Welcome back! Today is the first monday of January – which means the first day back for us teachers! Initially I had been working on B to take a Denver –> San Francisco and back road trip for the 2 weeks I had off. in the end, he couldn’t be swayed to sit in the car for the 20 hours it would have taken us to get there, so a Stay-cation is was. This winter break was the chance to so all those “Colorado” things I’ve been missing out on this whole fall semester! So I made a mental list and checked some off.
1) I went indoor rock climbing for the first time in 4 years at Thrill Seekers. I’m hoping to continue it and eventually move into some real rock climbing – outdoors.
2) We found time for some more archer-ing (?). It’s an amazing feeling to hit the bull’s eye. One day I’ll Legolas the shit out of the target. In the mean time, Abe and I (my Bio partner in crime) just let them fly and am happy if one lands on the paper inside the circles. Getting better with practice though.
3) I finally went snowboarding in Colorado, one of the main draws for me moving out here. The snow has been coming down pretty heavily since christmas, so B and I made our way up to the mountains for the first time this season. We both bought the Epic Local pass, so we have more than a few resorts to chose from. Also, I bought myself a new board and bindings this year. It was time to retire the old beat up, gouged up “vintage” Rossignol Strato from 2001. The new board is amazing and I’m sure it will last me another 14 years!
4) B and I went on 2 nice dinner dates – once at TAG and once at MY NEW FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN DENVER, Beatrice and Woodsley. Sorry, that had to be in caps because this place is seriously amazing. The decor is nothing short of magical (and I hate that word as a science teacher), and it feels like you’re dining inside an Anthropologie store (without all the clothes). Just check out the photos! The food is also amazing, interesting and French (my favorite only second to Vietnamese).
5) I painted. B had this large 3’x4′ canvas in his apartment in SF that he used as a projector screen. When we moved to Brooklyn and in together, I insisted on keeping it, thinking I’d paint something cool and abstract on it one day. Fast forward 3 years and the canvas was still untouched, save for a huge red wine splash on a corner. B kept threatening to get rid of it if I wasn’t going to do anything with it, and I stalled for 3 years. I’m not a painter. The last time I painted, I was in high school taking a summer art class at Academy of Art College (now University) in SF. This stay-cation was the perfect time to get it done. It has been amateur hour at the Schenck artist studio. I channeled my inner Bob Ross and bought a mixing knife, a fatty brush and 4 colors from a Michael’s craft store. I started out with some paint scribbles and what looked like might be ocean waves, and ended up with this. No idea how it worked, but I like it enough. i think I’ll call it, Serenity. Lolz.
6) B and I went shopping at the Arcteryx outlet and spent way too much money on awesome jackets. I bought a new snowboarding shell, and he bought a soft jacket and a shell. All last year’s colors and and extra 30% off the already reduced prices. We were like kids in a candy shop, wanted all of the things. Now we match like major dorks.
This is a complete coincidence, I promise. I bought my black jacket at the start of fall. Then B bought his black beanie from REI and I just “had to have” the orange version (I wanted to look like this girl) a few weeks before the break. Then he just “had” to get the orange version of my jacket way later. We’re just too cool, man.
Teachers Have Lives Too! 
