I wasn’t going to write about Penn State.

I wasn’t going to write about Penn State. I wasn’t going to write about Jerry Sandusky, Mike McQueary, Tim Curley, Gary Schultz, President Graham Spanier or Joe Paterno. I wasn’t going to write about the purported sexual abuse of (at least) eight children.

But then I saw this Facebook status: “Penn St: terrible decision.”

To my great fortune, I am not a victim of sexual assault. But it’s a subject that I cared a lot about back in high school, when I was a Peer Counselor, and the things I learned in that program are still hanging onto me. I did a lot of work in sexual assault prevention in Peer Counseling: I taught classes, I made educational videos, I went to hundreds of meetings. I was Fort Collins High School’s Sexual Assault Resource Team Student Representative. I could rattle off statistics about how 1 in 4 Colorado women and 1 in 17 Colorado men would be victims of sexual assault in her and his lifetime; about how victims of sexual assault in Larimer County alone ranged in age from six months to 94 years. I learned, and believed in my bones, that sexual assault is an issue of power, not sex.

Given my experience in Peer Counseling there are many things I could say about Sandusky, but I’m not thinking about him.

Joe Paterno is 84 years old. He knew about Sandusky’s abuse. He reported it to Curley, the AD, sure, but he should have done more, and that’s why he lost his job tonight. At Penn State, and around the country for that matter, there are two camps of people watching this play out: those who say Paterno deserved to be fired and those who say he’s innocent, just getting swept up in Sandusky’s scandal. And here’s the disconnect: Paterno is part of a dying generation of men who looked the other way. He did what he was legally obligated to do, and then quickly tried to forget it because it wasn’t his business.

It’s November 9, 2011. Today we know that because Joe Pa looked the other way, children – children – were raped. But how much sexual abuse of children went totally unreported in the 1960s because people who knew about it looked the other way?

By firing Paterno, the board of trustees at Penn State is declaring that protecting Sandusky’s victims is more important than football, which is a statement that needs to be made. I think if Paterno were just getting his coaching start now, in an era when sexual assault is deemed utterly reprehensible, he would have reported Sandusky to the police and this story would be completely different. But he and the rest of the good ol’ boys let this one slide, and that led to an enormous tragedy that they could have prevented. I think my friend with the Facebook status and the rest of camp Innocent are upset because a) he’s such an old man – sort of like our grandfathers, who we think can do no wrong – and b) he never touched a child himself. But he’s 100% complicit in the crime, because he knew about it and he didn’t take appropriate measures to stop it.

It’s sad, because Paterno probably didn’t think he had to do anything else. But does that mean we should let him off the hook? Because he looked the other way, so many children were hurt. That inaction deserves serious consequences, and if he were a janitor at Penn State, he would have received the same punishment for that failure. He’s not taking the fall because he’s the face of the football program and the scapegoat of a flawed university system. He’s falling because he screwed up. Big time.

I sat on a bench down in the Berkeley Marina for a few hours today, reading more Spirit of Life and thinking about this scandal. Moltmann writes, “There is no liberation from sin without atonement, but the only one who can atone is someone who is not himself a sinner. Atonement is not humanly possible. It is possible only for God.”

This morning Paterno released a statement, part of which read, “This is a tragedy. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.” I think about Paterno’s words, and Moltmann’s, and reach for peace – for the victims of sexual assault everywhere, for Paterno and the other coaches, for my friend, for the rest of us – from God. Lord, have mercy.

The blog post about nothing

I spent so much money at City Market in El Jebel yesterday, I saved $52.19 for using my SooperCard. Ima be eating really well for the next few weeks.
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Katie sent me a package last week that included her pictures from San Fran, a teeshirt I left in her room back in May, a Runner's World magazine, the most delightful card (I put it up on my wall) and a mix CD of the songs stuck in her head. It made my week.
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I just realized that even though I've watched this video a MILLION times (really - I think I account for 1/25th of its total views), I haven't posted it here. Please, if you haven't ever seen it, watch the whole thing. It makes me SO HAPPY.

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And actually, while I'm at it, this video (Katie sent it to me) is pretty funny too:

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State Radio is coming to Fort Collins in October! They're playing the Aggie on the 13th, and everyone who comes to the show ($15 a ticket) gets a free copy of their new disc. Um, yes please. How AWESOME is it that I will have seen all of the components of Dispatch in my own hometown in three months?!
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Today started out SAD. MM left Snowmass (for good) this morning. We did everything together this summer - all the hikes, plus dinner a couple of times a week, movies, camping, etc. Since neither of us had anything in common with our roommates, we became the other's sanity. About a month ago he said he wanted to spend his last night in town going to a bunch of bars with all the people he's worked with in the last year, but then yesterday changed his mind and took just me to Woody Creek Tavern. It was such a great, bittersweet end to a really amazing summer. This place feels a little lonely now.
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BAREFOOT TRUTH: my new favorite band. Check them out, please.
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Four more days until the race! I'm ready, and I'm psyched. The beginning is going to be a beast - it's like 1.25 miles of 1,000'+ elevation gain (basically straight uphill survival-shuffle) - but the next 12 miles should be easy by comparison. I'm finally in taper mode, which means I'm only running 4-5 miles every other day this week; I finished last week with 30 miles under my belt, and was totally wiped out. I took Saturday off, and I plan on spending the post-race sitting on my couch with a succession of Fat Tire cans, alternately watching several games of college football and napping. Huzzah!

The life and times of Firecracker Girl

What a month it's been.

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Where did I last leave off? The rest of our San Francisco trip was amazing. Of course, the girls and I could go to Detroit or Fargo or somewhere equally loathsome and have the time of our lives, but still...the trip was amazing. We laughed so hard we cried; we rode the trolleys until we actually knew our way around the city; we ate out A LOT. (Dim Sum, by the by, was disgusting.) When we take these trips, I get the feeling from the people around us that they're not only jealous of our tradition but also jealous of our relationship with each other, and I think that's valid. I'm so blessed to have these cousin-sisters.
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My other August Adventures:
-I hiked Mount of the Holy Cross with my buddy MM (my best friend in Aspen this summer) - his first 14er, my third. As the peak is outside Vail, we camped at the trailhead the night before and got an early start. It was a long day - 14ish miles and an elevation gain of almost 8,000' - and we polished off the hike at DELICIOUS Larkburger in Edwards. (I think that should be its real name - "DELICIOUS Larkburger".)

Our peak

On top of the world

The best organic cheeseburger and truffle fries in the universe

-The week after that, MM and me and two other friends from the Ute hiked the Lincoln Group, a collection of four 14ers (Democrat, Cameron, Lincoln & Bross) that can easily be bagged in a day. We had fun (I have fun pretty much everywhere I go), and it wasn't really worth writing about.
-A couple of weeks later, AJS joined MM and I to hike Mount Elbert, the tallest 14er in Colorado. We intended to hike Mount Massive, Elbert's neighbor, specifically because a Black Hawk crashed on its summit just a few days prior to our hike, but we found the trailhead taped off and decided not to mess with the military. That hike, too, wasn't notable, but we had burgers afterwards and had a great day.
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KH & SD's wedding - Salt Lake City, Labor Day weekend
To be blunt, I've been looking forward to this weekend since approximately September 2004. KH is my best friend from college - someone I refer to as my brother, all hyperbole aside - and his dear wife has been by his side since their junior year of high school, so there was never much question of if they'd marry, only when. The really grand part of the weekend was being back in the company of my people, my truly best friends - KH of course, plus AJS, BB and KK. The latter 3, Courto and myself shared a hotel room that was next door to one shared by some other pals of ours, so we spent the long weekend as a 10-some. The Residence Inn, it should be said, is a fabulous establishment. For $89 a night - a mere 20 bucks a pop after taxes - all of us broke postgrads had a spacious suite (with enough bathroom space to prepare for a wedding, natch), a pool and hot tub, a grill, a full breakfast each morning, a stocked kitchen bigger than the one in my apartment, internet access and a gym (which we actually used). Using the hotel as home base, we came and went all weekend - KK and I ran down the bike path; AJS and the other boys did their groomsmen thing; all of us went to Snowbird for the afternoon, then checked out the Temple the next day. It was especially clutch to have a big place on Sunday night, when we watched YOUR Colorado State University Rams destroy the CU Fluffs with standard creature comforts (Papa Murphy's and Fat Tire) not usually afforded in college-student-unfriendly Sandy, UT.
Anyhoo, here's the weekend in pictures:

As soon as BB landed, AJS appropriated his attire. SO funny.

BB and myself at the reception (note the merlot):
BB with, from left, JN, best man MG's girlfriend KD and JT (KH's fraternity brothers)
We went Aunt Karen a drink text of this picture:

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That brings us to the present. Currently I'm training my buns off (literally) for the Golden Leaf Half Marathon from Snowmass to Aspen this Saturday. I'm psyched - I haven't been in shape in a long time, and it feels really good to have my running legs back. I figured out that I have free yoga videos on Comcast OnDemand, so I've been doing yoga every night before bed, too, and drinking water like a fiend. I have a happy body.
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A couple of Unexpected Sparks:
-The title of this blog comes from the nickname MM christened me with: Firecracker Girl. He was amazed at how much crap I could pack into a day, and how uncomfortable it made me to sit around. I found the moniker more than endearing. I hope it sticks.
-It snowed at my apartment yesterday.
-My fantasy football team is OWNING the league right now. My team name: The New Sheriff in Town. Peyton Manning is so money.
-Part of why I love summer is the reading time it affords. In the last week, I've cranked through Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan, Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh and Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist, in addition to about a dozen magazines (two months' worth of Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Real Simple, Glamour and Marie Claire).

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As it is the autumnal equinox, I leave you with a parting shot that sums up my summer:

"You have the opposite of poker face. You have, like, miniature golf face." - Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat Pray Love

The Mother of All Blog Posts

Oh my GOODNESS - after almost a month, my first chance at some quality time with functional internet. Hallelujah! There is much to write about, so without further adieu...

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Recent Great Quotes:

"Hey, señor!" - some lady to my (Asian) friend DW (who is from Australia)
"John McCain's a nice guy - he just needs his heart fixed." - a 5-year-old in my ski school class

"Hey, let's do something totally out of character and ski really slowly and in control for a change." - RS (granted, it was 11pm and we were skiing in the dark)

"Robbie, the faster you ski, the more you ski like a Canadian!" - JM

"My mom said if I didn't add her as a Facebook friend, she'd sell my chainsaw." - MT
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Lately I have become positively OBSESSED with the song "Time to Pretend" by MGMT. It's my ringtone, and I listen to it compulsively whenever I go anywhere. I think these lyrics are really cool:

I'll miss the playgrounds and the animals and digging up worms
I'll miss the comfort of my mother and the weight of the world
I'll miss my sister, miss my father, miss my dog and my home
Yeah, I'll miss the boredom and the freedom and the time spent alone

Those words hit close to home right before I left for Aspen, which is why I like the song so much. MGMT also sings about doing heroin and dying young; that part I really can't relate to, though.

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As I mentioned, my internet hasn't worked in ages, and that means I haven't gotten to check my email, change my Facebook status or upload pictures, and/or write in my blog. I hate - HATE! - how much that agitates me. I live in such a pretty place and my online addiction isn't waning. Blast.
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A recent Facebook chat:
Courtney: "How are you?"
Kelsey: "Fine."
Courtney: "So you're freaked out, insecure, narcotic and emotional?"
Kelsey: "Hah, yes, but shouldn't it be 'neurotic'?"
Courtney: "Oh...yeah. Spell check didn't catch that one."
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It was two weeks ago now, but President Obama's inauguration is still on my mind. I think it was one of the happiest days of my life. I "luckfully" (as Courto would say) had the chance to watch most of the proceedings on TV even though I was working (thank you, beautifully liberal Aspen Ski Co.) and I made a short list of the things I'll tell my grandkids about some day:
-the musical arrangement just before the swearing-in was composed by John Williams and included a song that I'm familiar with as "Lord of the Dance"
-the incredible benediction by Reverend Lowry, the entirety of which I'll post in a separate blog
-bunches of foreign teenagers were hanging out around me saying things along the lines of "meh, we're foreigners, we don't care," and all of their instructors would just say "well you're in America now, so pay attention!"
-crying the most refreshing tears of joy and peace, knowing that our country is once again headed in a positive direction

AB, myself and LH celebrating on Inauguration night:

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A few weeks ago I watched "Wall-E" with my good buddy RS. We both teach little kids, so we hear about this movie on a regular basis. OH MY GOSH, it's so cute! There are a couple of strong undertones about the state of our world (the movie is about a trash compactor that cleans up the world after humans create too much garbage to live here), but my favorite part was the love story between two robots that taught people how to feel again. SO cute, I'm telling you.
I could take or leave the commentary in this little clip, but it has most of my favorite little Wall-E scenes, so I'll post it anyway:

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I can't really sum up the last month properly. I'm struggling to identify the important things.

Downtown Aspen at night

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When I was a kid, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was never a real holiday in our house, in that Mom always had big plans for us. While all of my friends were sleeping in or skiing, we marched the streets of Fort Collins and listened to speakers or attended rallies and talked about ways we were promoting peace and justice in our own lives. At the time I honestly hated it. I was kind of bitter that I had to spend my day off in some sort of alternate school. Looking back now, though, I am so appreciative for those extra lessons. MLK Day is so important; how great is it to really celebrate the man and the cause?
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RS, AB and I skied Snowmass as free skiers (we weren't working) for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Hooray sunshine!
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During a clinic back in early January, RS, DR, DW and I started talking about how fun it would be to hike Buttermilk some night under the full moon. We kicked it around for a few nights but kept having to put it off - RS went to Steamboat with his parents, I went home for a few days, DR's family flew in - until one night about three weeks later when we pulled the trigger. We decided at the last minute to hike Snowmass instead, and it was a fabulous, fabulous evening. The hike itself was totally ethereal - just the five of us hiking in silence under the brightest blanket of stars - and we giggled the entire time skiing down, headlamps blazing. DR even went into the terrain park, which was really freakin' stupid if you ask me. We hopped in the hot tub after we got home and decided to night hike all 4 mountains before the end of the season.
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This is "National Brotherhood of Skiers" week at Snowmass, which means that - eureka! - for the first time ever, I'm in a racial minority. The Brotherhood is an organization of African-Americans from around the country and they have descended upon this (very white) ski town in a big way. I love it. In all seriousness, when I look across the hill, it takes a while to find another Caucasian.
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Superbowl Sunday was a blast. We had a big party at CK, AL & JF's (palatial) house with more food and drink than could feed even two dozen hungry twentysomethings, which is a marvel. After the game, we fit 16 of us into one teensy hot tub, and of course all of us ended up crashing in various places around the house. The night was further evidence that this ski bum year is all of the best parts of college, minus the work. Who knew?
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The Winter X Games were held here last week, and they were FUN.

AB & I at the bottom of the Superpipe

My friends and I went to the events when we weren't working; frankly, it was hard to watch much action because it was so damn slippery at the bottom of the courses. It was worth it to be there, though; I got THISCLOSE to Shawn White as he walked to the podium on the last night:I think they should be called the "Shawn White Games" instead.
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I hiked Highlands Bowl today. It was AWESOME.

Penguins are not just for boys.

The Flobots' new song "Rise" has become the unofficial anthem of the Democratic party and the Obama campaign. It's appropriate and well-deserved - even Biden said he liked it. Have a listen:

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So my former camp director - a good family friend - moved to Minnesota with his wife and daughter last year. He called a couple of days ago to tell us his daughter's new trick: she'll point to a picture of Obama and proudly call him "President Barack Obama," and then point to his opponent and call him "JUST John McCain." And she's two. Talk about a girl after my own heart.*
And speaking of politics, something happened yesterday that both infuriated and thrilled me. I attend Spirit of Joy, perhaps the most liberal Lutheran church in greater Northern Colorado. Yesterday as I was leaving church with CF, we walked into the parking lot and saw fliers on the windshield of every car - weird, right? Upon closer inspection we found the fliers to be some outrageous "Obama is a baby killer" literature promoting McCain, Schaffer & Musgrave. I was PISSED. How dare someone come into our church during the middle of the service and spread that shit on all of our vehicles?! The inspiring part came a half-second later when I saw my pastor and two other men from church running around the parking lot taking the fliers off of all the cars. I was so, so pleased. Of course, CF and I helped destroy the "junk mail" (as Pastor J called it), and all the while we debated whether they were distributed because a) they figured since we were a church, we agreed or b) because they figured we were so liberal that we may not vote that way. I hope it's the latter.
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I found this new Ryan Adams song. I love it. I can't find the video online, so I'll post the lyrics instead:

"My love for you is real
It moves like the summer breeze
My love for you is strong
Lord it brings me to my knees

It was born in the wild
It's river long
Rock strong
True and wild as hell
Honey now, my love for you is real

My love for you is calm
Candy sweet and thunder strength
My love for you is wide
It breaks a lock it's never tame

My love for you is long
It crossed the oceans on a sail
My love for you is true
Meanings change but not the tale

It was born in the wild
It's river long
Rock strong
True and never stale
Honey now, my love for you is real"
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I babysat ALL day yesterday. It ended up being a great day, but initially I was really anxious about it. First of all, I've never sat for the family before - strike 1. They have two kids, a 12-year old girl (strike 2 - preteen girls never like me) and a 4-year old boy (strike 3 - young boys are notoriously tough to babysit). Strike 4 is the 8-year age difference - how in the world do you keep both a 12-year-old and a 4-year old happy at the same time?! Add to that a) the seven hours I was scheduled to babysit and b) how exhausted I was from working 14 hours the day before, and the end result of the equation was the "why the crap did I say yes to this?!" that I was asking myself on the drive over. Like I said, though, we had a BLAST. Their kids were fantastic; the daughter was the best big sister I have ever seen, and their son was totally hilarious and wicked smart. He said the funniest thing over lunch: "I'm a little Spiderman guy, a little Batman guy, a little Superman guy. I'm into all the boy stuff, like Hot Wheels. And penguins."
Anyway, we spent the entire day in the sun, which I was (naturally) super happy about. We took a couple of 3-mile walks, played volleyball and hide & seek in the backyard, and wandered over to the new house they're building in the same cul de sac where the S family lives. Of course we knocked on the door to see if the girls wanted to play, and of course they did. Before I knew it we had a single swingset occupied by 7 children under 7 years old, and I LOVED it. I got to hang out with AS, too, and that always makes me happy. :)
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Saturday night I covered a shift at the SBUX on Harmony & Timberline. There was something strange and uncomfortable about being behind the counter there again - after all, I worked there four years ago - but I met the coolest girl, LJ. I knew I liked her when she said she named her bunny Ella Fitzgerald (especially when she described the rabbit as "sassy"), and I liked her even more when she told me about her brother's girlfriend. You see, her last name is Jolly, and the girlfriend's name is Holly - so if the brother and the girlfriend get married, this poor woman's name will be Holly Jolly. LJ was like, "Imagine being around her at Christmas!"
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I rented "Once" last night, in large part because of the BR withdrawl symptoms from which I'm suffering. (He recommended the movie and sang "Falling Slowly" at camp.)

The movie was fantastic. You really, really ought to watch it. Anyhow, it inspired me to do two things: a) pick up my guitar again and b) call BR. I found the guitar tabs for "My Love For You is Real" and have practiced it a couple of times; I'm still pretty rusty with the F chord, so it's a work in progress. And talking to BR was, of course, totally delightful. I might get to see him this weekend!!!!!!!!!!! (I'm so excited - that statement more than warrants the 11 exclamation points I gave it.) I'm going to be in Dubuque for the conference at Wartburg, and Madison is only a couple of hours away, so he's going to try and come down for a cup of coffee at least. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited. So excited.
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I don't have much to say about Halloween, other than that it was fun and I'm disappointed that I didn't see more people I knew. Courto and I ran around Old Town for a bit, played with LT and his kitten, then hit up a house party with EG. The whole thing was fun, but it went by too quickly. And I put way more work into my costume (I was a German beer maid) than I should have given how little I got to wear it.

My costume (I sewed it myself!)

Two girls at work - ER was an 80's girl; BC was a geologistHappy Courtney with LT's kitten, whom we call "Mini-cat"

Courto and I at the SteakoutSadly I didn't get any pictures of EG (he was a tourist) or LY, the most convincing - and HYSTERICAL - Jesus I've ever seen. I hope I never forget the image of him dancing to techno with a red plastic cup in his hand.

"I got a fever..."

I'm going ultra 'stream of consciousness' with this one. Ready? Okay.

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I was driving home from work today listening to NPR (duh), and Michele Norris was interviewing a guy who runs a barbershop in Tampa Bay called "Fernando's Shaves and Shades." He and his wife started 'giving away' mohawks to Rays fans after they won the ALCS the other night. They're calling them Rayhawks. DID I CALL THAT OR WHAT?!
The best part of the interview, by the way - and this is sooo NPR -
Michele: "This is probably tough for someone who has thin or balding hair, or maybe a recessed hairline. Does it work with all hair types?"
Fernando: "We manage to even do bald guys. I'm sure if you put a hat on, nobody would know the difference."
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At the end of the interview, NPR played Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," and I cannot hear that song without thinking of the old SNL parody with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken (you know - "I got a fever...and the only prescription...is more cowbell!"). I just looked EVERYWHERE for that video to post it here; I don't think it exists anymore.
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Anyway, THAT makes me think of my friend MG. I have this awesome cowbell - it was in the trick-or-treat bag I got after finishing the marathon last year - and coincidentally it's CSU colors, so I always wore it to CSU football games. Last year at the CU/CSU game in Denver, MG (whose girlfriend, it should be noted, is a CU student) was plastered. Not only was he screaming things like "YOU F***ING GYPSIES!!" at CU fans, but he would also reach over and grab the cowbell around my neck and shake it as hard as he could (which strangled me in the process) AND grab the food out of total strangers' hands and throw it over the balcony onto the heads of CSU fans below us. He was out of control, and it was awesome.
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So THAT makes me think of this other time with MG when we were skiing in Utah. (I referenced this trip a few posts ago.) I'm thinking of the insane anxiety and anticipation I felt at the top of this line:It was the one time in the last many ski seasons when I can remember being truly terrified at the top of a run.
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And THAT makes me remember why I chose to ski bum in Aspen - I'm going to feel that way a lot this season.
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And THAT makes me conflicted, because of course it's going to be amazing...and yet I'm bummed out that I have to leave Starbucks. I know it's such a silly thing to say since I've only been there for a week, but I really, really like my coworkers. Why couldn't I have started working there a couple of years ago? These people are awesome!
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And there you have it: one full thought circle. I started this post and ended this post talking about work.

Coffee and Toothpaste

This has been one of those grrrrreat, mmmmmellow, rrrrrainy fall days during which I get nothing done and the leisure has no end. All I've done today is watch football. If there was a football-watching contest, I would have won.

I compiled a list of the teams I give a s*** about:
COLLEGE
1. CSU
2. Nebraska
-->(these two should be obvious)
3. Wisconsin
4. USC
-->(these are because of who goes to school here, BR and KH, respectively)
5. Ohio State
6. Michigan
7. Tennessee
-->(these I only mildly care about)
8. Oklahoma
9. CU
-->(these are the teams that I always want to lose)
NFL
1. Denver Broncos
2. Indianapolis Colts
-->(obviously)
3. New York Giants
-->(mostly because of Katie)
4. New England Patriots
-->(the team I most love to hate)

Given this data, it's clear that I have endured a rough day in football. CSU, Nebraska, Wisco, Michigan and Tennessee all lost. Mercifully, so did Oklahoma and CU. USC and Ohio State pulled off wins, but that's little comfort.

My fantasy team is sucking, too. I started off spectacularly well (especially given my rookie FF status) and have since lost 3 straight contests. I'm playing my cousin Rick this weekend, though, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to crush him. Come on, Jason Campbell!!

Speaking of Rick, I've been meaning to upload this video:

We were in Estes Park in August for a family reunion, and Rick was WILD. He played this game and "hand tennis" (more hand abuse) with everyone in the room and basically destroyed us, so when Amy finally started to kick his ass we documented it. (This was right after he walked into a glass sliding door at full speed. Twice.)
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I found this on Facebook today, and for once I have a reason to smile about economics:

If you purchased $1,000 of shares in Delta Airlines one year ago, you will have $49.00 today.
If you purchased $1,000 of shares in AIG one year ago, you will have $33.00 today.
If you purchased $1,000 of shares in Lehman Brothers one year ago, you will have $0.00 today.
But if you purchased $1,000 worth of beer one year ago, drank all the beer, then turned in the aluminum cans for a recycling refund, you will have $214.00.
Based on the above, the best current investment plan is to drink heavily & recycle. It is called the '401-Keg.'
A recent study found that the average American walks about 900 miles a year.
Another study found that Americans drink, on average, 22 gallons of alcohol a year.
That means that, on average, Americans get about 41 miles to the gallon!

*Christian has recently begun calling Dad by his first name. Seriously. What 14-year-old yells "Riiiick!" from his room? This development comes after his last trick: walking around the house yelling, "Ma, the meatloaf!" Courtney discovered that he dissolves in fits of giggles at the mention of almost any Will Ferrell line. If I hear "Dear Lord Baby Jesus" next, I'm going to get suspicious.
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I shouldn't have written yesterday about what I was doing last night, because of course it didn't live up to my expectations. And I threatened EG with writing about it after the fact, so now I have to. Suffice it to say that:
-I was reminded that I have incredible friends - EW and Courto went above and beyond
-The world is a very, very small place
-I love running into people I know (BS, WD, JC, JN, SO, etc)
and
-I love the snow.
EG is a cupcake, even if he'd rather go dancing in a dive bar than kick back with the rest of us in the basement of the Steakout. He doesn't know how great I think he is. He's really great.
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One last thing before I get too carried away with this post (oh, hell, I'm already too carried away with it):
I ran into these guys at the Steakout last night:
It reminded me how spectacular/remarkable/ethereal/awesome our trip to Utah was in January.
I'm really blessed to have so many quality people in my life.