Don't Forget to Vote

I wanted to remind everyone who doesn't live in one of the states that already held a presidential primary or caucus, to vote! As implied in our blog's title, we live in Colorado, and like over 20 other states, our caucus takes place February 5. If you also live in our great state, please take a moment to figure out how to caucus. It's a rather baroque process, and not as straightforward as a primary - as we found out, having moved from Florida.

You can find out here the location of your caucus (yes, the link is through Barack Obama's site - we are unabashed supporters of Obama - but I would emphasize that we would rather you vote, even if it's for someone else, than not vote at all!).

green is the new black

Today our first BioBags order came in the mail! In my constant struggle to be more green I'm trying to eliminate the number of plastic bags that go to the landfill. Though I recycle most of our plastic shopping bags, we still have our kitchen bags, our kitty-poop bags and our waste basket bags which all get thrown into the weekly trash. The new BioBags are a unique vegetable makeup which completely bio-degrades into the earth. The bright green color is a bit different than the traditional white, but the end result is one step closer to a healthy planet.
What step did you take today to be more green?

obama rama

After Bush's reelection in 2004 I lost confidence in the voters. How could any person make a conscience choice to keep that administration in office? But on Thursday, when Barack swept the Iowa caucus, that confidence returned. For the first time in years the people are speaking out. They want their country back. Frank Rich of the New York Times echoed my feelings exactly in his recent column, when he said, "AFTER so many years of fear and loathing, we had almost forgotten what it’s like to feel good about our country. On Thursday night, that long-dormant emotion came rushing back, like an old dream that pops out of the deepest recesses of memory, suddenly as clear as light."
Barack's victory speech had me in tears. Tears of joy, hope and the extraordinary feeling that history is being made. This man will lead our country the way it should be led. His genuineness, strength and ability to unite are what Americans deserve after seven years of Bush and we shouldn't demand anything less.
Go Barack!

types of coloradoans - part 1

After living in Colorado for a year I've noticed a few unique types of beings. Though stereotyping can be dangerous, as humans it's only natural that we place people we encounter into little cubby holes in our mind. It helps us to understand people so we can move on to other details. For example, in Florida some types of people that may stand out are NASCAR dads, Miami Jews, New England retirees and beach bums. This is the beginning of a series about types of Coloradans I've come to recognize.

Ski dads - I think I've mentioned these guys before. They are definitely one of the first kinds of individuals I've come to know. When sitting by them on the lift, these fathers talk up their 7-year-old son as the most talented skier who is on his way to be the next Ted Ligety. And once this son takes the gold medal in skiing he'll move on to take an Olympic medal in snowboarding. As they're saying this, they'll turn to their son and say, "Isn't that right Dillon. You're a winner." Then going down the mountain you'll hear Daddy dearest berating his son for bad form on the moguls and explaining that crying is for wimps. Once settled into the bar at the bottom of the mountain the father will tell his son that he has ruined his entire day with his pouting. Class-act jerk dad - and they're all over the mountain!

Mile High Holiday Thoughts

Happy holidays and happy new year to everyone! Here are a few happenings from our December:

1. We threw a Christmas dinner party - the first big dinner party at our new house - and invited some friends who were in town for the holidays. It was a lot of work, especially for Julia, and even though she wasn't 100% satisfied with how the food turned out, I thought it was delicious, and I do believe the guests agreed!

2. A couple nights ago, we ate dinner at our neighborhood pizza and beer joint, Oblio's. As I sat down, Julia tried to whisper something to me. I couldn't figure out what she was saying, but after another minute of whispering and gesticulation I finally understood: "Mayor Hickenlooper is sitting at the bar!"

Indeed the charismatic and popular mayor of Denver sat right behind us, enjoying a leisurely drink, chatting with some admiring locals, and even, to our amusement, sneaking a pour from the beer tap when the bartender was occupied. Only in Denver!

3. Last night, while we were watching the Patriots' big comeback to end the NFL season 16-0, Julia was reading Westword and exclaimed, Oh my god! One of her favorite bands, Devotchka, was playing that very night at the Mercury Cafe. In less than an hour, we ran out the door, bought tickets at the Twist and Shout, and sped off to the show, getting there just in time to see Devotchka's entire set.

What a great time - Mercury Cafe's upper level was festooned with festive lights and holiday decorations, and the cheerful crowd got a fun, energetic show from the band. Devtochka has so much talent, with all the members playing more than one instrument - their female bassist plays bass lines on an acoustic stand-up as well as a lit-up souzaphone - cool! - and their violinist had the frenzied presence of a virtuoso gypsy.

In all 2007 has been great to us, and we have countless reasons to be proud to call Denver our new home. In 2008 let's remember to be good to one another. For our part, Julia and I want to devote more time to giving back to the community and doing what we can to make the world a better place (Devotchka is sure starting the year on the right foot - the proceeds of the show we saw went to charity - bravo!).

Have a great new year!

It's the World Series! In Denver! Oh My!

Awesome - it's exhilarating to see everyone in the city decked out in Rockies colors and to hear everyone in the streets, bus stops, cafes, and offices all over downtown talking about our baseball team. The Rockies have accomplished nothing short of a miracle, and I don't think it could have happened to an athletic club with more heart and more character.

Lots of people are complaining about the "bandwagon joiners" coming out of the woodworks as a result of the Rockies' success. I welcome the bandwagon with open arms. If this winning streak (22 out of 23 games at the time of this writing), and possibly a World Series championship, sparks an interest in baseball in this city, then all the better. If this year's success creates new fans to fill the Rockpile in Coors Field and the barstools of Lodo's drinking establishments next year, then tallyho!

My only gripe is with the ridiculously underpowered online process of purchasing tickets for the Series in Coors Field, which resulted in success for only a small fraction of fans - not including us :(. Since non-season ticket-holders could only buy tickets online, the ticket-selling site was swamped on Monday, causing an official claim (bogus in my opinion) that malicious hackers brought it down. When ticket sales resumed today, we were greeted by constant waits, site-disconnected errors, and no tickets.

I have the feeling that the people who benefited most from this online-only sale were professional ticket scalpers, those with sniping software looking to make a quick buck, and the nationwide horde of well-heeled, travel-ready Red Sox fans. Ah well, we'll be cheering from the comfort and warmth of our neighborhood tavern. Go Rockies!

brown to white to brown to white

I awoke this morning to find that our mountains have been sprinkled with snow! The brown tips are now peaking with white - just like the Coors can. It's amazing to watch the weather change here and the snowcapped mountains are indicative of what's to come. As I sit writing this I glance to my new snowboard which is patiently waiting to be mounted with bindings and hit pow pow for the first time. Ah....