Category Archives: denver

On New Opportunities, Sadly, Fondly, Excitedly

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This post is a love letter to one of my best friends, who’s off to intern abroad for the next six months. I hope she has an absolute blast perfecting her Italian while eating gelato and canolis and kicking ass at what she’s doing.

I’ve known her since I was fourteen. We got close during geometry class our sophomore year – we were absolute hellions to our teacher – and then traveled to Europe together on an amazing forensic science trip between our junior and senior years of high school.

We went to Chicago together our senior year. She was visiting her boyfriend, and I was falling in love with the lake. We ended up going to the same university. Even though we’ve had very different life experiences, we’ve been able to maintain and strengthen our friendship through the years.

Honestly, some of my best memories from college are from my senior year. The Irish, the Ginger Summer (parts one and two), bar trivia, adventuring, accidentally driving to Wisconsin, the Boston trip, the last night and the sunrise that wasn’t – those are the moments that shape the beautiful memories of my time in Chicago.

I have come to rely on Madeline for advice, for adventure, for a good laugh. Sometimes when I’m really stressed out, she’ll appear in my dreams and yell at me, so I’m pretty certain that she’s my super ego. She is the logical half of our duo, the rational one who always has the right answer. I respect and value her opinions at all times, and have looked to her as a source of strength when I need it most.

I’m so lucky to have a friend like her.

There was a flaming bowl of rum punch involved. That may explain why the picture is so off kilter.

San Francisco, summer 2010, singing “Wonderboy” at a karaoke bar. Are we awesome at karaoke? Absolutely not. Did we rock? Of course.Wonderboy, what is the secret of your power?

The Chicago Mustache Bash:

Spray painting the Irish’s van. Sally, as the van was called, had no working speedometer or gas gauge. The Irish had gotten her for $400 and paid a guy in beer to fix her when she broke.

The first night we went out with our new Irish trivia buddies, they picked us up in the van. I was certain we were going to die when they opened the sliding door while we were on Lake Shore Drive and yelled “air conditioning!”

(The Irish got stopped trying to get back into the US from Canada because they had spray painted “We’re here illegally” on the side of the van.)

South Boston, 2010. A trivia adventure.

Downtown Chicago, 2009. Maddie’s family was in town. Things got wild. This is my favorite picture of us. 

On the Zoo, Over-Heatedly

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My mom’s five-year old neighbor is one of the most adorable human beings I’ve ever met. (Last summer, while playing Capture the Flag, she came to let me out of jail – an overturned boat in our shared backyard – and she informed me that “that’s what best friends do.” My heart cracked and overflowed.)

For the last six months or so, she’s been reminding me that I promised her that we’d go to the zoo and have a picnic in City Park and that she’d get to meet Carlos. “I’ve never met a cat before; I’ve never met Carlos,” she tells me.

So on Sunday, my mom, my neighbor, and I piled into the car – she wanted me to sit next to her in the backseat, so I did – and headed to the zoo armed with a picnic lunch. It was too hot, so we didn’t last very long at the zoo. We were able to get about 100 feet into the new elephant exhibit, and we didn’t get to see any penguins.

I’m heartbroken – penguins are my absolute favorite things. Here are penguin pictures from Boulder’s Beach in South Africa:

(Can you tell I’m missing South Africa? Always.)

Anyway, the zoo.

We saw lots of sleeping animals – lions, tigers, kangaroos – it seemed like everyone just wanted to be left alone to sleep in the heat. We rode the zoo train. We had ice cream, and our little friend desperately wanted popcorn, so we had some of that too.

After we left the zoo, we went to my house so she could meet Carlos. I was nervous – Carlos is skittish at best around new people, and he’s never been around a 5-year old.

Carlos loved her. At one point, she kissed him right on the nose. He didn’t flinch. We fed him some wet food (is there a better way to get a cat to sit still?), and she got to scratch his back while he ate.

Then we had a picnic in the park, under the big arches.

We had turkey sandwiches, cucumbers, carrots, leftover popcorn from the zoo, and gummy bears. Then we chased each other around with squirt guns and played frisbee until we were exhausted and ready for sleep.

All in all? A great day. I hope that it was everything she imagined it would be.

On Chicago, hurriedly.

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more about this adventure later, but here’s the Chicago part:

I flew from Denver to Chicago after work on Friday. He picked me up at the airport (with champagne!). Saturday: we saw his grandparents and then he had a going-away party at his house. Sunday: we had brunch with his family; then I had a nap while he packed the car; then we had going away dinner at his mom’s house. (It was really cute because both of his parents came. It was sort of like when both of my parents came to my college graduation party. You’re shocked, because you haven’t seen them in the same room in years, but you’re also really proud of them. And happy.)

And then we left. It was midnight and the moon ahead of us, wrapped in clouds, led the way home.

Midway Airport by Night

Swisher picked me up with a bottle of champagne, a sandwich, and some cookies. We sat in the back seat as his brother drove us back to Lincoln Park.

It was the best airport pick-up a girl could have hoped for.

Hancock Building, Chicago

The city.

Katie and Matt at Fado's

We went out downtown Friday night. Swisher’s brother wanted to meet up with some of his friends, so we ended up navigating through the crowd at a hip bar downtown. Ugh, I hate feeling like I’m wearing too much pants. Also, I dread summer because I’m so pale. Mini-dresses look good on me, but not as good as the tan women.

Overwhelmed by the crush of bros that was the hip bar, we ended up at Fado’s, one of my favorite Irish bars. The night was perfect. Absolutely, one hundred percent perfect.

Belmont Harbor, Chicago

We visited his grandparents on Saturday. The view from their apartment over Belmont Harbor enchants me. I could watch the lake all day. His grandma remembered that I liked watermelon and strawberries, so she had some waiting for us when we got there.

Thai food

On Sunday night, Swisher’s brother made a Thai feast (sans peanuts so Swisher wouldn’t die). It was delicious. Beyond delicious. There were fried fish balls, curry, mango sticky rice, noodle dishes, lettuce wraps. We played a few rounds of Catchphrase before we left, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite games.

And then we left. There were tears and hugs and a general overwhelming feeling of love. It was good.

On Captain Earthman, fondly

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This is really cute. 6 daughters!?!

PEOPLE & PLACES | COLORADO PERSONALITIES ND THEIR FAVORITE HAUNTS

Colorado Rockies beer vendor Captain Earthman, a.k.a. Brent Doeden, reflects on “Cold beer!” at Coors Field and beyond

POSTED:   04/26/2012 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED:   04/26/2012 08:32:35 AM MDT

By William Porter
The Denver Post

“Captain Earthman,” a.k.a. Brent Doeden, has been hawking cold drinks at Coors Field since the stadium opened in 1995. (Cyrus McCrimmon, The Denver Post)

BRENT DOEDEN

The colorful gent known as Captain Earthman has been a fixture in Denver’s sports and music venues since 1986, when he first started vending at the old Mile High Stadium.

Most folks probably know him fromCoors Field, where he has hawked beer, soda and snacks at Colorado Rockies games since the stadium opened in 1995.

“I needed some extra income — I was a single parent with a 6-year-old daughter,” Brent Doeden says of his debut at a Broncos game. “They gave me a tray of sodas in the third level of the east stands.

“I walked out and said something incredibly stupid and people started laughing and bought all my sodas. I fell in love with it and have been doing it ever since.”

A grandfather, Doeden lives with his wife, Becky, and has six daughters.

COORS FIELD

One of Doeden’s top spots in Colorado is Coors Field. He not only spends at least 81 games a year at the stadium, but it’s the backbone of his vending career, which is a full-time job.

“It’s a beautiful place and I love the feel,” Doeden says. “It was an instant classic from the day it opened, and the fans are just terrific.”

He’s particularly fond of thestatueof a baseball player outside the stadium’s main entrance, a work by Loveland’s George Lundeen.

The 9½-foot bronze, titled “The Player,” honorsBranch Rickey, the innovative Brooklyn Dodgers general manager who invented the modern farm system and shattered Major League Baseball’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson.

On a recent April afternoon, just hours before he was due inside the stadium, Doeden basked in the sun just a few feet from the statue. A young couple walked up with a camera. They didn’t want a

Branch B. Rickey, left, grandson of Branch Rickey, at the 2005 unveiling of “The Player,” by sculptor George Lundeen. (Hyoung Chang, Denver Post file)

photo of the statue — the guy wanted a photo of himself with Captain Earthman.”Say ‘Rockies,’ ” the woman said, aiming the camera.

Doeden drew himself up and grinned.

“Cold beer!” he yelled.

Q: You turn 56 in May and still lug those beer trays like a trouper. How do you do it?

A: Young guys wonder about that constantly. My trays weigh about 60 or 70 pounds and this is one of the few places I dominate. But up at Red Rocks the young guns tear me apart. I can’t do 120-pound trays anymore. But I ride my bicycle everywhere, and that’s a great workout.

Q: So how many beers do you sell at an average game?

A: It depends on who’s playing. At a good game I sell 200.

Q: You are quite a showman in the stands. Where does that come from?

A:That’s the entertainer in me. I discovered it when I was 16 and working in a fish market at Fort Walton Beach, Fla., where you had an audience. And I was in the high-school acting club and found I really liked interacting with a crowd.

Q: What is your current state of mind?

A:Outrageously happy. Baseball season’s started.

Q: How did the Captain Earthman persona start?

A:It just happened over the years of vending. I used to be a really private person. And when I was a teenager and we’d be hanging out doing dumb things, I’d used to say, ‘If it’s from the earth, man, I’ll do it.’ That’s where it began.

Q: What historical figure do you most identify with?

A:Neil Armstrong. He got to walk on the moon. I’m from outer space — the Orion nebula: They’re still calling me but I can’t go there.

Q: What is your greatest fear?

A:Making the wrong change while vending. It’s bad karma.

Q: What is your most treasured possession?

A:My album collection. I have 11,000 albums — all vinyl.

Q: And your greatest extravagance?

A:Going into a Goodwill store and walking out with eight or nine albums. And I’m a big collector of “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” stuff.

Q: What trait do you most dislike in others?

A:Stupidity. I don’t have much tolerance for stupidity, even in myself.

Q: What trait do you most dislike in yourself?

A:Sometimes I get really lazy, not while working but at home. Once I sit down it’s hard to get back up.

Q: What is your favorite journey?

A:Going to Hawaii. I’ve been twice. One of my daughters just moved there so I have another reason to go back.

Q: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

A:To quit putting my foot in my mouth. I seem to do that sometimes.

Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A:Raising a family and all of them turning out OK. There have been minor bumps in the road but the kids are all fine.

Q: How would you like to die?

A:I’d like to be abducted by a spaceship. But I wouldn’t call it an abduction. I’d just be hitching a ride home.

William Porter: 303-954-1877 or wporter@denverpost.com

Read more:Colorado Rockies beer vendor Captain Earthman, a.k.a. Brent Doeden, reflects on “Cold beer!” at Coors Field and beyond – The Denver Post

On more of the Tebow madness….

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I thought that this was one of the most interesting articles I’ve read in the midst of all of this Tebow madness.

I’m neither for nor against him; I’m curious to see how things will all end up.

By the way, if you’re in the mood for something awesome, look up Jimmy Fallon’s “Tebowie” video. It’s Fallon as a Tebow-David Bowie combo and it’s amazing.

THURSDAY, JAN 12, 2012 9:30 AM MST

What if Tim Tebow were Muslim?

The NFL star has been praised for his public Christianity. It’s been different for athletes who follow Islam

BY MARCUS CEDERSTROM

Tim Tebow

Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow (15) prays in the end zone before the start of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 11, 2011, in Denver.  (Credit: AP/Julie Jacobson)
TOPICS:, , , 
Tim Tebow’s profession of faith has thrust the mixture of sport and religion into the national spotlight in a way that few can remember.
Students have been suspended for “Tebowing” — dropping to one knee to pray, even if you’re the only one doing it — in a school hallway in New York. Rick Perry claimed that he would be the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses. “Saturday Night Live” lampooned Tebow’s fan-boy love for Jesus. In response, Pat Robertson has claimed that the skit demonstrates “anti-Christian bigotry.” His supporters even called for a boycott of HBO after a Bill Maher tweet made fun of Tebow and his relationship to Jesus after his Denver Broncos lost to the Buffalo Bills.
After an overtime upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend, Tebow’s Broncos play the top-seeded New England Patriots on Saturday. For at least one more media cycle, there will appear to be no way to separate Tim Tebow – the person, the quarterback, the Christian – from his religion.
But back in September, the cultural critic Toure asked a fascinating question in ESPN the Magazine. In a piece called “What if Michael Vick were white?,” Toure argued with those who said the quarterback would not have received a two-year sentence for dogfighting if he was white. Would he have been involved with dogfighting? Would an entourage have led him to the same mistakes? Would he have had a stronger paternal relationship?
So I ask, what if Tim Tebow were Muslim? How would our society react if during every interview, Tebow said “Insha’Allah” or “Allāhu Akbar” rather than thank his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ? Or instead of falling to one knee and praying,  Tebow pulled out a prayer rug and faced Mecca? A recent study by the Pew Research Center suggests it would not be well received. While American Muslims in general tend be satisfied with their lives and communities in the United States, 55 percent report that being Muslim in the U.S. has become more difficult since Sept. 11. Twenty-eight percent report that people have viewed them with suspicion and 22 percent report having been called offensive names. The TLC show “All-American Muslim” has lost advertisers who were pressured by groups claiming that the show was Islamic propaganda. Yet Pat Robertson claims that the United States is a breeding ground for anti-Christian bigotry.
I don’t have answers to these questions. We can’t know the answers until we are faced with a prominent Muslim athlete who is willing to be so visible with his faith. In a country that consistently prides itself on freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of religion – we can hope that Muslim athletes who are visible with their faith would find themselves just as revered as Tebow is for his.
But professional Muslim athletes are hard to find. Ahmad Rashād. Rashaan Salaam. Kareem Abdul-Jabaar. Hakeem Olajuwon. Rasheed Wallace. Most of these athletes are retired and went about their religious lives quietly. But it is to that list of retired professionals that we must look to find someone as outspoken about their faith as Tim Tebow – Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Muhammad Ali, for example.
In 1990, Chris Jackson was drafted by the Denver Nuggets out of Louisiana State University. In 1991,  Jackson converted to Islam. In 1993, he changed his name to Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf. In 1996,  Abdul-Rauf refused to stand for the national anthem at an NBA game. A religious storm followed.
Everyone had an opinion, from fans to sports writers to radio hosts. Sports Illustrated reported that some people suggested Abdul-Rauf be deported. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf was born in Mississippi, however, and deportation from Colorado to Mississippi is rare. Two Denver-area radio hosts even walked into a mosque with a stereo playing the Star Spangled Banner. One was wearing a turban. And a Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf T-shirt. While broadcasting live, on air.
Abdul-Rauf claimed in a 2010 interview with HoopsHype.com that “[a]fter the national anthem fiasco, nobody really wanted to touch me.” He played only three more seasons in the NBA before going overseas to play professionally. In that same interview, he discusses how his home in Mississippi was burned down just a few months prior to Sept. 11. He eventually left the state.
So Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf stood up (or in this case, sat down) for his religious beliefs. He made his religion a visible aspect of his life and a visible aspect of his professional basketball career. Just like Tim Tebow. The difference of course being that Tim Tebow was satirized on “Saturday Night Live.” Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf had his home burned down and felt blacklisted from the NBA.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf pales in comparison to the outspoken nature of Cassius Clay. In 1964, Cassius Clay announced his membership in the Nation of Islam, and  changed his name to Muhammad Ali. In 1966, Ali spoke out against the draft and became a conscientious objector to the Vietnam War based on his religious beliefs. In 1967, Ali was convicted of draft evasion.
But even before his conviction, Ali was causing controversy. Sports Illustrateddubbed Ali the most hated athlete in the world in April 1966. In the same article, Ali’s faith was referred to as being a part of his “fanatically religious side.” Instead of being something to admire, his faith was inconceivable fanaticism. No Christian leader supported Ali’s display of Islamic faith in the same way that Muslim leaders have supported Tebow’s display of Christian faith. Just like Tebow, though, Ali – the person, the boxer, the Muslim – could not be separated from his religion. This was never clearer than in his conscientious objection to the war in Vietnam.
By now, even casual boxing fans are familiar with Ali’s quote “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong … No Viet Cong ever called me nigger.” That one quote made Ali a social activist. And his social activism was based on his faith. Ali claimed that Islam prohibited war unless called for by Allah. That one belief made Ali’s religion a wider social issue. What followed was public outcry. Ali was stripped of his championship belt, had his boxing license suspended, and was convicted of draft evasion. The Supreme Court ultimately overturned it. But for four years, Ali, arguably the greatest boxer of all time, did not fight.
So Muhammad Ali stood up (or in this case, sat out) for his religious beliefs. He made his religion a visible aspect of his life and a visible aspect of his professional boxing career. Just like Tim Tebow 40 years later. Just like Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 30 years later. Ali was an outspoken proponent of his religion, Islam, but was vilified for his outspoken religious beliefs. His Islamic beliefs.
Again I ask, what if Tim Tebow were Muslim? He’s not. So maybe it doesn’t matter. There is no way to separate the man and the religion. Some people praise him for it, others recoil. When this happens, avid defenders of Tebow invoke freedom of religion. But as Tebowmania makes its way into politics, sports, religion and the everyday life of the mainstream United States, it is important to think about how we approach religion in this country. How we approach religious freedom in this country. Do we accept freedom of religion, any religion? Or do we accept freedom of Christianity?
source: Salon