A Denver Odyssey

A Friendlier Kind of Croc

The group rose midmorning and began dressing for an interesting proposition. It became known to Derek sometime shortly before the trip that a group of Buckeye Alumni all gathered together in Denver during every football game. The alumns would take over an entire bar and watch the game on the big screen t.v.s they had been provided. The group headed...

"...for the Buckeyes' game with OSU alumns and fans at Croc's Bar and Grill. It was rather strange because we figured it would have only been a small froup of people, but that place was packed with Scarlet & Gray. There was absolutely nowhere to sit and there were dozens of people standing around. This alumni group does this bar a huge favor since they would normally not be open at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday. Gameday is probably the best 4-5 hours of this bar's week."

Mike Tyson In the Making

After growing weary of standing in the crowd and acquiring quite a hunger for greasy food, the four of them (Stevo, Stef, Derek, and Tim) headed to ESPN Zone to catch the second half of the game. They found a table right next to a t.v. showing the game and requested a speaker be brought to their table so they could enjoy the horrific announcers, which are common at OSU games. They enjoyed their lunches as the Buckeyes trounced Cincinnati in the first game of the season.

"After our meal, (and the game), we played some arcade games. Derek and I f-ed up and instead of buying one card for the both ous (and thereby getting more credits), we bought individual cards and got ripped off. Once we had the crappy cards, Derek and I headed over to a boxing game. The thing was completely rigged, but still fun. To play, you had to hold these heavy sensors that resembled boxing gloves. When the opponent on your screen threw punches, you had to duck or move to the side to avoid them. To punch you had to wait for a little white target to appear on the screen and then quickly jab, hook, or swing the heavy gloves towards your opponent. Derek and I both lost during our first found and were actually winded after playing. Then came ping pong, a poorly designed game which you had to keep the paddle below the waisteline so the sensors could read it. Derek couldn't keep the paddle low enough, so I beat him in our head to head competition. I went on to play the computer in a game and it beat me rather handily, though I did get in a few smashes here nad there. We found Stevo and Stef finishing up an air hockey game (that never seems to get old) and then Stevo threw some footballs at moving targets (you know the game). We all went back to the boxing game because Stevo wanted to see how it was done. I once again, was beaten, but I think I putup a good showing. We all thought my ducking and dodging was adequate, but it appareantly wasn't."

Wrong Kind of Virgin, Perv

The arcade could not contain the foursome for long. Once the paltry amount of game credit was gone, they headed to the Virgin Megastore, a gargantuan music, video, and gaming retailer located in the 16th Street Mall. Columbus, OH also has one of these, but it pales in comparison with the Denver version. Stevo had bought Tim a gift certificate to the store for graduation. They figured this would be the best time to do this. After an inordinate amount of time, Tim finally picked out a handful of items. They included the Garden State Soundtrack, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Jackie Brown, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

"When we got back to Stevo's apartment, we put in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and began to watch. Derek and I immediately fell asleep and Steve and Stephanie found other things to do, as they do not share the same passion for kung fu as Derek and I do. The two of them planned a hom-cokked dinner, Italian style. We ended up with a chicken alfredo with penne dish that was really quite good (and no hormones added!). Since it was family night, we picked up Jen, brought her back to Stevo's place, and had dessert of brownies with ice cream and whipped topping."

A Game Too Far

The group settled in after their delicious meal and dessert and broke out a new board game Jen had brought. The game, Hear Me Out, is from the same company that made Cranium. Most of the group had a lot of fun playing, but Derek remained disgruntled throughout the gaming session. Stevo ended up winning the game, but it is possible that Tim should have won it due to a voting discrepancy. A Florida recount was out of the question, however, and Tim conceded the trophy to Stevo. After the game, Tim delivered Derek and Jen to their abode and the group let out a collective sigh as their trip was quickly coming to a close.