3 . Activities Information

The Mile High Country Q & Brew

Mile High Station | 6:00-10:00 pm.

Hosted by Tennyson Center for Children, this country music experience will bring Coloradans together to help kids and families have a better life. Enjoy a show by rising country music star Adam Doleac paired with BBQ, drinks and more.

Information and tickets at qandbrew22.givesmart.com.

Monarch Ball Colorado 2022

ISTBANK Center | 6:00-10:00 p.m.

Join us at Butterfly Garden’s yearly party supporting invertebrate (无脊椎动物) protection. Take a magical walk through our Monarch Menagerie full of live monarch butterflies and enjoy a seated dinner, live music, and dancing!

Information and tickets at MonarchBallColorado.org.

Blue Hope Party Colorado

The Seawell Ballroom at the DCPA | 5:30 p.m.

Screen, Care, and Cure (治疗) are the three basics guiding the Colorectal Cancer Alliance’s work and are important to ending colorectal cancer (结直肠癌) in our lifetime. Join the Alliance at the Denver Bash and enjoy dinner, music and exciting games.

Information and tickets at ccalliance.org.

Boulderthon

Boulder, CO | Various start times

Run the Signature Boulder Marathon! Epic (宏大的) finish and After-Party Downtown. Named one of the best new marathons in Colorado. Experience the only course to enjoy wonderful views of the foothills and the first-ever finish line on the Peal Street Mall. Now in 2022: 5k, 10k, and Kids Run! Information and tickets at boulderthon.org.

4 . Sam is not happy today. He doesn’t do well in his English test this time. Now he is sitting alone in his room.

Seeing this, his grandmother comes and talks to him to make him feel good. She sits down next to Sam and gives him a pencil. Sam looks at his grandmother and doesn’t take it. “Things like this are only for students who do well. I don’t do well!” Sam says.

Sam’s grandmother says, “It’s not a present for you. I want you to learn something from it. The pencil is just like you. It gets a painful sharpening(痛苦的削磨), just like how you get the pain of not doing well in your test.”

“But it will help you be a good student. See, all the good things coming from the pencil are from itself. And you too will find something good in yourself. Finally just as the pencil will make its mark (痕迹) on the paper, you will also leave your mark on anything you choose to do. Just ‘sharpen’ yourself and do well next time!”

Sam feels good right away. He plans to make a change as his grandmother says.

8 . When you think of Tokyo as a place to go on holiday, your mind will most likely turn to electronics, shopping and delicious food. However, one of the more unusual tourist spots in this city of 9.2 million is the Tsukiji Fish Market, which has been selling fish for over 400 years right in the centre of this busy city.

This is no ordinary market. It opens at 3.00 am when fish and other sea life caught from the oceans, seas and rivers from all over the world are delivered to 900 fish dealers. Over 400 different types of seafood are available from cheap seaweed to the world’s most expensive caviar. It is most famous though for the striking tuna auctions (金枪鱼拍卖) that take place between 5:20 am and 10:00 am.

Over 2, 000 tons of marine produce are sold every day. This amounts to over US $5.9 billion of business per year.

The fish market is divided into two different places. The inner market is where most of the wholesale business is done. Only registered (注册的) traders are allowed there, and that’s where the famous tuna auctions take place. In the outer market, retail (零售的) shops and restaurants are open to the general public. There you can taste some of the freshest sashimi in the world as long as you like uncooked fish for breakfast. Given that the market operates from such an early hour and most of its business is completed by mid-morning, it is surprising to find that the fish market has become a highly popular tourist attraction. Because it is so busy, accidents have happened in the past, so the number of tourists is restricted each day. But once inside, they are able to see some of the most expensive frozen tuna and swordfish being examined by the experts and then cut up with large saws (锯子).

9 . Dick Bruna, the beloved author best known as the creator of Miffy, the popular little rabbit, has died aged 89. The Dutch illustrator (插图画家) and writer died on Thursday 16 February, his publisher Mercis said in a statement,and leaves behind more than 120 books which sold over 85 million copies.

Bruna was born into a family of publishers in Utrecht. According to The Guardian, he created more than 100 posters and around 2, 000 book jackets for his family’ s company. His first Miffy books, which were inspired by a story he told his own son, were published in 1955 with Miffy going under the name Nijintje. The character would go on to become a “merchandising juggernaut (衍生品神话)”，one that featured children’s toys, clothes and other merchandise sold around the world.

“He was very much loved around the world. I remember travelling with him to Australia, to New Zealand, to Japan. Wherever he would go people would queue up for signing sessions (签售会) of his books,” Mercis spokesperson Marja Kerkhof said. “They are very clear pictures, and he leaves so much out. He goes to the essence (本质) of things, and then of course there are his very strong, powerful primary colours. Even today if you see them in a store, you would think: ‘Hey, this looks different to a lot of other things out there. There is no clutter (混乱); it’s all very clear.’”

Bruna was loved most of all in his birthplace, Utrecht where, as one fan pointed out, there is even a traffic light shaped like Miffy in Bruna’ s honour. A museum in Utrecht posted the news of his death with a picture of Bruna’s beloved character: arms behind her back, and a single tear below her left eye.

10 . On the 25th of December, my mother expected her children to be present, exchanging gifts and eating turkey. But as an artist and daughter, my heart seemed to be more in my work as an artist. As for my mother and my family, I thought we would have more time to spend Christmas together. I was going to do my own thing.

I made plans for my winter adventure in New Hampshire. The MacDowell Colony (麦道尔艺术村) was everything I could have wished for. About 20 to 30 artists were present, and it was as captivating as I had imagined. Snowy New England, sledding (滑雪橇) and whisky! It felt like my life had become an unexpected independent film.

By Christmas Eve, I had been at the colony more than a week. The fresh feelings were wearing off, but I would never admit it. Everyone around me was having too much fun—drinks and deep conversations by the fireplace. It seemed so amazing! What was wrong with me? This was the holiday I’d always dreamed of. No plastic reindeer. Not a Christmas sweater anywhere in sight. People here didn’t even say “Christmas”, but they said “holiday”. Then why was I so down?

Finally, I called home. My dad answered. He told me that my mother was out shopping with my brothers. I found there was a fire in my heart. They were having a fine Christmas without me? Didn’t they miss me? How could they?

Despite a serious snowstorm, a large package with my mother’s beautiful handwriting showed up near my door at the artist colony on Christmas morning. I seized it as if I had been five years old. Inside was my favorite cake.

As I sliced (切) the cake, everyone gathered around —young and old. My mother had sent a real homemade gift. It was a minor Christmas miracle that one cake managed to feed so many. We ate it from paper towels with our hands, satisfying a hunger we didn’t know we had and reminding us of our dear families, who must be missing us too.