Spring Meltdown in Durango

The San Juan Mountains in Southwest Colorado struggled for snowpack most of the year, but the river is pumping up a little. The Animas River in Durango is flowing about 1,600 cfs; good enough for some fun on the river. A bad day on the river is better than a good day at work (or in my case, school). Have fun down there, and have a cold one for me.

Donkey Draft Day

Since the Nuggets have decided not to show up for the NBA playoffs, I will shift some attention to the Broncos. Wheeling and dealing, the Broncos managed to trade up for Vanderbilt QB Jay Cutler, the unknown phenomenon. The guy is apparently the real deal, and hopefully will give Plummer pressure to elevate his game. Broncos also got veteran WR Javon Walker from the Packers and TE Tony Scheffler from Western Michigan. Walker is coming off ACL surgery and missed most of last season, but Walker will be an offensive power. Broncos are stacked on defense and the offense is impressive, could this be the year?

Music on the Bayou

Post-Katrina Jazz Fest back in action. I'm glad to see New Orleans is restoring some life back in their city, as I'm told they are a long way from recovery. Many areas of the the city are devastated, but the bayou folk are resiliant. What better way to move on than doing what they do best; deep-fried music. They do know how to get down, and some of the most talented musicians can be heard in every nook and cranny in the French Quarter. Give it up for a city that has been through more than most can imagine.

Don King Productions?

50 cent is going after Oprah claiming she's got it in for rappers. Oprah is not down with the gangstas and blames much of youth violence on the wankstas. 50 does note that beefin with Oprah can only bring more attention to him. So is this a battle in the works, or just a marketing ploy?

Who do you think would win this match-up? The bookie is standing by, so place your bets. I think 50's gunshot wounds would feel better than the wrath of Oprah, personally.

Hero or Zero?

MLB announced today they will not celebrate when Barry Bonds breaks Babe Ruth's record (nor will 8 million people in NYC). Is it time to start feeling sorry for Barry? I certainly do. His home run trots this season are painful to watch, and has there ever been a more hated person in sports? The guy could arguably be the greatest hitter MLB has ever seen, but because he has never had a likeable personality, does he deserve to be raked over the coals? He may have brought on the animosity himself, and he probably did use steroids; but the guy deserves some credit. It's still innocent until proven guilty, right? Selig either needs to prove his guilt, or show some support for once. I've never been a huge fan of Barry, but I have to give him some respect for hobbling up to the plate, and still scaring every pitcher in the NL. If anyone would like to share their thoughts on the Bond's situation, please comment.

Make the Switch

While my sports predictions (eg. Nuggets) have not done much for my credibility, my frustrations with Internet Explorer are shared by many. While new to the blogging thing, it is unbelievable how inferior IE is compared to FireFox and Opera. Everything I do in Blogger looks good in FF(in my eyes) and then when I check it in IE, the whole page is screwed up; colors and the template usually breaks. Because of my newfound geekness, my research has shown that IE is just not keeping up in web design; particularly CSS. How can Microsoft allow the humiliation of itself? When you're the only game in town, who cares, right? Well guess what Microsoft, people are getting smarter and I think you should start paying attention. For the timid who do not welcome change, make the swith to either FF or Opera and you will be pleasantly surprised. It is ok to have multiple browsers, but once you switch, you'll wonder why you didn't do so earlier. For those who don't, I'm sick of changing my blog to stay compatible with IE, so I apologize for how it looks in Explorer.

Tears for the Toilet

No disrespect to quite possibly the best ad in the history of the media and no doubt a proud accomplishment for the Rolling Stone marketing staff. But, I have just discovered that Jerry Garcia's toilet was stolen earlier this month in Marin County. The toilet was originally tossed to the curb by the new owner of Jerry's estate and then sent to auction. The salmon-colored commode did not fair so well in several lame marketing efforts, and based on Garcia's lifestyle, it was apparently well used. In the transition, one lucky thief managed to get a twofer out of the deal as the prized latrine was stored next to a matching bidet(one of France's finest). It has not been confirmed whether the cushy seat cover was still attached.

Please accept my sincere apologies for this useless tidbit of knowledge and on a more relevant matter in GD history; the late Brent Mydland joined the band on this day in 1979.

Representin 'Cuse and UMass..

Just wanted to wish my boys Melo and Marcus good luck in the series against the Clippers. The Nuggets have put together a solid team, but they're not consistent as a group. K-mart has been battling injuries all year long which doesn't help, but melo and camby have been solid. Carmelo still can't get LeBron respect even though he's averaging 27 ppg. LeBron is a better player undoubtedly but melo still deserves the love. The Nuggets should make it past Elton and the Clippers.

In Memoriam of The Lady...

Today marks a sad day in History for the folks in Durango, CO. After 12 years of loyal service to drunks, tourists, and local followers; the beautiful Lady Falconburgh has been wooed by another suitor. Lady Falconburgh's Barley Exchange in Durango will be under new ownership. The Lady has been enamored by many folks over the years, has been stolen by jealous hearts, but she always returned to her perch on the wall. Lady Falconburgh's has touched the lives of many with its welcoming personality and the finest offering of hand-crafted ales from around the world. I wish the new owners success in carrying on her tradition, and my best goes out to Janet, Zak and Big A.

Enough Already

OK. My pre-season trash-talking was once again fruitful. The Yanks are in the cellar and off to their usual April start. Red Sox fans can begin the Spring with high hopes yet again only to have them crushed in June. Randy is still whining over his departure from the desert and he will never be a NY favorite, but his stuff looks pretty good overall. The offense is hot/cold and they need to start producing when the pitching is off. Why do the bats only dominate when the starter is having a great game? Shouldn't it be the other way around? I never understood that with the Yankees. Mariano looked in his usual form today against the Jays, but his much needed relief in the middle has been less than dominant. Prediction: the ball will start rolling and the typical demise of the Orioles and Sox will start in usual fashion. Yanks need to stop messing around or there may be an embarrassing George-moment before May.

River Season?

This is a photo of the Upper Animas River in Durango, CO. Class IV and V whitwater the entire way. Scary stuff. Was able to experience it one time and I'll never forget it. The adrenaline may have been a little high for my comfort level on the river, but one of those trips I'll never forget. Photo is courtesy of 4 Corners Riversports in Durango; quality river shop.

Tis the time when the mountains start melting their goods and the rivers start to swell. School is drastically invading my river possibilities this year, but one can never stop exploring. No regrets going back to school, it's just tough when it cuts into the activities that I enjoy the most. You don't know til you try.

Happy Easter to All

Think good thoughts, call your mom, go to church.

Uphill battle...

Graduate school as a non-traditional student can feel like this sometimes. I sit at my computer for hours upon end, and the work never seems to go away. Paper after paper...will it ever end? As you can tell I would rather post to my blog than continue on to the next laborious task. For those who feel the same monkey on your back, my heart goes out to you. Hopefully the gripe session will produce some needed motivation.

Photo Haven

For those who enjoy taking photos or just looking at them, Flickr is an excellent site to host your photos, share 'em, blog 'em; just about anything to do with photos can be done on Flickr. Easy to email from Gmail or Picassa. How did we ever survive without all of this cool technology we have today? Check out my photostream show for an example: www.flickr.com/photos/acousticblog

Great Album...

I love Willie, I liked the Cover, and I'll take that smooth, raspy voice of Norah Jones anytime. This is not a Willie Nelson album, but good name nonetheless. Norah and a talented band of NYC singer/songwriter types put together a tight, jam session style, mixed with country, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and just pure talent. Throw in a Willie, Hank and Townes Van Zandt cover to round out a perfectly blended album. Just a down-home, easy listening album worth checking out.

Searching for Jerry Garcia

I gotta give some respect and my condolences to Proof of D12. Proof was shot today in 8 Mile. While not quite as famous as his buddy from D-town, the hardcore rapper was inspired enough by Jerry to dedicate his debut album after him. How cool is that? He thought Garcia knew the meaning of life, and who could argue with that? Rest in peace, Proof.

Yanks

Spring is upon us, and another baseball season has begun. I started my annual trash-talking parade already, declaring that the Bronx Bombers would be better than ever this year. Well I am sure that they are, but why do they insist on starting April out in the doghouse every year? It really gets in the way of my ability to put down the boys from Boston, and I'm tired of always saying 'it's only spring, it's the fall that matters.' I agree with this, but it baffles me why and how they seem to get such a slow start with all that talent. As I never lived up to my dreams of being a professional athlete, I can only speculate from the sidelines, but they outweigh the other teams so much, how do they get beat? Well no worries, just excited for another extremely long uneventful baseball season; it's the Americana in me that can't deny the history of baseball. Check back in fall for the new logo I will be posting with the number twenty-seven.

04,05,06...

Interesting Date Today for those who did not notice. Also, Happy Birthday Dad.

Good Luck to Sadie and her cool cast. I know how tough you have to be to be on the top bunk.

Spring Runoff Coming Soon to a River Near You...

Smelter Rapid on Lower Animas in Durango, CO

The Animas in Durango at over 8,000 cfs

Spring 2005 in Durango...

Typical River Date...

Impressing his girl down the San Juan River in Pagosa Springs.

Does It Get Any Better?

Dewey Bridge, Moab, Utah