Back to Denver

If you have been following my blog you'll know that some of my updates aren't terribly timely. Sometimes this is my fault and sometimes I just haven't been able to get to a computer. Since I spent a few days in Boulder the lack of a computer hasn't been an issue. The Boulder public library is great, it is maybe the only library where I have been able to upload photos to my external hard drive and then to Snapfish and Facebook. With this in mind I spent most of my last day in Boulder in the library. I am almost up to date on here and have just a couple more albums to create on Facebook and I will be up to date on there. Very excited about this. Also getting a little more nervous about the blog. Every now and then people will throw in that they are reading it and keeping up with my location. I don't mind people knowing where I am but I am a bit worried about people reading this. I am not very good at dealing with criticism and as this is my first blog I am very aware that the writing isn't great. Also the blog was never intended for other people to read, well maybe with the exception of Darren since I am so horrible about keeping in touch. And although he would never admit it, he does worry about me. Yes, he worries that I will turn up on his doorstep without warning!! So, here I am putting myself out "there" when all I really wanted to do was to keep a record for myself. I guess I hope to see some sort of personal progression through this trip. Which is not why I am travelling but hopefully a happy side effect of it.

So the first Monday in November was spent in the library. When I had had as much of hunching over a computer keyboard as I could take I caught my bus to Denver. The journey went much more swiftly than the first time due to the lack of snow on the weathers part and due to a lack of ruck sack on my part. I had left my ruck sack at Katies and taken a much smaller bag for the weekend. I got off the bus and immediately caught the light rail, no waiting around for me this time. I got to Katies and waited for her to get home from school. She had had a bit of a tough day, the first day back after a break. And Mondays are never fun, I still feel a little bit of a dip on a Monday, not sure why. We ate dinner and then went to Katies bible study group. The discussion was based on a passage from Colossians concerning how we perceive and label people. It was really interesting and relevant and something I am sure we all do.

We all had to think of three labels that people apply to us, how true those labels are and how we feel about that. Why do we label people? How does this prevent us from really getting to know people and treating them as individuals? The first label for myself is an obvious one, I am British. This is not something I really thought about before I left Britain for Japan and now I am travelling it remains pertinent to who I am. Of course it isn't all of who I am and I think that was the thrust of the discussion, that labels shouldn't define us. We should take time to get to know ourselves and other people, to see past the labels. That is easier said than done, I am so guilty of thinking that I will never meet this person again so why should I take the time and make the effort to get to know them. We are all hard wired to make snap judgements, because in previous ages our lives depended on it. That isn't the case anymore but as a species we haven't out grown our genetic hard wiring. The meeting was good food for thought. I am glad I attended and think that the discussion is relevant to all of us, not just Christian groups.

I had the lie in I deserved on Tuesday and after a relaxed morning headed to down town. I went to the capital building and took a tour. I haven't seen many state capital buildings, but combine those with the County buildings I've seen, they are remarkably similar. This one was a little different in that I actually got to go up into the dome, there is an excellent view of the City & County building across the park. This brought in for me, into sharp relief, the cost of government. Colorado only has about 4.5 million people, but three layers of government, state,county and city. There are four if you count federal as well. In Denver they have these two huge buildings, I just thought how much money you could save if you did away with one layer of government.

I headed to my usual haunt, the library. Sorry to say that Denver library is not a patch on Boulder library in terms of computer services. The building is more interesting. I didn't stay long as I couldn't do all I needed to do and decided to walk the four miles home. I needed the exercise. The walk was pleasant and not too taxing.

I don't cook and Katie wasn't in the mood so we went out for dinner to the "India Pearl", just down the road from Katies apartment. She assured me that the food was good but I was attracted by the $4 Mojitos. Dinner was great, there was so much that I had to take some of mine home. Always a nice to have left overs for lunch the next day. We retired to the apartment, me to watch t.v. and Katie to do some work. The next day followed pretty much the same pattern, but the visit was to the U.S. Mint and not the Capital building. The mint in Denver is a coin mint and unfortunately you can't take photos inside. The tour was interesting and they give you one of the new pennies they are making this year and a "blank" penny. Quite cool I thought.
Dinner was at "Park Burger" a couple of blocks from Katies apartment, accompanied by a pint of beer. I still can't get over that beer is served in pints and not quarts or ounces.

The visit on Thursday was to the Colorado History Museum which was quite small but then Colorado only has about 150 years of "history". I did learn that Denver is the only city to decline holding the Olympics. Another useless piece of trivia for me to hold on to. Why can't I hold on to useful information? Information that might get me a job one day. I don't know. Unfortunately leaving Japan has not cured me of my habit to store useless facts and figures. Maybe I should be a tour guide.Again we didn't eat at home, we went to "Pub on Pearl" for their happy hour and then to "Hansons" for dessert. Dessert was a huge chocolate fudge brownie, I am so glad Katie and I only ordered one, I never could have eaten it by myself. As it was we still left some.

Friday was a bit of a nothing day in that I did nothing. In the evening we went to the "Art Walk" on Pearl St and got to taste some wine as well as seeing some art. I wasn't terribly impressed with the art I did see, which is just as well as I can't get it home! One art walk wasn't enough for us "Culture Vultures" and we made our way down town to the "Sante Fe" area for their art walk. The art here was a little more serious which was reflected in the prices. I saw a couple of things that I liked but the only piece I would consider buying was a photo of the Capital building at night in the snow. It was an amazing photo, shame that I don't have a wall to hang it on! I did get to see some photos by John Fielder,he takes stunning photos of Colorado mainly. The ones I got to see were fantastic, the kind of photos I don't have the skill to take. And pretty much all of them worthy of being postcards. However I don't think making his photos into postcards would earn him the same amount of money. A few of the photos cost around $3000, the limited number prints a little less. A bit out of my price range.