When we visited Florida, my three year-old daughter saw a snake. It was a harmless black snake, but menacing nonetheless, coiled up in a bush with frog legs dangling from its mouth. (From the frog’s perspective, I guess the snake was not so harmless.) Apparently, this sighting made a lasting... Read more →
Ski Town Paradox
In this piece, I hope to dispel a wildly held belief about life in a ski town, which is, if you live in a ski town you ski all the time. The fact is, for me at least, you ski less. I moved to Aspen six years ago and have yet to surpass the number of days I skied each year when I lived in Florida. Half... Read more →
Cold Mountain
There is cold, and then there’s “freeze your (insert genitalia expletive here) off cold.” That’s the kind of cold we’ve had this week in Aspen, Colorado. Yesterday, it was 12 degrees below zero. Cold like this is serious business. As the Mountain Manager used to say to the Lift Operators on... Read more →
Edison and the Sizzling Giant
In 1903 an elephant was electrocuted. This was not an accident. Allow me to explain. At the turn of the century elephants used to roam free in many parts of the United States. This was just about the time that Thomas Edison, the famous inventor, was experimenting with alternating electrical current. ... Read more →
Keith Hemstreet’s 2008 Economic Forecast
As a former student of business, I am schooled in the science of Economic forecasting. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to inform the lay public of the impending doom we Aspenites face in the coming year. I’m afraid all indicators point to a major downturn in the Aspen economy. Below I have outlined... Read more →
Keith Hemstreet: An Unauthorized Biography
Sometimes l like to detach from my physical self, to stimulate an out-of-body experience, so to speak, so that I may view my life much as a biographer would. This exercise helps me to analyze all that I do and determine whether or not I am on course to accomplishing my goals. Such an exercise can be... Read more →
The Annoying Habits of Highly Ineffective People
As I waited in line at the bank the other morning, I was privileged to overhear a staff meeting that was happening in the adjoining conference room. About a dozen people, mostly young tellers, sat around a rectangular table in high-back swivel chairs, each equipped with a legal pad and pen. “Let’s... Read more →
A Psychic, Lizard Boy, And The Insignificance Of A Dead Computer
This week I discovered that my three-year old daughter has a unique talent. Actually, calling it “unique” is an understatement. It’s fair to say that I know of no other toddler with this particular skill, though dredging the annals of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” may turn up a child with... Read more →
I’m Confused As To ‘What Is’ And ‘What Isn’t’ Suspicious
According to a report in the Aspen Daily News, Police are asking citizens and business owners to “stay alert” after a string of burglaries in the Roaring Fork Valley. The article quoted Basalt Police Sgt. Roderick O’Conner as saying, “If people see anything suspicious in an alley or behind a... Read more →
Study Shows Previous Study Full Of Crap
As I stood in line, rummaging through my bag in an effort to scrounge up enough change to buy a cup of coffee, a story in the newspaper caught my eye. The headline read, “Study: One in five in PitCo barely making ends meet”. My immediate reaction was to think that the study was flawed. Only one in... Read more →