college nationals are in town, and my alma mater and former teammates are playing, so you know where i'll be.
27 May 2011
26 May 2011
crutches
as i've gone out into the world on my own, i've left the comforts of my childhood home behind. of course i'm mainly talking about cable television. the last time i had cable was in the dorms in college when it came with the place. i never really watched it then; my roommate had a tiny tv that was pretty far away from my lofted bed, and i'm pretty sure she usually had the remote. that meant if she fell asleep, i would have to get out of my cozy bed and turn it off. not happening. (speaking of the lofted beds reminds me of a cute little story that involves my drinking too much and jewel being incredibly not happy with me for a few days, but that's best left for another time—or never.)
anyway, i haven't had tv for a few years, and it has made my life better and more involved and honestly richer. but then there's the time suck of the internet, especially now that hulu and netflix are in existence. it makes tv so accessible, that it's hard to turn it off. especially when you can watch exactly what you want, when you want it. i'm not saying that i overdo it at all—i probably have a pretty respectable track record relative to most other people—buuuut there are times when i come home tired from working long hours and just wanna plop down and turn my brain off by turning hulu on. a few days ago, i made the conscientious decision to cut down on my hulu/netflix/overall internet time. i made the same decision with facebook about a month ago, and i can already tell a difference in my brain function. spring and summer are here, and i want to do more. i want to sew, paint, draw, read, take pictures, write, sculpt (yay summer pottery class!), create, hike, run, play with lizzles, and have more adventures.
also, i want to be a more fun person.
it might seem like hypocrisy as you read this on a blog... that's on the internet. but i see this as a form of creative expression, and i'm actually doing something instead of just absorbing or viewing. i'm the creator and the protagonist.
i'll leave you with a picture of mine and a picture of a drawing of mine (nothing special, there was just nice light so i took a picture) as a reward for reading through this whole post.
25 May 2011
23 May 2011
back to my roots
i just signed up for a summer pottery class at the boulder pottery lab. i'm absolutely ecstatic. i majored in studio art with a concentration in ceramic sculpture in college. i haven't taken any real art classes since graduating, so it's going to feel so good to get my hands back in that clay. it's something i've really missed the last few years. i love throwing on the wheel, but hand building is also something i really like. the possibilities are endless. below are some pictures of a huge turtle i made my senior year. his shell comes off for secret storage. :)
21 May 2011
big changes
i remember having specific thoughts this winter about what made me happy. usually i would be having a good day at work, and i would step away from my desk and think to myself, "i have a great life. i have a great boyfriend, a great dog, a great house, and a great job." and i was genuinely happy. of course those peak times were riddled with low points and so-so times, but for the most part, i identified those 4 elements as being a great source of joy for me.
as winter has given way to a wet spring, i only have one of those things left (luckily it's the great dog! and i still have my job—it's just been not so great lately), and the rest have gone by the way side. it's funny, though, because when i realized the other day that 3 of those exact elements that comprised my happiness were actually gone (or dramatically changed), my happiness didn't just evaporate. my thought process went something like this, "your boyfriend is gone, you have to leave your house, and your job isn't what you want it to be any more. oh... ok." and then it was immediately on to other things. i didn't dwell or even feel any bit of sadness. it just was. that for me is a really empowering realization because i've had the tendency to brood about and obsess over unhappy events/times in my life. like if i think about it enough and make myself hurt enough, it will be over sooner. (not usually the case)
either way, this is promising to be an amazing spring and summer, and i'm glad to be able to share it with y'all.
before hiking longs peak, rmnp, colorado, summer 2009.
hiking mt. clements, glacier np, summer 2008.
lizzles testing a product called "doggles" in the office, fall 2010.
17 May 2011
go see this movie. now.
i don't know if i've ever endorsed a movie in my life. usually the furthest it goes is, "yeah, it was pretty good." or "oh yeah, that was funny, i guess." everything changed last night when i saw bridesmaids. maybe it was kristen wiig's comedic genius or the fact that i identified with the reality of the movie and some of the situations. there was no "life is perfect except i'm in love with my best friend, and—oh no!—he's marrying my other best friend" plot line, no choreographed dancing scenes in pajamas with a lifelong bff, no feel-good bullshit.
highlights included maya rudolph (the bride) shitting herself in the middle of a busy city street in a designer wedding dress. wiig (maid of honor) drives by a trooper in an attempt to get pulled over while listening to rap and acting gangster, texting, drinking a 40, topless, speeding, pretending no one was in the vehicle, etc. a final scene of an overly intense lip synced version of wilson phillips' "hold on". wiig's character who is already scared of flying, takes some medication to relax, overdoes it, and proceeds to mock the flight attendants and attempt to sneak into first class, eventually getting kicked off the plane. it was just absolute perfection. i couldn't gush more about it. it's officially the funniest movie i've ever seen. i've never once in my life wanted to see a movie more than once in theaters, but i will definitely be going back. probably this week.
13 May 2011
brother bear!
brother bear comes to visit me in colorado today! on the agenda: fly fishing, exploring outside, coors tour, happy hour in boulder, and of course, lizzles play time!
above: at the beach house in florida with my favorite california cousins, paige and jordan. i love that photo. (and those people!) :)
aaron fly fishing in glacier np, summer 2008.
a random man fly fishing at elizabeth lake (?) on the night before our cleveland summit, summer 2008.
no caption necessary.
lizzles as a young pup.
11 May 2011
my friend aaron.
this is my friend aaron. he lives in tennessee and grows the best beard i've ever seen. he's an incredible musician and songwriter; every time he sings my heart melts a little bit. (keep in mind he sings james taylor's carolina in my mind and neil young's long may you run whenever i'm around. i'm a sucker for those songs.) i found the above picture in my archives and had to share it. i will add a video of his music later when i get home. just wanted to post a little tribute to my friend, the mountain man!
10 May 2011
i'm baaaaack!
back in the 'rado as of yesterday. exhausted and sort of jet lagged, but so unbelievably psyched about my iceland adventure. i'm working on sorting my 1400+ pictures now, so hopefully i'll get a few solid posts together over the next few days. for now, here's a little teaser.
skinning up in an unbelievable setting.
kelly being an absolute badass fording the fjord with skis on her back.
we did this a few times, and it was totally surreal.
a close-up of some of the skis we tested. my favorites were the sportivas with the yellow bindings.
also feeling really positive and hopeful about life and my future and the plans i've been making about career possibilities, writing, and travel. i was correct in thinking that iceland would only fuel my fire to travel more, but some surprising happiness and contentment has been coming from my job, and i've been realizing more and more how amazing this opportunity (my job) really is. a "work trip" that involves backcountry camping and skiing in iceland doesn't hurt! so i feel completely satisfied and happy by staying and gaining more experience. this summer is gonna rock.
01 May 2011
my bags are packed; i'm ready to go...
this is the final scene of packing chaos before i leave for my trip to iceland tomorrow. it includes but isn't limited to: one packed-to-the-gills 155L duffel, one 35L day pack, ski boots, poles, skis, one box with 4 shovels, 4 beacons, 4 probes, and one box with helmet cam and all its accessories. it's been crazy the last few weeks organizing all this gear, which is all completely new. it's all new because the point of the trip is gear testing for backpacker's fall gear guide. just another day's work as the gear person for an outdoor adventure magazine! :)
lily came over and helped me pack (thanks again lily bee! and mark too!) because i tend to be ocd about making sure i'm not forgetting anything. and on a trip like this when every single piece counts, i'm super nervous about forgetting something. it could be the difference between happy and warm julie or cold and miserable julie. and there's a big difference. she and lizzie fell asleep while i was rechecking the list for the umpteenth time.
i'm incredibly excited about this trip. ski touring in the wilds of iceland and hanging in reykjavik will be amazing. i think it's going to just fuel my fire to travel even more. which is a good thing because i've needed to start adventuring, but with a full-time job it's nearly impossible. either way, i'm ready to go and shred those hills.
this is what i live for.
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