Bill and I are pretty quiet folks. Dull, really. We may have the occasional family dinner over a weekend. Perhaps he and I will go to a movie (Maverick was sensational!). For the most part, however, we sit at home, staring at one another, wondering what the grown ups are doing.

This weekend we were grown ups.

I hadn’t been to downtown Denver for two years. The last time I stepped past Speer Boulevard was pre-COVID. I knew things would have changed. In fact, I have read how much things are changing the closer you get to downtown. COVID’s aftermath hits urban areas more than suburban areas. This weekend, however, I had purchased tickets for not one, but TWO comedian performances at the Paramount Theater just off the 16th Street Mall. One show was on Saturday and one show was on Sunday.

Saturday afternoon, Bill and I drove to our neighborhood light rail station. We got there early, as we always seem to do. Both benches were filled, not with Rockies or Avalanche fans, but with a homeless man spread out on each bench. We joined the throng of fans who were attending the Avalanche game at Ball Arena and the Rockies game at Coors Field standing near the tracks. (The Avalanche won; the Rockies lost. No shock about either.)

We got the last seat on the train, where another homeless fellow had taken an entire seat to sleep. It might have been my imagination, but the train seemed dirtier and less pleasant. I used to love taking the train downtown. It made me feel hip and urban, and it was ever so convenient. Apparently not so much any more.

I am not criticizing homeless people. The numbers of homeless seem to have escalated. But the fact is — whether it’s fair or not — citizens can’t feel safe when directly faced with the reality of homelessness and obvious drug use.

At any rate, we ate $20 hamburgers at a restaurant that had tavern in its name, but wasn’t really a tavern at all. We walked across the street to the theater and watched Kathleen Madigan perform her extremely funny act. It was being filmed for a Netflix special, so perhaps in addition to being hip and urban, I might be a television start if the cameras caught me mid-laugh.

Sunday, after watching Dagny’s confirmation ceremony at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, we met Jen at our house. She and I again took light rail downtown to watch another very funny comedian — Leanne Morgan. Her show was very different from the previous night’s show, mostly in the demographics of her audience. Here was her demographic…..

I’m not a bit reluctant to tell you that Jen and I fit right in. From beginning to end, we laughed at Morgan’s take on growing old. She hit the nail on the head.

Jen and I took light rail both directions, and lived to tell about it.

I wonder if Leanne Morgan and Kathleen Madigan were as tired last night as I was.