TODAY'S RAMBLINGS
After the encyclopedic ("verbose" is likely the better adjective) Front Range Travel Guide, both you and I could use a short blog post today.  No problem.  (Warning:  disclaimer only applies to this section) 

On Monday, I read a very powerful and also disturbing article, in the current issue of Esquire.   I want to share it here; in fact, it's not available online, only in the magazine, so I scanned it - I felt it that important.

To paraphrase a part of the essay, when is the last time American guns, bombs, drones, and/or troops truly helped a troubled or worse situation?  Please, no "But, Portico, we must support The Troops!" dogma. 

Frankly, we'd be a lot better off if the draft were re-instated.  I can nearly guarantee there would be a lot less military adventurism if everyone had skin in the game.  And there's no better way of "supporting The Troops" than keeping them out of places they (we) don't belong in the first place.

We had Korea.  Then Vietnam.  Then Afghanistan.  Then Iraq.  Will we drop more trillions soon somewhere else, and have nothing again to show for it?   How about war and maybe even a nuclear holocaust with China over Taiwan?  Fun!

I hope you'll read this short article. 

FROM THE UNWASHED MASSES
The noted anarchist Hunter Deuce (fresh off a bender with Prof. Howard Blum, Esq. on Sunday) wanted me to take a lovely, sacred event like Saturday's wedding and turn it into a violent mosh pit.

Hunter, not bad and thanks.  But only because I'm such a Dave Grohl guy, plus, Saturday's wedding was no snoozer - I can assure you.  But you redeemed yourself with the glowing words on my Front Range Travel Guide.  I sincerely appreciate it, my friend - I say that often, but it's true.

It was the Deuce family in stereo, in fact.  Hunter's bride, the go-getter Fi, was concise in her praise of the pic of Julie and me at the spot of our own nuptials, now some 30+ years ago.

 
Thanks, Fi.  It is always so fun to go back to that spot at The Hotel Boulderado - and also to show off that we got married there!  Where else are there deer right outside?

And it sounds as if Dr. Doreen Downs is busy updating her always-packed travel calendar and wants her own taste of the Rockies.  The good doctor really dug my Rocky Mountain National Park photos and it sounds like a trip there by her may happen in the coming months (years?).  You (or anyone) would not regret it.  

Lastly, Andy Jones was jacked enough over my Smashing Pumpkins pull to not just email, but go with the modern telegram, a.k.a. a text:

Andy, you are very welcome.  But my friend, you better start queueing up "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and ditch  the '90's guitar rock.  (To those that [shamefully] don't commit this blog to memory, here is a reminder of what Andy and his workplace wellness doyenne of a wife have going on at home.)

Thank you to any one that is reading this blog.

KLUF
I don't have it in high resolution, so on Spotify, here is U2 with their breakthrough album "War".   Sure, Bono is maudlin, but who cares?  There are some great - dare I say classic - songs on the album.

(Fun fact and more Boulder memories:  I remember playing this exact album for Arthur and my roommate at the time, Foster Fieldhouse, in an effort to get Foster's band [The Differents?  Peak?  Maybe Arthur will read this and remember] to consider covering "Two Hearts Beat as One".  They laughed, but I actually see this as a prescient indicator of my future KLUF-ness.  And I still think they would have nailed this song live . . .)