Snow
February 24, 2008 / Sunday
Kirkwood, It's Been So Long
Headed up to Kirkwood yesterday with Lucinda, Ellaine, Cody, and Emmett. The snow was great; it was fresh, soft, and plentiful. We had some decent weather early in the day, but then a storm rolled in, which was both good (fresh snow!) and bad (blowing snow!). During one particularly bad whiteout, we tucked into little balls to protect our heads. Blowing snow hurts!
It was Ellaine's first day snowboarding. We'd half-joked with her beforehand that she would hurt for days afterward, but after a morning of coaching she was heelside leafing it down the bunny hill and even throwing in a couple heel-toe transitions. She left the mountain with a huge grin on her face. No whiplash, no achy forearms, no bruised tailbone. I'm convinced she's done this before, and was just pretending that she hadn't.
[ Update: Check out the pictures and video. :) ]
I grabbed a quick lunch and headed up for some runs of my own while the dogs got some playtime in the snow. Many people had left early, so I did some really efficient riding over the course of about an hour. Six runs! I alternated between carving and trees; the snow was excellent and I felt really solid out there. Good stuff.
I'm giving up on my crappy Yepp; it turns itself off at the slightest jolt, and sometimes for no reason at all. I decided to plug my cell phone into my helmet instead. It worked out pretty well; the button on the microphone acts as a pause button. Just what I'd been wishing for!
We left the mountain around three. The roads were white with snow by then, but we'd rented an AWD vehicle (score!) so we just drove on home, albeit slowly. It's so nice not to need chains.
We got back just after seven, which is the earliest I've ever gotten back from a day in Tahoe, but then my car wouldn't start. Aw, doodies.
January 13, 2008 / Sunday
Snooow!
There's snow in the mountains, no weekend hockey, and, now that I'm done with school, no meetings to attend or homework to do. What to do, what to do? Go to Tahoe, of course!
I'd originally planned to go to Kirkwood, but one of April's friends whom I met last week was organizing a trip to Heavenly, so I decided to head up with them instead. That turned out to be an excellent choice. The company was great, the weather was awesome, and, despite my thinking I hated Heavenly (it's a long story), the mountain is actually quite fun. I was really pleased with my board, too. It was fast, smooth, and the edges carved beautifully. Nice tuning job, me! *petselfonhead* I was also happy that I remembered how to carve. It's a lot more satisfying than scraping left, scraping right, scraping left, scraping right...
After lunch, we had a bit of an adventure up in Mott Canyon. It's a double black diamond that's roped off, save for several gates with huge signs that say things like "SUPER EXPERT ONLY SUPER EXPERT ONLY" and "Rescue if available will be expensive." We took a picture of the sign, debated whether we should go in (I was being chicken... or would "old" be a better term for it?), and headed in. It was fine, as promised, until we'd gone in too far to turn back. Then, ahead of us, was what looked to be a 70 degree drop. Did I mention there were trees everywhere? So THIS is what a double black diamond looks like, huh? We carefully made our way down, changed direction when we encountered the sign that said there was a cliff ahead, exited Mott Canyon intact, and laughed about it afterward.
We got a couple more runs in after surviving our Mott Canyon adventure. Then, back to the car to sit in ridiculous Highway 50 traffic. That part was no fun, but a dinner stop at In-N-Out afterward made it all better.
I'm totally beat, but looking forward to going back soon. :)
Adventures In Snowboard Tuning
I needed to prep my snowboard from storage, so I stopped by REI on my way home tonight to pick up a scraper. I knew I had a couple, but I wasn't sure what kind of condition they were in so I figured I'd grab a new one just in case. Besides, I'm always looking for a reason to go to REI.
New scraper in hand, I dug up my box of tuning tools. Inside were five scrapers, two of them new. I can't say I was surprised.
Scrape, scrape, scrape. The piles of wax shavings reminded me of snow. Snooow! I can't wait to go play in the stuff on Sunday!
Finished up the snowboard and assembled my new Shop-Vac for cleanup. The last time I used one of these to pick up wax shavings, I accidentally blew them all over the garage. Since this one didn't have a reverse, I figured I was safe. Not so! I plugged the hose into the wrong hole, turned the thing on, and watched as my pile of wax shavings blew away. Good job, me.
No matter! I'm ready to go! Swishy swishy, here I come!
June 23, 2007 / Saturday
Only 15 Months Overdue
Finally, my snowboard, skis, and skiboards are waxed for storage. I feel so much better.
April 22, 2007 / Sunday
Snooooow!
Finally made it up to Tahoe for my first day of the season, just in time for Sugar Bowl's last day of the season. I wasn't sure what kind of coverage and conditions we'd have, but I was willing to risk it for a day on the snowboard. Fortunately for me, Lucinda was too, and the two of us headed out early Sunday for some snooow.
It had been over 2 years since I was last out on the snowboard, and my first run felt a little rusty. Upon reaching the top of the mountain for the second run, I turned the music on and got into a nice groove. There's nothing like some good tunes to distract the brain and let the body do its thing. Everything I knew how to do came back just like that. Swish!
There was a lot more snow on the mountain than I had expected. In fact, it snowed the entire time we were there, and there was so much powder that we kept getting stuck in the stuff. On one run, I decided to drop into the fluff between the trees. I asked Lucinda to join me, but she wisely opted for the trail. After some initial success in the trees, I took a wrong turn and ended up waist deep in snow. I dug myself out and continued on, but I kept sinking and catching the front of my board, which sent me tumbling repeatedly on my head. By the time I made it to the bottom of the run, I had snow in every helmet vent. Should have taken a picture!
Speaking of pictures, it was Lucinda's turn with the Burninator trophy. We brought it with us so it could play in the snow, and at the end of the day it helped clear off the car. :)
February 28, 2007 / Wednesday
Weather Potpourri
Clouds, sun, rain, thunder, lightning, hail the size of Dippin' Dots, and snow! I probably say this every time it happens, but seeing snow on top of the local mountains makes me smile.
Knowing that I don't have to shovel or drive in it makes me smile a little extra.
March 11, 2006 / Saturday
SchnooO!
It snowed here in the Bay Area last night, and I missed it.
*sob*
February 18, 2006 / Saturday
Snow ... in San Jose?
Yes indeed, the mountains to the east are capped with snow. Aaron and I tried to go play in it last night, and headed up Mt. Hamilton around 11 PM. Unfortunately, a CHP patrol stopped us as we neared the top and told us to turn around, because it was snowing ahead and the roads were closed. Party poopers. No frolicking in the snow for us. (We even had a "sled" in the trunk.) We did at least stop so Aaron could pick up a chunk of the stuff along the side of the road. It looked icy, but it was actually very soft, and it was soon formed into a snowball and launched out the window. Back down the mountain we went, although in retrospect we should have just pretended to turn around and then kept going until the road closure. In any case, there you have it. Real snow (as opposed to rink snow) in San Jose. Brrr!
January 23, 2006 / Monday
First Snow Trip of the Season
Late last season, I placed an order for my skiblades, went skiing, picked up my skiblades upon return, and didn't make it back up to the mountain.
Yesterday, I finally got to try out the skiblades. Totally fun, but I kept looking at the snowboarders and wishing I had my board with me instead.
I need to clone myself. I need three of me for the mountain so I can play with all my toys.
As for the mountain, it was butt-ass cold (where did that phrase come from?) -- 20 degrees, and blowing snow so hard that they had to close half the lifts. Tahoe's supposed to be mild! What happened to the 33 degree sunny day promised us? Brr ...
Had a decent time despite the crappy weather, and despite the fact that the super-cool reflective lens on my new goggles got scratched on the way home. That bums me out a bit, 'cause I really like them, and they're still really new.
In happier news, the hip flexor felt fine, and I didn't injure anything. :)
April 03, 2005 / Sunday
More Snow?!
Kirkwood's expecting another 1-2 feet of snow. It's April. What?!
March 18, 2005 / Friday
Spring Snow!
Yesh! Alllll week! :-D
March 15, 2005 / Tuesday
My Fattys Are Here!
Picked up my skiblades today. They are sooo sweet! I can't wait to try them!
March 12, 2005 / Saturday
Me, Ski? Yaaaaah!
Fiiinally made it to Tahoe with the skis I bought at the beginning of this season (almost 4 months ago!). I wanted to compare how skis felt relative to snowblades. I hate to admit it, but I think I was looking for an excuse to sell the skis and keep only my not-yet-arrived snowblades (in *addition* to my beloved NS snowboard, of course).
When I first got on the mountain, I was definitely less comfortable on my skis than I was on the skiblades in Aspen. But I gave it time, and by the end of the day I was able to get down my usual Kirkwood runs without much trouble, and could pretty much turn at will. The best part is, I didn't fall, not once!
skiblades vs. skis
skiblades: A *bit* more maneuverable than skis.
skiblades: I can carve on them now. Carving on skis will take a while to learn.
skis: I can carry a lot more speed on skis than on skiblades.
That said, I think I can maneuver better *and* carry more speed on my skis than on my snowboard. This comes as a big surprise to me. I've logged many many more hours on my snowboard(s) than on skis. I'm not supposed to surpass my snowboarding abilities so easily. Maybe it's all skating skill transfer. Maybe it's all in my head.
In any case, I'm keeping my skis.
I'm keeping my new helmet, too. I knew it worked with my cell phone, but I found out today that it works with Talkabouts, too! I totally love it.
Enough about gear. A bit about today. It was *beautiful* out. The temperature was in the 60s! If I'd known I wasn't going to fall today I would've worn my bikini!
No, really!
Okay, not really, but Jesse wore a bikini.
Okay, not really that, either, but Teddio showed up in the afternoon in a bikini.
Really.
March 08, 2005 / Tuesday
Me, Compulsive? No!
They were 54% off. I *had* to buy them. Really.
Droooool ...
February 21, 2005 / Monday
Mittens And Goggles
The toilet water mittens and hard-to-find-a-mirrored-replacement-lens goggles that were stolen on Saturday have now been replaced by better mittens and cooler mirrored-lens goggles.
This is gonna sound kinda weird, but thank you, jackass who stole my stuff, for giving me an excuse to buy cooler stuff.
You stole lame stuff. Heh.
February 20, 2005 / Sunday
The Snow Helmet Gets An Upgrade
In typical gear fiend fashion, I replaced my just-stolen skiing/skiblading/snowboarding helmet today. For those of you who haven't played in the snow with me, my old helmet had speakers built in. I was thinking I'd have to buy the parts and recreate what I had, but I found something better ... much better.
I am now the happy owner of a Giro Fuse Tune-up II. Check it out:
Yup, my new helmet hooks up to both my mp3 player and my cell phone. The controller in the middle is a microphone with answer button.
Did I mention I'm happy? Oh yeah, I did. Well, let me say it again. I'm happy. This helmet fits better, looks cooler, has more comfortable built-in speakers, and connects to my cell phone.
I'm in helmet heaven.
Hey, You, With My Now-Stolen Glove Liners
Those were the ones that got soaked in toilet water earlier this week.
Plblpbplbplt!
February 19, 2005 / Saturday
Snow, Snow, Go Away
Day 3 of Aspen snow fun:
- Got up relatively late 'cause we were exhausted.
- My legs, they burrrn.
- Someone stole my helmet, goggles, and mittens.
- It's snowing hard.
- I'm sitting in the hotel lobby right now.
- I hope our flight doesn't get cancelled.
I finally got comfortable enough with carving on my board that I don't have to consciously make my body do it. I can flow from edge to edge, no scraping, and sometimes, even pop air on the transition. Excellent!
I left my helmet, goggles, and mittens on a table outside the lodge for a few minutes. Lots of other people had done that, too. I came back, and everything was gone. My friends were right nearby, too. WTF? Oh well.
I've been wanting an excuse to buy a cooler helmet and some more badass goggles anyhow. The mittens I'll miss.
Leaving for ASE soon. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
February 18, 2005 / Friday
Skiblades Are Funnn!
Spent day two at Buttermilk, a very smooth, wide open mountain, great for carving, and for newbies on Snowblades.
The first few runs felt okay. I could turn easily and scrub off speed when needed but wasn't able to pull off a sharp turn at will. Headed back up after lunch and had a *great* run back down. I was carving my turns, not scraping, and it felt great. Felt just like hockey turns, actually. At first, I carved better to the right than the left, which didn't surprise me because I'm still working the kinks out off my left hockey turn. Amusingly, I noticed halfway down the mountain that my hands were holding an imaginary hockey stick. I paid a little more attention to what my hands were doing on subsequent runs, and whaddaya know, whenever they imaginary hockey sticked I'd corner like I was on rails.
I was eventually able to turn equally well on both sides. I wonder if I can bring that left turn back with me onto the ice.
There's more snow expected tonight through next Saturday. We have a flight out of ASE at 6 PM tomorrow. I really really reeeally hope it doesn't get cancelled. I have two hockey games to play Sunday!
February 17, 2005 / Thursday
Snooowmass!
Spent our first day out at Snowmass, playing in the 9" of powder that fell last night. So many runs! So much fluff! My boots were bothering me, as they usually do when I haven't been on the mountain in a while. Nonetheless, I made it through the day with some adjustments here and there, and had a fun time.
I bought new glove liners 'cause I, uh, dropped my current ones in the bathroom, and they landed in a pool of water next to the, uh, toilet, and got totally soaked. I tried washing them out at the sink, blotting them with paper towels and holding them under the hand dryer, but I eventually gave up and headed to the nearby ski shops.
Tomorrow ... skiblades! I can't wait!
Wish I'd brought my ski boots, but oh well.
February 15, 2005 / Tuesday
Aspenate?
You know what's funny? There's a LOT more snow in Tahoe than in Aspen right now, and there's a LOT more new snow to fall this week ... in Tahoe (Aspen will get a dusting).
But still, I'm looking forward to checking out some Aspen mountains. At the very least, it'll be a good 4 days of hemoglobin building. ;-)
01:23 AM | Snow:Trips| Comments (0)
January 10, 2005 / Monday
Will Travel For Sports
Vegas in January, for hockey.
Aspen in February, for snowboarding.
:-D
11:05 AM | Hockey:Snow| Comments (2)
January 07, 2005 / Friday
No Tea For Me
Just now, I wanted tea. I went to the kitchen, and green teabag box was empty. I walked over to the tea cabinet for a refill. I opened the cabinet door, tried to look up, and, well, couldn't. Turns out I can't tilt my head back today.
I suppose that's still better than regular whiplash, which leaves me unable to lift my head off my pillow.
Besides, the head divot in the snow picture cracks me up.
03:01 PM | Injuries:Snow| Comments (0)
January 06, 2005 / Thursday
Snow Day!
Took a snow day today and went up to Kirkwood. Why? Because there was lots of fresh powder on the mountain! Because Doug had a day off, and I haven't hung out with him in a while. Because my boss is cool and lets me take snow days if I work weekends. Because there's no one there on weekdays (open slopes and no lines), so really, that's the best time to go.
Spent the morning on the front of the mountain and had a boot epiphany (okay, fine, the epiphany actually came in the afternoon). In my efforts to carve properly, I've been adjusting my technique this season, and I've come to realize that my boot issues from past seasons were mainly because I was relying too much on my feet and not enough on my ankles, knees, hips, and body. Bye bye, boot issues. For the first time ever I was able to ride without tying my boots at zero circulation tightness ... and really, today's runs were some of the strongest I've ever done.
After lunch, we headed over to the backside (it's finally open!) and played in the trees. I've never dared to do that with my new board (that whole longer and stiffer and less maneuverable thing), but the conditions were too nice for me to pass that up. Played in the trees and had a total blast. Well, except for two small hiccups ...
Hiccup 1: I saw a narrow path between two trees, squeezed my board through, but somehow managed to squish my hand against one of the trees. Ow. Hello, thumb bruise!
Hiccup 2: My low-altitude, head-assisted backflip. I was tooling around, it was kind of steep, (I'm guessing) I caught my heel edge, I went flying, landed upside-down head first in the snow, kept flipping, planted my board back down, and ended up sitting there, staring uphill. No one was around, but I immediately said aloud, "Whoo for helmets!" I then pulled my camera out and tried to take a picture of the hole in the snow from my head. It's hard to get good snow-on-snow contrast, but with a lot help from Photoshop, I can kind of show you something.
Since I'm playing snow and tell (I crack myself up), here, have some frozen trees.
And some icing on the day: I've started to jump bumps again. Hopped a good bunch of them today and landed them all. That makes me pretty darned happy. Of course, now I'm going to want to jump real jumps again, which has a lot of potential to make me darned unhappy. I'd better get myself some better poofy pants.
What, I have work tomorrow? Tomorrow's not Sunday?
What, I have to work the day after tomorrow too??
Yeah, but it's totally worth it. :)
December 25, 2004 / Saturday
Swiiish! Addendum
For the record, Jesse rocked the runs at Kirkwood two weekends ago.
For the record also, I didn't blog it in my previous snow post 'cause I forgot how to spell Jesse even after asking and felt dumb about having to blog him as "J" again.
jessefantabulous: That's FABULOUS - no update of "oh, jesse was ripping it up, blah blah blah"... just that i freak out. :)
Reminds me of, "Hey! I object to the goal being a newbie goal error." Thanks, blog readers, for keeping me honest. ;)
December 11, 2004 / Saturday
Swiiish!
Yes! A successful trip to Kirkwood! The drive up was traffic free, the ticket exchange was painless, I got more runs in than I can keep track of, and everyone had a good time.
I'm finally starting to carve cleanly. Weight forward, knees bent! Hrmm, where have I heard that before? You'd think it'd be second nature to me by now!
Vinny and I spent a good chunk of the day crashing into each other off the ski lift. Turns out he's a better left turner and I'm a better right turner off the lift, and we'd been sitting on each other's weak turn sides all day. We switched toward the end of the day, and got to put our new lift configuration to good use when the girl on the lift chair in front of us fell off the lift (quite literally) and sprawled herself all over center of the the exit path, leaving a snowboard-sized path on either side of her. Vinny and I deftly maneuvered around her to the left and right, respectively. Had we been sitting the other way, the girl would have been toast, especially since she was lying there with her head pointed toward us.
Ski lift crash mystery solved, ski lift crash disaster averted. Had the usual post-Kirkwood dinner in Dublin. Had crack boba for dessert. Big surprise, I know.
Time for bed!
November 15, 2004 / Monday
I Can Tweak These HOW Many Ways?
My new ski boots have more adjustable parts than I know what to do with:
- 3D buckle (lower ankle buckle)
- micro adjustable buckles (all)
- buckle teeth adjustment (top two buckles)
- screw-in reinforced sole option
- left/right boot canting adjustment
- flex adjustment
- rear spoiler adjustment
My boots have rear spoilers?!
Yeah, and a carbon fiber hood rear arm.
They're this ugly red color, but they're growing on me. Teddio: (1) Thanks! (2) You suck!
November 14, 2004 / Sunday
It Was An Accident, I Swear!
Teddio asked if I wanted to go to the Bay Area Ski & Snowboard Show this weekend. Sure, I said, I'd like to check out some skis. I've been wanting skis for over a year now. Notice, I said "check out", not "buy".
But, as you probably guessed, buy I did. I left with:
- Atomic C:6 skis (150cm)
- Salomon C509 bindings
- Salomon Crossmax 10.0 boots (24.5)
- Scott Series C Poles (48")
Total price: $419.99, plus $13 for admission.
What can I say? It was a good deal!
It cracks me up that my skis are noticably shorter than my snowboard.
Swish!
November 13, 2004 / Saturday
Swish?
I kinda went swish yesterday. I completed 3 runs. Does that count? No, I didn't fall and hit my head. Yesterday was just kinda ... hrmm, how shall I put this? The swish gods tempted us with thundersnow, and then spent Friday thwarting our efforts to play in it.
Took off for Kirkwood a little after 6, with Vinny and his friend Jess(i)e. I don't know how to spell his name so I'll just refer to him as J for the rest of this post. For some reason, it took a lot longer than it usually does to get there. Pulled into the lot at 10:30, got our lift tickets, headed up on the lift. J started freaking out. He hadn't skiied in years and apparently the Kirkwood blue runs looked more like east coast borderline black runs to him. It took a looong time to make it back down to the bottom of the mountain. Poor J, poor Vinny, poor me. Poor us. That's all I'll say about that.
Did a 2nd and 3rd run with Vinny. We have very similar snowboarding styles, so it was funny watching him go down the mountain. Hey, that's me, only not! What does that mean? It means we turn with our back foot most of the time. I made an effort to carve more smoothly on run 3, though, and strung together a bunch of clean edge-to-edge transitions midmountain. Yeah!
By the end of the 3rd run it was 1 PM and we were hungry, so we headed to the lodge. Then the power went out. No grill, no lifts. We weren't about to walk up the mountain, so after chili and chowder we headed for the car.
They got the lifts running again as we were pulling out of the lot, but by that time it was too late. We were already fully degeared and J wasn't going to get back on the mountain anyway. Bye bye, Kirkwood. At least they're going to let us trade in our $30 tickets for a full price one in the future.
So there you go. Swish?
November 11, 2004 / Thursday
Thunder Snow
The forecast for Kirkwood:
Thunder snow! That's some impressive stuff!
November 07, 2004 / Sunday
Snooooo!
Monday and Tuesday look more wet than fluffy, but much fluffiness follows!
Yaaay!
November 06, 2004 / Saturday
Swish! Yeah!
First snowboarding trip of the season! This one caught me by surprise. Thursday, maybe go? Friday late morning, probably go. Friday late afternoon, yes, go. Friday night, after concussion, maybe no go. This morning at 5:25 AM, my head still hurts a little but let's go!
So we went. I drove over to Dublin, met up with Doug, and we headed up to Kirkwood. Their entire frontside was open, and the snow was nice! My headache disappeared soon after I got on the mountain. I had my balance, too, thank goodness.
Actually, I think I rode better today than I did all of last season. I don't quite understand. Last season it took me a few trips up to even get comfortable on my board. Today, it was almost as if I'd been riding all season. I even made it down bumpy runs off Cornice without too much trouble. Could it be? Might I actually learn to do moguls again, on my longer heavier stiffer board?
Hrmm, that sounded kind of dirty. On a related note, today's bumpy runs experience finally convinced me that I don't need a light short flexible board (like my old one, which was, unfortunately, unstable at higher speeds) to tackle a mogul field, which leads me to declare: It's not what kind of board you have, it's what you do with it. Heheh.
Around lunch, the whiplash from last night's game set in. Thank goodness for Advil! I'll be taking more of that tomorrow, for my sore neck and likely-to-be-sore legs.
Good news: not only did I manage to protect my head, I didn't bail once all day! Yeah!
Amusing thing we saw on the drive up: It was pretty cold inland, and as we drove along what I think was 580, we looked off to the side, saw a field of sheep ... and a little puff of sheep's breath hanging by each animal's head. It was sooo funny! Looked like a Far Side cartoon!
March 27, 2004 / Saturday
Swish!
I knew it would happen: I'd put my rims back on my car and find out the ski season's not really over yet. Yup, I headed up to Tahoe today. Nope, we didn't take my car. Phew.
I had a terrible first run. I went in with the "I've been snowboarding all season and this is a piece of cake" attitude when in reality I hadn't been up in almost two months. Shock absorber legs, gone. Hard earned carving skills, gone. I had a few hard tumbles and was covered in snow by the time I got back to the lift.
Fortunately, by the last run I was 85% of the way back to where I was in early February. I suppose it helped that I chose a not-so-bumpy final run. I carved, I swished, and I ended the day with a smile on my face.
It was good to hang out with Teddio, too. We were trying to figure out the last time we did something together (outside of motorcycling and group get-togethers) and we couldn't. Huh.
March 14, 2004 / Sunday
How To Make A Mess In Your Garage
Set up the shopvac to blow intead of suck and not tell your girlfriend. Then, when she finishes waxing her snowboard and goes to clean up the wax scrapings, she will turn the shopvac on and blast wax scrapings all over the garage.
How To Spill Water All Over Your Floor
Put your almost-full glass of water on the floor next to you, instead of on the table like normal people do. Get up to do other things and forget about the glass. Come back into the room and kick the glass over because it's sitting on the floor in the middle of the room.
March 07, 2004 / Sunday
How To Tell If You've Tuned Your Snowboard Properly
If, after tuning your board edges, you accidentally brush your finger along the edge and cut a huge gash into it, you know you've done a good job.
Now, if only I could find time to ride it. I haven't been in 3 weeks and it's looking like at least another 2 weeks before I might have time. Siiigh.
February 27, 2004 / Friday
Snow Report
A snow report from Doug, not me, unfortunately. Doug says:
There was more snow than we knew what to do with! Fresh tracks all day!
The good girlfriend in me says:
Wow, sweetie, that's great. I'm glad you had a good day up there.
The rest of me says:
Doggammit! There's plenty of fresh midweek snow, it's my week off, and I'm stuck here at sea level packing and moving and collecting auntiedotes! Aurgh!
February 21, 2004 / Saturday
Swish!
Back from another Kirkwood day trip. No major injuries, which is good, since I have my first hockey game in 3 weeks tomorrow, and I'd be majorly bummed if I couldn't play.
For the first time since I installed my helmet headphones last year, I went the entire day without music. It was really nice just to enjoy the quiet up there. I really needed that.
Also, no spectacular crashes today. I usually get at least one tumble / propeller spin in before I leave, but even though I was pushing it some and the snow was throwing me around, I managed to stay upright. I even landed everything through a bunch of fairly speedy woops late in the day. Hooray for me.
I was tired during my first run. My legs fatigued quickly. I mentioned it to Doug during our second lift ride, and our random lift neighbor said, "Maybe you need to drink more water." I chugged from my Camelback the rest of the way up. Lo and behold, no more leg fatigue! Thanks, random lift neighbor lady!
If the weather and my schedule cooperate, I'm going to try to get up there for a midweek visit this week. Lots of mountain all to myself! Yeah!
February 08, 2004 / Sunday
Swish!
Back from Tahoe, and I am tired! Had an awesome day out on the mountain. Finally got my first solid carving day of the season. Yes, carving at speed, not scraping to scrub off speed. Scary, but what a great feeling!
Saw a funny sight as I was approaching the top of a lift: A lady on a snowboard at the beginning of her descent. Her right hand went up, touched her forehead, her stomach, her left breast, then right breast. Dear Lord, what was I thinking?! Please help me get down this mountain in one piece!
About an hour later, going up that same lift, I saw her semi-stuck about halfway down the mountain, in an area in which no beginner should ever hope to find herself. I had the feeling she was still trying to complete the run from above. Poor lady! At least she was still standing. That's always good.
January 19, 2004 / Monday
Swish!
Back from 3 days on the mountain! I switched back to snowboarding today. Was able to go a lot faster than I did on skis yesterday, which was great, but also bad because I went flying and whacked my head on the ground. It hasn't snowed much up there recently and it felt like hitting pavement (or ice, which I guess I've hit a lot more with my head). Hooray for helmets!
Unfortunately, helmets do nothing for my neck. I gave myself whiplash during my tumble on Saturday, and will probably wake up with some additional whiplash tomorrow morning. Hooray for Advil!
Almost forgot to mention that the Cal band was at Kirkwood yesterday. It was awesome to see them on the slopes with their instruments, playing the Cal fight song on their way down the mountain.
Back in SF now, and very very tired! Good thing it's a short week!
09:32 PM | Injuries:Snow| Comments (0)
January 18, 2004 / Sunday
Hello Again From Tahoe
I skiied today, and I didn't die! I bailed and lost a ski only once. Not bad for a knuckledragger, eh? I'm cheating a bit, though. As much as I'd like to think that I was born with mad skiing skills, I have hockey to thank for my understanding of edges and weight distribution.
Doug was super patient about sticking with me on the green and blue runs, and gave me some great advice that got me down some of the bluer sections without too much difficulty. I definitely have a lot to work on, but that's part of the fun, right?
When we got back to SLT we stopped at a place called Naked Fish for sushi. It was some of the best sushi we've had in recent memory, and that's saying a lot 'cause Doug's a sushi monster. Plus, they've got an awesome menu and a great loqo.
Tomorrow, back to snowboarding. Swish!
January 17, 2004 / Saturday
Hello From Tahoe
I had an exciting near-collision with a very large Kirkwood tree today. I was trying to pick up speed for an upcoming traverse. The snow was choppy and crusty, and I got tossed. I tumbled sideways about 10 feet, backward somersaulted another 10, and slid headfirst on my back another 10 still. When I came to a stop I looked over my right shoulder and saw, not 5 feet away, the aforementioned very large tree ... surrounded by boulders.
I feel like I just blew a right twistie turn and escaped with my life.
I hope I'm not using up my close call luck.
December 23, 2003 / Tuesday
Yet Another Phone Rarr
So ... Verizon is sending me another phone, and it's due to come on Friday. I have to be at home to sign for it. I want my phone as soon as possible, because if it doesn't work out I need to get it taken care of before I leave for Boston on Tuesday.
So ... it's raining here Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Friday, plenty of sun, they say. I want to ride my motorcycle. Well, I have to sit at home instead and wait for FedEx.
So ... it's snowing, at times heavily snowing, in Kirkwood Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Friday, sunny and mid 30's. I want to ride the mountain. Well, I have to sit at home instead and wait for FedEx.
Verizon and Samsung, I shake my fist at you!
*shakes fist*
December 14, 2003 / Sunday
My Burfday Weekend
Kirkwood! Caesar's! Deener! Improv! Good stuff this burfday weekend. Sorry I had to miss everyone else's burfday celebrations, but I had mine to celebrate too!
Kirkwood
Drove up to Kirkwood Saturday morning. Second visit all season. There was plenty of snow but it was wet and heavy and packed down and icy. The snow was good up top but I wasn't feeling up to snowboarding par and couldn't really see 'cause it was foggy up there. Fortunately, after a yummy bread bowl of chili, we headed back up and there was sun! It's amazing how much better I can ride when I can actually see the surface. That, and there was just a beeeautiful view. I wanted to take my camera out for a picture, but I couldn't flip over with my board on and ended up pulling an ab muscle. Yes, I know, I'm lame. And punny. Ha!
Not a KFC!
See that? It's a Kentucky Fried Chicken! You know what that means? It means they serve chicken! I dunno what that C stuff is those newer stores sell, but this is the real stuff, man!
Caesar's
Doug very sweetly booked us a room at Caesar's. I'd never been there before! I think all of my other SLT stays have been in cheapie motels. This room was awesome. It had a California king bed that I could lie sideways on and still not hang over the edges. But even more awesome was the bathtub/shower. You know those round backyard kiddie pools? It was that size, but twice (or thrice, even) as deep, and had frosted glass panes on one side. Kinda like the showers at Crunch.
Deener
Had dinner at the nice Italian restaurant just downstairs from our room. I ordered some pork dish and the waitress asked how I'd like that done. I thought that was strange. Aren't you always supposed to thoroughly cook pork? In any case, it was delicious, and came with the best pomegranate garlic sauce. Also delicious was the butternut mash, and the über chocolatey cake for dessert. I was a very happy camper.
Will Durst
Some improv after dinner. Sinbad at Caesar's or Will Durst at Harvey's? Mindless humor or political humor? That was a no brainer (ha, a Sinbad pun joke!). I laughed and laughed, and even cried at one point. Will Durst is one funny little guy.
Nevada Makes Me Phlegmy
Despite the fact that we didn't spend any time hanging out in the casinos I was still exposed to enough cigarette smoke that I found myself coughing up stuff when I laughed at the comedy show. My nose felt a little stuffy by the end of the night, too. How do smokers do it? How do they smoke and keep their air passageways clear at the same time? Amazing.
Breakfast Thought About Trash
Had a cappucino and a muffin at Starbucks Sunday morning. A simple combination, right? I was sitting there looking at the leftover trash: coffee cup, lid, sleeve, bag for muffin, 2 napkins, and a small plastic cup for some water. All this, going to ... where? If one person can generate this much trash from a simple drink and pastry, how much trash do we collectively generate in a year? A month? A week, even! This totally blows my mind.
Snow, Snow, Go Away
It snowed hard Saturday night. Sunday morning we were checking traffic reports and roads were closed. Good thing they opened up an hour later. I would have been very very sad if I'd had to miss my hockey game.
Back, Yo!
And now I'm back, and I'm 90 minutes away from game time. Hockeeey! WhooO! It's been 3 weeks since our last game. I feel rusty but eager to get back on the ice. Here goes ...
December 07, 2003 / Sunday
What Gives, Mr. Weatherman?
Look, I didn't ride all week because it was wet. What was this about rain ending Saturday night and staying clear until Tuesday? I had it all planned out: Let the roads dry for most of the day, and take my bike out to catch the last hour of sun. So off I go on my little two-wheeled outing, and what happens? It rains on me!! You lied to me!! Again!!
And while I'm on the subject, how did early weekend "rain and sleet" at Kirkwood all of a sudden turn into 18 inches of new snow? I could've gone snowboarding today! Hrmph!
05:10 PM | Motorcycle:Snow| Comments (0)
December 02, 2003 / Tuesday
What About Hockey?
D: 6 weeks rest. I'll write up some x-rays for you.
V: How did I know you were gonna say that?
Notice I purposely didn't mention hockey.
D: What about hockey?
V: Uh ... I haven't skated since I hurt my foot.
D: No hockey!
V: But my skate holds everything in place!
D: No snowboarding, either.
V: No snowboarding?! What about skiing? The boot's stiffer.
D: I think you know what the answer is to that one.
V: Yeah, I know ... *pout*
D: I just want to make sure your foot will last 'til you're 60!
So I hobble out of the doctor's office and over to the radiology department. What was that she said? No running for six weeks? Stiffer boots are okay because they're like casts?
I'll find out by tonight if it's fractured.
01:20 PM | Hockey:Injuries:Snow| Comments (0)
December 01, 2003 / Monday
Ow
My foot. It still hurts.
I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow. I've been through this drill before, several times. It'll probably go something like this:
D: Just like last time. X-Rays and six weeks rest.
V: Rest from what? Everything?
D: Everything.
V: Even hockey?!
D: No hockey.
V: But my skate will hold my foot and ankle in place!
D: No hockey! Do you want your foot to heal or not?
V: Okaaay ... *pout*
Afterward, I remove from my memory all references to hockey in the above conversation and proceed with my six week break from running.
If snowboarding comes up anywhere in that conversation, a similar form of memory loss will also occur.
10:11 PM | Hockey:Injuries:Snow| Comments (0)
November 30, 2003 / Sunday
It's That Time Of Year Again
When holiday parties, birthday parties, snowboarding, and a bit o' hockey all vie for my weekends. I want to go to all the parties, but they're all on Saturdays. If I go to every single Saturday party and play every single Sunday hockey game I'll never make it to the snow. Bummer that Tahoe is such a long drive, but then again, if it weren't we'd all be shovelling snow this morning.
What to do?
Take midweek snow days.
Dear all,
It's snowing. It may seem like rain down here, but in Tahoe it's snow. In grade school we got the day off when it snowed. So, to follow tradition, I am taking the next three days off. It's hard to ride my motorcycle around these parts when it's wet anyhow. See you when it's dry.
Viv
Think that'll fly?
November 18, 2003 / Tuesday
Pass The Geritol, Please
You know what I just realized? I spent Saturday in the snow and I didn't make a single snowball the entire time. I'm gettin' old, man.
On a snow-related note, that picture below makes me sooo happy!
November 17, 2003 / Monday
Some Snow For Distraction
I was going to write about how I read Andrea's post about soap and it made me think of my post about Radisson soap from my business trip days and then I got to the end of her post and lo and behold she'd actually read my post about Radisson soap and I was all pleasantly surprised because I thought that post would never get read again and then I started going through my archives and at some point I started to read some posts that brought me right back to how I was feeling when I wrote them, which happened to be completely and totally and thoroughly crappy, and so then I stopped reading them before I got to the day that I knew would be really really painful and terrible to read, and then I thought, why not post a nice picture of snow for all of you who didn't make it to Tahoe this past weekend instead?
See that Civic up in front of me? That's the car that ran itself into a snowbank later on. Chains chains chains. A very good thing.
November 15, 2003 / Saturday
Opening Day At Kirkwood
I made it, and I even made it back! Intact, no less! Well, almost but it's no biggie. Lost some skin off my finger. I'll get into that in a bit.
It was all rainy when I left this morning. It rained and rained, and when I got high enough into the mountains, the rain turned into sleet and then into snow. Snow! Swish! Snow! I was so excited about it that I didn't even feel cold when I had to get out and put my chains on. That was not the case when I had to take them off later in the day. It took a fraction of the time but almost froze my fingers off.
So yes, chains. Chains for my steelies. There are a lot of firsts here. First #1, new chains, first use. First #2, this is the first time my car has had chains put on. First #3, this is the first time I've done it, and with no help or guidance! I learned during this first that if you grab metal and pull it cuts and stuff. Huh.
One cool thing about chains, despite the fact that they're a pain in the ass and they're loud: They turn your car (well, my car, at least) into a gigantic vibrator. Coooool.
Another cool thing about chains, despite the fact that it costs chunks of finger to install: They keep your car from sliding headfirst into snowbanks like the unchained Civic in front of me did at the Kirkwood entrance.
Low speed, soft object, maybe some bumper damage. He fared far better than the Celica wreck I saw on my way up. It was sitting on a tow truck, ready to be removed from the side of the road. It must have happened a couple hours before I got there, since there were flares still burning on the approach. The poor car looked pretty new and was completely mangled from the side. I say "from the side" instead of "on the side" because there really wasn't anything left on the side of the car.
In happier drive-up-to-Kirkwood news, I got to listen to an excellent country music station. This is a very rare event for me, since I'm usually not allowed to listen to country when I drive with other people in the car.
Even better, I got to sing along!
And then I arrived at Kirkwood. Hellooo Kirkwood!
The initial excitement didn't last long. I had to wait in line for an hour to pick up my season pass. I have it now. It makes me look old.
I must interrupt for a one paragraph digression about my license and season pass pictures. My latest license and season pass pictures both make me look thirty. My previous license and season pass pictures made me look fourteen. Have I visibly aged sixteen years in the last two?!
Okay, pass printed, snow falling. Time to go swish! I had a lot of new gear to try out: boots, butt padding, and a CamelBak SnoDAWG.
But first, some food. I finally ate the other Snickers Marathon Bar. Chewy Chocolate Peanut. I definitely like the Multi-Grain Crunch better. I almost wrote, "I think I definitely" just now. I would have sounded like a certain CEO that I don't want to sound like. Blech. While I'm on the topic of energy bars, there's a Peanut Butter Balance Bar, and it's gross.
I titled this post "Opening Day At Kirkwood", I've written 13 paragraphs (14, including this one), and I still haven't reached the part where I hit the mountain!
So finally I hit the mountain.
My first run was shaky. I was definitely out of practice. That, and I wasn't used to my board, which I'd been on once prior to today. The snow was bumpy and this board is relatively hard for me to throw around, so I had to work really hard to make my way down. Try, try again.
Run two, a little better. More improvement on run three. By the time I came down from run four I was feeling pretty good about being able to handle the choppy snow.
And then, run five. Halfway down the mountain I spotted a groomer on its way up. Behind it, very freshly groomed snow. I hopped in its trail and had the best carve of my life. I looove my board! When the snow is soft and smooth it rides like heaven.
Went up and down a few more times on the choppy stuff since it's good for me and all. Felt pretty good toward the end of the day. On my last run I cut right to head for the parking lot, and I got to ride over a patch of completely untouched powder. Would have been better if it was steeper, but no complaints here!
Speaking of powder, there was enough in the trees for me to get semi-stuck after a massive Floomp! moment.
I had forgotten how good my helmet speakers sound. I'm glad I put them in last year. *petsselfonthehead*
New gear verdicts ...
The boots rock. They hurt me far less than my previous pair did. I can even hang the board off my foot on the lift without feeling any sort of strain. And Teddio, they're Ride boots.
The butt padding. I didn't really get to try them out. Probably a good thing. Kinda like airbags, ya know?
The CamelBak. Awesome. I like it a lot more than my Hydrapak. It was pretty cold out today (mid 20's) and my water didn't freeze. Also has a lot more space for my stuff. The Hydrapak is getting switched to weekend ride duty.
Maybe next weekend I'll get to trade Swish! back for Vroom!.
Here I Go ...
Off to Tahoe!
November 14, 2003 / Friday
Snowboard Central
My living room is now the official staging area for my snowboarding gear. Everything's out and my new boots are now fitted to my Flows. Carpet carving feels good. Let's see how it feels on snow!
Friday's mission: chains for the steelies.
Swish!
One more day 'til Kirkwood opens ... and it's gonna be snowing! 
November 10, 2003 / Monday
Swish!!!
Kirkwood's opening a week early! Five days and counting!
November 07, 2003 / Friday
Snooow! Snooow More!
Kirkwood is scheduled to open in two weeks! I can't wait!
Heavy Snooow!
Yeah!
October 30, 2003 / Thursday
Snooow!
Now this is what I like to see!
And a quote from the forecast for tomorrow:
Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulating 2 to 4 inches.
Yeah! Let's have more of that! Gotta make up for last season! The grapefruit and I want a few feet of fluffy stuff for opening day! Uh, pretty please.
October 19, 2003 / Sunday
Grapefruit Prevention
Stopped at Tri-City after hockey today and bought myself padded shorts for snowboarding season. I'm making sure to protect the butt so I don't wind up with another grapefruit-sized hematoma on my ass this year. I'm making sure I don't reinjure what's left of the one from last year, for that matter.
Speaking of my little butt injury from last season, that seems to be toward the top of list of butt injuries sustained by members of my hockey league. One of my teammates was talking about a bruise she got on her butt from last week's game and all of a sudden we're talking about the grapefruit on my ass. They thought it was funny that the grapefruit was, at the height of its swollenness, bigger than my boobs. Yeah, well, it doesn't take much.
Bought a stomp pad for my board, too. I can't wait to take it back out on the mountain. Let's hope for some good snow this year!
May 08, 2003 / Thursday
Quit Snowing!
It's still snowing in Tahoe. WTF?! It's May. Stop it already.
April 09, 2003 / Wednesday
Snow ... :(
It's going to snow in Tahoe this weekend. Again.
That makes me so sad I can't even rarr. 
April 04, 2003 / Friday
No Snow For Me
Everyone's going up to Tahoe this weekend. Everyone but me.
April 02, 2003 / Wednesday
More Snow Torture
No, it's not just snowing up there, it's Blowing Snow:
April 01, 2003 / Tuesday
My Snowboarding Season: A Five Line Summary
It snowed at the end of 2002 but I didn't make it up to Tahoe.
Then it stopped snowing and got warm.
I snowboarded on crappy ice for the whole season.
I busted my butt on crappy ice and can't snowboard anymore.
Oh look, now it's snowing again.
Rarr.
No, that didn't quite capture it.
Rarrrrr!!
March 18, 2003 / Tuesday
Tuesday Snowboarding
Happy Tuesday! Took the day off and went snowboarding today. Missed a whole day of blogging! Need to catch up. How about a long post of short posts?
• • •
I looove my new snowboard. I can go waaay faster on this one and not feel like I'm going to crash and die. Oh happy day.
• • •
One more week until Meteora comes out!
• • •
Today at Safeway the checker recognized my Fantômas shirt. Coooool. He asked me if I'd listened to any of Tomahawk's stuff. But of course, Safeway checker boy, what good Mike Patton fan would not own the Tomahawk album? He seemed sooo happy that someone knew what he was talking about. Well, I guess I'm fairly pleased that after 3 years someone finally recognized my shirt.
• • •
My snowboarding injury from last last weekend is not healing very well. Roh.
• • •
Sour Starburst! I finally found me some Sour Starburst! I've been searching for them ever since some guy gave me one at Thump Radio night a few months ago. Yay.
10:24 PM | Music:Snow| Comments (0)
March 16, 2003 / Sunday
Oh Happy Sunday!
retaped hockey sticks
removed Clicker straps from snowboard boots
replaced snowboard boot laces with new ones
adjusted new bindings
mounted new bindings on precious new board *pet pet*
March 15, 2003 / Saturday
Snow!
It's snowing in Tahoe again! Swish!
March 14, 2003 / Friday
Rain.
It's raining in Tahoe again. Rarr.
March 13, 2003 / Thursday
Swish!
It's snowing in Tahoe! Swish!
March 11, 2003 / Tuesday
Rarr.
It's raining in Tahoe. Rarr.
March 08, 2003 / Saturday
Ow, My Ass
Hey everyone, I'm back from Tahoe. I've got a big-ass bruise on, well, my ass. Lemme tell ya, that ice they hide under the thin sheet of snow on the mountain is hard. If you don't believe me try dropping your ass on it from a few feet in the air.
In happier news, I bought a larger MMC and my mp3 player accepted it without too much of a fight. Hooray for more memory!
The bruise on my ass is so big I want to take a picture of it and post it here so you can see too.
Would that be considered porn?
Could I charge money for it?
How much would you pay for a shot of my ass?
Um, anyway, I have sort of a conversation of the day for you. It starts off with me kind of ripping on people who are ripping on the French over this whole Iraq thing.
- If it weren't for the U.S. the French would be speaking German?
- Well if it weren't for the French we'd all be British!
- And if it weren't for blacks there'd be no cotton.
- And we'd all be wearing polyester!
11:12 PM | Conversation:Injuries:Snow| Comments (0)
March 04, 2003 / Tuesday
Ugh.
Ugh. Yeah, that was definitely not a good snowboarding day for you. Actually, I whacked my head real good at Whistler this weekend, too. Hooray for my other helmet.
I'm considering getting one for everyday life. Sometimes I run into walls and stuff, and I think a helmet would really help. I'd wire that one up even better than my snowboarding helmet. Speakers and lights and maybe even a subwoofer. Ooh ...
March 03, 2003 / Monday
Blanketboarding
So last night I returned home to my fluffy down pillow and layers of sheets far floofier (yes, that's different from fluffier) than the ones I had this weekend at Whistler. I curled up in my sheets, sank my head down into the pillow, and went to sleep thinking about how soft and floofy everything felt. Then I started dreaming. I was on my snowboard, swishing through soft floofy snow. Then I half woke up and realized the snow I was dreaming about was warm and had the consistency of my blanket. Heh.
March 02, 2003 / Sunday
Whistler!
Okay, so I just wrote a whole bunch of stuff about my trip to Whistler and Blogger hosed it before I could post it. I had written up a few pages on it earlier at the airport, too, but it wasn't exactly what I wanted either so now I'm on version three of the Whistler trip report and I am quite sick of detailing the same things for you guys over and over. So, here's the short version. (When you see how long it is you'll be happy you didn't have to read versions one and two.)
Whistler was big. There was lots of mountain and it was quite pretty, which made me happy. The snow sucked. No, wait, the "snow" sucked. I think it was more ice than snow. I didn't exactly get to go "swish". It was more like "scra-a-ape". The village was cool. I bought me a cool hat. I went into every hat-selling shop in Whistler Village to make sure that I bought me the coolest hat that I could possibly buy there. I also bought me a cool sticker. Too bad I don't want to put it on my current snowboard. My current snowboard sucks ass. It doesn't hold wax very well and it just acquired a gigantic gash on the bottom, thanks to the undeep snow and some strategic rock targeting by yours truly. Just kidding on that last part. I do want a new board but I'm not looking to have to spend money.
During my hat search I came across the ultimate basketball head hat. I was very tempted to buy it so that I could finally live up to my nickname, but it was forty dollars, and even after the funny money conversion it was too much. You'll just have to use your imagination instead. When you see me with my cool red Whistler knit hat with the comfy fleecey band on the inside just pretend it's orange with black basketball stripes instead.
So in versions one and two of this trip report I had full paragraphs on every single little thing that I ate, but I'm lazy now so I'm just going to list them. Thursday, yummy all-you-can-eat sushi for cheap in Vancouver. Friday, tasty cinnamon sugar lemon beaver tail on Whistler mountain. Saturday, non-authentic poutine on Blackcomb mountain. The bestest mashed sweet potatoes at a Greek restaurant on Saturday night, accompanied by a totally unexpected run-in with the boyfriend of one of my coworkers near the bar. Sunday, too much food at a popular but slightly-too-nouveau-dim-sum place in Richmond. Their mango pudding was in jello form, sniff sniff. Sunday also, the bestest gelato ever: black sesame.
There was other food, too, but nothing's worth mentioning after the black sesame gelato. I'm going to learn how to make my own. I'm going to have a freezer full of black sesame ice cream and/or gelato. Mmm ...
• • •
We interrupt this post to tell you that I just found out that another one of my high school friends is getting married. That makes me feel old. Roh.
And now, back to the trip report in progress ...
• • •
Food, gelato, ah, latte. I went into Starbucks Friday morning for a latte and walked out with a Dave Brubeck CD. Every time I listen to it I get a hankering for a tall soy latte in a white paper cup with a little round green emblem with some long-haired lady in the middle. Strange.
Speaking of CDs, the rental car came with a forgotten copy of Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal. I have to say, that album is pretty funny. Is there not a single song on there that doesn't include some combination or spelling of the words "Snoop Doggy Dogg"? From our brief listen it seems that there isn't. Scary.
Speaking of the rental car, we got a free upgrade from a full sized car to an Eddie Bauer edition Ford Explorer because they didn't have any full size cars available for us when we showed up. Yeah, 4-wheel drive, perfect for all that snow we had to drive through in Whistler. Uh-huh.
Shot glasses. They need better shot glasses in Whistler.
Did I forget anything? Probably. Did I mention my AutoSpin2 works wonderfully? My left ankle and calf and knee were sooo happy on the lifts this weekend. It's not too shabby on the lift lines, either. Yay.
Okay, did I forget anything else? Probably. That's what happens when you have to blog the same thing three times over. Roh.
10:14 PM | Snow:Trips| Comments (0)
February 27, 2003 / Thursday
My Plan For The Next Five Days
Thursday: eat sushi in Vancouver
Friday: go snowboarding at Whistler
Saturday: go snowboarding at Whistler
Sunday: go snowboarding at Whistler
Monday: (work some) play hockey
La la la. WhoO!
11:41 AM | Snow:Trips| Comments (0)
Helmet Tunes
I just built mini speakers into my snowboarding helmet and they sound AWESOME. I can't wait to try 'em out at Whistler this weekend.
Swiiish!
03:09 AM | Music:Snow| Comments (0)
February 24, 2003 / Monday
Chemical Brothers 'N' Otto Spin
I put 650 miles on my car this weekend. Okay, technically it was 649.7 miles, but now I'm less than 50 miles away from 5,000, which means I need to get my oil changed ... tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow, not later, because I don't want to drive a mile past 5,000 on old oil and a dirty filter.
Unfortunately, that means I can't take it in to the dealer to get it done since they suck and require 2 weeks advance notice to schedule a freakin' oil change.
Rarr.
In other news, I had a couple great half days at Northstar this weekend. I got to know the backside runs very well. Perhaps a little too well, since it's now starting to feel a little like Sierra's West Bowl.
I brought my mp3 player along and swished along to some of my favorite Chemical Brothers tunes. There's something about some of their songs that somehow makes me ride smoother and faster down steeper slopes that would otherwise scare the crap out of me. I think when I went down those runs earlier this season they did scare the crap out of me. Better boarding through chemistry, ha!
Ooh, and I got to try out my new mittens! They're super duper uber warm. Yes, I just repeated myself, but if you pretend that words in different languages are different words and not just another way to say the same thing then I didn't.
I can't wait for it to get colder so I can have warm happy fingers while other people freeze. Mmmmmuahahahaha!
Oops. That was mean.
I also came across a snowboard accessory I have to buy. It's a swivel plate that attaches between your front binding and the board that allows you to turn so that your foot points forward as if you were riding a skateboard. When you want to ride down the mountain you just click it back into its original position. Cool, huh?
I found out about it from talking to a guy who was using one on the ski lift on Saturday. He showed me how it worked and handed me a card for 1) a discount and 2) a cash reward for him. I visited the website when I got home. I clicked to the customer testimonial page and saw a picture of none other than the guy from the ski lift. Amusing.
January 27, 2003 / Monday
Übertoll
Hey everyone, happy Monday. I found myself in Tahoe this weekend for the second time this season. Yes, I know, this time last year I was already on trip seven. More snowboarding, I say! A bit more skiing wouldn't hurt, either. Speaking of skiing, I relearned how to say "We're going skiing" in German this weekend. Cool, huh? Speaking of cool, I decided during the course of the weekend that my new kind-of-made-up word that I use a lot is going to be übertoll.
Über = super, soopah. Toll = cool, great, groovy, awesome. Got it?
Tahoe this weekend was übertoll. I went up there Friday night with Doug, who I also think is quite übertoll, and, coincidentally (or perhaps not so coincidentally), is responsible for the silly grin I've been sporting lately. For the sake of clarity I should probably state that Doug is different from Douggity Doug, though that's not to say that Douggity Doug isn't cool either, since he does AIM-pipe good beats for me to code to every now and then. 
In another fit of Tahoe übertollness, I ran into Siggy up at Kirkwood. Yes, Siggy, who lives closer to me than anyone else I know from high school, whom I've seen probably five times since we graduated. I think that puts us at one meeting per year and a half. With luck we may actually bump that number up to something a little less ridiculous.
Post-trip, I drove back home from the city. Perhaps "sped" would have been the better verb there. I've been driving a bit like a maniac since I got my Valentine One. Anyway, this is going to sound strange, but I think I get better mileage on my car if I average 90 on the freeway. I'm totally serious. I get 20 miles per gallon going 80, but 23 miles per gallon going 90. What gives? I'm not sure, but if I get pulled over perhaps I can get the officer to agree that it really does make sense for me to drive 90 because it's better for the environment. Now that would be übertoll.
And now for some unhappy car news. My car got pooped on over the weekend. Its first major fly-by pooping, and I wasn't even there to clean it off. If I'm good I'll remember to clean it off tomorrow morning. Fly-by poopings, sie sind nicht übertoll.
Also nicht übertoll is the Raiders' losing the Super Bowl. I guess I should be happy that I was coming back from Tahoe during that time instead. I was tuned into KNBR, listening to the Raiders get their butts kicked, secretly happy about not having to watch the carnage on TV.
Gotta hand it to Gruden, though. He's one hell of a coach. Kudos to Chucky.
It's late. I'm tired. Tired but happy. Hooray for happy. Good night.
Hey, you think my new word's gonna spread like rohfire? Übertoll!
January 05, 2003 / Sunday
Hi. It's Sunday. I missed
Hi. It's Sunday. I missed Saturday by 5 minutes. Darnit. Why? Because I went snowboarding! Yes, finally! My first time up this season, and my doG I'm exhausted. Hockey tomorrow? Er, we'll see.
I really am as exhausted as I say I am because I can't bear to sit at my computer for another moment. I must go sleep!
January 03, 2003 / Friday
Happily Impatient
Hi. It's Friday. Tomorrow I go snowboarding! I can't wait. La la la. Whoo.
December 28, 2002 / Saturday
Stuck At Sea Level
Hi. It's Saturday. It's snowing in Tahoe. It snowed so much someone called me to see if I was in Tahoe because they were stuck in the stuff and needed help. And where am I? I'm here, in Belmont. I'm here, in the rain. Shoulda gotten an Xterra! No, actually, I love my car to pieces, which is the only reason why I'm not braving the mountains with it. It's too young to get all snowy! Too young, too pretty, too precious. Say that last one like you're in LOTR. Precious ... ha!
All was not lost, though. I got to hang out with Nadsy and make chicken dumplings in broth. Threw some bok choy and shitake mushrooms in there too! Delish, as Pookie would say. Hit up Rasputin's, paid a visit to Albertson's, then had some grrreat piiie at Nation's. My, we have some possessive chain stores around these parts.
I just realized you may not have pronounced "grrreat piiie" correctly. The proper way to say it is Tony the Tiger followed by Cartman. Grrreat piiie ... mmm!
December 23, 2002 / Monday
Snowflakes In My Car
My car's instrument panel temperature display flashes a snowflake at me when it hits 40 degrees outside. I found this out just now on my way back to the office. I got all giddy 'cause my car was flashing a snowflake at me that I started bouncing up and down in my seat. Boing boing boing! Whee! Let's go ski!
11:29 PM | GTI:Snow| Comments (0)
December 20, 2002 / Friday
Greetings From Utah
plus one 'cause I flew east
Greetings from Utah. I went skiing today, for the first time in almost eight years. I did surprisingly well, considering I almost managed to hit a snowmaking machine and run over a ski school group the last time I was out. I even went up 10 ski centimeters from my previous outing. Oh, and I didn't almost hit anyone or anything this time. No ski school instructors after my head today!
I swished my way down a blue run before the day was out ... without falling! Whooha! Yay for hockey, I think. That's gotta be it, unless I somehow managed to ski better by not skiing for eight years.
Swish!
The runs here in Utah are steep. Some of the green runs here felt like Tahoe blues. The snow was awesome. Not too wet, not too icey, not too powdery, not too anything. Just right. And totally uncrowded. So much space!
Swish again!
I think I might have to buy myself some boots and skis ...
But I will resist the urge to since the couple times I fell I thought it was going to tear my knee out. Then what? No skiing, no snowboarding, no hockey, and none of that other stuff I want to do but don't have time to.
Hrmm ... I think that would make it kind of hard for me to drive my car, too.
Well then hell no I'm not taking up skiing!
Oh, but it's so fun ...
06:43 PM | Snow:Trips| Comments (0)
November 06, 2002 / Wednesday
And I Drink This Stuff?!
As promised, the Diet Coke snowboard tool rust removal results: As of 7 this morning the bits were rust-free and looking brand spankin' new. I guess it's not a myth, after all.
Perhaps I should stop drinking that stuff.
November 05, 2002 / Tuesday
Finally, my snowboard is tuned,
Finally, my snowboard is tuned, cleaned, and prettied up for the new season.
I'm currently trying to get the rust off my snowboard tool. I put the rusty bits in a bowl and poured half a can of Diet Coke over them. I drank the other half. What's wrong with this picture?
Oh, and would you believe I actually managed to watch Fight Club tonight. Ha, of course you believe it, though you shouldn't, given my track record of attempts to watch the movie, which I will mention but not discuss here because there is a time and place to discuss such things and the time is not now and the place is not here. Speaking of Fight Club, I didn't realize they had spliced Tyler Durden into so many strategic frames of the movie. Anyway, they did, and if you happen to have the DVD, watch it, and I mean watch it. Watching this movie is different from watching it, which, by the way, is different from watching it if you're me on most days.
Anyway, I'll have the Diet Coke snowboard tool rust removal results to you sometime hopefully tomorrow.
October 27, 2002 / Sunday
Yay! The WD-40 worked! That
Yay! The WD-40 worked! That stuff is impressive. It got the grease out of my favorite shirts. That and it keeps my Clickers from getting clogged with snow ... speaking of which, I can't wait for snowboarding season to start. I just got my board all tuned up and once I give the top a good cleaning it's gonna be all shiny and pretty and smell like WD-40 flowers.
March 18, 2002 / Monday
Another Weekend In You Know Where
Let's see, I passed up a visit to Salt Lake City this weekend because I decided I was too tired. I was feeling old or something. But then the weather reports said it was dumping snow in Tahoe so on Friday we decided to drag our tired and weary senior citizen bones up there. Ouch.
Full Day! No, Half Day! Um, Do They Have Night Skiing?
I think the original plan was to do a full day of skiing at Squaw Valley. But then Friday night we went to go see Dave Attell and I don't think I managed to get to bed until 3 AM. Okay, scratch the morning session. Got up at 8 AM Saturday to pack up my stuff and get a couple other things done. The next thing I knew it was noon. By my calculations leaving around noon would have gotten us to Squaw Valley right around, oh, the end of the afternoon skiing session. Thanks goodness they had night skiing! It was cold and windy and snowy and I couldn't see because I have the crappiest night vision in the world but it was all good 'cause there was powder! Yay for powder! Yay for night skiing! Much appreciated by us late risers.
Oh It's So Cute! What IS It?
On to Reno! It had been a while since I'd been up there. Grabbed dinner and decided to casino hop. But not before a quick jaunt around Midway at Circus Circus. They had the cutest little prize at the easiest little game ... for a buck we got this little stuffed Pokémon character. He looks like a paranoid stoner platypus but according to the Pokémon website he's a duck. Psyduck, to be exact. See:
So ... Tired ... Hey Let's Gamble 'Til 5 AM !!
With my new mascot in hand, we started the casino rounds. Did the usual stroll through Silver Legacy, played for a while at El Dorado, then drove over to Peppermill. That place is PRETTY! So many mirrors. Perfect for narcissists such as myself. Lots of flashing neon lights, too. Lights are so purdy. So so purdy. Ahh ...
Left Peppermill up 10 for the night and headed across the street to Atlantis. Shoulda known better. I was tired and dropped 40 bucks there. So much for my winning tally this year. Headed back to the hotel so we could late checkout in time the next day.
Mmm ... Soooh-chay!
Waking up at 12:30 to go have all you can eat sushi is a wonderful thing. The chefs were amusing and the unagi was goooood.
I Want My Money Back
In typical gambler fashion I went to Harrah's after lunch to try to win back my losses from the night before. Broke even. For the day, not the weekend. Hell, I'll take it.
Help! We're Stuck In Tahoe!
To sum it up in a sentence, we left Reno at 4 PM and got back to Berkeley at 2:30 AM. For those of you not familiar with this area, it's not supposed to take that long! I-80 was closed and snow was coming down hard on all the cars stuck on it. All surrounding roads were snowy and icy and only got snowier and icier. We actually wound up going to the other side of the lake to try to take highway 50 home. Oh, and my tire almost went flat. I don't think the chains would have fit on the spare. Wouldn't that have been fun.
No, it wouldn't have.
To Chain Or Not To Chain?
It was cold as hell and all I can say is a thank you Ted for putting the chains on. A big huge yay-I-didn't-have-to-freeze-my-hands-off-installing-the-chains thank you. Muah!
Note to self: Make sure your next car has 4WD.
On the other hand, the chains were kinda cool 'cause they made my car sound like it had jet engines. We'd hit thirty and I'd start thinking we were going to lift off. A little Civic 737 speeding down the roadway. Whee!
Hi, I'm Back
Ahh ... home sweet home. Glad to be back, although I'm sure it was absolutely beautiful on the mountain today. Damn, I'm tired. More tired than last Monday. Maybe I should take next weekend off.
Hrmm ... maybe not.
March 11, 2002 / Monday
The Snowboard Report
Yup, I went back up to the mountains again last weekend. Not just to Tahoe this time, but over to Mammoth as well, with a couple pit stops at the casinos to and fro. Here's the wrapup:
Sun and Snow and People-Eating Trees
Went to the usual resort to snowboard Saturday. It had dumped a couple feet of snow and then cleared up so the conditions kicked ass. I finally decided to go off into the trees and play. Bad idea! I got stuck in a 2-3 foot deep pile of fluff by the base of a tree. Can't jump out when your board has a big ole pile of snow on top of it! What a workout that was, trying to get out. But oh it was so fluffy! So nice! Definitely worth the sunburn I got that day.
Corn Fritters
Corn fritters for dinner. Yum.
Karaoke SoopahStah
After dinner we stopped by Harrah's for some craps and blackjack. They had some karaoke / raffle event going on right by the blackjack tables. I flipped through their songbook to see what they had and lo and behold I saw a listing for Longview. Yes, Longview, that Green Day song about masturbation. Yes, I signed myself up to so sing it on stage in front of a bunch of strangers.
Nervous nervous nervous. A few more people went up and sang. They just kind of stood there and sang the lyrics on the screen. Some good, some bad, all kinda boring. Then the DJ said, "Next up we have ... Viv?" Showtime! I forgot about being nervous and hopped up on stage, still in full snowboard attire. The music started and I belted out the song, making faces and jumping up and down and all around. The DJ scrambled to blank out all the bad words I was screaming and the crowd cheered as I did my crazy monkey act on stage. I've never had that much fun singing anything in my life.
For the rest of the night, random Harrah's employees kept coming up to me and saying things like, "Hey, weren't you the one up there on stage? Nice show!" It was good knowing that I wasn't the only who had a good time with that song.
Yay!
She's A Snowboarder!
At the end of the karaoke / raffle event they were giving away hats and mugs and shirts and a ski lift ticket to Heavenly. I didn't care much for the wearables but I really wanted to win the lift ticket, which turned out to be their final raffle prize. Oh please oh please oh please pick me pick me pick me ... the next thing I knew I heard the announcer read my name off the ticket. I raised my arms and started bouncing. But the cool part was, when the crowd saw that it was me they all cheered. Yay for me! Yay for me!
So then in typical announcer fashion the guy on the mic said, "She's going skiing tomorrow!" at which point someone in the back yelled, "She's a SNOWBOARDER!" Yeah, man, couldn't you tell? I was bouncing around in baggy snowboard pants and a smirking Calvin T-shirt singing a Green Day song about masturbation. Puh-leease!
To Mammoth!
3 hours of driving after Harrah's to get to Mammoth Mountain ...
Holy Shit We're Gonna Die!
When we first got to Mammoth on Sunday it was cold and snowy and windy and foggy. Oh, and did I mention it was windy? No, wait, not windy ... WINDY. That plus all the other elements meant we had 5 feet of visibility at the top of the lift. That is, if we didn't get blown off the lift on the way up. You know it's bad when your board gets blown vertical as you're going up the mountain.
Lucky us, we boarded off the lift instead of falling off. Now for the hard part. We didn't know the mountain and we couldn't see what was ahead of us. The first 5 minutes consisted of 6 people shouting to each other, "Do you know this run?" / "No!" / "Oh SHIT!" But we were lucky once again and managed to make it down without falling off a cliff or running into any large solid objects. Phew!
Hooray For Sun
After a couple hours it cleared up and it was absolutely beautiful. I even got to ride in fresh powder. Sooooo nice. I never understood what people meant but now I do. And I want more of it. That stuff feels sooooo good ...
Hooray For Car Naps
I had to get some work done so I sat in the passenger seat with my laptop the whole way home. I started getting sleepy and closed my eyes for a bit. It was sooooo nice just sitting there feeling and hearing the car and the road and sensing the lights though my eyelids. I don't think I actually slept because I was so busy feeling the ride. Forget driving to Tahoe every weekend! I'm gonna be a passenger from now on!
05:49 PM | Music:Snow| Comments (0)
February 25, 2002 / Monday
Tahoe Is Tiring!
I didn't get up until 5 PM today! I think Tahoe wore me out.
But despite my fatigue I shall blog my weekly Tahoe report ...
No I Didn't Snowboard
Snowboarding? Nope! I slushboarded and iceboarded instead. Friday was slushy and my board kept getting stuck in the stuff. It was hard work! I think I need warm weather wax for my board or something. Saturday it cooled down and the slush was gone. Instead it was ice. Owwie! I bruised my butt and jarred my shoulder. But hey, it's good practice going down mountains of ice. Yes it is, yes it is.
Ron Jeremy And The Senior Citizens
Went to Carson City Friday night for some cheap blackjack. It was like a senior citizen's employment center there! All the dealers had grey hair. Old ladies and old men. I was doing okay against one of the grandmas but then they switched dealers. Brought in some guy with dark curly hair and a mustache. He looked just like Ron Jeremy. So I was sitting there wondering if the dealer had a 10 inch dick too and the next thing I know he's kicking everyone's asses at the table. Two blackjack hands in a row! We all deserted in a hurry.
Note to self: Do not play blackjack with porn stars because they will fuck you in the ass and take your money.
Oompa Loompa Parade
I must have gone to sleep Friday night a little disturbed by Ron Jeremy and the senior citizens because that night I had some weird dream about a Oompa Loompa parade. Some useful background information here is that they scared the hell out of me when I was a little kid. I would sit there watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and when the Oompa Loompas came on I'd be too scared to close my eyes or change the channel. I'd just sit there wide-eyed with fear. Tremble tremble. Anyway, in my dream there was this pack of Oompa Loompas about 5 deep and 4 wide marching up and down the street in front of my parent's house. I kept hearing them singing their Oompa Loompa song and I'd run to the window and see these short little orange and green people marching down the street. Crazy shit. Glad to be awake now.
01:17 AM | Dreams:PSA/NTS:Snow| Comments (0)
February 10, 2002 / Sunday
Drunken Karaoke and Other Fun Stuff
I've had this unsettled feeling the last few days. It's 'cause I need to update my blog! I think I'm a blog addict. Someone please help.
I think I'm going to have a list-ey post today ...
What I learned Friday night:
1. I have a new favorite drink.
2. Midori Sours kick ass.
3. I can have a drink and a half or so and not fall over.
4. Yes, I still look like a lobster after a few sips.
5. Hey, at least I can stand!
6. Drunken karaoke is fun.
7. Drunken karaoke hurts the vocal chords.
8. Laaaaah!
And now for a list of announcements:
1. I'm gonna play ice hockey starting in May.
2. The statement above has an 80% chance of happening.
Okay, that wasn't much of a list. Never mind with the lists. I just got back from Tahoe. I know, I know, you already knew that because I go there every weekend. I'm also the one driving every weekend, did you know that? I think I'm finally starting to get sick of driving there.
Anyway, today was kind of interesting. Some guy on a ski lift talked and talked and talked about sales and work and computers and bioinformatics all while puffing away on his pipe. No, it wasn't a tobacco pipe. No, I didn't smoke with him. I didn't want to start laughing at the trees on my way down the mountain ... Hey Kimmy, do you remember how I started giggling at the traffic lights? What the hell was so funny about them anyway?
Okay, so I got to the top and tried to tighten my boot and the strap fell off. Screw came out. Good thing I always carry all the tools I need for my gear. Maybe it was a sign. Time to switch to strap-ins!
Strap-ins, not strap-ons, you people out there with the dirty minds. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has to catch myself so I don't end up talking about sex toys when I really mean to be talking about snowboard bindings.
Funny, I've run out of things to blab about.
I'm gonna go play with my bindings now. Bye.
February 03, 2002 / Sunday
Whoo For Me!
Well lookie here, it's Sunday night already. Time to catch you up on the weekend. Actually, not really for you, but rather for me so I can read this a few months from now and say to myself, "Oh yeah! I remember that!"
Went snowboarding at Sierra on Saturday (again). The weather was beautiful, the snow was great, and I learned to carve faster. Whoo for me!
Mmm ... Chicken And Dumplings
Had dinner at Hometown Buffet in Vacaville on the way home Saturday. I loved their potato wedges and chicken and dumplings and bread pudding and soft serve chocolate ice cream. Buffets kick ass because I can zero in on one or two items and eat ridiculously massive quantities of just those items. Like those corn fritters they have at Sizzler ...
Whoo For Me Again!
I can throw a football properly! Yay!
People Who Suck (1/3)
Guys who think girls can't catch and/or play football suck.
People Who Suck (2/3)
Bossy people who think they can tell people what to do because they think they're better than everyone else at it suck.
People Who Suck (3/3)
Never mind.
I'm Now ¼ Lower Primate
I somehow managed to injure my right thumb playing football so now it's somewhat non-opposable. Since lower primates have non-opposable thumbs and one of my thumbs is only half opposable, I think that makes me ¼ lower primate.
Whoo For The Patriots!
Congrats to the New England Patriots for winning their first ever Super Bowl. And, might I add, that's one cute kicker they've got there!
Whoo For Me One More Time!
I dunked a basketball today. No, I'm not going to say how big the ball was or how high the rim was. Let's just say I had to jump to do it and leave it at that.
January 29, 2002 / Tuesday
Ah ... All Better
In case you were wondering, I'm not itching to beat someone up anymore. Snowboarding on Sunday worked it out of my system. I feel much much better now. Yay!
January 28, 2002 / Monday
It's Snowing! It's Snowing!
Snow in San Francisco? Yup, it's that cold here. A big ole flatbed truck with a big ole dirt hauler truck on the bed drove by me on the freeway today and it was covered in about 2 inches of melting snow. I'm serious! And for you Bay Area dwellers, take a look at the mountains over in Fremont. They're white at the top.
Anyone want to meet me in Fremont for a snowball fight?
Snow Is Good ... Easy Mac Is Too
Back from you-know-where again. The snow was powdery and my spine's intact ... for the most part. I had fun and we took our new European FAS with us 'cause he'd never been to Tahoe before. As the new guy would say, "It was a good time."
I just got home and I was hungry so I made myself some Easy Mac. I'd just like to let you all know that it's good stuff! Not quite as creamy as the stovetop version but it's sooooo easy to make. None of that milk and butter and stirring over heat business. Just mac, water, nuke, cheese, and stir. You can be yumming away on the stuff in 5 minutes!
UM-Yum-yum-yum-yum-yum!
12:30 AM | Cheese:Snow| Comments (0)
January 26, 2002 / Saturday
Snowboarding tomorrow! Yay!
Snowboarding tomorrow! Yay!
January 22, 2002 / Tuesday
Not Another Tahoe Report
Oh come on, I know you're all expecting one. Here goes ...
I-80 Smells Funny
- Do you smell weed? I smell weed.
- I smell skunk.
- Skunkweed!
Hey, That's My Shirt!
It's weird seeing someone wearing a shirt that you have. I bought this grey fleece pullover from Old Navy last month in Boston. Saturday at Sierra I saw a girl wearing the same thing, except hers was way the hell bigger and she still didn't fit in it. Darnit, I thought, stop making my shirt look bad! I know, I know, that was rude and mean and snooty of me. Bad stoopid sucky Viv. But hey, at least I wear it like it was meant to be worn!
I'm kidding! I'm kidding! Kind of.
Grrrrr-RAH!
Sunday was Cal Band day or something at Kirkwood. There were band members all over the place on skis and boards with their instruments. It was really nice to see them again. I wanted to run up and give them big hugs and join in a few Grrrrr-RAH! cheers, but I was with a bunch of Bruins and they just weren't into hanging with the Cal Band. Strange, them UCLA kids.
I've Got Me a New Hobby
I learned how to pick those little luggage combination locks this weekend. I'm gonna go hang out at the airport and practice now. See you all later.
January 18, 2002 / Friday
Wish Me Luck!
Okay everyone, I'm off to Tahoe again. My spine's still broken or something so I hope I don't fall on it again. Caution is the word for the next 3 days. No flying down the mountain, no jumping jumps I don't know how to land yet. Wish me luck! I'll be back on Tuesday ... hopefully.
January 09, 2002 / Wednesday
Mental Image of the Day
Snowboarding must burn a lot of calories or something. Last night my body kept telling me to eat so I ate just about anything and everything. Nuts, cheese, pasta, peanut butter, chocolate cupcakes. Munch munch. Chew chew. Yum! This morning I woke up and I thought, "Ugh. I feel like a cow." Then I put my jeans on. Those things are as loose as ever. Kickass!
• • •
Cow on a snowboard mooing down the mountain.
January 07, 2002 / Monday
Yet Another Tahoe Report
it's really around 1:30 AM but i'm not anywhere near an internet connection
Back from Tahoe again! I've got a majorly sore ass but I'm intact so I'm happy. And now, for the recap ...
Go Little Civic Go!
Saturday morning we loaded 4 people, 4 skis, 2 snowboards, and gear into and onto and into my little white Civic. We made it to Sierra from Berkeley in a little over 2 hours. All that weight and I managed to average over 90 MPH going uphill the whole way. My poor car. It usually gets 300 miles per tank but after our 170 mile trip the gas light lit up. Well, at least we were there. Let's go boarding!
Progress on the Mountain
Just a couple notes on my day out on the mountain. One: I'm boarding better. I made it down a couple blue runs without stopping or falling. WhoO! Two: I'm falling better. Better as in more spectacular. I took a couple propelleresque tumbles most of you could only dream of doing. And I got my money's worth out of my helmet.
Brrr ... rrr ... rrr!
Back at the car. We got all packed up and ready to go and then noticed that the long line of cars waiting to leave wasn't moving ... at all.
It was cold and snowy so I turned the engine on so we could get some heat. But then the gas light came on and we didn't want to get stranded so I turned it off. Tick, tock, tick, tock.
The cars hadn't budged.
Brrr! It was starting to get cold. Everyone else in the car went into hibernation mode and fell asleep. I stayed awake and watched for tail light movement. Nothing. It started to snow hard.
More ticking and tocking and ticking and tocking.
Jason and the Snow Brush
50 minutes later we started moving. Jason came outside to help me clear snow off the car. He grabbed the ice scraper / snow brush and said, "I've always wondered what this thing was for." I got back inside the car to wipe down the windows while Jason proceeded to make his way around the car with the brush ... 3 times. He looked like he was having a blast with that thing! I have to say, that was the most thorough snow clearing job I've ever seen, and I've been doing it since I was 5!
Bumper Cars
Here we go! Traffic was moving, albeit at an agonizingly slow rate. As we approached a curve at 5 MPH the Dodge Durango in front of me tried to stop and started to skid out. For a moment I was amused, and then I realized that my car was doing the same thing. "Oh no oh no oh no ... !" Happy smiley sleeping Wayne woke up just in time for ... Thoonk! I had thoonked the rear bumper of the Durango. The Durango driver didn't seem to care, but I stopped and got out to make sure everything was okay. She saw me getting out of my car so she pulled over, hopped out, and said, "Nice slide!" Then we went our merry ways. It was like bumper cars out there!
Chicken?!
Got onto the main road, got fueled up, and headed for the lodge. Along the way, happy smiley Wayne blurted out, "Chicken!". What? Chicken? Lo and behold, we were passing by a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, chicken! Nowadays all they have left are KFC's, and you sure can't get chicken at those places. It's all mystery C meat. I wish I had had my camera so I could show you guys.
Cha-Ching!
After dinner we headed to Caesar's. I finally decided to gamble some, and by gamble I mean tables not slots. 20 minutes later I was up $55. I had started with $50 so I figured doubling was a good place to stop. Didn't w