face it - the magazine selection SUCKS.

Now, I'm seeing great doctors and I'm happily paying for affordable health care so all in all I probably shouldn't bitch too much, but it just occurred to me I took for granted all that is good about Hammond!

Make it count

I started this blog, in part, after a suggestion from my reality tv-lovin' coworker Jessie. And she IS my direct supervisor, so clearly I had to get to it! She also has a blog, Constant Variables (she's not actually obsessed with everyday math, she wrote it for a class). But look at this guy!! This is her 1yr old son, David. I don't have a picture of Jessie, so this will have to do. He doesn't appreciate math on the same level as Jessie, but just look at how ridiculously cute he is!! And we all know I'm not fond of small children, so the fact that I think he's great is pretty substantial. He's only visited the office a couple times, and managed to freak out Mike last time...maybe that's why I like him?

Snow dreams...

So! I think these are the skis I'm going to get, the K2 Lotta Luv. A size down from the biggest, Phat Luv, one up from Burnin' Luv. Should be good to rip it on the hard pack here in the east, as well as float the powder out west!! Just have to track down a proform and order them through the Alpine Shop. And I'm gonna use my entire tax refund to buy them. Hottttt.

This is Happy

(a bit self-congratulatory, but everyone needs this now and then)

This is Happy.

This is such an amazing feeling.

I'm totally happy with my body - I bike 7 miles a day; I beat 3 guys at arm wrestling last night and got called "pretty jacked for a girl;" I've got an awesome sex life, and lately several guys vying for my attention; my face, my hair - everything is working.

It's the beginning of summer. That means biking EVERYWHERE, that means swimming, it means gardening, it means cliff jumping, cookouts, fruity drinks, lighter hair, hiking, dog-walking, weekend road trips, sweaty nights, camping, DI camp?

I've got money in the bank and plans for the future (even if they do keep changing). I love my city, I love my apartment. I'm making a group of friends I care about, even though losing the guys will be a blow to that.

For once, for now, this girl is SO HAPPY.

email to my Mom

Hi Mom,
So crapola, I forgot to bring my bike rack back with me, and this is the only week to bring things in for the bike swap. I'm still going to check out the swap/sale to see if I can buy a roof rack for a reasonable price.

I think I like my plan of staying until September then heading west. That will give me the opportunity to build up my savings again (with the car maintenance expenses my bundle took a hit), enjoy the summer in Burlington, and have a more solid timeline to work towards. As we know, I'm an expert at finding ways to entertain myself, so even though I won't have the guys to fall back on, I hope I can make it a good summer. For example, I am totally IN LOVE with biking to work. My time is improving already! This plan also gives me plenty of time to get an apartment, job, etc set up in CO.

Just out of curiosity, I requested furniture moving/relocation quotes from a website. The one quote I got in so far was like $1,500...so, that's a bunch. Not that I have any point of reference yet - that might be fantastic. That's for door-to-door service from the Bur to Denver. The deal with this site is it'll send me up to 6 quotes from different companies so I can compare. Of course the best would be to fit everything intoy own car, but that clearly rules out my bed and chair...and I would probably have to leave much of my fabric. Of course it's just an IKEA bed and I could probably get the same one out there if I really missed it. I'll ask Meg, but just looking at the mileage it would be over $200 in gas for the trip, not counting food and lodging. So that brings the cost of just the move itself to $2,000. That's pretty much the extent of my savings at the moment.

On a brighter note, I did a little apartment hunting last night on craigslist Denver. Rents are a LOT lower in Denver. I know VT - Burlington in particular - is disproportionately high, but they had condo-like places twice the size of what I'm in now in the mid $500 range! Cool! I found several more house-like apartments on Capital Hill in Denver, the area I loved so much.

I guess my current issue is that I really love Burlington, like a whole lot. Last night I went out with Rachel to the Radio Bean, a bar/club a block from my apt for "Honkey-Tonk Tuesday." She goes every week, and introduced me to all her friends. There was a girl there I had met at Courtney's party, and a member of Mike's band I had met Friday at the Hot Buttered Rum show. Not that I think I'm destined to be life-long friends with any of these people, but I'm starting to find a network, make the connections among my friends, and friends of friends.

Why do I call this an issue, why do I see this as a problem? Because I want to give the Bur a fair shake. I want to fully enjoy my time here, and get all I can out of it. I guess I almost feel guilty for leaving too soon. That's how I feel about Boston - I can hardly say I lived there, because I was only there for...three months? And most of that time was spent in our apartment job-searching and researching compost. If I had known I would be there for such a limited time, I know I would have gotten out more, y'know?

So that's just some stuff that's on my mind these days. UVM has finals this week and next, then Johan's gone. Cliff is around for another week I think, then he's gone too. I guess that'll be the real test of...something.

Okay...back to work. I hope your day is going well.
Love
Lou