Seven months after the Crazy Colorado Floods

September of 2013 Colorado received a very, very, abnormally heavy amount of rain that results in flooding in over a dozen counties. The Governor declared it a natural disaster, President Obama declared it a state of emergency in which case search & rescue team come out & there was federal assistance made available to certain counties & for food, water, cots & generators. I believe over a billion dollars of damage was done, which includes damage done to home, land, farms & crops, as well as having oil & gas wells shut down for a while. So basically it was a huge natural disaster for some counties!

I heard of roads being swept away & saw videos of water running through farm lands & homes flooding but I never saw first hand any of the damage. That changed this last weekend. A friend and I went snow shoeing at Brainard lake and we drove through Boulder county to get there. Boulder county was one of the counties hit the hardest by the flooding. I was almost dumb struck by what I saw. I still struggle to put words to all the carnage that is left of the land & roads out there.

What amazes me more than anything was seeing roads that had been washed out. The road we drove on had been washed out in over a dozen areas. Anywhere from a stretch of eighteen feet to about two hundred feet sections of road had been washed away. This road was not a dirt road, it was paved. There were entire sections of concrete road & everything below it that washed away in the flood. I cannot imagine how much water & how fast it would have to be moving to rip up & destroy a paved road! Not only the road but all the land around it as well.

The road we were in was in a small valley with trees that had branches stripped off them & many broken branches. I was told that was an indicator of how high the water was flowing through that valley. In some sections it looked to be ten to fifteen feet from the ground where the branches were broken & stripped off the tree. I saw homes near the road that had drive ways & property demolished. Some homes had a driveway which connected the home to the main road & that driveway had been swept out. I saw areas of land where it looked like the earth had just opened. I could not see the bottom of those openings from our car as we drove by so these holes in the ground are deep as well.

It is mind blowing how much damage was done to these counties. If anyone out there feels inclined to donate to emergency disaster relief agencies or donate time to helping home owners & counties in that area I encourage you to get involved. I know I am going to try to find some way to donate my time or money to helping.

Neighbor hood coffee shops

In my attempt to continue exploring Englewood and keep the sense of wonder alive I have gone exploring. I tend to explore everything from stores to bike paths to side streets to industrial districts. I will drive all over exploring whatever my heart is set on exploring. Lately I have been hung up on discovering fun coffee shops or restaurants in Englewood. I have visited a couple neighborhood coffee shops, my thoughts are below.

Java Jam café
It is small café tucked away near Swedish hospital. It is run by a warm & welcoming couple who offer a variety of snacks, sandwiches, coffees, & a few alcoholic beverages. Items are a bit pricey for the serving size (smaller sizes than Starbucks & more expensive). The atmosphere is relaxing & the café is host to many events & networking groups. I enjoyed chatting with the owners more than any other barista's I have met. I had a flavored mocha which was okay. I will most likely visit again to try a few more items or see what kind of people I meet & possible relationships come to pass at a networking event.

The Cresendo
This small café is tucked away near the Evans overpass just south of Evans by a block and opposite a light rail station. It also is an independent shop with nice & friendly owners. Their hours are 10 - 7 which makes it difficult for me to visit as I work a 9 - 5. While I like the décor & it is convenient for me to visit after taking the light rail I can't say I will return. They offer a full menu of sandwiches, salads, soups, and a variety of beverages & snacks. They are very expensive and nothing I have tried was worth trying let alone note worthy. My advice on the Cresendo...avoid, avoid, avoid!

McDonalds - Iced Coffee
I have never reviewed it but I should because I think they have an amazing product at a great price. Of course I would never hangout in a McDonalds but if I was headed out to a park or wanted to pic up a refreshing & great tasting iced coffee I would visit McDonalds. I would take a McDonalds iced coffee over an iced coffee from Starbucks. The sweetner they use gives the coffee a sweeter flavor. Starbucks never quite shakes the bitter taste in their coffees, even after adding excessive amounts of sugar & cream! The service size for a McDonalds iced coffee is also equal to or larger than a Starbucks Trenta which is their largest serving size. It is also less expensive then what the bucks charges. If you want a large & great tasting iced coffee, head over to McDonalds.

A nice relaxing evening

Two weeks ago on a sunny day with 60 degree weather, a coworker of mine suggested I spend the evening on a patio enjoying a drink after work. There are a few neighborhood bars I wanted to check out so I was considering taking her advice but I did not because I had plans that night to run errands or play poker or do something indoors. Later I regretted not taking the moment to be outside to enjoy the warm weather. Since spring is just beginning I was not seriously disappointed as there will be many warm weathered days this spring & summer where I will have the opportunity to enjoy.

Last week my coworker gave me the same advice and I decided to follow her advice. I did not visit a new neighborhood bar, still a few on my list to visit, but I did go to one of my favorites, Cana wine bar. It is on south Broadway just a few blocks north of Yale. They do not have a patio section in front of the wine bar but there is one in back. It is tastefully decorated with patio furniture, a fountain, and a few plants. As the sky grows darker the patio is lit by torches & fluorescent lights. On a clear night I enjoy the ambiance from the dim light, the soft jazz playing and a glass of red wine.

Priceless, a perfect way to wind down after a day at work.

Birthdays should be like any other day

I had a birthday recently, my 39th birthday. A friend of mine sent me a comedy clip where the jokes were about how everyone acts like they should not have to do anything on their birthday. The comedian also pointed how society makes a big deal of birthdays & puts a sort of pressure on people. It did not seem all that funny until I started talking with people about my birthday. I noticed everyone has the same type of question. Everyone was asking if I would do anything fun or have big plans for my birthday.

At first the questions seemed funny in light of the comedy clip I watched but the more I thought about it there does seem to be this weird expectation to do something because of the birthday. My guess is people are asking one question while intending to ask another. The idea of doing something fun or having big plans is another way of asking if one will celebrate in some way. I am willing to bet that most people have good intentions with those questions but it still comes out in an odd way & gives off another vibe or impression.

I am torn about how to handle my birthdays. Some years I want to spend a night with a few friends over dinner, some years I want to be alone and enjoy a glass of wine, and some years I want a huge party or event of some sort. Most of the time I alternate between spending time with a few friends to enjoying a nice dinner & glass of wine out on the town. I am probably getting old enough that a huge party or event is not what many people my age or my friends would expect.

I am tempted to start my own unique celebration of taking some time off work & traveling somewhere. Then I would have my own unique way to celebrate that would be something I could use to questions about my fun or interesting birthday plans. I may have to implement it next year. Until then friends, enjoy your birthdays no matter how you celebrate.

Movies nominated for Oscars

I did see quite a few of the films nominated for best picture. I try to see as many as possible, if not all of them. Every now and then I will see a film that was nominated for best supporting actor or actress if they are not also nominated for best picture. I have noticed many of the films nominated for best actor & actress as well as best supporting actor & actress are also nominated for best picture. I feel if I view the films nominated for best picture then I will have an idea of what most of the other performances are for some of the other films nominated in other categories.

Anyhow, I digress...here some of the movies nominated for best picture and my brief thoughts on the film.

12 years a slave
Had an amazing story with a great cast. It was entertaining, touching, and very inspiring. I enjoyed the way the protagonist responded to all of live's challenges and set backs with a strong unyielding will to live. It was some great points. I thought some of the best performances for supporting actor & actress were in this film. I don't think it deserved best picture but it is a great film.

American Hustle
I heard someone say you either love this movie or hate it and I struggled with both. I was not sure if it was suppose to be a drama, or a spoof of a story, or straight comedy. In many ways it was in genre of film by itself. Many of the comedic moments were amazing & hands down some of the most original lines & moments in film. The performances were great & if you want to see an entertaining film go see this film.

Gravity
I strongly felt and still do, this was the movie that should have won best picture. Everything about it was well done, visual effects, story, acting, directing, script, etc., etc. This is the type of film that should inspire people to do anything in film & in life. Hands down the best film I have seen this year! Go see this film!!!

Captain Phillips
I was hesitant to see this film but I enjoyed it. It has just the right amount of tension, drama & action to keep the viewer's attention through the film. It does not move too slow or too fast. I think most people know the story the film is based upon and how those events ended. I am not a Tom Hanks fan but he delivers an amazing performance that I enjoyed. If anyone enjoys Captain Phillips harrowing account, I recommend this film.

Dallas Buyers Club
This film was one of the best movies I saw this year. Everything was done well, like Gravity, but this film is not a fictional story for entertaining purposes like Gravity was intended to be. This film follows the story of Ron Woodruff who discovers he has HIV in the early 1980s. Little was known about the virus at the time & this tells of Ron's journey to find helpful treatment & provide it to others. I am not sure how accurately the film follows Ron Woodruff's story but it is inspiring movie with amazing performances! Go see this film!!

Crazy Colorado weather

I live in Denver, Colorado and our weather has been crazy bipolar the last month and half. We could have a sunny day with sixty degree weather and the next day has a high of twenty with rain & snow. It has been doing this every week for the last six weeks! It is driving me nuts!!

I have known bipolar people with mood swings that are not as sever as our weather. Most of my ex girl friends did not have mood swings as bad as the weather has been, and I have dated some crazy moody women! (Sorry to my ex-girl friend's but since we are no longer dating I can admit the truth about how moody you all were!!)

Today I am sitting in my office staring out my window at downtown Denver. The snow was coming in so thick I could not see more the two blocks in any direction. It was windy & cold as well! Less than fours later it is sunny & mildly warm.

The saying about Colorado weather is so true. If you don't like the weather just wait five minutes.

Weekend plans foiled, again!

My social activities & plans to relax each weekend for the last four or five weeks have been for naught. I have had plans to go snowshoeing, check out a couple movies, and make it to a poker game. Each weekend something has come up which foiled my plans

A couple weekends I was sick.
One work week was long and I was exhausted so I cancelled my plans over the weekend to relax.
This last weekend I had a stomach flu.

My hope is I can stay healthy this week & be relatively free from stress so next weekend I can catch up on the poker, snowshoeing, & movies I wanted to view. I am feeling better right now & plan on doing my laundry, chores & shopping done during the weeknights so I can have fun next weekend. Keep your fingers crossed & wish me luck!

Things I swore I would never do - Be absorbed into a phone while riding public transportation

I don't remember where this one came from but I have always been against doing it. I have always hated the idea of light rail or a bus and being self absorbed into a phone (by phone I am referring to a smart phone with multiple aps, music or internet capability or games, etc., etc.). Not sure if I have held a negative opinion of people who do this or have a stereotype of some sort about the behavior being escapist or trending to far towards isolationism. I remember thinking at some point I will never get absorbed into a phone while on the light rail.

I broke that oath when I was borrowing a friends phone for a few days. This was not long ago when I was obsessed with Angry Birds and could not stop playing it. So another behavior I have sworn I would never do and given enough time I broke my swear and engaged in the behavior I despise.

Movies I have seen which did not get nominated for Best Picture

Movies I have seen which did not get nominated for Best Picture This year I was anticipating a few movies to be nominated for Academy Awards. Since I try to view movies nominated for academy awards I decided to see these movies before they were nominated. I was expecting to be a step ahead of the nominations but when these movies were not nominated for Best Picture it turned out I was off base. Lesson learned, always wait for the nominations and do not let guess which movies will be nominated beforehand as it can get to be an expensive movie watching habit.

Rush
This film is based on the rivalry between two racing legends of the late sixties & seventies. The film captures many aspects of the lives of the drivers, women they dated & married, business adventures, interactions with friends and their career path from humble beginnings to formula one racer car drivers. The cast delivers solid performances and the racing scenes are presented in a variety of ways, like one is watching a sporting event to the super slow motion John Wu style where five seconds on screen lasts ten minutes. The main aspect of the movie is the competition between the two men and their drive to compete with one another which was captured well & the strong point of the film. It may not have been nominated but this movie is excellent and worth watching, I recommend it!

Iron Man III
It is rare a movie series improves with each film but that is what has happened with the Iron Man trilogy. The third film is mind blowing good script, amazing visual effects, & wildly entertaining. A suitable end is found for Tony Stark' story in this series of the Iron Man story. The entire cast was amazing and I will definitely own this movie! I do recommend seeing this film.

All is Lost
I was expecting this movie to be nominated for best picture and it was not. I think it was nominated for a few other awards. If you like movies with action & almost no dialogue then go see this film. The only monologue in the movie is one Robert Redford delivers in the beginning of the film. The rest of the movie is Redford in his boat out at sea. While Redford looks older he is still interesting to watch and kept my attention on the screen the entire time. A man alone on a boat at sea is reminiscent of The Life of Pi only without as amazing visuals scenes of the ocean and no tiger. The end should not be missed & is a twist which makes the movie. I recommend it to those who like movies which are metaphors for life & existence & Robert Redford fans everywhere.

Out of the Furnace
Judging by the look of this film I was certain it would be nominated for best picture. From the previews I thought the movie would be one of the best movies of the year. The film portrays two brothers from a small rural town on the east coast. The drama is top notch throughout the entire movie! I was surprised how much story with twists & turns are packed into the first 45 minutes of the film. The story telling builds to a conflict between Christian Bales character and the films antagonist, played by Woody Harrelson. The ending was lackluster and rushed leaving a few loose ends which seemed odd considering how much detail the film makers took time to cover throughout the film. The cast was excellent with great performances. While it did not live up to my high expectations I do recommend this film for movie goers who enjoy character dramas or character lead films & original story lines.