Yeesh, I said I’d have this up sooner. I love having a real job outside of this blog. Someday I’ll be able to do more. That day is coming actually, so just you wait! However, I managed to cobble together the video portion (anybody remember DenverCast? I do!) and here it is! The channel itself on youtube is still around so prepare for more as I get motivated to get around my town on weekends and mornings.

Fellow authors and readers take heed. I’d love to see you getting involved in showing us many of the 5,280 reasons why Denver is flippin’ awesome. Check out the channel and the video below. The fun starts…NOW! :)

Channel is located here.

I exercised the power of word of mouth the other day. During one of those typical Monday morning chats at work, you know the one, “so what did you do this weekend?” I mentioned that I checked out the No Holds Bard performance at Civic Center Park. And that led into the need to explain what No Holds Bard is. At the end of discussion, I found my partner in idle conversation was determined to attend the next production.

It went something like this.

Him: “You saw Shakespeare this weekend? I love Shakespeare!”
Me: “ Yeah, it’s this group that say they do Shakespeare as he intended it. They did Twelfth Night.”
Him: “Dude (ok, there might not have been a “Dude”), I love Twelfth Night.”

And from there I was obliged to give him the scoop on No Holds Bard. For a much better description of what they do and why than what I’m about to provide, check out their web site - http://www.noholdsbard.com/.

First, and most importantly, they don’t rehearse. Apparently, in Shakespeare’s day, the actors did a different play every night. After all, this was nightly entertainment for people so you didn’t run the same show every night for weeks on end. This did not leave a lot of time for rehearsing, so they didn’t. They would, however, have a roll – a script rolled up on dowels that they would carry on stage. And there we have our modern word for a role in a play.

Yes, everything does come from Shakespeare.

But back to No Holds Bard. It was a good performance, but definitely one of those times when you want to arrive early and get seats in front. Since there are no microphones and sometimes the acoustics in outdoor venues are not the greatest, you are relying on the power of the human voice to carry. And it can’t always carry over the sounds of traffic or constant occurrences of sirens.

For some reason, that night was a popular one for the fire department, but fortunately a second aspect of doing plays without rehearsals is that you have an official prompter/referee who makes the calls. One of those calls was to blow a whistle when the sirens got too loud and proclaim a halt to the lines until the sirens subsided. During this first siren postponement, one of the actors broke into a spontaneous round of “Bad boys, bad boys” which was promptly switched to “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire” when someone pointed out that the sirens were from fire trucks and not police cars.

The actors were not in time period costumes. In fact, one actor was a cheese head. And yes, I mean that literally. The guy must have been from Wisconsin, because he had on his Green Bay Packer jersey and a cheese head.

It was a fun event and great to see something besides major festivals or homeless people in Civic Center Park.

So, I heard an ad on the radio today by a local car dealership (sorry, can’t remember which dealership) touting its fleet of flex-fuel cars. I like to think I’m pretty aware and up on the latest movements, but that was a new one for me. Obviously, there are a few hints in the name and with all the current momentum regarding finding alternatives to oil dependency I had a few ideas, but not a solid understanding.

Once I got home, I looked it up, and it seems that for the best insights, one should go to Brazil, where ethanol accounts for 40% of fuel that goes into the cars that fill their roads and highways. Many of these cars sport engines that allow the driver to switch between ethanol and gasoline – and that, albeit a simple definition, is a flex-fuel car.

The part I found rather ironic is that, although it isn’t a type of car that has ever been mentioned much by the car industry or mainstream media here in the States, it is one that various American automakers have produced on some level – and that level was the one where they sought to do a little bit to get breaks from fuel-economy standards (for more information on this topic, just search the internet for CAFE standards, there are all kinds of articles out there). But if the law of unintended consequences kicks in, won’t it be interesting to see if this type of car could actually gain more traction in the markets?

And yes, one could argue that the move to flex-fuel cars would not be an unintended consequence based on the original purpose of CAFE, but I doubt that increased production and sales of this type of car were ever the intention of the automakers. Plus, increasing popularity of this type of car is just speculation at this point, but it might be interesting to keep a lookout in the Denver area and see if this car can move into the mainstream and if it is even a part of any viable energy solution.

Any input on where you can get ethanol in Denver is also welcome since I have no idea on this part of the topic.

For some of us, coffee does not rule. Based on the number of coffeehouses to teahouses, I know who is winning, but it’s not a battle I’m overly concerned about. I’ll keep on drinking my tea, thank you. And for those of you who have the same preference, or have found that your local Starbucks was closed down, give Capitol Tea a try. You can get lunch and a great selection of teas to choose from. And then, since you’re in the neighborhood, check out a few antique stores. Capitol Tea is located at 1450 S. Broadway and in the midst of the south Broadway antique row. And for you guys, go ahead and prove that you aren’t intimidated by stereotypes and partake in tea and antiquing.

You can always check out their web site before you go and print off the coupon at the web site for a free cup of tea, www.captea.com.

Come September 10th, the Denver Metro area is gonna ignite! Ok that’s a terrible terrible pun!

Ignite is an O’reilly phenomenon, that brings folks together to drink, network, talk about deep things, etc, etc. Presenters get 5 minutes and a slide deck that automagically advances.

If you’re interested in drop an email to ignitedenver@gmail.com and pitch your idea; how you got your start up off the ground, how you organized your shoes with maximum efficiency, etc.

Mark your calendars, 6pm, Forest Room 5 in Denver. September 10th. BE THERE!

I can’t believe I made it without another pun. This event is gonna be a blast…. d’oh!

No doubt you all heard that Starbucks is closing 600 of its stores nationwide. I overheard on the elevator this morning that the one closest to my work (at 16th and Wynkoop) is one of the victims. This doesn’t really affect me as I usually opt for the budget-saving coffee club at work. And, if a need for the ‘bux ever strikes me, I suppose I can manage walking an extra two blocks to the one at 16th and Blake.

Here’s the full list of stores closing in the Denver area.

Is your local Starbucks safe?

We’re always looking to expand the ranks of Denver Metrobloggers. If you think you have what it takes, leave a comment!

Live in or around denver? Like to talk about what’s going on? What’s hot, what’s not, where to eat, where NEVER to eat? Where the best second hand umbrellas can be found, etc. That’s what we’re looking for.

All we ask is a commitment toblog 3x a week. We won’t complain if it’s more than that, and might if it’s less :)

Leave a comment! Join us! The few, the proud, the Denver Metrobloggers!!

Laura Dean, a resident of the Metro Denver area for the past 8 1/2 years, loves to network and connect people. This is why she started The Dean’s List, a weekly email, distributed on Thursdays, that provides a free way for people to share community information. Laura originally started The Dean’s List when she lived in Dallas. Lucky for us, she decided to continue her efforts here in Denver.

I love getting The Dean’s List every week. It provides a diverse mixture of community events, items for sale, business opportunities, fundraising and donation needs, career opportunities, and much more happenings around the Metro Denver area. However, she does prefer to leave out political issues.

You can subscribe to Laura’s list for free, and contributions to her list are also free. Subscribing is easy. Just email her at ldean@hollandhart.com and she will promptly add you to her list. You should also add her email to your contact list to ensure delivery to your inbox and not your spam folder. Contributions to her list must meet certain guidelines, which she provides at the bottom of the email she distributes weekly. If you do not have her guidelines, but would like to contribute before receiving your first email distribution, please email her in advance and she will send you the guidelines.

Laura is currently considering a paid sponsorship if you are interested in supporting her efforts. Please email her with your interest in becoming a sponsor.

Once again I attended a midnight showing at the Continental 10 at Hampden and I-25. Needless to say, it rocked the house. And of course I interviewed and shot photos and video. Stay tuned as I should have it uploaded Saturday early afternoon or Sunday. To all those that allowed me to interview you, thanks! Especially the “we’re so boss” girls from the Indy midnight showing.

Space to be filled soon!

UPDATE: Due to my work schedule, it’ll be Tuesday Morning before it hits.  My apologies.  Darn Real Life Jobs!  :)

My wife pointed my to this last night. Very handy information to keep around come DNC-time.

Road Closures and re-routes during the DNC

“Downtown parking at lots, garages and meters will be “largely accessible,” with “the majority” of downtown meters available.”

So the limited and usually full parking will be “mostly” available. I’m sure glad I don’t park down town!

“Light rail going into downtown — including the D, F and H lines — won’t be disrupted during the convention, but there will be no light rail service to and from the Pepsi Center and Denver Union Station stops.

Light rail C and E line passengers going downtown will need to switch to the D, F and H lines. C and E line passengers will have to get off at the Invesco Field at Mile High light-rail stop.”

Wouldn’t closing stops and making people change trains, be a disruption? Maybe my dictionary isn’t up to date :)

Read the whole thing for details, but definitely keep in mind, getting to, from, and around Downtown, is gonna be the epitome of teh suck come DNC-time