What’s Been Happening?

So, what’s been happening?

Paddy and I, and his new guy, hit the Wrangler beer bust on Sunday. I felt like I was at a Game Of Thrones casting call for extras. So many guys had epic beards. The crowd was festive. A few guys were wearing rabbit ears while others were sporting Easter bonnets. Mike and Chris met us there and a few other friends showed up later. It felt good to be out and about after the previous week’s blizzard.

Only two days are left on my contract. Double A reviewed my resume and made two minor suggestions while Paddy hooked me up with his client who is an IT head hunter. I really haven’t felt like job hunting. I’ve been giving my best at my current gig. All my local team members volunteered references so I want to make sure all my projects are in good shape. The team gave me a going away party last week. I was touched. That hardly ever happens for a contractor. I felt like I proved myself and made significant contributions over the last seven years. Oddly, the man who is assuming my role across the pond has yet to contact me for a hand off. I’ve emailed him twice but received no response. He’s only setting himself up for failure but that’s not going to be my problem.

I’ve had another trip down disappointment drive. That makes two trips in the last month or so. I’m guessing I’ll have time to post about the trips next week when I’m unemployed. Unless the stars align and a great job offer is tendered in the next few days.

And the picture. It has nothing to do with this post other than I snapped it on Sunday. I just liked the composition.

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Snow, Sun, Snow

It’s amazing how clear the neighborhood streets are considering they were not plowed and there was at least eighteen inches of snow in my part of town. Sun today but snow tonight and Saturday.

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After The Blizzard

What a storm! The airport closed. Many highways were closed. A thousand cars were stranded on I-25 near Monument Hill, between Denver and Colorado Springs.

The combination of white snow and a black fence makes this photo look like it’s black and white.

Another round of snow arrives on Friday night.

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It’s Back

Winter returned today. It sent a winter storm with blizzard conditions. The storm is expected to last into the late afternoon. I already have about six inches of snow in my yard. The airport has a power outage. Most schools are closed. Chain laws and traction laws are in effect in the high country. I-25 is closed at the Wyoming border. A second round of snow is expected on Friday. March is the snowiest month in Denver. It looks like that trend is continuing.

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Shock Wave

Christoph Heinrich was appointed director of the Denver Art Museum in 2010. The museum has totally changed under his tenure. The museum was rehung. Artwork that had been in storage for years has been put on display. The museum has been constantly changing which makes it new and refreshing every time I visit. Heinrich also hired new curators and secured blockbuster exhibits. It seems like a new and exciting exhibit opens every six weeks. Back in 2012, the museum hosted the Yves Saint Laurent retrospective which was a huge success. Last year, Florence Müller joined the museum as curator of Textile Art and Fashion. Her first exhibit was announces a few days ago. Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design, 1980s–90s will open on September 11.

From the press release: Shock Wave: Japanese Fashion Design, 1980s–90s, shows work by Japanese designers who started a fashion revolution in Paris. The exhibition features 70 looks by powerhouse designers Issey Miyake, Kenzo Takada, Kansai Yamamoto, Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, and Junya Watanabe, whose impact on fashion still resonates today.

Perry and I are attending a lecture and champagne reception on Wednesday afternoon to find out more about the exhibit. I guess I’d better send my Comme des Garçons shirt to the cleaners.

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Short But Sweet

I hit the galleries by myself last night. Paddy flew to California to take his nieces to Disneyland. Perry had family obligations and Mack was working. I got a late start as I took a nap when I got home from the gym.

The first stop was Walker Fine Art to see Peter Illig’s new paintings. I liked all of them but forgot to take pictures. Next up was Spark to see Kate McGuinness’s new monotypes. Again, I loved all of her prints. The last stop was Pirate to see Phil Bender’s new work. The show was typical Phil who is a master at assembling and presenting collections.

The patrons seemed to be following each other from gallery to gallery. All of the usual suspects were out and about. It was a short but fun night

McGuinness at Spark:



Bender at Pirate:

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Spring Or Winter

The magnolia tree bloomed this week.
Then it snowed tonight.

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It’s So Sad

Mike and I visited Crazy Barb at her memory care center on Sunday. We signed her out for two hours and took her to a farm supply store to look at boots. Barb was so thankful to get out and be free for a couple of hours. I don’t believe Barb remembered me but she did a good job of hiding her memory loss.

I had never been to a memory care facility before. I found the whole experience disturbing. Barb is probably in one of the most expensive facilities in the area. It’s like walking into a swank country club.

Barb’s lockdown ward is populated with other rich women in various stages of memory loss. Some look like zombies walking about while others can still carry on conversations. It was strange and upsetting to see these women locked up for their own good. It was like jail with walnut paneling and crystal chandeliers.

Barb was a socialite whose European vacations were written up in the local newspaper’s society column. She was the toast of the town in her heyday. Now she’s confined to a glorified nursing home with a horrible fate ahead of her. She knows she’s doomed. It’s only a matter of time. And that’s what makes it so sad.

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A Second Chance

I met a man for drink I had previously met when I first started dating after K and I split. I would occasionally get messages from him but never encouraged communication. After numerous trips down disappointment drive, I agreed to meet him for a drink on Thursday night. After all, he has a job, a car and all of his front teeth. I had a nice conversation with the man at the bar in a crowded restaurant in Cherry Creek. I wanted there to be a spark but I felt nothing for this man. As before, I thought he was a very nice guy. I shook his hand at the end of the meeting and wished him good night before walking to my car.

The next day I get a text asking if I wanted to meet again. I simply said no. I didn’t bother to explain, or offer to meet as friends, and not, future romantic partners. The next text I received was a rude and childish response which only reassured me that I made the right decision. I chose not to respond.

I can’t make up feelings that aren’t there and I’m not going to data a man just because I don’t want to be alone. I don’t need the wrong man in my life.

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Seven Gay Men In A Hotel Room

My good friend, D, who now lives in Santa Fe, recently sent me this picture. It was taken in 1991 in a hotel room at the Loews Anatole Hotel in Dallas. The group had gathered to attend the annual Black Tie Dinner which raises funds for LGBT supportive organizations. The annual Dallas/Fort Worth Black Tie Dinner used to be the largest and most successful LGBT fundraising dinner in the nation. Amazingly, all of these gay men survived the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

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