Faker Bachelorette

Bachelorette parties are the best excuse to be totally nuts. It's the best. We walked around downtown Denver this weekend with my girl, Abby. We made her wear ridiculous clothes and inappropriate jewelry. And the best of all... she had to carry a giant 3-foot inflatable friend. It really is the best way to start conversation with strangers. "Could you sign my friends'... uhh... large thing?"

Anyone been to Rise in Denver? Sort of creepy but maybe it was just that kind of night. What's up with creepy dudes in that place? Get yo' nasty hands up the air! Sick dudes.

So I am offically hosting my own faker bachelorette party featuring minor debauchery and major fun. I will be the best fake bride the state has seen. Let's go to Vinyl... : )

Downhill Suicide

So, I've discovered that I am really into downhill mountain biking. In college, we always would do super long single track, which is fun too, but there is nothing like downhill - hauling ass down a ridiculous slope- jumping off of roots and dodging rocks in the trail. I'm not that great at it, but I love it. And it is really nice to be able to ride the lift to the top... lazy me.

Last week I was in Snowmass and it was my first experience at downhill so of course, I only have front suspension. I would love to see how a full suspension feels but until I can afford a new bike, there is no way I am going to ride one.

The first time down the trail, I sucked big time. I would go too fast for turns and would lock up my arms so I couldn't ride correctly. It sucked. But after a few times down, I was riding perfectly. It was so great to get through the whole trail without stopping or overshooting my turns. As I rode the lift back to the top, I was feeling pretty confident. So when the guys at the top gave me a little ego boost ("Wow. That was fast! Are you gonna race next weekend?"), I - the idiot, decide to go faster. I rode the whole trail perfectly but halfway through the whooptiewoos at the bottom, I thought I should pedal faster. I launched into the air and landed on my hip. I could feel the shock go through my bones and I felt like someone just hit me with a sandbag.

I hobbled up and rode to the bottom of the hill to get some alcohol to clean my leg. Damn it. I guess I need full gear.

But afterwards, I realized that I don't feel like I've pushed myself unless I crash. For me, crashing is just a part of riding. My buddy John never crashes, yet he still pushes himself. I don't get it. A little crashing doesn't bother me as long as I don't end up gushing blood or trying to put bone shards back inside my skin. But one day I'm going to be really good and I'm going to kick all your asses. : )

Prelude In D Flat

We've all got 'our' songs - the ones that resonate with us. The ones that remind us of who we are or perhaps what we want or where we've been. The ones that remind us of someone we knew or of a place we stood. I've certainly made my collection of songs - some joyful, some heart-wrenching, some laughable. But all of them explain me.

I sat down at the piano today and began to play one of my favorite pieces - Prelude in D flat by Chopin. His music is some of the most passionate, emotive music there is. And as I played I realized that this song explains me better than anything. The beginning is a gentle, soothing treble melody. It speaks of an incredible love. And beneath the melody there is a constant pulse that drives the melody forward. And when I play this, beautiful scenes cross through my mind. I remember sunrises and promises, smiles and devotion. The melody is complemented by beautiful rising chromatic passages and gentle chord modulations below.

And then comes the second section - minor and ominous and building and still with the constant pulse that drives the bass melody forward. It builds and builds and then comes four bars of fortissimo... strong octaves that move in fifths in the lowest registers of the piano. And suddenly it recedes back to piano. And all I can think of is compromises and tears, mistakes and wounds.

And then comes my favorite section, where my hands seem to take over the whole piano. Consonance and dissonance placed carefully together as the chords morph from one sound into the next. In my mind, I see an unfinished story and I think about chances and possibilities. The last time I played this piece, I had to stop at the end of this section. And I had a few tears (pseudo-non-emotional me... crying). Because I didn't feel like I could play the last section. It returns to the beautiful treble melody - the one that speaks of love. But as I sat down to play today, I played through the whole thing. And it was beautifully complete.

I've only played this piece for a few people. And it's those people who know me best. I don't think they realize as I've played it that I was sharing a huge piece of myself.

Of course, on another day, I might share with you a huge list of other songs...
Green Eyes - Coldplay,
Steady As We Go - Dave Matthews Band,
Tidal Wave - David Gray,
Breakin' Up - G. Love,
See The World - Gomez,
Bubble Toes - Jack Johnson,
Photograph - Jamie Cullum,
The Heart of Life - John Mayer,
Dreaming with a Broken Heart - John Mayer,
Faint - Linkin Park,
I Hear the Bells - Mike Doughty,
Forever My Friend - Ray LaMontagne,
Crystal Village - Pete Yorn,
Simplify - Ryan Shupe...

And if you've actually gotten this far in this endless blog, I'd love to know what your songs are...