Where the hell is zig?

Sosua, Dominican Republic

2009-12-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

Had an opportunity to head to the DR as some friends own some property there and they invited Ambereen and I to visit for Christmas. Took the red-eye and made it there by mid afternoon. Had a very brief visit with Mike before he headed to Atlanta then we had the place to ourselves for a few days. Hit the beach and relaxed. driving down there is something I wouldn't recommend for my father though. Between the cars and motoconchos (small motorcycles) not obeying any "rules of the road" it was pretty nerve wracking. Nothing like Pakistan from what I'm told, but not fun nonetheless. Brugal rum, the amber museum, hookers in Sosua and roadside stands were interesting. The hookers from what I saw - no personal experience there. Great weather other than three solid days of rain and some nice beaches. Got home to snow and cold so miss it already.

Summer is over

2009-10-05T12:59:00.002-06:00

It's getting cold here and it could snow tonite and this weekend. That's OK with me! Here are a few pics from my patio. I've seen some spectacular sunsets already. You can see Pike's Peak to the South - we hiked that over Labor Day weekend. Stayed at Barr Camp on the way up and had some great food. They served pasta for dinner and some amazing pancakes in the morning. YUM! 14 miles up with an elevation gain of 7,500 feet. Took the cog rail down. Also hiked Mt Missouri a while ago. Tried to hike Mt Evans, which you can see as well, but weather rolled in and we had to abandon the hike.
Time for a housewarming party!!!!!!!

FINALLY!!

2009-10-04T20:24:00.002-06:00

GOt internet and DISH installed. I resisted for a while but realized I couldn't live without my connection to the outside world. The installation was an ordeal, one which is best told over a tall, cold adult beverage. I'd be happy to share - let me know. I have a feeling I'm writing this for me now as it's been so long since I've updated the site. The new pad is looking good - I'm ready to host a party or two. Maybe start next weekend? Also ready for ski season to start. Could be just a few weeks before I step in to the Rossi's and rip it down the rock strewn slopes. I hope we get a lot of snow this season. I'll post pics of the new pad soon. By the way, casa de zig is now open for those of you who would like to visit Denver, etc.

Update

2009-09-14T09:31:00.000-06:00

All is well in Denver. Moved to a new place on the other side of the park with a tremendous view of downtown and the entire Front Range. Made it back to Ohio a few weeks ago to move the rest of my things out here and to attend my 25 year reunion. Good times. I'll post pics and more stuff once I get hooked up with WiFi at home. What a drag - but I'm not wasting too much time watching TV with no cable!

All is well

2009-06-24T19:48:00.002-06:00

So far the job is going well - I'm in the 4th week and have been keeping busy. Time to reach out to facilities and see if we can provide anesthesia coverage. Office is getting a much-needed makover with new paint, furniture and carpet. The rest of the week will consist of getting things in order.
Looking forward to Mom & Dad visiting in 2 weeks. We rented the condo in Silverthorne for a week then they will stay with me for a week. I have a long list of things to do - we'll see how many get checked off. Would love to take them to see the wildflowers in the high country but most of that involves hiking a few miles and it's not flat here. And the altitude doesn't help!
Looking for an apartment as Cathy is moving back to Ohio to attend OSU for her PhD. She leaves in less than 2 months so time is precious. I could stay here worst case - which isn't really bad but I'd love to have a view of the front range.

Clapton / Winwood: Live In The Mile High City

2009-06-24T19:46:00.001-06:00

Found this review on one of Clapton's web sites - Thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and their stellar band of musicians performed in America's "Mile High City" - Denver, Colorado on 21 June. Jim K, checking in by blackberry from the Pepsi Center noted, "Show started at 8:15 prompt with Clapton and Winwood taking the stage side by side. Tough Luck Blues is quite the gem with brilliant solos between Clapton and Stainton. Laboriel and Weeks are definitely the back bone driving the beat and tempo. Winwood is still simply amazing. His ability to drive beautiful music from the Hammond B3 and Strat is noting short of amazing. Winwood 'what a real treat to be here and play for you high up in the air'...10 plus minute Vodoo Chile. EC was simply superb. Off at 10:30 simply awesome."

It was also noted that Chris Stainton took a number of good solos in "Well Alright," "Tough Luck Blues," "Layla" and "Cocaine." Once again, Steve took the main guitar solo in "Layla".

There were no changes to the set list at this performance.

Next show happens in Dallas, Texas at the American Airlines Center on 23 June. For a complete list of remaining dates, click here.

Clapton / Winwood Set List - 21 June 2009
Pepsi Center, Denver CO

01. Had To Cry Today
02. Low Down
03. After Midnight
04. Presence of The Lord
05. Sleeping in the Ground
06. Glad
07. Well Alright
08. Tough Luck Blues
09. Pearly Queen
10. No Face, No Name, No Number
11. Forever Man
12. Georgia On My Mind - Steve Winwood solo
13. Driftin' - acoustic
14. How Long Blues
15. Layla - acoustic version
16. Can't Find My Way Home
17. Split Decision
18. Voodoo Chile

Encore:
19. Cocaine
20. Dear Mr. Fantasy

Band Lineup:
Eric Clapton - guitar, vocals
Steve Winwood - vocals, Hammond B3, piano, guitar
Chris Stainton - keyboards
Willie Weeks - bass
Abe Laboriel, Jr. - drums
Michelle John - backing vocals
Sharon White - backing vocals

David Byrne & Devotchka at Red Rocks

2009-06-24T19:44:00.002-06:00

Got to see the show last Saturday and it was pretty good. I'm a big fan of the Talking Heads and they pulled out a half dozen keepers. Crowd was pretty good and met some way cool people.

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell

2009-05-31T19:53:00.006-06:00

Left the Grand Canyon and headed to Page, AZ. Ambereen booked a tour at Antelope Slot Canyon Tours- I'm sure you've seen pics. I'll post a few of them later. Camped on the beach at Lake Powell and rented a boat for a day of sightseeing. Thought it would be cool to camp RIGHT NEXT TO THE WATER. Bright idea. I had no idea the water level could increas 6" in a matter of hours. Somebody moved our tent the day we were on the boat. That would have been a buzz kill to come back to everything under water. Then a storm hit. That tent stayed put but I didn't secure the fly and poles properly as you can tell. The boat was a great call. We must have driven that thing 100 miles (it cost me over $100 in fuel for the day) but we toured several canyons and a good portion of the lake. Swimming near the dam was way cool. The water felt great and the Stranahan's was flowin!

Grand Canyon - North Kaibab Trail

2009-05-31T19:34:00.003-06:00

Entered the park around 10:30 am - traffic was bad due to the holiday weekend but we made it in. Had a little trouble finding a parking spot but the backcountry office is a great location as I parked under a huge pine which shaded the truck well. The trail is 14 miles each way so we made sure we were good to go. Started the hike down and we were amazed at the flora and fauna along the way. Many trees and shrubs. Much more diversity than we expected, even with all the rain. Our goal was to hike to Cottonwood Campground about 7 miles down. I mean down. We hiked down for the entire 7 miles! Set up camp, had dinner and crashed. The stars were incredible! Got up in the morning and headed to Bright Angel Campground near the Colorado River. Stopped at Ribbon Falls along the way. It was one of the most spectacular waterfalls I've ever seen. Not because it was big (it wasn't) but the spot where the water landed was spectacular. Back on the trail to Bright Angel. Made it by mid afternoon and set up camp then jumped in the river to cool off. Water was cold as hell but I didn't care - it was 105 in the sun! Spent a few hours hiking down by the river then crossed both the silver and black bridges over the Colorado. Went to listen the the Ranger talk about death in the canyon - mostly stories about stupid peiople making stupid decisions. I say it's the Darwin award for most of those idiots.. Got up in the am and headed back to Cottonwood. Stopped by Ribbon Falls for lunch and a nap along the way. Spent a few hours there and read my book for a bit. Cottonwood is a boring place to camp as there isn't much to do. One thing we noticed while talking to people is that several were attempting a day hike from rim to rim. That's 28 miles down then up at one time. Some were running it. Idiots. The final hike was pretty steep the entire way but we did great. Took some amazing pics and saw some cool things. A bird buzzed by my head at one point and it made the coolest sound. Must have been doing 60 or so. Really moving! Had reservations at the North Rim campground so we headed there to set up camp. We had dinner at the lodge then back to the tent to crash. What a trip.

North Kaibab National Forest

2009-05-31T19:30:00.003-06:00

Made it to the N Kaibab and bought a map. Drove to the North Rim for our first ever view of the Grand Canyon. Damn, is it grand! Pictures can't come close to it's enormity! Stopped by the backcounty permit office to speak with a Ranger about a permit to hike down to the Colorado. He said he had on left and we could leave in the morning! What luck. These things sell out ASAP. It was a sign of things to come - everything was going our way!! Drove back to N Kaibab and then off road for 17 miles where we set up camp on North Timp Point. We literally pitched the tent within a few feet from the edge on top of the North Rim. Spectacular vista!!! Packed our gear for the 4 day adventure, had dinner and some wine then hit the sack.

Navajo National Monument

2009-05-31T19:28:00.002-06:00

Left Gunnison on the 22nd and headed to the Grand Canyon. Weather was cold and wet. Saw Navajo National Monument on the map and more importantly saw the free camping! Set up the tent just in time for more rain. Had to put my base layer on as it got cold. Had a quick breakfast then hit the road for the Grand Canyon.

Gunnison, CO

2009-05-31T19:20:00.001-06:00

Left on May 21st for Gunnison. Huge system for the entire drive. A sure sign of things to come!

Golden Gate Canyon State Park

2009-05-21T08:18:00.003-06:00

Ray & I just got back from a 3 day trip to Golden Gate. We backpacked in the Eastern part of the park. Had some great hikes and scored 2 (it's early!) great camp sites. Windy Peak was nice and the park was very peaceful. Amazing that it's so close to civilization. On the 2nd day we were caught in a rain shower midway through the hike. We got close to the camp site and saw an old cabin next to a lake with a front porch and 3 chairs. Looked like a great place to ride out the rain. While we were sitting on the porch munching on some trail mix Ray said "look at the deer....wait a minute - that's a moose!" A moose had come out of the woods for a drink and a swim. Didn't know we were there so we got to watch her have fun for about 15 minutes before heading back into the woods. Saw lots of deer and humming birds too. It was a great warm up for my next adventure - a 9 day trip to the Grand Canyon - North Rim / Kaibab National Forest and the Slot Canyons.

North Table Mountain in Golden

2009-05-14T08:11:00.005-06:00

Ray & I met in Golden for an afternoon hike and started with lunch at the Buffalo Rose, a little honkey tonk right on Washington. Cheeseburger, fries and a PBR for $5. Drove to the trail head and headed up. For those of you unfamiliar, Table Top is a mesa which can be seen for miles. The trail is moderate to advanced difficulty, with about 300 feet elevation gain from the north and about 400 feet gain from the south. There is moderate exposure to rock fall; many sections of the trail are rough and not suitable for strollers or bicycles, although neither are prohibited. There is abundant wildlife, including deer, coyote, fox, golden eagle, magpie, canyon wren, rattlesnake, and mountain lion. Thought I would plagiarize a little there ;) The only wildlife we saw were thousands of grasshoppers. And many rock climbers. I'd like to try that sometime.....

Naturalization ceremony

2009-05-14T07:55:00.002-06:00

My friend became a citizen yesterday and since her husband was out of town I attended the ceremony as a show of support. It was a very moving experience and I'm glad I went. There were 72 countries represented and 243 people sworn in. The ceremony began with the National Anthem then two speakers discussed what it meant to be a citizen. A couple videos thrown in and we were on to the oath. Have you actually heard or read the oath? I think every citizen should....

Oath of Allegiance for Naturalized Citizens

The oath of allegiance is:

"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."

That's quite a committment.

Ended with the Pledge of Allegiance then a congratulations. Well done Paola!

Great day

2009-05-12T21:04:00.001-06:00

2 for 1 Subway = $5
2 40 ouncers = $5
Disc golf on a Tuesday afternoon with my buddy = Priceless!

I won't even go into the fun I had last Thursday at the Rockies game, etc...to my grave ;)

Nuggets & Rockies

2009-05-07T08:57:00.003-06:00

Game 2 against the Mavs was another beat-down. Great game and the crowd was so loud I needed ear plugs. A friend scored some tix the the Rockies last night - best seats I've ever had! 18 rows up right behind home plate. Headed to the game this afternoon - sunny and 78!
Oh yeah - I accepted a new position and will be gainfully employed in the very near future....

Stranahan's II

2009-05-05T10:32:00.002-06:00

Got the call from Stranahan's that they needed help cleaning up an old warehouse they just bought so they can expand. Ray & I volunteered for lunch and a bottle. WTF were we thinking? It was a mess. We worked pretty hard for several hours until Ray decided it was time for a beer break. Then we noticed the work that needed to be done was pretty much complete when we saw most of the crew outside cleaning up the alley. Now mind you, this warehouse had been vacant for nearly 4 years. Someone broke in a while ago and stripped most of the copper so there was limited electricity This is on South Kalamath in a very industrial section. So you can imagine the trash. We decided to wander around the building instead. This place was probably 100,000 swuare feet total. Found an old restaurant with pool tables!
After we got our booty we decided to play 9 at City park. I had to take some precautions with the swine (oh, sorry - H1N1) flu.

a Golden day

2009-04-30T09:08:00.003-06:00

Super day yesterday! Bought a new pair of hiking boots at Bent Gate Mountaineering in Golden and just HAD to go for a hike. Needed some food first so I went to Sherpa House, a new place in Golden specializing in Nepalese food. Yak Daalh Bhat, naan and lentil soup - yum! Hit the trail and hike for a couple of hours = 6 miles? Nice break-in and no problems! Unlike my last pair of boots. The trail winds through Golden along a stream that has been manipulated to provide some great kayaking. There were dozens of people in the water and many more walking, running, playing volleyball, etc. On a Wednesday afternoon! I'm not the only one ;)

About a mile and 1/2 in I crossed a bridge and saw two guys panning for gold. Well, one was diving and the other was panning. Talked to the one on the shore and he said it was a fun hobby, a way to escape the wife and kids for a day. They pan one day a week all around the state. He showed me some gold flakes. He said they just keep the gold since it needs to be processed before they can sell it and there's a minimum requirement of 10 ounces. Not sure if he was BS'ing me on the keeping it part as they had thousands of dollars in gear on site.

Another mile or so in I came across several people rock climbing up a sweet face. Still not sure if I want to try that. Looks like a lot of work for a little gain but I'm sure it's the challenge that's appealing.

At the end of the trail there was a huge sluice in disrepair. There were planks nailed down which on could walk on but they were in need of repair so I only walked 100 yards.

Finished the hike and went to Fossil Trace to hit some balls. Ambereen was taking her first lesson and I wanted to see how it was going ;)

Nuggets playoff game after that. They beat the Hornets handily and I was sent backstage to help keep people out of the locker room area. Got to hi 5 Nene, Billups, Birdman, Karl and a few others. They were pretty stoked but focused on the next round for sure. I'm hoing for a Nuggets Cavs final, but the Nuggets have to get by the Lakers and that won't be easy......

Mark VIII for sale - my new business plan

2009-04-27T21:13:00.002-06:00

So my Brother-in-Law sends me this link to a car for sale. Read the whole ad - I did and came up with a great idea. My friend Brooke suggested I turn it into a Cash Cab kinda story but I think I could turn it into the Mile High Club Taxi....tourists would love it!!!!

Great weekend with a sketchy start

2009-04-20T09:20:00.004-06:00

Well, the storm was for real. We tried to get an early start on Friday but I got caught up at Croc's waiting for the burritos for the beach party. By the time we hit the road it was nearly 3:30 and the weather was getting bad. It was snow, rain and sleet in Denver but all snow to the West. Lakewood got hammered. We were turned off of 70 at the Morrison exit by a State Trooper but I decided to risk it. Stupid move. We got caught in traffic less than two miles later and sat for 30 minutes while cars tried to put chains on. Semis were all over the place. Unless you had chains or a 4x4 you had no business being on the road (we were in a 4x4). I finally had the opportunity to drive up an on ramp and get turned around and we made it back in no time. Good for us - hundreds were stranded all night - many slept in their cars and most made it to shelters. It was pretty bad. We took a walk in a park nearby and the pic you see of me sitting in the snow? I'm on a park bench.

Got up Sat am and waited until nearly 11 am for 70 to re-open then we drove to A-Basin and parked at the beach. There were quite a few people there but mostly locals and the lucky ones who made it up before the storm got bad. Made some turns and then met a BBQ caterer at spot #3 who invited us to help eat the food he prepared for the 30 people who didn't make it. And I had all this beer and wine too.

Spent the night at the condo (with the indoor hot tub) and relaxed. Got up Sunday morning to ski A-Basin and by the time we got there the parking lots were full. All of them. For mile up and down the road. So we decided to head back when Ambereen had a brilliant idea. We drove up Loveland Pass and she dropped me off at the top so I could hike and ski down to the road below where she picked me up. I was so stoked she had to try it so we parked at the top and hiked a ways. Great view and so much fresh powder! I hit a cornice and we made fresh tracks all the way down. Some of the best runs of the season! Hitched a ride with some high school kids from Littleton to the top and did it again. And again. And again. WHat a great time!

Yeah baby!

2009-04-17T11:03:00.000-06:00

Just in time for the OSU RMAC Beach Party at A-Basin tomorrow - SNOW... HEAVY AT TIMES... CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. SNOWFALL RATES UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED DURING PERIODS OF HEAVIER SNOWFALL. THIS EXTENDED TIME FRAME OF HEAVY SNOW WILL ALLOW STORM TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS TO REACH 18 TO 36 INCHES IN MOST LOCATIONS... WITH A FEW SPOTS IN THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS EXPECTED TO SEE AS MUCH AS 4 FEET OF SNOWFALL.

Whew

2009-04-16T12:32:00.002-06:00

Well, I've been busy lately. Working Avs, Mammoth, Nuggets and concerts non stop. WTF am I thinking? This all started as a way to see shows at Red Rocks and I've dropped into the machine that sucks the life force out of people on the low rung of the socioeconomic ladder. I feel sorry for many of these folks. One guy the other night went on about how he just got his disability approved and he was about to get a check for the previous year's benefits. He went on and on about how he was going to buy a condo, a Harley and a pickup. As he was standing right next to me I pretty much had to listen. On and on he went. All his grand plans. He couldn't stand it any longer when I didn't pry as to how much he was getting so he felt compelled to share with me the amount of his windfall. $12,000. No, I'm not missing a digit. It was like he hit the lottery.
Anyway, the Nuggets are in the playoffs and I'll be working on teh 300 level which means I am an Usher and tell people where their seats are. I pretty much watch 80% of the game and I have a great view.
The last two nights I worked at the Fillmore (it's 1 mile away so I can walk there) for a show featuring Fall Out Boy. There were 5 bands playing each night (no, 50 Cent wasn't scheduled) and it was a teenage girl's dream show. Good grief. Shoot me. I ended up guarding the tour busses after the show which also involved keeping the autograph seekers on the other side of the rope. Shoot me with a 12 guage. Got home at nearly 2 am.
The RMAC is hosting a Beach Party at A-Basin this Saturday and I'll be there. Should be fun although the weather will be sketchy. Might get some fresh snow so skiing may be good. I'll let you know how it goes.....
Getting all kinds of hits on My Space from former classmates as my 25 year reunion is this summer. I'm thinking of going.

Nuggets

2009-04-09T10:31:00.002-06:00

Watched the Nuggets beat the Thunder last night. Was sent backstage after the game to help guard the locker room entrance and got to see the players and coaches up close and personal. Not that personal, but close enough to trip them! Chauncy isn't that tall (but a super nice guy to say hello to a rent a cop) but Nene is. Wow - big dude. And Mello's bling was crazy. Must have been $250K on his wrist and pinkie. Karl looked like he was going to stroke out. More hockey, lacrosse and hoops on tap through the weekend. AND it looks like I'll work the playoff games for the Nuggets. Now if this gig paid $50/hr I'd be happy. But alas, it doesn't..........

Ski Bum

2009-04-07T13:48:00.003-06:00

Well, the season is wrapping up. Too soon as usual. We have a RMAC Beach Party at A-Basin on the 18th which will make it 28 times I've hit the slopes this season. And that's with a horrible March (warm weather). I sure was spoiled last year. Ray broke his ski last week at Breck - split the edge in two and popped his P-Tex. I know - it sounds like a medical condition!

Looking forward to backpacking this summer as well as heading to Utah at some point before it gets too hot. One thing I've learned is that Ohio has nothing on the crazy weather scene. 80 one day and a blizzard the next. Head up to the high country and see some really crazy weather. Ray & I came down the hill last Friday and encountered some of the worst weather I've seen. Roads were horrible and two jack knifed trucks created a multi car pileup outside of Silverthorne. That closed the Eisenhower and another pileup towards Georgetown added to the misery of Front Rangers trying to hit the slopes. Many turned around. Glad we were going the other way.

I've been to many Avalanche games and a few Nuggets & Mammoth (LAX) as well as some concerts at the Fillmore right up the street on Colfax. The Mammoth put on a great show - highly recommended. Rockies opened up with a loss to the D-Backs - big surprise there - and I can get $10 tix to the games. I don't care how bad they are - that's a good time.

Last time at Vail for the season?

2009-03-30T15:53:00.004-06:00

Ray & I made it to Keystone Friday and had some of the best conditions of the season. Decided to hike up to Erickson Bowl. It was 1.5 miles uphill. I figured out I'm not likely to be a candidate for backcountry skiing. We had the best lines with untracked POW in months. Ray is jumping off a cornice at Erickson Bowl in Keystone (I followed) and I am jumping off a cornice at Sun Down Bowl in Vail. The other shot is a line we took down Erickson. Note the lack of tracks ;) only critters before us.

Hit Vail Sat & Sun as well. Sat was a blue sky day. Had some great runs! Happy Hour at Mezzaluna then hit the hot tub.

Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM

2009-03-26T11:33:00.000-06:00

Bring it on!
8-15 Inches In Denver, Up To 2 Feet In Foothills

UPDATED: 11:00 am MDT March 26, 2009
[NEWSVINE: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [DELICIOUS: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [DIGG: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [FACEBOOK: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [REDDIT: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [RSS] [PRINT: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM] [EMAIL: Blizzard Conditions Expected; Travel Discouraged Noon-9PM]
DENVER -- Call it the snow-pocalypse, the March Blizzard 2009 or the Spring Storm. Whatever you call it, it's going to be a storm to remember.

The snow has already started to come down but the worst of it is expected to hit between noon and 9 p.m., when flakes will fall at a rate of an inch per hour.

Although the metro area is expecting a foot of snow -- it's not the amount of snow that's worrisome. It's the wind.

The snow and gusty winds will create whiteout conditions that will make driving anywhere extremely treacherous or even impossible. Travel on the roads are HIGHLY DISCOURAGED between noon and 9 p.m. today. Expect hazardous driving conditions all over the state but particularly on the Eastern Plains and along Interstate 25.

A BLIZZARD WARNING is in effect for the Denver Metro and along the Front Range. The warning begins Thursday at 6 a.m. and extends to Friday at 6 a.m.

Very windy conditions will create blowing and drifting snows all over the state, with strong wind gusts for as high as 50 mph expected. In most areas, there will be sustained winds of 20 mph to 30 mph. Whiteout conditions will be common is most areas as the snow starts to fall.

Heavier amounts of snow are expected on the south and west sides of Denver, including in Ken Caryl, Highlands Ranch, Parker and Golden -- where up to 20 inches will be possible.

Storm totals in the foothills will range from 1-2 feet by Friday morning. The Palmer Divide is also looking at about 1-2 feet of snow through Friday morning. Up in the high country, snow started falling heavily on Thursday and continue through Friday with snow totals expected to range from 1-2 feet, mainly areas east of the Continental Divide.

Current Snow Totals

As of 10:30 a.m.

*
* 7 inches -- Boulder
* 6 inches -- Broomfield, Lyons, Nederland
* 6 inches -- Evergreen, Lafayette
* 5.5 inches -- Longmont
* 5 inches -- Westminster
* 4 inches -- Fort Collins
3 inches -- 7NEWS Studios

We have missed most of the storms this season, but this storm will not miss the Denver area. The low pressure center of the storm will cross central and southeastern Colorado today and tonight, and put Denver and the northeastern plains in the prime location for heavy snow.

Snow began falling in the mountains Wednesday night and spread across the foothills and Front Range urban corridor early this morning. The heavier snows started falling in Denver around the morning rush hour and will now continue through the day.

So far this winter, Denver has only recorded 18.8 inches of snowfall. The record for the least snowy winter is 20.8 inches set back in 1888-89.

This storm has a favorable track to bring heavy snowfall to the Front Range. The storm track for this system will move it through southern Colorado - a better position to bring snow to the metro area. We should have a good northeasterly wind -- an upslope -- that will increase the moisture along the Front Range.

The snow in the high country is welcome news as the recent warm weather has thinned the snowpack. The storm should push the average snowpack back above normal across the mountains.

All quiet on the Western Front

2009-03-24T21:30:00.001-06:00

It's been so warm and dry that I haven't even thought of skiing for nearly a month. With the weather forecast calling for snow we might hit Vail this weekend. Other than that I've been working sporadically on odd jobs trying to make a few bucks. No good leads and nothing much on the recruiting front as of today. Anybody need a room painted, their dog walked, car detailed????

Space Station module named Colbert

2009-03-24T21:29:00.001-06:00

WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA’s online contest to name a new room at the International Space Station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won.
The name “Colbert” beat out NASA’s four suggested options in the space agency’s effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year.
NASA allowed write-ins, and Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.
NASA reserves the right to choose an appropriate name. Agency spokesman John Yembrick said NASA will decide in April but will give top vote-getters “the most consideration.”
In addition to Serenity, NASA’s suggested choices were Legacy, Earthrise and Venture.

Frisco

2009-02-27T14:52:00.004-07:00

Just got back from three days in the high country and need to run to the airport soon to drop Hamish off while he heads to San Fran for the weekend. I'm headed back to Vail til Sunday and will visit with Ray, Lisa, Nate, Terry, Bruce and Nathan. Had a great day at Vail yesterday and jumped off a sweet cliff in Blue Sky Basin. I stuck the landing too. On my shoulder...
Talk to you next week!
Oh yeah - I signed up on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1263222317&ref=profile#/profile.php?id=1263222317
Hope to connect with a few friends!
Talk to you next week....

Hamish in Denver

2009-02-24T09:06:00.002-07:00

My good friend Hamish is visiting from Hungary for a week so I'm putting on my tour guide hat. Started off with a walk around the park then a visit to REI downtown then took him to LODO's for a rooftop beer. We stopped by the apartment to figure out what to do for dinner when his phone rang. His two friends from Budapest had missed their flight from Salt Lake City to Kona with no more flights until the next morning. So we told them to hop on a flight to Denver. Picked them up an hour and a half later then I scored a reservation at Table 6 for the Denver Restaurant Week's $52.80 special. Had a blast although the 4:30 am trip back to DIA sucked.
Next stop - Red Rocks for the afternoon. It was a nice warm day and we hiked the lower loop by the Trading Post them walked around the ampitheater and even ventured beneath the stage. Had a Blue Moon at the Visitor's Center on the patio out back. High was 67!
Back at the crib Ray stopped over then Lisa & Nate dropped in from Albuquerque on their way to Frisco for a week of skiing. Ambereen and I made a great dinner and it turned out to be a party. Good times for sure.
Hitting the links today as it'll be 70. Headed to the high country tomorrow to ski for a few days and I think we scored the Vail condo this weekend.
Hey, if I'm not working I may as well have fun, right?

Powder day at A-Basin

2009-02-19T09:00:00.003-07:00

Had to take a powder day off from work (conducting a search for a Manager of Business Development and Financial Planning for a Denver area hospital - if you know anyone like this let me know!) due to 8" at A-Basin. Ray called the night before and we made a game day decision on Wednesday morning. No traffic, no lift lines and plenty of fresh! Hit double blacks all day. Montezuma Bowl was great!

SKI SKI SKI!!

2009-02-17T09:11:00.002-07:00

We headed up to Breckenridge to stay for the three day weekend. Made it to Breck three days in a row. My legs are sore..... Had some visitors and some good times. Weather was nice and the snow was much better than last weekend. Still not nearly as nice as it was last season. I told you I was spoiled after the dumping we got last year!!

I've been summoned for possible jury duty tomorrow. I'll know after 5. I'm OK with performing my civic duty but am still surprised I've been summoned already. I mean, I registered (in Colorado) to vote last year and have already been selected?

My friends Lisa & Nate are going to be in Frisco next week on their annual ski trip. Remember, I went to Utah with them last year. How convenient they will be in my back yard this year. Ray & I will visit them for a few days. Another friend of mine, Hamish, is visiting from Hungary starting this Saturday and will be here for a week so he'll ski as well. Should be a great week.

End of Hiney Gate??????

2009-02-10T12:48:00.003-07:00

I read this in today's Dispatch -
Holiday Inn to become 480-bed OSU dormitory

By Mike Pramik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Ohio State University’s community development arm has reached a tentative deal to buy Holiday Inn on the Lane and close the campusarea hotel on March 31.
Harper Hotels Inc. would receive $19 million from Campus Partners for the 243-room hotel, which the university wants to use as student housing. Campus Partners is scheduled to complete due diligence on the transaction by Feb. 27. If it decides then to proceed with the purchase, the deal would close at the end of March, said Doug Aschenbach, interim president of the development group.
The Holiday Inn is a Lane Avenue landmark that for decades provided lodging for families of OSU students, Buckeyes fans and people doing business with the university.
But with several south campus dorms set to undergo repairs in the coming years, the university sought out the extra space.
Campus Partners plans to spend $4 million to $6 million to convert the hotel into a 480-bed dorm. Aschenbach said it’s possible the dorm will be ready by fall quarter.
The Holiday Inn also is widely known as the home of Hineygate, an OSU football-related party featuring live music. Aschenbach said Hineygate’s fate is uncertain.
“Our first issue there is determining when students will occupy the building,” he said. “That will allow us to evaluate options that may be available on continuing to host Hineygate.”

What the hell? Are you kidding me? There will be no reason for me to visit Columbus ever again!!! Well, other to visit Stace & Chris. And all of my friends. And to go to the football games. ANd to get my stuff. But seriously! I have many many memories of the Holiday Inn on the Lane. It's a travesty!!!!

Acura update

2009-02-09T11:42:00.004-07:00

Got the car back last Friday after two weeks in the shop. It looks like new! They did a great job with the repairs. I tried to negotiate a deal with the repair shop to cover my deductible and he agreed to do some additional work instead. The side mirrors and door handles were painted as they were faded pretty bad. He also got State Farm to pay to have the hood repainted. Cathy's friend Henry owns a car dealership and referred me to a tire shop and they gave me a 10% over cost discount. The wheel / tire combo I selected was less than what I was given to buy OEM wheels so I more than made up for the deductible. All in all it worked out great. Icing on the cake is the off street parking I secured with a friend who lives nearby. Picked up the garage door opener today. When I picked up the car the security feature on my car stereo had been activated so I called the company and after answering several questions they walked me through the activation sequence so I have tunes again.
So Stace - no need to root through the storage unit for that CD ;)
Headed to Breckenridge yesterday and was disappointed with the conditions. It was thin and icy. We only stayed for a few hours then headed back. Ran into traffic so we caught the frontage road to Idaho Springs where we had lunch at the Tommyknocker Brewery. Had a buffalo burger with a beer. They were out of the Cocoa Porter on tap already but I picked up a 12 on the way out. Great beer! Scored the condo at Breckenridge for the long weekend so looks like we'll head up Friday. Hope they get some snow by then.

WOW! What a great day

2009-02-06T09:15:00.003-07:00

THe forecast called for sunny skies and a high around 70 so I shot out of the crib and headed to Red Rocks for a hike. Took some cool pics and had a great hike. It was so warm I was sweating. Got back to the car and drove to Fossil Trace in Golden to play 9. Got there early and sat on the patio for a bite to eat. Hit the range then headed to #10. Was paired with a guy named Kevin when the started called to us to wait. This guy came strolling down the hill with his pull cart. Teed it up and smacked it down the fairway. Turns out John was 75 and was walking 18. Mind you, this isn't a flat Ohio course. Major hills everywhere. This guy could play too! I started off poorly but regrouped. Had one of my 3 birdie putts lip out. Played from the tips too. That R7 Draw was a great gift - thsnks again Dad!!!!! I actually played one fairway shot from a snow bank. I wouldn't recommend that. This is the course where you can see dinosaur tracks next to hole #11. Way cool. Aslo saw a coyote strolling across the #1 green / fairway when we approached #18. Keep your pets close! FInished 18 with a bomb of a drive right down the middle, an great 8 iron then stuck my lob wedge to 1 foot. On of the best shots I've ever made. Made the birdie putt. Then I had to high tail it to the Pepsi Center for the Avalanche game. Got to watch the entire game and got out early so I joined a few buddies from Red Rocks at Brooklyn's for a special 2 for 1. All in all it was a great Thursday. A little cooler today with a chance of snow this weekend. Hope it gets cold - ski season is in full swing and Lisa & Nate will be here in tho weeks for their ski trip. They're the couple I went to Utah (stayed with them in NM as well) with last year. They're staying in Frisco at the ind of the month so I'll ski with them for a few days.

Car update

2009-02-04T09:11:00.002-07:00

Woke up on Monday to find a ticket on my rental for expired tags. WTF? Are you kidding me? I could have been pulled over at any time over the past two weeks. Idiots. I stopped by to pick up the new registration yesterday and decided to swing by the repair shop to see the wheels and check on the progress of the repairs. Looking great! It almost looks as good as new - I'm not kidding - and the wheel / tire combo looks better than what I had. My friend Henry hooked me up with the Manager at Paris Tires and he gave me the 10% over cost discount. I'm trying to secure off street parking to keep it out of site. It won't last a month on the street looking like this.........
Looking for a high of 65 - 70 today.
What to do...what to do.

Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hear Ye Hear Ye
On Gobbler's Knob this glorious Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2009
Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators
Awoke to the call of President Bill Cooper
And greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths
After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil proclaimed that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers were World Champions one more time
And a bright sky above me
Showed my shadow beside me.
So 6 more weeks of winter it will be.

I've never been so excited!!!!

Super Bowl party

2009-02-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

The party was a hit - great time had by all. Great game and a pretty funny commercial that hit home - http://superbowlads.fanhouse.com/quarter3/Bridgestone-Moon_Dancers/2409760

Hope to get my car back this week. Looks like I'm working the Avs game tonite as I have some free time.

Silverthorne

2009-02-01T15:28:00.003-07:00

Just got back from skiing at Winter Park on Friday and Keystone on Saturday. Great weather and had some fantastic runs. Came down one run at Keystone like a bat out of hell. I bet I was going 60 when I hit a catwalk which at that speed is a jump. Flew through the air and landed like it was powder. What a feeling!! I'll post pics later but I'm throwing an impromptu Super Bowl party and guests will arrive in 30 minutes.

Stranahan's

2009-01-28T14:03:00.002-07:00

Ray and Kerry turned me on to Stranahan's in Denver. Every few weeks or so they have a bottling and for helping out you get....a bottle! I had nothing better to do today so I signed up. Good times! Cool place and great whisky. They were overstaffed so after an hour they gave me a bottle and said "good day". Ray and I then took a self-guided tour....and found the mother load.....

Vail

2009-01-27T10:40:00.002-07:00

Just got back from three days at Vail. 6" of snow every night and pretty good conditions all around. It was Amber's birthday on Monday and we celebrated all weekend. Made it to the Breckenridge snow carving on Saturday and scored a $150 gift certificate for not going to a time share meeting. They gave us the gift card before the meeting! Doh!! Had company for the first night and hit the slopes two days in a row. Hot tub and wine afterwords.

Hot and sunny!

2009-01-22T11:12:00.004-07:00

67 Tuesday, 71 Wednesday (a new record) and 65 today. Played golf at City park with Ray yesterday. Damn near got warm! A cold front is (thankfully) coming through this evening. We need snow in the high country! Planning on heading to Vail Friday or Saturday for the weekend to celebrate Amber's birthday.

Looks like my car will be ready in a week or two. Should be better than ever. Someone had backed into my front bumper last summer while I was at the library and they took off. That would bave cost me $500 to fix but I blew it off. Now that will be taken care of. The wheels were pitted pretty bad and I looked at fixing them but blew that off too. Now I'll have new wheels. Maybe this isn't such a bad thing. I've had it for nearly 11 years and by the time this repair is done I'll have over $14,000 in insurance claims on this vehicle.

Low-rider for sale

2009-01-20T11:14:00.004-07:00

I'm tired of worrying about this damn car. Think I'm paranoid? at 12;40 am a Denver Police Officer buzzed my door. He met me on the stairs with "are you Mark"? He asked if I had a red Acura. I thought that someone broke in and stole the stereo. He said "they took your wheels and the car is sitting on the rotors". Punk ass kids. I had no idea 11 year old pitted wheels were the bomb. A neighbor saw this take place and eventually called the police. Quit a bit of damage to the car. Not sure what will happen. Will they total it? How will they move it? How can I get tires installed? What were these punk ass kids thinking? What would I have done if I had caught them? There were four and I don't have any weapons. I'd like to break their arms and legs with a steel rod though. Maybe even take out a knee or two. And smash a few hands. Maybe bust a jaw. Not that I'm bitter.

Another great weekend

2009-01-20T10:45:00.003-07:00

Just got back from a three day stay at a condo in Silverthorne. Made it to Beaver Creek and Keystone. Beaver Creek was nice but pretty icy. Ambereen, Paula, Darren and I made it down Birds of Prey - a 2008 World Cup course. Very steep, icy and fast!
Looks like we're headed to Vail again this weekend then Silverthorne the weekend after that.

Vail

2009-01-08T18:07:00.003-07:00

Just got back from Vail where we had 17" of snow in 48 hours. Tuesday was nice with some fresh powder so Ray & I hit it pretty hard all day. Spent most of the day in the back bowls looking for staches of powder. Had some great runs and basically wore ourselves out. On Wednesday his Macedonian buddy Dragon, who works as a Beaver Creek Ski Instructor, came over to join us. He wanted to show us the best places to go. Seeing as how Vail is H-U-G-E (over 5,ooo acres of skiable terrain) we were stoked! Started off on the backside of Game Creek Bowl and made it to China Bowl where we tried to head down Genghis Kahn. Except there was too much snow! I tried to head down and ended up with snow up to my waist and couldn't move forward! It took over 10 minutes to push myself over the edge. It was crazy! Our goal was to get to Blue Sky Basin and we ended up in one of the first chairs. The snow report had 11" of fresh but we were seeing twice that. To end up on one of the first chairs in Blue Sky was a huge score. We had first tracks most of the rest of the morning. It was truly epic. And exhausting. I had cramps in my quads by 2 pm. People were hollering for joy all over the place. What a great day.

The picture is from an incident that ocurred on a lift in Blue Sky Basin the day we got to Vail. Here's the story -

JANUARY 6--In a bizarre incident that will surely lead to litigation (or an out-of-court settlement), a skier at Colorado's ritzy Vail resort was left dangling upside down and pantsless from a chairlift last Thursday morning. The January 1 mishap apparently occurred after the male skier, 48, and a child boarded a high-speed lift in Vail's Blue Sky Basin. It appears that the chairlift's fold-down seat was somehow not in the lowered position, which caused the man to partially fall through the resulting gap. His right ski got jammed in the ascending chairlift, and that kept him upended since his boot never dislodged from its binding. As seen in the photos on the following pages (which were snapped by fellow skiers), the Skyline Express lift was stopped shortly after the pair's botched boarding resulted in the man dangling from the lift. The exposed skier was stuck for about 15 minutes before Vail personnel backed the lift up and successfully dislodged the unidentified man from the four-seat chair. The images on page four and five were taken by a local photographer who happened upon the rescue scene. In a statement released this afternoon, Vail Resorts, which operates the ski area, reported that the skier was not injured after being "suspended for approximately seven minutes." The press release did not explain how the mishap occurred, only that "the man was caught on the chair."

Welcome to 2009

2009-01-05T09:28:00.002-07:00

It's been a pretty busy last two weeks. Went to the condo in Silverthorne for Christmas and skied at Breckenridge on Christmas day. The condo was fun as always, exp. w/ the indoor hot tub. Watched Bad Santa and had some wine. All in all a very nice trip. Paula and Darren joined us as well.
Last week started off with warm weather on Monday so I played 9 at City Park. Three pins were frozen like popsicles. Tried to repair a few ball marks on the greens and they were frozen solid. Tough to stick a T in the ground! But played pretty well. Got to use the R7 Draw and hit the snot out of it! Thanks Dad....and Larry....for my X-Mas gift.
Skied on Tuesday at Keystone with Christian and Brandon. Christian took us hiking to the North Bowl where we found all kinds of powder staches. I tried to keep up with those kids but it was tough. Pretty steep and deep. Had a great time and slept well that night.
Ambereen had a New Years Eve party and I got to meet her Sister and her family.
Darren called Friday morning to see if I wanted to ski and since it was going to be in the 60's in Denver I suggested we play golf. Went to Willis Case to play 18. Nice public course with great views. I'll go there in the summer for sure.
This week promises to be fun as well, although I REALLY need to start looking for employment opportunities. The condo in Vail is open this week and I'm thinking of taking Ray up there for a few days to get some runs in. They've had about a foot of fresh over the weekend.

Ho Ho Ho

2008-12-23T19:27:00.002-07:00

Big Snow - Over 7 Feet in Vail and Beaver Creek in December.

All I want for Christmas is to ski! Looks like my dream will come true....

Time to go home

2008-12-16T09:45:00.002-07:00

I've had a great visit in Florida although the weather hasn't been great - until today. The day I leave. Oh well - played golf four times and have had some great visits. Looking forward to getting back to Denver so I can ski! Hitting the slopes with Ray and Pudge this Thursday.

Tampa

2008-12-12T12:34:00.001-07:00

I'm in Tampa for a week to celebrate the holidays w/ mom & dad. Having fun but the weather sucks. Cold and raining! Played golf on Wed and hope to get out on Sat. Meeting Beth & Todd for dinner this evening. I'm here til Tues and I hope the weather improves!

Belize pics

2008-12-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Check out the Belize pics if you want -
http://picasaweb.google.com/osuzigman/BelizeAndGuatemala#

Vail

2008-12-08T09:41:00.002-07:00

Scored the condo at Vail saturday nite so we hit the road after the football game (FL vs AL) and enjoyed the hot tub. Got up early Saturday and skied all day. Great conditions for so early in the season. They had World Cup races at Beavercreek all weekend and I wish we would have made it over there to watch. Check out the pic. Note the word "almost" in the text. Wow.

Ski at A-Basin

2008-12-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

Well, the cold front moved in so I called Ray to see if he wanted to ski on Tuesday. Gotta try out the new boots! Great snow with more on the way. It was cloudy and cold but the skiing was really good.

69 and sunny on Monday

2008-12-04T09:39:00.002-07:00

So I played 18 at City Park GC. Had a great time and was paired with two of the best golfers I've ever known. Humbling.

Cave tubing and the zoo

2008-11-25T08:58:00.004-07:00

Burt picked us up at 7 am sharp and took us to the market next to the bus stop for a local breakfast. We then drove to Jaguar Paw for some cave tubing. Choco, a local Mayan, was our guide. It was just the three of us! They get hit with the cruise ship crowds and can have hundreds of people going out so that was a treat. Was a cool adventure.

After we finished and dried off we headed to the zoo. Burt worked there for 10 years and knew everyone. We got the VIP tour! The jaguar is Junior and his mother abandoned him so he was hand fed as a kitten. He is very tame (I didn't know this when I noticed the electric fence in his pen was not working) and for $50 you could have a one-on-one encounter with him in the pen. We didn't have enough time, but the Director of the zoo had him perform a few tricks to our amusement.

After the zoo it was time to head to the airport. We stopped at a roadside stand for one last local lunch of stew chicken with rice and beans (as well as potato salad) then we were off to the airport.

Back to Belmopan

2008-11-25T08:53:00.003-07:00

Oscar was waiting for us at 3 pm and we began the wild ride back to the border. He tapped his horn at every muchacha we passed (there were many) along with every horse, dog, pig, chicken, child, etc. There were many of those as well.

Tikal

2008-11-25T08:52:00.008-07:00

Woke up and started hiking at 6 am to see as much of the sunrise from a temple as possible. Made it to Temple II around 6:30 and heard howler monkeys all over the jungle. We had the place to ourselves for a couple of hours. Very cool place which, according to historians, had over 100,000 people in it's heyday.

Next adventure - Guatemala

2008-11-25T08:48:00.002-07:00

Said our goodbyes to the crew and Dingy Dave dropped us off at the Hokey Pokey water taxi. Took the Hokey Pokey to the bus stop and caught a bus to Belmopan. We then happened upon a taxi driver (named Burt of all things) who agreed (they all agree when they make US $$) to take us to the Guatemalan border and make arrangements for us to be driven to Tikal.

Welcome to Belize

2008-11-25T08:46:00.002-07:00

Arrived at Belize City then caught a flight to Placencia. What a tiny airport they had in Placencia! Caught a taxi to downtown where the driver stopped in sand and pointed to a light off in the distance and told us that was where the hotel was. We walked on a narrow sidewalk which, as it turns out, is in the Guiness Book as the narrowest street in the world. We checked into the Trade Winds hotel run by George and Lisa then walked down the beach to have dinner at De Thatch. Saw the most beautiful moonrise right over the water. Next day relaxed on a hammock then went for a sea kayak cruise. We didn't have to be on the boat until 5 pm so we enjoyed the day.

Belize

2008-11-12T16:50:00.004-07:00

So my girlfriend found a travel deal - 7 days and 6 nights on a catamaran based out of Belize. Tradewinds is the company. Cheap airfare to boot! We leave Friday morning and will be gone until Monday the 24th. Taking a few extra days to explore the Mayan ruins, and tropical rain forest.

No cell or email so take care and I'll post pics / stories upon my return. Peace out!

Here's the itinerary -

Beautiful Belize with its blend of Caribbean, Mexican, Spanish, and Mayan traditions lies on the eastern coastline of Central America, bordered on the north by Mexico, on the west and south by Guatemala, and on the east by the Caribbean Sea. It is separated by sea from its neighbor to the southwest, Honduras. Travel to Belize from Florida is just over 2 hours, making it a close and accessible location to most. Considered one of the best places to dive and snorkel in the world with sites such as Great Blue Hole in Ambergris Caye which is rated #11 on the Scuba Travel Top 100 Dives of the World; it is sure to be a treat for our members who enjoy diving and snorkeling.

Arrival Day
Embarkation is possible from 5PM. You can check in at the reception of the TradeWinds Tianna Suites and drop off your luggage when you arrive. Town is only a 5 minute stroll away. Your catamaran will be moored right outside the Tianna Suites in Placencia Point. Upon arrival you will be greeted by our operations manager who will take you through the check in procedure. Then you will be introduced to your crew and fellow sailors and you will be shown to your cabin and helped to settle in to your new home for the week. After a refreshing Welcome cocktail we will cast off and head out into the bay of Placencia where you will enjoy a delicious dinner aboard followed by a good night’s rest before we set sail the following morning.

Cruising Day 1
Wake up for breakfast and have an early swim if you fancy it. Then we set sail to nearby Wippari Caye which is around 10 nautical miles north east of Placencia. Here you will find calm waters, amazing snorkeling and fishing.

This Caye is home to fishing legend Julian Cabral where he owns and runs a beautiful little beach bar. For any fishing enthusiasts, a quiet beer with Julian will reveal the inside track on the best ways to catch our scaly friends down below. You can spend a lazy day strolling the Caye’s shore, swim and snorkel before and after lunch on board prior to getting ready for cocktail hour and dinner. Don’t forget your camera today. Wippari Caye has an unforgettable sunset.

Cruising Day 2
After breakfast you can help the Captain hoist the sails for a 2 hour journey to the beautiful Queens Cays. This small group of Cayes is made up of three of the most exotic sand Cayes you will ever see.

Your Captain will moor your yacht close enough to the Caye so that you can jump right off the back and swim ashore. The water here is crystal clear and there’s great snorkeling to be found all around. If you would usually be too nervous to jump off the boat you can still snorkel right off the beach and see everything that the Queens Caye reef has to offer. After lunch we will prepare the scuba divers for their first dive of the week on the nearby outer barrier reef. A short ride in the dinghy brings us to the WALL, with depths of around 100ft. After another exciting day it’s time to relax and just take in the beauty of this remarkable paradise.

Cruising Day 3
Following a Sailors breakfast we will take the dinghy for a short ride to a dive site that offers an abundance of fish, not to mention the odd reef shark swimming past.

Then we’ll hoist the sails and head south to Ranguana Caye, 2 acres of paradise on Earth. Pat runs the bar and restaurant on the Caye which serves the freshest seafood known to man. There are hammocks set up on the beach for you to relax in before diving off the beautiful white sandy beach into the coral reef waters. For the fishermen, Ranguana Cay offers some of the best bone fish Belize has to offer.

These ‘catch and release’ fish are caught right off the beach, under the shade of the coconut trees. Tonight we eat and drink ashore with Pat. She is a master blender. You name it, she’ll mix it. After dinner take a stroll under the moonlight along the beach. The stars so far from any light pollution are incredible.

Cruising Day 4
After breakfast we will make a short sail to Pompion Cay. Here you can stroll on the sandy shores looking for treasures that wash ashore. Snorkel right off the beach and explore this under water paradise. For the scuba divers you will enjoy another reef dive just 10 minutes away by dinghy to Lobster Point which is well known for, you guessed it, lobsters!!! After lunch we will once again hoist those shady sails to make our way to Little Water Caye for cocktails and the last swim of the day prior to settling down for another scrumptious dinner on board.

Cruising Day 5
5 nautical miles south west lays the famous Laughing Bird Caye, home to the rather noisy Laughingbird Gull. This small sand Caye has an information centre on the island, so any and all questions you might have that pertain to our friends underneath the waves can be answered here by one of the rangers. You can enjoy snorkeling and diving right off the beach with an underwater wall dropping down to 100ft vertically. Like several of our anchorages this week, Laughing Bird Cay is a marine park which means there is no fishing allowed on or around the Caye. Because of this protected environment the Caye offers an excellent chance to see some of our bigger friends down under including lobster the size of footballs walking along the bottom without a care in the world. Kick back for another great sunset.

Cruising Day 6
Breakfast today is followed by an early morning snorkel after which we set sail for Colson Caye. On arrival we drop the anchor in time for a last lunch on board followed by one last swim before heading back into Placencia and the end of the sailing part of our adventure. However, to compensate for that, tonight we dine out at our favorite local restaurant.

Departure Day
After breakfast onboard, it is time to gather your belongings and memories. Your crew will arrange transport back to the airport before exchanging fond farewells. Those of you who are staying additional nights in the Tianna Suites will have their bags taken to their room, where arrangements for some land based activities can be made; whether exploring Monkey River or visiting one of the Mayan Ruins; you will already be planning your next TradeWinds adventure....

Metallica

2008-11-06T09:05:00.002-07:00

Photo courtesy of Aaron Thackeray who I met at Red Rocks

Metallica Set List
Pepsi Center, 11.04.08

01. This Was Just Your Life
02. The End of the Line
03. Ride the Lightning
04. The Memory Remains
05. One
06. Broken, Beat & Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. The Day That Never Comes
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls
11. Wherever I May Roam
12. Master of Puppets
13. Damage, Inc.
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore

16. Last Caress
17. Hit the Lights
18. Seek and Destroy

My ears are still ringing. Good times......
Opening acts -
Down
Down is an all-star heavy metal side project whose original lineup consisted of members from Pantera (singer Phil Anselmo), Corrosion of Conformity (guitarist Pepper Keenan), and Crowbar (guitarist Kirk Windstein, bassist Todd Strange, and drummer Jimmy Bower). Formed in the mid-'90s when Pantera was on a brief break (between their Far Beyond Driven and The Great Southern Trendkill releases), the quartet's members had been longtime friends and decided to break up their downtime (hence their name).
The Sword
Not to be confused with the Canadian heavy metal band from the late '80s, named simply Sword, the Sword is a retro-metal four-piece hailing from -- of all places -- the singer/songwriter oasis of Austin, TX.

Did you vote today?

2008-11-04T07:19:00.002-07:00

I did via a mail-in ballot. I hope to never stand in line again to vote, it is so easy. Rode my bike to a drop-off station yesterday and got my "I Voted" sticker. Free coffee at Starbucks, free drink at Funky Buddah.....I wonder what other deals are out there?

Made it to a chili cookoff and two Halloween parties last Saturday. Pics to follow once my shipment arrives, hopefully today. I mistakely packed my USB cable in a box that was shipped so I can't upload any pics ;)

Going to the Metallica show this evening at the Pepsi Center.

It's time for Zig to get back to work. The recruiting field doesn't look so hot with the economic downturn. Anyone have ideas?

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T08:21:00.004-06:00

Well, I finally dropped off the boxes for shipment to Denver. I may never see them again. The first address I was given to drop off the boxes was on Harmon Ave off of Greenlawn. And the business was gone. Turns out the company just merged and relocated to Grove Tucky. Disaster averted, I went to visit Burt and family. Just in time for punkin carving! Burt - your children will make you pay for past transgressions! Alcohol will numb the effects ;)

All in all, a great visit to Ohio but I'm ready to get back to Denver!!

Brazenhead

2008-10-30T07:16:00.002-06:00

Got an out of the blue call from Joe (my cousin's husband - what does that make him BTW?) that he was in town and he wanted to meet for dinner. Went to Brazenhead in Grandview for $3 burgers. Had a few pints and caught up - great to see you Joe! Have fun in FL next week.
Trying to get things taken care of to ship some boxes. 11 boxes and 675 pounds sitting in the 'Burban waiting to drop off at the dock. It'll be nice to have some of my things in CO as I've been wearing the same clothes for a year ;)
One more day! CO here I come....

Hiney Gate

2008-10-28T08:15:00.005-06:00

Well, it's taken me a few days to recover from the loss last Saturday. Or was it the Hiney Gate? Whew - one of those a year is enough. Got to meet up with many friends and was very busy running around trying to meet up with everyone. Made it to the Skull Session and got to the stadium early.
Got to see Zach last week - and the girls. They are all doing well.
Weather here is typical Ohio - overcast and dreary. It's cold and wet. Haven't seen the sun for three days. Can't wait to get back to Colorado!!!!!!

For sale

2008-10-21T04:50:00.006-06:00

Looking forward to seeing all of you soon.

While I'm here, I am clearing out my storage unit. Great time to pick up some bargains!

For those of you interested in a deal, holler back There has been some interest in a few items, but here's a rundown:

Klipsch surround sound speaker system w/ subwoofer for a PC - This sounds really good. $7
Wheelbarrow - 6 cubic feet with 'no flat' tire. $35
Shop-vac = 18 gallon, 6.25 hp. She's a beast! $35
Office chair $25
Lawn tools - Rake, shovels, edger, weed puller, etc. Make an offer.
Hose reels (one has a real nice hose) and several attachments / quick release / splitters. Make an offer.

I also have these items for sale with pictures if you want / need them, or you can take a look for yourself - make me an offer!!!!!

Hitachi circular saw - never been used, still in the case
Dremel kit
Weber kettle grill with many accessories
Holmes patio misting fan
Computer desk
School / bankers desk - 30+ years old in great shape. Fold down work surface with many drawers / nooks
Antique bakers hutch
Scott's 7000 lawn / fertilizer spreader
Sony 17" TV
JVC Cinema Series 36" tv with stand
Metal hammock stand
Hammock
Craftsman 6 hp lawn mower - mulcher
Garage shelves - (3) plastic. 4 shelf corner unit, 5 shelf wall unit, 4 shelf wall unit
Sony GSX909ES Stereo receiver ($1,500 new)
Sony ES model CD carousel ($1,500 new)
Cerwin Vega D-3 speakers
Progressive scan DVD player
AIWA stereo
JVC mini stereo

I have the BEST SISTER in the WORLD!

2008-10-21T04:38:00.004-06:00

And not just because she sold me her tickets to the Penn State game (although that did help ;) And not because she is putting me up for two weeks (that helps too) but she's just freakin' awesome!!!!

Thank you!!!

Ohio here I am

2008-10-20T19:31:00.003-06:00

While I'm here I need to clean out my storage unit, so I am driving Big Blue. I have a feeling I'll be great friends with the gas stations in town....

I hope to sell / donate much of what I have in storage. It's amazing how much shit I've managed to accumulate. If you're interested in some bargains, let me know! I'm dealin'!!!!!

Good times

2008-10-09T12:21:00.002-06:00

Had the unexpected surprise of an old friend show up in Denver for a conference this week. George is a buddy from High School and we had a chance to catch up and talk about old times. And jam to the new Metallica CD in my car. Damn, that was good & loud. Reminded me of my 1st car - '74 Cougar with the Pioneer TS-6907's in the rear deck. HA! Good times.

Ohio here I come - briefly

2008-10-07T09:36:00.002-06:00

Hey all - for those of you unaware, I plan on making a trip to Ohio soon. I'll be there from Oct 19th - 31st and look forward to catching up with family and friends. It's been nearly a year since I left and I can't wait see what's going on. I also need to deal with a 10' x 30' storage unit jam packed with......stuff. I plan to sell / donate as much as I can. At the very least move into a smaller unit. I figure I'll keep what I'll need for my own place in storage and make another trip. Drop me a line if you'd like to get together! You can send a comment to the blog or email me at mark at osuzigman dot com (don't want to type my actual address so as to avoid spam)

Rocky Mountain Alumni Club

2008-10-06T09:59:00.003-06:00

The Rocky Mountain Alumni Club is for Ohio State fans in Colorado and they meet at a bar called Croc's downtown - right off the 16th Street Mall and Market Street. Ray & I have been to several games there and it's like being at Varsity Club. I signed up for a membership a week ago to get involved. So I attended a Board meeting last Tuesday to see what I could expect from my $25 membership investment, other than a cool t shirt. I met several people, most from Columbus, who where getting involved in turning the club around as I guess they had been floundering as of late. Next thing I know they ask if anyone can volunteer to be the Game Watch Chair at Croc's. I kept asking what all was involved but couldn't get the answers I was looking for. So I volunteered anyway. Turns out I must also serve on the board. And be a member in good standing with the Ohio State University Alumni Association. No big deal, but I like how I didn't find out until later! So for those Buckeye fans in the Denver area, I'll be at the table in the back selling raffle tickets, bumper stickers and memberships during all of the remaining games (except for the Penn State game as I have tix - thanks Stace!) so be sure to stop by and enjoy the atmosphere!
http://www.coloradobuckeyes.com/

Telluride and Colorado in the Fall

2008-09-29T10:55:00.009-06:00

Left Mesa Verde on Saturday and drove towards Telluride to find a place to camp. We were running out of daylight so Ambereen told me to turn on the next National Park Access Road. We made the turn and drove 25 minutes into the park, past a herd of cattle and up to 10,000 feet before finding a clearing suitable for camping. I set up camp and she started the fire (in an established fire pit, of course!). It got dark quickly so we settled in and grabbed dinner and finished a bottle of wine. The fire was starting to die down when we heard a pack of coyotes celebrating a kill nearby. Kind of creepy when you can't see your hand in front of your face. I wonder what they caught? Checked out the night sky once again (hard to describe the thousands of stars and the Milky Way that you can't see in the city) then got some shut eye. Walked around camp in the morning then as I was packing up she heard the call of a make elk in rut. I missed it and he never made another sound. Must have been the right call? Packed up the car and hit the road. We were headed to Durango to drive around and have brunch. The San Juan Mountain Range is the most beautiful in all of Colorado (IMHO) and the leaves were turning so it was showtime. telluride was spectacular and we drove through town to head up a 4x4 trail taking us to an overlook. There was a house / structure at the top of the trail which was an old hydroelectric facility with caretakers still living there. It would give me the creeps living on the edge of that cliff. Unreal views though. Wow....
Had a great brunch (salmon eggs benedict with kick ass home fries and the drink special was a John Daly!) then headed to Placerville, Ridgway, Montrose, Delta, Hotchkiss, Glenwood Springs and back to Denver via I-70. That's a long ass drive for those of you unfamiliar with the territory. But the views were spectacular with the fall colors, especially through Telluride up to Glenwood Springs. Vail was pretty too, but it was nothing compared to the drive up 550.
Check out all the pics at - http://picasaweb.google.com/osuzigman/ColoradoFall2008#

Mesa Verde

2008-09-29T10:31:00.005-06:00

Made it to Mesa Verde last Thursday and toured Cliff Palace. We then grabbed dinner at Metate ($19.06 for a three course meal to celebrate the 100 year anniversary) and set up camp at the campground (in the dark). The stars were spectacular. So many to see that we couldn't even figure out the guide. That and the bottle of wine we had ;)
Got up early on Friday and headed to the Visitor's Center to buy tickets to tour Long House and Balcony House. Headed to Balcony House first to catch the 9 am tour. After the tour we hiked the Petroglyph Trail then toured Spruce Tree House. That took us to lunch then we had to drive to Wetherill Mesa to take the Long House tour. This park is a World Heritage park - so far I think I've been to two in the US. Mesa Verde has been hit by a few fires in the past several years and over 50% of the park has been damaged, Due to the high alpine environment they estimate it will take 100-300 years for the park to recover fully. It's a very cool place and well worth the trip. Check out the photos here - http://picasaweb.google.com/osuzigman/MesaVerde2008#

Pagosa Springs

2008-09-29T10:26:00.002-06:00

Spent two days at Pagosa Springs last Wednesday & Thursday. The hot springs are the best I've been to so far (although for beauty Conundrum wins hands down) although you must be careful. I got into the Burg when it was 116 degrees. That's freakin' hot! Played golf at the only course in town and got a birdie on the #1 handicap hole. The rest will be left in my memory and I hope it fades quickly.
Headed to Mesa Verde on Friday for a couple of days.

CU Boulder vs West Virginia

2008-09-19T09:52:00.003-06:00

What a game! I worked the gate on the field at the Northeast corner and got THISCLOSE to Erin Andrews (she wants me - I could tell) and got to watch pretty much the entire game. What a show it was. The Buffs pulled ahead 14 - 0 with two quick scores then fell asleep. The game ended up going to OT where WVU's field goal attempt bounced off the post right in front of me. It was so close it sounded like a bell ringing. The Buffs took over and kicked a field goal on 3rd down to win it. It was mayhem - I pushed the gate back to let the fans rush the field and got the hell out of the way. The gate was also where the players and Ralphie entered. Ralphie is the mascot - a female bison who runs across the field with the players at the beginning of the game. I can't believe they can get away with that one - two handlers were being pulled on their stomachs across the field trying to hang on.

Fossil Trace golf

2008-09-17T14:05:00.003-06:00

Well, since nobody wanted to play hooky to see the Rockies at 1 pm today I decided to play 9 at Fossil Trace. 9 holes w/ cart for $25! It's gorgeous outside and I can't wait to T it up. 3:40 T time. And get away from the news on TV and the radio. I heard an interview on NPR this morning with a financial expert who described the AIG bailout in such detail that I was shocked as to what could have happened had the government not stepped in. All the greed from the subprime industry is going to play havoc with our economy for a while. Am I happy I sold my house when I did..........whew.
The pic is a dinosaur footprint located next to the #11 green. Hence the name Fossil Trace.

Future Weapons cannon challenge game

2008-09-16T08:58:00.003-06:00

http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/future-weapons/games/cannon/cannon.html

I got 27,900 1st try. Have at it!! (116,000 on second try ;)

Just heard from my sister that they lost power last Sunday. And still don't have it back. And it could be until Sunday before they do!!! They live in S Delaware County. Had no idea it was that bad. Wish I could do something to help.......

Move Ray & Kerry & Santana

2008-09-14T20:00:00.003-06:00

Moved Ray & Kerry to new digs in Highlands Ranch. We've agreed that if any of us fail to hire professional movers next time we're entitled to a free bitch slap.

Went to the Santana concert at Fiddlers that evening after watching the first half of the USC scrimmage. Great show.

G. Love & Special Sauce - John Butler Trio and Tristan Prettyman

2008-09-14T19:58:00.001-06:00

G. Love & Special Sauce - John Butler Trio
Friday, September 12, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 5:30PM
With John Butler Trio and Tristan Prettyman
$39.50 RES, $36.50 GA - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges AEG Live is thrilled to announce G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE with special guests JOHN BUTLER TRIO and Tristan Prettyman performing live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Friday, September 12, 2008.

G. Love & Special Sauce are a trio from Philadelphia, PA. Their laid-back, sloppy blues sound is quite unique, as it encompasses the sound/production of classic R&B and recent rap artists (the Beastie Boys, in particular). The group -- G. Love (born Garrett Dutton) on guitar/vocals/harmonica, Jeff Clemens on drums, and Jim Prescott on upright bass. Ever the road band they are known for their extensive touring. By 2004 and the Hustle LP, G. Love had eased up a little on the kitchen sink approach, offering instead a cohesive, dry groove reminiscent of his earliest efforts. Hustle was also the first G. Love release under Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records banner. It made sense; the two had been pals at least since Philadelphonic, which Johnson had guested on. His move off Sony spawned the Best of G. Love and Special Sauce, but G. wasn't done. Special Sauce did a series of shows in 2004 with Johnson and fellow Brushfire artist Donovon Frankenreiter, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP before 2006's Lemonade. The tour chronicle/live album A Year and a Night with G. Love and Special Sauce appeared in 2007. ~ SOURCE: All Music Guide

GREAT SHOW - and my last for the season at Red Rocks......good times. They took me out for a few drinks afterwords. My co-workers, not the band ;)

Foo Fighters at Red Rocks

2008-09-10T10:03:00.002-06:00

Foo Fighters
Monday, September 08, 2008 — 7:30PM - Tuesday, September 09, 2008 — 7:30PM
doors open at 6:00PM
JULY FOO FIGHTERS SHOWS WERE POSTPONED TO MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th & TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 9th - DUE TO ILLNESS.

AEG Live is thrilled to announce the FOO FIGHTERS performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Monday, July 14th, 2008 and a second show on July 15th. Special Guest Supergrass will open the show.

The FOO FIGHTERS are:
*Dave Grohl (guitar/vocal)
*Taylor Hawkins (drums)
*Nate Mendel (bass)
*Chris Shiflett (guitar)

Having commemorated their tenth anniversary with a year-plus run commencing with a double studio album hailed by the New York Times as "an unexpected magnum opus," a sold out arena tour built on that first disc's rock foundation followed by a toned down and intimate theater trek that highlighted the softer side showcased on that record's second half and capped off by a headlining gig at London's Hyde Park for a crowd of 85,000, the question looms larger than any in the Foo Fighters' career to date: What do they do for an encore?

GREAT shows - I'm now a huge Foo Fighters fan - anyone have their music??

One more show at Red Rocks for me this season.

Tiny made it back after his head injury at NIN - 6 staples in his scalp - ouch....

You are from Colorado if:

2008-09-08T12:53:00.001-06:00

A winter statistic: 98.0% of Americans scream before going in the ditch on a slippery road. The other 2.0% are from Colorado and they say, 'Hold my soda and watch this.'

You will eat ice cream in the winter.
It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be canceled.

You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.

You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's. And then you make fun of them.

'Humid,' is over 25.0%.

Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.

You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.

You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.

You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.

You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your c oat.

You know what the Continental Divide is.

You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal.

You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, and as an adult.

You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.

You always know the elevation of where you are.

You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow.

**You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High**

Every movie theater has military and student discounts.

Everybody wears jeans to church.

You actually know that 'South Park,' is a real place not just a show on TV.

You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder.

You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradoan when they call it Elitches, not Six Flags.

A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.

Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders.

When people back East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.

You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky,' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

OSU vs OU, party and Poison / Dokken

2008-09-08T11:49:00.002-06:00

Saturday was a whirlwind. Cathy & I went to Croc's at 9 am and met Sharon, Hillary and Gayle to watch the Buckeyes dismantle OU. Hmm. Not quite what happened. We need to play a lot better to not be embarrased this Saturday. The party was at Jon & Catherine's house then I had free passes to see Poison & Dokken at Fiddlers Green. Dokken was one of my favorite bands back in 1984 so I went just for the hell of it. Those guys looked like they had their AARP cards. And how the hell do they still have so much hair???

Spent Sunday in Boulder - cool town and will be back there in two weeks for the CU / WVA game.

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) at Red Rocks

2008-09-08T11:48:00.000-06:00

STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
Friday, September 05, 2008 — 7:00PM - Saturday, September 06, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 6:00PM
With Talib Kweli and FLYING LOTUS on 9/5 and Ghostland Observatory and Bassnectar on 9/6
$36.00 GA advance, $40.00 GA day of show - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges
Live Nation proudly presents STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Friday September 5 and Saturday September 6. Special Guest Talib Kweli and a special guest TBA will open the Friday show. Special Guest Ghostland Observatory will open Saturday’s show plus a special “in the round” set by Bassnectar.

Dubbed “…one of the country's most intriguing, innovative outfits around” by XLR8R Magazine, STS9 steps out this summer armed with their brand-new, highly anticipated studio album, peaceblaster. To be released in summer 2008 on their own label 1320 Records (www.1320records.com), the new album will feature never-before heard tracks that artfully mirror the intensity of STS9’s live shows, while preserving the musical intricacies of past studio albums that critics and fans have touted. peaceblaster comes nearly three years after their acclaimed 2005 releases, Artifact & Artifact: Perspectives, both of which were named in iTunes list of top albums of the year.

The excitement of STS9’s sixth annual return to Red Rocks doesn’t stop in Morrison. The band is also performing an intimate show at the Boulder Theater on September 4th that is on-sale now exclusively at (www.sts9store.com) as a three day pass for the entire weekend. The band is also planning on hosting after-parties at the Gothic Theatre each night with a number of incredible acts that will be announced soon.

It was rave music. I was happy when it ended.

3 Doors Down - Hinder - Finger Eleven at Red Rocks

2008-09-04T08:37:00.001-06:00

3 Doors Down are putting up massive radio numbers with “Its Not My Time”, the first single from their self-titled album in stores now. Their much anticipated fourth studio album has spawned rock’s biggest radio hit of the year so far. 3 Doors Down have become a signature presence in Rock through hard work and passionate songwriting that speaks directly to their audience. Lead singer Brad Arnold cites this effort as perhaps the most communal band effort. “3 Doors Down has always been about every band member giving everything we’ve got,” says the singer/songwriter. “On this album we really wanted to make every song count. We owe it to our fans who have been there to support us from day one.”

Braced by front-man Brad Arnold’s enduring vocal power, 3 Doors Down has put together an amazing streak of powerful albums and chart-topping singles, including their 6 million selling 2000 breakthrough effort, The Better Life, and epic mega-hit signature songs such as the #1 “Kryptonite,” and “When I’m Gone,” from 2003’s 4 million selling epic Away From The Sun.

Good 'ol fashioned rock and roll show. Loud as hell and lots of chicks. Overstaffed again so I sat in the front and listened to the entire concert - and got paid! Only a few more shows left this season. Gotta get 'em while I can.

Best show of the season - NIN

2008-09-03T10:05:00.001-06:00

Best stage setup - best light show - best sound by far...

Nine Inch Nails, also known by the acronym NIN, was formed in Cleveland, Ohio, USA in 1988 by Trent Reznor, the only constant member of the band. He is generally credited for popularizing the genre known as “industrial rock”.

NIN will be touring in support of their latest release, the slip, and as a thank you to their fans for their continued support, they are giving it away one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.

Nine Inch Nails 2008 touring lineup has been completed. Returning member Robin Finck and new addition Rich Fownes will join Trent Reznor, Alessandro Cortini and Josh Freese for a world tour beginning July in North America.

Finck has served in numerous touring configurations of NIN, from tours supporting The Downward Spiral (1994-1997) to The Fragile (2000-2001). More recently, he played in Guns N Roses. Fownes has been performing with UNKLE, and has been a member of With Scissors and The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. The upcoming tour will feature the live debut of material from the recently released Ghosts I-IV alongside songs spanning the entire NIN catalogue.

2008-09-02T13:58:00.003-06:00

Cool pic of me on the way up to Windom Peak last weekend. The other one is at the Botanic Gardens for the Bruce Hornsby show a few weeks ago.
Working the Nine Inch Nails show at Red Rocks tonite - that should be pretty wild. 3 Doors Down tomorrow.
Went to a going away party for Cathy's friend Laura on Sunday and learned she was freaking out about getting packed. I told her I would help out on Monday. Little did I know how unprepared she was! Chicks ;) Had to unload the last half of the 28' UHaul and get everything loaded up. Finally had enough so Cathy got a 12 pack of Sam Adams and we sat in the park for a few hours and enjoyed the rest of the day.

OSU vs YSU

2008-08-31T11:17:00.004-06:00

Met Ray at Croc's downtown at 9 am for the Buckeye game. 10 am kickoff here makes for an early morning. Ray told me Croc's is the place to watch OSU football in Denver and was he spot on. It reminded me of Varsity Club. Standing room only with everyone sporting OSU gear. Felt like I was in Columbus the entire time. Hope Beanie isn't hurt too bad. Next week's game is against OU where Ray & Sharon went so it'll be a big day at Croc's once again!
Go Buckeyes!

Gov't Mule / Umphrey's McGee at Red Rocks

2008-08-31T11:14:00.002-06:00

Gov't Mule / Umphrey's McGee
Sunday, August 31, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 5:30PM

With
$43.00-$60.00, 2-Day Ticket $85.50 - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges.
AEG Live is excited to announce GOV’T MULE featuring UMPHREY'S McGEE performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sunday, August 31, 2008. Showtime is 7:00 PM. Doors open at 5:30 PM.

Big riffs, massive grooves, and expansive improvisations are the hallmarks of Gov't Mule's legendary live shows. Likewise, their well-crafted songs feature larger-than-life characters bearing life's heaviest burdens, performed by four musicians guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboard player Danny Louis, and bassist Andy Hess whose powerful musicianship and chemistry along with their tireless work ethic have earned them the respect of their peers.
We are pleased to announce that Gov't Mule, will be returning to Red Rocks in Morrison, CO, as part of an incredible Labor Day Weekend of music, on Sunday August 31st with very special guests Umphrey's McGee.

The Allman Brothers Band / Bob Weir & Ratdog at Red Rocks

2008-08-31T11:14:00.001-06:00

The Allman Brothers Band / Bob Weir & Ratdog
Saturday, August 30, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 5:30PM

With
$43.00 - $60.00, 2-DAY TICKET IS $85.50 - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges.
AEG Live is excited to announce THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND & BOB WEIR & RATDOG performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 30, 2008. Showtime is 7:00 PM. Doors open at 5:30 PM.

The Allman Brothers Band have a 39 year tradition of blending the new and the old... playing the songs that stir our souls because they bring back so many great memories, casting classic blues tunes in a new light, and then hitting us with something completely fresh and new that is destined to become a classic. The group will resume its touring schedule in August with co-headliner Bob Weir & RatDog as part of an incredible Labor Day Weekend of music.

Bob Weir already has a secure place in rock history as the Grateful Dead's co-vocalist and what Andrew Clarke (in one of England's leading newspapers, "The Independent") called the genre's "greatest, if most eccentric rhythm guitarist." When you have a modest, anti-promotional personality - and when you spend 30 years next to an icon - it's easy to fall under the radar. Taking the stage with the multi talented line up of drummer Jay Lane, keyboardist Jeff Chimenti, lead guitarist Mark Karan, reeds man Kenny Brooks, and bassist Robin Sylvester that is RatDog.

Dierks Bentley at Red Rocks

2008-08-31T11:09:00.001-06:00

Dierks Bentley
Friday, August 29, 2008 — 7:00PM
doors open at 5:30PM

With Rodney Atkins, Cross Canadian Ragweed
$42.50 RES & GA - Buy Tickets Online - plus applicable service charges.
AEG Live is thrilled to announce 98.5 KYGO’s 2nd Annual Summer Chill Out with DIERKS BENTLEY and special guests RODNEY ATKINS and CROSS CANADIAN RAGWEED performing live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Friday, August 29, 2008.
Dierks Bentley (who was given a family name as a first name) grew up in a nonmusical family in Phoenix AZ. He got his country music education on his own listening to recordings. He moved from listener to player when he picked up an electric guitar at age 13. He moved to Nashville at the age of 19, but he quickly grew discouraged by lack of public and professional interest coming his way. It all changed when he walked into the Station Inn, a bar where the bluegrass faithful hang out. An all-night jam session recharged his batteries and he started pursuing gigs again. He landed a job at the TNN television doing research on classic country music and by night he worked on his demos. Capitol Records heard the artist, signed him, and released his self-titled debut in 2003. Bringing his love of Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings to the forefront, “Modern Day Drifter” followed two years later and became a Top Ten hit. In 2006, he returned with Long Trip Alone, with the hit “Every Mile a Memory”.

DNC acceptance speech

2008-08-29T09:05:00.006-06:00

Since I didn't get the tickets after applying online I decided to work the event and take my chances. It was quite and ordeal but worth it. I drove to the aquarium to get my credentials (clocked in at 8:37 am) then drove to Elich Gardens to park and took a shuttle to Invesco. Hundreds of people standing around looking and waiting for something to do. Since I signed up at the last minute I didn't have a supervisor to report to so people tried to get me on their teams. I'm asking them what my role would be and they weren't too forthcoming so I said no. I told Kay I'd join her team since she runs the floor at the Pepsi Center and they host the Avs, Nuggets and a few other teams.

We were shuffled to section 117 outside to get out of the way - just in time for Stevie Wonder's sound check. Then Cheryl Crow's sound check. Got some sun and hung out for an hour or so. Then we were sent back downstairs where they had food. We weren't told it was for us and it was kind of secrative so I walked up and asked what was up. They said it was for us. So why weren't we eating? Then Kay said we would be needed and we only had time for a quick snack. Whatever - I chowed. 2 plates as I knew it would be the only food we would see all day. And I was right.

I waited around for 2 more hours and then she told me she didn't need me. This was 2 pm! I saw Doc (from Red Rocks - he works with me) and asked if he needed help. He told me to change my shirt and join his team. I joined Tiffany (Red Rocks - see how this works?) and we were to walk on the ADA aisle to keep it clear. We were Roamers. We had 1/4 of the stadium to watch. Prime spot! Most everyone else had to work outside, underground or some other shitty location. I scored! We walked around, talked, and told people to move. That was it.

Saw Al Gore speak, Bill Richardson too and saw Stevie Wonder & Cheryl Crow again. Then we found a prime spot for Obama and cleared people out of the way so we could see ;) Seriously - "Keep moving", "You can't stand here", whatever it took to get them out of our way. I had one guy move so an Officer could stand next to me and take pictures. The guy was pissed - his look was priceless! Tiffany pulled the best one though - she walked up to a gentleman in a suit and told him to move along. He showed her his credentials and she kept telling him to move until she read them - US Secret Service - so she let him stay. HA! This is the same person who, at the Garrison Keiler show last week wouldn't let a woman throught the stage door (she didn't have a pass) and I looked up as the show started and she was one of the star performers. I still give her shit about that one. Now I can tease her about the Secret Service.

The crowd went crazy and it was like being at a concert. He spoke for quite a while and we got to listen to most of it. I'm glad I was there to witness history, and things went pretty smooth considering all of the security. Long day though and I'm beat. I have work to do today, All the ski stores have their sales today (I need ski boots) then I'm working at Red Rocks Fri Sat & Sun.

Livin the dream ;()

DNC Protest

2008-08-27T20:57:00.004-06:00

Since I only had one day to enjoy the DNC from an outsiders perspective I decided to ride my bike downtown this afternoon to see what was going on.

Not much.

I eventually rode to Civic Center park to rest and make a few calls. All of the sudden I hear someone yell "Bikers ready!" and everyone got up and started to ride away. What the hell, I'll go too I thought. So I hopped on my bike and away we went. Turns out it was planned and we had a police escort blocking intersections and following us. We took over the streets of Denver for over an hour. Almost made it down 16th street mall but apparently that was not to be as the cops put a stop to that idea after 2 blocks. It was a cool experience and only one idiot was arrested for spitting on a cop.

It was a great afternoon and I rode around from 1-8 pm.

Tomorrow I am working at Invesco for Obama's acceptance speech. It'll be a long day but it's the only way I have to get in the stadium. Not sure if I can take pics but I'll try!

Durango / Silverton

2008-08-26T21:33:00.003-06:00

For my birthday I decided to take Ambereen to Durango for a backpacking trip. We left on Friday and drove to Durango which is in the Southwestern corner of CO. We took the scenic route so we came in from near Silverton and entered the San Juan Range - spectacular! The mountains looked so different from what I've seen.

Found a great campground outside of town and set up camp then drove in to town for some dinner. Got back and built a fire - rare these days. Got some sleep then made it to the train station in the AM to catch the Durango Silverton Narrow Guage. It's the real deal - coal fired steam powered locomotive. We boarded and settled in for the trip to the Needlton stop where the backpackers exit.

6 mile hike with a 3,000' elevation gain (challenging for most - trust me) and we set up camp at 11,000'. Got some shut-eye so we could attempt a fourteener in the am. Hit the trail at 8:30 (that time will be relevant later) and hiked for a few hours until we got to Twin Lakes. Ran into a few hikers on their way down. Hikers (experienced ones anyways) have a funny habit of not telling you what to do or what they think you should do. Instead they'll give cues like asking where you're going and when you tell them they nod, look at their watch, look at you, look at their watch and say something like "good luck". Which really means "you should have gotten your ass out of the tent three hours earlier than you did, dumbass". Lesson learned. We made it to the saddle next to Windom Peak (one of the three fourteeners in the immediate area) when Trevor (whom we met on the train) came bounding down having bagged Windom and Sunlight that morning. He told us about the clouds he saw and how ominous they looked. I had a discussion with Ambereen about turning around. Let's just say one of us is a little more conservative than the other. After 15 minutes of talking about it, we turned around just as two hikers came screaming down from near the peak and thunder roared through the valley. Let's just say we made it down a hell of a lot faster than we made it up. Got back to the tent and took a long nap. Made dinner and went to bed - it's hard work hiking that shit! Got up the next morning and hiked back to the pickup point where we flagged down the train - which kept on going....turns out it was the early train running way late - so we caught the next one. Cool ride to Silverton where we had lunch and I got a few birthday gifts (metal sculptures) from a local artist. Wish I took a pic of him and his shop.

My Morning Jacket / The Black Keys @ RR

2008-08-26T21:31:00.001-06:00

Great show!

My Morning Jacket - The Black Keys
Thursday, August 21, 2008 — 7:30PM
doors open at 6:00PM

With The Black Keys
$40.00 RES, $36.00 GA - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges.
AEG Live is excited to announce MY MORNING JACKET featuring THE BLACK KEYS performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Thursday, August 21, 2008.

My Morning Jacket explosive sound garners mighty praise. David Fricke reviewed My Morning Jacket’s recent SXSW , he said “You could keep biting your nails, waiting for a Zeppelin-reunion tour. Or you can see My Morning Jacket, here and now, make their own Physical Graffiti in your face.”

“There’s a theme of moral confusion that runs through the whole record,” says Jim James, frontman of My Morning Jacket, explaining the title of the band’s new album, Evil Urges. “The world today is such a confused place. Things that people think are good values are obviously twisted, but there are other things considered evil that obviously aren’t. There is real evil out there, but Evil Urges is about how all of these things that you’ve been told are evil really aren’t, unless they’re actually hurting something or somebody.”

It’s ambitious territory for the group’s fifth full-length studio album, and it’s matched by the most far-ranging, surprising, and satisfying sounds of their career. From the freak-funk electro-slam of “Highly Suspicious” to the contemplative “Sec Walkin’,” which could almost be a Nashville standard, on Evil Urges, My Morning Jacket displays the scope and fearlessness that demonstrates their growth into one of the world’s great rock & roll bands.

GARRISON KEILLOR’S A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION at Red Rocks

2008-08-21T10:19:00.000-06:00

Suzy Bogguss - Garrison Keillor
Wednesday, August 20, 2008 — 7:30PM
doors open at 6:00PM
With Fred Newman, Guy's All-Star Shoe Band
$64.00, $44.00, $29.00 ALL RES - Ticketmaster - plus applicable service charges. AEG Live is thrilled to announce GARRISON KEILLOR’S A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION “Home of the Heart” Rhubarb Tour featuring Suzy Bogguss at Red Rocks Amphitheatre Wednesday, August 20, 2008. Doors 6:00pm || Show 7:30pm

The 2008 A Prairie Home Companion “Home of the Heart” Rhubarb Tour kicks off on August 10th for a 16-city run that will take the troupe from coast to coast. Garrison Keillor describes the ramble this way: “The Home of the Heart Tour is the soul of A Prairie Home Companion — stories from Lake Wobegon, passionate duets, the philosophy of Guy Noir, wild radio dramas starring sound-effects genius Fred Newman, and the incredible Guy’s All-Star Shoe Band.

“This is the show I'd do if I could only do one more show. It's the essence of everything from the past 34 years of Prairie Home that was funny and heartbreaking and made for great radio. The terrific Suzy Bogguss joins us for the singing, and Guy Noir reminisces about his salad days in the P.I. business, and I'll tell about the little town that time forgot and State Fairs and the first girl I loved, and we'll all sing ‘America the Beautiful’ and go home.”

Beginning its 35th season in September 2008, A Prairie Home Companion is heard by some 4 million listeners on more than 500 public radio stations nationwide, as well as on XM Radio, the Armed Forces Network Europe, the Far East Network, and in dozens of European cities via the Astra satellite network.

A Prairie Home Companion is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media. The show is sponsored nationally by General Mills, Inc. and by the Sleep Number Bed by Select Comfort. Audio clips, scripts and more information on A Prairie Home Companion can be found online at www.prairiehome.org.

Freakin shoot me..........

Bruce Hornsby at Botanic Gardens

2008-08-20T07:45:00.002-06:00

Scored some tix to the Bruce Hornsby show at the Botanic Gardens last night. It sits right on the edge of Cheesman Park and I walked over to meet Cathy who saved our place in line all afternoon. It was a mad dash to grab a prime spot when the gates opened but I grabbed a prime spot and all 6 of us enjoyed a wonderful show. I saw Bruce when he played with the Grateful Dead years ago at Buckeye Lake and boy, can he tickle the ivories.
Working a show tonite and tomorrow then off on a 5 day backpacking trip to Durango. I hear it's beautiful - will keep you posted.

Jack Johnson at Red Rocks

2008-08-18T10:18:00.002-06:00

Did I mention that it rained on the Slightly Stoopid show Friday night and got down to the 40's? Punk ass kids were wearing shorts and T's all night.

Thankfully the weather was decent for Jack Johnson. Doors opened at 5 and the first act started at 7 so we had some time to kill. Or so I thought. Jack is a big time environmentalist and they had booths set up at the top near the visitor's center so he decided to play an unplugged set at 6 pm before the first act. I was selected to escort (along with a few others) him from the top parking lot (where my car was hit earlier this year ;) to the stage. He was a cool dude - jeans, flops and a T - walking with his two bandmates and they were talking about what songs to play. It was so low key hardly anyone recognized him. Stood guard at the front of the stage then we escorted him through the visitor's center and back to the van. pretty cool gig. I noticed a sign at one of the booths advertising a contest where winners would get to watch the show from on the stage so when I got back to my post I told my Supervisor what I saw. He took off then came back a few minutes later and said he wanted me and one other person to be on the stage with the winners to keep an eye on them. Next thing you know we are on the stage, behind the performers, jamming away. No worries and just hanging out. It was a cool view and we had the best seats in the house. Great show too. First set was fantastic then for his encore he did a solo acoustic set. Wish I could get a copy of the audio for the show. At least I got a free T for helping out backstage.

Made up for Friday, that's for sure.

Slightly Stoopid & Pepper at Red Rocks

2008-08-18T10:12:00.002-06:00

Has anyone heard of these bands? I didn't before working the show. Sold out show with thousands of punk ass kind stoned out of their minds and fighting authority. I wouldn't have minded so much had I not been the authority they were fighting. Punk ass kids. My buddies Bill and Xavier got into an altercation with an unruly patron who body slammed Bill into the ground dislocating his shoulder. Kid was 17 and ready to start college on a full scholorship. Wonder if an assault conviction will impact his collegiate career. Probably not. Rowdy crowd for sure.

Busy busy busy

2008-08-13T13:52:00.002-06:00

Whew - where do I start? Drove to Silverthorne last Friday and stayed at a friend's condo (nice indoor hot tub)as Ambereen had a wedding to attend. We got up on Saturday and wandered around town and found the location for the wedding. After getting ready we hit the Tiki Bar at Dillon Lake for a pre-wedding beverage. The ceremony was short and sweet (I had haircuts that took less time) then we enjoyed drinks and dinner. Drove back to Denver to attend a pool party at Dennis and Kenny's homes in Wash Park. Ended up in the hot tub until 3 am. I'm getting way too old for that! Slept in til nearly 11 am on Sunday! Enjoyed big paper day as much as I could then we had a progressive dinner cruise around City Park that evening. Four houses surrounding City Park so we rode our bikes.
Didn't do too much on Monday but rest.
Worked the Jethro Tull show at Red Rocks last night. What a prima donna Ian Anderson turned out to be. Worst one yet. Signs posted from the entrance to the park to the venue itself requesting that everyone sit down during the performance, no whistling, shouting or other loud noises. Oh, we were told the audience could stand for the encore. Also, patrons were not allowed to move to their seats during a song. I was seated at the front of the stage and after the opening act a roadie came out and barked "who was the security guard sitting in this chair?" I said it was me, to which he replied "you're sitting right in front of Ian's speaker and he won't be able to hear properly. That is not good. You need to move your chair further in that direction." Whatever. WTF was this, a concert performance?
Lot's coming up over the next two weeks and I'll do my best to keep you updated.

Cruiser

2008-08-08T13:34:00.003-06:00

Finally picked up a cruiser bike today. A buddy of mine has something like 16 bikes and came to the realization he could unload a few. I gave away my Specialized Rockhopper before leaving Ohio - but I wouldn't have it now anyway. It's going to give me some freedom to tool around town and check things out.
I applied for two tickets to see Obama at Invesco field as they gave away 50,000 tickets to Colorado residents but I haven't heard anything yet. Should be quite a party.