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Watching the Pioneer Avenue Safeway close was sort of like losing a family member… albeit a family member I barely knew.

In 2006, my cousin worked as a meat man at the neighborhood market. There, I watched as many pounds of beef were packaged when he let me behind the glass. The experience was a definite highlight of that summer and a warm welcome to Cheyenne, too.

Later that summer, I bought a fern at the Safeway. Lazily, I tried to cultivate it in my trunk. For two or three months, the plant received nothing but the finest neglect. When I was looking for a shovel in my trunk one day, I found the fern. I brought it inside and fed it a little water. It came back to life and enjoys a healthy existence to this day.

It’s really kind of sad looking back on the life of that little plant. No one cared for it and it survived despite the odds. Conversely, I never thought the fern would out-live the place from where it came. It seemed, after all, that the Safeway was cared for by the surrounding community. Despite this, the market was unable to survive.

I hadn’t actually been in said Safeway in recent years, though I drove by it regularly. To me, it existed much like an aunt or cousin I know is there, but rarely speak to. I may never buy another fern or witness the power that is meat packing again, but I will never forget the times I shared with the Pioneer Avenue Safeway.

Farewell, dear friend, farewell.

Thanks for looking.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of Buster Douglas’ unprecedented upset over the once-believed-indestructible “Iron” Mike Tyson, I hoped something in the local sports scene would relive the glory of the unlikeliest of outcomes.

On Friday, East wrestling gave the No. 1 ranked Central Indians a go. But after East tied the dual at 21-21, the Indians lived up to their top-rated status and rolled to a 41-21 win.

On Saturday, I still had the chance for the unlikely when the No. 1 ranked East girls and crosstown rival Central faced off at Storey Gym.

The T-Birds dominated the first meeting, but I’m hopeful most of the time — or maybe just hopeless and naive — and I expected a top-notch effort from Central.

In either case, I hoped for a classic dual.

For one half, my wish for a Buster Douglas redux came true. Central came out of the locker room on fire and gave the hopefuls in attendance a reason to hope — they trailed by two at half.

Sadly, reality kicked in during the second half and the T-Birds imposed their will like Oprah on anything that can be eaten — food or not.

The bottom line — the T-Birds won 58-38.

Given the right circumstances, Central could have played two complete halves. They didn’t and they lost.

My dream of an underdog did not come true, but I am content either way.

Besides, who needs an unlikely upset to be happy? Buster Douglas beat 42 to 1 odds in an epic tale of defeat. Now, he weighs 714 pounds and wears turtleneck sweaters. For what it’s worth, winning isn’t everything, but it sure is fun.

Thanks for looking.

Nate “The Great” Marquardt is a pretty bad dude. Not legally or morally, just bad in the sense that his hands are made of iron and he can beat your dad up.

In preparation for his upcoming UCF 109 fight against Chael Sonnen, Marquardt opened his gym to the media, so sports writer Ian St. Clair and I went to Denver, watched him train and ate burritos.

If he wins, Marquardt has been told he will get a shot at the middleweight title. Though he’s heard this line before, Marquardt feels that his record and continually rising star will eventually land him in a title bout.

From what I’ve seen of his fights and training in person, the dude is a stud… and not only because he has knocked another world-class fighter out in less time than it takes to sneeze.

Marquardt is a humble family man.

His wife brings their daughter to the gym while he trains during the day, they go out to eat afterwards and they travel together.

He says his life is perfect right now.

A grounded family man is pretty cool for a professional athlete (ref. Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, the 90s Dallas Cowboys).

For someone who could undoubtedly kill most of the world with his bare hands, Marquardt is uncannily grounded. He told me that knowing he can be humbled in a split second in the octagon keeps his head from swelling.

Maybe more people should get knocked out once in a while to remember what is important.

After all, it made him The Great.

Growing up my mother always told me horror stories about going to catholic school.  Wooden ruler slaps on the hands by nuns were mentioned more than once. Mom made it clear that nuns were strict and put up with no nonsense.  I often got this speech after getting a couple of swats from the principal or when teachers complained about me being a distraction in class — so most days.

So with this in the back of my mind, I got up at 5 a.m. in mid-November and headed south of the Wyoming border to the Abbey of St. Walburga. I must say I was startled when Sister Scholastica answered the door of the abbey with a wide smile and warm words.  I  could hear Gregorian chants echoing in the background as the nuns started their morning prayers.

I was extremely careful and selective while photographing during the morning service. The spiritual meditation of the service was obviously disrupted with the noise of my camera’s shutter. It made me nervous when the nuns would look at me every time I took an image.

However, after the service the nuns went about their daily duties and  made me feel like they were happy that I was there.  They laughed often and not once did I feel the wrath of a wooden ruler across my hand.  These women have made an admirable choice and were happy to talk with someone from outside of the abbey.

I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed not being swatted.

God, I love Grease!

The scene when Danny Zuko and Sandra D make the school carnival their own private Studio 54 is fantastic. Every night I pray to God and ask to wake up as Danny. To date, my prayers have gone unfulfilled and I am merely a half white guy with the rhythm of reinforced steel.

Unlike me, however, the K through 2 students at Jessup Elementary can, as Young MC said, bust a move…

For the 50th day of school, the three grade levels at J.E. danced and jived and mash potatoed as if it were 1950. The only major difference was the lack of corporal punishment, polio shots and lead paint. Must be nice to have such great teachers. Growing up, I was lucky not to get cigarette ash in my eyes in the classroom and these kids are partying like it’s 1959. Man-o-man, what a lifestyle.

As the events heated up in the gym (literally, it must’ve been 188 degrees), I longed to reenact the National Bandstand dance off when that minx ChaCha DeGregorio stole Danny from Sandra D… but alas, I did not want to scare the children. Imagine being 5-8 years old, enjoying a school function only to have it ruined by a “man” dancing (more so flailing) on the dance floor like a cat with no legs in a swimming pool.

Yeah, that’s not good for anyone. Real square.

See ya later alligator.