Springtime At DU

Spring has sprung around the University of Denver campus, as can be seen in the above photograph. I live across the street from DU, and now that I am walking my sister Susan's dog Blackberry on a regular basis, I have been spending a lot of time there, where I worked as the Finance Manager of the DU Bookstore before the university outsourced it to Follett Higher Education Group. Although the campus is quite beautiful, the downside during the spring is that in May, virtually every damn high school graduation ceremony in the state takes place there, in the Ritchie Center's Magness Arena. Parents and friends clog the streets with traffic, take parking spots reserved for apartment residents, and generally raise mayhem. One year, a woman from Spokane, Washington, looking for a place to park,  drove her rental car right behind me at a high rate of speed as I was pulling out of my space. Naturally, the accident was determined to be my fault. Some insurance companies tout their "accident forgiveness" policies. My company has an "accident punishment" policy, and raised my premium up the wazoo. And no, I am not bitter about it after all this time. Not me. No way. Congratulations Graduates! Welcome to the neighborhood!