I am tired. I am worn out. I began the day trying to wake up after my alarm went off at 7 am. Usually I pop right up, shut the darned thing off and start making breakfast. Today I rolled around, tried not to slip back into unconsciousness (that's a very real danger as my snooze button fell off several years back - there is no second wake-up call...), and eventually got myself out of bed. I called Anna: so, uh, did you want us to come in today? (Please God, no, no, no.) Yes, we're going to bottle. [pause] Okay, see you soon. And so we spent Labor Day laboring away - that's what you're supposed to do, right? And we labored and labored, bottling a ton of vodka followed by three different kinds of grappa. Evening plans were made with friends in Paonia over lunch. They were called into question at around 7 pm, and by 8:30 - when we finally finished - they were no more. I put in a 12.5-hour day, I'm beat and I feel that it all could have been avoided by some forethought on the part of my bosses (or at least they could have warned us of the longevity of today's labors...). AND today's events are in some ways simply par for the course. My life sucks.
Two days ago, our winery co-hosted a huge dinner party with renowned chef Kelly Liken of Kelly Liken's in Vail. Though we had to clean and organize all morning, in the evening Colin, visiting friend Kate and I got to help serve the guests as well as socialize with them. In down time, we got to hang out with Kelly in the kitchen while we chowed down on her amazing cucumber and tomato salads, succotash, and rack of lamb with chimichurri sauce - sooooo good. And Kelly is just one many very interesting people that I've had the privilege to meet here at the winery. (And the party was fun.) My life is amazing.
The art of winemaking is fascinating, and I have already learned a great deal since I began working here at the winery. I very much enjoy the variation in work from day to day, and it's great being a part of the winemaking process from planting to bottling. My life is amazing.
There are plenty of days when I do the same redundant thing over and over for 8+ hours, using my brain only to decide what album to listen to next on my iPod. Sometimes these chores are accompanied by Lance's abundant yet less-than-constructive criticisms. My life sucks.
Since moving out west, a great many close friends (all from college) have come out to visit me. Their time spent here has been a true joy, and I love catching up with them, exploring the outdoors in their company, cooking them breakfast and being reminded of the good ol' days of my time spent at Goshen College. I'm flattered by their visits to Colin and me out here in the boonies (though maybe I shouldn't be; Colin and the scenery would be enough to get me out here without me being here...), and I'm always a bit sad to see them go. My life is amazing.
Google just ate a toad. And now he's farting. My life sucks (kinda).
I live in Western Colorado. It's gorgeous here. So many vistas, so many outdoor sports to enjoy... I could (and might) stay out here forever. My life is amazing.
I am making plenty of new friends. Many are the type where a few hours after meeting we are swapping back-rubs. People are nice out here. My life is amazing.
(Most of those above-mentioned friends live a good 30-minutes' drive from my house. Also, even if I were to stay out here forever, the majority of said friends would be moving away in a less than a year anyway because they are just interns - like me... here for a while - just one adventure out of many in the youthful days of their lives. My life sucks.)
Whatever comes my way - good or evil, uplifting or depressing - I live with one cool dude named Colin, and he helps me weather it. (Jonathan used to help fill this roll, but now he's off to Purdue getting smarter and all. Poor guy... [and then there are those days when I would love nothing more than to solve a really difficult differential equation...]) We find new music together, cook together, explore nature together, discuss life, politics and women together, (work together), sit in the living room staring at our computers together... And when work sucks, we comiserate together. Colin is a good friend. My life is amazing.
Despite all the shit that comes my way, I manage to keep a positive outlook on life. Life is an adventure, right? and mine is amazing.
i *love* the picture of you and colin dancing on...whatever it is you're dancing on... your cellar, perhaps? me la send it to me? (the picture, not the cellar)
ReplyDeletemwah