Jerusalem And The Great Beauty - Not One But Two Movie Reviews!

I went to see two movies over the past week, and enjoyed both of them.  Yesterday evening I went to see the IMAX film Jerusalem at the Denver Museum of Natural History, and was very surprised to see that the place was packed for the 5:00 o'clock show.  It was a 3-D movie, and so they handed out these funky glasses when you entered the theater.  I must say, I was impressed with the photography.  It was just like you were walking down the street. Christian, Jews, and Muslims were coming right at you from all directions. It really made me want to drop everything and go visit that fascinating city. And last week, I went to see The Great Beauty at the Sie Film Center, right across from where I work. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year, and I must say it was very good.  Not only did it have great scenes of Rome, but it also featured a Federico Fellini style look at the Italian Jet Set, which appears to be much different from the Denver Jet Set, of which I consider myself an integral part.  And I could not help but notice that none of those Italian "beautiful people" were driving a classic 1987 Honda Civic Sedan, the car of the true aristocrat.  Obviously all  just pretenders.

The Rockies Are On A Roll...

I went to the second home game of the baseball season with my friend Stuart yesterday evening, and the Colorado Rockies once again won big - this time beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 9 to 4.  I say buy World Serious tickets now, but Stuart seems to feel that Arizona might not be all that powerful an opponent, having won just one game so far this year and sporting a .125 winning percentage (.500 is considered a mediocre record, by the way).  I say that is sacrilege.  See you in the playoffs!

The Home Opener

I went with my friend and former DU Bookstore co-worker Wally to the Rockies Home Opener yesterday. The Rockies won big, 12 to 2.  Have the Colorado Rockies really improved that much?  Could this be the start of a World Series run?  Do pigs fly?  My feeling is that the Rockies organization didn't put in the new rooftop party deck in right field to take the fan's minds off a winning team.  Am I a bit cynical or what?

It's Winter Again - What Gives?

Just 24 hours after I blogged about the joys of public transportation, I found myself standing around waiting for the bus during a spring snowstorm.  By now I should be used to April snowstorms here in Denver, but it was still a shock, especially since the Colorado Rockies Home Opener was scheduled for the very next day. The weather forecasters assured everyone that Opening Day would be fine, but they have been wrong before. I still remember sitting in the left field stands one Opening Day in the middle of a snowstorm, watching Rockies outfielder Howard Johnson (HoJo) dropping fly balls left and right.  I don't think he ever recovered from that experience.  HoJo retired from baseball by the end of that month.  Still another victim of Denver's unpredictable weather.

Light Rail Rant: Beware Of Wolves

Lately I have been walking downtown after work each day and taking the Light Rail (Rapid Transit) train home from Denver's Union Station.  Not only is it a pleasant walk, but it helps keep the pounds off.   Public transportation has made great strides here in Denver over the past few years.   There are 5 new Light Rail projects currently being built here.  Lines are being built to the airport (near the Kansas State line), to and through the suburbs of Arvada and Aurora, and to the north and northwest.  The Regional Transportation District (RTD) is even thinking of extending a line into my favorite town - Highlands Ranch, Colorado, where I used to work delivering the mail.  However, I must advise RTD to think very carefully about expanding to Highlands Ranch.  As most people now know, it is overrun by wolves and/or coyotes (is there a difference?), and if reports of commuters being attacked and eaten while waiting for trains began airing on the local television news, it might seriously deter riders.  I'm just sayin'.

Remembering Tom Melrose

Tom Melrose was the husband of my cousin Betty and a heck of a nice guy.  He gave me my first job, at the Richton Park, Illinois Gee Lumber, a local lumber and hardware chain that was later put out of business by national chains such as Home Depot.  Betty and Tom were kind enough to let me stay with them for a month or two when I was changing school districts at the start of high school, and hosted countless family gatherings at their home in Country Club Hills.  Sadly, Tom suffered a debilitating stroke at a pretty young age and passed away a year or two later, lending credence to the old saying that the good always die young.

It's Opening Day! Time for Some Voodoo!

Yesterday evening the Colorado Rockies started the 2014 Baseball Season in Miami, Florida.  To celebrate this momentous event, I decided to walk downtown to the Sandlot Brewery, which is attached to Coors Field, and where a big Opening Day party was being held.  Unfortunately, I had to work late, and when I finally walked into the Sandlot (at 8:10 P.M. I might add), I was told that they were "done" and closing up. So much for that party.  In any case, I did get to pass Voodoo Donuts on my walk downtown, which, as usual, was doing a box office business.  And now that I think about it, I am convinced that voodoo is just what the Rockies need if they hope to get to the playoffs.  The Rockies, by the way, lost to Miami 10 to 1. And Miami, I might add, is a major center for Santeria (i.e. voodoo).  A coincidence?  I think not!  Time to sacrifice some chickens, guys!