Getting The Job Done!

Kelsey (on the left in the photograph above), and Bri (on the right) are the morning crew Tuesdays and Thursdays at the DU Bookstore, and they are getting the job done, ringing up sales, answering the phones, and preparing shelf tags for next quarter, among other duties.  Plus, they are never too busy to pose for a Blog photograph.  Thanks guys!

Fine, But What's Happening In Mozambique?

Actually, quite a lot.  Cheyanne - the daughter of my friend Valarie, the former Operations Manager of the DU Bookstore -  is a Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique.  In the photograph above, she is standing in front of a typical Mozambican hut.  Most PCVs live in huts just like this (and by the way, I just love that abbreviation for Peace Corps volunteers: "Watch out!  I see a PCV at 3:00 o'clock."  But I digress).  Cheyanne writes in her Blog that she and 20 other PCVs spent the weekend in a small hamlet inland from the college campus where she teaches.  After dinner they all went to a bar and danced, surrounded by a circle of very silent Mozambican youth.  Not wanting to put on a floor show for the crowd, she chased after them one by one and insisted on dancing with them.  Talk about a chip off the old block.  That is EXACTLY what Valarie would have done in the same situation.  Read all about Cheyanne's adventures and view her great photographs at www.timeinmozambique.blogspot.com.

Sergio Soldiers On

Sergio, a student employee at the DU Bookstore and a University of Denver engineering student, is keeping very busy these days finishing up his end of quarter projects. After classes end, he hopes to spend spring break unpacking and shelving textbooks here at the Bookstore in preparation for next quarter.  Not only will he avoid a costly spring break vacation, he will also get a great workout stocking the shelves.  With all these benefits, Sergio should be paying us instead of the other way around.

Snow In Denver - What A Concept!

Tony, the Copy Center Manager at the DU Bookstore - is a native Coloradan and is not fazed by a little snow now and then.  Tony lives in Aurora (a suburb of Denver), which received about a foot of snow yesterday, and the storm didn't change his routine at all.  He went to church, drove his son to a relative's house, and ran various errands.  However, he feels that people in the Denver area have lost the ability to drive in snow.  This might well be true, but there are good reasons for this.  For one thing, Denver has not received very much snow over the past few years, and people aren't used to driving in it anymore.  Plus, 10 million or so Californians have moved into the state recently, and most of them have never seen snow before.  They tend to slow down, look up at the sky, and try to make sense of it all.  Kind of like the people in Siberia last week who witnessed a meteor flying across the sky.  Give 'em all a break, Tony.

Photographer Joel Dallenbach - Role Model For The Meek

I went back to the Victoria Myhren Gallery on the University of Denver campus yesterday to take a second look at the current exhibit - Joel Dallenbach: Sidewalk Stories.  Dallenbach is a street photographer here in Denver, and he is fearless.  His street photographs are great- each one tells a thousand stories, and nothing will stop him from getting the shot he wants.  In fact, one time he was taking photographs on the street, got into an argument with an unwilling subject, and wound up with a horrendous black eye.  Not only did he take photographs of his injury, but he kept taking photographs throughout the trip to the emergency room.  He only stopped shooting when the nurses threatened to give him a second black eye to match the first.  An inspiration to all us wannabe street photographers.

Computer Guy For A Day

John, my friend and colleague at the DU Bookstore, was "computer guy for a day" yesterday, while Owen, the regular computer salesman, was on vacation.  In addition to knowing a lot about computers, John also likes older things, too.  Instead of a wristwatch, he uses a pocket watch instead, as seen in the photograph above.  A few years ago, when my famously ugly wristwatch was being repaired, I also used a pocket watch for a week or so.  Another Bookstore employee, known for being a bit of a curmudgeon, thought that was hilarious.  I asked what was so funny about it, and he said nothing, if we were back in 1875.  I guess some people just have no respect for either tradition or the past.  Keep using that pocket watch, John.  Way to go!

"The Catnip Way"

Marty - the DU Bookstore's Textbook Manager and a very gifted guitarist - played a benefit concert last night at the Cable Center, located here on the University of Denver campus.  However, that is not the subject of today's Blog.  The big news is that Marty is on a diet, which he calls "The Catnip Way."  As I understand it, it is inspired by the products of Hartz Mountain (the pet food company) and involves eating lots of birdseed and catnip.  Marty has already lost 17 pounds in just one and a half weeks.  If he survives, I think I might give the diet a try, too. After all, I'm sure Marty wouldn't lie about any of this.