Big time

Alex got one of his life goals crossed off as his Star Wars Lego movie got posted to You Tube.
Check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ar2llYG2KDA and give it a good rating!

Last week

Through this summer, my work has had us on 4-10s. It has been wonderful getting Fridays off, but the long hours are getting to everyone. It'll be nice to do a "regular" day I think.

But I still have one more three-day weekend. Sadly, all I really do is sleep in. But it's nice. I am going to finally play some racquetball again. Dan and I are playing Friday afternoon. My regular class starts the first week in September and I REALLY need it.

W.D.

W.D. Farr died Monday. He was 97 years old so it's not like it was a shock, but it's still a blow to our community. I interviewed W.D. back in my newspaper days and when I first met him, I thought he was some old guy who had lost his marbles and didn't know what he was talking about. But, boy, was I wrong. He knew every fact, every date, every everything about agriculture and water in Colorado. When I interviewed Noam Chomsky back in college, I felt I was in the presense of one of the smartest people I would ever meet. W.D. Farr was the closest I ever came to that feeling again. He was a brilliant man with a great sense of humor.

As a side note, one of my favorite memories of W.D. was a few years after our interview. A rookie reporter for the Tribune had asked him a question for the weekly "Man on the Street" interview question. The reporter didn't understand W.D. when he said his name and the rookie editor didn't catch it, so it ran in the paper as "Deputy Farr." Many people gave him a badge which he happily flashed around town to show off his new title.

We'll miss you, W.D.

So much for that

So, Van Halen today announced they are going back on tour with David Lee Roth for the first time since the 1984 tour. They announced 25 dates ... not a single one in DENVER!

I'll admit I wasn't sure if I wanted to see them this time around. I mean Michael Anthony won't be with them because Eddie's son is playing bass. He was a HUGE part of the band (and I loved his Jack Daniel's bass!).

On the other hand, Van Halen was my first rock concert. May 11, 1984, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. My mom took me and four of my best friends to the show (she never attended another concert with my after the guy in front of her spent most of the evening throwing up). But that concert was legendary in my book. Eddie did a 35-minute guitar solo. DLR was unbelievable. Even Alex Van Halen was pretty damn good on his solo.

I saw Van Hagar a couple times later on but it was never the same as that first show. I love Sammy (his solo stuff is WAY better than most Van Hagar stuff).

I guess it doesn't matter what I think because Eddie and the boys are skipping Colorado completely. Happy Trails, boys.

Dogpile

The boys had a good time tackling Aunt Greta this weekend.

I also really enjoyed going to the Rockies on Saturday with a friend who is a Cubs fan as the Rox pummelled them 15-2.

Below is said fan (notice the frown even though the score was only 7-2 at the time) ...

Forgot

Another pic from Austin's visit (turn your head, I'm too lazy to adjust it on my end!)

Rockies are now alone in third place and playing great. Series with Cubbies at home is HUGE!!!!

Third

Rockies are tied for third place in the NL West after last night's win. This team is WAY more fun to watch than any other. We're 4 games out of first ... and it's August. We Rockies fans rarely get to say something like that.

Woo-HOO!!!!

Adios

Well, it's been a fun two weeks with my nephew, Austin, at our house. We had a great time with him and hopefully we can do it again some time.

The picture is of his plane about to take off with a pretty rainbow behind it. A fitting conclusion for his flight back to rainy Seattle.

Jealous

As I was devouring the last 15 pages of the last Harry Potter book, I gasped at some description and Alex overheard me. He wanted to know what was wrong.

I told him it was just a great story. And then I told him I was jealous of him.

"Why?"

"Because you've only read the first four books. You have three books still to read. This is my last one!"

Yes, the series is that good.

I feel the same way about anyone who has never read Dean Koontz' "Watchers."

I know I can go back and re-read them (and I do every couple years with Watchers) but it's different when it's the first time.

I'm just jealous.