You don't have to go home but you can't stay here

I shall return to blogging in a few days.





Someday I shall see this tower in real life before my very own eyes.


So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits...

Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

I have been reading Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed. I enjoy chick-lit, although it is not what I read most often. The basic plot line of the book is a woman has an affair with her best friend's fiancé. I have been so sucked into this book that I feel like I am sneaking around as I read it. Several times Jason has interrupted me while I have been reading it and I feel as though I have been busted, caught in the act of the main character's affair. It is a very strange feeling.

Anyway with an upcoming mini-vacation, I'm hoping to finish this book and start in on a new one. Just not sure what I'm looking to read, if it will be non-fiction, literature, another chick-lit book, an historical-fiction book (which by the way, I highly recommend the book Widow of the South if you are at all interested in the Civil War era). Does anyone have any good book recommedations?

Who Killed J.R.?

Last night we had reservations at Bistro Vendome for 8:30 PM. Guess when it is Denver Restaurant Week (mentioned in an earlier post - 2 can eat for $52.80) the reservations fill up very quickly.

Since we had some time to kill from getting out of work until we could actually eat, we went and saw Vantage Point down at the Pavilions. Let me tell you in 90 minutes they certainly packed a lot of action. I really enjoyed the concept of the movie where you see something from each characters point of view, but the actual location and theme of the movie hit close to home. It was based in Spain, which is a country I have been fortunate enough to travel through, and focused on the the attempted assassination of the U.S. President at an anti-terrorism summit.

I recommend watching the movie, just be prepared for on-the-edge of your seat action the entire time, and a lot of blood, shooting and bombing.

I just want to bang on the drum all day

Of course another plug for VSL which always seems to have something I enjoy from time to time.

Today was another YouTube video highlight. This time it features a drum roll of U.K. residents through the years, each stating their age and banging a drum. Sometimes it is the simple pleasures I get a kick out of:

Add a little Spring to your step

The weather here is starting to warm up. I know that the snowiest month of March is still on the horizon, but you can tell that change is already in the wind. The sun feels a little warmer, the days are becoming a little longer.

With a couple vacations coming up I know where the money is going and where my thoughts are, but I can't fight the urge to do a little spring cleaning and mini-home-makeovers. Since Kristin moved out the spare room is just sitting empty, calling me to take care of it and put some belongings back in there. I bought a way cute lamp at Target, for only $11.50:I can't wait to hang it in the room. Now if I can just decide on some other decorating elements and purchase some new furniture I will be set.

I have been drawing some inspiration from a couple of websites/blogs:
http://decor8.blogspot.com/
http://www.mainecottage.com/Home.aspx (if only I could afford some of the pieces on this site)
http://shoptalkbuzz.blogspot.com/
http://www.designspongeonline.com/
http://designformankind.com/
http://www.dominomag.com/

If you have any great design/decor/home furnishing/inspiration sites please share!

The Office is Closed!

On Friday, the office closed down so we could all enjoy a day in the mountains. Five of us girls went on a snowshoe adventure. We weren't sure of the details when we were driving up of where we would snowshoe, but it is funny how things work out.

Once we got up to Copper we decided to take the shuttle to center village to see if we could find a map or at least get more information before going to the golf course as a last resort. We ran into some volunteers who informed us they were giving a free guided tour that would be leaving in 10 mins (they even had snowshoes if you didn't have them - and those were FREE too). We took a beautiful 2.6+ mile route that went through the forest. It was so pretty.

After the snowshoeing ended everyone from the company met for lunch at JJ's. And then we headed home.

The rest of the weekend went fast, as always.

Uphill both ways, barefoot, in a foot of snow

Tomorrow my office is closed so employees can get together for a fun "snow day". Us marketing mavens are headed up to Copper Mountain for a little snowboarding, skiing and SNOWSHOEING! I have never been snowshoeing and am very excited to try something new with some of the girls from my office. I will hopefully post a picture or two over the weekend of the snow adventure.

PS - Jason told me last night that A Fine Frenzy is coming to the Bluebird Theatre at the end of March. That should be a great concert. Crazy finding out about concert news from other people now!

Give me the 411

This morning at work we were talking about various sites that Colorado locals use on a daily basis to gather information, surf, tune into, check out and make this a state we love to live in.

I found out about a few I had never heard of:
http://thisweekindenver.com/
http://www.livedowntowndenver.com/blog/
http://denver2night.com/

Do you have any websites that you visit on a daily basis?

Keep on waiting, waiting on the world to change

Last night enjoyed a very nice Valentine's Day dinner at home with Jason. We made fondue and it was fab.

For months now I have been dabbling with having a fancy day to myself, getting my hair done, grabbing coffee, going shopping, enjoying the weather. Tomorrow is finally the day. I plan to start the morning by swinging by Starbucks, then I have a haircut appointment and a colorist appointment (both at Antoine Du Chez in Greenwood Village), then I plan to do a little shopping and have lunch out. To top it off it should be about 50 degrees tomorrow, which since the ground has been covered in snow for weeks will feel like a heat wave. Later in the day Jason and I will take the dog over to my parent's house and head downtown for drinks. Sunday the plan is to hit the slopes at Copper Mountain for some snowboarding. Monday I have off and will be playing with my mom and Karen while she is still in town.

Spread the Love

In the spirit of Valentine's Day I'm posting this little quirky little video (featured in today's Very Short List).

Controversial Commercials

An article appeared yesterday in The New York Times in regards to the spots that PETA ran in several states during the Westminster Dog Show (which by the way a Beagle won for the very first time in the history of the dog show).

You can see one of the spots here:

Although I am firm believer of supporting shelters and rescues, especially since having adopted little Riley, I am a little disturbed by the commercial. They ran two other ads which I still didn’t find any humor in. Did these commercials succeed in changing anyone’s thoughts when they begin to look into bringing a bundle of fur into their home?

Soundtrack of your life

Jason and I went and saw James Blunt and Sara Bareilles last night at the Ogden Theatre. Lauren and Christy were also there to hear Sara's amazing vocals, as Lauren's 3-song Select A Set was played on KBCO last week and her prize was tickets to the sold-out concert.

You always run into strange characters at concerts: those that have had too much to drink, those that seem a little out of place, those who know every single detail about the artist, etc. Last night we stood next to a chatty man who either was following the Hollywood fad of talking with a British accent, or had a really crappy honest British accent. This guy had NO CLUE who Sara Bareilles is... and was shocked that Lauren and Christy were happily singing along to the music we listen to on repeat all day (sorry office mates, but is the best CD I've heard in a long time - every song rocks). For those who don't know Sara, check out her myspace page and pick up her CD ASAP.

Dont drink the water...

Seems to be something wild going on right now. So many people I know are making plans to get hitched.

Congrats to my coworker Shannon who just got engaged this past weekend! What a sparkler on her hand. Rosemary at work also recently got engaged over the Christmas holidays - what a way to celebrate the season.

Then just heard today that a coworker at my old job got engaged this past weekend as well in NYC while ice skating at Rockefeller Center. What a romantic setting - way to go Ricky!

May I recommend a TV show that will help you in your wedding planning - My Big Redneck Wedding (airing on CMT). Oh boy do those people know how to throw a big party - one big country bash.

Hey Mr. DJ

Shout Out to Lauren for passing along the details – The Counting Crows are coming to Folsom Field on April 18^th, the day before the CU Spring football game. Go Buffs!

Check out the Gridiron Bash site to see who is coming to a campus near you – sorry all you Rams fans, doesn’t look like they’re showing any love to CSU.

A Chick Pea by any other name, would not taste as delicious

Back in December, Jason and I were at the Cricket store off of Arapahoe and I-25 picking up our copy of KBCO Studio C when we saw they were building a new quick-service casual dining restaurant next door called Garbanzo featuring Mediterranean cuisine.

Well anyway, last Friday we were trying to decide what to do for dinner before The Fray concert when I remembered that Garbanzo was supposed to be opening. We decided to swing by and see if it was ready for business. Sure enough it was open. We glanced at the menu and at first I wasn’t sure I was ready for something new that night. Jason encouraged us to eat there, as we were starting to run short on time, and I’m so glad we did. They had the best hummus, the best falafel and the best shwarma. Plus their little sides of salads were to die for. When you go you should try the Falarma plate (which is a combination of falafel and Shwarma, plus all the sides and hummus dip).

I recommend stopping by if you are in the area, or just wait for them to expand – as I’m sure it is the next food joint to sweep the state, especially since one of the partners in the company is Ken Rosenthal, founder of St. Louis Bread Company/Panera Bread.

How Cheap is Donald Judd?

So I know that Very Short List emails have received mixed reviews by some of my friends, but some days I find it to highlight some pretty interesting musicians, artists, websites, movies and more in a "free daily e-mail that uncovers, excellent, under-hyped things."

Try your hand at this quick quiz and see if you can tell the difference between a high-end piece of furniture created by minimalist artist Donald Judd, or a piece of mass-produced, pressed-wood Wal-mart clearance aisle junk.

Mail Call

In college we had a guest lecturer who had a million stories in his pocket. He had worked as a trainer for the 76ers and then moved onto working at Nike and created his own role – the Katalyst. He generated ideas, encouraged play, spread inspiration and shared his passion for life. He is an agent for social change. Kevin Carroll has chased his dreams all his life and asked others to do the same. He is the author of a very well crafted and written book called “Rules of the Red Rubber Ball,” which I recommend you check out if you haven’t had your chance to lay your hands on a copy. Check out his blog at http://www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com/

During every speaking engagement I attended Kevin provided a slew of great reading materials that inspired him, forced him to think differently, or encouraged him to keep seeking life out of the everyday. One of the first times I attended one of Kevin’s lectures he recommended a fledgling magazine called Fast Company. Since that lecture I have been a loyal subscriber. Each month I look forward finding the latest issue in my mailbox. Every copy of Fast Company is stuffed full of business innovations, technology advances, leadership insights and social responsibility. They also have a great blog that you can access without being a subscriber of the magazine. I suggest checking it out also.

Civic Duty

In honor of the largest Super Tuesday ever, where 24 states will hold primaries or caucuses, I thought I would pass along an interesting site where those who get out and vote can post and share photos of their polling place experiences during the 2008 elections.

http://pollingplaces.nytimes.com/

Vote early, vote often.

2.7 Million orders off of the dollar value menu

We could feed a small nation off the money that went into Super Bowl advertising. I know I’m a day late in posting about the most talked about TV spots of the year, but I suppose better late than never.

First, I would just like to point out how difficult it is to retrain your mind into watching the commercials instead of stepping out of the room to grab more chips and guac when the break comes.

I really enjoyed the two Bridgestone tire commercials, especially the screaming squirrel and the other fearful woodland creatures afraid of getting hit by the on coming car, although the animals somewhat reminded me of those from the Jeep Liberty spot (not shown during the football game) where the animals are riding along in the vehicle.

I didn’t really understand why Ford chose to promote their strong tow hooks with the same commercial showing some four times during the Super Bowl.

Coming in as one of my least favorites would be the Audi R8 commercial, which I didn’t really follow (although some say it was the best spot to air). Guess it was a little over my head. The others not scoring strong were the salesgenie.com commercials – I recommend they go back to the drawing board (literally since they were animated spots).

Oh yeah, it was a pretty good football game in the end too!

Happiness was never mine before…

Friday night I came together with just over 500 fellow fans of The Fray for an intimate show at the Bluebird Theatre. They played nothing but new songs, some not yet complete with only a melody and some scattered lyrics. For only $10 a concert ticket, the price could not be beat. This week The Fray are returning to the studio to record an album due out this fall. I will admit I'm a little late in joining the die-hard locals who discovered this gem of a band, but after dancing in the pouring rain as Isaac serenaded the crowd with "You are my sunshine" at Red Rocks last summer I was music-struck.

Enjoy a little peak at what the 3 Bluebird shows held from someone who bravely recorded in a show that strictly prohibited any recording or photography.

A Dog Sits Waiting

A good friend of mine and her husband expanded their family last night with the addition of a four-legged beautiful dog. My friend volunteers weekly at the Denver Dumb Friend's League helping to counsel those looking to adopt. Their perfect dog had been waiting for a forever home since last October when the pup was rescued from an animal hoader's house where 68 other dogs were being kept. I wish the family all the love a new dog can bring to one's heart, and want them to know that when the dog training sessions get tiring to just remember, "Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend.!"

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. ~Roger Caras