Went to the Holy Cross Wilderness southwest of Vail for a 4-day 3 night backpacking trip. We got rained on a fair bit, but aside from one pair of melted shoes, we were reasonably well prepared for it. Here’s a slideshow of the rest of the pictures from the trip. Had a great time with the crew. Let’s do it again next year 
My adopted hometown, Longmont, Colorado has been named one of ten “All America Cities” for 2006. This is out of a pool of over 600 initial applicants. I’ve always been proud of my town, and been vocal in my support of Longmont. I’m happy to see that others can recognize Longmont for the great quality of life here and the forward-looking attitude of our city leaders and fellow citizens. Way to go, Longmont!
When I was in high school at Lloyd C. Bird HS in Chesterfield, VA, there was a history teacher there, Steve Cormier. I was fortunate to have had him for US and American History in the tenth grade. Mr Cormier was quite the character and was reknowned for his story telling and generally zany personality. His stories about panty raids while a student at McNeese State (complete with maps) have become legends. This guy was a great teacher, though. I can still picture his chalkboard strategy maps of Boston Harbor from the Revolutionary War.
Mr. Cormier had a proud tradition of playing Jimi Hendrix’s Woodstock version of The Star-Spangled Banner for his students when teaching the 60’s. Needless to say, it was played at full volume during class, disrupting the classrooms anywhere nearby. It was quite wonderful. Had the intended effect on the students. He would receive a mild rebuke from the administration every year for it (only compounding the intended effect). Of course, Mr. Cormier did a great job of providing the context for the performance. I still remember it vividly. Also, listening to the song again yesterday, on Independence Day, I’m still amazed at Hendrix’s rendition. His ‘rockets red glare’ and ‘bombs bursting in air’ are illustrated so thoroughly with sound that you can almost picture old Fort McHenry under bombardment. That’s simply transcendent guitar playing right there. Who else can draw pictures with sound? He may have been the greatest guitarist ever to live.
Mr. Cormier’s point was that everyone should listen to that performance and understand where it came from. I’m glad he taught us that in his class and we definitely need more teachers like him. Thanks, Mr. Cormier. You made history class fun and I went on to earn my degree in it.
Why is Mr. T called Mr. T? The answer is much more interesting than I expected.
“I think about my father being called ‘boy’, my uncle being called ‘boy’, my brother, coming back from Vietnam and being called ‘boy’. So I questioned myself: ‘What does a black man have to do before he’s given the respect as a man?’ So when I was 18 years old, when I was old enough to fight and die for my country, old enough to drink, old enough to vote, I said I was old enough to be called a man. I self-ordained myself Mr. T so the first word out of everybody’s mouth is ‘Mr.’ That’s a sign of respect that my father didn’t get, that my brother didn’t get, that my mother didn’t get” — “Mr. T” (Lawrence Tureaud)
There’s more subtlety in this song alone than most bands’ entire catalog. This is the one that got him nominated for an Oscar for best soundtrack (Good Will Hunting).
Miss Misery
Can’t Make A Sound - with band
Between The Bars - the video is from the impromptu memorial that sprang up after Smith’s death at Solutions Audio in L.A., which was featured on the cover of Elliot Smith’s “Figure 8″ album.
If you’re in the Denver metro area, I highly recommend paying a visit to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science before July 23rd. Body Worlds 2, a human anatomy exhibit, leaves town on the 23rd, and you should really go see it if you haven’t yet.
This is an eye-opening exhibit. I mean to tell you this is some cool stuff. The plastinated human bodies, parts of bodies, and organs on display are truly amazing. There are side-by-side examples of healthy organs and diseased organs, slices of organs, touch-and-feel station (go ahead - pick up the real human brain), and many, many full body exhibits in various states of disassembly.
The ‘exploded man’ is the largest exhibit and has a full cadaver pulled apart into layers and suspended with wires. This is one of the coolest ones for sure. I also enjoyed the skeleton that contained only a full nervous system, and the coal-miner’s lungs (shudder). There is a room for maternity exhibits that is very interesting with many fetuses and a whole pregnant mother. People just stand and stare at the 8th month fetus visible through her dissected belly. It’s truly an amazing exhibit.
The last thing you see on the tour is the fat guy. Lying on a light table are two 1/4″ thick sagittal slices, one from a normal sized man, one from a very obese man. This is perhaps the most striking exhibit of them all. The fat guy ’s body slice is something we should all see. It is startling to say the least. His poor heart was enlarged to about the size of his head. It gave out when he was 50, the exhibit explains. That huge heart, and all of his other organs, were covered in fat. He had a 3-inch thick wall of fat in his subdermis. You won’t leave there and head for McDonald’s, I’m guessing. Not for a long time.
You’ll need to buy tickets for a time slot in advance. They sell out in advance, so you’ll want to get tickets soon, or it’ll sell out for good. Your tickets also admit you to the museum in general for the day. This is a family friendly science exhibit that everyone should go see. It’s not for the terribly squeamish, but there were plenty of kids there. The exhibit will next be on display in Boston, MA for six months.