Posts tagged ‘appreciation’

June 15th, 2010

That new bike smell

by Tarable

Dewey and Jessica have known me since I was nineteen. Anyone that has known me that long, and still talks to me, is a true friend.

Suffice it to say, these two have a permanent place in my heart.

So a few months ago, when they realized one of their dreams and bought a bike shop, I knew that I had to support them…by purchasing a new bike.

(You might remember that my fancy bike was stolen last year.)

And beside my awesome new bike and my amazing old friends, there’s an even cooler piece to the bike story. Dewey and Jessica didn’t buy just any bike store. No, the bike store they bought, The Pedal House, is the same bike shop where I rediscovered my love of bikes in college. It was also where I bought my first-ever “grown-up” bike, of the Kona mountain variety, back when I was nineteen. I still have my Kona, with all the original Pedal House stickers.

The circle of life is complete. Especially if  life=bicycles + friends.

I’m off to ride my new Bianchi. She’s too pretty not to hop on.

The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart.”          -Iris Murdoch

CategoryLove & Rainbows, Wayback Machine | CommentComments

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March 21st, 2010

Don’t stop Belizean

by Tarable

When people ask about my honeymoon, words fail me. Thoughts and images must suffice as complete sentences are lacking.

water upon water

pineapple, papayas, plantains, Placencia and pina coladas

scuba-diving with nurse sharks, moray eels and sea turtles

no work, no laptops, no email, no phone

details

traveling from island to jungle to mountaintop to peninsula

bug bites, chest acne, coral reef rash & sunburns

biking with a forest fire on the left

forestfire

trekking on San Pedro with a golf cart and a dead battery

climbing to the top of Mayan ruins

boosting him up to grab a coconut out of a tree

first night

more champagne than necessary

hiking, napping & never knowing how much to tip

renewing vows, setting goals, making plans

adam

drinking Belikin beer and striking up conversations with locals

speaking in accents and making fun of Jimmy Buffett cover bands

outdoor showers, hammocks and the beauty of an island breeze

outdoorshower

taking part in San Pedro’s famous chicken drop

swimming through a Mayan cave filled with sacrificial human remains

realizing that drum lines, cole slaw and Bob Marley all hold global appeal

placencia

learning, laughing, lounging, loving

soaking up places too schmancy for us

embracing the fact that our honeymoon is only just beginning

pier

thanks to all our friends and family who made this trip possible

(we love you all)

belize honeymoon/one-year anniversary trip 2010

bridge

CategoryAwesomesauce, Love & Rainbows, Photography, Trips | CommentComments

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December 31st, 2009

Best of 2009: New Person

by Tarable

I officially met Elaine in 2008. And for the life of me, I can’t remember where we were…probably at some meetup or another. But that doesn’t really matter since it wasn’t until this year that we became good friends.

From my bachelorette party in February…

elaine1

To my wedding reception in June…

elaine2

Elaine Eleanor Ellis rocked my world this year.

With her charmingly awkward ways and her ability to pierce ear drums with a high-pitched “Ummmmm…”, Elaine made me laugh a lot.

She also helped me pick out a wedding dress. Without hitting anything in her car.

Thanks to Chicks who Click, Elaine and I shared hotel rooms in two different states. In one, I drifted off to sleep making fun of the fact that she had to check Twitter before she could go to sleep.

“Goodnight @ElaineEllis.”

In the other hotel room we shared, Elaine promptly fell asleep within two minutes of scoring us a free movie from hotel  management.

Of course, she was probably really tired from all that chalk-art drawing she had done earlier that evening.

@elaineellis is entering the sidewalk chalk art contest on Twitpic

The highlight of my friendship with Elaine this year was sharing the stage with her at Ignite 5. The beauty of doing a presentation about beer is that you have to hang out and drink beer while planning your talk. Our hard work paid off and we schooled the geeks with our knowledge of Colorado microbrews.

But the thing I love most about Elaine is that two months ago she did something most of us only dream about: she quit her job to travel. And on top of that, she did it all by herself.

I couldn’t be prouder of my friend. Judging from her blog posts and tweets, Elaine is doing a wonderful job of traveling solo and seems to be succeeding in the goal of spreading her special brand of awkward all over Europe.

taraandelaine

Thanks for all the fun this year Elaine. Here’s to more Rio margs together in 2010! 1

Photo credits: highfireDANGER, greeblemonkey, and kitseeborg

  1. And I know you don’t like that last picture, but it was the only one I could find of us together. Let’s fix that as well when you’re back. ↩

Category#best09, Awesomesauce, Boulder Love, Love & Rainbows, The Ladies | CommentComments

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December 12th, 2009

Best of 2009: New Food

by Tarable

I used to hate olives. With a passion.

As in, from the very pit of my being.

olives

Then something happened.

And I’m pretty sure that something rhymes with “mirty fartini”.

dirtymartini

Don’t get me wrong….I still don’t like black olives.

But holy shit. Those big green ones, or small green ones, stuffed with blue cheese or simply floating in vodka.

moreolives2

Sorry it took me so long…

Olive you.

Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/ / CC BY-NC 2.0, Grace Boyle, and http://www.flickr.com/photos/vtveen/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Category#best09, Life Lessons | CommentComments

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December 8th, 2009

Best of 2009: Moment of peace

by Tarable

There’s something about heading out on a backpacking trip that is synonymous with peace for me. Maybe it’s because I know I won’t have any chance to log in or maybe it’s because I know that all I have to worry about is when to pump water and how many fish to fry up…

first of many cairns

We went on a backpacking trip into Mee Canyon, Utah this past May and it was incredible. Not only was it some of the most difficult hiking I’ve ever done, especially with a heavy pack on, it was also some of the most secluded. We saw one other person the entire four days we were there.

our campsite

Honestly, there’s just not anything to stress about when you have everything you need on your back. Either you have it or you don’t.

All of my most peaceful moments occur when I sleep outdoors, feeling the breeze and waking up with the sun, knowing that I’m just a very small part of the much larger picture.

Category#best09, Life Lessons, Trips | CommentComments

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June 3rd, 2009

Giving Boulder Love, Day 16: Seth Addict

by Tarable

This is Day 16 of a 21-Day Salute ™, an attempt to share a little bit of what I love about living in Boulder. Thank you sir, may I have five more days?


Not chocolate again…

sethellis2

Yes actually. But not any chocolate. Artisan organic gourmet truffles made thirty blocks down the street from where I live.

These things are almost too beautiful to eat.

sethellis3

The famous blueberry truffle

Almost.

I had heard talk about Seth Ellis chocolates sometime last year but only started to pay attention when they were featured in an article about Foodzie in the NYT.

But the real magic happened when a lovely lady gifted me a box of these extraordinary delights as a thank-you.

sethellis1

Little pieces of melt-in-your-mouth delicious art

Um, no, thank you.

Let’s just say I spent some quality time with Seth Ellis in the Kansas City airport, savoring a box of his assorted truffles and waiting for a delayed flight.*

If the taste wasn’t good enough, the branding and design inspire as well. Heavy on the art-deco and as lovingly created as the chocolates, the packaging and artwork only add to the quality of the product.

blueberry_flat_giant

When I go to check out Seth Ellis Chocolatier online, I’m greeted by this message…

sethellis4

and that’s totally what I’m doing.

To experience Seth Ellis truffles, you can buy them locally or order online through Foodzie.

*I didn’t eat the entire box. But I’ll admit that I did think about it. More than once.

[Photo credits: Seth Ellis Chocolatier, Foodzie and di.wineanddine]

Category21-Day Salute, Awesomesauce, Blogging, Boulder Love | CommentComments

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May 19th, 2009

Giving Boulder Love, Day 2: Oh to be a Pixie

by Tarable

This is Day 2 of a 21-Day Salute ™, an attempt to kick start my blog writing and to express my gratitude for living where I do. I first saw these series of posts on The Communicatrix (who I want to be when I grow up) and when I asked, she encouraged me to copy her. Here are 21 days of my favorite products made in Boulder…

pixiemateIt all started when I was a barista at a coffee shop on the hill. Being around that much coffee was both a dream and a nightmare. While I loved drinking coffee, there was only so much I could handle. I needed an alternative that wouldn’t cause me to be jittery but would keep me going during the course of a busy shift. Enter Yerba Maté. It provided me the energy I needed without all the nasty side effects of coffee…no crashes, no nervousness, no stomach pain…just a smooth and harmonious cuppa goodness.

“Maté is the gentle hum of an awakened mind and a vibrant body. It’s the sensual soar of your essential being. Yerba Maté is energy that’s balanced, not frantic.”    –Pixie Maté site

Yerba maté comes to us from South America where tradition calls to drink it from a gourd. Pixie Maté, located in South Boulder, has made it a little easier to enjoy this delicious beverage without the use of a hard-shelled fruit. Whether it’s single serving tea bags, mate concentrate or ready-to-drink bottles, Pixie Maté gives you many different ways to get your maté on.

I currently have a box of their tea in my cupboard, frequently purchase the bottled Green Tea Yerba Maté flavor and have been known to order a Maté Latte at coffee shops around town…what can I say? I love the way that maté makes me feel–energized without the high-strung anxiety that comes with coffee. Not to mention the crazy amount of antioxidants contained in yerba maté, almost 12 times what you find in normal green tea. No wonder I feel so good after drinking it.

wallop-of-wellness-300px

Pixie Maté gets their maté straight from the source–certified organic growers from Argentina. And while the maté may not be local (& it shouldn’t be), Pixie Maté does an excellent job of giving back…both to Boulder and to the people of Argentina. In addition to supporting a Reforestation Effort in Missiones, Argentina, Pixie Maté partners with a host of other eco-conscious companies around town and helps to power some of the crazy athletes you see training for hundred-mile races.

Besides enjoying the taste of Pixie Maté, I also appreciate the product’s design. There is a decidedly optimistic feeling to the starry mid-50’s aesthetic of the Pixie Maté brand. The company’s slogan is “Drink Deep, Take Flight”, messages on the glass bottle encourage you to “please reincarnate” and reassure you that “you’re safe here”.  A little cheesy but not too far off from how good you feel after drinking this stuff. Of course that could be the marketer in me talking.

pixiebottled

However, the coffee snob in me has had enough yerba maté to know how much I like it*. And Pixie Maté has obviously made a fan out of me.

What about you? I can’t be the only one who loves the maté, right?

(For even more, check out the Pixie Mate blog and be sure to support your local Pixie!)

*Did I mention that I may have had some yerba mate earlier this evening? Or that The Pixies are one of my favorite bands? And in case the title of this blog wasn’t enough, did I mention that I’m so tall that no one would ever think I was pixie? Also, do you know how long it took to put those little accent marks over each letter e in  the word mate?

[All images courtesy of Pixie Mate]

Category21-Day Salute, Blogging, Boulder Love | CommentComments

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September 24th, 2008

Get There On Time, Ride A Bike

by Tarable

Bike to Work Day was a few months ago.

While the sight of all those people on bicycles was one to behold, I didn’t really feel like celebrating. It made me a little sad that some people only got to do that once a year.

Riding my bike is something I do daily. It’s how I get to work and how I get home. Sometimes it’s how I get my groceries. Most often, it’s how I meet friends.

And I love it.

So, in true Letterman fashion and because lists are easy, I present you with the top ten reasons I adore bicycles.

Riding a bike…

  1. reminds me how strong my body is, how much I love to move and how, in the grand scheme of things, my bike (and my life) are controlled by me.
  2. is an easy way to get pumped up. Everything is better when approached via bike.
  3. makes me feel younger. (As I overheard someone here in Boulder say, “Forget Botox, ride a bike”.) It takes me back to my childhood and forces me to smile. There’s just something about the wind in your hair (cheesy, I know) and the cruising wheels underneath you. (Look at me, posing on the big brown cruiser, kickstand engaged.)

    4. me and one of my many bikes

  4. reduces my carbon footprint. Since my car is a big ol’ SUV, I figure my daily bike-riding cancels out my once-a-week drive.

  5. opens my eyes to details that I would miss in a car and allows me to go places you wouldn’t be able to in a car. Plus, it makes me more available for synchronicity to better find me. Not to mention shouting hello to the friends I pass on bikes.
  6. has been a constant in all the different times of my life. I’ve been on a bike for twice the amount of time that I’ve been off it. No matter the situation, having my bike around has always been a good thing.
  7. is an easy way to sort through ideas, issues, thoughts, and problems. And it’s much cheaper than therapy.

  8. is good for all body shapes and types. It’s not about the speed or the destination, but really about the journey. (And if you can drink a glass of wine while riding, more power to you. Just don’t run into me on the bike trail…)
  9. is the best way to get to know where you live. You begin to find shortcuts and special places that you wouldn’t be able to access via car. I’m lucky because I live in a town that is VERY bike friendly but I appreciate it because I used to live in a town that was VERY bike unfriendly.
  10. forces you to be ready for anything. Especially if you’re bike commuting. You never know what you might run into and what you may need.

30/366
I agree with H.G. Wells who said, “When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race.”

Locally, I was inspired by Denver Mayor Hickenlooper’s bike-sharing program during the DNC. 1000 bicycles ridden over 8000 miles during the convention and there’s even a blog about it.

Globally, Kona (the maker of my beloved mountain bike) is involved in an amazing project called Bike Town Africa. This program aims to help health care workers in Africa deliver necessary medications to AIDS patients on a bike specially designed by Kona for just such a job. Making the world a better place yet again.

See? Now I’m just gushing…

Bikes are rad.

Love sonnet over.

CategoryAwesomesauce, Love & Rainbows | CommentComments

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