Three Day Weekend

Berck had a three-day weekend (because of that glorious of all holidays, Columbus Day). He also has this coming Friday off. But he has to work Saturday the next day.

We traveled down to Pueblo on Friday evening for dinner with Berck’s buddy from work who just got a job down there teaching ROTC students how to fly. They served us a huge pile of homemade wontons. Berck and I love wontons, but we’re used to eating maybe two at a time from a Chinese restaurant. We did our best but still couldn’t finish the pile. And they were better than what you usually get too.

When we got there, Berck’s buddy held up a bunt pan and said, “You guys wouldn’t want this, would you? It came with the apartment.” Berck laughed as I nearly went into conniptions. I’ve been asking for a bunt pan for years. And I got one for free! I made cheddar monkey bread on Saturday and a pound cake on Monday. Berck didn’t think he liked pound cake until he had some of mine.

On Saturday we drove up to Denver and had dinner with Berck’s college buddy Neal. Then we went to an Eddie from Ohio concert. Neal hadn’t really heard much of them but wanted to go so he could hang out with us. Eddie puts on a great live show… the four of them are just tight… and when they walked off stage, Neal jumped to his feet applauding.

We had pretty good seats. The venue is an old church building that now houses a non-profit that shows folk music. We sat in the front row of the balcony, which meant that we got to see everything, even if it did get a little hot up there.

Next we drove around trying to find a liquor store still open so we could buy real beer (not the watered down stuff they sell in the grocery stores), then settled on Neal’s porch and listened to music on his crummy laptop speakers and conversed. Around 2, we went to bed. Berck and I had brought our air mattress and bedding which made for a comfy night away from home.

In the morning, well, nearly noon, Neal shared what meager breakfast foods he had on hand from his bachelor kitchen and then had to run off for an ultimate frizbee game. Berck and I found a middle eastern place called the Jerusalem Restaurant that Neal had pointed out the night before and stuffed ourselves on gyros and fries and something fried and tasty but that looked like a huge oblong hushpuppy (the name of which I obviously can’t remember).

Next we found the Denver Air Museum, housed in a hanger of the old Air Force base up there (and home to the Air Force Academy from 1955-1958). It’s a pretty good museum. It’s got an X-wing in it and a B-1, which was cool to look at, having just seen one fly over our house the day before.

On Monday Berck futzed with computer stuff pretty much all day. Berck got a call before we went to bed telling him not to show up the next morning until 9 because of weather. Sure enough, we woke up to snow covering the ground. Fortunately, the roads were clear. It had been rain turned to snow, so everything was coated in white. Berck got another call after he’d gotten dressed saying not to bother to come in until 1:30. Of course, by then the sun was out, the snow all melted, and it was starting to get quite warm.

Today it kind of got hot, and tonight we have all the windows open again.

Electoral-Vote.com

The Votemaster is at it again. Electoral-Vote.com tracked polls during the 2004 presidential election and is tracking Senate races this time around (he also tracks House races, but not as much). This is the best source of polling data out there. You hear on the news each day about such and such poll over the whole nation swinging this way or that. But the truth of the matter is that there are only a few Senate races out there that will affect the outcome of the election. I read it every day.

This Weekend

Yesterday I cleaned the apartment, which needed it badly. I’d started vacuuming last weekend but then thought I’d better go through the boxes of my stuff that Mom brought when visiting in June. I threw out all sorts of things, but then I ran out of time.

And before I could vacuum, I had to dust off the tables in the living area. And when I say dust, sweep would probably be a more accurate word. Berck had disassembled his computer on the dining table, leaving old dust-covered components there along with all of the dust mice his machine had collected since the last time he took it apart. Then he took apart my computer and replaced my old components, which he placed on the other table, with his old components. (My computer runs much snappier now).

After vacuuming, I cleaned the kitchen, did all the laundry, swept and mopped the kitchen, vacuumed AND mopped the bathrooms (even Berck’s…except for the corner by his overflowing trashcan)…all to Madonna’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, which is quite good cleaning music (I think it’s her best work since Ray of Light, though there are a couple of weak songs on there).

I had energy to do all this because I made blueberry muffins that morning, and Berck came into the kitchen all excited because the mixer was running. “What are you making?” “Blueberry muffins.” “But I don’t want blueberry muffins!” So I started making Jarlsberg, onion, mushroom, and artichoke heart omelets. Berck said I didn’t know how to make omelets, so he did the actual construction. Then he asked me to make him some coffee, and of course, I wanted a cup too. I haven’t made coffee since May. So of course, I had to clean.

Today Berck woke me up and said, “Do you want to eat brunch at the Brown Burro this morning?” And I readily agreed, even though the Brown Burro is an hour and a half away in Fairplay. By the time we got there (after washing the car and such), Berck was more in the mood for a double buffalo burger, but I had my favorite, huevos rancheros. The way the Brown Burro makes it is a tortilla, some hashbrowns, two eggs any way you like them (I like over easy) all smothered in green pork chili. Then I douse it with their salsa and some Adobe Milling roasted jalapeno hot sauce (the best!).

Next we drove to Breckenridge, Leadville, and then back home. It was a good excuse to see the aspens all golden. I took lots of pictures, which Berck might publish one of these days BECAUSE THE CARD READER IS ON HIS COMPUTER AND NOT MINE, SO I CAN’T.

Tonight Berck carefully harvested the biggest leaves from our basil plant and made pesto. It was really tasty. We also had roasted potatoes and some Forest Glen Sangiovese, the best tasting wine to go with Italian food for under 8 bucks a bottle (it’s truly amazing).

Okay, time for bed. Another week is ahead.