Wednesday, June 8, 2011

This summer: Denver

Though nothing can compare to last summer's adventures in Brazil, this time I've packed up the ole luggage to head out to Denver for two months. I'm staying with my very best friend, Wade, and will be keeping busy with all of the outdoors-y stuff here. Strangely enough, the weather here is exactly the same as it was in Brasilia last summer, which is great because I packed pretty much the exact same things for my stay, not including the little sweat-soaking rags I have to carry with me everywhere during a Brooklyn summer.

I almost didn't make it here yesterday; I made it onto my flight with nary a second to spare.  There was a fire on the AirTrain track on the way to JFK so we were delayed on the track for about 20 minutes, then scuttled onto the slowest and most crowded-est shuttle buses ever (shout out to the sweet 18 yr old skater boy who gave me the seat he was ready to snag).  I got to my terminal 20 minutes before the flight was scheduled to take off, with a piece of luggage to check.  I ran to check-in, found a JetBlue employee to help me cut in line in front of everyone, agreed to consent to the possibility that my luggage might arrive a day late, ran up to airport security and asked everyone in line if I could cut to the front because I was about to miss my flight - and they all said yes! Then, because I was running so late, I got shuffled through the xray without delay even though my carry-on contained a huge bottle of water, a pocket knife and a box of straight razors (hmmm, one need only visit the airport for ample evidence of white privilege).  From there, with a heavy carry-on and big purse, I ran to my gate at full speed and got on just before the door was closing.  This was the best part of my day. Why? Because in the past (yes, I've been very late for many flights before), such a sprint carrying extra weight would have left me breathless, but this time, I felt I could have gone on and on.  I guess all of those games of Sao Bento Corrido are really paying off in the cardio endurance realm!
I alternated my TV channels between a 3 hour marathon of The Office, Seinfeld, back to back episodes of the National Geographic series on women who work in male prisons, and my favorite episodes of the amazing BBC series Planet Earth (including the wild dog aerial hunting scene, the sea otters who taunt and outsmart the crocodile, and the heartbreaking but captivating coverage of late night lions attacking and killing a slow-moving baby elephant).  To top it all off, my flight arrived an hour early and my luggage, which was not guaranteed to make it, was the first one off the baggage carousel. Some gals have all the luck.

When Wade pulled in to pick me up, we hugged for so long that I thought the security guy was going to tell us to move along.  But, hey, we had three years of missed hugs to make up for! After a quick dinner at the Applaloosa Grill (which I will always hereby refer to as the Apple Loser Grill because that sounds more fun), we got home and tried very hard not to stay up all night talking. 

Today, my mission involves finding Whole Foods, setting up internet at the house, getting acclimated to the altitude with a bike ride in the park, and checking out the Muay Thai school that offers classes during the day. Tomorrow, I'll start the online TEFL certification course I'm completing this summer and will make a big batch of rice and beans.  Neither one of us has a camera, but I'll find some way to get some pics posted of me in the summer NOT SWEATING (a sweet miracle only possible in the dry, dry west).
 

Your mission?  Go to as many of New York's free summer outdoor concerts as possible and imagine me standing next to you. 

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