Have You Heard The News? There's Good Rockin' In Creston

    Went to Creston, Iowa for a short visit. Saw a lot of Murals

    

  

  

 

I think every town in Iowa is required to have one of these

"Daddy, That Man In The Nice Convertible Looks Like He's Trying To Get Into Our Lane."

I travel over the road a lot, primarily for the job.

Which means I see the occasional automobile accident.

Wednesday I saw one that involved an Aston-Martin Vantage roadster (think James Bond) and a GMC Sierra 2500 (quad cab).

Apparently, the driver of the Aston-Martin Vantage roadster (not James Bond) was trying to merge from the far left (HOV) lane into the lane to his right and somehow forgot about the whole "two objects of equal mass cannot occupy the same space and time" dealio.

Note: Jousting at 75mph, not a good idea

P.S., Remarkably, no one was injured.

P.S.S., Wonder if that Aston-Martin Vantage roadster will have to be totaled? Has to be an incredibly expensive repair.

Enjoy Your Unpaid Vacation / Staycation, Denver

   The City of Denver, Colorado announced today that each and everyone of the 15,000 city employees will have to take anywhere from two to seven mandatory unpaid furlough days at sometime in the remaining seven months of 2025.

   That includes all 1,400 of the city of Denver employees that work at Denver International Airport, despite the airport operating independently of Denver's general fund.

   See, the Denver general fund is short some fifty million dollars this year.

   Fifty million dollar shortfall...hmmm...property tax revenue in Denver has more than doubled in the past ten years...sales tax revenue since 2018 is up an estimated 30% (or a bit higher - really difficult to get accurate numbers on that from the opaque government agencies that control access to those numbers).

   BTW, Denver receives around 45% of it's operating revenue from sales taxes and fees, which is unusually high for a city - for comparison, the city of Boston, which is located in that wonderful state nick-named "Tax-achusetts" by it's residents, receives about 15% of it's operating revenue from sales taxes and fees, Kansas City gets about 22% of it's operating budget from sales taxes and fees, and Seattle receives 23% of it's operating revenue from same.

   Those furloughs being due to a $50,000,000 shortfall in Denver's operating budget really begs the question, "What the hell has happened to all that money?"

   Oh, wait a minute...there was that ninety million dollars ($90,000,000) for migrant aid that was made public a year ago.

   Or course, that could just be correlation, not causation.

   I know what you're thinking right about now. You're thinking, "WTF Cripes, you wrote a diatribe basically in favor of migration about about a year ago, didn't you?"

   The answer to that is yes, yes I did. However, I also wrote a diatribe suggesting that all those NGO's (non-governmental organizations, such as the International Rescue Committee, Alight, Catholic Charites USA, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Church World Services, etc.) aiding and abetting the migration of all those people from (primarily) Central and South America making their way to Denver fork over the $$$ to house, cloth and feed those very same migrants.

   I mean, to just drop people off at the doorstep of a government agency and say, "here you go, now use all that money you are taking from the citizenry of your fair city to house, cloth and feed these poor and unfortunate migrants." is not just incredibly unethical, it's also incredibly immoral.

   A huge percentage of the NGO's are church organizations...churches that operate tax free...why are they not being made responsible for what they have wrought?

  Yeah, I know, a few actually are making efforts to help ease the budget strain caused by the migrant crises, but not nearly enough.

   And all those services the religious organizations are providing for the migrants that have landed in Denver? Again, this might just be correlation and not causation, but the past year has seen a huge uptick in the homeless population in these parts...the natural-born homeless population, who are suddenly finding it very difficult to find available short-term housing and other necessary services.

   But what the hell do I know, heck, I'm not even posting links to sources for the numbers I'm using in this little rant.

   Maybe you should get on the good ol' Google and double-check those numbers...I could be lying or at the least exaggerating...or maybe I'm possibly even underreporting the numbers...either way, it'll give you something to do.

The Reunion & The Release

   We had all agreed to lunch at Trafangler's, which was in and of itself nothing short of miraculous. The agreement to have lunch part, not the choice of a restaurant.

   It had been awhile since we had all gotten together, probably close to four years. Oh, I'd seen a few of the guys here and there - Jake at his brother's wedding, Jorge and Trent at the bowling alley on 4th st., and of course Gary, who still worked in the same department as I did - heck, we run into each other quite a bit, but it was never planned and we didn't talk much, just exchanged pleasantries and went our separate ways.

   The group had been tight in the beginning, but that's how it always is when a group of strangers are thrown together to work on a somewhat dangerous, long-term project. Once the project was completed though, we all just fell out of contact - not intentionally or with any animosity, we just all sorta went back to doing what we did before we had to work together.

   Somehow, someone (it might have even been me), got the idea we should all get together and catch up with each other, see how everyone was doing, etc., etc.

   The remarkable thing was that all fourteen of the guys were still around and had the time and inclination to get together.

   And that's how, on a cold, windy early Spring day in late April we all found ourselves gathered together around a large rectangular table (which was actually three smaller square tables joined together by the very accomodating restaurant staff).

   Everyone spent at least ten minutes chatting with whomever was next to or across from them, and several guys (Don, Anthony, Trent) didn't even sit down until they'd walked the perimeter of the table and exchanged greetings with everybody present - the wait staff (there were two assigned to us) had a dickens of a time getting the drink orders in, but handled it without a single misstep.

   By the time the drinks (second round) and food orders had all been served, I'd spoken with everyone at least for a few minutes. It was nice, as far as these gatherings go - no one had suffered any major setbacks, everyone was still working and above water financially - at least that's what was reported.

   About halfway through my salad, Jer, who was seated to my left, threw out a conversational gambit, asking everyone in general if they were all satisfied with what we had accomplished. A lot of nodding of heads and "Yes's, yeah's," and "of course's" followed by a call for a toast to "Team Arcanum!" was the answer.

   Then he turned to me and almost half-whispered another, more specific question. With a far more serious intensity, Jer said, "Do you think the project was your greatest accomplishment?"

   I turned to look straight at him and replied, "No Jer, not my greatest accomplishment. I regard simply surviving this long, you know, not dying, or at least not suffering a major injury, my biggest accomplishment."

   Ever have one of those moments when everyone has inexplicably quieted down at the same time you say something not intended for everyone to hear? Well, that's what happened to me right then.

   The quiet was deafening, as they say.

   Which was broken by Jer's loud laughter and the almost roar from Blaine exclaiming "Don't we all, don't we all!", and the concurrent laughter of everyone else at the table.

   That's when I realised everyone had been holding the same thing inside that I had been for the past four years, and now we had all just let it go.

   

Memorial Day May 26th 2025, Pvt Joe P. Martinez

 

A Tale Of 3 Workers...& 3 Work Ethics And/Or Skill Levels

Always A Touchy Subject

 

The Giant Trout That Ate The Sky

 

The giant cloud fish seen along Colorado 14 in the late evening

The Lakewood Labyrinth

   Somehow it never occured to me that I might one day desire to walk a labyrinth. However, as I was driving home a few days ago I saw a message posted on the digital sign that advertises services, classes, lectures, and events held at the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living (located at the corner of Alameda and Garrison) that stated "Walk our labyrinth anytime".

          The digital message board on the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living in Lakewood

  Which sparked my curiosity, not solely to walk the labyrinth mind you, but for the fact that it was something I could do anytime. Thoughts of getting up at 3:00am and driving to the labyrinth bounced around in my head as I drove. 

   I also had thoughts along the lines of "Why does the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living have a labyrinth? Is it like the labyrinth of Greek mythology that was designed to keep the Minotaur imprisoned? Is it full of confusing corridors that branch off left and right and have dead ends that force a person to turn around and try a different right or left turn? Or is it more like a Victorian era hedge maze that people meander through but can't really get lost in because the hedges are kept short so the way out can readily be seen?

   My knowledge of labyrinths being fairly limited (just the Greek mythology and David Bowie movie is about all the labyrinth knowledge I possess), I decided yesterday that I needed to investigate the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living labyrinth.

  But not at 3:00am. I figured it was best to approach what could possibly be a confusing maze in the middle of a sunny afternoon.

   The Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living is a huge complex - it sits on 15 acres and can boast the largest domed building in Colorado. That dome is both unique and impressive - I can clearly recall it being built back in 2008 because of the method used to build it. Basically, a huge balloon was inflated (well, a huge half-balloon), then a huge rebar skeleton was built around the entire balloon, then the rebar-reinforced balloon was coated with concrete - seriously, that's how it was done. It was interesting to watch the process.

   knowing all that I was prepared for a labyrinth of impressive stature. 

   That is not the case.

   This is the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living labyrinth:

    

   So, yeah...not too challenging as far as labyrinths go. And apparently, it's not meant to be challenging. The intended use is for quiet, meditative walks.

   Short, Minotaur free walks, so don't bother bringing a shield and sword.

   BTW, This is not an endorsement, but if you're interested you can learn more about the Mile Hi Church Center For Spiritual Living here: 

https://www.milehichurch.org

The Occasional Overwhelming Desire To Discover & Explore

I'm going to take a trip, going to take a real long drive

Not sure where I'm going to go just know I gotta drive

Get up early friday morning eat a light breakfast and go

There are places I've never seen and I can't wait to arrive

At a place I've never been

A new adventure ready to begin

Maybe go to Hopkinsville or to Lyndon

Overland travel is a thing I really enjoy

Open throttle driving along with a trucker convoy

There is just so much to see, so much to discover

Relive the feeling of being an insatiably curious schoolboy

Crossing bridges over rivers wide

Stopping for a huge ball of twine along the roadside

Don't need a map, don't need a tour guide

The feel of the steering wheel in my hands, foot on the pedal

Stop in small towns filled with bars, churches & happy people 

No reasons for the visit, just like to roam and explore

See the heartland of the country at it's most fundamental 

Get to know life outside the big city

From North Dakota down to Mississippi

Birmingham, Fayetteville, maybe even Kankakee

Spot The Heron

 Took a photo at Standley lake and didn't realize I'd snapped a pic of one of the herons. It's there, but you have to look for it.

Martha Was A Very Popular Girl...Sorta

Found a high school yearbook from 1962 that had belonged to a graduating senior named Martha. It was filled with short & sweet platitudes from friends and acquaintances of Martha, who was apparently a very popular girl.

But there was also this:

Man, this was difficult to read...and not just because of the sloppy handwriting. This is the literal definition of forlorn.

BTW, what the hell are advertisements for funeral homes and mortuary services doing in a high school annual?

 

No Old Dudes

 

There Are Reporters, There Are Serious Editors, & Then There Are ChatBots

   Lately I've encountered a number of news articles that have some fairly glaring mistakes in the content, and it's given me a bit of pause in regards to accepting their veracity.

   For example, today on Yahoo.com there was an article published regarding a spike in Colorado drivers refusing to consent to toxicology tests when pulled over for suspicion of DUI, and it contained the following (I added the quotation marks and the italics, 'natch):

  "It's all because the Colorado Expressed Consent Law said Colorado Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Manager Sam Cole.

"Unfortunately, a lot of people do not know that if they are arrested for DUI, they have to take a toxicology test, that's either a blood test or a urine test," Cole said."

   Notice the text cited? Take a look again at the one in the bold font. There's a fairly glaring error in that thar' statement.

   The State of Colorado statute regarding DUI gives a suspect the right to choose between a blood test or a breath test, as outlined in section 42-4-1301.1(2)(a)(I), C.R.S.

   Sure, it's kinda funny to imagine police officers pulling over a suspected drunk driver (especially if it's a woman) and requesting a piss test, but seriously, how did an editor not see this error in the article?

   I mean, I know most media outlets no longer have science editors, but no legal beagles either?

   Was the article actually researched and written by a human? Or maybe the mistake was made by the CDOT traffic safety manager Sam Cole? (that's even scarier though - he should know the law regarding traffic safety inside and out).

   ChatGPT anyone?

The Things One Sees While Stopped At Traffic Lights

   She had her hair wrapped in a towel as if she had just stepped out of a shower...but she was driving a Lexus SUV while smoking a cigarette and drinking coffee.

   All I could think was, "Hope she doesn't get in an accident as there'd be one helluva unintentionally funny police report filled out by the investigating officer."

The Early May Storm Rolled In

   The storm rolled in overnight, stayed for breakfast, then decided Denver was too nice a place to visit to only stay one day, so parked itself over the city for another 48 hours.

   The vegetation was grateful for the extended stay. 

The streets looked much better with a good wash, as did the majority of the buildings.

The brown haze that usually hung over the city was gone too, at least for a little while.

Something Just A Lot Scarier Upon Reflection

    So, at the gas station this morning. Rain coming down, not hard, but consistent.

    Cold, too.

   The Sprinter van was being filled up...but suddenly, out from under the Sprinter van, diesel started to flow, as if somehow the nozzle had slipped out of the fill spout...but a quick glance confirmed it hadn't. 

   Drop down to the ground and look under the Sprinter van and what to my wondering eyes should appear? 

   Diesel leaking out of the gas tank like a race horse after ten furlongs.

   Calmly stop pumping fuel. Calmly replace the gas pump handle back in it's holster. Calmly step away from the van and assess the situation.

   It's diesel, it's raining, and it's a cold rain - the outside temperature is 43 degrees (F).

   Breath a sigh of relief for that. 

   Diesel fuel is a class II combustible liquid, class II's have a flashpoint above 100 degrees (F) to below 140 (F). 

   Plus, diesel, while flammable, is much less flammable than other fuels and flammable solvents. If you toss a lit match into a puddle of diesel, it will go out - diesel is much less flammable than gasoline.

   No vapor to speak of, which is even better.

   We were oh so grateful for the consistent rain and the cold this morning in this particular situation.

   We got out of the way and let the fuel spill crew do their job.

   And pondered how the hell that hole got in the tank.

 

Put The Brakes On Celebrities As Admirable Characters

 Celebrity worship/idolization has really gotten out of hand, IMHO. 

The Carved Tree Sculptures In The Smallest Park In Lakewood

   Not quite sure when this very small (maybe 250 square feet?) park was built as I just noticed it the other day - well, I noticed the carved tree sculptures from a distance and walked over to discover they were in the smallest park I've ever stepped foot in...  

...and for good measure, a little motivational graffiti on the arm of one of the two park benches.