Casa Bonita--Spanish for "what the f@ck!?"

Yes, this is the restaurant from South Park. The one of such hedonistic splendor that it drives Cartman to carry out an elaborate end-of-the-world hoax in order to lure Butters down into a bomb shelter, effectively taking his then-vacant spot at Kyle's birthday party (pictured below).

Yesterday, Lauren, Peg, and I traveled to Lakewood, Colorado, just outside of Denver, and discovered this outlandish Tex-Mex eatery right square in the middle of a very nondescript strip mall (Casa Bonita is flanked by a Dollar Tree and a Hollywood Video, though the creators of South Park portray it flanked by a 97 Cent Store and a Peter's Pit Stop). For a mere $14, one can purchase an All-You-Can-Eat Beef Deluxe Dinner, which consists of Grade F beef, stale tortillas, soggy tacos, and a generous helping of liquid cheese. But wait! If you think you're getting screwed, think again!

How about All-You-Can-Eat Sopapillas? How about daring cliff divers, wild gunfights, Black Bart's Cave, and a man in a gorilla suit!? Still not sold? Well, me neither, but it's off the bucket list!

I drove to Estes Park, and all I got was a broken heart

Lauren, Peg, and I took an exceedingly scenic drive to Estes Park, Colorado, along Highway 36 out of Boulder. Estes Park is home to the Rocky Mountain National Park Headquarters, The Stanley Hotel (known as The Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining), and several upscale ski resorts.

Needless to say, the drive was gorgeous--foothills turning into mountains, mountainsides covered in mature pine trees, and cool, crisp mountain air.Toward the end of the drive, I was beginning to fall in love with the area. The chill wind began to bring a drop in temperature, and the outside air just beyond the open window of our black Jeep smelled of strong pine trees, pure lumberjack towns where everything is simultaneously of the hip man and the everyman, and the cool breezes of Louisiana holidays. I find myself thinking, "This is where I want to live for the rest of my life!"

... And then, we arrived in Estes Park. There was never a greater congregation of all things touristy and hokey--Grandma's Mountain Cookies, Mrs. Something's Fudge Shoppe, and Mr. Something's Salt Water Taffy. As we slowly drove through the downtown area, a great feeling of loss began to swell within my chest. This place sucks!

Still, I know it's out there! Perhaps the next town over? Or the next town? Or the next town? I will find it! Who's with me!?

Either way, I think next time we'll stick with the National Forest--its bears, elks, and dirt--as opposed to the actual town--its fudge, caramel apples, and people-packed streets.

You ever feel as though you were born for greatness?

The Beau Jo's Challenge

This place is only a few hundred feet from my house. Rest assured, whoever comes to visit first, whether it be Dad, Jason, Shelton, Will, or Mark, he will take this challenge with me! The 14lb pizza!

Shakespeare Outdoors and Out West!

Last night (August 8th), Lauren and I went to the final showing of King Lear at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, which is largely held at the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre on the university campus (pictured below). Typically, everyone enjoys a picnic out on the lawn beforehand (they even sell the Bard's BBQ), the artistic director delivers a brief talk before the beginning of the show, then you grab a beer and take your seat.

This performance of King Lear took place in the American West of the late 19th century, with King Lear portrayed as a larger-than-life oil baron à la Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (pictured below). At first, I was hesitant about this choice, seeing as how I've always thought the pre-Roman setting of the traditional King Lear wonderfully amplified the themes of bestiality and blindness. However, the "interpretation" was restricted entirely to the setting and costumes (making it a fresh, yet unobtrusive addition), and a stellar performance by John Hutton as King Lear anchored a solid, albeit imperfect cast. All in all, it was a compelling show, and we will certainly be back next year.

Call for pictures!

So, Lauren and I have this giant tackboard that extends the entire near side of our rectangular living area. Our plan is to put up photos, fliers, reminders, and notices (pictured below), but we are short on pictures to cover up this very large space.

That being said, we would like for anyone who is reading this to send us some pictures to put up on our tackboard, regardless of the date, quality, or contents of the photograph... whatever you think would look good on the tackboard. We want to blanket this thing in pictures of us, our friends, our family, our hometowns, etc! I'll put our address up here again:

Ryan & Lauren Garrett
135 S. 42nd Street
Boulder, CO 80305