Parks and Recreation Nation: Red Rocks

Welcome to a new series, Parks and Recreation Nation! Because Leslie Knope is my hero, public parks are awesome, and Colorado has about 5 billion of them.

City Parks. State Parks. National Parks. Mountain Parks (whatever that is). Colorado's got 'em all! As a new Coloradoan (Coloradoite? Coloradian?), I fully intend to visit as many parks as possible. And as a blogger, I fully intend to share with you (whether you like it or not!) the adventures, mistakes, and animal poop I encounter along the way.

First up: Red Rocks.

How to Teach Yourself Spanish

Speaking Spanish will make you valuable to employers (I know this because I'm looking for a job in Colorado and about half of the postings say things like "Spanish speaker preferred").  It will also give you bilingual street cred so people from other countries won't look down on you for only speaking English (though they probably speak at least 4 languages, so you'll still be way behind). Most of us didn't learn much in the pathetic mess that passes for language classes in American high schools, so follow my foolproof method to Lifehack the shit out of language education and teach yourself Spanish!

Things to Do In Aurora: 1. Prairie-Dog Watching

While Aurora is no cultural center like New Orleans or even Denver, it is hardly the suburban wasteland many seem to think it is. Sure, it's mostly strip malls, big-box stores, Chipotle's, apartment complexes, and sadness, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do. So without further ado I present the first installment in the ongoing series, Things to Do in Aurora: Prairie-Dog Watching.

This is not a euphemism. I actually mean watching prairie dogs.

These guys. And no, I didn't take this picture, they wouldn't let me get this close.

Moving Cross-Country With a Cat: A Cautionary Tale

(Alternate title, credited to my girlfriend: "A Tale of Two Kitties: pre- and post-traumatic stress disorder")

This is Catniss. Let's find out what happens when we try to move Catniss from New Orleans to Colorado.

Here she is, pretending to be pizza. Slightly disdainful pizza, for some reason.

On Turning 28

Today is my birthday and I should be excited about that. Childhood birthdays are an excuse to eat cake and ice cream until you collapse into a sugar coma, and college birthdays are an excuse to drink until you vomit. But my birthdays since earning a bachelor's degree (in the exciting field of who-gives-a-shit-cause-it-won't-get-me-a-job) seem like opportunities for taking stock of my life so far.

Yum, a big ol' slice of my impending mortality!

Sarah Who?

Welcome to Sarah Borealis! Sarah is me and the Borealis is because I just moved to Aurora, CO, so...Aurora Borealis!

"Aurora" makes me think of the Northern Lights. What, my new town's name has other associations for you?

Anyway, this blog is going to be about me exploring the Denver area and getting into various hijinks like: going to a (legal) pot shop for the first time! trying to find a lesbian bar! trying to get a job! teaching myself Spanish! eating on a budget!

Enjoy, dear reader. I know you're on the edge of your seat.