I’d LIKE to say it was an action-packed fun-filled weekend, but truthfully?  I spent much of the weekend looking at carpet samples.   It’s amazing to me how MANY shades of “beige” carpet comes in these days.  It was explained to me that everybody wants neutral carpet these days.  I must have looked at a hundred different samples, with various names like, “autumn wheat,” “summer sand,” “roasted grain,” “vanilla mocha,” “desert sunset,” etc.  In other words, beige. 

A couple of links you may be checking here to get, mentioned on today’s show…

Want to join the Peace Corps?  Maybe you got the same post card that I got in my mailbox yersterday.  “Too young to retire?  Join the Peace Corps!”  In fact, I *am* too young to retire, and probably always WILL be, based on my most recent 401-k statement.  [BTW, have you checkled the stock market today? YECCHH!]  Anyway, they’re holding an information session for people who’d like more information about a tour of duty with the Peace Corps.  It’s July 12th at the Colorado Museum of History, 1300 Broadway.  Details at peacecorps.gov.

Or, maybe you’d rather be a “cocorahs!”  That’s the acronym for volunteering for Colorado State’s Community Collaborative Rain-Hail-Snow network, where you measure the amount of precipitation that falls in your yard.  Some people are realllllly into this–if you’re one of those people, here’s your link: cocorahs.org!

You DO have to purchase one of their high-tech rain gauges, $22.  But that’s a small price to pay for so much meteorological fun, right?

…That’s the first thing I thought of when I read in the paper about the proposed anti-war “camp-out” at City Park during the Democratic National Convention.  It’s being promoted by a college group, called “Tent State University,” their website says “Come to Denver to end a war!”  However, the thing that piqued my interest was a reference in the news article which suggested the size of the crowd would depend on which music acts were booked to perform at the event.  REALLY!?  Sounds more like a party than a protest!

Of course, I’m sure we all remember our idyllic college days when changing the world and partying were not mutually exclusive ideas!  So, although my first reaction was to think that aversion to war was really NOT such a good reason to throw a party, upon further review, I think I’ll cut them some slack…

I wonder what kind of shape the park will be, though, after a week of protesting/partying?  Maybe that’s the reason the grass is so brown there right now–see the photo on the front page of the Rocky Mountain News.  Maybe they figured if it’s gonna get trampled by 50,000 college kids for a week, why bother watering it?

Seriously, though–I’m looking forward to the DNC, it’s exciting to be living here where such an event is going on!  I hope that we don’t have any regrettable incidents; SEEMS like the city really has a handle on everything.

Hope you had a fun weekend.  Me and my wife are by ourselves, with the kids off in Florida with the grandparents.  So we had an unusually RELAXING weekend, and got to spend some quality time together doing stuff we used to do all the time together back before we had kids.  Saturday morning, we got up and went off to Starbucks.  Then, driving around, we spotted a number of “Garage Sale” signs so we decided to stop and shop!  My wife and I are both thrifty people at heart, and few things excite us more than a good garage sale!

One garage sale we stopped at was offering a brand new kids ten-speed bike.  We’ve been promising the kids we’d get them new bikes ever since we moved here from Texas.  They HAD bikes there, but they were so old and beat up, we decided to toss them rather than pay to move them here.  And, believe me, the kids have NOT let us forget that they’re supposed to get replacement bikes!  So here was a chance to get a bike and save some $$$ at the same time!

The woman was asking $30 for the bike, she said her daughter had only ridden it TWICE.  It looked brand new, probably a $100 bike new, so $30 was a good price.  BUT, it was really HARD not to want to BARGAIN!  Isn’t that what you’re suposed to DO at a garage sale?  My wife was thinking the same thing I was–we should offer $20 or $25.  But, I don’t know, I just felt like $30 was a good deal–was it really worth the feeling of being a “heel” just to save an extra five or ten bucks?  So, we took it for $30.

We’ve run many a garage sale ourselves, and it has always struck an off-note with me when someone tries to “dicker” on something that’s obviously priced at bargain-level.  But then again, for some people that’s part of the fun. 

What do YOU think? 

…with the new OPTI-BIKE!  It’s kind of a juiced-up moped, with an electric motor that assists you as you pedal, making you feel like Ironman.  With the motor’s help, you can easily pedal along at 30 mph!  Most people’s main beef against biking to work is that it takes too long, and when you GET to work, you’re all sweaty.  Not the case with the OPTI-BIKE, you can make good time and not break a sweat!

The maker of the bike claims that it’s 40 times more fuel efficient than a Prius, going 50 miles on about eight cents worth of electricity.  This kind of fuel economy doesn’t come cheap, though–prices start at about $5000, and range up to $12,000!  For a BIKE!!

Still, I would probably consider one, IF I had a clear path to ride it on from Highlands Ranch to downtown.  Maybe that’s the next initiative the Denver area needs to consider–building some sort of limited-access bike route system, kind of like an interstate highway system for bicycles.  “If you build it, we will RIDE!”…

What do YOU think?

Attendants at gas stations and convenience stores are getting an EARFUL these days, apparently.  The president of the National Association of Convenience Stores says customers seem to have the idea that paying $4 a gallon for gasoline entitles you to UNLOAD on the person behind the counter when you come in to pay!  He says attendants and convenience store clerks are the bearing the brunt of all that consumer anger. 

You know, I never thought about that. Think about the average convenience store clerk, working an eight hour shift.  How many times do you think they have to hear about how RIDICULOUS gas prices are!?  I’ll bet they hear it fifty times each day.  That’s gotta get pretty old after awhile. “Yeah, yeah–I know–$80 to fill up your tank, that’s insanity.  So–cash or charge?  You want some Cheetos or something?”

So, let’s give ‘em a break, right?  On behalf of convenience store clerks all over the Denver area–THANK you! 

I mentioned this on the show today…this is an approximate half-size replica of the actual Wall in Washington D.C., it arrived in the Denver area yesterday.  It’s going to be on display through Sunday at Faith Bible Chapel in Arvada, 62nd and Ward Road. 

Most of us who lived through the Viet Nam War era–myself included–knew someone, or knew OF someone, who was killed in action in that war.  One of the families in our church lost a son in Viet Nam, as a kid I’m not sure I really understood the depth of that loss to them.  Years later, a lot of people are finding some release from those difficult emotions, or discovering emotions they didn’t know they had, by visiting this memorial–it’s a very powerful symbol of a very turbulent time.

The press release says it’s available for viewing 24 hours a day.  There’s a prayer service scheduled for 6:30 tonight.  More information at fbci.org…

Time for our annual warning about carcinogens on the grill.  Too much black stuff supposedly causes cancer–hetero-cyclic-amines, or HCAs!  YIKES!

If this is the case, then I think I’m a goner, based on the number of times I burned marshmallows while roasting them–and–GASP!–ate them anyway, black stuff and all!  What kid doesn’t enjoy igniting a marshmallow over the campfire, watching it grow black with flame, and then EATING it!! 

I’m not sure why, but I’ve always kind of preferred the taste of burned meat.  Maybe it was the way my dad made hot dogs when I was a kid–BLACK!

Of course, if you don’t cook your meat ENOUGH, you’re ALSO at risk of getting deathly ill, right?  Frankly, I don’t have the time or the inclination to be that vigilant about what/how I cook.  I think I’ll just live life on the edge…

 Excuse me while I fire up the grill…

I had a fantastic Father’s Day, I’m so blessed to have such a great wife and kids!  My son gave me a card that thanked me for my love, inspiration and strength, and–when you opened the card–also the occasional twenty dollar bill!  He then wrote, “I wish that last part about the $20 bill really was true!”  HA HA!   [I guess I didn’t realize what a cheapskate I am with my own kids!!]

We had a great lunch at Hacienda Colorado, I’ve never seen shrimp fajitas offered anywhere else, they were FABULOUS!!  Then we went home and hung out, took a nap, etc.  Then we played a couple board games as a family–you have to understand, I’m a HUGE board game fan!  We pulled out an old game that I played when I was kid back in the 70s, a used car game from Parker Brothers called “Dealers Choice.”  I’d be interested to hear from anyone who remembers this game, it’s a HOOT!  Me and the other neighborhood kids used to break this game out during summer vacation and play it a LOT!  It can get kind of diabolical, I suppose–maybe that’s why we enjoyed it so much, me and my brothers and our friends!

Hope you had a great weekend!

Usually I have to “settle” when I get my dad a Father’s Day card, but this year I got him the perfect card!

It’s one of those “musical” cards–on the front it says “Why Isn’t Father’s Day During the Football Season?”  Then when you open it, the “Monday Night Football” theme song starts playing, and the message on the card says, “because of the danger that Dads would explode with delight!” 

You have to understand, me and my Dad are HUGE football fans.  Originally from the east coast, he started out as a New York Giants fan.  Later, when we moved to Wisconsin, he became a Packers fan–this was during the Vince Lombardi “Title Town” years.  That’s when *I* started to get interested.  Every Sunday after church, between September and December, we’d plop down in front of the old black and white Zenith and watch Bart Starr, Donny Anderson, Ray Nitchke and all the other legendary Packers do battle on “the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.”  My Dad and Mom moved to Texas in 1977, and since then he’s been a Cowboys fan [booooo!]. 

I’ve never understood how he could switch allegiances like that, BTW.  When I started following football in the late ’60s, I decided I couldn’t be like everyone ELSE and be a Packers fan, I needed to cheer for a DIFFERENT team.  I decided on the Saints, because I liked their helmets with the fleur-de-lis symbol!  I’ve been a Saints fan ever since, no matter WHERE I’ve lived.  And, lemme tell you, as a DJ I’ve lived ALL OVER the USA!  I guess that’s ONE area where me and my dad are different!

Hope you found a good card for YOUR Dad, if you’re fortunate enough that he’s still around.  Happy Father’s Day!