costume construction, phase 1

I was fortunate to find a good job in Denver after about 1.5 months of dedicated searching. I only applied to jobs that were downtown or a reasonable driving distance from my apartment so that the commute wouldn't suck (i had a 1-mile commute for 3 years in atlanta, and yes, it was amazing). I also only applied to jobs that had regular hours and decent benefits... until I came across an ad for a part-time IT position at a private school 5 miles from my apartment. Now I'm working there as an entry-ish level technician, part of a 4 person team that keeps everybody's stuff working. It's pretty awesome as far as jobs go.

Now, on to the main reason for this post: the halloween costume teaser series (visit  http://agurley.blogspot.com/search/label/halloween and scroll to the post from 2010). if you don't know my deal with costumes by now, you're either a new reader of this blog or don't do enough stalking on facebook. i always go to great lengths to make a homemade costume while keeping costs low (<$30). i'm usually able to think of humorous, original couples-themed costumes that aren't lame. 2007 was construction worker and man hole, 2009 i think we ignored altogether because halloween was on a wednesday and 2008 seemed near impossible to top. 2009 i made (with a little help from mary ellen) the most kick ass cockroach costume one could make on a budget - andy was an exterminator, and 2010 was the year of colonel sanders and the double down sandwich.

my idea for this year is kinda tame, but i'm hoping the originality and construction quality will make it cool. i'm hesitant about putting too much effort into this mainly because we don't have that many friends yet since we're still so new to town, and it's no guarantee that we'll even be invited to a party. i mean how bad would that suck?! maybe i can wear it to work on the 28th, and then during my hockey game on the 29th (i'm attempting to make this costume adaptable for hockey gear just in case). below are some of my supplies. phase 1 has begun.

cardboard, spray paint, rope, foam squares, paperboard tubes

by the way, if anyone in the denver area wants to use my cockroach/exterminator costume i'll rent it to ya. would also be willing to trade for supplies to complete my idea for this year.

Help! There's a Jamaican man trapped in the storm drain!

The city of Aurora, Colorado is big on water education. Storm drains have markers that read "dump no waste, drains to creek" and there are signs in the parks that explain the water system and the effects of pollution on the water supply. There's also another unique educational feature that tends to startle passersby:

I'm the city of Aurora's talking storm drain. I'm here to remind you to take good care of your local storm drain and your watershed.

Hey man, use less fertilizer this time around. It will keep the stream happy, and save you lots of money.

What's up man? It would really clog my system if you wash that mud & road grime from your car into my drain.

I like their approach on personifying the storm drain, but it really did scare the crap out of me the first time I encountered it. The message is pretty simple, and it's fun interacting with the sensor. The Jamaican accent is comical to me. I can imagine the marketing/concept meeting going something like this:

Al: Ok guys, the city of Aurora is using this product to educate the public about the water system. We have a script, but something is missing... go ahead and listen to it.
[everyone listens to dialog A]
Bill: Well, instead of just random blurbs, how about if we make the storm drain the character. That might be cool.
Charlie: Yeah! And give him an accent! An Italian mobster?
Bill: Canadian? Cockney!
Al: Cockney?
Bill: Ay, 'enry 'iggins!
Al: No, no. Come on guys, think. Imagine the most perfect storm drain: cool and mellow, yet concerned about toxic waste. What does this guy sound like?
Charlie: Slappa da bass, man!

So if it doesn't give you a heart attack you might find it entertaining.

Labor Day vacation rental

Hey peeps, good news: I got a job.  They're paying me.  And it doesn't suck!!  Anyway, I'll touch on that next week I guess. Now on to the main feature...

i've rented a lot of condos/vacation homes in the last 5 years. nothing extremely luxurious or high-end, but most of the places have been at ski resorts so they're all fairly nice. almost all of them i found through vrbo.com, although i did get one on eBay (which, while still relatively expensive, was by far the nicest and best bargain of them all). anyway, the owner will usually email a rental agreement as well as another document containing helpful info about the home or neighborhood, stuff like where to park, how to get into the unit, how to work the hot tub, and what to do before you leave. We rented a suite inside a home in Breckenridge over Labor day weekend. This particular ower/manager sent me all of the info, and it was immediately apparent that i was dealing with a crazy person. Get a load of this:

If you plan on using the hot tub, please bring your own towels for that.

Come on.  Really? I can tell you right now if we hadn't been local, we would not have brought our own towels.

another:

Please caution all guests not to use our towels and washcloths to remove lipstick and facial makeup. You will be charged for all permanently soiled linens & towels, or for excessive cleaning time used in trying to remove spots.

'Scuse me? I totally get that you don't want to have to keep buying new towels all the time, but I'm pretty sure that having your stuff stained, broken, &/or stolen is part of having a vacation rental property. Oh, and there's this amazing product...It's sold at the...uh...the store, and it's like, a chemical that removes stains.  I think it's called...bleach?  Yeah, that sounds right.  And let me remind you I paid a $50 cleaning fee.  For two nights.

and another:

Please be sure that all kitchen items and dishes are cleaned and returned to the cabinets. Failure to properly pick up after yourself may result in excessive cleaning required after your departure.

Whaaaat?! But wait, there's more:

Upon check out we request that all trash be placed in the outside wooden enclosure to the right of the front door.

Noooo!!  What is this craziness?!  Fortunately I did not get charged for leaving the trash in the room. Then there was about a half a page worth of instructions about parking, which could have been reduced to three sentences. Inside the suite there was another page of instructions about how to work the thermostat and base heaters that, again, could have been condensed down to three bullet points. I bet this person thinks he/she is the best property manager out there, with all the rules and stupid instructions. Bah. I'm a little mad that I gave this person my business, but I only had about 4 days to book something so I was a little desperate. Our stay was ok for the price, but I would have rather coughed up an extra $20/night and stayed at another place where the bathroom a) had an exhaust fan, and b)wasn't in the kitchen.  that was interesting.