Apex Park

Today, we went on another hike with my Dad, Moe, and Buddy. We were trying to soak up as much of this mild weather as possible. On Friday, it got up to 68 degrees in Denver. Today, it only got up to 56 degrees, but no complaints here. Again, it was a bit overcast, but it was nice because the sun tends to heat things up quite a bit. Afterward, we went for bagel sandwiches, which is becoming a ritual for Nick, Dad, Moe, Buddy, and me. Another lovely day of enjoying the Colorado outdoors! Unfortunately, I forgot my camera again today, but I managed to capture a couple pictures with my Blackberry.

Buddy

Buddy and Nick

Nerd Alert

My new glasses

The Heist

My latest video project:

(Note: I did not shoot this footage. It was a project about editing video and sound.)

Another walk in the park...

Well, since my car is now officially dead, I've been going for lots of walks around the neighborhood. Here are some pictures from last weekend's adventures.

Governor's Mansion

Flowers in late-January

Just another cute street

An exhibit on the outside of the Denver Art Museum

Best Friends

Buddy and Nick

Deer Creek Canyon

Today, Dad, Nick, Moe, Buddy, and I went for a hike in Deer Creek Canyon. It was a warm day and a bit overcast. Great hiking weather. It was pretty snowy and slushy, but with the help of some YakTrax, we managed not to slip too much. Moe is turning into quite the hiking extraordinaire. He proves that you should never underestimate the little guy. He maintains almost unbreakable focus on the trail and loves to challenge himself by climbing up giant boulders. I didn't bring my camera, but I managed to snap a photo on the way home with my Blackberry.

Historic Denver

Yesterday, Nick and I went for a walk in the snow around Capitol Hill and up to Cheesman Park. This was a pretty grueling walk because it was snowing the whole time and already about 5 inches had fell. We got 7 inches total in all. Something about the city blanketed in snow makes it feel peaceful and serene. I took more pictures of course.

The Remaining Pictures are Poet's Row

The Robert Browning

Robert Frost

Emily Dickinson

Louisa May Alcott

Nathaniel Hawthorne

You Make Loving Fun

Today, is a very special day for Nick and I. It is the 1 year Anniversary of when we began dating "officially". We are going out to eat at Maggiano's on the 16th street mall. He is my best friend, my biggest supporter, and we always have a lot of fun when we are together.  Here's to many more years!

Sarah Palin: A Politically Irresponsible Fame-Seeker

      While I usually try to stay away from being overtly political, today, I cannot help myself. Yesterday, only a short time after I found out "Sarah Palin's Alaska" would be canceled (as if the oil-drilling, shooting of wolves from a helicopter, woman has any interest in the conservation of Alaska), I found the her name in the news, yet again.
      Yesterday, at a political rally, held at a Safeway in Tuscon, Arizona, Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was the target of an assassination attempt. Rep. Giffords was a key proponent in the passing of "Obama-care". She was shot point-blank in the head. The bullet exited her skull, leaving her in critical condition at a Tucson hospital. Unfortunately, Federal Judge John Roll, did not escape with his life. Judge Roll is known for allowing a lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Arizona Immigration Bill 1070. This bill made it a crime for immigrants to be in the state illegally, much more it allowed for police officers to stop, arrest, and detain anyone they may "reasonably suspect" of being an illegal immigrant, ie. suspect by their skin color. Along with Judge Roll, five others were fatally wounded, including a 9 year-old girl. In addition to Rep. Gifford, thirteen others were injured and are in critical to serious condition (Denver Post, 2011).
      The assailant was Jared Loughner, a 22 year-old man, who has previously been confronted by the police for making death threats. Also, Loughner has made several threats online. He is known on YouTube for his anti-American and anti-government rants, including one video where the song "Bodies" plays in the background. Police describe him as "unhinged" and "mentally-ill". People who know him unanimously describe him as a disturbed individual. In addition, another man is being sought in the investigation, who was spotted on surveillance cameras nearby when the massacre occurred and is believed to be associated with Loughner (NPR, 2011).
    What does this have to do with Sarah Palin, you may wonder? Here is an image taken straight from Palin's website.

If you notice at the top it reads "Don't get demoralized, get organized. It's time to take a stand." Signature included. I find this choice of words interesting. The words "get organized" to me point to the formation of some sort of Tea-Party motivated militia. However, all speculation aside, the map itself it clear as day. There are cross-hairs placed on what Palin calls "political targets". Fortunately, the website was taken down early this morning (only the guilty run). However, prior to the removal, she listed Rep. Gifford as one of these "political targets", placing the cross-hairs directly over the district Gifford serves.
     I realize blaming Sarah Palin directly for what happened in Arizona would be fallacious. However, I do believe this type of reckless political rhetoric is grossly irresponsible on her part. I'm sure, or I hope, this outcome was not her intention. However, overlooking this type of political discourse would be wrong. At a time when America has become deeply polarized, when political and religious extremists (on every side) are popping up each day, this website is nothing short of dangerous and careless. For someone who grasps at fame and seeks desperately to improve her political status, Palin should really take her words a little more seriously. I am sad to say, she has millions of followers (2.5 million alone on Facebook), and we can bet more than a few are "unhinged" and "mentally-ill". It would not be fair to describe all Sarah Palin fans and Tea-Party members (Tea-baggers) as extremist, gun-wielding, nut jobs. However, you never know who is listening, and Sarah Palin, clearly, did not take this into account. Crazy people will be crazy, but no one, especially not a public figure, should condone or even insinuate the assassination of another. Her political strategy is asinine at best. Not to mention, we are left wondering whether she cares more about being a celebrity or a politician. The coincidence between the massacre in Arizona and her website is blatant and rather appalling. 
    Recently, I have slipped into political apathy. I feel change is too hard to come by. Much more, what can a person like me do? I actually lost sleep last night over this. I vow to do whatever I can to make sure this irrational, uneducated, hypocritical, and fame-whoring excuse for a politician is not elected President in 2012. 

(Note: As of Monday, January 10th, the second man, seen on surveillance cameras, has been cleared of any wrongdoing.)

Capitol Hill & Cheesman Park

Today, I took a walk around Capitol Hill and east to Cheesman park. It was a pleasant 53 degrees and partly cloudy. It was a lovely day, especially for January. It won't last long as snow and cold are predicted for the rest of the weekend and into Monday. Here are some pictures I took of a few interesting buildings.

Check out Nick's Blog: My Mind's Got A Mind Of It's Own

My Mind's Got A Mind Of It's Own: "Being a new year (and a new blog),  it's about that time again for me to start making my "Best of" list.  Since in the past, I have always over-thought and stressed out about these lists, I will not be ranking the albums, but rather just make a list of great albums standing side-by-side.

So with no further ado, I give you the top (non-jamband) albums of 2010."

Wicker Park - Chicago

On the last day of our trip, we ate lunch in Joliet at Giordano's. We had a famous Chicago-style stuffed pizza, complete with lots of cheese, green pepper, mushrooms, pepperonis, and topped with sauce. After lunch, we headed back into Chicago. Nick took me to his old neighborhood, Wicker Park, which is north of the downtown area in my previous posts. It is a quaint part of the city, which feels surprisingly small, seeing as though you can't even view the giant buildings from here. We went to an old bar, called the Map Room, which is allegedly one of Chicago's best beer bars. They had 100s of beers from all over the World, and not once did we see a cocktail poured. They had countless copies of National Geographic, some of them very old and tattered. This reminded me of my Dad quite a bit, and I knew he would be very interested to see this. We spent several hours here, as we were meeting a few of Nick's friends, and even one of my best buddies from college, Brent. After, we went to the Blue Line Lounge for dinner, which was a little too fancy for us. The food itself wasn't fancy, but everyone in this neighborhood is extremely hip, and pretty much dresses the part. As Coloradoans, we stuck out a bit. However, everyone was friendly, and we had a good time.