$10.95 and the Best Thursday Ever!

I had just about the best Thursday afternoon that ever existed. It was like the universe was shinning down on me and saying 'here you go Natalie!' and my response was Universe you are rocking my f-ing socks off today. Then the universe is like 'Natalie, you are not wearing socks'. And then I said yeah because you rocked them off already. The day started out like any other, get up way too early, go to work, eat oatmeal with raisins, you know the usual standard stuff. Then I get a clandestine e-mail from Landmark Theaters that tells me not only is The Runaways out, but it is also playing at my absolute favorite theater of all time The Mayan. Okay I won't nerd out on you too much, but the Mayan Theater is the freakin' bees knees. It is one of a very few buildings built in the Mayan-Art Deco Style that still survive and what makes it even more rare is that it still functions as a theater. To top off all that bad-assness, they play some of the best films of all time, okay maybe a little overstated, but they specialize in the more rare independent movies, they never show the hot blockbusters, which makes them that much better in my opinion. Plus there is a bar and you can sip your favorite Colorado microbrew while you enjoy your adorable little individual-sized popcorn. The only downside, which in my opinion is not a downside at all, is that the interior is so breathtaking, it is sometimes hard to focus on the movie. Anyway, I promised I wouldn't nerd out.
Plans were already in place to meet up with Big Butter, we had intended to hit up Little India near 16th Street, but with my honey bun called to say he was swamped with homework and couldn't meet us for dinner and I saw the e-mail, I immediate reconfigured our plans. The Mayan sits in one of my favorite areas in Denver....okay who am I kidding there are a zillion favorite areas in Denver, but this one makes the top three...okay five...nevermind it doesn't really matter...The Baker Historic District. Nerd Heaven! In the span of about 8 blocks are some of the cutest shops, houses, and restaurants. My absolute favorites are Sputniks and the Fancy Tiger. Sputniks is a bar/restaurant with a retro diner/rockability/kickass feel. They make the best sweet potato fries on the planet and it comes with like this sweet jalapeno or something-or-other spicyness sauce. Delicious! Big Butter and I frequent the joint to split a basket of fries, take in the paintings on the wall, and chat about all the crazy females he manages to attract.
As if the Fates were giving me a little nudge, two Derby girls wandered in as we were stuffing our faces. They were spreading the news about Dining Out For Life, which was last night. One of them turned out to be Deirdre "Boo Boo Radley" from the Green Barrettes, one of the teams Hubs and I watched kicked butt two weeks ago. Slight back track, at the derby they were advertising that try-outs were coming up. Nervous, but curious, I e-mailed the address and got a response last week about going to a Drop-In-Derby on Sunday in Brighton. I didn't have the extra cash to invest in pads last week, not to mention I still needed to give myself a serious pep talk to motivate me. Well I stashed away some cash and had planned to find some pads this weekend to drop in this Sunday night. It just seemed too much like a sign that these ladies were there to remind me how awesome I could be if I just overcame my silly fears. Butter and I finished our grub with ample time to wander over to Goodwill just a few blocks down. Something in my head, most likely the universe again, was saying 'Go to Goodwill and look for pads, some overprotective parent most likely bought them for their kid who "lost" them'. Sure enough after digging through the piles, not only did I find elbow, knee and wrist pads, but also a black skater helmet. Sooo much cooler than sporting my bike helmet, which was my original plan until I had moolah for another one. Now hold on to your panties, I got it all for $10.95! That is right. I was expecting to spend $75 on pads and $35 on a brand new helmet (yes I priced them out already, like you're surprised by my overachieving ways at this point), but no, not me, I would keep the majority of my cash. Cha-ching! Everything is pretty beat up, and most likely I am going to need higher grade pads should this derby thing turn into something, but for now, while I am just checking it out, it is nothing a can of spray paint and a master painter (hubby) can't fix. He is already talking about his ideas of getting a can of metal-flake red for my helmet. Badass!
Okay so after I came down from my high of finding pads and a helmet (technically I am still riding that high), we wandered into my favorite fabric and craft store the Fancy Tiger. If you haven't been to this store, and are in the Denver area, check it out. Seriously it is so awesome. Now what did I discover that almost made me pee my pants? Amy Karol Fabrics and patterns. Okay let me translate. I stumbled upon Amy's blog when I first started blog hopping around. She posted pictures of her fabrics and creations and immediately I feel in love. Not stopping to think of looking for her stuff directly, I have most likely seen it every time I went into Fancy Tiger....and now that I think about it, the fabric Big Butter got me for Christmas might be from one of her lines. Well it was like my eyes were truly open yesterday, because I saw her patterns and giddiness just rippled through my body. Butter was over looking at iron on graphic transfers and I shouted too him 'hey! I know this lady! Or at least I follow her blog'. He came over and said "hmmm cool". Then I start oozing about wouldn't designing fabric and patterns be like the funnest job in the entire world. He was obviously listening to me, but not joining in on my enthusiasm. I didn't buy fabric, as much as I ached to, but I made myself a vow months ago that I wouldn't buy new fabric until I finished the projects I had already bought fabrics for. This is never going to hold up, but I can at least finish a handful of items before giving in. I could sit in this store for hours though. Just looking at the possibilities there in front of me. So many beautiful things, so little time!
It was finally time to wander over to the Mayan. Of course Big Butter rocks way more than me because one of his good friends works at the Mayan...hmm....it feels like he needs a nickname. I am going to call him Guy-With-The-Popcorn-Hook-Up, or PCHU for short. Bless you, that sounds like a sneeze. So PCHU was working, as he usually is when I randomly decide it is movie-time, so not only did we get in for free, but we also got an adorable mini brown paper bag of popcorn. Like I said this was definitely the "Best Thursday Ever". I always get a huge twinge of guilt getting into the Mayan for free. Sure I frequent the theater a lot, not to mention I am a "Friend of the Mayan", but the whole idea is to support its livelihood. I want it to be there for the next zillion years, or at least until I die...or can afford to buy it for myself. Don't worry I usually make up for my free entry at the bar (calm down scoffers, I am being good until I figure out this ovary shiznit, don't alert the government yet), but I still think it is not enough. While Butter and I waited for the movie to start, we chatted about how I should start donating money and I need to purchase one of those metal plaques and put it on the back of one of the seats that says "this seat brought to you by Natalie...your welcome...now stop texting and pay attention to your date A-hole". Genius!
Then we got to the movie....awesome. I really enjoyed it. Joan Jett was, and I guess technically still is, way cooler than I will ever be. After the show we stopped to chat with PCHU and I invited him to go watch derby on Saturday night, I am trying to get Big Butter to find a hot derby chick.....not just for him of course, but also so she can teach me some tricks. What? it is a win-win situation. Then we hopped the bus back downtown, Butter went home and I skipped down to Market Street Station to catch the bus home. Well I didn't technically skip, but I was so high on life that I was hopping and running while I replayed the day in my head. I chatted up Hubby while I waited for the bus, and then a random stranger, who was apparently doing some sort of study for a college class...at 10 at night, but whatevs. He came over, introduced himself to me, asked what I was studying in school, I told him I graduated already, then he proceeded to tell me how his professor says that people are afraid of one another. That we are all compassionate and big-hearted but that there is a deep-set fear of one another so even though we are in public places, within close proximity, we won't talk to one another, out of fear. This is spot on. There is this chick with pretty cool hair and a metal mulisha purse, who is always on the bus with me at 6am. We sit across from each other and I feel this need to say 'hi' and introduce myself, but something always holds me back. I don't think it is a fear of her though. I think it is a fear of something else, probably fear of rejection, that she is too cool for me or that her life is too full to meet someone new. Not that I would be asking her to be my BFF or something. Anyway I won't get into that. I talked with this dude for a while, he said next time we meet that I will have to tell him the secrets of the universe because his professor said that every person is connect and that each person holds valueable information to unlocking the secrets of the universe.....hahaha don't tell him I don't know anything okay? But I agreed to tell him and promised I would start thinking of my answer (obviously in the back of my head I am telling myself 'good thing I am probably not going to see this crazy dude ever again'). He said that I was an extremely warm and friendly person, that he was very glad that I was so open to the people around me, and then he proceeded to flatter me by asking how I had such warmth and wisdom considering I was only 19 years old. hahahaha. Then off he went. FYI this is what happens when you are waiting for the 10:25p bus on a Thursday night in Denver. Aren't people fascinating though? I do think he has something there, or at least it sounds like his professor does.
Once I arrived home, hubby rushed me downstairs to show me this awesome music video he had found and I think he must read my blog or something because he wanted to dance! I know, what was going on Thursday to make all this awesome shit happen at once? I don't know, but I will take it. So we dance around, me giddy and telling him how much I love him. Then he stood outside the shower chatting me up while I got ready for bed. Then we cuddled into bed for a long nights sleep....well technically a short night, but it was worth it. I am not sure if any Thursday will top that one. I sure hope they try though.
*Oh crap I almost forgot! Had to come back to add this. So while we were at the Fancy Tiger, Somewhere Over the Rainbow came on. You know the one that the giant Hawaiian guy sings with the ukulele? Yeah that one. Well at my mom's funeral her and her friend had put together a slideshow of pictures and this was one of the songs that played. Another ones were John Denver's Sunshine on My Shoulder and Annie's Song. Anyway, whenever I hear any of the songs on the slideshow it immediately makes me tear up, if not bawl my eyes out. Every now and then I will actually play Sunshine on My Shoulder, much to Hubby's horror, but I still can't listen to that version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. It just can't be done. Well of course it comes on while Nate and I are in the Fancy Tiger. My eyes immediately shoot over to him to see what his reaction is. I start fighting the battle against the tears, but I also started thinking 'hey maybe mom's trying to say 'hi'?'. Not that that would make me less likely to cry....which it didn't. Butter was looking at some book and his head started nodding as he realized the song and then his eyes met mine. He smiled and then looked a little scared, most likely because of my face. And he said 'okay now don't cry'. I laughed, still fighting. And I was able to just turn a little and smile with a couple tears as I thought about mom saying 'hi' to us. Makes sense though right? Best day ever with the best big butter a girl could ask for. Makes sense she would choose to say 'hi'.