I believe the term refreshment was born on warm day, uttered from the lips of a man who just gulped the first swig of a cold pint of beer. The carbonation swelled and burst, like music in perfect timing with the hops, a percussive symphony on his taste-buds and he thought, perfect. He searched for a word, a measure of his overwhelming joy. He felt reborn, but in the sensory respect. The word, like poetry unraveled from his mouth: refreshment.

This was the day man first loved beer, at least, that’s how I picture the definition forming.

The truth is that the term refreshment came about sometime in the mid 15th century. It was used to describe food and drink, non-alcoholic drink, to be precise.

How short-sighted of our ancestors to exclude beer from the definition.

The good news is that somewhere along the line, the non-alcoholic rule got tossed and now we are free to refer to anything as “refreshing.” The extremely good news is that as a humble dweller of Denver, you have access to some of the most tasty brews the world has to offer. To celebrate this fact, every month of the year the Mellow Mushroom of Downtown will be featuring a new “Brewery of the Month.” On May 1st, members of the Odell Brewing Team will be at Mellow Mushroom Downtown (Tabor Center) doing beer tastings from 5-7, giveaways and 3$ Odell beers. 4$ pints will be available for the rest of the month of May. As an added bouns, Odell will be featuring a special batch for the occasion, an Oatmeal Coffee Amber. When it is time for June, you need not despair, for a new brewery will be featured. So if beer is something you find as refreshing as a great deal, cruise down to the Mellow Mushroom on May 1st and enjoy some,

Cheers!

“Denver’s Next Improv Star: Season 3” kicked off with lightning, and hurricanes, and monsoons, to name a few.

Everyone was feeling a little bit under the weather for the first half of “Denver’s Next Improv Star.” No, they weren’t feeling ill, they were literally instructed to let the weather affect their characters and their scene in a theatrical fashion. The caveat? They were disallowed from mentioning the weather phenomenon directly.

Daniel Horsey was the guest judge on opening night, last Saturday, and is a professional mime and owner of 3 story stage—which teaches social responsibility through story and improvisation—Daniel was looking for great investment in improvised environments and a sense of social justice throughout the scenes.

The Cast of "Denver's Next Improv Star"

Contestants had to deal with everything from a hurricane to a drought, and many possible variants in between. One group was facing a heat wave so severe, they were without water. When the farm wife (Natalie Kilkenny) continually spilled the only remaining water down the front of her shirt, her frustrated husband (Nick Trotter) spit into the glass and handed it to her to drink, which she comically did.

All of the first challenge scenes were exceptional, from an adventurous trip through hail, to a depression era scene, fittingly set in contemporary times, where an effeminate man, or manly woman (Jon Jon Lannen) laid a big kiss on her/his tuxedo-shoe wearing wife (Kate Noonan). The judges appreciated the realism, and combination of two related and disparate worlds.

The first half ended with Natalie Kilkenny winning immunity and tickets to Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret. Which left Jon Jon Lannen, Jerry-Benson Montgomery, and Natalie safe from elimination from the show.

Going into the second half the groups were split into two groups, and instructed to play freeze tag with long invested scenes. The first group jumped in with gusto. So much gusto, that they were asked to stop and let the scenes play out longer.

A number of short punchy scenes were played out, usually involving a one-two hit and a joke. A line that really stood out was “Stop pulling those dead fish out of the ocean!” and an absurdly satisfying scene commenced where it was decided that dead fish should stay in the ocean, because that’s where they want to be.

The second group, played out longer more involved scenes, closer to what the judges were requesting, but with so many people on stage playing a game of freeze-tag really requires some deference in order to let scenes develop; deference is hard to maintain when there is only so much time to get on stage.

In the end Maggie Whittum was crowned victorious, and won a year’s subscription to 5280 magazine, and is now one step closer to the SkyVenture Colorado indoor skydiving adventure catered by Jason’s Deli.

“Denver’s Next Improv Star: Season 3”
Plays Saturday Nights at 8:00 P.M.
At Bovine Metropolis Theater
Price: $16, Eligible for Limited Groupon Reservations

The item I am the most excited about right now is the new organic dog bed I ordered from Doggy Archy located in our own backyard of Vail. I got myself a natural bed, why shouldn’t I get one for him. The reason I got turned off on memory foam and all the other artificial material beds, both human and canine, was the ongoing discussion in so many reviews about the lingering release of chemical odors. Don’t believe me.. google it.

My pup is getting a bit older now, he walks a little slower and I always want him to have the benefit of comfort.  After all, he’s always been there for me.  So if he’s getting a bed it’s going to be organic because I guarantee his nose is a great deal more sensitive than mine is.

Doggy Archy makes their beds using eco friendly materials.  The covers in stuffing are made from natural materials such as hemp and organic kapok fiber.  They say pass it on… so here are the details on the materials:

Your Doggyarchy organic kapok dog bed is unique! Let me tell you why it’s so special.

A naturally healthy choice for you and your dog. Hemp is naturally antimicrobial and withstands heat, light, mildew, and insects without the addition of harmful chemicals. Unlike other hemp dog beds, which have a hemp cover but are filled with polyurethane foam and polyfill stuffing derived from petrochemicals, your hemp dog bed is filled with organic kapok fiber. This fiber creates a natural, soft cushion for your dog, without harmful chemicals and dyes. Among other things, there is no polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE)–a flame retardant that is added to polyurethane stuffing. PBDE has been linked in animal studies to thyroid and reproductive problems, suppression of the immune system, and disruption of the development of the fetal brain. Every time your dog flops on a foam bed, a little puff of PBDE may be released, inhaled by your dog, and accumulated in its tissue. (And when you dispose of the bed, these chemicals are released and accumulated in the environment.) This also means your organic kapok dog bed is not treated with harmful chemical flame retardants.

Handcrafted in the USA and in limited supply! The cover of your organic dog bed is designed to be washed. Keep it clean by washing it regularly.

• Cover care instructions. The top of your Doggyarchy dog bed cover is made from 100% hemp or hemp/flax blend fabric and the bottom and sides of your dog bed cover are made from ultra-durable 18 oz. hemp canvas. These fabrics are machine washable (cool) and dryable (cool). Soaps and detergents are not required. Remove the cover first and then machine wash/dry the cover (not the insert).
• Kapok bed insert care instructions. You can clean the kapok bed insert by hand rinsing it (or lightly hosing it off) and then air drying it or machine drying it on cool. It is ok to get the kapok-filled bed insert wet. The organic kapok is naturally water repellent and difficult to soak (kapok was used for years to stuff canvas life vests) and will air dry quickly (of course, sunshine will speed up the drying). The cover should first be removed and machine washed/dried.
• A zipper you can use. Your dog bed is especially easy to clean because of its large zipper. Alas, there is not a hemp zipper, so we have gone for durability. Your DoggyArchy dog bed incorporates an extremely durable YKK nylon zipper. Don’t worry; you can use it–over and over again. After washing your cover, re-load the stuffed insert into the cover by folding the bed in half and inserting it through the large opening created by the zipper.

Eco-chic, healthy comfort for your dog. And of course, your naturally healthy dog bed is also eco-friendly. It’s made from biodegradable materials derived from sustainable sources that respect the well being of our fragile environment.

The bed selected for Bear (my pup) was the Lodo Loft Bed. I liked the color and more importantly the Kapok fiber stuffing will allow it to handle moisture.  I made sure the first item to be moved into the house was a Bear treat.  This items was just ordered yesterday online and both Bear and I look forward to its arrival.

If you are interested in keeping posted on the newest news on Spire from The Urban Brain just sign up for the Spire Specific Updates. I’ll work to give this Spire interested list all the official Spire news I have for you and some extra special news or features that I just think are cool. There are so many great things to share. Plus we should highlight the 14th Street Initiative and all the great things planned for the area.

Want the scoop… just ask.

Be Well Everyone!!

The next evolution in Denver Living.

www.spiredenver.com

]]> http://www.theurbanbrain.com/denver/2009/02/spire-denver-website-is-live/feed/ 1 Spire Denver The next evolution in Denver Living. http://www.theurbanbrain.com/denver/2009/02/joining-the-team-at-spire-denver/ http://www.theurbanbrain.com/denver/2009/02/joining-the-team-at-spire-denver/#comments Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:11:26 +0000 mike http://www.theurbanbrain.com/denver/?p=1710

Spire Denver

Sorry I haven’t been writing more lately, I’ll just leave it to the fact that there has been a great deal of change.   One of the many pieces of good news is an opportunity that I simply could not refuse to be a part of something really special in Denver.  I officially joined the Spire team and will be working on the launch of this beautiful and green (wait to you hear more about this) 41 story tower with roughly 500 new residences. You might have seen the construction going on downtown over the past year and in a very short while the project will be launching.

It is truly an amazing new project for Denver.  I wish I could tell you more right now but that will have to wait until the launch occurs.  If you would like me to keep you posted as official releases come out or have questions (only what I can answer until we launch) please feel free to email me.

Spire Denver Website

Olympia, originally uploaded by kevindooley.

Yes, after walking away from an awarded an offer to host the 1976 Olympics due to worries about financial and environmental impacts Denver is not looking at a possible opportunity to host the Olympics in 2018.

Cool, but guess what they are saying a big worry would be… transportation up and down I-70. I just won’t stop hoping and working to see if the mountain train/monorail project will finally happen.

Here is the article… http://www.examiner.com/x-758-Denver-Skiing-Examiner

It’s time for some grassroots community organizing.

Focus Property Group is planning on building a 7-11 in the Historic Ballpark District at 2425 Broadway, between Silver State Lofts and the PBA Architectural Firm across the street from the Granada Fish Company and the site of the new Plus Gallery. This 7-11 will also be two blocks down from The Samaritan House and Denver Rescue Mission. Focus Property Group is the same group that drove out the independent coffee shop Monkey Bean and claims an all-night convenience store next to an alley already infamous for drug deals will be good for the community. Quick reminder of the 7-11 at 14th and Pearl that eventually had to be shut down because no amount of security cameras or policing could keep it clean. This is a fragile time our for neighborhood and something like a crime-ridden 7-11 could potentially tip it in a direction none of us desire. Not to mention, there’s already an independent mom & pop day-time convenience store on 24th between Walnut and Blake, one block away, that will surely be put out of business.

So what can we do? There is a meeting on Tuesday, November 25th at 6pm in the Premier Lofts (2200 Market St) with Focus Property Group, the Ballpark Neighborhood Association and Steve Oliver, the 7-11 Real Estate Manager for North America. The Ballpark Neighborhood Association will be in the meeting and the people will be in the street. My goal is 200 people in front of Premier Lofts protesting this 7-11 at the time Steve Oliver arrives to decide if this is a good decision for his company or not. I also have a contact at Channel 2 News that I am going to try my hardest to interest in this cause. I am asking people to arrive at 5:30pm in front of Premier Lofts, 2200 Market Street, I will have some signs pre-made, but feel free to make your own. Together we can do this.

This is our neighborhood, this is our opportunity to come together as a community and make our voices heard. Please send this along to anyone you think might be interested stepping forward for the greater good of our community.

In Solidarity,

Brianna Martray

Studio/Gallery
900 Santa Fe Dr, G
Denver, CO 80204