I thought the rockies were a little rockier than this...

So, Denver is great. 

Yesterday I drove out to the Red Rock ampitheatre and park. Let me tell you... that was quite a treat. I was completely by myself, and the view of the Denver skyline from behind these huge red rocks just sticking out of the ground was magnificent. 

Afterwards I got on 285 and started driving south through this passage called Turkey canyon, or creek, or something like that. I came upon an exit for a town called Tinytown. No joke. Tinytown. Obviously I exited and drove up  a road a little ways until I came upon a row of connected buildings built right up against the face of this mountain. I realized then that I wanted to live in the mountains. Like, right inside the mountains with the pine trees and such. It was reminiscent of the Country Bears attraction at Disneyworld, and for some reason that was comforting. I think I need to go back to this town and drink a few beers. You know, mingling with those laid-back country folk. I like it a lot.

A Denver omlette sounds might fine...

For my writing enjoyment, I think I need to come up with a list of some pros and cons of possibly upending my entire life and moving out to Denver. I'm just spitballing here, so please bare with me because these are in no particular order (just like life in general, really).

Pros:

1. It's Denver. Enough said, really. Weather is great, although you think that it would be colder in the mountains. This is a falsehood, as recently reinforced by a friend who emailed me a snapshot of the 7-day forecast for this week. Want to know what the average temperature is for this week? I'll give you some guessing parameters: between 55 and 65 degrees and either partly sunny or sunny. Flip a coin if you need assistance.

2. There are roots already in place for me to get a firm grasp on the Denver lifestyle. Two friends, both with "real" jobs who are willing to cover my share of rent and utilities in the apartment we would live in until I, too, get a "real" job. 

3. The flood has already messed up my living situation. To this day I have not gotten back into my apartment so it would not be a hassle to pack up and cancel my lease with a full refund. 

4. I'm already networked to receive temp work almost as soon as I get unpacked. Plus a freshly replentished savings account, late paychecks, and an almost certain government stimulus check in the next 3-4 months would keep me on my feet until I find something permanent.

5. A possible guaranteed customer service position at a friend's company is a great backup full-time job.

6. Skiing and golfing in the Rockies. After I get a source of income, of course. 

And now the Cons:

1. Family and friends. As corny as it is, I would hate to leave my family in Iowa and it would almost feel like turning the page on a lot of my friends. 

2. Uncertain job market. This is the biggest unknown and probably the most difficult aspect of moving to a city. Secure job in Iowa vs. uncertain times in Denver... classic case of boy meets economic downturn. 

3. Hippies. Colorado mountain hippies, the kind that go snowboarding and work in coffee shops. No, wait... that should go in the Pros section. Hippies are fun, especially when you could get free lift passes and coffee.

4. Moving out there would almost certainly require getting rid of all my furniture and replacing it piece by piece. It would also include the physical aspect of moving, which grows more and more painful each time I do so. 4 years of college and 4 apartments... I've been moving on average probably once every 7 to 8 months since I graduated high school. 

This is such a mediocre list, as I feel there are several more things I could add to each column, but you can see my dilemma. I do feel though, that if this opportunity presented itself in a closer city, say, Chicago or Des Moines even, I would take it much faster than I'm currently sitting on this decision. 

I guess to quote the Darjeeling Limited, I haven't found myself yet. how symbolic is that?

so this is it..

For reasons unbeknownst to even myself, I have started a blog. Perhaps I shall update this frequently, and perhaps not. I'm pretty fickle sometimes, so we shall see. 

I believe some things have come full circle at age 23. One sign of this is playing Wii with my parents, who bought one for themselves. It is saying a lot when your dad can beat you in Wii bowling, but I have accepted this and moved on. My mom bought it and I can beat her at anything she touches, so I think this makes up for it.

 

I find it funny how my parents, who, when I was growing up, never bought anything "cool" or "entertaining" go out and buy a Wii, an HD television, and a blu-ray player all in about a couple months' time. Perhaps it's a sign of the times, but I think they are just getting ready for retirement and stocking up on all the goodies now. Although, to give my dad credit, he was really into Dr. Mario on my gameboy when I was little. He might have played that more than I did. Dr. Mario was never as good as tetris, though. 

I believe the best/worst introduction of technology for me lately would have to be the "genius" feature on iTunes. Best because I am discovering so much new music that I don't have time to listen to it all. Worst because I am spending more money on music than I ever have before, and on a tight budget, I don't have too much room for fringe spending. The Album Leaf, by the way, is the most beautiful music I've listened to since discovering Sigur Ros. Thank you genius. Speaking of music, the new Animal Collective album is coming out in a few more days, but I have discovered you can stream the entire album now on Rhapsody, so that's pretty cool. 

More to come soon...stay in touch