AtomJohnson Blog

I’ve decided against a new car (or truck, or SUV). I simply don’t need one, and to be honest, cars just don’t get me that excited.

What does get me excited is very small, very hot rooms. So, I ordered one. I considered a full wooden sauna, but as I glanced around my condo, I realized that there is hardly any room left for a coffee maker, much less, a sauna. So, next week I will receive a brand new Solo Sauna System.

I never like to rush anything in life, but it is a cold, snowy day here in Boulder.  There is nothing I’d rather be doing right now than laying down fully surrounded by far infrared heat.  Patience is supposedly a virtue.

It was only a matter of time before people on Segways began starting fights with people in New Urban neighborhoods.

This morning as my neighbor Bryan and I were walking to get our morning coffee, we spotted a guy on a totally tricked out Segway (yellow fenders) taking photos of the neighborhood. As expected, he had his iPod around his neck and I’m quite certain that he had a pretty sweet PDA somewhere on his person. Having never seen someone out in public on a personal Segway, I asked if he minded me taking a photo. He agreed.

Being the friendly people that we are, we asked what he does and how he likes his Segway. He mentions that he is part of a transportation company and then gets up on his soapbox (or Segway) and starts telling us how this neighborhood is all wrong and that we should have parking at the perimeter and ride golf carts to our houses. I smile at this incredibly stupid idea while he jets over to an SUV to show us how much smaller he is than the SUV. Bryan, being an architect and urban planner, tried to engage the guy in conversation about his proposals. As Bryan got more logical in his tone, Segway man just got more angry and offensive.

I’m not sure exactly when it escalated to Bryan and this guy in each others faces, but all I remember is that guy yelling about how he had invited “10 f*&king electric cars!”. I tried to get my camera into video mode to catch the entire altercation, but all I could get was the very end. I love the part where he throws his headphones on and quickly rides away…you just know that he is listening to Celine Dion’s Super Hits.

As I watch this video segment, I realize that I missed much of what was said (or yelled).  I was too busy trying to get my camera into video mode and out of spot metering mode.  However, I haven’t missed the irony of a guy on a Segway with an iPod, digital camera and Patagonia jacket yelling about how he doesn’t have enough money.  Perhaps that is one of the sources of the problem he himself is trying to solve.

It looks as though the left knee may have given up on life once again.  I practiced soccer for the first time on Sunday with my men’s outdoor team.  After two hours of playing very well, I went for an off-balance left footed shot and ended up with a hyperextended left knee and a ‘pop’ that you never want to hear from any part of your body.  I was hopeful yesterday since there was very little swelling and I was able to walk and climb stairs without a problem.  This morning it feels a bit more swollen though.  I have an appointment with a Sports Medicine doctor next Thursday. My plan is to get this one repaired quickly.

To make things worse, the snow has been insane each day since Friday.  There is literally 8 to 10 fresh inches of powder every single day.  Oh well…what can you do?

What could be cuter than an 8 week old Great Dane stuffed in a backpack? (I’m sure there is some poster of a kitten dressed up like a librarian or something that might be a tad cuter, but this was really cute.)

If you want to stuff your Great Dane in a backpack, you must do it at 8 weeks or younger. By the 9th week, most Great Danes are 150 lbs and require two people just to pick up their poop. Remember to lift with your legs….not with your back.

I have discovered what just might be the most authentic Mexican food in Boulder. On Friday night, my friend Janice and I were going to grab some pizza at the local Pizza restaurant called Protos. The sauna-like atmosphere of the place and the one hour wait forced us to immediately reconsider our dining options. Earlier that day, I had gone for a run and remembered an incredibly delicious aroma coming from a small restaurant in a run-down strip of shops called Pupusas.

I vowed several years ago never to eat at another restaurant with “Pupu” in the name, but it is within walking distance of our neighborhood and we were starving, so we decided to try it out. I knew it was authentic when I saw that everyone was drinking Coca Cola out of real glass bottles with some sort of import sticker slapped to the side of each one. There was also a donkey in the corner with saddle bags full of coffee beans (ok…not really).

The food did not dissapoint. I’ve never had a Pupusa, so I can’t really compare it to anything, but I have to imagine that this is the best Papusa on the planet. Don’t even get me started on the tacos or the chocolate flan cake.

After getting stuck in the snow twice this weekend, I have been considering the purchase of something a bit more Colorado-capable.  I’ve been wavering between the idea of getting a brand new car or just picking up a used 4×4 to augment The Knight Rider (my black 1997 Honda Civic that smells like rotten feet).  So far I’ve looked at the new FJ Cruiser, which is gorgeous, but only gets 16 mpg.  After all my yappin’ about global warming and saving the prairie dogs, I don’t think I would feel right in such a vehicle.  Of course, there is always the Subaru Impreza wagon and the classic Jeep Wrangler.  Both of these cars could probably take whatever Colorado has to throw at them.  However, the romatic in me keeps coming back to the classic Toyota Landcruiser FJ40.  There is currently one for sale up in Estes Park (about an hour north).  I just might take a look at it this weekend.

If you don’t like these bumper stickers, please blame my sister, she is the one who sent them to me. I personally love them.

• (On an infant’s shirt): Already smarter than Bush
• 1/20/09: End of an Error
• That’s OK, I Wasn’t Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
• Let’s Fix Democracy in This Country First
• If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran
• Bush. Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
• You Can’t Be Pro-War And Pro-Life At The Same Time
• If You Can Read This, You’re Not Our President
• George Bush: Creating the Terrorists Our Kids Will Have to Fight
• America : One Nation, Under Surveillance
• They Call Him “W” So He Can Spell It
• We Need a President Who’s Fluent In At Least One Language
• We’re Making Enemies Faster Than We Can Kill Them
• Rich Man’s War , Poor Man’s Blood
• Where Are We Going? And Why Are We In This Handbasket?
• Frodo Failed. Bush Has the Ring.
• Impeach Cheney First!
• When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46…

I just saw the greatest quote in the signature of an email I received earlier today:

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body. But rather…..

…To skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming……… WOW !!!! What a ride!!!!!!”

My friends David & Ali came in town this weekend for a visit. We had an absolute blast. Friday night was video games and beer until 3am. Saturday was get stuck in the snow on your way out to snowshoe, then snowshoed, followed by the Boulder International Film Festival and dinner on the downtown walking mall. Sunday was a full day of downhill skiing at Copper Mountain, followed by another amazing dinner downtown. On Monday, I destroyed Dave & Ali at backgammon.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Or, as my friend at the local coffee shop puts it, Happy SAD (Single Awareness Day) Day. I know, it seems redundant…and repetitive.

Things aren’t so bad though. It is snowing outside. I am enjoying an organic Orange Mango sparkling soda. Tonight I will lie down on freshly laundered sheets. I am lactose tolerant.

For those losers out there without a steady boyfriend or girlfriend, please let the following video cheer you up. All you have to do is believe…ok, not really…but it sure does make the bitter pill of truth easier to swallow.