The Academic Commons

The University of Denver's Penrose Library is being remodeled into the "Academic Commons," and in addition to an entirely new interior, it will be given a more traditional exterior facade, to match the rest of the buildings on campus.  Construction plans have been revised to finish the exterior part of the remodel first, just in time for the first Presidential Debate this October 3rd.  It has been rumored that the sight of unfinished construction projects makes President Obama go berserk, so rest assured, that will not happen here.  But for God's sake, don't let him go inside!

Congratulations To Valarie!

Congratulations to Valarie (see photograph above), who starts her new job today at the Jefferson County Action Center, an organization that helps people in need in the western suburb of Lakewood, Colorado.  Valarie believes her work should have meaning and make a difference in other people's lives, which is a very admirable thing, and I wish her well in her new career.  This is in contrast to me, who is in it for the bucks.  In my defense, however, I must explain that I need every cent I can get to maintain my villa in the South of France.  Think of all the people I keep employed over there.  Europe is in trouble, and I am there to help.    

Good Luck Cheyanne!

Cheyanne, on the left in the photograph above along with her mother Valarie, has been accepted into the Peace Corps and will leave for her 27 month assignment on September 25th.  When Cheyanne applied, she was told the Peace Corps desperately needed volunteers fluent in French, which she is.  Therefore, she was surprised to lean that she has been assigned to work in Mozambique, a former colony of Portugal where they speak - you guessed it, Portuguese!  Cheyanne does speak Spanish, too, so I imagine the Peace Corps folks probably figured Spanish, Portuguese, how much difference can there be?  Don't worry, Cheyanne.  I'm sure they know what they doing.  Good luck to you! 

The Great American Brewery Tour

Today was the Great American Brewery Tour.  In the photograph above are Valarie and her daughter Cheyanne, Linda and Darrel, Chris and Jim, and me.  Valarie, Darrel, Chris, and I all used to work together at the DU Bookstore, and we decided to spend today touring the local microbreweries.  We started with a guided tour of the Dry Dock Brewery in Aurora, Colorado (which is just east of Denver and as far as I can tell,  just west of the Kansas State line).  We then went to the Copper Kettle Brewery just up the road, where we decided that guided tours are great, but so is just sitting at a table drinking beer.  Afterwards, Valarie and Cheyanne and I went to the Great Divide Brewery at 22nd & Arapahoe Streets  in Denver for another guided tour.  We were told on that tour that the used barley is given to farms in Northern Colorado to feed to the cows.  No wonder those cows up there look so happy.  I've noticed they even smile at you when you pass by.  Those California cows have nothing on them.

Full Summer Mode

Dee, who works with the Spirituals Project here at the University of Denver and who also works during rush periods for the DU Bookstore, is in full summer mode.  She stopped by the Bookstore today to say hello and to see the new location for the Bookstore's Quick Copy Center.  Dee seems to be enjoying these temperatures in the 90s and 100s that we are having here lately and is dressing appropriately.  Dee, as seen in the photograph above, is giving her opinion on the Bookstore remodel, the state of the university, and the state of the world in general. You Go Dee!

Small Town Denver

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  Denver is a small town.  For years I used to wander  the streets of Chicago, and never ran into anybody I knew outside of my own neighborhood.  In Denver, I run into people I know all the time.  This evening my friend Stuart (see photograph above) and I were having burgers and beers at the Teller Tap House in suburban Lakewood when Carol, my co-worker at the DU Bookstore, and her husband, walked up to our table to say hello.  This is actually a very nice thing about Denver, although I worry that people might think they can wander into any bar anywhere in the world and have a better than even chance of running into me there.  And this is simply not true, is it?  I mean really, is it?  Certainly not every bar, anyway.

The Pit Master

Last Sunday was the Big Denver Barbecue Block Party on Curtis Street in downtown Denver.  Two solid blocks of downtown were filled with barbecue trucks and trailers.  These vendors were not only from Denver, but from all over the country, and each had a plaque stating the name of the "Pit Master."  Personally, I would not care to be known as "The Pit Master."  It sounds too much like the villain in one of those Superhero or Wizard movies.  In any case, there didn't appear to be any Gordon Ramsays storming around among these chefs.  They all appeared to be a pretty mellow bunch - all that country music, fire, and grease probably calms them right down.