Happy Fourth of July!

We hope everyone is having a fun and relaxing July 4. Julia and I just attended the Rockies vs. Marlins game last night, in which our Blake St. Bombers rallied for a nail biting 11 inning win. We were then treated to a spectacular fireworks display. The colorful explosions seemed stunningly near and we could smell the sulfurous smoke as ashen debris rained down on festive Coors Field. As our friends Greg and Karen mentioned, what could be more American than baseball, fireworks, and the Fourth of July? It was the perfect way to celebrate a beautiful Denver summer day off from work, and to reflect upon the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy as Americans, as well as look forward to an even better tomorrow for our country.

you know who's the bottom in that relationship.

Drake and I went to our first Pride festival last weekend. I was told it's the 9th largest event in the U.S. along with the Macy's parade and DC fireworks. Not sure if that's true, but being there made me believe it! The best description is that it's like an outdoor rave-esque festival, complete with funnel cakes, beer, beads, and techno DJs. The best part was the community feeling of acceptance - unless of course you weren't flaunting your high-fashion threads and Zoolander face, which were benchmarks of beauty (see Burberry umbrella).
We were very happy to participate in Pride and imagine we'll do it next year as it was so much fun. It was a stark difference to the WWE show
we went to last month.

the land of enchantment says it all

A couple of weeks ago we traveled to New Mexico for the first time. After almost six hours of driving through the beautiful mountains and farms of CO and NM we arrived at the Taos Pueblos. These pueblos are inhabited now for over 1,000 years. There is no running water or electricity in the village and traditional ceremonies are still held here. This was our first taste of New Mexico's unique and rich culture.

My favorite time was spent hiking Bandelier National Monument. Here, cliff dwellings, rock paintings and ceremonial architecture provide a glimpse of how the natives once inhabited this land. The drive there winds through the mountains and the large Los Alamos satellite visible at one turn is the only sign of modern life.

We stayed in Santa Fe and were very impressed with the historical areas - Old Town, Palace of the Governors, churches, and Railyard District. At many points I envisioned my life as an interior designer with an endless budget to decorate a home. Oh the art was awesome!

Along with the beauty and unique culture in New Mexico, it is also a state with severe economic depression. The back road driving was riddled with mangy dogs, neglected homes, and fortresses with so much junk that one might think every family owns its own junk yard. A visit to the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque showed how far this depression went. Most exhibits hadn't been updated since last year, Pluto is still recognized as a planet and light bulbs that needed replacement were ignored. Despite the apparent lack of state funding I didn't see one homeless person. This may be a strength in culture rarely seen elsewhere.

New Mexico is truly a magical place with strong ties to the past and visionary steps of the future. The food, art and culture is some of the best in the U.S. and is worth experiencing.

Still Alive

Hello out there! It's been a while since we last blogged, but we have not fallen off Mt. Galbraith to our doom. We have been extraordinarily busy with work as well as with fun. Just this week, my company was bought by the First Data Corporation (we have yet to see how that will affect my job), and Julia got accepted into DU, the University of Denver, for graduate school. Congratulations Julia!

As far as extracurricular activities, we had opportunity to see two excellent shows this week alone - Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd fame, and the fun international-flavored jazz band, Pink Martini, playing with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (funny, two pink flavored bands in one week).

Roger Waters was amazing, playing the entire Dark Side of the Moon album, along with perfect renditions of favorites from The Wall and Wish You Were Here. At one point we were blessed to witness a flying Obama Pig zooming around the Pepsi Center while the band rocked out one of my favorite songs, "Dogs". Pink Martini wowed us with their virtuosity and seamless blending of old movie-based jazz tunes, exotic foreign language pieces, and bold, modern renditions of Ravel's Bolero and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. That is one classy and interesting band, and they looked like they were having a ball. Incidentally, in August they will be at the Democratic National Convention here in Denver.

Tomorrow, to round out the week of entertainment with some sports, we see a Rockies game vs. the LA Dodgers. Hopefully our home team can rally and get out of their slump.

As you can see, Colorado has more than enough to keep us busy. Till next time!

types of coloradoans - part 2

Boulder women - These women are very intriguing to me. They are wealthy and hippie at the same time. True Bobos. Like, I'm pretty sure these women compost their human waste; yet, you'll see them shopping on the Pearl Street Mall at the chic boutiques, wearing expensive, designers clothes which fall over their freely, sagging breasts. No bra, unshaven bodies, and no makeup, yet still an air of class to them. It's a way of life in Boulder. In fact, I think keeping up with the Jones means who can live the greenest life.

Boulder men - The counterpart to Boulder women. Strolling through the Pearl Street Mall, ever block or so, you'll come across a crazy-looking, middle-aged, homeless man. Yet these men, with their over-grown beards and manes, ashkenazi noses with spectacles atop, shirts disheveled on their torsos, are wearing expensive, clean shoes. In fact, all their clothes have been carefully picked from store racks. They also seem to be carrying leather-bound journals and look as if they're on their way to sip espresso. I have yet to determine if they are the husbands of the Prada-wearing, hippie women.

the time is now

This weekend I was asked a question I had never thought about before. Someone said to me, "So, when did you get into Obama?" I didn't know. After a few hems and haws and crinkling of the face, I narrowed it down to a period of time. It must have started after the 2004 DNC where Barack was the keynote speaker. At this point in my life I was just graduating college where I spent those years immersed in media and had a fervent hunger for politics. I remember snippets and references to the speech all over the news and from that moment on it became a snowball of media coverage until today. I can't remember not being 'into' Obama, because the more I learned about him the more my admiration for him grew; so it was only natural to support the idea of him running for president when it was first introduced.

At the time of the 2004 speech, I don't think anyone, including Barack, thought he would be the top presidential (not just democratic) candidate for 2008. But the people are speaking louder than ever. This is the time. This this his time. This is OUR time. It must be now. I truly believe if we let this great leader pass us by at this very moment in history, that it will be too late for our nation to recover and rebuild to the respected posture we once modeled.

Obama is what the world needs now.

Dunk that Junk

Looking over all the mail we got this week, I think almost 90% of it is junk - credit card offers, home equity and debt consolidation pitches, catalogs, and other assorted cruft that goes straight to the recycle bin without even being opened. What a waste of paper!

I decided to spend a chunk of today figuring out how to stop the endless tide of junk mail. Luckily I found a very informative website that details how to opt-out of direct mail (as well as telephone solicitations).

In summary here are the steps I took today:

• Credit Bureaus Main Opt-Out Line - Probably the majority of my junk mail results from lists provided by credit agencies such as Equifax and Transunion - these are the credit card and loan offers. I called 888 567-8688 and found out I can opt-out permanently online by visiting: https://www.optoutprescreen.com/. From here you can fill out an online form, and then you must print out and mail a paper form.

• Experian Consumer Services - I called 402 458-5247 to opt out of non-credit offers from Experian. I simply had to leave my name, address, and phone number after the voice recording.

• Direct Mail Lists - I wrote a simple letter to each of the following organizations and politely asked them to remove me from their direct mailing lists. I included my name and address.

DMA - Direct Marketing Association Opt-Out
Mail Preference Service
P.O. Box 282
Carmel, NY 10512

Dunn & Bradstreet
Customer Service
899 Eaton Ave.
Bethlehem, PA 18025

Metromail Corporation
List Maintenance
901 West Bond
Lincoln, NE 68521

R.L. Polk & Co. - Name Deletion File
List Compilation Development
26955 Northwestern Hwy
Southfield, MI 48034-4716

Database America
Compilation Department
470 Chestnut Ridge Road
Woodcliff, NJ 07677

I really hope these actions will help reduce the junk in our mailbox and save a few trees.