The story became obvious as I sat down to write.  The Colorado Avalanche would eliminate the top-seeded Calgary flames in five games, and my fingers began to type.  Thoughts of Mikko Rantanen, Nathan MacKinnon, and Philipp Grubauer raced through my head.  Memories past were of Stanley Cups, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, and Ray Bourque.  I would be sure to throw in Patrick Roy’s legendary playoff quote once said in response to an opponent’s trash talk. “I didn’t hear him because my two Stanley Cup rings were stuffed in my ears.” It was undoubtedly the story, the headline, the news of... Read More

Some characters lend themselves to endless interpretations. Batman is one of them. Let’s say you’re planning to make a Batman movie, and by some miracle, you don’t have to attach it to an expanded universe or follow up on threads from a previous installment. Warner Brothers gives you a $90 million budget and sends you on your merry way. What kind of film should you make? Lucky you, because you have options! Just a few of them might be:   A goofy comedy that’s tonally similar to the 1966 Batman television series A horror movie where Batman is trapped within Arkham Asylum A procedural... Read More

On Monday evening, a massive fire broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  With about 13 million visitors each year, the cathedral is the city’s most visited monument, and has been part of Paris for more than 800 years. Many across the globe are expressing shock and distress about the burning of such an iconic Gothic structure that housed religious artifacts and works of art, some of which are lost, some moved just in time. When tragedy strikes, some of us never recover from it. The way we cope with these situations differ greatly. Some people immediately fall into a deep depression,... Read More

Zana died early in the morning. She was an Abyssinian, a breed of cat known for their small bodies and hilariously large ears. Our family has had mostly good luck with long-lived pets, and Zana was no exception. She made it to 17 years old, and even in the last years of her life when she committed to being a cranky old lady, she would still frequently clamber into my lap and purr softly as I petted her. The morning she passed, she was in bed with my wife and me. It was early when she started meowing, loudly and urgently. I remember picking her up and taking her into the bathroom, then laying her... Read More

A common lead question in the world of online dating is: “What are you looking for?” Aside from being a grammatical nightmare, this question poses its own set of anxiety-ridden answers. Because how hard in the paint do you really go in response to this question when you’re on the third line of a burgeoning digital transaction? The words that your thumbs manage to string together will inevitably become the foundation for any further communication (or lack thereof). Sidebar. Dude, didn’t you read my bio? It clearly states, “Looking for a real life human with whom to do rad things. Sucker... Read More

You may have already noticed some sniffles and sneezes from pollen and other spring allergens. That’s because allergy season is starting earlier than it has in years past.  In a recent paper written by a plant physiologist at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the authors considered temperature and pollen trends in the Northern Hemisphere going back decades. The paper, published in Lancet, found a clear correlation between the change in temperature, the change and the increase in the length of the allergy season, and also the amount of pollen that’s being recorded. What does this... Read More

The community at CU Boulder has always prided itself on being connected and coming together in periods of trouble. In truth, I cannot think of a time more critical for the CU Boulder community to come together than for the case of Mikhal “Misha” Solok, who went missing in March and has not been heard of from his friend or family since then. Despite a number of tips which have been given to the police, none of the tips have led to authorities locating Solok. CU Boulder is a relatively large campus, with approximately 33,000 to 35,000 students attending from year to year. Being enrolled... Read More

With a ferocious run at the end of the season, the Colorado Avalanche pulled off the impossible and grabbed the final spot in this year’s NHL playoffs.  I doubted them, I wrote them off, and in all honestly, I didn’t write about them at all.  The Nuggets battled Golden State for the top seed all season long, the Rockies filled LoDo with big money contracts and aspirations, and the Broncos, well, this is Bronco Country, which is always news.  But I’m not apologizing.  Instead, I’m embracing playoff hockey, still befuddled about that end-of-the-year finish while jumping on that bandwagon. ... Read More

Director Zack Snyder has thoughts. During a charity event screening of his films Dawn of the Dead, Watchmen, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, he was asked about the depiction of Batman. Specifically, the depiction that the Caped Crusader was awfully, well…homicidal. During the film, Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight straight-up mows down crooks with cunningly hidden machine guns in the Batmobile and decimates goons in a brutal warehouse battle. It’s all a bit much. Snyder responded with the immortal quote, “Someone says to me: Batman killed a guy. I’m like, ‘F**k, really? Wake the... Read More

Spring brings to mind rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, and resurrection.  According to Wikipedia, “During early spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt relative to the Sun, and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm significantly, causing new plant growth to ‘spring forth,’ giving the season its name.”  This time of year is the perfect time to spring forth with a new exercise routine. Changing your workout is important to avoid boredom, overcome plateaus, and achieve new levels of fitness. Here are some ideas for... Read More

The formula has been working for the Colorado Rockies over the past few years.  Hit a few homers, drink some microbrews, sprinkle in some pitching, and make the playoffs.  With Nolan Arenado sporting a bigtime contract, Kyle Freeland pitching gems, and the usual cast of characters mostly returning, 2019 should be a good one. But like Ian Desmond at the plate, I’m still not comfortable. DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino are now New York Yankees, Wade Davis and Mark Reynolds are practically eligible for AARP, and our issues at first base . . . still have issues. Here are eight major factors that... Read More

Roger Ebert once wrote, “…for me, the movies are like a machine that generates empathy. It lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations, dreams, and fears.” That quote is something I keep returning to throughout the years since empathy allows us to drop into the lives of people that aren’t necessarily likable, yet we can still find a connection with them. Empathizing with Captain America is easy. Empathizing with Hannibal Lecter, or Travis Bickle, or Annie Wilkes? That’s a little bit harder, and it requires some work on the part of the viewer. I know, the... Read More

The awkward silence that is currently sitting in the space between our souls is suffocating me. I jam my hands, like clockwork, underneath my thighs, forcing my back to press firmly into the wall of my 23’ Airstream. Outside it is snowing, and the aluminum panel transfers the exterior chill through the cotton of my well-worn long-sleeve pajama shirt. He is cross-legged in his black skinny jeans, surrounded by pillows, eyes darting from my face to his knees. All I can smell is clean laundry from the sheets of the bed that we just spent far too long making. We’ve never been here before (and we’ll... Read More

Date nights are hard to come by when you work full time and have been married for what seems like forever. Throw a small child into the mix and you may as well forget about it. Although childless, my husband and I frequently plan date nights together. Oftentimes date night in our house consists of trip to Qdoba for take-out, followed by 30 minutes deciding on what to watch on Netflix. I swear, for a platform that has everything, it’s impossible to agree on one show to watch. Our usual plans were thrown out the window when my husband came home with tickets to see a show at the Ellie Caulkins Opera... Read More

Organ donation is the process of committing your organs to help another person live. After you die, your healthy organs and tissues are transplanted into another person. Experts say that the organs from one donor can save or help as many as 50 people. You can donate eyes, tissue, and organs including kidneys, heart, liver, pancreas, intestines, and lungs. Right now, 113,653 people are on the national organ transplant waiting list, with a new name added every 10 minutes. The factors used in matching donors with recipients  include blood type, time spent waiting, other important medical information,... Read More

A favorite event of mine which takes place at CU Boulder is the International Film Series, an event which features a widely diverse schedule. One of the most significant mistakes that one can make is to ignore the IFS while involved at the campus. It is vital that the International Film Series at CU Boulder is supported. It indeed is one of those programs that thrives off of student involvement; as such, keeping up to date on the schedule and what is being shown is very important. Here are some shows which are coming up at IFS that I believe one should mark on their calendar. The Man Who Fell to... Read More

What type of bracketologist are you? The Fridge Magnet – You have one, and only one, bracket filled out that hangs crooked on the side of your refrigerator filled with circles, crossed-out teams, and highlighter pen markings.  You aren’t in a pool, you don’t have any money on the line, you simply want to see how well you can prognosticate college basketball and the big dance. Your purpose is to feel good about yourself when you are right, not care too much if you are wrong, and allow yourself to be in the conversation when someone asks, “Who do you have in the game tonight?” The Bountiful... Read More

Like all right-thinking people, I’m a gigantic fan of Key & Peele. If you’re reading this, the odds are that you are too. It’s possible, though, that maybe you aren’t familiar with their stuff. If so, that’s okay! I try to be mindful that not everyone comes to the same material at the same time.* Good art has a way of coming to people when they’re ready for it. Created by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, their sketch comedy show ran on Comedy Central from 2012 to 2015. Beyond getting truly goofy, Key and Peele genuinely had something to say, and they made their points with wit... Read More

Today, about three million Americans are gluten free, 72 per cent of whom are classified as PWAGs: people without celiac disease avoiding gluten. Aside from celiac disease, there are other conditions impacted by gluten in the diet–rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and other autoimmune disorders. Gluten is a mixture of two different proteins present in cereal grains, especially wheat, rye, and barley. For those with sensitivities, gluten causes inflammation and damage in the intestinal tracts and other parts of the body. One in 133 people have celiac disease, an autoimmune disease... Read More

For some of us students, spring break is not a time for travel. Spring break may instead serve as a time of rest before the busy time of finals season begins. There are a variety of options when it comes to activities to participate in for anyone who may be staying around the CU Boulder area for spring break. Despite the fact that classes will stop for a few days, the campus itself continues. There are a few things one can do if they are not leaving the college for the break, and this extends beyond spring break and into that in-between time of post-spring break and pre-finals. Here are three things... Read More