So, the wedding. For being just an usher, I think I had to do far too much work. Outside of that, the weekend was a lot of fun--saw lots of extended family, plus met some new friends, and got to visit a very lovely area of Colorado that I don't see often despite it being just two hours away.

As you can see from the picture below, the wedding ceremony was outdoors, which in Estes Park means we had to run off some elk right before I started seating people. I also got a minor sunburn on top of my head and the back of my neck because I wasn't quick enough to apply sunscreen.

The wedding reception was also outdoors, which turned out badly because it got very cold on Sunday evening, with wind coming off Lake Estes (Estes Lake?) at 40 mph+. It ended up being probably the shortest wedding reception ever, though I did manage to stuff myself with brownies.

The rehearsal dinner was actually in Rocky Mountain National Park (and some of my sunburn may have come from there). My brother and I were the champions of the rather unfortunately-named game of "cornhole" (if you don't want to click the link, think horseshoes-but-with-beanbags), but we were most popular among the twentysomething set because we brought a cooler full of beer.

There were also ticks at the barbecue site. Ugh. If I end up with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, I'll know why.

During the rehearsal itself, I had to stand in for the bride's father at one point. When the minister asked "Who gives away this woman?" I said "I assume I do."

In conclusion, it was a weekend of fun, minor misadventures (for example, driving the wrong way around the lake as my dad told my brother via cellphone that he could see us and was waving from the other side) and gross overeating (a huge steak at the rehearsal dinner, a really great pancake breakfast, a Milky Way on the drive back, etc.), and now I'm completely beat.

1. Mark Strand is on an elevator at a literary event. A woman boards the elevator and suggests she wants to give him a blowjob. He considers her offer for a moment and says "But what's in it for me?"

2. Mark Strand talks to college students about inspiration. He says that in the morning, he thinks of "happy Mr. Snowflake" and then starts writing. Some time later, he publishes Blizzard of One and wins the Pulitzer Prize. Later yet, at a gathering, one of the former college students mentions how cute it is that happy Mr. Snowflake became Blizzard of One. Mark Strand's attention has been wandering, but suddenly his eyes snap into focus. "Oh no, you mustn't ever tell anyone about that," he says.

3. Mark Strand is on a poetry panel. During the time he isn't speaking, he doodles on a notepad. What is he sketching? Self-portraits. No mirror is present.

4. Mark Strand is at a writing conference. A young woman is introduced to him--his eyes sparkle. The young woman gushes "Oh, Mr. Strand, I'm so happy to meet you. My mother studied with you." Mark Strand's face begins to collapse. The young woman continues: "And she says you used to look like a movie star!"

In recognition of the fact that I'm not going to be eating them for a while because I'm re-improving my diet, here are some restaurant foods that I love and that have a tendency to spoil my diet for a given week. Some of them are chains, some are specific to here in town. Honorable mentions that didn't quite make it: The Thai place down south whose name I forget, the Korean restaurant a few blocks away that as far as I can tell is called Tasty Korean BBQ, Sonterra Grill, The Olive Branch, Il Vicino, the little pizza place attached to Poor Richard's Bookstore (but not Rico's, which featured the most mysteriously dickish waiter I've ever encountered), Swan Palace, The Sunbird, Gertrude's, The Wayfarer pub, Southside Johnny's, La Baguette, La Casita, Cold Stone, and McDonald's fries-and-a-shake (my only remaining fast-food vice).

13. Pasta Milano, Macaroni Grill. There's a sad dearth of good Italian food in town (at least in my price range). Luigi's is actually very good, but it's way the hell down south, so I don't go too often; Antonio's is overrated; I've never been to Fratelli. Instead, we get this near-default addition--bowtie pasta in garlic cream sauce with sundried tomatoes. While I'm recommending Italian, let me give a shout-out to Amerigo in Nashville, which I loved. Also North Beach restaurant in San Francisco, home to the best manicotti I ever had.
12. Chicken Quesadillas, Wooglin's Deli. This is a favorite stop after Poetry West meetings, as it's right across the street. It's very much a hole-in-the-wall, but I like the food plenty. Good cookies too--peanut butter especially.
11. Baby Back Ribs, Bennett's Barbecue. I'm sure Jake York can lecture me on what's wrong with them, but I'm a sucker for these.
10. Chicken Teriyaki, Elephant Bar. I think it has some stupid adjective in front of it like "spicy" or "zesty," but it's a huge helping of teriyaki chicken on a huge pile of rice, and it's all good.
9. Personal Deep Dish Pizza, Panino's. They're best known for their panini (go figure), but I prefer the small (not really small) pizza.
8. Chicken Strips & Hefeweizen, Phantom Canyon. Phantom Canyon has great house microbrews. A lot of their food is fancified and pricy, but the chicken strips walk the line well.
7. Caramel Apple Crisp, On the Border. Most of the items on this list are actual dinners, but I don't give a rat's ass about anything but the dessert here--some sort of spiced apple and caramel mixture heated and topped with ice cream.
6. Meatball Sandwich, Mollica's. It has some pseudo-Italian name like "The Dominic," but it's basically a meatball sub with cheese and marinara sauce.
5. Chicken Lo Mein, Silver Pond. My favorite type of Chinese food at my favorite Chinese restaurant in town. The sesame chicken rocks too.
4. Garlic Cheese Bread, Old Chicago. I have a lot of favorite entrees at Old Chicago, but this appetizer and horrible date food is a constant.
3. Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Wazee Supper Club. Technically, this place is in Denver. However, the sandwich was so so good the first time I had it that I asked them for it the second time even though it wasn't on the menu. They came through.
2. Milkshake & Cheese Fries, Conway's Red Top. Red Top was the restaurant touted as a good alternative in Fast Food Nation. Also, my high school principal was mocked in the same book. When I say "cheese fries," I mean French fries covered in melted cheese, not fried mozarella sticks.
1. Nachos Supreme, Senor Manuel's. This, along with a 46-ounce margarita on the rocks, is my favorite decadent dish and the one on the list I had most recently (Saturday). There are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in town--Senor Manuel's, Pueblo Viejo, Jose Muldoon's, etc.

So what are your favorite restaurant foods?