Travel & Lifestyle Freelance Writer | Market Research Consultant
The I News Network journalism camp, or “institute” rather (as I was so emphatically reminded when I told one of the students she didn’t need to go out and buy cotton balls; she should suck it up because she’s at “camp”), has been great, but I’m not sure what I’m more excited about: a bed that isn’t made of plastic, food not served on a tray or a towel that’s full and fluffy and covers more than my unmentionables.
I don’t know why I thought leaving a pair of wet athletic shoes in a fully-sealed car on a hot, summer day might be a good idea.
It wasn’t.
So the I News Network Journalism Camp isn’t exactly roughing it. We’re using computers (some might be surfing the web for deals on new computers), soaking up info like sponges and eating three squares a day.
Then again, Denver University’s sleeping arrangements are what you might call sparse. Trying to fall asleep at night with a plastic bed, a pair of sheets that are eight thread count max and a waterproof, drool-proof, flame retardant, nylon pillow has been a bit of a challenge. And the unscreened window handily level with my headboard makes it more than likely that over the course of the week something will plummet to the ground four stories below; however, if anything does, I’ll definitely have the investigative tools to figure out why the hell it happened.
The Butterfly Pavilion over in Westminister is understandably a hot spot for school field trips.
As a way to get the kids to start thinking about their role in preserving our natural environments, the staff had strung up hundreds of “vows” made by the kids and their teachers regarding their commitments to change a lifestyle habit and think more about being green. One determined little guy’s promise stated: “I will recycle … and I will eat more pie.” I’m not sure what the latter has to do with the former, but I’d say it’s an admirable quest just the same.
Woke up an hour before my alarm clock this morning from a dream where Ursuala from the “Little Mermaid” was chasing me down because I’d called her fat.
Granted, she is a little heavy, but I suppose the laws of common courtesy still apply–even to sea witches.
I mean, after all, what would Jesus do?
The Westminister Butterfly Pavilion has a bunch of great exhibits featuring all kinds of creepy crawlies, flying beauties and even swimming invertebrates.
Its mission seems to be to inform people about creatures they might normally be afraid of in order to protect them and maintain their natural habitats.
The place is basically a big pavilion of propaganda saying: “Hey! Quite squishing, smooshing and flushing bugs! They’re really not that bad!”
It’s a noble quest.
Which makes it strange then, that their gift shop offers a fairly wide selection of bug-trapping devices. Sure, science might be at the heart of little Johnny’s insect-catching endeavors, but let’s be realistic: How many of those suckers actually make it out of the prison alive?