It’s another cold day in Denver, so I spent a while indoors taking in my limited tourist options. I got up early today and went walking downtown to the State capitol building, which is the least distinct skyscrapers from all the others, both in design and height. Then I walked to see what time the Denver Art Museum, plus the Colorado history museum opened. I had about two hours to kill. So, I headed back to what I think is one of the best Denver hotels around downtown and took a hot shower to thaw out from my morning outing.

I went down to the lobby and got to chatting with some of the employees to see what they recommended I see, and the guy behind the registers desk said I should see the original musical being performed at the Denver Center for Performing Arts ‘Mama Hated Diesels’. I’m not cool about musicals, but this guy could only rave on and on about it. He told me that since it’s Saturday, I could make it to the matinee performance. I figured why not, I have been lacks in supporting the theater arts as of late, economy being as it is, so I headed down to the Denver Center. I was lucky that there was a seat available, for one person. Apparently, the show’s sold out for today’s matinee, I sat in-between these two groups of people.

‘Mama Hated Diesels’ is about American Truck Drivers. The plot surrounds a group of truck drivers who are all at this truck stop to swap stories. They sing about how they became truck drivers, about good truck stops, what truckers call speeding and parking tickets: Christmas cards and a song about the dirty side of New York City. The musical did it’s best to authentically portray the American trucker and all their experiences on the road, but to be perfectly honest, I really don’t care about truckers. Other audience members seemed to really get into the musical numbers, which were amusing and sometimes very funny, but I guess this musical still made me not like musicals very much.

I should’ve gone to the Denver Art Museum or even a coffee shop to spend a cold Saturday, rather than listen to signing Truck Drivers.

There are times when traveling that one just needs a bit of normalcy. Sometimes it is nice to just blend in with the locals and do what the locals do. Go were they go and feel like your a part of the community. If friendly enough, you just may feel right at home and make a few friends. One way to make some friends of a different sort is to spend an afternoon driving through the Lazy 5 Ranch . Henry Hampton, exotic animal handler, has created a way to share the wonderful relationship with animals to the world. Mr. Hampton is known across the country for his 35 years spent working with unique animals. He started his park by letting schools bring their kids to see the animals from the different buildings and fences on the property. Some of the locals would drive along his driveway to see the amazing creatures he had out in the pasture. After a while, Mr. Hampton started to think about how excited people were to see his animal collection and what would be a better for them to get the best view. How could young and old spend time in his world and do it safely. After a few years of planning and building the ranch opened to the public. There are more than 750 animals that came from 6 different continents and can be seen from the comfort and safety of ones own car. People can drive along the 3.5 mile road and get some great shots of many of these animals. The also offer a bucket of food to hand feed some of the animals. This ranch is dedicated to educating people in a fun way about animals as well as help to recover endangered species. Leave that fantastic hotel behind for a few hours and come see what a Ring-tailed Lemur looks like in real life.

This is the adventure that I would have been waiting for, had I known it was a possibility, but because it was never in my possible realm, I never waited for it, because it is better than anything I could have waited for on my own. A small trip to a small place, one that is neither a city nor a state, is the only idea I have for a perfect time away from the things I know, and a perfect opportunity to be many things at once, in a city that is a state also, even when it is not.

This is my 28th birthday , and the time when things that are a millennium old will be remembered on my own skin. I don’t have any debts, and I don’t have any regrets, that I did not collect without good reasons for collecting them, and because I accept their weight, they are light, and this is another reason why I am not waiting. I write, because calligraphy is how these things work on each other, the skin takes to the ink, and the pen touches the human being where they are centered, and we each write each other when there is nothing left, no time and no heart.

This is a heartbeat here, however, one rediscovered, not between China and Japan, not seeking a birth in either place, but somewhere Chinese food is served, and on the streets of Singapore, looking for the history of reinventions and finding evidence everywhere of how I came to be. This is a birthday, this is the first birthday where I did not have to please a guest, and I was not responsible for anyone else’s happiness, and there was no one waiting for me. This is how a year begins, and in this place, with these words, and this skin, it is just right.

Birthdays are a special time to celebrate the birth of a loved one. It is a time to reflect on the joyous memories you have of that person. If it is the celebration of a child, it must be extra special. These are the memories that they will hold dear for the rest of their lives. These memories will also be cherished by your friends and family as well. A time to bring everyone together in celebration and happiness.

Sound like a tall order to be filled? Picking a theme and getting the place decorated can take up a lot of time. Not to mention finding the space. Not so if you have someone else set the scene! There are many places, theme parks, zoos, and theme stores that offer Birthday Party accommodations. Yes, I said it, Zoos! The Amarillo Zoo offers Birthday party accommodations for up to 25 people (adults and children combined). Three picnic benches and an atmosphere roaring with fun is provided. The Birthday boy or girl and their guests will eat and open gifts across from the Lion exhibit! No utensils are provided, but snacks and drinks are available at the park. Also, everyone has access to the zoo for the entire day!

The zoo is perfect for setting the stage of excitement. After, or before, the Happy Birthday song and cake and ice cream are done, set out on an adventure to see the most exotic animals you can imagine! From an electric blue frog to two year old lemurs , you will not be disappointed! There is also a playground located on the zoo grounds for kids who have a little more energy, or want to take a break and slide down a couple of slides.

After your day at the zoo, sleep is a must! hotels amarillo will provide the perfect place to sleep after a birthday extravaganza! Make every birthday a special one and make every year count.

Kobe Bryant is the best basketball player in the world today. The man that raised Kobe and was his first teacher is now looking to become the head coach for the University of Hawaii’s men’s basketball team. Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant does not need an endorsement from his son, who happens to be a NBA Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, in order to be qualified.
Joe “Jelly Bean” Bryant has an extensive basketball lineage and legacy of his own. The elder Bryant played eight seasons in the NBA for San Diego, Philadelphia, and Houston. He also has played professionally abroad in Italy for seven seasons after that. Years of playing the game he loves has taught Bryant many techniques and details that he is willing and able to share with younger players. He played under great coaches and took bits and pieces from each and applied them with his own ideals.
Bryant has already had experience coaching as well. After his playing career ended Bryant didn’t want to be away from the game he loves so he took a job coaching a girls basketball team at a high school. He then went on to be an assistant coach at La Salle University. After that he got his first professional head coaching position coaching the LA Sparks of the WNBA. While coaching the Sparks he led them to a league-leading 25-9 record in 2005-06 and Lisa Leslie was named the league MVP. Now he has his mind set on coaching at the University of Hawaii. Bryant will make a great college head coach because of his past and his connection with his Kobe Bryant and Nike. When it comes to recruiting they can bring in high school players and have them stay off campus at the best five star hawaiian hotels and get the latest gear from Nike as well as have a conversation with Kobe himself.

Looking at the history of the automobile, it seems like a remarkably short amount of time for something to have taken such a major hold in our imagination. They’ve changed the way we do things, certainly, and it’s even possible that they’ve changed the way we think. When large distances between points suddenly becomes smaller, and on a massive scale, we are confronted with the notion of seeing space and time in different ways. A vehicle is what gets you there, and for those who love the ride as much as the destination, then modifications become an important part of the car’s soul.

Most modifications begin, and also end, with rims and tires . These are the traditional bread and butter for most gearheads, marking the difference between decoration and serious modification. The first cars had wooden wheels and iron rims , and the brakes were nothing more than wooden blocks. It’s been a long evolution since those days, where the presence of the spinning rims at stoplights is now considered kind of a hallmark of someone who’s landed in style. Between then and now, however, most of the changes have been pushed forward because of low rider culture.

It is difficult to look at some cars and not imagine that they have a soul. The contemporary animism of automobile lovers inspires many of us to give our vehicles names, especially when it comes to our first car. It doesn’t take much of a stretch, then, to imagine how new rims for car tires might help to bring out our particular car’s personality. The first generation of low riders , however, didn’t conceive of the big rims we see today, because they had to be low to the ground to maintain a mean appearance, and to give it that edgy personality that is easily readable on the streets. Time and space may be more relative than we imagined, but we all move through the same streets, only some of us have a little more style than the others.

If you are like most Americans, and probably most working people across the world, you look forward to each paycheck with great anticipation; that great payoff for all your hard work and effort. However, as many of us are realizing, those paychecks just don’t go quite as far as they used to . There are a few simple things that you can do to really make those dollars stretch.
The grocery store is often one of the first places that we stop after picking up our checks and, unfortunately, it consumes a decent a portion. Since going without food isn’t really an option, the key is to find ways to cut back. Instead of always going for the name brand, check and see if your store carries a generic . There is often a considerable price difference between the two and most of the time you can’t even taste a difference. Also, watch for things to go on sale. You can plan your weekly menu the help of the ad and watch for your family’s favorites to go on sale.
When everything from work to home is causing stress one of the easiest ways to take a break from it all is through entertainment. Unfortunately the cost of entertainment can really add up quickly. While we all enjoy watching our favorite celebrities like Montel Williams on the big screen, instead of spending at least $10 on going to see a movie at the theater wait for It to be released on DVD and rent it at your local Red Box for a dollar. Dining out can also makes some serious dents in your budget. Watch for special deals and coupons to your favorite restaurants. If you are feeling really inspired you could even try to recreate your favorite meal at home for a lot less.
Paying close attention to where each of our dollars goes can go a long way towards making them stretch. A couple dollars here and there could add up to a lot of extra dollars at the end of the month.

Races are not just about the horses or the betting and when a big race comes to town so do a lot of other great things to do in the area. The Cheltenham Gold Cup is no exception and Cheltenham makes sure that there is no disappointment if you come to the races looking for entertainment. If you are a lady and really have no interest in the races there is no problem in going with your boyfriend still, or even just going with a group of girl friends as you will not be disappointed by the shopping or the concerts. If you go on Ladies Day you could even find yourself entered into the fashion contest without even knowing it. There are several categories that you can be entered into and all it takes is showing up that day in your favorite outfit.

There is also a lot of shopping to be done here and it’s not all for the racing enthusiast although you can pick up some nicnacks for those you know who like racing as well. Every year a large number of companies come together and show their wares at this race knowing that it is also a good shopping weekend with so many people in town to see the races in person. From distinctive silver and gold jewelery from Argent of London (http://www.argentlondon.com/) and bronze sculptures by Belinda Sillars, to British knitware from Woolovers and Turtle Dirt trapping mats there is a little bit of everything at this site.

There are also a lot of restaurants to go to in the area and you wouldn’t be able to eat at all of them even if you stayed through all four days of the races. Inside the stadium there are great places to watch the races, enjoy entertaining bands and get some great food such as the Panoramic Restaurant with, as I’m sure you can guess, a panoramic view of the the track. There is also the Gold Cup restaurant and a number of others. These places are nice when the race is out of season, but when it is a race day they are packed, so you may want to look into if there is another restaurant that fits your needs somewhere else nearby before heading in.

We visited my cousin, Yezmin, in San Francisco. While we stayed with her, we all decided to take a trip to Napa and do some wine-tasting in Napa Valley. It’s only about 3 1/2 hours from where my cousin lived and we all remember having a great time a few years back, when Yezmin came to visit us in France, and we all went wine-tasting back then. It was my husbands birthday, so we celebrated it with a full day of wineries; it was unforgettable, especially when Yezmin and this stranger totally hit it off.

But, this wine-tasting experience was very different. The road took us along Northern California’s rugged coastline, taking us past craggy clifftops, lonely lagoons and exclusive beaches. We turned East (inland), which took us through very lush valleys full of grapevines and olive trees that were in stark contrast of the bright blue sky. We felt like we were in paradise. We knew there would be no way to do all the wine-tasting in one day, so Yezmin pulled up the Internet on her Iphone and found us a nice place to stay and booked a room for the three of us in the town of Napa.

After we found the hotel and checked in, which was great by-the-way! I mean, just how easy it was for us to book a room from a phone; today’s technology is astonishing! We immediately went out to start our wine-tasting fest. Our first stop served a tasty antipasto and a cheese platter with the wine we tasted. We already knew how to taste wine, but the couple next to us didn’t, so the tour guide explained to them about how to raise the glass to the light to test the wines clarity, then shove their noses deep into the glass to smell the aromas, then swirl it around and finally taste the wine for flavor, sweetness, ripeness and bite. But, what I really appreciated from this tour guide was she told us how to come up with some really exotic words for our taste experience. She let us create several comments, like ‘this wine has a pizazz of infused oak flavour’, or ‘Succulent, yet not overstimulating’! We all had so much fun making up random sounding names .

We visited about 7 wineries during our two days in Napa, but we all agreed, that first winery was the best, because they let us know how to have fun with wine-tasting instead of acting all pompous.