The February Mutt of the Month

I took the photograph above of the February Mutt of the Month at the Lunar New Year celebration at the Far East Center here in Denver this past Sunday afternoon. There were not too many dogs at this festival, which was very crowded and featured very loud firecrackers set off before each performance of the dragon and lion dances. I hope its owners left before those firecrackers went off, since I am sure it would have scared the hell out of the poor thing. I was standing right next to those firecrackers when they went off, and the people around me were covering their ears. By the look that dog was giving me, perhaps it was pleading for help in getting the hell out of there. Hopefully it did.

Washington Park - Tranquil And Beautiful, Except For The Gunfire

Years ago, I read The Poet, by Michael Connelly, a novel about Rocky Mountain News reporter Jack McEvoy, who investigates the alleged suicide of his twin brother, who was investigating the murder of a University of Denver coed in Denver's Washington Park. It was, of course, a work of fiction, and up until now I have never heard of any serious violence there. That was until this past Sunday afternoon, when a man with a bike asked if could share a park bench with a man already sitting there. Tempers flared, and as the bicyclist walked away, the man on the bench took out a gun and fired at him, hitting the bike's rear tire. Then, as the man with the gun ran away, he shot an innocent bystander in the neck. The shooter was caught soon afterwards by the police and arrested for attempted murder. Crazy stuff like that can happen anywhere these days, and it sounds to me like that shooter is indeed crazy. But thanks to what is called deinstitutionalisation, the replacement of long-term psychiatric hospitals with community mental health services, lots of crazy people (is that a politically correct term?) are running loose around the country, including 67% of the homeless. Or perhaps he is just one of the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers doing a little venting while he "stands by."

Spring Training Begins In Exactly One Week!

Yes! It's true! Pitchers and catchers report to spring training camps in Florida and Arizona on February 12th, one week from today, with the rest of the players reporting 5 days later. The first spring training game is Thursday, February 20th, when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Chicago Cubs in Glendale, Arizona. It has been a long time since I have attended a spring training game, and now that I do have a chance to finally see some games in Florida again, I checked on the internet and found out that seats run about $50 each, unless you want to sit in the bleachers for $25. That is way more than I spend when I go to Coors Field to watch a game that actually counts. And keep in mind, spring training is all about trying out players who might help the team win during the regular season, and so most of the games will feature unknown players who play only a few innings each. Forget about watching top players for more than an inning or so. And unlike the good old days, when you would watch spring training games in old fashioned parks where players and fans used the same entrances and exits, these days baseball teams train in mini-Coors Fields to extract the most revenue. Does anyone else think rip-off? The photograph above, by the way, was taken back in March of 1996 at a spring training contest at Municipal Stadium in West Palm Beach, Florida. That ballpark was, of course, torn down and replaced, too. Figures. I think I'll probably just wait and attend a few Florida State League games, sitting in the first row for $15, with entertaining promotions every half inning. Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals, here I come!

Lunching At Chez Chick-fil-A With Mark

I had lunch with my friend Mark, seen in the photograph above, this past Saturday at the Chick-fil-A on beautiful Colorado Boulevard here in Denver. Mark is doing well after a bout with the flu and is spending most of his free time following Championship and Premier League soccer from the UK. He tells me Leeds is still in first place, and they hope to return to the Premier League next year, and that Tottenham is having its worst season in years. Which means happy and enthusiastic fans watching the games at the DNVR Bar, where Leeds fans hang out, and depressed but stoic fans at Esters Pub, home of Colorado's Tottenham fans. The folks at Chick-fil-A seemed to be pretty oblivious about the subject and just concentrated on their chicken meals. Perhaps chicken and soccer don't go together. Mushy peas anyone?

Celebrating Lunar New Year!

I went to the Far East Center at the corner of Alameda and Federal here in Denver yesterday afternoon to see the Lunar New Year celebration. The place was packed, and at first, I was unable to get to the front of the line to see the event taking place, which turned out to be a martial arts demonstration. But after it was over, the crowd dispersed, and pretty soon I saw a group of people carrying lion costumes begin to sit down on the edge of the event space and decided to hang out to see if they were going to perform. Which they soon did, as seen in the photograph on the left. The ceremony began with a long string of fireworks being set off around those lion dancers, which to me was the one negative of standing right in front. This being the first time I have attended this event - which is in its 34th year, I might add - I did not realize that the wide looking tape they were laying down and which I was standing right next to were the actual fireworks.

Some of the events were sponsored by the Denver Police Department, and the Chief of Police spoke to the crowd before the lion dance began. In fact, I was standing right in front of him. He put his hands on both my shoulders and turned me sideways so he could get through to the microphone. Oops! When he finished speaking, he turned around and gave me a look as he passed by, no doubt thinking he might have seen my face in a wanted poster or something. But happily, he took no action. The band for the ceremony, by the way, consisted of drums and cymbals, as seen in the photograph on the right.

I was hoping to see the dragon dancers, but unfortunately, their performance took place earlier in the day. But at least I caught those lion dancers, two of them seen in the photograph on the left. And you might be wondering what the difference is between Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year. I myself did not know, and of course, I checked the most accurate source available - the internet. As everyone says, if you read it on the internet, it must be true. And the answer is that Chinese New Year refers exclusively to only Chinese events and celebrations, while Lunar New Year includes the celebrations and customs of all Asian cultures. Denver, for example, has a large Vietnamese community, which figured prominently in yesterday's festivities.

And yes! This in indeed the Year of the Snake, which I assume is why the woman in the photograph on the right brought an actual snake to the event. Now bringing a dog with you, considering what a warm and sunny day it was, kind of makes sense, although I would think all those fireworks would scare those mutts out their minds, but what do I know? But a snake, that you show around and let people pet? The Year of the Horse follows the Year of the Snake, and so I assume that next year people will bring their horses with them. I'll have to remember to check that out.

Groundhog Day!

Today is Groundhog Day, and while Punxsutawney Phil predicts whether there will be 6 more weeks of winter in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, there is nothing anywhere close happening here in Colorado. Last year I learned about a stuffed - Yes! Stuffed! - marmot named Flatiron Freddy that makes its prediction in Chatauqua Park up in Boulder. How something stuffed can make a prediction about anything is beyond me, but that's Boulder for you. How hard can it be to find a live groundhog and have it look for its shadow once a year? In any case, here in Denver, Groundhog Day is celebrated with a showing of Bill Murray's movie Groundhog Day at the Alamo Drafthouse Sloans Lake, among other Alamo venues. Tickets for this event are $16 each, and no, that does not include an open bar. That is more money than a first run movie. And if you want dinner and a drink included, it is almost $40. That is way too pricey for me. You can stay home and rent the damn thing for $4.00, so who needs Alamo Drafthouse?  And yes, I am getting old and cranky. These days, who can blame me?

It's February! Time For The Chicago Auto Show!

The annual Chicago Auto Show takes place at McCormick Place February 8th through 17th this year. I used to love going to this show. I took the photograph above of my mother Mary and father Nelson as we were walking back to our car after attending that show back in 1962, when I was 9 years old. My father was a dentist, practicing in the South Side Brainerd neighborhood of Chicago, and one of his patients was Jim Miller of Jim Miller Pontiac, and so he always got free passes. I remember we looked at an XKE Jaguar back then and wondered who in the world could possibly afford to pay $6,000 for it? How times have changed. I even remember taking the Greyhound bus home from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa during my freshman year in college just to attend the auto show.  The amazing thing is that I have never been a car person, not then and not now. But if I was still living in Chicago, I think I would probably make sure to attend, just for old times' sake. Perhaps they might still have some $6,000 Jaguars on display.