Go buffs!

Buffs rule :)

Let's go buffaloes!

The intro to this years TV broadcast of the Rocky Mountain Showdown (AKA CU's annual a$$kicking of CSU) is being broadcast from the top of the Buffulance AKA our new tailgating vehicle. GO BUFFS!

Last night

It's hard to put into words what it was like in the stadium last night. the TV broadcast did a pretty good job showing the grandeur of the production - I've never seen so many spotlights in my life - but all the trappings were eclipsed by the sense of history being made. Seeing a black man standing on the podium accepting the nomination for president, and with a real chance at winning, made me believe maybe America CAN move past our human failings of the past and CAN continue to be a beacon of hope for the world and CAN solve any problem that is before us. Life can be pretty overwhelming and the thought of what lies ahead can be daunting but I love the message of dreaming big and finding a way - America is a place where anything is possible with hope, faith and hard work.


There were literally waves of energy rolling through the crowd all night. It was truly incredible.

btw what was with the music at the end of the speech?

what you heard on TV was what we heard in the stadium. it was really odd. way too over the top. It was like they had something picked out and hit the wrong track on the CD.

wow....

What an amazing night. finally home after a couple drinks with Erin and Clara at the Cruise Room after the speech. I'll write more tomorrow when I've got my head together better.

Obama

Man this guy can talk. It was louder than a broncos game in here when he accepted the nomination.

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Best line of the night

Random guy from Indiana named Barney Smith talking about why he's voting Obama :

'I want a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney'

Guy got a standing O. Hilarious. Crowd was chanting 'Barney! Barney!' And everything.

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The setup

Those of you watching on TV might be getting lots of cool facts about the setup here. We are not getting any of those but I will tell you its incredible. I can't imagine what went into putting this all together but I REALLY can't imagine how they'll get this all torn down in 48 hours for the CU game.

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Union guy

Pro union guy talking about unions. Not a fan of the whole union thing. This is when I'd go grab a beer, if of course they were selling beer. You'd think they could have made some good money to help pay for this gig.

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The weather

Just to reiterate about the weather - this is the only night this summer (the concert at red rocks was the other one) where there isn't a cloud in the sky. The temp is low 70s and there's a slight breeze. Nights like this get people to move to CO permanently. :)

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Sen. Biden

Big welcome for him. Camera bulbs starting to go off because its twilight - its really a perfect evening. The air is almost electric (sorry for the cliche but there's a lot of that going around. Its a convention after all :)

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Smooth music in the house!

Michael freaking McDonald...let's sail away on the smooth sounds of 'America the Beautiful'! Its no Ray Charles but it'll do. If he plays 'what a fool believes' I'll just die. :). Keep the fire Mike...

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Al gore

Some good one liners from the former VP and a massive standing O (as you might expect in this situation). I haven't heard him speak much before but he's talking pretty fast tonight. Slow down Al!

Its one big party here...

Save for the fact that there's no beer sales. :( people were really fired up when Cheryl crow and Stevie wonder came out but gov. Richardson drew the biggest applause so far. Although now that I typed that, Stevie is playing 'signed sealed delivered' and the crowd's going nuts.

Also, all 70,000 people must be doing what I'm doing right now because email/internet has been real spotty.

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My battery died

I was on my phone literally all day and then left for this and of course my phone was out of power and died. Luckily Erin has plenty of juice left if hers so you won't be without this riveting play by play analysis. :)
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Stevie wonder

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Cheryl crow

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We're 'special' :)

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We're in our seats!

Just north of south stands - section 135

Security line in the tent

Outside East side of stadium

Trying to find our security line

Almost there...

Will we ever get there?

Sitting (standing actually) on a bus waiting to get through traffic downtown. Its pretty stacked up - we're around 15th and wazee - nowhere near Invesco yet. Talking with Erin and Clara (our wonderful friend who sorted us out on the cred's) and enjoying it knowing that we'll be there soon enough! Our badges are supposed to get us on the 1st level too. Hope that's true!

Headed to Invesco....

A friend just called with 2 extra VIP credentials for Obama's speech at Invesco tonight - so Erin and I are headed out! watch for more updates tonight.....pretty cool to be a part of history being made!

A perfect night at Red Rocks.....

I had to share this view we had on the most perfect night for a concert. Red Rocks is a magical place inn any case but tonight was exceptional! If you haven't checked out My Morning Jacket you don't know what you're misssing! Black Keys played an awesome opening set too.

It begins.....

4 days till the convention starts and it appears the madness is descending already...there is a tent at the corner near the office selling Obama souvenirs and then there's this 40 ft MSNBC banner on the Kacey building across the parking lot at the Pepsi Center....should be an interesting week!

I guess you could say I have the bug....just 2 weeks after climbing my first 14'er (and really, my first mountain of any real significance) I summited Hauge's Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday with my friends Steve and Marty (l to r in the group photo). Don't be fooled by the mid-13K elevation - this is no 'walk in the park' (well, techically I guess it is) as it is ~15 miles round trip and a punishing 5,000 feet of vertical (up, and then down again!). The physical exercise, the fresh air, the mind-boggling natural beauty, and especially the reward of reaching the summit make all the aches and pains I'm feeling today well worth it. The last 1000 feet or so of the ascent was a lot more work (and a little hairier) than we'd expected; but I'll never forget pulling myself over the edge and onto the top of the mountain - what a feeling!