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Ali & I at Garden of the Gods |
I went to Colorado in August. When I announced the trip, a lot of people asked, "why?" I basically replied "why not?" It was honestly as simple as that.
I had been invited to Colorado several times by Ali and her parents. Also, I had nothing going on that weekend. Generally, in the absence of a reason to say "no," I say "yes."* So I went to Colorado. I had a great time.
Ali & I stayed with her parents. We went hiking. We sat poolside. We relaxed. We ate delicious food. We saw a really good improv show and went to a wolf preserve. Also - and this really is best thing - went to the United States Olympic Training Center.
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SO. EXCITED! soexcited! Yes, I wore an Olympics t-shirt. |
As an American, I'm pretty sure my team is going to beat your team at something. There will be one or two or many sports that the USA will dominate. My support somehow qualifies me as a part of the team so "we" will kick the butts of most! The Olympics are the one time when I'm a stereotypical American, declaring general superiority.
And Bob Costas! I love listening to Bob Costas. He's been the face of Olympic coverage for me. I don't know what I'm going to do when NBC doesn't have the coverage anymore. I don't know if I trust any one other person with Olympics coverage. Maybe Anderson Cooper. Maybe.
The Olympics training center was everything I needed it to be. There were inspirational videos. There were Olympians training (behind glass) with branded equipment.
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Michael Phelps probably peed in this pool... #JustSayin |
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We are just SO cute! |
I purposefully explored music contrary to what people assumed I liked. I discovered a lot of great music that way and was actually able to make solid connections with people using music. One of my first outings with Lucy was a Rascal Flatts at the Fargodome with Blake Shelton as the opening act.
I also took pleasure in bringing people face to face with their biases.
"YOU know this song?"That happened so many times in so many places. And it was satisfying every time. Still, I didn't like downplaying my love of hip-hop. I didn't like excluding that part of myself for the sake of making a point. Christine never had this internal conflict. She doesn't defend what she likes - she just likes it. Knowing her has inspired me to be honest - even if that means being pigeonholed. So it's always extra special to see Jay Z with her. (This was our third time.)
"Why wouldn't I?"
"It's country."
"And?"
"Well you're... I just didn't think you would listen to country."
"Why not? I write. I love storytelling. Country music has great storytelling."
"..."
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San Francisco Street Food Festival 16 August 2014 |
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Tyrone, me, Paula & Kristen 16 August 2014 |
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... with the hot cop of the Castro 18 August 2014 |
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Benjamin Booker 20 August 2014 |
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Trivia speed dating 22 August 2014 |
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Outside Mama's on Washington Square 29 August 2014 |
I used to have a wish that all of my favorite people would move to SF. I never really expected it to come true. Still, I'm not the only one to recognize that the West Coast is the best coast. Lizbeth is among those who now live in the Golden State and in August she came to visit.
Her purpose was not to visit me, but the result was the same. We had a typical SF brunch - two hours of waiting and one hour of eating. It was the perfect amount of time for a good catch up session. And I was able to keep her talking for a long time before she even noticed the wait. I'm pretty sure we in San Francisco call that a "win."
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Not bad for a selfie in the dark. |
Anne is always very much in the moment. I could go crazy thinking of possibilities and making plans to take strategic steps toward my goals. But Anne makes it a point to take advantage of what's happening now. I think she's just wired that way. It's admirable.
*A 2014 policy discontinued in 2015
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