1. Workout as much as possible
2. Do a ton of reading and writing
3. Figure out how I'm going to survive working corporate
Began the day with some pushups and situps, because I gotta work out that core. Then I went for a run to Downtown Boulder, which is about 2 miles from where my cousins live. I was pretty excited for the run, if only for the fact that I wanted to test the high altitude air. I must admit, I really didn't feel any ill effects of the run until the very end, when my lungs did begin to burn a little bit from the thin air.
Once I arrived downtown, I realized that Boulder is a very interesting place. It used to be a typical Wild West town, as it was inhabited by goldrushers in the mid to late 1800s. After a while, the town began to form into a modern-day small city, and now looks like most of America. However, I do have some interesting observations on Boulder.
The first thing I noticed when arriving downtown is that Boudler is an extremely clean city. I didn't run into any panhandlers, and all of the shops were nicely kept. Upon closer examination of the shops, I realized that I would never want to step foot in any of them. Every store is either a trendy coffee shop with a name like "Bean Temple," an odds and ends store that sells overpriced, fancy things that I would never want to place in my living room, or some sort of art store. I must admit the pet store named "Farfel's Favorites" gave me a good laugh (it's funny if you're Jewish). The one redeeming quality of Downtown Boulder is that there are a ton of bars, pubs, and other places to drink, and most of the drinks are relatively inexpensive.
Sidenote: The people here really like to drink. I'd fit in well.
After the visit to downtown, I ran back to my cousins house for a quick shower and chance to get the day started. My cousins decided to take me to a pretty sweet alehouse for lunch called "Walnut Grille" or something like that. I ate buffalo meat for the first time, which looks and tastes kind of like steak, but apparently is much more healthy for you. Delicious. At the end of lunch, our waitress told us that the restaurant was unveiling a new IPA (India Pale Ale for all you rookies) at 6PM and that it would be free for all patrons from 6-6:30. For those of you who don't know, IPA is by far my favorite type of beer, so I was pretty pumped to say the least. Anyway, after lunch we took a trip over to "Liquor Mart" (notice how I didn't forget that name) which is by far the best alcohol store I have ever visited. They carry Pyramid Apricot Ale, which has eluded me for 2 months, and isn't distributed in the Dirty Jerz. Also, they sell about 300 different beers from all over the place as singles, and if you mix and match a 6-pack it winds up costing you like $9. Had a nice reunion with Tiger today, and am looking forward to the other goodies I bought at "Liquor Mart."
After returning from that glorious trip, my cousin and I went for a short hike up a local mountain/hill. Yes, I posted that picture to prove to all the naysayers that I actually did it. Hell, I wouldn't believe me either. It took a little over an hour to get up and down the mountain, and it was actually a pretty cool experience. The real fun comes on Saturday when I get up at the asscrack of dawn (4:30 AM) to climb what they call, a "14-er." A 14-er is a mountain over with a peak of more than 14,000 feet. Apparently, there are like 60 "14-ers" in the Continental US, and about 54 of them are in Colorado. This hike is going to take about 5 hours at an ungodly hour in the morning because the lightning is intense in the afternoon. Yikes! There's something rewarding about getting up to the top of the hill and seeing how far you climbed. It also doesn't hurt that the view is amazing.
After another shower and a few hours spent reading/napping on the hammock, I went back to the Walnut Grille and sampled their new IPA, for free. It was a pretty damn good beer, something I would definitely drink again if I could get it in a bottle. I had 2 pints, and was actually feeling a little buzzed after leaving the restaurant. We picked up some Chinese food, and then came back to watch the Democratic National Convention. My cousins are really into the DNC, and while I don't have that great of an interest in politics, it was pretty awesome to see Barry O. speak in front of an electrified audience of 75,000 people. When he speaks, I really feel like I am making a personal connection to him, and that he can change this country for the better, because god knows we need it. Without a doubt, that man needs to be the next President of this country, and I really think it will happen. I guess we'll have to wait until November 4th to find out. I'm still trying to hold off on the optimism because I know what happens to people/things/teams that I root for, they lose. So let's say I am guardedly optimistic that Barry O. will be the next President of the United States.
I've already written way too much, and I'll try to keep the posts shorter from now on. I hope you enjoyed what I have to say, and haven't fallen asleep at your computer reading it. Good night all, sleep well.
P.S. After Obama's speech, I came back to my room and saw that the Phillies had blown a 4-1 lead, and lost 6-4 to the Cubs. That's 2 losses in a row by the bullpen in the 8th inning. Ryan Madson and Chad Durbin can't pitch in the 8th, and this job needs to go to JC Romero. I never thought I'd say that I wished Tom Gordon was back. (Come on, you really didn't think you were escaping without a Phillies note, did you?)
Song of the Day: Radiohead - Jigsaw Falling into Place
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