True West

I took a trip to Colorado.

I was really happy in Colorado. My family and I took a trip to Copper Mountain, a ski resort on it's last weekend open to the public.

I was never used to having friendly people talk to me, unless they wanted something. These people were nice. Maybe it was the Jesus in the water, but I'm a new Man!

When you hit Denver, it's about 5000 ft above sea level, and at copper mountain, it's about 10,000 ft. The first day I was drinking lots of water while my body tried to figure out what was going on. It takes a day or two to get adjusted.



Colorado is very open, and sunny.

There was a health food store that riveled whole foods, in the town over. Alpine Natural Foods. Independent, kitchey. It had everything. There were girls worked there, I could see myself hanging out with them. So easy going and pretty and down to earth.

I'm assuming that they all went skiing/boarding, so they were in shape. Not out of a desire to be in shape, nothing artificial, like, "oh, I should be in shape, let me join a gym". No, they were in shape because they were living. They had a life. They were outside alot. There's something genuinely good about these people, the girls and the guys.

The pictures are from the bikini contest they had on the mountain. It was a town effort, a "This is what we've got, so let's enjoy it" kind of fun. It was alot of local girls, boarding and skiing down a small hill, while the local lacrosse team and a radio dj gave scores. My parents were really pysched to go see it. I never thought I'd be dragged to see a bikini contest, especially by my parents.

"You're seeing this contest, and you're gonna like it!"
-My mom

I was thinking to myself, what consitutes a contest? We took a bus to the other side of the resort, I pondered how legitimate this contest would be. Although it was fifty-five and sunny most of the time, I doubted that any girls would actually compete. I've never been so wrong in my life. Except that one time I made a bet against seabsicuit.
How was I supposed to know about "heart"?


Anway, back to the drawing board.

The Ratio.
Developing a good ski/sexiness ratio is harder than you think. For example,


A for Effort, but the accesories brought her down. I'd vote for her.

The chick who ended up winning really deserved to win. Nothing fancy, just good ole fashioned grinding while snowboarding.

Ladies, take note: Less is More.

I can still breathe in the air, which due to the elevation, makes your lungs tougher. It's open, and delicious.

I don't know if I could take it when it was really cold outside. They have long, brutal winters.

While walking around Frisco, a main street affair with some restaurants, we met a man named Jimbo. Jimbo!

He told us to go to JP at the ski school, and he'd take care of us.

What does that mean? Who knows or cares, his name is Jimbo.

Anyway, a native to Summit County, Jimbo told us about the brutal winters, but also about the lifestyle. Everyone seemed healthy and alive, active.

Not being in front of a computer checking email and weather = Living well.

He owned a ski shop, Precision, in one town over. He wakes up, goes skiing or fishing. Then, around 2, he goes to work. Around two! I had to remind myself, that yes, this is America.

What a Country.

Denver, part two, coming soon.

Quick Part Two

If I didn't make it clear, I belong to the ballroom dance club at my school. We learn three different moves every tuesday and thursday. I recommend enrolling in a dance class, of any kind. You get to meet alot of different people, and it's better than trolling myspace for six hours.

Onto dancing with the tennis girl. The girls learn independtly from the boys, so when it comes time to choosing partners, she starts to walk over to me. Another girl reaches me before she does, but whatever, we rotate anyway. Plus, it's better, because I can warm up with someone before I get to the girl that counts. That sounds a little disgusting, that I'm using people to warm up with, but who doesn't, I'm being honest.

Whatever, she eventually got to me, we danced, we had fun, we joked around, we danced pretty close.

We decided to leave, go get some coffee.

At the same cafe, we sit down this time.

She starts to infrequently mention her boyfriend, but intiates all this new stuff on me. (Touching my hair, face, punching me, and so forth). What is all this, I thought. I meant, I knew what it was. I played it off, but should I have done something else.

After the coffee, there was a point where I could have leaned in and kissed her. We were walking to the car. We stood. I didn't want to come off so easy.

Shouldn't kissing be earned?

Well, shit.

From Vestal, with Love

Quick Backstory:

Tennis Girl
-In shape, skinny but athletic, waspy but not, black hair, 5-10, not art cute, not cinema cute, a kind of Kennedy Beauty.
-Likes to Dance
-Thinks I can dance

We met a week ago, when we both got lost looking for the ballroom dance meeting. I walked her to my car.

Her, Me

"What are you doing now"

"I'm going to cyber cafe, get some food"

"I love cyber cafe"

"You can come if you want. I can't stay long though, I have laundry to do"

"We'd just be going there and back?"

"Yeah, I've got stuff to do"

"Okay, sure"

"Yeah, don't think this is a date or anything. I'm not that easy"

"lol, etc"

See, most guys would set up that taking a broad to get coffee almost constitutes as a date. Taking the tension out by establishing that I don't condsider this A Big Deal, I create a more enjoyable atmosphere. Science, gentlemen. Science.

During the Car ride

"What do you do"

I think about this, sincerely, because I'm not sure what I do.

"I write plays"

I have written scenes before, I plan to write more in the future.

"What are they about?"

"What are they about. That's a good question". What were my scenes about? Who cares? Trying to convey abstract neurosis to a girl I just met couldn't work, esp. after I just met her.

"You ever watch curb your enthusiasm?"

"No"

"Well, someone told me it's very funny, and I thought to myself, my scenes are funny, so they probably have alot in common."

I wish you were there, it went over very well.

Yeah so, the rest of the night in a synopsis

I was on, it helps when a girl is genuine.

What does that mean?

Cocky-funny
Push and Pull
Listening
Treated everything as not a big deal, cause it wasn't

Part Two, Coming up

Welcome

Welcome to the Jukebox Money Blogspot.

This is dedicated to my Grandmother, who always told me to keep a journal.

Happy Reading

Work is for Losers

Nature Preserve, afternoon-ish



I haven't focused on stuff I should be doing, like finding a job, or learning a language.

I think I would like chicks who hang out at art shows. I think. Positive things, art is a positive force, sometimes.

Nature Preserve, I see a girl sitting on a picnic blanket. She has blond hair, that shouldn't matter but it does. She's wearing this "Welcome to Spring" top, and etc. A pretty girl. She is. Pretty.

I stop. I say (to myself), I should go talk to her. I stare, I keep walking. I turn around, she's bathing in the sun, by the pond, she hasn't looked at me, I can still approach fresh, but I keep walking.

I get to a bench, a little bit further down the pond. I unfold my arts and leisure section and I start reading. On the bench. I look back, I can still make her out, bathing by the sun. I think about who I am. I think about what defines someone, what seperates people from people, boys from men, men from men.

I read the paper.

I head back to her, I've made up my mind. I walk, I look down as I walk. I have no openers, I have no questions. A passing thought. She took my spot. That's what she did. How dare she, that's my spot, I need it back. This is on the spot, there is no hesitation.

"Hi"

"Hi"

"I don't know how to say this, but you're in my spot"

"Haha, I'm sorry"

"I tried the bench down there, and it's just not the same. You really jacked my spot"

"We can share the spot"

"Alright"

I layed down, she offered me some clothes to lie on. I took a sweatshirt.

"Yeah, I tried the bench too, I couldn't handle it"

I don't want to reinitiate the whole thing. We had a good vibe. We both like nature. At one point, I said, "I'm really happy". And she was happy too. So she smoked a little pot. So she hates hummus. People just need to be educated.

A guy friend came in to the picture, that she knew. They went for a boat ride, which she invited me on, but I declined. It's more alpha to be okay with not following a girl for a little bit. And they did come back.

We parted, afterwards. I didn't ask for her screenname, but the handshake she gave me had a little squeeze in it. It's ok, I'm confident enough to know that I have a good chance of seeing her again.

Acting my age can bring good things. Like knowing when to appreciate little moments, and let them go. Would I develop a relationship with this girl, in my last semester in college? Who knows!

Be Water, My Friend
-Bruce Lee