Weekend

I've had a great weekend.
Alicia - my travel buddy and all around good friend was in town. She's looking for a loft so I tagged along on the shopping expidition which wasn't too fruitful, but we did see a few that were pretty cool. She's patient and has time for the right one to present itself - I'm just excited that she'll eventually be moving back - nothing against Wyoming, but a country girl she ain't!
She and I bought some art while in Greece. It arrived at her house last week. Her two paintings are by the same artist and are his interpretation of two marble busts - one of Alexander the Great and one of Apollo. They are hotties - I've tried to plea for joint custody to be able to stare at them for a while, but Alicia's not going for it. My paintings are quite different than hers - one of an angel (I'm a little obsessed with angels and with the moon for their guaridan qualities - someone has to look out for my girl while I'm unable to). The painting is done in a combo byzintine/Gustov Klindt style. The gallery owner promised to contact the artist so she could include a letter telling me her thoughts about the painting, and including her bio. I'll fill you all in when I get it. The other painting is of boats in a harbor that will remind me of the Greek Islands. I should get my paintings Thanksgiving weekend when Alicia's coworker will be able to transport them here in his truck. Apparently they are pretty big. So, lucky me that her coworker has family here ( 6 hours away) and is willing to fill his truck space with my goods! Dada dada da da!!(the happy dance song)

So, last night I was trying to feel like a wise urbanite and take public transportation to meet my friends for dinner in Lodo (lower downtown - isn't Denver so hip?) Well, our light rail system (commutor trains) is a baby and on Friday had the grand opening of the southwest corridor. To celebrate, and apparently work out the kinks, they offered free rides Friday and Saturday. Living 3 blocks from the station, I usually take the train when going downtown, so bonus that it was free, right? As it turned out, the line that would take me 2 blocks from my final destination, was down because of some fire or required maintenance (not sure which was the actual reason). NO worries, I could take the D line then the mall shuttle and voila, I'd be there. Off I went, while in the station I was looking at the schedule. There was a guy looking at the schedule too - I asked a quick qestion then the train arrived and we stepped on. The car we enter was deserted at this time and he sat in the seat opposite me (bench seats facing esch other). Normally, with space etiquette on public trasportation with complete strangers, you do NOT sit that close - across the isle, one seat away - anywhere else but on the seat facing the only other person in the car... So, a little freaked, but a well lit car on public transportation line - the next stop not too far away where others would be getting on... all ok. We talked a little - he was going to the Warren Miller film playing at the Pavilion theater - me to dinner with friends, blah blah, blah. We get to a stop - 2 stops prior to my destination and there's a voice over the loudspeaker "there will be a 10 minute delay". I'm already late, so I decide I can walk and get there quicker. I get up to leave, and my new "friend" decides he's going to walk too. He's seemed decent enough so far, if not a little unclear on boundaries, but what a delima. Am I getting off the safe train to walk 6 or so blocks with a perfect stranger who is going to turn out to be a serial murderer? Well, since I'm writing this, it obviously turns out well. But, not without a call to my friends with a detailed description of him "6' tall, shaved head, small wire-framed glasses, 40ish, black jacket and blue jeans" - to which he adds "and my name is Jeff". He said he worried about a white woman walking alone through that part of town by herself, so he wanted to make sure I made it ok. I'm not sure why I felt so ok striking out alone, and more creeped being accompanied by a stranger - fear of the obvious verses fear of the unknown?
In retrospect, it seems kinda dumb to have gotten off the train in the first place, but at the time I felt a little invincible... Hindsight makes me say the smart and safe thing to do would have been to wait on the train... next time....
I realize that as American women we are among the luckiest on the planet, but I have to say it pisses me off that we live in a culture where women still have to be fearful. Pisses. Me. Off.

On to tonight... I met 3 other single adopty women - I'm lovin' getting to know these women. Our LIDs are all within a month of each other so we'll be getting our daughters within... - well, hell, it could be at the same time, it could be 4 months apart!!! Regardless, we'll become mothers around the same time and all want to forge a support system, so we're doing things like the red thread run (earlier post), tonight we went to see a movie. Denver's international Film Festival ended today, we went to see a documentary "Free Liesl: Fear and Loathing in Denver". It was interesting and thought provocing and maddening at times about a young woman caught up in the federal murder law. A long and complicated story, but essentially she was in the car with a man who ended up shooting and killing a police officer. Despite the fact that she was sitting in a police car in handcuffs when the officer was shot - she was convicted of federal murder and sentenced to life in prison. Hunter S Thompson learned of this and became a mouthpiece for her, getting much public attention, the best lawyers involved and two days after he committed suicide, she was released from prison, thanks in large part to his efforts. The documentary really pointed out some disturbing facts about the media - stating allegations against her as if they were truth - biasing the jury, and also the needed reform of this law. Anyway, if given the chance, it's worth seeing. The filmmaker was present for questions after and said that it is available for purchase at HunterSThompsonmovies.com.

The thing about this that so bothers me is I vividly remember this event taking place. I was glued to my TV as the standoff was taking place at Denver apartment building, hearing the worst, that a respected officer was shot in the head and killed, and then the killer took his own life. The media then proceded to talk about Leisl as being responsible and I believed them. As it turns out - she was more of a hostage than an acomplice. It was all presented as fact rather than trying to understand her part of the story - it seems we all wanted someone to blame and since the killer was dead...
The media is the public's only access to this sort of information, one would hope that they would act responsibly. It seems that this documentary should be viewed in J-schools everywhere.
Again, long and complicated story, but the take home messages were:
1. The media doesn't always get it right, and unfortunately probably had a large impact on this woman's conviction.
2. Always, always get a lawyer before talking to the police (there is sometimes a fine line between cop and criminal).

Peace, and goodnight