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!

It may not technically be the 'roof of the world' but it sure feels like it at 14,271 ft above sea level! Depsite having spent all but 2.5 years of my life in CO, I have never climbed, hiked, or otherwise ascended a 14'er. That streak ended today when I climbed Quandary Peak outside of Breckenridge, thus accomplishing one of the goals I set for myself this summer and affording me an awe-inspiring view. Class 1 (read: least technically demanding) rating to the contrary, this was still a pretty physically demanding hike and I was glad I'm in pretty good shape already. Even so I was stopping every 30 or 40 steps for the last hundred yards or so but MAN was it amazing once we got up to the top! We hung out with a family of goats who were munching on some vegetation (what little there is 3000 feet above timberline), ate some lunch and then high-tailed it back down once the weather turned. I've definitely got the bug now - I'm already thinking of my next ascent!

More music

Wow, a post every 4 1/2 months; I am ON FIRE.

This year I'm trying to keep track of my favorite new bands/albums as I go rather than wait till the end of the year (and inevitably forgetting about some). Here's what's been doing it for me through the first 4 1/2 months of 2008 - rather than review each one (things are pretty busy around here!), I linked them to Amazon or emusic so you can hear them for yourself. It's well worth the time!

Black Mountain - In the Future
The Ravonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Pete and the Pirates - Little Death
The Whitsundays - The Whitsundays
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Real Emotional Trash
The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely
Eric Lau - New Territories
Black Keys - Attack & Release
Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
Foals - Antidotes
Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.
Hysterics - Hysterics