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10.17.2010
I went to brunch today a little nervous because the true intention was not to eat whatever it is they call food, it was to find someone to go downtown with.I've been sitting with different people at each meal, remembering names and getting to know a little about each one but so far haven't made any lightning bolt connections with anyone.I knew breakfast was the perfect time to wrangle me an exploring companion or two, hopefully without too much force.
And in reality, it ended up being quite easy to do so.Her name is Tiffany and she had actually introduced herself to me a few days ago in reference to the ISP (Independent Service Project) that I'm coordinating Halloween weekend.She's a good traveler, a girl after my own heart.I knew this to be true the moment she suggested stopping in the tourist info center to pick up brochures about the city since we were new to the area!YES!Let's make the most of it!Then we went to the Capitol, listened to some Latin music in the park that was the end of the Denver Marathon concerts, had an impromptu dance lesson, walked along the 16th street shops and went to the Tattered Cover - the best bookstore in AMERICA!First of all, it's humongous and has everything related to reading and books your little heart could ever desire.I spent all my time reading the staff's recommendations.My reading list has now doubled in size!
The next day we did a more formal tour of Denver with our teams.I led a few of us over toward Larimer Square, Writer Square and Sakura Square which are all less impressive than they sound but a nice diversion once you've worn out the regular tourist area.Also learned some interesting Denver Facts:
- Denver averages about 300 days of sunshine every year!
- Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America.
- The 13th step of the state capital building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level.
- Denver lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name "cheeseburger" was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.
- Denver boasts more than 4,000 acres of traditional parks and parkways, which include 2,500 urban natural acres and an additional 14,000 acres of spectacular mountain parks.
10.20.2010
Knowing that the newly installed laundry machines (which are FREE!) would soon be overrun with 300 loads of uniforms, I did laundry today.I had to wash my normal traveling clothes, the uniforms that I've worn over the past week (can't believe it's only been a week…) and the few used uniform pieces I'd gotten from the "used uniform closet".
I considered myself lucky when I was able to get in and out without waiting for any machines, losing any socks or visibly shrinking anything.But upon closer inspection….
Guess what chocolate stains look like?Poop.Guess what I don't have time for?Hand washing poop-like stains out of all my uniforms.Guess why I have to do this?Because I thought that I could get some dried chocolate out of the pocket of used shorts by just throwing them in the wash with my other clothes.Negative.
Or maybe I do have time for this mundane task because I'm certainly not going out drinking across the street with the rest of the gang on all my free evenings.My gut told me it wasn't a good idea last week but I thought that was just because I needed to get my bearings first.A police officer told me and the other 300 of us it wasn't it a good idea this week at a seminar on area safety.Apparently, the campus is surrounded by a neighborhood known for gang related violence.Muggings at 10am in fact.And the fact that we wear uniforms doesn't help.Great.This is just great for my growing tendency to be a hermit at night.
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