Tabatha Deans

ON THE ROAD AGAIN
I re-packed my bag and hit the road (or rather the skies) again to visit Tim and the family in Denver. On this particular flight I was given the very important task of saving everyone on the plane, should there be a disaster in the air and we didn’t all plummet to our death. I was actually asked if I would like to take the emergency exit seat when I checked in at the counter. I know the rows have more leg room, and I’m capable of lifting at least 50 pounds, and, if there is an emergency, being the first one to the emergency exit seemed like a good idea. So I accepted the challenge, and was seated next to a nice man on my right, and two older people across the aisle. I suppose the man could have handled an emergency situation, in fact the look in his eyes said he would probably enjoy being a man in charge in case of an emergency. His wife was there to support him I guess. We got special instruction from the stewardess, and after briefly reviewing the emergency strategy card and studying the picture above the exit, the gentleman next to me and I declared the plane safe for take-off.

We did a fine job of keeping the plane safe, and I landed at Denver International Airport safely, where I’m now enjoying a lunch of a dry turkey sandwich. (I’m actually at Red rocks Bar and Barbecue, but the barbecue sauce seemed too much for my blood sugar, so I opted for a dry sandwich, which isn’t going down very smoothly.) Mona and the kids should be along shortly to retrieve me, and I’m looking forward to spending time with the family and exploring the Denver area. Apparently there’s a huge fire near Boulder, which I’m told will probably inhibit, or prohibit, any hiking plans that we may have had. Oh Well, I guess I’ll have to get my exercise hiking around Denver.

FAMILY BLISS
Mona and the kids, Mitch, 13, and Ashley, 4, picked me up at the airport in the midst of rush hour traffic, and as we hit the highway I was stricken with a strong sense of dejavu. Ashley was strapped in her seat, looking sad and sick. Her belly hurt, and it reminded me of when Jess and I visited Denver many years ago. In a hurry to get to the train station on time, Tim was flying down the highway when Jessica decided she needed to vomit. Tim, being the sensitive soul that he is, decided we didn’t have time to stop, so Jessica stuck her head out the window. With the freezing wind whipping past her at 70 miles per hour, she hurled out the window, causing a chain reaction in the back of the car which set all of us dry heaving. On this trip, I once again found myself cruising down the highway with a child, Ashley, vomiting in the back seat. The poor girl has been down ever since I got here with some kind of bug, so we have had plenty of bonding time.

METRO TABATHA
Tim and Mitch took the day off school/work to explore downtown Denver with me, and after standing in line for a tour of the U.S. Mint and being turned away twice, we decided to head to the Noodle House for dumplings and potstickers. The feeling of downtown is one of excitement, hustling and tourism. 16th street has been turned into a mall, with shops lining the entire mile or so of the street, which has been closed to auto traffic except for mall buses, which circle every few minutes to drive people from the top of the street to bottom and back up again. The center of the street boasts benches for sitting, and pianos for playing. This day we were treated to some music by a man who appeared to be homeless, sitting at the bench and tickling the ivories, for all of the passers-by to hear. As we strolled I became enchanted with the diversity of the people, and feeling of the city. I always dreamed of living in a big city, and when I was a little girl, after I realized I was a writer, I would lay awake at night daydreaming about moving to the city, writing books and chasing stories, and wondered what the city would actually sound and smell like. In my mind the cool breeze coming through my open bedroom window in the trailer home I grew up in was the breeze coming off the streets of New York City, bringing with it the sounds of traffic and the smells of millions of people living in harmony. So I think I’m beginning to fall in love with Denver. It seems to be metro enough to satisfy my long-held dream, but not so far away from family and friends that I will be lonely.

I’M IN LOVE
I’m in love with my iPod, backpack, Mona’s bicycle and Denver. I took the light rail to downtown by myself and wandered around, scouting neighborhoods, apartments and possible job opportunities. I’m pleasantly surprised that several apartments showed up within my price range, including several small studios that are quaint, unique and a little run down. Just my style. I’m also surprised at the sheer number of publications in this town. My first stop this morning was the Tattered Cover Book Store, where I ordered a cup of coffee and gathered a stack at least two inches high of just the free magazines/newspaper in the area. Wow! Not only are there a lot of them, but some of them are more hard core than I’ve been exposed to. The magazine geared toward LGBT market does have some interesting articles in it, but the ads are a little disturbing, boasting several establishments who rent “lockers” by the hour. I’m guessing from the context of the ad that “lockers” equate to small rooms, or maybe closets, that can be rented for several hours at a time for a quick hookup. I put that publication down and moved onto the next one, which was a 50 page, full color glossy magazine titled “Cannabis Connoisseur.” Now I’m not one to judge the use of marijuana, and I realize it does have valid medicinal properties, but judging by this magazine and all the storefront I’ve seen advertising marijuana in Denver, nobody even tries to pretend that its being sold strictly for medicinal purposes. This magazine features life sized pictures of dozens of kinds of marijuana, along with the kind of high you would get from it, the best way to smoke/bake/eat it, and whether or not you will still be able to function after doing so. Every ad is for a dispensary and include some kind of enticement to purchase your bud from them, including a free “edible,” or ice cream with your first purchase. A little too hard-core for me, I put that magazine aside and went on to read the rest of the stack, which were mainly small community papers. Just my cup of tea.

So after extensive research that revealed that Denver is not only a cool place to live, but also offers affordable housing, endless job opportunities and better than average wages, I believe I will make this my next home for a while.

September 20, 2010 - Posted by Tabatha Stewart | Uncategorized