One-day getaway

These days it is hard to find leisure time, between school, work and the rest of the daily grind, Denverites are left with little time to enjoy the beauty all around them. Often a weekend is wasted at the laundromat and grocery store, and the mild climate is forgotten.

One day to get away means planning on leaving after work and driving three hours to Steamboat Springs Colo. It is just far enough from the city to feel like a vacation, and close enough the make it to work after your day off. Getting familiar with the town the night before, and finding a room close to the slope makes it easy to hit the powder early.

"If you don't make it up 'til noon you get the mashed potato stuff, it's perfect conditions up here!" Said Doug Bell, an avid Steamboat skiier who spoke later in the day about an alternative to fighting traffic on the way back to the city by leaving after some more R&R.



Once the mountain has caused enough bodily damage, the hot springs at Strawberry Park Park offers relief from aches and pains. Three pools of different temperatures lie nestled in the mountainside. The first pool is mall and warm, about 104 degrees (F), the second is slightly cooler, and the third is a cold pool with pockets of warm where natural vents heat the water.

The second 'sport pool' is perfect temperature to soothe the aches of the mountain, and allow for relaxation in the dark water where clothing is optional after dark. In the daytime, the pools glisten in reflection of the mountains.

The drive home is downhill most of the way, and if the trip was timed right, there will be eight hours before the alarm clock goes off again.

Sold out: Human bodies on display

The Museum of Nature and Science in Denver is currently hosting Body Works 2 that celebrates life using human specimens. There was ethical controversy over the exhibit before it arrived in Denver, but the inaugural weekend brought record crowds to the museum.

Preserved by a process called plastination, invented by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, bodies are suspended in their true form. Plastination is the process of removing the existing fluid in a body and replacing it with a plastic substance. Bodies preserved this way are called plastinates. Formaldehyde is not used in the process, glass barriers are used only over smaller displays. Smaller specimens include single organs, transparent slices, the nervous system, and the reproductive system.

The use of real bodies allows the public to examine disease in the human body. The clean lungs of a non-smoker sit next to those of a heavy smoker, the difference is enough to make a smoker reconsider lighting that next cigarette.

All of the 200 human bodies involved in the exhibit were donated for the purpose of plastination. There are over 20 whole human specimens posed to display unique anatomy that viewers can examine up close.

Up-close examination can be overwhelming for some. The exhibit is intended for children 5th grade and above, as some of the displays can require parental explanation. During a single visit, one child became ill and an elderly woman passed out, but these isolated instances do not speak for the general population.

Examining plastinates close-up should pose no problem for anyone who went through high school biology. More prominent in the exhibit was the awe-inspiring intricacy of the human body, and the feeling of gratitude for the body donors.

Even during the week, the museum sells out of tickets for Body Works 2 quickly, so plan on getting to the museum early or buying tickets online at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Local artist defies boundaries

Denver artist Eric Plouff, a lefty of the blues following has decided that not every painting needs a rectangular frame. "True artwork doesn't need boundaries," he said during a photo shoot for his portfolio, "It is very limiting!"

Plouff uses a variety of mediums for his art. Commonly, paintings will be textured by dirt, coal or any substance suitable for the particular piece in which it is used.

A recent fluctuation in his working life allowed Plouff to rediscover that what he really wants to do in life is paint. While his regular job pays the bills, Plouff hopes that one day his art will effect someone. During the shoot, it became apparent that it already has.



Plouff's son Brandon watched the photo shoot and asked his father not to sell the Jellyfish painting that he grew up with. Plouff and his wife Shelly have inspired Megan, 8, and Brandon, 12, to love art and music. The Plouff children know more blues artists than many adults today.

Jellyfish Painting

The Banff Mountain Film Festival

Presented at Denver's historic Paramount theater, the Banff Mountain Film Festival is a collection of inspiring film compilations. From India to Boulder, the festival has established an outdoor exploration-savvy indoor experience for those of us less inclined to throw our bodies over cliffs and out of airplanes.

The award-winning film Balancing Point, by Danny Brown is the first film in the lineup. In a mix of incredible film work and digital effects, the college student from boulder has created a mystic account of balancing stones in mountain settings. Brown said that this was his first time competing in a film contest.

An adventure over Mount Fuji in a flying squirrel suit is more adrenaline than most people care for. For Loic Jean-Albert, it is the morning cup of tea. The Frenchman led a team of four "Soul Flyers" over the summit of Mount Blanc, and Mount Fuji in an incredible display of human daring.

All the films shown were founded in inspiration, from kyaking the mountains of California, to rejuvenate the distant towns of India. The Banff film festival holds a positive effect for the film-buff and mountain explorer in all of us.

15th Street Revisited: Neutral Boy

Neutral Boy
From the left: Ken, Mandy, Mike, Melodie, and Anton

The 15th Street Tavern rocked again as Neutral Boy took the stage with Stoli and the Beers and Tard. Tara, beautiful bartender from the previous article is at it again serving a bar full of eager rockers.

When asked what he had to say, Mike, singer for Neutral Boy replied with his notorious crass attitude: "F*@& me, well at least half of em anyway, the better half!"

From his previous experience with Bill the Welder, and PCDC (Poor Celebrity Death Cult) Mike is a traveling battery of touring stories. Music Video From the 15th St Tavern will be available at (...) including clips from the Penis Puppeteers who performed at the Civic Theater in 2004. It was an epic show that infuriated thousands at the debut, and has promised to return from the otherworld.

Links, Links, Links!

My Wiki post for the Inn at Auraria

My Wiki post for the Campus Village

Jason Reynolds charged in road rage

Driver charged today with first-degree murder for the death of two motorists killed by his aggressive driving. Jason Reynolds, 32, who has a history of road rage, caused an accident on E470 that killed Kelvin Norman of Highlands Ranch, and Greg Boss of Lone Tree.

According to The Denver Post, Reynolds’s Jeep cut in front of Norman’s 4Runner and slammed the brakes; Norman took evasive maneuvers, ending him in a lane of oncoming traffic. At speeds nearing 75mph, Norman’s 4Runner smashed into Gross in a head-on collision that ended both of their lives. Reynolds was denied bail.

Channel 9 News reports that Reynolds will be arraigned on March 10th in Arapahoe County. He will serve time for two counts of murder and vehicular homicide in the Douglas County Jail.

This case may set the precedent for new laws against road rage. Even though Reynolds attorneys claim that he did not act in malice. This case should serve as an example to commuters who take out their anger on the traffic. There are ways to keep this deadly rage out of the commute, www.drdriving.org/ has more information.

Denver's darker corners

There places in Denver where cab fare seeks a ride that never comes. Most of the cab drivers hover around downtown to snag the pedestrian from a corner bar, but when a residential call from as few as 10 blocks outside of downtown requests a pickup, wait times on a busy night can be more than an hour.

Realizing that there are still dangerous pockets, there are some places where one shouldn't expect a pick up from a cab. One such place is the Five Points area, near the final light rail stop on 30th and Downing Streets.

Neighborhoods right outside of Denver receive worse cab service than places like Highlands Ranch and the Denver Tech Center. Until recently neighborhoods like Skyline and N. City Park have been too dangerous for one vulnerable cabbie to make a stop.

Though crime rates in the Five Points area are still not low, surrounding areas soak up some of the reputation as a bad neighborhood.

Who would feel safe picking up a stranger on the streets of Skyline? The neighborhoods are improving, hopefully the cab service will as well.