I've never been one to care about wrapping presents. I've long viewed it as an arduous and paper-wasting activity. They're going to rip it off and then ever think about it again? So, why bother? But the things happened to me this gift-wrapping season that changed my mind: I watched a YouTube video whose basic … Continue reading On wrapping with some care
Category: Cultural Comment
On the observation deck at Daniels & Fisher Tower
Last week I had the rare privilege of visiting the top floors of the Daniels & Fisher Tower—the downtown Denver icon. When completed in 1910, the 22-story tower was the tallest building between the Mississippi River and California. For decades, the tower was Denver's tallest building and an essential part of the city skyline. But … Continue reading On the observation deck at Daniels & Fisher Tower
On the silly superiority of living at high altitude
Not long after moving to Denver—at an approximate elevation of 5,280 feet, it’s called the Mile High City for good reason—my wife stumbled across a post in the Denver subreddit that subsequently imprinted itself on me. The original post was the simple question of what newcomers liked most about living in the region. Of course, … Continue reading On the silly superiority of living at high altitude
On the fantasy of Zoo Lights
I think about the lion in the Utica Zoo more often than I probably should. More than a decade ago, I went on a chilly visit to the Utica Zoo and spent a few minutes sadly eying the lone lion there, who was pacing his enclosure, having tread a circular path around the perimeter. Wary … Continue reading On the fantasy of Zoo Lights
On when we stopped thinking of musical interpretation as art
I watched a couple clips of American Idol the other night. Miraculously, I've made it through 33 years without so much as seeing a snippet of the iconic show. I knew of it, of course—it was hard to avoid American Idol, especially in its heyday, when America still legitimately seemed to watch the same TV … Continue reading On when we stopped thinking of musical interpretation as art
On gratitude as a muscle
A few years ago, I experimented with something in my diary: I expressed gratitude for something every day. And despite everything that I know in the abstract that I have to be thankful for, the exercise turned out to be harder than I thought. Gratitude, as many who sat at Thanksgiving tables today racking their … Continue reading On gratitude as a muscle
On embracing Christmas lights
I’ve never been a big holiday person. I used to think there was something lame about being too into the holidays. Holidays were just another day, right? And totally arbitrary? I’ve always had—if you couldn’t tell—a strong inner cynic. The guy just rolls his eyes at everything. But if you start with cynicism, it’s hard … Continue reading On embracing Christmas lights
On brushstrokes
The best advice I’ve encountered for how to navigate an art museum was simple: Look around the gallery and notice what catches your eye. Walk directly to whatever object you noticed. (Notice nothing? Scan the room again, then go on to the next gallery.) Spend 5-10 minutes in front of the object. Notice stuff about … Continue reading On brushstrokes
On the humble hamburger button
There are some things about computers that it's hard to imagine someone having to invent. The cursor is one of them—another is the hamburger button. The button is one of those elements that I interact act so intuitively that for many years I didn't even have a word for it. If asked to explain a … Continue reading On the humble hamburger button
On asking a local where to eat lunch
The first time I went to Pueblo, I went with two older colleagues. Besides the difference in age and seniority (significant!), there was also the slightly infantilizing fact that I was sitting in the backseat. (When you’re not in a taxi or an Uber, it’s hard to resist the child mentality in the backseat.) When … Continue reading On asking a local where to eat lunch
Taylor Coe 