My friends from Columbia visited this week. I have been roommates with her since freshman year. This summer is our first time apart in quite some time. It’s bizarre and great to have visitors. Bizarre because I knew no one out here initially. To see someone that I’m so familiar with in another city when we aren’t roommates anymore shifts my thoughts. Playing host is also a challenge. It’s necessary to make sure to pack in a lot and figure out what would make them most happy. I did plan a pretty good weekend–
Friday night: hanging out in the hipster bars in South Broadway
Saturday: hiking, Brews and Blues on Old South Pearl Street near DU. Saturday night: dancing at Rock Bar
Sunday: Whitewater rafting on Clear Creek (class 4 rapids on cold water), shopping downtown
Needless to say, they left very satisfied and loving Denver.

I’m excited about the classes that I’m taking, which is a strong motivation for returning to Mizzou. Since I’ve taken journalism classes for so long, I have neglected to take “college” classes — those classes like psychology and sociology that college is all about. In fact, I only have three classes left to finish my degree, but I’d like to stay and take classes that interest and excite me. One of these is a history class and another is a Sociology of Gender class. The one that I’m most excited about? Screenwriting. In this class we write an entire screenplay. For once in a long while, I will feel creative again.

I’ve thought that this internship would give me the golden answer to what I want to do when I graduate. It really is not that simple. If anything, it has raised more questions about my future. What do I like doing? What is most fulling? Hopefully, this last year in school will continue to answer some of these questions and raise new ones. Until then, however, I’ll keep exploring, asking questions and enjoying my time in Denver.

Fourth of July always brings back memories. My usual is towing lawnchairs to the Kansas River   and setting up near the music. My mom and I would enjoy the local musicians while slathering on bugspray and prepare for the fireworks display. After watching another impressive display of  manmade lightning in the sky, we would then head home and eat our Fourth of July cake (poundcake with tons of  whipped cream and colorful, festive berries decorated in an American flag).

This weekend was different. No family, but that didn’t make anything less festive.  Luckily, Friday was a holiday from work. To celebrate, I went on a hike in the foothills. If there is anything that can clear your mind quickly, it would have to be outside enjoying nature. It was my first official hike in Colorado, which will be repeated again soon. I then saw Wilco at RedRocks. Most likely the coolest venue that I’ve been to/will ever go to. I listened to music while watching the sun set over Denver. On the Fourth for dinner I decorated my salad with the same berries that once made our Fourth of July cake. I then headed downtown to watch the fireworks display. Instead of seeing only one display, any way you looked, you could see fireworks lighting up the sky. It was for sure a successful evening.

The next day I got in a game of tennis by my complex and then jumped in our community pool. That alone would have made for a pretty great Sunday, but I then went to a BBQ in Washington Park. I felt the grass under my feet as I played frisbee and catch under the Colorado sun and ate delicious grilled veggies and chicken. I’m not sure a weekend gets much better.

Last week was one of the most rewarding weeks of my internship. The days were long, but I was involved in something that I cared a lot about. Since the cameramen are all freelancers, it gave them an opportunity to work as part of a huge team. I spoke with the field producers, audio producers and the supervising producer to gain a more complete picture of how the show works – at least the production of it.

It was really cool to see these chefs make competition cakes as well as sugar creations. Watching their impressive skill was inspirational. I don’t have nearly the skills that these competitors do, but it is enjoyable to watch and admire. After the last day of shooting, I celebrated at Keegan Gerhard’s restaurant dBar again. I tried the chocolate cake and fell in love.

This weekend after the shoot, I took a day and relaxed by first going for a run though Cherry Creek. I then checked out the pool for the first time and went to see the movie UP. It was so well done. I’m normally not one for animated films, but I enjoyed the unique concept and the characters. Today, I went to Boulder and walked around downtown for a bit and had lunch with a friend from Lawrence. I then attended Pride Fest in civic park. One thing that I can count on living in a big city is that there will always be a festival going on over the weekend. Pride fest was certainly filled with enthusiastic people celebrating in a variety of ways. Fun to see for sure.

I’ve learned that the job of a production assistant includes doing whatever they need me to do. We remove tripods from the floor when the cameramen don’t need them any more. We take care of the crew and provide water and snacks. We run and get batteries and new tapes as they are needed. I’ve ALSO learned that there is the potential to get really tired after each shoot (Tuesday’s shoot lasted from 5:30 a.m.-11 p.m.).Tip: wear good shoes because you WILL be on your feet all day.

Today, I sat in on one of the interviews, which I will get to see more of tomorrow. It was cool to see how the episode producer got the contestants to say what they needed. My goal is to learn as much as I can about the entire process of what goes into the production of a television show. Being in the studio is probably the best part. We met Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, who was a guest judge for our Simpson’s Cake competition. The judges were so sweet. Kerry Vincent was nice to everyone and had great stores to share. The host Keegan was so down to earth. After the shoot, we checked out his restaurant D Bar in uptown Denver. The delicious desserts will bring me back for sure.

I need to storm Colorado. I’ve made lists, collected brochures and scoured websites for great things to do, see and participate in. Saying yes to “everything” led me to agree to be a member of Rough Cuts, the High Noon softball team. I hadn’t played softball since the fourth grade team when I returned the ball to the pitcher by rolling it. Needless to say, the coach didn’t really want me to continue too far into softball. This time, I had to put forth some effort since I would have to face these people at work. Of course, everyone pretends that it’s all fun and games but it is all for the Ws (that means wins for those less familiar with the lingo). So far — 3 Ls.

I’m looking forward to family and friends to visit so I can do more. I want to visit the breweries in Ft. Collins, the Great Sand Dunes, take a train to Pike’s Peak, cross the suspension bridge at Royal Gorge and see other magical Colorado places. There are also a ton of outdoorsy activities that I would like to do including fly-fishing, camping and white water rafting. I hope that is in the cards because I feel like I’m running out of time. Colorado offers everything that I could ask for. I’m in a destination city, and I need to take full advantage of that.

with work friends
Being in a new city brings all types of new challenges. I’m not sure where to go out at night. Going out at night also requires someone to hang out with, which I’m slowly finding. Luckily, last weekend some girls at work invited me to go out downtown, and we had a great time. I want to fill up my weekends with fun activities including a group potluck or a neighborhood fair. Finding these activities are not challenging. Finding the people who also want to explore and maximize a summer in Denver is more challenging.

The American College of Sports Medicine ranked Denver third on a list of America’s fittest cities. This comes as no surprise. As I ran around the Boulder Reservoir or through the Cherry Creek Reservoir this week, I saw tons of people walking, biking or swimming. I felt very much a part of Denver culture as I was enjoying one of the rare sunny days today. I know that white water rafting, rock climbing and kayaking are other activities that are very Colorado and very fun. I’d love to have a chance to do them while I’m here. And when you see the majestic Rockies in the background, it just motivates you to outside as often as possible. However, when you get lost in woods (as I did today), it becomes a bit less fun.

The REI Denver flagship store only proves the fit nature of this city even further. While there, I was in awe and then had a strong urge to do everything outdoorsy. Twice a year, REI holds a used gear sale, where the crowds queue for hours just to get a chance for some deals on gear. Everyone in Denver has the proper gear for any occasion … even activities like running or biking requires a coordinating outfit.

Last week, I helped out on set for Disaster House, a new show for the DIY network. There I learned a great deal about the duties of a production assistant. This will help me next week so I can look for ways that I can fit in the crew. In preparation for next week, I made show binders for the producers and some crewmembers. I shipped a few out and handed the rest out to the High Noon staff. It meant making about a thousand copies to prepare these binders and show programs, but at least I’m contributing. When I see a binder in a producer or judge’s hands, I will know that I did that.

A view from Red Rocks
It’s started. A summer in Denver. After getting back from London, there were a lot of adjustments. No more underground.  No more tea time. And seeing my friends for the first time in a few months was bizarre. Great, but it took some adjustment to get used to being in U.S. mode. So, what is better medicine for reverse cultural shock than a new experience? Like, for example, exploring a new city?

Fast forward one month to one week ago. I make the move to Denver for an internship at High Noon Entertainment. It is a television production company that produces a whole host of shows including House Hunters, My First Place, Tough Love, Carter Can and the show that I’ll be working on: Food Network Challenge. It is a competitive cooking show that results mostly in extreme cake challenges. I could not be more excited.

My first week allowed me to get oriented to the building and the staff. They have so many people involved in all aspects of television production that it will take a bit of time to feel at home. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, though, so it won’t take too long. I think that I will even go on a filming of Disaster House this week, and several episodes of Challenge will film later this month. It has started a bit slow, but I know that there will be other opportunities as I get more comfortable there. It is really exciting to learn the entire television production process. So far I have sat in on two editing sessions, and I’m excited to help out in any way I can.

My drive to work is short but magnificent. I get to see the Rockies and that is something that a Kansas girl gets excited about over and over. Colorado offers many opportunities for outdoor activities. This weekend was great. I played softball and went to a Rockies game on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I went to heated yoga with my roommate and then on a bike ride through the Cherry Creek Reservoir.  It was a great weekend full of fun and excitement and I hope that my weekends continue to be just as busy.