Sunday, March 4, 2007

Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead


I arrived in Denver this afternoon--a beautiful, warm, and sunny afternoon. After all the weather news that Denver has made this winter, it's a relief to see low 60s in the forecast for the week.

After checking into my hotel, I wandered down to the convention center. Just the pre-meeting events (workshops, tutorials, etc) are happening today. Oh, and a little thing called registration... this is quite an operation. Afterall, there are over 7000 meeting attendees, and each one of those has to be "bagged and tagged". (That's my expression for getting your badge and program). Not to mention the large number of people that don't pre-register. I'm always amazed by the long lines for "On-site Registration"... especially since the registration fees are much higher when you don't sign up ahead of time. For the past seven years of March Meetings, I've seen a professor from my alma mater in the on-site line (now when I see him there, he just hangs his head in shame). If that were me, I'd wait in that loooong, sloooow line once, and then never again forget to pre-register. But to wait in that line at least

I'm sure there will be something more interesting to talk about tomorrow. Right now, I'm feeling a bit addle-brained from the travel and altitude. So, I'll leave you with the lyrics to the Warren Zevon song that inspired the title to the Andy Garcia movie, "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead":

I called up my friend LeRoy on the phone
I said, Buddy, I'm afraid to be alone
I got some weird ideas in my head
About things to do in Denver when you're dead

I was working on a steak the other day
I saw Waddy in the Rattlesnake Cafe
Dressed in black, tossing back a shot of rye
Finding things to do in Denver when you die

You won't need a cab to find a priest
Maybe you should find a place to stay
Some place where they never change the sheets
And you just roll around Denver all day

LeRoy says there's something you should know
Not everybody has a place to go
And home is just a place to hang your head
And dream up things to do in Denver when you're dead

You won't need a cap to find a priest
Maybe you should find a place to stay
Some place where they never change the sheets
And you jut roll around Denver all day
You just roll around Denver all day
(Warren Zevon/LeRoy P. Marineli/Waddy Wachtel)


By the way, that line about staying in a place where they never change the sheets? I really hope that isn't the case here...

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