Friday...PHEW!

Hooray for Friday, especially since my secret is finally out in the open!

Yesterday I e-mailed my landlord about my lease, which was actually a piece of cake. Haven't heard anything back from her yet, but I'm not going to stress about it. Deep breathes, deep breahes!

Today I talked with Donna--she was in the loop that Denver was a possibility, but I hadn't told her yet that it is official. When I talked with her this morning and told her that we were moving, she couldn't have been more genuinely happy for me and supportive of my decision. She is almost more excited than I am, and she is definitely going to keep me in check when it comes to preparing for the move, etc.! She said she is going to miss me (obviously!) but that I am ready to move on and she knows that I'm destined for great things. One of the things Donna is great for is a good-'ole confidence boost!

But in all seriousness, Donna has been like my Fairy Godmother in Boston. I really believe that there are people who you are supposed to meet at certain points in life and she is definitely one of those people for me. She has been an amazing professional mentor, and she has also showed me how far confidence, assertiveness and a great smile can go in this world. I will never have her gift of gab or magnetic charisma, but she's taught me that sometimes it's ok to be a little be less self-aware and that (as cliche as this sounds!) no one can make me feel insecure but me. When she walks into a room--whether it's a meeting room, a restaurant or a store--she owns in, and she never lets anyone make her feel anything less than fabulous. And while she can sometimes be a little over-the-top (today she bought a tiara for herself at Frugal Fanny's...and, yes, she will wear it!), I can sometimes be a little too uptight and reserved. She's taught me that sometimes it's ok to let go and just not give a crap what people are thinking--they might be looking at you like you are crazy, but they are probably also jealous that they aren't more like you! She has really looked out for me these past two years, and, to be honest, she is the best friend I've made in Boston. I know that when I move to Denver that we will stay close, and I am truly fortunate that I had the opportunity to work for her.

Tonight, Tom and I are going down to the Cape to see Regina and Bill, then we are going to see Gram & Gramps tomorrow. It will be nice to see everyone and celebrate. Don't worry, Dad. Regina and I will stay in check. :)

Moving Along...

It looks like April 1 is D-Day! I've been busy sloughing off my real work and diving into the apartment search because we are headed to Denver next weekend (March 5th - 7th) to find our new home. I'm frantically refreshing my Craigslist page every two minutes to see if new rentals come up, and I've already pissed off one realtor by contacting one of his colleagues about a property instead of just telling him I was interested. Sorry - I didn't know that you two work together, considering CL offers minimal realtor info and oftentimes only a blind e-mail contact. I just want to make sure we see as many places as possible when we're out there, and since I've spearheaded the apartment-hunt project, I feel responsible for ensuring that finding a place only requires one trip to Denver. FYI: last-minute plane tickets are expensive so book ahead when you come visit.

In addition to the apartment search, I also have knots in my stomach about giving notice at work and contacting my landlord. The landlord issue really isn't cause for much stress, but I still don't like telling people that I'm not finishing what I started (my lease). I know - totally crazy since I'm obligated to pay my rent through May, so it's not like I'm telling her that I'm skipping town never to be heard of again. Anyway, I need to compose that e-mail shortly and hope that I can help her find someone to take over my lease and live in my dungeon before I leave.

The real thing that's making my tummy hurt is giving notice because it's just so AWKWARD to deal with everyone after the bomb is dropped, and since I'm giving more than a month's notice, there will be plenty of time for awkwardness. The good thing is that I have a totally viable, understandable reason for leaving and I have good-will (for the most part) toward the company, so I don't have hard feelings and I don't think anyone will have any towards me. Well, except when they consider that they're losing one of the best they've ever had! :) Anyway, I'm prepared for a few painful encounters with some of the socially-awkward Red Cross folks I've come to know and love. As people hear through the grapevine what's going on and why I'm leaving, I'm sure I will perfect a canned response to, "So! You're moving to Denver!" Honestly, I can't wait to sail through March (although I actually have a few big work projects in the pipe for next month) and get on with our life!

Oh, and after the apartment hunt is over, the job search will begin in earnest... fingers crossed that it's quick and painless!

You Won't See Me on Larry...

I apologize to the four of you out in cyberspace who keep track of this blog - I've been silent lately because I've been traveling for work and there wasn't much news to report, either.

I spent last week in Dallas doing Red Cross Disaster Services media training, which prepares Red Cross staff and volunteers to be national spokespeople for the Red Cross during disasters (floods, hurricanes, wild fire) and tragedies (plane crashes, campus shootings, bombings). Really uplifting stuff! Although I have never reported to a disaster, and I am part of the Red Cross Blood Services, I have been invited to this special training for the past three years. This time around we had a very pared down group - last year there were about 120 of us, this year we were down to 60. Donna and I were among only four Blood Services people to attend. Basically, this was the creme de la creme of disaster chasers. Lots of cargo pants and Red Cross vests with reflective strips on them. See, even though we were holed up safely in the American Airlines Conference Center for four days straight, these people were pretending that they were on the ground and on duty in a really bad place. The "disaster scenario" we were playing off of combined a hurricane that flooded the city of Dallas with a horrific train derailment nearby that claimed the lives of hundreds with hundreds who were still missing. Our days consisted of doing different kinds of staged media interviews that combined Red Cross messaging with accounts from the scene - it was a weird kind of play-acting where I had to make up stories about little kids crying in Red Cross shelters because their homes were destroyed and mothers waiting to hear word about their teenagers who were missing in the train crash.

It was difficult for me to make up these stories and for me to "fake" the kind of empathy that needs to come through on camera because I've never been to a disaster/tragedy to see first-hand what goes on in a Red Cross shelter or family assistance/counseling center. And, after talking to some of the people at this training and hearing their experiences, I don't think I ever want to.

I'm not sure I could handle being in Haiti, especially if my main role there was to talk with Anderson Cooper in between stepping over dead bodies and handing out water to desperate people. And I would feel creepy going somewhere like Virginia Tech in the aftermath of its campus massacre to report to news outlets on the "atmosphere" in the area where families await word on their loved ones. Way too invasive.

Okay, I know that I would get through those situations if I had to, but, again, I'm not sure if I want to. I don't know if I have it in me emotionally, and I think it takes a certain "type" to really thrive in those kinds of environments.

Anyway, it looks like my move to Denver will probably close the Red Cross chapter of my life, and I'm okay with that. I learned a lot about the organization, and promoting blood donation is something I will always feel strongly about, especially since I'm unable to donate blood myself. But I don't think you will see me on the front lines of America's next major disaster, even if it would mean I'd get an interview with Larry!!

Rocky Mountain PoHo

On our first day exploring Denver, Tom and I stumbled upon something that really sealed the deal. As we wandered around a popular section of LoDo named Larimer Square, my sharp eye caught a sign in the distance that read, "The Pour House Pub." What a coincidence! What are the chances? Hey, we need to check this out for ourselves!

For those of you who aren't familiar with a friendly--if slightly dingy--Boston watering hole called the Pour House, it's a bar on Boylston where Tom and his friends are known by name, where the bartenders rarely charge them more than $15 for a night of drinking and where they've spent many-a-night blitzed beyond belief. If you asked Tom what he misses most about Boston, I'm sure he'd say me, but the Pour House would come in a very, very close second. It's Tom and his buddies' clubhouse, and, much to Tom's dismay, he was never able to find a comparable place in Philly.

As we walked into the Pour House Pub in Denver, we weren't sure what to expect. The few bars we had checked out already that day (don't worry - it was only one, for lunch) had lots of fun beers on tap, but the Pour House only had a small tap at the end of the bar with a few beers to choose from. I walked down to get a better look and realized that it was all Sam Adams and Guinness. Hmmmm. That didn't really register to me as being strange since every bar in Boston has Sam and Guinness on tap. We both ended up ordering bottled beers (who wants to drink Sam Adams in Denver?), and then we started looking around. The walls were filled with Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins memorabilia... and then it started to sink in. Tom asked the bartender, "Hey, is this a Boston bar?" Yep, of course it is! The owners are Boston transplants and former PoHo regulars who decided to bring their favorite bar with them to Denver!

I'm not sure if our bartender was from Boston, but he had that chubby, ruddy-faced look of Boston bartenders, and he was very friendly. Tom and I sat and chatted with him for a bit about how they play all the Boston sports games on TV there and the place will be crazy when the Red Sox come play the Rockies this baseball season. Apparently the owners of the Boston Pour House have visited their sister spot in Denver, and it's one of the few bars in Denver that serves Sam Adams on tap.

The Denver PoHo is shinier and newer than the Boston PoHo and it doesn't have as much personality - I sort of missed the bathroom stalls scrawled with graffiti and the way my feet stick to the ground of the Boston Pour House. But I think finding this bar was a sign to Tom and me that Denver is meant to be. I am sure that we will be spending plenty of time in the Denver Pour House, but nothing will ever replace the original!

The Secret to Skinniness?

Denver is the skinniest city in the United States, with an adult obesity rate that's just under 13%. (FYI: The national adult obesity rate is around 25%.) This fact is slightly intimidating because I envision lean, toned and tan tri-athletes running or biking to the nearest organic cafe where they dine on spinach leaves and protein shakes. Not my idea of a party, although I am excited to make bike-riding a part of my life again (bye-bye beach cruiser, hello mountain bike!).

So, I was surprised to discover that Denver (and CO in general) is known for it's buffalo meat, which is served in various forms at almost every restaurant. There is buffalo filet, buffalo prime rib, buffalo burgers, buffalo meatloaf, buffalo chili... and many other buffalo varieties that I haven't heard of yet.

Although I have a real soft spot in my heart for the talking buffalo head at Disneyland's "Country Bear Jamboree," I decided I needed to try a slice of these fuzzy beasts for myself. Tom had a buffalo burger when we ate lunch at Wynkoop Brewery, which is one of Denver's best-know brew pubs. Wynkoop is owned by Denver's mayor, John Hickenlooper. (I know - that's a totally make-believe, elf name.) I decided to save my buffalo appetite for a more hard-core venue.

The Buckhorn Exchange is the oldest restaurant in Denver and its upstairs bar boasts Colorado's first liquor license. But it's probably best know for its crazy taxidermy - animal heads hung from every inch of wall space, stuffed birdies and snakes and other critters inside glass cases... if it can be hunted, it's collecting dust somewhere in the Buckhorn Exchange (see above photo). Oh, and there's also a huge gun collection. Welcome to the Wild West!

Anything you can find on the walls of this restaurant is probably also on the menu. Tom was adventurous and had a sampler of ostrich, yak and quail (and we started with rattlesnake dip, which was basically artichoke dip with rattlesnake meat instead artichokes), but I played it safe with the buffalo tenderloin. Um, hello tender yumminess! This buffalo business is one of my favorite Denver discoveries so far!

Could buffalo meat be the magic elixir that's keeping Denver slim? Well, buffalo supposedly has 70-90% less fat than beef, and it has 50% less cholesterol. Plus, it's higher in protein and iron. Hmmm... buffalo diet, anyone?

Blame the Altitude.

I regret not creating a blog to chronicle my move from the OC to Boston, especially since the cross-country jaunt my father and I took in my tiny 2008 Scion TC provided enough fodder for a blog itself. But back in November 2006, I was burned out on writing thanks to my magazine jobs - and I was secretly scared of what the future held for me as I made my way East. I didn't want to put my experiences into words because, well, what if nothing worked out?

Fast-forward two+ years, and I'm ready to embark on another adventure that's going to take me more than half-way back to where I started. Although this time I won't be going it alone, and instead of being scared I'm giddy with excitement and certain that the future holds something great. I'll stop myself from getting too mushy and sentimental about Tom and our relationship, but suffice it to say that I believe I came to Boston for a reason - and that reason was to meet him. We've been through a lot this past year, but it's all been worth it and we are ready to take on this new challenge in our lives. And we both know it will all work out because we are doing it together.

Anywhoo...

Tom and I like to be prepped and prepared. We don't leave things to chance. We are planners. So, of course, we've purchased multiple guidebooks on Colorado and Denver (shout-out to Auntie Lois who got the ball rolling by gifting us with a great Denver book and a precious map that is already well-worn after only one trip to the city). The guidebooks are already all highlighted and dog-eared, and I can tell you which one has the best restaurant listings (Fodors) and which one has the best breakdown of neighborhoods (Frommers). One thing every guidebook has in common though is mention of a common malady that befalls Denver visitors - altitude sickness.

Denver is 5,280 miles above sea level (Mile High City, obviously) and we read multiple warnings about how the altitude plays tricks with the body by making it tired, out of breath, head-achey, tummy-achey, drunker than usual, listless and lazy. Personally, I wasn't buying it, but Tom was a little more worried. There might have been a conversation where I called him a "baby," and, well, that didn't go over too well. (He's not a baby - just sometimes more prone to illness, especially when he's being pre-conditioned to think there might be something to feel sick over.)

Luckily, neither of us felt any severe side-effects from spending a weekend a mile above ground, but I couldn't help thinking to myself that "the altitude" is a great excuse for a few key issues in life...

Got too drunk last night? Blame it on the altitude!

Feel too hung over from last night? Blame it on the altitude!

Don't feel like exercising today? Blame it on the altitude!

Out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs? Blame it on the altitude!

Don't feel like doing anything except for sitting on the couch? Blame it on the altitude!

Yep, altitude sickness gives you carte blanche to sit around all day and be drunk! Although (FYI) once you acclimate to the elevation in Denver, you're expected to start mountain biking, hiking, skiing, camping, rafting and being a general outdoorsman. But newbies like Tom and me... and all of you when you come to visit us... still have that perfect excuse, so don't forget to place blame squarely on the shoulders of the Mile High City!