Wonders Never Cease

After spending two days in Oregon the package arrived in Colorado Friday evening.  I checked my email when I got home from touring the gallery openings.  I received a FedEx email advising the package would be delivered on Monday between 9:40 a.m. and 1:40 p.m.  Another email arrived on Saturday morning which stated the package would be delivered on Saturday between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.  The package arrived at 1:30 p.m.  Wonders never cease.

FedEx Fiascos

I placed an online order last Friday.  The package was shipped by the vendor via FedEx.  The package left Los Angeles on Friday and arrived in Memphis on Saturday morning.  I received notification from FedEx the package would be delivered on Tuesday by 8 p.m.  The package arrived at the FedEx Denver sort facility on Saturday evening.  The FedEx tracking website showed the package would arrive early.  It would now be delivered on Monday by 8 p.m.  Monday came and went.  The package was now sitting in the FedEx hub in Henderson, CO, just outside Denver.  The package was not delivered on Tuesday.  Wednesday morning the FedEx tracking site showed the package would be delayed.  Late Wednesday afternoon the package arrived in Portland, OR, 1,200 miles from Denver. WTF.  Instead of delivering the package to me, FedEx sent it to Portland.  I called FedEx and opened a case.  The agent could not explain why the package was in Portland, instead of being delivered.  I was assured the issue would be investigated.  I’m waiting for the agent to update me.

I ordered another item online in January which was shipped via FedEx.  The package sat in the FedEx Denver hub for two days before I received an email from FedEx advising the package was delivered.  The email included a picture showing the package on a porch.  Sadly, the porch was not my house.  FedEx was less than helpful.  They didn’t know where the package was delivered.  I was eventually told to file a claim with the vendor.  I filed a claim with the vendor and received a refund.

What the hell is going on with FedEx?  Is anyone else having issues with FedEx?  I never have these issues with Amazon.

Update – Last night, I received an email from FedEx advising the package would be delivered on Thursday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.  This morning I received an email from FedEx advising the package would be delayed.  The package will now be delivered on Friday between 10:40 a.m. and 2:40 p.m.  The FedEx tracking site shows the package is now in Troutdale, OR.

A New Gym

I joined a new gym.  Adios 16 Hour Fitness.  The new gym normally charges around $200 a month, but thankfully, the fee is covered by my Medicare Advantage plan.  The swank facility is kept immaculately clean.  No more dust bunnies like the old gym.  The gym has new equipment, an indoor running track, three pools, sauna, steam room and many other amenities such as a coffee bar, spa and free classes.  There’s a lounge in men’s locker room where you can watch the sports game of the day while sitting in leather club chairs.  The only drawback is the air of entitlement in the gym.  The gym is adjacent to the very affluent Cherry Creek and Hilltop neighborhoods.  The parking lot is packed with high-end vehicles.  It’s also a very white gym, which, is taking some time getting used to given the multi-cultural membership at my old gym.  The members are mostly older when I go in the afternoon.  I have yet to see anyone overweight.  Many of the women are close to being social x-rays.  I find the eye candy more appealing than my old gym, which is a catalyst for fueling my workouts.  Overall, the change has been good for my workouts. 

Spring Art Season

The spring art season is off to a great start.  I attended two openings last weekend, three on Thursday night and seven on Friday night. It’s Month of Photography so many galleries are exhibiting photographs. Here are a few of my favorite selections.

Kevin Hoth, Black Spines, archival pigment print, 36 x 24, Walker Fine Art.

Katie Kindle, Wayfinder, encaustic photographic collage on panel, 36 x 24, Walker Fine Art.

Madeleine Dodge, Erasure Series – Annihilation of States, wood, acrylic paint, indigo and carbon transfer on steel, 18 x 18, Spark Gallery.

Gwen Laine, What the Wind Revealed 3, digital photograph of Sloan’s Lake with manipulated pixels, Michael Warren Contemporary Art.

Joanne Mattera, Mezza 7, gouache and wax emulsion on Arches paper, 35.5 x 27.5, Space Gallery.

John Gibson, Pebble, oil on panel, 19 x 19, William Havu Gallery.

An Enjoyable Day Ends with Sad News

Last week, JP and I hiked a trail in one of the Jefferson County open spaces.  It was a beautiful sunny day with a vivid cloud-free sky.  The trail, which snaked along Bear Creek, was muddy in some places and slushy in others.  There was an amazing number of people on the trail.  It was a most enjoyable day.

That night, Cindi called with news of Manuel entering hospice. He posted an update to FB.  Cindi was suspicious given that Manuel had posted on FB two years ago about being in hospice, which, turned out not to be true.  Cindi was dispatching another friend in Denver to check out the situation.  She knows I want nothing to do with Manuel.  I excommunicated him from my circle of friends years ago after he showed up trashed three hours late to a sit-down dinner I was hosting.  The other guests were enjoying after-dinner cocktails but made quick exits after Manuel arrived.

I met manual about 30 years ago after I moved into my neighborhood.  Manuel was a friend of my realtor.  Manuel was the son of Cuban immigrants who grew up in Miami and somehow ended up in Denver.  He was the new good looking and charming agent on the scene. He had a beautiful smile along with a stunningly handsome face which he used to his advantage.  He was quickly becoming a top agent in the area.  Most of his clientele were gay men. 

Manuel fell into the party crowd.  He was soon a standard fixture at circuit parties.  Then drugs tool over his life.  His career floundered.  The boyfriend left.  He lost his house.  Went to rehab several times.  He’s now on SSI disability living in section 8 housing.

A few years ago, I ran into Manuel at Whole Foods.  He was high on what I suspected was meth.  He was a hot mess.  Manuel was no longer the handsome man I remembered. He talked for about 10 minutes.  I listened to an endless stream of sentences that made no sense.  It was a rather sad encounter.

Cindi called me last night with an update.  Her friend checked on Manuel.  Manuel claims to have a tumor on his spine.  His apartment was a pigsty.  He’s lost most of his teeth and is emancipated.  A sister who also lives in Denver is looking out for him. 

A man whose life was full of promise was ruined by drugs and the party life.  What a shame.

Toy on the Porch

The owners of this house collect cars.  The house has a six-car garage.  There’s also a standalone garage which houses two additional cars.  There are usually two cars in the driveway and the two most used cars are parked on the street.  All of the cars in the garages are high-dollar classic cars.  The most recent acquisition, a three-wheel BMW, is now parked on the front porch.  Given the scale of the house, it almost looks like the kids left their toy on the porch.

Recent Selections

A few of my favorites from recent gallery tours.

Kelton Osborne, Feelings, Not Thoughts, 58 x 63, acrylic and latex on canvas, 58 x 63, Michael Warren Contemporary Art.

Mark Andrew Farrell, Psychosis, 48 x 60, oil paint on canvas, Edge Gallery.

Jared Hankins, The Grand, oil on panel, 42 x 42, Space Gallery.

Kristina Davies and Branon Espinosa collaboration, Unraveled in Snow, acrylic and graphite on canvas, 62 x 52, Bitfactory Gallery.

Chris Hudson, HsH Polaroid, mixed media on Gessoboard, 24 x 18 x 2, Core Art Space.

Lunch or Dinner?

In recent weeks, my life has been defined by lunch and dinner engagements.  Not one of them being a date with a guy.  My time in Santa Fe revolved around intimate meals with friends at the usual Santa Fe haunts. Breakfast at Counter Culture, lunch over margaritas at La Choza, dinners at Gabriel’s and Midtown Bistro.  I had dinner with friends in Boulder on Monday night and lunch with Double A on Tuesday at the Bagel Deli.  I’m having dinner next week with a former neighbor and friend.

I’ve also been reading my neighbor’s new book.  It’s a historical-fiction tale centering around the early teen years of Mozart’s life.  He asked me for feedback before it’s published.  We’ll meet next week to review my suggestions.  Cindi has also written a book and has been agonizing over edits.  She has two publishers who have expressed preliminary interest in her book.  I’ll probably also provide feedback on her book. 

Some things remain constant such as the gym and working in the garden.  Gardening has been challenging since we’re having above average snowfall this winter.  It’s Friday so I’ll be hitting the gallery openings with JP tonight.

Two Fingers of Scotch

After spending almost a week in Santa Fe for P’s celebration of life, I returned home to news of Mister G’s death.  G had been in declining death for a number of years and I knew the end of was near before I left for Santa Fe.

I met G at a neighbor’s summer garden party about ten years ago.  He was about to turn 70.  He didn’t come out until his children were married.  G was from one of the Denver old-money families.  He knew all the local oil heiresses and their secrets.  G was often the plus one at black-tie events for the divorced heiresses.  He was always entertaining.  At parties, one could always find G siting in chair with two fingers of Scotch neat in a tumbler holding court.  He was a master at storytelling and his tales were always most interesting.  That was part of his charm. 

G will be missed.  I’ll be meeting up with Sheila and Tom to have a final toast to G.  Top-shelf Scotch neat will be enjoyed.

My Pimp Called…

My pimp from the New York consulting company called last week wanting to whore me out on a new gig.  The main office is based in Ireland, but they wanted remote workers.  After listening to the job requirement, I asked the guy if he read my resume recently.  I don’t have most of the qualifications need for the position, so I passed on the opportunity.  At this point in my life I’m not interested in learning new skills.  I’m enjoying retirement so I’m not taking a gig just to get a paycheck.  A new gig will really need to be something I’m interested in.