Minor Thing

Closet is Clean!

2005-09-13T21:27:00.000-06:00

I finally got my closet cleaned up and I no longer feel like Indiana Jones walking into the Temple of Doom when I go after clothes in the morning. Now, I have a ton of clothes to press, hang some pictures, find a table and chairs and my apartment will be complete! Go Indy!

Ciao! FEMA Director Resigns

2005-09-12T14:02:00.000-06:00

Just in! FEMA director Michael So and So Drop the Ball resigned today. Granted, the response to Hurricane Katrina was awful, but the nation must move forward in a positive manner, helping out the affected areas as much as possible. So think about what one can do to help out and get going. But for you Michael, don't let the door hit ya on the ass on the way out.

I Heart Loveland!

2005-09-12T10:09:00.000-06:00

I picked up my first pass for the upcoming snowboard season this weekend: The Loveland Frequent User Card! Quite the great deal, so check out their website, http://www.skiloveland.com, and get in on the action!

I started snowboarding a few winters ago and cut my teeth at Loveland, beating the hell out of myself learning to ride and have been back a few times (I have beat the hell out of myself year in and year out, but not always at Loveland). Loveland is often overlooked or looked at quickly as you head to the larger summit resorts, but overall, Loveland is a great place to ride, a laid back, no pretense atmosphere and great terrain. So slap your "I heart loveland" bumper sticker on you're massive SUV and check it out.

--jim

Hell and the ATM Machine: A Memoir

2005-09-08T09:27:00.000-06:00

I remember summers ago, probably the summer of 2000 or 2001, James and I were at an ATM machine (I use to call ATM’s ATM machines and caught all kinds of hell for the redundancy of such a saying). It was a drive through ATM and we were like the fourth car back and the car at the ATM was taking FOREVER. James eventually loses his cool and starts honking. Anyway, the car at the ATM finishes (like after 10 minutes), whips around and pulls up to the car in front of us and starts berating that car for honking at him, whereas James was the guilty party (of course, James and I just sank in our seats).

I thought of this story a few nights ago when I was at a Wells Fargo ATM. I walked into the enclosed ATM at the entry of the Wells Fargo building as the drive through ATM looked like it had a real long line and there were only two people at the in-doors ATM, one using the ATM and the other filling out a deposit envelope. I thought I was good to go, but soon realized the wait would be long, really, really long. The guy filling out his deposit envelope looked like he had trouble reading the checks he was to deposit, kept scribbling out one thing on the deposit envelope and writing something else, cursing to himself and other disturbing things. I found myself backing away from him as he continued to scribble on the envelope (I’m surprised he didn’t cut off his ear and deposit it. Was that Van Gogh?) Eventually, this guy gets his turn and I swear, watching him trying to use the ATM was like watching our president trying to articulate a four syllable word: painful. Eventually he gets it figured out and leaves, allowing me the 30 seconds I need to deposit a check.

I hate ATM’s, but only when there is a line in front of me, because god’s punishment to me is that I must stand behind the most challenged of bank users while waiting for the ATM. I almost feel guilty if I use the ATM for more than two minutes, but there are people that I swear stand in front of the ATM for 10-15 minutes. Is there a secret screen I don’t know about or a new feature to check your email? My hell will be filled with ATM’s, people who try to walk in the elevator as you are walking out and people who stand in the walking part of those moving walkways at airports.

I’m outta here like a fat kid in dodge ball—jim

Git er' Done, Tex!!

2005-09-02T12:42:00.000-06:00

What did it take, like 5 or 6 days for the Natl' Guard to roll into New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina? I don't care what your rational is, that is pathetic. I did hear Bush on the radio a few mornings ago talking about sending choppers' asap. Wow, choppers', git er' done there, tex!

Tom Petty, Why Won't You Sing "Waiting for Tonight?"

2005-09-01T09:41:00.000-06:00

Last night I caught my second Tom Petty show in as many nights (the first show Tuesday night was fantastic, but Wednesday stands out) at what has to be one of the best places to catch a concert, Red Rocks. Becky and I headed out at about 7pm, grabbed a couple drinks from the car and started the walk up to the amphitheatre, making it for the Black Crows’s, the opening act, encore. I must say, I didn’t have a huge desire to see the Black Crows, but they put on a pretty good show—lots of energy for sure. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers eventually come on and put on an amazing show. Super great music, some great covers, ripping through I’m Crying by the Animals, getting involved with the audience and such; Petty and the Heartbreakers killed it. I could go into great detail about the show, the music, performance or this or that, but a slight distraction during the concert warrants the attention of the blog today.

There is this mom and what appears to be her kid in the seats next to Becky and me. Note, the mom appears married or at least is wearing a wedding ring. Anyway, show starts, mom is dancing and begins to dance with this unrelated guy (from now on refereed to as strange dude ) next to her kid. Things escalate and the mom and her new guy, the strange dude, wander off, a couple times! Eventually, the kid and the strange dude wander off by themselves, our presumption is that they are going off to get stoned, or then again, maybe not as everyone just smokes in the rows anyway. Ok, so the strange dude comes back MINUS the kid and sits down, clearly out of his mind. The mom gets right in his face and this guy can barely talk, just gesturing that the kid might be “over that way.” Also note Red Rocks has about 10,000 drunk and/or stoned party people going crazy over Tom Petty. Mom, upon the mumblings of son being lost, rockets off in the crowd. Strange dude blows it off and starts dancing with some other random woman (this woman did not appear to have a kid with her, so it was nice to see that strange dude does not discriminate). Eventually, the kid reappears out of the blue, clearly messed up, but mom is still no where to be found. Mom returns with half the Colorado National Guard (In a drunk, stoned tone, “Excuse me officer, I let my son wander off with a complete strange dude, can you help me find him?”) only to find her son back in his seat. Officers all leave, in disgust mind you, mom yells at everyone, then starts dancing again, although you can tell that temporarily losing her son was a buzz kill. The Encore kicks off and here is the icing on the cake, mom leaves with son half way through a blazing performance of American Girl. I wonder if the mom had her son drive her home, hitting up 7-11 for some nachos (because KFC surely would be closed at that hour).

Overall, I can’t even describe the blast at the concert, even with a little family drama. I’m keeping all my Red Rocks parking secrets safe at this point! Oh, and I still have never heard Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform my fav song, "Waiting for Tonight!"

An Open Letter to Jimmy John's--I Will Never Leave You!

2005-08-26T15:08:00.000-06:00

Dear Jimmy John's,

For years, you have picked me up on a rainy day, helped me celebrate the big occasion, clogged my arteries like I'm drinking melted butter and one can't deny your ability to ruin a nice dress shirt with your fantastic fillings.

I love Jimmy John's and am so excited Denver finally has one--no more driving to Boulder for me! I was first introduced to Jimmy John's during the fall of 1999, my first year of grad school at Purdue University (go Boilers!). The place was actually on the way home from class and I would treat myself to a No. 12, the "Beach Club," nearly every Friday on my way home from class. I'd get home, read the college football preview from USA Today, drink a coke and eat some BBQ chips. If was feeling good about myself, I would allow myself to take a nap, let all that shit I just ate turn to fat, wake up and do homework and read into the AM hours (remember I was in grad school!). I remember one time, a prof had his class over for dinner and drinks--go drinks!--and his wife made this wonderful bread. Eventually, I realized the bread was from Jimmy John's, the same bread they use for their subs, and the wife disguised it as her own. I can't blame her though as their bread is that good.

A quick breakdown on my favorite sub from Jimmy John's, the Beach Club: 381g, or 13.4 oz light, 784 calories, 40g of fat, 72g of carbs, enough sodium to kill a nutritionally deprived child (1478g), 61mg of cholesterol (isn't cholesterol French for goodness?), and on the plus side, 32g of protein. If this doesn't have health and fitness written all over it, I don't know what does. I guess you would have to breed a big mac and whopper, raise their baby on a diet of mayo and bacon and toss that creation in a vat of grease, all wrapped in battered beer crust. Must be served with a diet coke.

I will never leave you Jimmy John's, but will continue my affair with Blimpie's.

--j kennedy

Moonlight Classic--Classic ER Trip!

2005-08-22T14:17:00.000-06:00

On Saturday night, Becky, my friends Shad and Liz, and a few others, did the Moonlight Classic bike ride—a 15 mile jaunt through the downtown Denver area. After leaving my friend’s, Deidre O’C’s, awesome BBQ, Becky and I saddled up our bikes and met our other friends by the capital for the beginning of the moonlight classic bike ride, a charity ride covering 15 miles of downtown. We all start OK and are having a blast, checking out all the cool costumes and catching up with each other. A lot of people dressed all fun, all kinds of light arrangements on the bikes and such. Now, the ride is crazy in the sense that about five to six thousand people do it, so you can imagine how hard it might be to ride and concentrate.

Anyway, at University and Bonnie Brae, by the Campus Lounge bar at that intersection, I was riding next to my friend Liz when an out of control rider came off the curb on her bike (mind you, this rider had no helmet on, no lights or anything) and crashed into the side of my bike, smashing me to the ground. I hit my elbow, hip and head real hard. Luckily, Liz nor anyone else went down in the wreck. However, I was way less fortunate. After I came out of my quick blackout from the hard hit to my head (the blackout, by the way was frigging weird—maybe it was the light at the end of the tunnel, yeah right), I looked up to see all my friends and a bunch of others standing over me. Eventually I sat up to reveal a large puddle of blood from where my helmet cut into my head (even though the bindings of the helmet cut into my head, I would probably have to be fed through a straw and wear Depends had I not been wearing a helmet!). Some random guy, a “professionally trained first responder” was trying to be a MASH cast member, but was causing more damage than good and was trying to stick his exposed dirty fingers into my wound. I told him to get away from my head and he stormed off like George Clooney leaving ER for the movies.

An ambulance eventually came, told me I needed to get to an ER for stitches (as I know stitches require shots and needles, my response was to put me head in my hands and utter lots of expletives), but the ambulance workers, who were awesome by the way-I wish I remembered their names, told me that I could get myself there. While in the ambulance, or what I referred to as a “hospital bus” during my head trauma, we arranged transportation to the hospital (thanks Deidre!!) Three hours later, I walked out of the Porter Hospital ER with nine staples holding the 3-4 inch gash on the back of my head closed, a bottle a vicodin, a clear cat-scan and a great appreciation of my friends and bike helmets. The ride, before the crash test dummy sidetrack, was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to trying it again next year, with maybe full body armor on, I could be a knight as my costume!

On a side note, my friend James did a similar ride in St. Louis on Saturday night as well and actually completed the whole deal, which is awesome considering James still has training wheels on his huffy BMX (kidding, James has a big wheel. Ok not kidding, James is kicking ass at biking on a normal bike!).

In light of the whole incident, here are a few things I learned: 1. Your friends are more important and dedicated than you may ever realize. 2. ALWAYS wear a bike helmet, whether doing crazy type rides or scooting along an easy going trail. 3. When riding by a bar with a ton of bikes parked out front during a charity ride, be very careful and move away from traffic. 4. A cat-scan is not that scary. 5. Purdue should win the Big Ten--Go Boilers (see, in blackout land all your wildest dreams come true, it’s like Pedro has become class president!)! 6. Don't let wannabes stick their gross, dirty fingers in your open head wounds and don't take shit from cops flashing their lights in your friend's eyes, to compare them to your dilated eyes!

Griz Summer CD, I Need the Good Ideas!

2005-08-19T11:04:00.000-06:00

Ok, I found out my friend Griz finally put my summer cd together and put it in the mail. I am taking a quick break in my stand by the mailbox until that firetrucker gets here waiting game. And while I get odd stares from those in my apartment complex, as they walk through the mail room, I anxiously await anyway. So now, I must compile the "Tom Kriskey Summer CD V2: Music to listen to as you drive away from having backed over your neighbor's bike." If anyone has some great summer tunes, let me know via comments or what not. I am going to throw on some Tahitian Moon by Porno for Pyros, Borderline by Camper Van Beethoven, some undetermined something or other by the Chili Peppers and for a curve ball, some Stereo MC's. Let me know for Griz's sake, for the summer CD! There is some song, about aliens, parks, something else and something else and maybe mentioned dogs, too, that came out in the summer of 2000 or 2002, or maybe it was the fall, what was it?

My summer CD, phone home!

2005-08-12T13:31:00.000-06:00

Kriskey,

Where the firetruck is the Jim Kennedy summer cd, v.1? I have not listened to music since this was promised to me and I am tired of making up music in my head just to get by. What's up Griz, has too much thinking of Carey's and baseball tonight, Leine's red and redskins derailed my glorious summer hootenanny? I’m looking forward to it and will put one together for you, too!

-- j kennedy

My First 14'er!

2005-08-08T08:44:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I hiked my first two 14'ers, Grays and Torreys peaks, and it was fantastic! More important, the group of people that went was great, really making it an even more enjoyable experience! After coming home, back to Denver and having a horrific headache, I told myself I would never do a hike above 13,000 feet again, but waking up Sunday (after nearly 16 hours of sleep), I was looking forward to doing another 14'er!

Anyway, pictured, left to right: Bill, Bo-Shadical, Liz, Special K, Cindy, Kevin, Amber, Becky and Jim (me!).

Movie Characters-Day Seven!!

2005-08-07T22:04:00.000-06:00

Ok! Day Seven and the end of minor movie characters and you get Eli Cash from one of my favorite movies, The Royal Tennenbaums. This one is tough as nearly everyone in this movie is a minor or secondary/supporting character and I love them all (come on, Pagoda would rock at number seven). I pick Eli, though, because he is an author, is surreal and dig the get up, right?!?

"Well, everyone knows Custer died at Little Bighorn. What this book presupposes is... maybe he didn't. " --Eli Cash

Movie Characters-Day Six!

2005-08-05T10:47:00.000-06:00

Almost at the end of the 7 days of minor movie characters and today, you get O Ren Ishii from Kill Bill. I love the Kill Bill movies and while there are a ton of minor, or at least forgotten movie characters (like the Wolf from Pulp Fiction), Lucy Lui's character, O Ren, really stood out--she is so tough, so mean, yet trapped at the same time. Anywho, look forward to Day 7 and whoever that brings!

"That really was a Hattori Hanzo sword. "-O Ren

Movie Characters-Five-O!

2005-08-04T10:28:00.000-06:00

Mama Fratelli from the Goonies! An all-star choice for minor or at least forgotten movie characters, for sure! Plus, red-rocks, film on the rocks, is showing this classic soon. I can't find any direct quotes from Mama Fratelli, but look for a fun Goonie Quote below.

"Sloth love Chunk." --Sloth

Movie Characters-Four!

2005-08-02T09:31:00.000-06:00

Before the Mel Gibson Passion of the Christ flick, there was Buddy Jesus, from the movie Dogma--a really minor character in Dogma with no lines, to boot! I'm sure Gibson watched Dogma over and over to get a real idea of who Jesus was! Also, check out this great site about Jesus, the official Jesus website:

http://pressurecooker.phil.cmu.edu/Jesus/

"No wonder he saw Jesus. Homey's rockin' the ganj. " --Jay, from Dogma

First Camping Trip!

2005-07-31T22:30:00.000-06:00

This past weekend I went on my first camping trip and was it ever a trip (so I have never been camping, deal with it!)! We went to Lost Man Campground, near Aspen, CO, and the site rocked, a hike we went on to Crater Lake, near the base of the Maroon Bells, rocked and hanging out by the campfire was great! I can't wait to go again!

Movie Characters-Day Tre!

2005-07-28T10:21:00.000-06:00

Begbie from Trainspotting is the third character in my minor or forgotten movie characters list (See Day One for full explanation). Another great movie, yet one that is so trying to watch. No quote from Begbie as all his quotes involve too much cursing!

Movie Characters-Day Two!

2005-07-27T10:09:00.000-06:00

Day Two, you get Marge Gunderson from Fargo. Frances McDormand is fantastic in this film!

"And I guess that was your accomplice in the woodchipper." --Marge Gunderson

Movie Characters-Day One!

2005-07-26T09:02:00.000-06:00

So I decided to begin my blog, officially, by doing seven days of minor movie characters or at the least, gone, but not forgotten movie characters. Day one is one of my favorites, Hudson, from Aliens.

"That's it man, game over man, game over!" --Hudson

Pic o' me, Narcissus!

2005-07-25T14:48:00.000-06:00

There were not cameras back then, but I bet if someone took a picture of Moses coming off the mountain, ten commandments in hand, he would look like this. A picture from my dear friend's wedding (James, my make believe friend!), Jackson, WY. I like my flower, the best!

I'm New!

2005-07-25T13:02:00.000-06:00

I have a special friend, often accused of being a make believe friend, named James Britton. James and his small tribe of hippies, including Scott Rolen, Steve Shaw, Marvin Hudson and A Tribe Called Quest, live in a village called St. Louis, along the banks of the Mississippi river. James likes to catch fish with dynamite and drive around in his astro-van, which has the biggest spoiler in five states! Thanks for setting me up with Blogger.com, James!!