Dino Ridge!

— "Bayba+Holga" (MIKE S LOW') —

Here is a rare Raydene sighting. Saturday Classes at aiDenver have put a kibosh on much of her summer enjoyment, but Hunter and I were eternally grateful to finally have her with us on a beautiful Summer Day in Morrison, CO.

— "Hunter Hearts Dinos Too" (MIKE S LOW') —

H-Club [aka Hunter] enjoyin' a brief break at Dino Ridge. Sometimes I wish I could feel half the excitement my fur kid gets by just being outside.

— "Dino-R & The Rox before the Phish Show" (MIKE S LOW') —

In the words of Borat "Great Success!"

I wanna be a Lion.

— "Crows+Augustana" (MIKE S LOW iPhone) —

I finally made it to my first Red Rocks Show a few weeks ago (July 24 to be exact. Me+Up-to-Date-Blog=Fail). For all of the years that I've been following the Crows, I don't think I ever realized the stage presence of Adam Durtiz—the man is an amazing performer and puts on a phenomenal show. Check out denverpost.com's photo essay of Counting Crows and Augustana at Red Rocks.

The first rule of 14er Club. You do not get passed in 14er Club.

— "Roo+Mike+MtHuron" (photo by BRENDAN ALEX) —

It's been a long time coming...but with the help of my 'ol college roomie, Brendan Alex, Roo and I reached the summit of our first 14er! Check out this link for more information on 14ers and Mt. Huron. Be sure to bring a 4x4 for the service road to the trailhead—it's a blast!

Making Time for Recess.

— "ROO•On•The•Wall" (digital illustration) : MIKE S LOW —

I've got my Recess back! and it only took me the better part of 13 years to find it again (not too shabby, eh?) I finally started working on T-Shirt Art again with the nudge of my ol college roomie (A week of constant rain and some nagging soccer injuries also assisted in the endeavor).

I often get so caught up with my job, freelance clients, and life in general that I have a hard time squeezing in fun design projects for myself. I generally chalk it up to being too busy, creative burnout, or the nausea induced by spending even more time at my workstation.

Self-made promises are easily procrastinated, forgotten, and sometimes lost altogether. I encourage you to do something for yourself this week. There's nothing wrong with a little "me" time to recharge your battery.

"MacGyvering."

— "Blockhead" : MIKE S LOW —

(Eldezod on Urban Dictionary defines one of my favorite terms)

MacGyver

v. 1. To use ingenuity to fix or remedy a problem using only the tools available at hand. 2. To jury-rig

n. Someone who can regularly cobble together solutions to problems using only the tools available at hand.

MacGyver could make an explosive with a Lite-Brite, fishing line, and your mom's meatloaf. He was a man's man (on crack)—please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacGyver if you need a background on the greatest, and most clutch fictional outdoorsman ever. Period.

Last night while icing my sore quad with a bag of edamame...I started thinking about my everyday "MacGyvering." You don't necessarily need a Swiss army knife and duct tape in your arsenal...just a lil ol' fashion innovation. Coat hangers, the wire ones...the ones you love to hate, are great for unlocking car doors, roasting mallows, and snagging those pesky loner socks from underneath your bed. Old bread and food bags make great poo bags for your dog's business deliveries....and if you still haven't jumped on the canvas grocery bag bandwagon (DO IT!)...use your old paper bags to help your friend secure their identity after his/her team has brought shame on them.

ESPN. My former Pastime.

— "Keyara" (acrylics on canvas) : MIKE S LOW —

(My first blog, be gentle.)

Pat Swilling, Bobby Hebert, "Ironhead" Heyward...if you answered in Jeopardy fashion "Who are the '91 Saints?" you also suffer from this serious affliction. Either that or maybe you are a former New Orleans Saints player. For years I have used the Worldwide Leader in Sports at least three times a day. I have no idea why I can remember the most trivial sports knowledge, yet forget practical knowledge like the clone stamp shortcut (S) in Photoshop...something that would benefit me, a graphic designer, on a daily basis.

My recent relocation to the Mile High City shed light on this sporting-substance-abuse and I am proud to declare that I have thus far avoided the call to Comcast. Has it been scary? Yes. Have I dialed 6-digits before hanging up? Yes. Moving on...despite these moments of weakness, I have realized how much of my day I've gotten back from less TV in general. I've even managed to cross out a few of those "lifer" to-dos (Start Painting again). You know those hobbies you used to have? The ones that you placed on a high-up, dimly lit, back shelf, in a closet you barely use. Turn off the TV and Dust 'em off, its worth it. (Not convinced? There is always the upside of not receiving a cable bill every month.)