When I opened the box, I saw an excellent representation of the mantra of good packing: never ship air.
No bird has been harmed in the packing of these band-aids.
Showing posts with label denver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label denver. Show all posts
Friday, August 20, 2010
Never Ship Air!
This past weekend I went into the garage to empty some boxes still packed for our move from Denver two years ago. Inside one of them, I found a box of band-aids - which was perfect timing because we needed band-aids.
When I opened the box, I saw an excellent representation of the mantra of good packing: never ship air.
No bird has been harmed in the packing of these band-aids.
When I opened the box, I saw an excellent representation of the mantra of good packing: never ship air.
No bird has been harmed in the packing of these band-aids.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Do You Know the Way to San Jose?
Go west on Route 66, take a few pictures and turn right.
Goodbye, Porpoise Spit!
Since that right turn, I've been driving around San Jose, California in my leased-for-Denver Toyota Tundra, a big honkin' truck with Colorado plates. It was never my intention to drive this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates in California which is why it was leased rather than bought. But here I am driving this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates on little Bailey Avenue with its one little driving lane and its one little parking lane. I'm the California cowboy.
GeorJet with whom I share an insurance plan.
We're pinned.
Walk proudly into Fry's (my least favorite store in the Bay Area) with my new moniker to return the Bluetooth ear phone I had bought to adhere to California's Hands Free Cellphone Law. As a technical writer I am applauded for my electronic acuity but the attempt to connect these two pieces of electronicity was so frustrating that the frustration soon eclipsed my desire to speak on the telephone while driving. So I am returning the earphone and calling from the side of the road (as others sociopathically flaunt their own law-breaking activities).
Excellent 1945 B-movie still playing in Barstow, CA in 2008
Watch it online here for free.
I had to give my telephone number to the sales clerk at Fry's to get my money back for the ear phone. After she punched it in the register, she spews names from the database.
Eduardo Caldez. Is that you?
No.
Nancy Miranda.
No but her name comes up when I use my telephone number at Safeway also.
She looks at me.
Robert Prince.
No but your closer. He's an old roommate.
michael teger.
That looks right but it should be capitalized.
I said this jokingly but she clicked one more forward.
Michael Teger?
There you go.
Feline Conservation Center Rosamond, CA
with brilliant end-of-clip commentary...simply brilliant.
On the list of things I will miss in Denver is the Denver Public Library. This library system is Blockbuster and Netflix in one. You go online, reserve what you want, and it is transferred to your local branch. I would then pick them up and drop them off on one of my walks with Max. The only DVD I recall them not having was the 7 disc box set of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz. And I'm not being high-falutin'.
Now I go to the San Jose Public Library. When I try to reserve something online I can't. After searching the site I found this answer to a Frequently Asked Question:
Online or in branch. So I either search the online, see which branch has the DVD, drive to that branch and hope that, in the time it takes to drive, it was not checked out by another member of the public OR just go to my branch and hope for the best. Sure they have the 7 disc box set of Rainer Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz in rotation but who has the energy? Thanks Governor Schwarzenegger.
Be it ever so humble
Further down the list, we had a 2900 square foot house, three printers, and a dishwasher in Denver. In San Jose we have 900 square feet, three printers in boxes sitting in the carriage house (and I'm not being high-falutin' - it's a carriage house) and are considering the purchase of a portable dishwasher because it's really hard to go back to using your hands. I now feel that one of the last vestiges of uncivilized behavior is washing dishes by hand. And I am being high-falutin'!
There's no place like home
I think the infamous season-ending episode of the 1980s drama Dallas illustrated it best when, it turns out, Bobby Ewing woke up and discovered that he had dreamt everything that had happened during the year. I feel that sensation as I walk Max around our San Jose neighborhood again and think of Denver. Who knew the Dallas writers were on the cutting edge of clinical psychology?
I won't be the California cowboy much longer. I have to register the big honkin' truck in California come January. After that I'll be just another California resident driving a gas guzzler to his home in San Jose. What a feeling.
Goodbye, Porpoise Spit!
Since that right turn, I've been driving around San Jose, California in my leased-for-Denver Toyota Tundra, a big honkin' truck with Colorado plates. It was never my intention to drive this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates in California which is why it was leased rather than bought. But here I am driving this big honkin' truck with Colorado plates on little Bailey Avenue with its one little driving lane and its one little parking lane. I'm the California cowboy.
GeorJet with whom I share an insurance plan.
We're pinned.
Walk proudly into Fry's (my least favorite store in the Bay Area) with my new moniker to return the Bluetooth ear phone I had bought to adhere to California's Hands Free Cellphone Law. As a technical writer I am applauded for my electronic acuity but the attempt to connect these two pieces of electronicity was so frustrating that the frustration soon eclipsed my desire to speak on the telephone while driving. So I am returning the earphone and calling from the side of the road (as others sociopathically flaunt their own law-breaking activities).
Excellent 1945 B-movie still playing in Barstow, CA in 2008
Watch it online here for free.
I had to give my telephone number to the sales clerk at Fry's to get my money back for the ear phone. After she punched it in the register, she spews names from the database.
Eduardo Caldez. Is that you?
No.
Nancy Miranda.
No but her name comes up when I use my telephone number at Safeway also.
She looks at me.
Robert Prince.
No but your closer. He's an old roommate.
michael teger.
That looks right but it should be capitalized.
I said this jokingly but she clicked one more forward.
Michael Teger?
There you go.
Feline Conservation Center Rosamond, CA
with brilliant end-of-clip commentary...simply brilliant.
On the list of things I will miss in Denver is the Denver Public Library. This library system is Blockbuster and Netflix in one. You go online, reserve what you want, and it is transferred to your local branch. I would then pick them up and drop them off on one of my walks with Max. The only DVD I recall them not having was the 7 disc box set of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz. And I'm not being high-falutin'.
Now I go to the San Jose Public Library. When I try to reserve something online I can't. After searching the site I found this answer to a Frequently Asked Question:
Due to staffing budget cuts, Library staff are not able to search for and hold entertainment videos (DVD, VHS or VCD) or music CDs for you.
Online or in branch. So I either search the online, see which branch has the DVD, drive to that branch and hope that, in the time it takes to drive, it was not checked out by another member of the public OR just go to my branch and hope for the best. Sure they have the 7 disc box set of Rainer Fassbinder's German television series Berlin Alexanderplatz in rotation but who has the energy? Thanks Governor Schwarzenegger.
Be it ever so humble
Further down the list, we had a 2900 square foot house, three printers, and a dishwasher in Denver. In San Jose we have 900 square feet, three printers in boxes sitting in the carriage house (and I'm not being high-falutin' - it's a carriage house) and are considering the purchase of a portable dishwasher because it's really hard to go back to using your hands. I now feel that one of the last vestiges of uncivilized behavior is washing dishes by hand. And I am being high-falutin'!
There's no place like home
I think the infamous season-ending episode of the 1980s drama Dallas illustrated it best when, it turns out, Bobby Ewing woke up and discovered that he had dreamt everything that had happened during the year. I feel that sensation as I walk Max around our San Jose neighborhood again and think of Denver. Who knew the Dallas writers were on the cutting edge of clinical psychology?
I won't be the California cowboy much longer. I have to register the big honkin' truck in California come January. After that I'll be just another California resident driving a gas guzzler to his home in San Jose. What a feeling.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Get Out of Denver
The invasion of the POD was Monday. The day on which the POD finished swallowing all our belongings was Wednesday. (That's 6600 pounds of food.)
The day on which the POD was met by it's keeper was Thursday.
Today is Friday. George and I signed the papers and deposited the check. Now we return to no-longer-our home, pile Max and Lucy into the truck and well, I guess Bob Seger said it best.
We'll be driving to San Jose, California, where it all began, via route...well, I guess Nat King Cole said that best.
With Election Day and Moving Day, this has been quite a week.
The day on which the POD was met by it's keeper was Thursday.
Today is Friday. George and I signed the papers and deposited the check. Now we return to no-longer-our home, pile Max and Lucy into the truck and well, I guess Bob Seger said it best.
We'll be driving to San Jose, California, where it all began, via route...well, I guess Nat King Cole said that best.
With Election Day and Moving Day, this has been quite a week.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Obama 2008: The Tale of A Ticket
Some might know of my current plans to sell a house in Denver and get back to the Bay Area in California. (Not that I ever left; I'll always be a Californian and a New Yorker - dual citizenship.) Well, during this summer of 2008, the operative words are indeed plans to as the house has sat on the market for three months without a bite. I don't know if it's the real estate market, the real estate agent, or the real estate we're selling?
When George and I put the house up in June we were so optimistic. We had a huge garage sale, the house looked great, and everyone was clamoring for it. We would be fielding multiple offers, ultimately, bringing the sale price up an additional $4,000. What a world! But I said to our agent, there is a pin to this bubble.
A pin?
Yes, whatever deal we accept we have to draw out the paperwork through the end of August so I can still be here and see history happen when Barack Obama accepts the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party at INVESCO Field.
She winked. We'll be sure to, Michael.
It's now three months later, the price has dropped 10%, George is in California, John McCain can't count as high as the number of homes he owns but he wants to be president, and I'm keeping a house clean for the first time in my life - what would Toby think?
Roughly three weeks ago, I heard rumblings about where to get tickets for Obama's INVESCO Field appearance. It was late at night but I went to the Colorado Democratic Party home page anyway and was able to sign up. A ticket, it seems, is referred to as a Community Credential. I also checked a box that asked if I would like to volunteer for the campaign for six hours to receive an All-Star Credential. After clicking Submit, I received an immediate confirmation via email that thanked me for signing up to ''receive information about INVESCO Field and other updates from the Democratic National Convention''.
The next morning, all hell had broken loose. Video, blogs, articles and news sources across the Internet were ablaze with the talk of going to the Colorado Democratic Party home page to sign up for your Community Credential. 80% of the available tickets were going to Coloradans and being a Coloradan (for convenience this one time) I'm planning to go.
What was that operative word?
There were so many requests, they stopped taking names after 80,000, the field's capacity. A few days following that milestone I received an email, with no mention of a credential, that discussed ways I might volunteer for the campaign. I called up the telephone number in the email and the woman on the other end explained that I had to volunteer six hours within the next five days. The email I received was just explaining my options. I took the next day off from work, went to the Barack Obama Campaign Headquarters on 1355 South Colorado in Denver (the office) and proceeded to do six and a half hours (just to be sure) of data entry and cold telephone calls.
Hi. I am working for the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Mark Udall...yada...yada...yada.
I went home psyched for the work and the people I'd met and for my plans to see Barack Obama at INVESCO Field.
What was that operative word? Oh, yeah.
Within a few days I receive a voice mail informing me that I was put on a wait list for a credential. So it wasn't first come, first serve. But I just volunteered so I must be getting one of those All-Star Credentials, right? I assumed my plans to see Barack Obama were struck down in their prime.
A week later, I receive another voice mail reminding me to pick up my credential starting Friday 10 AM and before Saturday 5 PM. Was this for real? So I picked up the telephone and called HQ. (Volunteers can use that acronym.) It turns out that well, I got it! And you can see it. Here is a video I made to show the Community Credential because the front image changes in the light.
As this is the Community Credential, I'm not sure what the All-Star Credential is, or if I will be upgraded to it. But I do know that my plans to see Barack accept the nomination on August 28 have come to fruition. What was that operative word again? Oh, yeah. Bodes well for the sale of the house now, doesn't it?
When George and I put the house up in June we were so optimistic. We had a huge garage sale, the house looked great, and everyone was clamoring for it. We would be fielding multiple offers, ultimately, bringing the sale price up an additional $4,000. What a world! But I said to our agent, there is a pin to this bubble.
A pin?
Yes, whatever deal we accept we have to draw out the paperwork through the end of August so I can still be here and see history happen when Barack Obama accepts the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party at INVESCO Field.
She winked. We'll be sure to, Michael.
It's now three months later, the price has dropped 10%, George is in California, John McCain can't count as high as the number of homes he owns but he wants to be president, and I'm keeping a house clean for the first time in my life - what would Toby think?
Roughly three weeks ago, I heard rumblings about where to get tickets for Obama's INVESCO Field appearance. It was late at night but I went to the Colorado Democratic Party home page anyway and was able to sign up. A ticket, it seems, is referred to as a Community Credential. I also checked a box that asked if I would like to volunteer for the campaign for six hours to receive an All-Star Credential. After clicking Submit, I received an immediate confirmation via email that thanked me for signing up to ''receive information about INVESCO Field and other updates from the Democratic National Convention''.
The next morning, all hell had broken loose. Video, blogs, articles and news sources across the Internet were ablaze with the talk of going to the Colorado Democratic Party home page to sign up for your Community Credential. 80% of the available tickets were going to Coloradans and being a Coloradan (for convenience this one time) I'm planning to go.
What was that operative word?
There were so many requests, they stopped taking names after 80,000, the field's capacity. A few days following that milestone I received an email, with no mention of a credential, that discussed ways I might volunteer for the campaign. I called up the telephone number in the email and the woman on the other end explained that I had to volunteer six hours within the next five days. The email I received was just explaining my options. I took the next day off from work, went to the Barack Obama Campaign Headquarters on 1355 South Colorado in Denver (the office) and proceeded to do six and a half hours (just to be sure) of data entry and cold telephone calls.
Hi. I am working for the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Mark Udall...yada...yada...yada.
I went home psyched for the work and the people I'd met and for my plans to see Barack Obama at INVESCO Field.
What was that operative word? Oh, yeah.
Within a few days I receive a voice mail informing me that I was put on a wait list for a credential. So it wasn't first come, first serve. But I just volunteered so I must be getting one of those All-Star Credentials, right? I assumed my plans to see Barack Obama were struck down in their prime.
A week later, I receive another voice mail reminding me to pick up my credential starting Friday 10 AM and before Saturday 5 PM. Was this for real? So I picked up the telephone and called HQ. (Volunteers can use that acronym.) It turns out that well, I got it! And you can see it. Here is a video I made to show the Community Credential because the front image changes in the light.
As this is the Community Credential, I'm not sure what the All-Star Credential is, or if I will be upgraded to it. But I do know that my plans to see Barack accept the nomination on August 28 have come to fruition. What was that operative word again? Oh, yeah. Bodes well for the sale of the house now, doesn't it?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
420 @ 5000'
When I first moved to Denver, I drove from my real home in California, bringing with me the belongings of a lifetime. I knew no one in the Mile High City and I needed the relief that one gets from familiarity. I had enough to make me happy. I was good.
Two months later the realization came that one thing I had brought with me was, in fact, finite. So it was time to start finding a place to purchase marijuana. I began searching the internet for a resource. Everything is on the internet these days.
buy pot Denver I typed into Google and clicked through to a Yahoo group made up of people with ties to the medical marijuana movement. I honed in on the Denver chapter and called a doctor to find out what I needed to have. Fortune shined, in an ironic way, because I had none of the maladies that allowed me to register for a medical marijuana card.
420 sales Denver Every year on April 20, Denver celebrates marijuana freedom downtown in Civic Center Park. Cool. But this was August. I'm gonna wait for April?
420 park Denver Another posting in another group invited the city of Denver to a birthday party. Hmmm. It seems that, with some additional investigation, the celebrant was known in Colorado politics for his stance on marijuana freedom. He had run for Governor. He was throwing himself a birthday party in City Park, 5 blocks from where I lived.The sure-to-be-a-smoke-in had been three weeks prior but the man had added his telephone number to his signature.
It took me three weeks to call the number.
Hi. Is this Ken Gorman?
Yes.
Hi Ken. You don't know me and I don't know if this is inappropriate or anything but I found the invitation to your party on the internet. I'm new in Denver and I was looking for some place to buy weed? Would you know of anyone?
Well I am a caregiver.
A caregiver?
I sell marijuana to patients. Are you sick?
Well, no. I'm not sick.
There's nothing wrong with you?
Well...um...when I wake up in the morning my lower back hurts. And my knees hurt sometimes.
So you have chronic pain.
Chronic...? I don't think it... um...yes, I can say I have chronic pain.
Come on over.
Come on over? Now?
Yea, you can sign the Colorado state form designating me as your primary caregiver. Then I can sell you weed for chronic pain.
Oh...uh...OK. Is it the Decatur Street address on the invitation.
Same place.
OK. I'll be right over.
When I arrived I showed Ken my California driver's license and filled out a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Medical Marijuana Registry form giving Ken status as my primary caregiver.
What about a doctor's note?
Here's the form for your doctor to fill out. When he fills it in and signs it bring it back. In the meantime I'll stamp it that we are awaiting doctor's approval.
And Ken took out a big old rubber stamp and inked the top of the form:
AWAITING DOCTOR APPROVAL
I walked out with the stamped doctor's form, an ounce of primo, the knowledge that my name and my neighbor's address were on file in this man's paper filing system, and gleeful in the fact that I, for the first time in my life, did not have to rely on a friend to get pot for me. I finally had my own dealer.
Time passed. My partner got sober. (Alcohol.) And in a spasm of sisterly generosity I did also. (To a point.) So I didn't visit Ken as much.
Six months passed and I heard on the news that Ken was killed by an intruder in the same house that I had been visiting. CBS-4 News ran a story on Ken in which they had divulged his address. The following week someone broke into the house, killed Ken and stole the money. The killer is still on the loose.
Ken, in point of fact, was my first friend in Denver. He was a bigwig in the marijuana freedom community and local and state politics. And he was my drug dealer.
They had a candlelight memorial for Ken in Cheesman Park. I listened to Revelations by Yoko Ono (as remixed by Cat Power on Yes, I'm A Witch) as I drove to the vigil and cried uncontrollably. It was more than I had cried for my grandfather.
Spring came and I got my chance to scope out the 420 celebration at Civic Center Park. Cops were everywhere. No one was smoking openly and I couldn't just walk up to someone and ask if they had a connection for me. The year before 4/20 had been a party. It was - I saw the video on the internet. But, of course, Denver had just passed Initiative S-100 legalizing 1 ounce or less of pot in the city and the cops had to prove something. A day late and a dollar short.
As I was walking back to my car I saw three twenty-somethings sitting behind a Wells Fargo Bank sign doing the doob. I wrestled within myself about what I should do and, after a lot less time than it had previously taken me to pick up the telephone, I went to them and asked the all important question.
Do you have a connection in Denver that I can use? I'm not a serial killer or cop or anything. I'm a technical writer. Here's my business card. I just moved here and I know no one.
After some chit chat they deemed I was worthy and Cara, the girl holding the joint, gave me her cell and told me to call her that night. Her boyfriend was a dealer. When I called, Cara gave me an address and told me to come over. I bought an ounce from her boyfriend Chris who then gave me his cell phone number. Leaving Chris's house, I knew I had another dealer and hopefully this one wouldn't die. I didn't have the need to call Chris often but every time I did I wondered if he would remember me. Ultimately, it didn't matter because what was to be the last time I called him, he told me he didn't sell anymore.
sell pot Denver On The Stoner's Forum I saw that a small group was having a get together in a month. Hmm? And if that didn't work out it would be April 20 again.
buy weed Denver On We Be High, I found gold.
Where to buy marijuana in Denver: Civic Center Park, immediately west of Broadway, in-between Colfax and 14th Avenue Parkway. Don't bother at night, nobody will be there to sell except for opportunistic rip-off artists. But, if it's daytime 7-days a week and there isn't a summertime festival going on then you are good-to-go.
Oh, man. This type of thing is forever. As one merchant gets older or leaves or moves higher up in the organization (I watch The Wire), another takes his place. So I went to Civic Center Park (where it began on 4/20) wearing my Montana t-shirt, in the hopes that the shirt would mean something to the mysterious dealer. It didn't take long for three men to spot me.
Bud.
I hadn't thought of searching that word. I drooled.
I got dime bags. And wipe your mouth.
I only have a twenty.
He points his finger to his friend. We nod and I took the twenty out of my back packet (surreptitiously placed there while dressing) and placed it in his hand - getting a feeling that he had to have the money in his hand before he would let go of the weed. He then dropped two small bags in my hand.
Thanks.
I walked away. No hassles. No interference. Plain, simple cash/merchandise transaction. This is the perfect purchase for someone who wants to smoke once in a while. It's like a liquor store on the corner that's been there for years but you're not an alcoholic.
Which brings up my desire to promote marijuana freedom. Having marijuana illegal costs the government millions in potential tax revenue. Think about what this revenue will do to offset the chunk of change we're losing on the Iraq War. (Hit them in their pocketbooks.) Marijuana freedom! Yea!!
Oh, please don't forward this entry to my mother. You're a doll.
Two months later the realization came that one thing I had brought with me was, in fact, finite. So it was time to start finding a place to purchase marijuana. I began searching the internet for a resource. Everything is on the internet these days.
buy pot Denver I typed into Google and clicked through to a Yahoo group made up of people with ties to the medical marijuana movement. I honed in on the Denver chapter and called a doctor to find out what I needed to have. Fortune shined, in an ironic way, because I had none of the maladies that allowed me to register for a medical marijuana card.
420 sales Denver Every year on April 20, Denver celebrates marijuana freedom downtown in Civic Center Park. Cool. But this was August. I'm gonna wait for April?
420 park Denver Another posting in another group invited the city of Denver to a birthday party. Hmmm. It seems that, with some additional investigation, the celebrant was known in Colorado politics for his stance on marijuana freedom. He had run for Governor. He was throwing himself a birthday party in City Park, 5 blocks from where I lived.The sure-to-be-a-smoke-in had been three weeks prior but the man had added his telephone number to his signature.
It took me three weeks to call the number.
Hi. Is this Ken Gorman?
Yes.
Hi Ken. You don't know me and I don't know if this is inappropriate or anything but I found the invitation to your party on the internet. I'm new in Denver and I was looking for some place to buy weed? Would you know of anyone?
Well I am a caregiver.
A caregiver?
I sell marijuana to patients. Are you sick?
Well, no. I'm not sick.
There's nothing wrong with you?
Well...um...when I wake up in the morning my lower back hurts. And my knees hurt sometimes.
So you have chronic pain.
Chronic...? I don't think it... um...yes, I can say I have chronic pain.
Come on over.
Come on over? Now?
Yea, you can sign the Colorado state form designating me as your primary caregiver. Then I can sell you weed for chronic pain.
Oh...uh...OK. Is it the Decatur Street address on the invitation.
Same place.
OK. I'll be right over.
When I arrived I showed Ken my California driver's license and filled out a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Medical Marijuana Registry form giving Ken status as my primary caregiver.
What about a doctor's note?
Here's the form for your doctor to fill out. When he fills it in and signs it bring it back. In the meantime I'll stamp it that we are awaiting doctor's approval.
And Ken took out a big old rubber stamp and inked the top of the form:
I walked out with the stamped doctor's form, an ounce of primo, the knowledge that my name and my neighbor's address were on file in this man's paper filing system, and gleeful in the fact that I, for the first time in my life, did not have to rely on a friend to get pot for me. I finally had my own dealer.
Time passed. My partner got sober. (Alcohol.) And in a spasm of sisterly generosity I did also. (To a point.) So I didn't visit Ken as much.
Six months passed and I heard on the news that Ken was killed by an intruder in the same house that I had been visiting. CBS-4 News ran a story on Ken in which they had divulged his address. The following week someone broke into the house, killed Ken and stole the money. The killer is still on the loose.
Ken, in point of fact, was my first friend in Denver. He was a bigwig in the marijuana freedom community and local and state politics. And he was my drug dealer.
They had a candlelight memorial for Ken in Cheesman Park. I listened to Revelations by Yoko Ono (as remixed by Cat Power on Yes, I'm A Witch) as I drove to the vigil and cried uncontrollably. It was more than I had cried for my grandfather.
Spring came and I got my chance to scope out the 420 celebration at Civic Center Park. Cops were everywhere. No one was smoking openly and I couldn't just walk up to someone and ask if they had a connection for me. The year before 4/20 had been a party. It was - I saw the video on the internet. But, of course, Denver had just passed Initiative S-100 legalizing 1 ounce or less of pot in the city and the cops had to prove something. A day late and a dollar short.
As I was walking back to my car I saw three twenty-somethings sitting behind a Wells Fargo Bank sign doing the doob. I wrestled within myself about what I should do and, after a lot less time than it had previously taken me to pick up the telephone, I went to them and asked the all important question.
Do you have a connection in Denver that I can use? I'm not a serial killer or cop or anything. I'm a technical writer. Here's my business card. I just moved here and I know no one.
After some chit chat they deemed I was worthy and Cara, the girl holding the joint, gave me her cell and told me to call her that night. Her boyfriend was a dealer. When I called, Cara gave me an address and told me to come over. I bought an ounce from her boyfriend Chris who then gave me his cell phone number. Leaving Chris's house, I knew I had another dealer and hopefully this one wouldn't die. I didn't have the need to call Chris often but every time I did I wondered if he would remember me. Ultimately, it didn't matter because what was to be the last time I called him, he told me he didn't sell anymore.
sell pot Denver On The Stoner's Forum I saw that a small group was having a get together in a month. Hmm? And if that didn't work out it would be April 20 again.
buy weed Denver On We Be High, I found gold.
Where to buy marijuana in Denver: Civic Center Park, immediately west of Broadway, in-between Colfax and 14th Avenue Parkway. Don't bother at night, nobody will be there to sell except for opportunistic rip-off artists. But, if it's daytime 7-days a week and there isn't a summertime festival going on then you are good-to-go.
Oh, man. This type of thing is forever. As one merchant gets older or leaves or moves higher up in the organization (I watch The Wire), another takes his place. So I went to Civic Center Park (where it began on 4/20) wearing my Montana t-shirt, in the hopes that the shirt would mean something to the mysterious dealer. It didn't take long for three men to spot me.
Bud.
I hadn't thought of searching that word. I drooled.
I got dime bags. And wipe your mouth.
I only have a twenty.
He points his finger to his friend. We nod and I took the twenty out of my back packet (surreptitiously placed there while dressing) and placed it in his hand - getting a feeling that he had to have the money in his hand before he would let go of the weed. He then dropped two small bags in my hand.
Thanks.
I walked away. No hassles. No interference. Plain, simple cash/merchandise transaction. This is the perfect purchase for someone who wants to smoke once in a while. It's like a liquor store on the corner that's been there for years but you're not an alcoholic.
Which brings up my desire to promote marijuana freedom. Having marijuana illegal costs the government millions in potential tax revenue. Think about what this revenue will do to offset the chunk of change we're losing on the Iraq War. (Hit them in their pocketbooks.) Marijuana freedom! Yea!!
Oh, please don't forward this entry to my mother. You're a doll.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
HEART Rocks! In Englewood, CO?
I had not expected Heart to be playing the Denver area as there had been no date announced for the Love Rules 2007 trek. But, three weeks after the tour's announcement, my own heart jumped when Concerts for Kids announced a double bill of fund-raising entertainment with Michael MacDonald and special guest star Heart. What little newspaper advertising there was (buried in a list ad placed in the alternative newsweekly) did not lead me to believe that this was going to attract an audience of Heartmongers. And then of course the unspoken - Heart opening for Michael MacDonald? Someone has a screw loose. With this in mind, I went, on June 8, 2007, to see Heart at the Coors Amphitheatre in Englewood, CO, a suburb of Denver.
When I approached the box office, the marquee listed Heart above Michael MacDonald. Strange considering Heart was opening for Michael MacDonald. I was offered a ticket in the third row for $1000 (come on, it's for charity) and one in the 9th row for $75. Guess which one I took?
I got there at 7 en pointe to see Heart. There were maybe a hundred people already seated. I could not believe Heart would have to play to such an empty venue. (I've seen the band seven times and never was the venue NOT sold out.) At 7:10, two nattily dressed women and one nattily dressed man came out, and introduced themselves. (I recognized one of the femmes from the local news station.) The three were blathering about the evening's events which had already included a two hour pre-concert banquet. They were now coaxing 400 people from the banquet tent next door to the amphitheatre so they could start the show because 'Michael MacDonald is ready backstage and will be out here in five to ten minutes'.
That's when I woke up. You see, there is no way I'm sitting through two hours of Michael MacDonald Motown covers. Definitely the Doobies. Maybe the early 80s solo period. I know. I know. I'm sure he did those songs but you had to sit through some dreck to get there. Anyway, I had something else I could've been doing. (Someday I'll tell you.) So I left my seat to try and leave the amphitheatre (which is generally a no-no). Now read and learn: I went to the gate and asked for the Gate Supervisor. The Gate Supervisor. He allowed me to leave and come back later. (TIP: Always go to the supervisor.) Whew. I dodged that bullet. So had a nice dinner.and did my something. (8/17/07: add link)
At 9:00 en pointe I returned and took my seat in the 9th row. The blatherers returned and announced their intention to auction off items signed by, as local TV personality Molly Hughes so painfully pointed out, "Heart and the Williams sisters and Michael MacDonald band." (TIP TO MISS HUGHES: Investigation before blathering makes you sound more intelligent. And frankly, I was shocked that the constant - Ann and Nancy Wilson make up the core of Heart - was not a basic fact to her. Criminy, everyone knows that.) The amphitheatre had filled up by now although the lawn and rear seats were sparse at best. (I believe the venue holds 8-10,000.) The audience was monied, skewing older (I saw 60s), and dressed to the nines. They were somewhat snockered from the banquet, and chatting away throughout the rest of the show. I was right; not a Heartmonger crowd. I begin to wonder if Heart's set list will be different because of this.
The auction was for two standard wood acoustic guitars (recently purchased at the Guitar Center, I'm sure) that had been signed with a Sharpie, as it turns out, by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Michael MacDonald (no band). The auction itself was pitiful although it was obvious that people have money to spend. MacDonald's guitar sold for $8000; Heart's $12,000, (Yes! Heart! I knew you should headline the show.) And at 9:10 pm they did.
CAUTION: Before beginning the concert recap, I must make two points regarding the videos you can click on: the sound in the venue was HORRIBLE. And the crowd spent a great deal of time talking amongst themselves. That said, enjoy the videos with a grain of salt.
Heart comes out...literally.
Out of the box, the band played Magic Man. It seemed they were not hedging their bets.
"Don't remember us? This'll jog your memory."
Good tactic as it turned out. The crowd was on its feet and screaming. I guess thirty years ago these older folks knew Heart AND this song. I was a little disappointed (as I read they opened the Dallas show with Mistral Wind) but the performance was good and the crowd was pumped. I assumed this was going to be a hits show - there's no way I'll be hearing This Man Is Mine tonight. (Not that I ever hear This Man Is Mine. And yes, I love the album Private Audition - and have it on CD, puff, puff.)
After Ann's opening comment about 'rocking us with all the breath they can muster', she took a deep one and the band went right into Little Queen, an admittedly odd choice if they were doing what I had predicted but it was a single and I believe Top 50 so it did fit. The audience stayed on their feet and danced (which impressed me), and Heart was winning me over yet again. I love Little Queen.
Next, they start the drum beat (?) at the beginning of Straight On and the audience started sitting down in droves. I knew what was coming and was not sitting down. I was dancing to Straight On, man. Then Ann started, "Quite some time..." Immediately, the audience got back up and cheered and danced! This wasn't even a 'huge' hit; it peaked at 33. (Wait, that was Dog and Butterfly. Maybe Straight On peaked at 14.) But the audience obviously knew and loved the song and Heart did a bang-up version. In fact, the band was incredible. Ann and Nancy. What can I say? Every time I see them it's like the first time (and I've been seeing them since 1978.) The new girl playing the keyboards was phenomenal. Her Magic Man tremoloes were amazing. And the guys were just as much a part of the band, all excelling in their areas. (I'm not a musician and don't know a guitar from a bass.)
Love Alive was next. The Epic stuff was really being played.
Following, Nancy told the story about receiving a fan letter, sweetly bringing it full circle to the Concert for Kids and sequeing into a hot version of Bebe Le Strange.
The next song was a Nancy solo. The audience (as I) loved the song and the performance. I did not recognize it but here is a video for the last half. What's the title? (Thanks to Anonymous who let me know that the song is Tom Petty's You Wreck Me. Must be a newer song because I know his earlier stuff. Hmmm...that sounds pretentious, doesn't it? I'm really not. Really.)
They slowed the pace down with Dog and Butterfly followed by These Dreams. The balladic pace continued with Alone, a beautiful acoustic version. Halfway through Ann used her voice for the build (rather than the instrumentation as on the track) and the crowd went wild, standing and singing for the rest of the song. Next was another tour de force: Heart covers the Who's Reign O'er Me. It was incredible. I was dumb struck and awe struck and only realized halfway through the song that I wanted to see this again. The video starts in the middle and that's my melodious voice closing the clip. Incredible vocal, Ann.
Barracuda followed and I sat down. I love it but I needed a rest. One blonde bimbo tapped me and said, "You're the Heart guy. How come you're sitting?" I guess I became the Heart guy because of my shout out to Ms. Hughes that is was 'the Wilson sisters, for Christ's sake, not the Williams sisters' as well as my Desire Walks On shirt. (Yes, I have one. It's a promo for the record.)
NEWS: Have you heard Fergie's version of Barracuda? Faithful cover with nothing new or interesting added but Fergie does a credible job as a rock singer. Hearing this new version though made me long to hear the original. And, I am so glad they didn't insert some ridiculous rap in the middle of it.
I got up again as Heart closed the show with Crazy on You. I was, after all, the Heart guy.
The first encore followed with covers of Black Dog and Misty Mountain Hop (not D'yer Mak'er as previously reported) by Led Zeppelin.
A second encore ended the show with Dreamboat Annie.
Man, those ladies rocked this Denver suburb. I can't wait to see them on August 27 at the Mountain Winery in California where they've sold out two shows again. (This will be a Heartmonger show as it has been the last few times I've seen them there.) Ann gave us Coloradans a glimmer of hope though when she left the stage saying something to the effect of 'we'll be back' and gave a wink. I know she was speaking directly to me and not that guy (or gal) who paid $12,000 for a guitar for tax purposes. (FYI, I'm not really a Coloradan. I'm a Californian but that's another story.)
Heart really took this audience over the top considering it's collective drawbacks. And even with the bad sound, I would guess that most of them left the venue as Heartmongers-to-be, or Heartmongers for a night, or Faux Heartmongers. Whichever you choose, they'll be telling their friends, "Heart Rocked! in Englewood, CO!"
__________
Dear Ann and Nancy,
It's got to be you reading my letter!
As a long time fan, I thought I'd make a request. This Man is Mine, Allies, Love Me Like Music, Will You Be There, Here Song/Devil Delight, Cook With Fire (...for the first time in Memphis...), Bright Light Girl...I can go on but I won't. Well, I'd freak if the set list was mixed up a bit with, okay, one of my favorites. I'll be at Saratoga on the 27th (not the 1st). Now forget that you read this. It's embarassing. Although I feel like a kid again. I think this is a fan letter. No. It's a fan log. It's a flog. Congratulations, ladies, for being the first to be honored by a flog.
See ya' in CA.
michael
When I approached the box office, the marquee listed Heart above Michael MacDonald. Strange considering Heart was opening for Michael MacDonald. I was offered a ticket in the third row for $1000 (come on, it's for charity) and one in the 9th row for $75. Guess which one I took?
I got there at 7 en pointe to see Heart. There were maybe a hundred people already seated. I could not believe Heart would have to play to such an empty venue. (I've seen the band seven times and never was the venue NOT sold out.) At 7:10, two nattily dressed women and one nattily dressed man came out, and introduced themselves. (I recognized one of the femmes from the local news station.) The three were blathering about the evening's events which had already included a two hour pre-concert banquet. They were now coaxing 400 people from the banquet tent next door to the amphitheatre so they could start the show because 'Michael MacDonald is ready backstage and will be out here in five to ten minutes'.
That's when I woke up. You see, there is no way I'm sitting through two hours of Michael MacDonald Motown covers. Definitely the Doobies. Maybe the early 80s solo period. I know. I know. I'm sure he did those songs but you had to sit through some dreck to get there. Anyway, I had something else I could've been doing. (Someday I'll tell you.) So I left my seat to try and leave the amphitheatre (which is generally a no-no). Now read and learn: I went to the gate and asked for the Gate Supervisor. The Gate Supervisor. He allowed me to leave and come back later. (TIP: Always go to the supervisor.) Whew. I dodged that bullet. So had a nice dinner.and did my something. (8/17/07: add link)
At 9:00 en pointe I returned and took my seat in the 9th row. The blatherers returned and announced their intention to auction off items signed by, as local TV personality Molly Hughes so painfully pointed out, "Heart and the Williams sisters and Michael MacDonald band." (TIP TO MISS HUGHES: Investigation before blathering makes you sound more intelligent. And frankly, I was shocked that the constant - Ann and Nancy Wilson make up the core of Heart - was not a basic fact to her. Criminy, everyone knows that.) The amphitheatre had filled up by now although the lawn and rear seats were sparse at best. (I believe the venue holds 8-10,000.) The audience was monied, skewing older (I saw 60s), and dressed to the nines. They were somewhat snockered from the banquet, and chatting away throughout the rest of the show. I was right; not a Heartmonger crowd. I begin to wonder if Heart's set list will be different because of this.
The auction was for two standard wood acoustic guitars (recently purchased at the Guitar Center, I'm sure) that had been signed with a Sharpie, as it turns out, by Ann and Nancy Wilson and Michael MacDonald (no band). The auction itself was pitiful although it was obvious that people have money to spend. MacDonald's guitar sold for $8000; Heart's $12,000, (Yes! Heart! I knew you should headline the show.) And at 9:10 pm they did.
CAUTION: Before beginning the concert recap, I must make two points regarding the videos you can click on: the sound in the venue was HORRIBLE. And the crowd spent a great deal of time talking amongst themselves. That said, enjoy the videos with a grain of salt.
Heart comes out...literally.
Out of the box, the band played Magic Man. It seemed they were not hedging their bets.
"Don't remember us? This'll jog your memory."
Good tactic as it turned out. The crowd was on its feet and screaming. I guess thirty years ago these older folks knew Heart AND this song. I was a little disappointed (as I read they opened the Dallas show with Mistral Wind) but the performance was good and the crowd was pumped. I assumed this was going to be a hits show - there's no way I'll be hearing This Man Is Mine tonight. (Not that I ever hear This Man Is Mine. And yes, I love the album Private Audition - and have it on CD, puff, puff.)
After Ann's opening comment about 'rocking us with all the breath they can muster', she took a deep one and the band went right into Little Queen, an admittedly odd choice if they were doing what I had predicted but it was a single and I believe Top 50 so it did fit. The audience stayed on their feet and danced (which impressed me), and Heart was winning me over yet again. I love Little Queen.
Next, they start the drum beat (?) at the beginning of Straight On and the audience started sitting down in droves. I knew what was coming and was not sitting down. I was dancing to Straight On, man. Then Ann started, "Quite some time..." Immediately, the audience got back up and cheered and danced! This wasn't even a 'huge' hit; it peaked at 33. (Wait, that was Dog and Butterfly. Maybe Straight On peaked at 14.) But the audience obviously knew and loved the song and Heart did a bang-up version. In fact, the band was incredible. Ann and Nancy. What can I say? Every time I see them it's like the first time (and I've been seeing them since 1978.) The new girl playing the keyboards was phenomenal. Her Magic Man tremoloes were amazing. And the guys were just as much a part of the band, all excelling in their areas. (I'm not a musician and don't know a guitar from a bass.)
Love Alive was next. The Epic stuff was really being played.
Following, Nancy told the story about receiving a fan letter, sweetly bringing it full circle to the Concert for Kids and sequeing into a hot version of Bebe Le Strange.
The next song was a Nancy solo. The audience (as I) loved the song and the performance. I did not recognize it but here is a video for the last half. What's the title? (Thanks to Anonymous who let me know that the song is Tom Petty's You Wreck Me. Must be a newer song because I know his earlier stuff. Hmmm...that sounds pretentious, doesn't it? I'm really not. Really.)
They slowed the pace down with Dog and Butterfly followed by These Dreams. The balladic pace continued with Alone, a beautiful acoustic version. Halfway through Ann used her voice for the build (rather than the instrumentation as on the track) and the crowd went wild, standing and singing for the rest of the song. Next was another tour de force: Heart covers the Who's Reign O'er Me. It was incredible. I was dumb struck and awe struck and only realized halfway through the song that I wanted to see this again. The video starts in the middle and that's my melodious voice closing the clip. Incredible vocal, Ann.
Barracuda followed and I sat down. I love it but I needed a rest. One blonde bimbo tapped me and said, "You're the Heart guy. How come you're sitting?" I guess I became the Heart guy because of my shout out to Ms. Hughes that is was 'the Wilson sisters, for Christ's sake, not the Williams sisters' as well as my Desire Walks On shirt. (Yes, I have one. It's a promo for the record.)
NEWS: Have you heard Fergie's version of Barracuda? Faithful cover with nothing new or interesting added but Fergie does a credible job as a rock singer. Hearing this new version though made me long to hear the original. And, I am so glad they didn't insert some ridiculous rap in the middle of it.
I got up again as Heart closed the show with Crazy on You. I was, after all, the Heart guy.
The first encore followed with covers of Black Dog and Misty Mountain Hop (not D'yer Mak'er as previously reported) by Led Zeppelin.
A second encore ended the show with Dreamboat Annie.
Man, those ladies rocked this Denver suburb. I can't wait to see them on August 27 at the Mountain Winery in California where they've sold out two shows again. (This will be a Heartmonger show as it has been the last few times I've seen them there.) Ann gave us Coloradans a glimmer of hope though when she left the stage saying something to the effect of 'we'll be back' and gave a wink. I know she was speaking directly to me and not that guy (or gal) who paid $12,000 for a guitar for tax purposes. (FYI, I'm not really a Coloradan. I'm a Californian but that's another story.)
Heart really took this audience over the top considering it's collective drawbacks. And even with the bad sound, I would guess that most of them left the venue as Heartmongers-to-be, or Heartmongers for a night, or Faux Heartmongers. Whichever you choose, they'll be telling their friends, "Heart Rocked! in Englewood, CO!"
__________
Dear Ann and Nancy,
It's got to be you reading my letter!
As a long time fan, I thought I'd make a request. This Man is Mine, Allies, Love Me Like Music, Will You Be There, Here Song/Devil Delight, Cook With Fire (...for the first time in Memphis...), Bright Light Girl...I can go on but I won't. Well, I'd freak if the set list was mixed up a bit with, okay, one of my favorites. I'll be at Saratoga on the 27th (not the 1st). Now forget that you read this. It's embarassing. Although I feel like a kid again. I think this is a fan letter. No. It's a fan log. It's a flog. Congratulations, ladies, for being the first to be honored by a flog.
See ya' in CA.
michael
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