Duane the honoree

I was honored for 10 years of service at my job this last week. It was nice to be recognized for service & dedication to one’s employer. There was a two ceremony following a lunch at a hotel in down town. I had the opportunity to meet our Chancellor & shake his hand as well as be recognized by my peers.

It was a great day until a coworker said to me “Congrats on your decade of service”. At that point…I just felt old!

Late night walk

My favorite section of road in lakewood is Alameda as it runs south from Union. It runs up a huge hill while it is curving around south to run into Jewell. I like driving along this stretch of Alameda at night as it has on of the widest & most clear views of Denver. At night you can see the lights of a large part of the city sparkling & buzzing in the darkness.

Many a night I have walked along this stretch of road. From my front door it takes me about 5 minutes to walk to a spot where I have a nice view of the city. Many a night I have strolled along Alameda ave holding a coffee under the moonlight. Walking to that spot to see Denver light up under the night sky. For me it is relaxing a nice way to wind down my while I reflect on everything that happened. If one happens to enjoy viewing the city at night, a moonlit stroll, and scenic views it is also insanely beautiful!

Crazy morning run in

I was passing a kid who looked to be about high school age who asked me for money. I politely refused and he had this look on his face like he couldn’t believe I rejected him. It was almost like he expected me to give him money and when I didn’t he was offended. I have known for years that there people out there on the street with that kind of attitude but I have never met one & been asked for money until today.

It was an eye opening experience to meet a kid like that who would be so bold to not only ask for money but act shocked when I refused. In the kids defense he may have been some issues going on like mental illness or a learning disability. I don't believe either of those justify his actions & response to me but they may explain why I have not seen many people begging for money with such an attitude. I guess this just goes to show you can expect to run into anyone doing or peddling anything in down town Denver.

Deadliest Warrior - Plug

This I'm doing lots of plugging lately I might as well plug a show for men on SPIKE called the Deadliest Warrior. The show compares the weapons of two different warriors and uses science to analyze the effectiveness of each weapon. Fighting styles are discussed but mainly the show exhibits how weapons were used and the type of damage that could be done with them.

The show has three hosts each with a different background. One is a doctor, the second is an engineer with a martial arts & medical background, the third is an software techie type guy. They put weapons of each fighting stype through tests to determine how much damage will a weapon inflict, is it effective against human tissue or armor, and is it lethal?

Tests are filed where gear is hooked up weapons or weapons handler's and track everything from how much force a weapon strikes a target with to how fast it was traveling when it impacts a target. The cool thing is they have the weapons practitioner's with useable weapons striking targets that mimic human targets. They will pull out pig & cow carcasses as well as human skeletons coated with gel & goo. It is interesting how similar fighting styles are always paired against each other. One show they will compare a pirate against a knight and the next show will have Spetzna against an IRA member.

Check out their website - www.spike.com/show/31082

Check out a full episode online - www.spike.com/full-episode/viking-vs-samurai/31558

The Denver Voice - Local Plug

Since my last post was a shameless plug I will do another. I like to help out the homeless and encourage small business/people working to better themselves. I have not been a subscriber but I do buy a copy of The Denver Voice from the homeless who sell the paper. While the paper is informative and can have a left leaning slant or overly defensive of the homeless it does address issues facing the homeless in an more honest manner than any other type of media I have read. I like that when I buy a copy of the paper most of the proceeds go to the sales person who sold me the paper. All of the sales representatives are homeless people.

It is encouraging to know there is a business working with the homeless and giving them opportunities to find a way out of homelessness by working. On the other hand it is discouraging to see how many people walk by a homeless person who is engaging in trade, capitalism, working in the market system that society creates. Why is it so acceptable to give money to a homeless person but when a homeless person has a job & is working to get out of homeless situation, so much of society does not support him?

If you are in Denver and see a person on a corner talking about helping the homeless or The Denver Voice, consider supporting a fellow capitalist who isn't asking for a handout.

Online music fun

For those who like to sample or preview CD's about to be released I want to share with you Spinner. Spinner will have anywhere between 4 - 20 CDs to be released in a week. Some of the artists are new and some have been around for years. Rock, Indie, country, easy listening & techno are what I have heard so far. It is great for me because it is a site my work doesn't block so I can listen to it while working. I can easily listen to 4 CD's in a day so for my work week this is a favorite site.

Check it out, www.spinner.com

Cycles

Living on my own is interesting. I find myself gravitating to certain things for a while. For example I have never had cable TV growing up so I am watching all sorts of programs I have not been able too over the years. I watch Poker, Mixed Martial Arts, Sports, & Action Movies. I get hooked on guy shows on Spike like Deadliest Warrior. Then after a couple weeks anytime I have the TV on is for the music channels and I play music all day. Then a week later I'm watching business shows or home development shows.

I haven't had high speed internet at home so I couldn't watch alot of videos. I stayed up one night watching every video of Michael Jackson Dancing I could find on Youtube. Another night i was researching scams & another night I was doing as many web related sudoku puzzles I could find.

I also find myself in odd cooking habits. I am on health kick so everything has to be healthy. The most fatting thing in my kitch is Dark Chocolate. I am cooking salmon & eating salads for dinner. Then after a couple weeks I get bored and start making myself burritos & grilling burgers. I also decide I need sugar in the house and in comes cans of Pepsi & cartons of ice cream.

After having creme brule ice cream tonight & watching Deadliest Warrior I'm thinking of waking up early to do yoga & read before going to work. Most of my life I have thought happiness is doing whatever you want to do. After living on my own some I realize having the time & freedom to pursue what makes you happy really is happiness. At least that is the case for me!

House sitting in Aurora

I was house sitting in Aurora last week for a co-worker. She didn't have internet access so I spent alot of time reading, watching movies, & playing fetch with her dogs instead of surfing the internet.

The couple I sat for lived close to my old High School. One day I got up and jogged around the track at Gateway high school. I am assuming it is new because when I attended I don't remember the track. I played soccer my freshman year and remember running all over the fields by the school and I don't remember a track.

They are fairly well off couple but live in a modest home. They have motorcycles in their garage; they each have a car, a nice TV room with a huge TV, and they have a covered patio bar in their backyard. You know you are house sitting for a well off fun couple when there is a humidor with cigars for me in the room I stay in while I’m there.

I couldn’t bring myself to smoke any cigars and the night I sat out on their patio bar it was cold & starting to rain. It wasn’t a great week to enjoy their home but it is a nice change of pace from my place.