Weddings, evil vegetarians and groaning

I know it's far too beautiful for a she-male like me, but I just ordered this weding dress. I'm so excited I keep grinning and clapping like a retarded seal. The experience wasn't as traumatic as I thought it's be, once the assistant had pried off my baggy shorts and T-shirt combo it all went quite smoothly. She brought me some rediculous underware that took several minutes of sustained effort to squeeze me into and left me looking like a burlesque dancer from moulin rouge. I was concerned the underskirt and corest combo was actually the gown, and she had me down for a slutty wedding, so I was vaguly relieved when she brought me several acres of chiffon and beading to go over the top. It's probably going to be a summer wedding and I'm wearing more fabric than the UN ship out for tempory shelters after an earthquake. I might have to go all roman and employ a legion of small boys to continually fan me during the wedding. I tried on 5 gowns before buying the first one, which was the one I'd gone with the intention of buying anyway. This is obscenely girly by my standards, but it was the nicest, Andy and Beth agreed. I did like one of the others purely because it gave me a Manga-style exagerated waistline, but that seemed like a vain reason to pick a gown. I'm totally in love with the one I have picked. If we get married here, we'll have a party in the UK too so I get to wear it twice, yay!! All I have to do now is figure out how to corner with a train attatched, or plan a route to the chapel that involves only ever walking in straight lines.

Of course, we haven't made any plans, set a date, or even decided which country to do this in, so I might end up a Miss Haversham style man-hater gently rotting in my lovely gown.




Left: Andy and Beth seem strangely excited by their pumping efforts

The next day we went into the Snowies, partly just for the hell of it and partly to look for potential wedding venues. We found a few nice lakes and wooded areas, but there was genrally something wrong; the lake might be popular with anglers, or the woods might be crawling with ants. Then we found a chapel that was just perfect. I am excited to be marrying Andy because I love him and want to spend my life with him, so I'd marry him anywhere, but if we could do it here it would be absolutely amazing. The views are breathtaking, with mountains on two sides, and a lake a short walk away. The fields are studded with wild flowers. It's a fair drive out of Laramie, it's icey in winter and spring and hot in summer and it'd probably rain, but I'm just completely captivated by the place. There's also a cabin nearby where we could decamp for food after the ceremony, but I'm getting way ahead of myself now. The chapel is owned by a local diocese, so there is a chance we wouldn't be allowed to have a non-religious ceromony there, but we'll see.

Left: views around the chapel

We came out the other side of the Snowies in Sarotoga, a dissapointingly uninspiring place. It does have hot springs though, which interested me on one level as a geologist, and on a much more important level as a runner with achy legs that needed a good soak.

Left: soaking in the disconcetingly warm stream.

I was having flash backs to being in a swimming pool as a child when you get a warm patch and know there can't be any good reason for it being warm.

After Sarotoga, we headed back to Laramie. It was Beth's last night so went went for a meal at Sweet Melissa's, Laramie's only vegetarian restaurant. The food was great, but I think they might have heard me and Andy winding Beth up for her sentimentality over animals (she isn't vegetarian), so they decided to get revenge on us. We were both ill when we got back. I felt like someone was stabbing hot knives in my stomache. I had a moment of relief when the pain ended, which was quickly replaced with humiliation when the noisier, messier phase of the illness started. Andy was ill too, but always manages to make less of a fuss than me. We ended up waddling around walmart at midnight searching for imodium, groaning at the sight of the 'restrooms unavailable, sorry' sign. Quite literally a crappy end to a nice few days, but we are better now.

Rocky Mountain national park

Despite Andy looking like a glam rock hamster (swollen face, purple and green eyes- the results of a broken nose due to impact with a softball), we went away as planned. We didn't manage to introduce Beth to the joys of camping because he didn't feel up to driving all the way to the national park on the first day so we stayed in a motel in Fort Collins. We got to Rocky Mountain the next day, and it's absolutely stunning. We drove the highest paved road in America (12000 ft), saw elk and a golden eagle and generally enjoyed not thinking about scary things like vivas.

The next day we made it into Denver. I don't really like big cities, but the main shopping street was pretty quiet. Maybe American's don't do the whole hang out in town on saturday thing. Cow Parade is there, I'm sure the Prague cows were better but maybe I'm biased. We did see some cool ones, including a zebera in a cow costume. One day I might be at a cow parade and not feel the urge to pet all the cows. We spent a long time in Denver aquarium. It's a really nice place, and they thoughtfully keep the tanks really clean so it's easy to take pictures through the glass. I'm really pleased with some of the pictures. I might not be the next Dr. Mustard, but at least I kept my feet dry.

Left: posing chipmunk










Left: jellies, I love this pic! Technically crap but very cool

Below: nemo fish! nemo fish!

Laramie Rodeo

Life is good: the rodeo is in town, I've finished my wide-angle chapter and my eyebrow has finally started growing back.

We saw a very cool band on sat night, but it made me sad because I'm still writing up so I still don't have time to play my guitar much.

Beth is here so we are going to take her to the Rockies for a few days and try and convince her that the great outdoors is much more fun than shopping.



Left: Miss Laramie and her lady in waiting (who, incidentilly, might be pretty and graceful but rides a horse like a tightly tied on sack of sh*t). Only in Laramie could a woman think a tiara over a cowboy hat was a good look.

Right: Horse riding western style: take off the saddle, poke the horse with spoons until it's really pissed off and try to hang on.

Bottom: yes, that is a small boy riding a sheep. I'm not sure what I can say about that really. Life's an experience, innit?

HRCA sunset 10k

here are the photos from the 10k as promised. They are screen grabs from the official photographers' website... but if you are worried about this blatant infringment of copy right you'll be pleased to know I have ordered some prints from him

gawd bless 'merica

So it was the 4th of July and time to celebrate indipendance from George W. Well, I celebrate Christmas and I don't believe a guy with a grey beard made the earth in 7 days, so why not? We headed out of Laramie and managed to avoid any overt patriotism- just a few stars and stripes bandannas (on bikers riding machines that aren't road legal- Wyo has a state law that says bike handle bars must be lower than the riders shoulders. I wonder what the police do if the pull any of the offending chopper riders' over- attempt to surgically raise there shoulders?). We did hear one 'God bless America', but I'll come back to that.

We went up to the expensive stepford wives-ville of Highlands Ranch, CO. This is still under construction, we particularly liked the gate posts labelled 'town center' that made up an impressive enterance to a completely empty field. We were there to attempt another 10k. It was called the 'sunset 10k', so I foolishly believed it would occur during a cool part of the day. Unfortunately they moved the start time to 5.30 and I was soon wilting in the 29 degree heat. The chaffage from my horrible new running shorts was really painful too, I did breifly consider running half the race naked from the waist down. I'm still walking like John Wayne. I also naively believed the race would be 10k, but it was actually 10.5. I put in a very poor performace, and actually thought I was heading for my first DNF. Andy had other ideas, and bullied me around in a Personal Worst of an hour and 16 minutes, including lots of walking/ staggering. I finally cheered up in the last 800m, and raced Andy for the finish, causing the commentator to talk about 'the spirit of healthy competition'. Andy let me win because he is nice. I'm way more competative than him when it comes down to it. Maybe I'm just more insecure.

Despite an appaling time and being overtaken by all the ususal race rear enders (people with assorted pets, children and strange limps), Andy won 3rd place for our age group. Oh how we laughed (ok I admit I'm jelous of his medal). It was funny, we'd overtake the same collection of stragglers (man about to have a coranory, woman with sweaty bum, 80's cool dude and his woman), then I'd have to walk and they'd over take us. I'd then start up again and we'd whizz past them again. It was like being in a cheap Hanna Barbera cartoon.

I think we might be on some photos, if I can work out which company took them I'll try and get copies and post them here.

During the post-race awards, there was a fly-past of some military jets. The commentator said 'I'm glad they're on our side; God bless America!'... you try keeping a straight face when confronted with this!! Andy thinks he was being sarcastic but I'm not so sure. Not only was it a horribly, gushingly patriotic thing to say, since when did being on the same side as the American air force stop them shooting at you?

When we finished we went onto the village green to watch a crazy but cool mowtown showband in very dazzling red sparkly jackets. Cool, but probably too expensive to hire for the wedding :(. I never thought I'd see people line dancing to 'Soul Man', but now I have. It was like gatecrashing a family wedding. We relaxed and shivered as a front came over and the sky got darker and darker. The rain came, so we didn't get to see any fireworks, but we did see a lot on the way back.

Despite my PW, it was a good day, and it hasn't TOTALLY put me off trying to do a marathon. Andy got a medal for his trouble, I think he deserves one for putting up with me- he is being my third parent now, I never have to go too long without a hot meal, cup of tea or clean pair of pants. How do people write theses without someone like him to look after them? I'd have given up by now I think.

Oh and work still sucks. But they are paying me and I'm skiving off lots (i.e. writing my thesis, which is going suprisingly well)

Happy indipendance/ freedom from tyranny and opression day :-p


xxC