Ear to the ground

“I just made my very first immodium.”
– Excited babyboomer father relaying his mastery of emoticon texting

Totally gnormal

So you’re skiing along in the trees, and a little, pointy blue hat catches your attention. Or perhaps it’s the tip of a shiny black shoe or a flowing white beard.

Congratulations – you’ve just stumbled upon Gnorman the Gnome.

For the uninitiated, Gnorman has become a bit of a larger-than-life legend at Purgatory, despite his 10-inch stature. The mischievous garden guardian has somehow survived two seasons of being stashed, snowed upon, skied over, discovered and re-stashed in various spots around the mountain. And the well-traveled gnome even has his own Facebook page, detailing his adventures. (Although we were confused, as some pictures showed him in aforementioned blue hat, while others showed him in red hat, toting a mushroom.)

No matter which Gnorman you happen to come across, say, hanging from a tree, doing time at the jail in Animas City or tossing back a cold one at the Powderhouse, resist the urge to take the little guy home for a sedate life as a lawn ornament. He’s a mountain gnome, and as legend has it, anyone who finds him is entrusted with relocating Gnorman in a new hiding place on the mountain. And for god’s sake, don’t drop him or fall on him while in transit. If a broken mirror gives you seven years of bad luck, we shudder to think what a broken gnome would get you – but it could most likely entail an embarrassing sled ride down.

Livewire

Downtown Googlers, tweeters and Facebookers can now swipe, post and surf to their heart’s content. The City of Durango’s long-awaited downtown Wi-Fi has gone live.

Installed by local internet service provider Skywerx, Wi-Fi is now available anywhere along Main Avenue, from 7th and 12th streets. Buckley Park will be online in coming weeks.

The fiber-optic was installed by the City of Durango a few years back, during the downtown sidewalk construction project. A call for bids was put out, with Skywerx winning.

“We’re super excited that this new amenity is available,” BID Executive Director Tim Walsworth said. The Wi-Fi log-in page will also offer a unique pinpoint marketing opportunity for downtown businesses. “It’s a new way for businesses to market to people literally walking by their store,” he said.

And rest assured, this is not your grandfather’s dial-up AOL. While not meant to replace the Wi-Fi found in businesses and coffee shops, for example, it does promise a hefty 4 MB download and 1 MB upload for each connected user. “It’s not the most blazing fast but should be sufficient for checking email and web browsing,” said Walsworth.

To log on, click on “Durango Wifi” in your phone or computer’s Wi-Fi settings.