Light Rail Update!

I read on the Internet yesterday that Denver's Fast Tracks Rail Project will soon be starting construction on 4 new light rail lines, including the "Gold Line" to Old Town Arvada and Wheat Ridge, Colorado.  I was anxious to mention this to Doug, my co-worker at the DU Bookstore, since I could swear he told me that this particular rail line was planned to go right through his house.  Either that or the tracks would run right beside his house, kind of like the old hotel where Jake and Elwood lived in the Blues Brothers movie.  After I mentioned this to Doug today, he told me that no, the light rail line wouldn't go near his home, although sometime in the future his house might be condemned to make way for an urban renewal project.  So Doug is okay - at least for now.    

A Souvenir, But From Where?

I bought a souvenir at the Old Kennedy Schoolhouse when I was in Portland a few weeks ago.  The Kennedy Schoolhouse was  a Victorian era school that has been transformed into a complex of restaurants, a playhouse, and a hotel.  The souvenir (see photograph above) is actually a bottle opener, which I bought to give to my sister and brother-in-law upon my return.  However, on closer examination, it is actually made in China.  Of course, what isn't these days, but still, is it really a souvenir of Oregon?  Perhaps it is simply a souvenir of the new global economy, which we all love so well these days, what with outsourcing and all.  Enjoy!

At The Zoo

As Simon and Garfunkel used to say, it's all happening at the zoo.  The Denver Zoo was packed today - it was damn tough to find a parking space.  However, it was still a lot of fun, although some of the animals (unlike the cheetah in the photograph above) were hiding in shady corners where they could keep cool and not be seen.  In cases like that, I think the zoo employees should go into the cages and give the lions and tigers and bears - and whatever else - a few pokes with a stick to liven them up and give zoo visitors a bit of a show.  Any volunteers?

Darrel Checks In

Darrel, a former DU Bookstore employee now working at the University of Denver's Chemistry Department, visited the DU Bookstore yesterday morning and gave his stamp of approval to the remodel currently going on at the store.  Darrel is a proud homeowner who spends much of the weekend doing yard work.  He now reports that he will have to replace not one but two furnaces in his home.  I'll bet condo living is looking better and better to both him and his wife Linda these days. Feel free to check out the condos in my building, guys.   It might be "Party Central" for University of Denver students, but there is a lot less yard work.  Just don't jump off the balcony into the pool - we banned that last year.

Dogs Doing Time

Wally, my colleague at the DU Bookstore (pictured above), picked up his dog Sailor at a women's prison here in Colorado yesterday.  This was the third time Sailor has been sent up - a three time loser.  The women there train dogs over a three week period, hopefully turning over a well trained pet at the end of the period.  The first time Sailor was sent there was after Linda - Wally's wife - fell down on the sidewalk, injuring her head, while taking Sailor for a walk.  As Wally put it at the time, "Linda doesn't remember what happened and the dog isn't talking."  Let's hope the third time is the charm for Sailor.  Next time he might get life.  

Rock Star Status

Noah, the DU Bookstore's hard-working Stockroom Manager, was featured on this blog quite often a few years ago, not least because he was one of the few employees willing to let me take his photograph.  In fact, a woman at a church social once came up to him, mentioned seeing him featured on this blog, and felt Noah was it's star.  It was Noah's 15 minutes of fame - of a sort.  No need to thank me, Noah, happy to do it.

Downtown!

Remember "Downtown," Petula Clark's old song from the 1960s?  It is occasionally played on the Muzak system at the University of Denver Bookstore, where I work. Well, I took her advice and headed down to Denver's "LoDo" neighborhood this evening.  I was originally going to attend an author event at the Tattered Cover Bookstore, but when I got there, the crowd was very sparse.  In fact, it was so sparse that the author would be able to remember your face - and possibly ask you questions - during the event.  It would have been very hard to sneak out of there without buying the book, and so an evening walk around the neighborhood seemed a much better alternative to this cheapskate. Another money-saving tip for you faithful readers!