Home really is where the heart is...

My second trip to Denver in three months. I'm so happy to be here. I always feel a bit different when I'm in Colorado, like I'm meant to be here. I'm so at ease, comfortable, feel so much more like myself.

It's here that I am at my most...prolific? I think that's the word I'm looking for. I am inspired by the beautiful scenery, the bustle of the city, the encounters I have here, and, by far, the people here that I know and love. If I could capture all of that in a bottle, I could live anywhere, open the bottle whenever I run out of inspiration. When I'm here, I feel like I can do anything, like nothing is out of my reach. In fact, just today, while mulling over the fact that, if I really want to be a tenured college professor someday, I will be working my little fanny off for, well, years to come, just being here, surrounded by the people who inspire me and educate me, guide me and love me, the prospect of someday spending many, many months writing a dissertation and going for my Ph.D. is not, in fact, out of the realm of possibility for me.

When I am at the place most people would consider my hometown - a place I like to call, affectionately, Nowheresville - I feel small, insignificant, incapable and unable to do these things. Colorado seems to allow my mind to soar, me to finally see my full potential, and actually realize that, while said potential lies untapped for now, someday, it will bloom, and the world will see me for who I really am - a Coloradoan :)

I want to tie myself to this place, handcuff one arm to the landmarks here, the other to the people I never want to lose. It's the feeling I get when I'm here, the freedom that I experience, the freedom of ideas, the freedom of feeling, the freedom of truly being who I truly am and who I truly want to be.

Now all I need is a very, very large bottle.

Must be Ruff...

Let me put it this way: I don't have kids. I don't want kids. Why would I when I can have family members who do exactly as I ask and are super cute while doing it, who never wear (and, therefore, outgrow) clothes, and who, for lack of a better description, only speak when, well, told. You guessed it, the only kids I have (and, frankly, ever want) are four-legged, furry, and answer to names like "pup", "dork", "silly", and, even, on rare occasion, "poophead".

At the moment, I share my home with one human and three dogs. My favorite of this equation? The dogs. Only two of these dogs actually belong to me, and, while I'm okay with not belonging to the third, I wish I could have a houseful of them. I am determined to do just that, becoming the epitome of a "crazy dog lady" - which, in case you weren't sure, I would not only be totally okay with, but, actually proud of.

The reason I decided to post about this now? I just finished doing a quick, fun, kind of dirty, training session with the dogs. As most will tell you, dogs learn better in short spurts of training, and, while they love the treat part, they can only follow directions for so long before they get bored. Anyway, after said training, I realized that I have various kinds of treats (and, as well, training treats) spread throughout the house. In my opinion, this means but one thing: my devotion to my dogs is obviously so strong that I feel the need to keep snacks for them closer than snacks for myself.

So, the moral of the story is this: for those of you who don't believe it when someone tells you that their dog is "their baby", you are obviously mistaken. Don't laugh at us, don't scoff or roll your eyes, or call us "weird" or "crazy" behind our backs. The point is, to us, for whatever reason, these canine companions share our lives, our hearts, and, I'm convinced, our souls. I believe that, just as people seem to find each other, dogs find their people for a reason, too. I know this because the two dogs I have are the two beings in this world that have changed my life. Neither of them are dogs that, before, I ever would have thought about having, but, for the life of me, I can't imagine my life without them. I am lost without them. I tear up at the mere thought of losing them. And I would do anything for them. So, for all intents and purposes, they are family, children, brothers, sisters, confidants, and best friends.

Winning without ego

So, I realize that I said in my first post that I wouldn't be doing any fangirling over here, but...I seemed to have forgotten about my massive love for baseball and my team. I would just like it to be known that Ubaldo Jimenez is a freaking beast. Just a week ago, I was listening to baseball analysts discuss why Jimenez has the best stuff in baseball "right now", but why he's still not as good or better a pitcher than Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay. Dearest analysts, I invite you to look at the evidence of both the game the Rockies played against Halladay as well as the game played against the Giants today that pitted 'Baldo against "The Freak". I realize that you're using the fact that Ubaldo has only been showing his control and true awesomeness this year, and that we're only two months into the season, but, we beat the crap out of Halladay and chased Lincecum in less than six innings.

Unfortunately, I know that because in baseball, if you're not playing for a big name team, it's unlikely anyone takes you seriously before you meet some unknown "years of service" mark. So, while those of us who have been watching have simply been waiting for Ubaldo's day to come, the rest of you will move on the minute his ERA exceeds 1.00. Speaking of which, I'm pretty proud of the fact that our ace is only the third pitcher in the history of baseball to have 10 wins and an ERA sub-1.00 through the month of May. Your beloved Lincecum and Halladay aren't the other two, either. And, as you all like to say: "And that's playing at Coors Field."

Live, from the Blogosphere!

Kids, I hate to say it, but: "This ain't my first rodeo". I'm not new to posting my thoughts (and consequent ramblings) to the ever expanding world wide web. That being said, this is my first "grown-up" blog. Mostly, my blogs have been used for picspams, giants posts about nothing, and a lot of fangirling over various things and people. So, none of that here, folks. If that's what you're looking fore, you made a wrong turn at Albuquerque.

So, here's hoping this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship :)