Sunday Dec 31 2006
Here’s some photos my mom took during her trip on the California Zephyr, en route from Chicago to Denver. Surprisingly she arrived in Denver on time, and using Amtrak actually was a benefit as the Denver airport was closed during our huge blizzard (see December 20th post)
Returning a few days later was a challenge, as yet another blizzard hit the midwest and she found it slow going through Nebraska and Iowa. 24 hours late? Still better than taking a covered wagon in December I guess.
Wednesday Dec 27 2006
Wednesday Dec 20 2006
Every few years the city gets a massive stalled storm of heavy wet snow that completely cripples the city and shuts down the airport, highways, roads, and traps people in their homes with small mountains of snow everywhere.
Provided you can get home from work and not have to pass the night in a nearby hotel the day can be an interesting and enjoyable diversion from the normal week. (As long as your roof doesn’t collapse from the snow and you don’t sprain your back from shoveling).
Wandering down the middle of a street void of cars has an abandoned refugee camp feel. It’s fun to chat with people and a good way to meet your neighbors. It will be a pain in the ass to dig out the house and catch up on all my work this weekend, but having an unexpected “snow disaster day” is a great surprise for people of all ages. At the diner this morning I’ve heard no reports of major damage of cannibalism or shovel theft. So far it’s been a great day.
And of course another excellent reason for supporting the small businesses in your area: While the chain restaurants and big stores are closed the hardware store, coffee shop, market, and restaurant around the corner are all open today. They recognized even with limited service people appreciate the service. And living in a place where we can trudge through the snow to visit them is a great way to cure cabin fever.
The below pics are from the past two days, which really involve nothing more than successfully commuting home at 2pm, drinking and watching the snow pile up foot after foot, and enjoying breakfast today a few blocks from home at Chef Zorbas, which despite operating with one chef and server were a welcome sign to all this morning.
My work at 2pm. Cars buried under the snow.
Trains and busses were operating ok until about 4pm. Taking the train from Belleview to downtown was actually extremely fast. I managed to catch a bus home at 2:30 before they stopped running.
Arriving home, back door. Just an excuse to show off my self-installed wood flooring.
11th Avenue. Walking to the small market around the corner, 4pm.
Saturday Dec 16 2006
15 years ago the neighborhood around 15th and Platte was nothing more than warehouses and pothole filled service roads. The bohemian outpost “Paris on the Platte” was the only business in the area where people gathered. Now red brick lofts with iron railed balconies overlook the streets, with shiny residential high rises casting slim shadows on the streets, park, and river.
The housing prices are as high as the skyscrapers, and dog parks and strollers are seen more often than bums. One business that’s been popular through recent years is “The House of Commons.” It’s not as dainty and prim as you’d think by the name. This authentic English Tea Room serves sandwiches such as the “Big Ben” and the “Balmoral,” plus desserts, coffee, and of course a huge selection of teas including apricot, ceylon, and darjeeling - all made and served to proper British standards.
If you’re a cyclist and visiting Denver this area is at the confluence of two major trails, which follow the Cherry Creek and Platte River. I often stop here if visiting the REI store at 15th and Platte. They also offer the tea room for private gatherings late Sunday afternoons.
They’re at 2401 15th Street at 15th and Platte. online at houseofcommonstea.com
Saturday Dec 16 2006
Tuesday Dec 12 2006
I still keep my AOL account for the free e-mail, which I use for online shopping forms, usenet groups, and other online activities where an e-mail is needed but will most likely result in mucho spamo.
Whenever I check my throwaway accounts I always get a chuckle out of the home pages of AOL or MSN. I’m always greeted by a shallow and vapid question, like “Who would be a better president: A Black Man or a While Woman”. As if those sole traits should be the only deciding characteristics when selecting our next president. The attached “yes/no” poll makes it seem as if we’re “settling” for a less qualified person if an old white guy isn’t running. Quite the opposite in my opinion.
CNN and MSNBC aren’t much better. They invite people online to poll “Yes” or “No” on such profound questions as “Is Space Travel Good for the Country”, or “Do You Think We Should Exit Iraq”, and other questions that require a vast amount of pontification and thought before discussing.
Monday Dec 11 2006
Well, here you go again: The reason so many preachers and fundamentalist Christians keep finding their “moral” leaders in the throes of beefy male escorts and strippers? It’s the “all or nothing” attitude towards homosexuality, meaning you’re the “Grand Marshall of the pride parade” as you write, or a completely straight Captain of the Football Team, and NO in between - well it’s something that fundie groups continue to hang on to and pass on to their little cherubs.
They refuse to acknowledge that many gay couples live a normal boring life of cooking dinner at home, going to the movies, and arguing about what to order on Netflix. It’s plenty possible to live a “straight life” with your partner, and not fluctuate between minivans and meth. (As shown by Ted Haggard).
This day and age, in MOST areas, it’s slowly becoming a non-issue to most, even the ones that punched a ticket full of Republicans last Tuesday. Even moderate Christians have made peace with a “Live and let Live” attitude.
My BIGGEST problem with the Ted Haggards of the world is the propagation of another generation of fundie parents who will TOTALLY fuck up their kid’s lives. Fundamentalist parents send their kids to ex-gay camps, or “therapists” who work out of the church. The ones than accept that “not pure in Christ” Dr Dobson bullshit end up 20 years later married and having unprotected sex with truckers (or whores) every week. Sorry mother-in-law: I’ve been fucking guys AND your daughter for 20 years. Like our hero Ted must say.
Just as worse: The kids that DO leave home and head to NY, SF, LA, end up TOTALLY unprepared for dealing with the lifestyle they find. An 18 year old being dropped into West Hollywood hoping for a table full of happy friends accepting friends will often be used, screwed, and abused by pathetic self destructive gay people that prey upon “fresh meat”. The gay community isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, and an asshole parent that says “whatever” to their kid and sends them packing messes them up almost as much as the ex-gay fuckwads do.
So note to right wing fundie parents: While you’re kicking your gay kids out of the house because YOU can’t deal, at least read a PFLAG flyer and give them some appropriate resources, unless you truly DO wish them a shitty life.
Denver Post Article: Pastor resigns over homosexuality
By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Last Updated:12/11/2006 08:41:27 AM MST
In a tearful videotaped message Sunday to his congregation, the senior pastor of a thriving evangelical megachurch in south metro Denver confessed to sexual relations with other men and announced he had voluntarily resigned his pulpit.
A month ago, the Rev. Paul Barnes of Grace Chapel in Douglas County preached to his 2,100-member congregation about integrity and grace in the aftermath of the Ted Haggard drugs-and-gay-sex scandal.
Now, the 54-year-old Barnes joins Haggard as a fallen evangelical minister who preached that homosexuality was a sin but grappled with a hidden life.
“I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy,” Barnes said in the 32- minute video, which church leaders permitted The Denver Post to view. “… I can’t tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away.”
His wife, Char, cradled his hand. Barnes declined an interview request through the church.
Unlike Haggard, who had the ear of the White House, Barnes is not a household name. He is a self-described introvert who avoids politics, preferring to talk about a Gen-X service at the nondenominational church he started 28 years ago in his basement, church officials said.
Sunday Dec 10 2006
Copper Mountain is an excellent “mini mega resort”. It’s not quite as overwhelming as Breckenridge or Vail, but large enough that you can spend a few days there with friends and family and have enough variety to suit all levels. The east side of the mountain has mostly intermediate and advanced runs, while the west side has more beginner easy grade heavily tree lined runs.
For a while the only nightlife Copper offered was a few scant restaurants, which necessitated a drive to nearby Breckenridge. Now however there’s plenty of shops, restaurants, and a brewery. I’ve stayed overnight at Copper three times over the past few years and have been satisfied every time.
The on site condos are classified as “bronze”, “silver”, and “gold”, in relation to their proximity to the lifts. The closest “golf” buildings share a large hidden underground parking facility, and are only a few hundred feet from the lifts. If lodging for the night all visitors will be given access to the fitness center, a beautiful granite building housing a spa, weight room, pools, hot tubs, and steam rooms.
Copper Mountain’s official website is www.coppercolorado.com When planning an overnight ski trip from Denver I always see what specials are available.
Also the Summit Stage free bus runs to Breckenridge, so your non-skier friends can head there for the day. More pics below
Friday Dec 8 2006
My succinct take…. I learned Mayan history by traveling to the Yucatan myself and hearing first hand stories from locals, museums, and guides - some of who were Mayan descendents themselves. I don’t need to see a horrifically bloody film by an anti-semitic money grubbing drunk.
Article: Maya Indians wary of `Apocalypto’
By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer
Tue Dec 5, 6:58 PM ET
MEXICO CITY - Scenes of enslaved Maya Indians building temples for a violent, decadent culture in Mel Gibson’s new film “Apocalypto” may ring true for many of today’s Mayas, who earn meager wages in construction camps, building huge tourist resorts on land they once owned.
Some Mayas are excited at the prospect of the first feature film made in their native tongue, Yucatec Maya. But others among the 800,000 surviving Mayans are worried that Gibson’s hyper-violent, apocalyptic film could be just the latest misreading of their culture by outsiders.
“There has been a lot of concern among Mayan groups from Mexico, Guatemala and Belize, because we don’t know what his treatment or take on this is going to be,” said Amadeo Cool May of the Indian defense group “Mayaon,” or “We are Maya.”
Friday Dec 8 2006
Boy I love Richard Dawkins. Sharp wit, excellent debater, yet often acts hilariously befuddled at his creationist rivals. A bit arrogant and condescending but establishes his point of interpreting our world through reason and science perfectly. If a southern Baptist encountered him in a Wal-Mart parking lot they’d scurry right back inside and hide behind the $2.99 bottomless sock crate until the rapture.
I found this recent video from a BBC feature titled “A War on Science” broadcast earlier this year.
Monday Dec 4 2006
From Drudge Report from WKMG: X-Rated ‘Pornament’ Christmas Decorations Raise Eyebrows
Several new holiday decorations considered X-rated are being sold in Florida at a store popular with young children, according to a report. Six controversial ornaments, which can be purchased for $9 at Spencer’s stores in Jacksonville and other parts of Florida, include an X-rated snowman and reindeer.
How can this be any more crass than the concept of running up your credit cards buying unnececessary plastic shit (like the “abscissors”) in order to prove a “Merry Christmas” to your love ones? At least this piece of trash is under $10.
I commented on the Denver Post blog regarding the new Denver Art Museum causing visitors spells of vertigo and dizziness. (Original Article) My contrarian comments were:
I wonder how many more people will become “dizzy” because an article told them they would become dizzy? Or how many coincidentally realized their plight after reading Sunday’s article. The way the word of persuasion often overrides reality is dizzying to me…
I’ve been there and was fine, and no one around me fainted. The story seems overly manufactured, (complete with a diagram of the inner ear), and the comments are nothing more than “Oh yeah now I remember I was sick”. If the issue is more than my cynical take of media hype and opportunity let’s hope the problem is resolved and the museum isn’t scrapped for a giant indoor racquetball court.
Friday Dec 1 2006
Another 50 worst bands of all time This time compiled by Blender. Hey I actually like(d) Arrested Development, Toad, Paul Oakenfold, and Live.
The Fox News take an Mel Gibon’s new movie Apocalypto (one of those words you can never tell if it’s spelled correctly).
Quote: Sometimes, the result of this is a vivid portrait of death. For example, a jaguar eats a man’s head, and masticates. Half-dressed Mayans are shot through the head, heart and chest with arrows and knifed sometimes without notice and almost always in the most gruesome ways possible. Heads roll and bounce, for real, down the long stairs of the Kukulcan Pyramid, or what we now regard the centerpiece of the Mayan ruins. “Apocalypto” surpasses “The Passion” in every way as a movie about pain, flagellation and wounding. The grotesqueries are almost numbing, and at some point they become laughable.
Apparently this movie is supposed to represent the grave parallels of our declining civilization. If you’re interested in Mayan History best to visit the wonderfully cultural and historical city of Merida, rather than endure two hours of Mel’s propaganda.
