let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Jenna and I are in Denver right now. We spent Christmas in Granby (near winter park) with her extended family. It was a great time of family and fun including the skiing/snowboarding we did at winter park and Loveland. We arrived just after the big snow storm last week, and now we are in the middle of round 2 of the snow. It has snowed about 6-8″ and is not stopping anytime soon. It is really beautiful to look at but a nightmare to get around. Denver does not have a very good snow plowing system, and so they don’t plow the side streets at all! This means lots of ruts/snow/ice as well as stranded cars all over the place. We were at Loveland ski area yesterday morning and on our way home, saw tons of cars in the ditch as well as a 12 car crash that they were in the process of towing away. Hopefully our flight is not cancelled tomorrow.

Damien Rice

Jenna and I went to the Damien Rice Show on Wed along with Wes and Michelle. This was the last night of their short 8 city US tour. there aren’t many shows I am willing to pay $40 for, but man was this one worth it. Honestly, it was unbelievable. I love music and going to shows, but no matter how much I like the artist, I usually get bored at some point. I don;t know why. mybe it;s my short attention span, or maybe it’s the fact that I don’t like being a spectator for anything. I’d rather be participating in something rather than watching. No matter what it is. But, I can honestly say I was not bored at all at this show. It doesn’t take away the fact that i would have rather been playing along with him (ha…as if that would ever happen) but it is rare for me to watch an artist for 2 hours solid without being at least a little bored or anxious in some way to move around. I would say that you should go see him, but you missed your opportunity. You’ll have to wait till the next tour! Here is a clip of one of my favorites of the night:

An Inconvenient Truth

Last night Jenna and I watched Al Gore’s documentary on global warming called “An Inconvenient Truth”. I went into this movie thinking that it could have vast implications in my decision making from here on out, and in many ways i think it will. Global warming is one of those things that gets talked about and a lot but I haven’t heard all that many ways that I can personally do anything. I realize that the information has been out there for years now, but it’s not presented in public settings to the masses. This movie showed some astronomical statistics as well as pictures of what is currently happening to our glaciers as well as the north pole and Antarctica and it also projects what could and probably will happen within the next 50 years if we do nothing. The results will be devastating. At the end of the movie, the name of a website popped up that tells the science behind all this as well as gives some simple ways that we can help as individuals. The website is: www.climatecrisis.net I encourage everyone to go check it out and see what ways you can help decrease your carbon dioxide output.

Some of the tips include Replacing a regular incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb (cfl) CFLs use 60% less energy than a regular bulb. This simple switch will save about 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. If every family in the U.S. made the switch, we’d reduce carbon dioxide by more than 90 billion pounds! Another one is moving your thermostat down 2° in winter and up 2° in summer. Almost half of the energy we use in our homes goes to heating and cooling. You could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year with this simple adjustment. Others include changing your filters on heating and cooling units more often, using a programmable thermostat, unplugging electronics/appliances when they are not being used. Hang your close on a line instead of drying them in a dryer; use energy star appliances, buying recycled products, use less hot water. These are all little things that we can all do without making much sacrifice at all. Then there are even bigger ways such as planting trees; buying cars that are more fuel efficient; buying locally grown produce, and organic products; switch to using “green” power if possible (solar, wind…); Carpool, take the bus, walk, or ride your bike to work if possible….. There are so many ways we can have an impact on the level of CO2 output and thus overall temperature. I know that my decisions are going to be affected by the evidence that was presented to me in this film. I think it is our responsibility to act! Don’t wait till the Gov. makes laws and restrictions, do something today. Check out the Trailer:

O TANNENBAUM

Last night Jenna and I got our first Christmas Tree! I was a little unsure if we were able to have real trees in our apartment, so being the good citizen I asked the girl in our office and she said: “I don’t care as long as you don’t burn the place down.” I was a bit surprised at this answer, but delighted as well. So, we went to Menard’s and bought a tree and some lights and got it all set up! It smells so nice and is a wonderful addition to our place with the exception of pine needles that are going to accumulate over the next few weeks. We even put gifts under the tree! this is pretty much it for decorations in our place, which in my opinion is just enough. When we were putting the lights up, I couldn”t help but think of Sufjan Steven’s song “put the lights on the tree”. I found a nice little animation to go along with the song on you tube. Enjoy:

Friends Retreat

This past weekend, Jenna and I took part in the 3rd Annual “Friends Retreat” at Covenant Pines. It was our first time going even though I have wanted to go the past 2 year, but for various reasons didn’t make it. This whole thing started because a bunch of friends of mine that also worked there at some point wanted to have a reason to go to camp together and just relax outside of the usual maxwell’s get together and other times. It was a good time to connect with friends I don’t see very often as well as engage in good conversation, in addition to worshiping together. Plus, the spontaneous game of Lightening, as well as floor hockey was pretty sweet. This will be a yearly tradition for Jenna and I.