West Coast Best Coast!

Hey friends! After a wonderful reunion with Bobby in Arizona last month, I have really been missing you guys.

Just a couple of kittens, out on the town!

Bobby was a wonderful host, as I'm sure surprises no one, and he was gracious enough to also be my chauffeur. I was in Scottsdale for a company-wide retreat, and we were staying in the wonderfully luxurious Phoenican Hotel. However, there were no bars within walking distance, so Bobby took me out and showed me around. He was also an excellent party crasher one night, and blended right into our lawn party and karaoke after party!

Also this. Surprisingly, my Mormon coworkers who were with us at the time didn't want a picture here...

Also in May, Jon and I took a fun weekend trip to New Orleans, where we heard echos of MOBB's riffs in every brass band on the streets.

Gotta protect that fair skin.

But I have a real reason for writing...I think most of you know this but I want to cover my bases and post it here. I am moving to Chicago! In one month. Which is crazy soon. My company opened an office in Chicago last November and it's still pretty small but they are looking to grow it. My office in Silicon Valley has 100 people, for comparison, and this office currently has 12 (I get to be lucky #13). I started talking to various people in April to find out if transferring might someday be a possibility, and then I hear that not only is it a possibility, but they like me and they're busy and how would I like to move in July??

So I am leaving California on July 4. I am going to miss beautiful, sunny, warm(ish) NorCal. But I am really excited about being closer to family, friends, and this blonde guy I've been crushing on (don't tell Jon). I've made some good friends out here, but there are so many more ND people in Chicago, and it will be exciting to be around that. Including so many of you guys! So let me know where you are and when we can hang out.

Love you all

uChicago: Where Fun Goes to Die

Hey Guys!

It's been a while since anyone posted so I just thought I'd try and get the ball rolling again. I miss hearing about your exciting lives!

As of right now, I am 2/3 of the way done with my Master's program at uChicago. It turns out that UC really is where fun goes to die, unless you're nerdy enough to consider what you study to fun. Which I do :) That being said, most of my time for the last six months has been spent like this:

There are only 3 music students (out of ~120) in my program, so I spend most of my time with a group of English majors. They're pretty awesome people, I just wish they didn't find my ND sports obsession so strange...

The rest of my time at UC will primarily focus on my thesis: "Wings for Wheels: Conceptual Blending and Escape in the songs of Schubert and Springsteen". Yes, I found a way to work Springsteen into my academic career.

Aside from school work, my time in Chicago has been pretty great. There's still a lot of things I need to see in the city, like the Art Institute, but we've found some cool restaurants and blues clubs and we even took some time off from final papers to experience a Chicago St. Patrick's Day last weekend.

I hope you all are doing well and I look forward to hearing from you!

Colorado Livin'

Eldora ski resort, where I have a season pass

GRAD SCHOOL
I survived my first semester! For some crazy reason, I thought it would be a good idea to give a talk about my research to a room full of around 100 8th graders...it was poor planning considering it was the morning after my last final (which was 7:30-10pm, what?). Oh, also, I had a final on a SATURDAY, come on CU. But back to the talk, it went pretty well, but 8th graders are a hard crowd, it was hard to tell if they were interested at all. I did pass around a rock sample and a petri dish with microorganisms growing on it, which they all freaked out when I showed it to them, so at least I got shock points! My adviser and I also went skiing together, proving once again how amazing she is.

BOULDER BREWERIES
I love the beer in Boulder! I went to Twisted Pine with some friends and got this delicious sampler, including a beer with 5 chilies in it! Fort Collins also has some good breweries, I have been to Odell's and have been meaning to get to New Belgium. Colorado has the best IPAs.

WINTER FUN

We tried to go snowshoeing this weekend, but the snow was too packed down, so it just turned into a hike, but it was still beautiful! 

I made a snow angel!

Lost Lake

Also, skiing on weekdays is the best. I went on a Thursday morning, and the slopes were so nice and empty.