So many changes...yet I'm still here.
A lot of things have changed in my neighborhood in the last four years. Many of the friends with whom I grew up have moved out and/or gone off to college or the military. Peaberry, which opened when I was in 5th or 6th grade, closed in 2009; they had awesome coffee, really friendly baristas, and reliable Wi-Fi. Then came Perky Cups for a wacky 5 or so months, and now a new place called Bean Tree is there on the corner. But their Wi-Fi hasn't been working, so I go over to Panera to use my laptop. Iliff Square Library had Wi-Fi in the last couple years that it was open; I should have gone there more times to avoid the residual awkwardness of continuing to use the 'Net at a place where I worked and then quit my job. Sadly, the library and a few others closed at the end of 2009 because a property-tax increase initiative failed.
In that same square, Pudge Bros Pizza has closed, and Not Just Yogurt, where my family and the occasional friend went for years, closed over last winter and in its place is a new shop called "SweetRush". I haven't been there yet, but I'm guessing it's a Pinkberry-type place, where you choose all your own frogurt & toppings, then you pay based on its mass. Pudge Bros had great food, much better than the crap-in-a-box that is Blackjack. Noodles & Company across the street closed a few months ago. I freaking loved that place; it was where Stephen & I had lunch when we first met face-to-face. Chipotle moved a couple miles west about two years ago. The kite store became online-only, and in its place is a Check Into Cash. So apparently, Ward IV Councilwoman Molly Markert objects to bikini baristas but doesn't have a problem with predatory lending, or with two liquor stores, a bowling alley and five restaurants that all serve alcohol in such close proximity to 2 elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Nice priorities there. At least RTD added a couple bus routes so I can go east on Iliff past Sable (131) and have a quicker ride along Peoria on weekdays (121L).
The whole point that I'm trying to make is that so many things in my neighborhood have changed, but I, who have live at any of three different places since July 1990, am still here. And what's been on my mind so much lately is when I'll finally move out. I'm hoping May 15th, the day after I graduate, cuz that's the earliest. Our lease is up in October, and since Mom wants to move back into a one-bedroom place, that's pretty much my deadline to get my scaly lil' butt out of here. I don't know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do for a living; the only thing I know for sure is that I'll have a B.A. and a part-time job at Rhino. I'd like to get a place with someone I know so I don't feel too alone, but whatever God's plan is, I will seek it and obey.
Last week I did some job searching, and of course I went through my "OMG, I totally did all the wrong things! Why am I majoring in theatre?!?" phase. ARTSEARCH, which my theatre history prof suggested, is all internships, producing, teaching, and management positions; nothing entry-level for a freshly minted Bachelor like myself. There are a few possible marketing/advertising/brand management bites on Monster, provided I can convince them to overlook my lack of professional experience. When I tell people that I'm a stagehand, they sometimes ask if I work at the Convention Center; I don't, but it's something to investigate. Probably not full-time, though. If I can somehow get into IATSE and work at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I'd be set for life, but I'd have to resign from Rhino.
I know you're all thinking "Ian, don't worry about it!". And I'm trying not to do that; I'm taking steps to figure out what I'm going to do once I graduate so I can finally leave home. Lately, I haven't even felt like I'm growing up; maybe it'll take a degree to make me a man.
In that same square, Pudge Bros Pizza has closed, and Not Just Yogurt, where my family and the occasional friend went for years, closed over last winter and in its place is a new shop called "SweetRush". I haven't been there yet, but I'm guessing it's a Pinkberry-type place, where you choose all your own frogurt & toppings, then you pay based on its mass. Pudge Bros had great food, much better than the crap-in-a-box that is Blackjack. Noodles & Company across the street closed a few months ago. I freaking loved that place; it was where Stephen & I had lunch when we first met face-to-face. Chipotle moved a couple miles west about two years ago. The kite store became online-only, and in its place is a Check Into Cash. So apparently, Ward IV Councilwoman Molly Markert objects to bikini baristas but doesn't have a problem with predatory lending, or with two liquor stores, a bowling alley and five restaurants that all serve alcohol in such close proximity to 2 elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Nice priorities there. At least RTD added a couple bus routes so I can go east on Iliff past Sable (131) and have a quicker ride along Peoria on weekdays (121L).
The whole point that I'm trying to make is that so many things in my neighborhood have changed, but I, who have live at any of three different places since July 1990, am still here. And what's been on my mind so much lately is when I'll finally move out. I'm hoping May 15th, the day after I graduate, cuz that's the earliest. Our lease is up in October, and since Mom wants to move back into a one-bedroom place, that's pretty much my deadline to get my scaly lil' butt out of here. I don't know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do for a living; the only thing I know for sure is that I'll have a B.A. and a part-time job at Rhino. I'd like to get a place with someone I know so I don't feel too alone, but whatever God's plan is, I will seek it and obey.
Last week I did some job searching, and of course I went through my "OMG, I totally did all the wrong things! Why am I majoring in theatre?!?" phase. ARTSEARCH, which my theatre history prof suggested, is all internships, producing, teaching, and management positions; nothing entry-level for a freshly minted Bachelor like myself. There are a few possible marketing/advertising/brand management bites on Monster, provided I can convince them to overlook my lack of professional experience. When I tell people that I'm a stagehand, they sometimes ask if I work at the Convention Center; I don't, but it's something to investigate. Probably not full-time, though. If I can somehow get into IATSE and work at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, I'd be set for life, but I'd have to resign from Rhino.
I know you're all thinking "Ian, don't worry about it!". And I'm trying not to do that; I'm taking steps to figure out what I'm going to do once I graduate so I can finally leave home. Lately, I haven't even felt like I'm growing up; maybe it'll take a degree to make me a man.