Visiting With Val

Valarie and I had dinner with the entire staff of the "old" DU Bookstore tonight, by whom I mean Darrel and Chris, along with Darrel's wife Linda and Chris' husband Jim. We ate Italian at Patsy's, one of the oldest restaurants in northwest Denver and a true neighborhood gathering place. You know it's a neighborhood joint when you see a 10 year old working behind the bar. Beats working on a farm, I always say. Afterwards, Valarie and I stopped for a drink at Lou's, a former dive and current yuppie hot spot on 38th Street. It was a nice mellow evening, exemplified by the fact that Valarie actually liked the photos I took of her. Another first!

Keeping Up With Tony

Tony says he has been extremely busy at the Quick Copy Center (located in the DU Bookstore) lately, and has even received a bottle of tequila as a tip. Since he doesn't drink tequila, he gave the botttle to a fellow staff member, who no doubt is now curled up in a distant corner of the Bookstore. When I took Tony's photograph today to put on my blog, he complained to me that the last photo I took of him was awful. Hey Tony, I'm a photographer, not a miracle worker. Deal with it.

Visiting With Wally

I visited with Wally at the DU Bookstore this afternoon. Like everyone else, he wanted to know when I would be rejoining the store to take up my new roll as "Sales Floor Team Lead." And no, I don't exactly know what that position does, but I assume it involves pom-poms. In any case, Wally says he has more gray hair after this past rush, and feels he is "losing a step" these days. Of course, Wally is working for Noah, the DU Bookstore's new Stockroom Manager, which could explain Wally's aging so rapidly. And under no circumstances do I mean that in a negative way.

Joe - A Multitasking Hero?

I ran into Joe at the "new" DU Bookstore today, and found out that he is multitasking like crazy. This afternoon, as I talked to him, he was running a cash register, helping out at the information desk, and also restocking the shelves. Plus, he was also very interested to know what I was doing these days that was keeping me from returning to the Bookstore. In point of fact, I am working very hard at closing the books of the "old" DU Bookstore, trying to do everything as carefully and as slowly as possible. We'll get those books closed in no time, Joe. See you in 2014!

Dee Needs to Think About It

I ran into Dee at the DU Bookstore this afternoon. Dee is still working with the Spirituals Project here at DU and enjoying it very much. I told Dee it was her turn to be featured on my blog, and that it is considered by many to be a great honor. She had to think about that one for a while before consenting to have her photograph taken. And in point of fact, I don't think I convinced her that appearing on my blog is that great an honor. OK - sure I occasionally compare a DU Bookstore employee with Stalin, but hey, who would take that the wrong way? Right? Right???

Noah Takes Control

Noah is enjoying his new position as the DU Bookstore's Stockroom Manager. Although he still tends to blink when his photograph is taken, Noah has begun to assert his authority, consolidate his control, and build alliances for the future. Coincidentally, this is exactly what Stalin did in the 1930s. Not that I am implying anything.

Living Like A Dog

Spring has sprung, and it appears that the city's canine population enjoyed the nice weather this afternoon just as much as their owners. Walking through the park, checking out the scene, Denver dogs are living life large in the city. And why not - a recent news story reported that pet owners spend over 100 billion dollars a year on their pets, versus 2 billion on their kids. Or something like that. You could look it up!