http://denver.yourhub.comThe latest blog posts in The Denver Newspaper Agency YourHub.comen-usnews@yourhub.com(c) 2009, YourHub.com5It was probably about 7:30 in the morning, and I was in bed. I was unemployed, and none too happy about it. I saw no real reason to force myself to rise from the cozy bed where I lay with my thoughts, fears, and general feelings of failure as a husband. When the dot-com bubble popped, I was o...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~519864.aspx9/11/2008 11:42:13 AMJared Keller Well, to begin with, my generation is quite likely not to identify with songs by The Who, so perhaps this was a foolish title. Nevertheless, it's been awhile since I've checked into The Retroplex, but I had a brief, shining moment of creativity a few moments ago. This moment quickly passed, ho...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~428023.aspx2/12/2008 4:38:17 PMJared Keller The more things change, the more they stay the same. It's a truism, really, and, as is the case with so many other truisms, its relevance can only be realized once one passes age 25, or so. I suppose it's all some sort of variation on the Circle of Life that Elton John sang about with...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~384486.aspx10/29/2007 3:19:40 PMJared Keller So, I was sitting around the other night, digging through a box of old junk that I had sitting in my basement. As is the case with pretty much anything that I do, this activity triggered some mix of reminiscing and mawkish, self-indulgent over analysis, resulting in the following blog post, which...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~379240.aspx10/17/2007 4:14:10 PMJared Keller When did it all get so lame? Sure...weekday afternoon TV has never been the province of high-mindedness. I mean, nowadays, one would never have expected George Plimpton or William F. Buckley to pop up between ads for "Bulldog" Moore, (or, back in the day, Norton Frickey and Associates ), Natio...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~378651.aspx10/16/2007 4:30:48 PMJared Keller As a long-time nerd/comic book fan, I'm well acquainted with the dangerous and foolish thought that just about any messaged can be effectively transmitted in comic book form. This is simply not true. As a greedy little newbie back in the mid-80s, I snagged any and every comic book I could g...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~374735.aspx10/9/2007 1:24:34 PMJared Keller Ay, the life of a grad student. I've recently pieced my exploded skull back together after sending it flying with a couple of weeks' worth of hellish studies, and am taking a well-deserved month off from the rigors and punishment of balancing work, an actual life, and writing assignments apparent...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~353673.aspx8/27/2007 5:23:06 PMJared Keller Like the idiot I am, I've agreed to join with a couple of buddies, and attempt to enter next year's Ride the Rockies. As such, I've realized that if I don't get myself back into something resembling decent physical condition, I'll likely suffer spontaneous decapitation, or inhale a mountain goat ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~339859.aspx7/26/2007 5:30:00 PMJared Keller I think we can all agree that any of us around and coherent in the 80s and early 90s would love to have seen the Dreaded Zabka pound the snot out of at least a few people. At the very least, the following two characters deserved the Wrath O' Zabka, but sadly, were never subjected to the righteous...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~339350.aspx7/25/2007 5:14:05 PMJared Keller Do they still have bullies anymore? My personal nemesis was Dirk Sparks , who, from the second grade through the fifth, made it his mission in life to see how many ways in which he could trip me, taunt me, or throw me from various playground apparatus. If only I'd have been more well-versed in...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~338496.aspx7/24/2007 12:12:58 PMJared Keller The 80s - like any other decade - featured their share of pivotal pop culture moments that would eventually become part of something akin to a shared national memory of the period. During the 80s, as you may recall, First Lady Nancy Reagan kicked off her "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, and pret...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~338278.aspx7/23/2007 4:58:21 PMJared Keller So, one of my most prized possessions as a kid was my original, Worlds of Wonder-made Lazer Tag set. I saved a year's worth of birthday and Christmas cash, and plunked down $39 at Target for a shiny new Starlyte and Starsensor. I dreamt of tournaments like those seen in the very first L...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~336963.aspx7/19/2007 4:24:12 PMJared Keller Today's nuggets? A few samples of Denver's media past. First up, a little ditty that I'd long forgotten. At one point, you couldn't escape this song if you lived in the Denver area. It's still etched into my long-term memory, even though growing up, I lived in a Channel 9-only home. Here's a ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~336415.aspx7/18/2007 3:46:24 PMJared Keller Today's brief jaunt back to the era of poofy hair, skinny ties, rolled up suit coat sleeves, and the endless dominance of all that was childhood by various and sundry arms of Hasbro involves a few items that you can pick up today - yes, right this minute - to impress your friends, and make them w...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~335839.aspx7/17/2007 3:33:48 PMJared Keller Not too much nostalgia for you today - I'm busy with that whole "life"-thing at present. Still, I've got a couple of obscure nuggets for you, so check 'em out: The 1985 Sears Wishbook - Reproduced in all its Transformer- and GI Joe-filled glory, at WishBookWeb.com. Browse through 1985's ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Technology-The-Web/General/Blog~335338.aspx7/16/2007 2:41:43 PMJared Keller Like many game fans, I sneaked a peek at a few of the E3 clips of Halo 3 , soon to be released for Microsoft's XBox360. To say that the graphics and gameplay look impressive is something of an understatement. Much the same can be said of nearly every major release designed for the uber cons...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Technology-The-Web/Gaming/Blog~334397.aspx7/13/2007 3:20:54 PMJared Keller Well...OK. Since I'm starting on a Thursday, you'll have to cut me some slack, but still . For a long time, I figured I was some kind of freak; I obsessed over the smallest nuggets of ephemera that I could find, frequently recalled stuff that most of my friends had long since forgotten, an...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~333955.aspx7/12/2007 3:37:44 PMJared Keller I've written before of my affection for Celebrity Sports Center - the first Disney-operated attraction outside of California or Florida, and, with the possible exception of the original Elitch Gardens, the most hallowed destination of my youth. Specifically, I was a huge fan of the huge waterslid...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~313485.aspx5/25/2007 12:24:05 PMJared Keller We here at The Retroplex have been fortunate to interview such luminaries as Kim Jong-Il, and, well...that's about it. Maybe Corey Haim, too, but we're not too sure if it really was him, or just some random guy from Toronto. Anyway, geek anticipation is turned up to eleven for the July 4t...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~303150.aspx5/2/2007 9:56:50 PMJared Keller OK, kids - here's your meme for the weekend. Think of it as an internet version of MASH, or that little folded paper puppet-thing that only elementary school-aged girls know how to make. At any rate, here are the rules: 1. Put your music player on shuffle. 2. Press forward for each que...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~300572.aspx4/26/2007 10:06:06 PMJared Keller So, one of the things I'm going to be doing here over the next few months is identifying those spots around town that are "classic South Metro", and sending you in their general direction. Whether it's fun stuff, food, shopping, or a combination of any of the above, I'll try and get the word out....http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~297021.aspx4/19/2007 1:18:40 PMJared Keller I love being a dad. I really do. If you're a guy capable of doing something other than blubbering, forking over whatever cash you have on hand and/or promising an endless supply of My Little Ponies upon hearing your little girl say "Daddy, I love you" - unprompted, no less! - than you, sir, are a...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~289818.aspx4/5/2007 3:38:49 PMJared Keller I love being a dad. I really do. If you're a guy capable of doing something other than blubbering, forking over whatever cash you have on hand and/or promising an endless supply of My Little Ponies upon hearing your little girl say "Daddy, I love you" - unprompted, no less! - than you, sir, are a...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~289817.aspx4/5/2007 3:38:07 PMJared Keller Oh, man. I'm still giddy like a schoolgirl. Wait...that didn't come out right. Did I write that? Blast. Internal monologue busted again... What's got me so flustered? Well, I'll give you three guesses, and the first two don't count, if you've paid any attention to me at all over the past year...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~172768.aspx1/19/2007 1:05:11 PMJared Keller I reckon it's 'bout that time again. Yup. For the bulk of January, the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo once more brings our area's western heritage to the forefront, along with the attendant abundance of, um... aromas , agricultural displays, fastidious livestock owners, gorgeo...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~171107.aspx1/16/2007 11:30:01 AMJared Keller I hide it well, my geekdom. By day, I'm a mild-mannered Research Analyst for a major private university, suburban husband and dad, and minivan-owner. Well, I'm that stuff by night, too, so let's skip this line of thought. I'm also an inveterate nostalgist, obsessed (well...almost) with the st...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Pop-Culture/Blog~168061.aspx1/8/2007 12:57:34 PMJared Keller The day after Thanksgiving, my dad and I took our .45s, and headed to the pistol range at Cherry Creek State Park. He was looking to break in his shiny new Springfield Armory WW2 GI model 1911, and I was simply there for the chance to put some more rounds through my Kimber Classic Custom (also a ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Blog~158428.aspx12/7/2006 10:04:52 AMJared Keller Here's the thing about me, when it comes to video games: I love 'em, but apparently have lousy instincts. See, my family's history of video game purchases is largely one of shame and failure, with a side order of derision from my friends. The list goes like this: First Console Purchase: ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Technology-The-Web/Gaming/Blog~147847.aspx11/8/2006 9:49:47 AMJared Keller Tomorrow, scads of us - maybe as many as 30% - will head to the polls, and take part in the great experiment of American democracy (we're actually a representative republic, but who's counting?). This year's "blue book", in which the state breaks down the ballot issues using both sides of each re...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Politics/Local-State-Politics/Blog~147007.aspx11/6/2006 2:22:48 PMJared Keller In a stunning turn of events, your humble YourHub blogger has been invited by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - better known as North Korea - to sit down for an intimate discussion with that nation's reclusive, mysterious leader, President Kim Jong-Il . The Dear Leader - son of ...http://denver.yourhub.com/Littleton/Blogs/Archive/Politics/World-Politics/Blog~135890.aspx10/10/2006 5:57:59 PMJared Keller