Overheard during our trip to Denver

"Why are you calling me and making noise in my head? Leave me alone"
-- Our car driver, on the way to Newark Airport (he had a Caribbean accent)

"I walked from Galveston, Texas to Denver once. In July I'm going to start in Pensacola. I should be in Denver by February."
-- Dude in the Thrifty shuttle bus, Denver

"And now we check the traffic with Amelia Earhart in Chopper 9."
-- Morning news anchor, Denver NBC affiliate

Man with Brazilian accent: I think it is easiest to understand the Americans from the Northeast than from Texas.
Man with Southern accent: Really? You can understand people from New Jersey better than Texans? I think those people from New Jersey talk too darn fast.
--Men on business meeting, over dinner in Denver's LoDo district

"If I pass out from lack of oxygen up here then... blog about it."
-- Only Son, opening for Regina Spektor at the Paramount Theater

"Regina, will you marry me?"
-- Text-messaging college kid, on a Verizon-sponsored screen before her fantastic set

"They're like a cult."
--Me again, on the exercise devotees up and altitude-conditioned at 9AM on a Saturday at Red Rocks Amphitheater. The fact that we were out of breath after 10 steps advised us not to take a scenic two-hour hike.

"It's hungry, hungry hippos"
--Joe, at the Denver Zoo

"You know who I hate? The fire trucks. They put on their lights and go around the block for nothing. If I had a machine gun I would use it."
-- Our car driver, on the way home (he reminded me of Borat, and other than this horrific comment was very nice)