From Dad back in Minnesota:
OK, this is my first blogging experience! Winter has finally arrived in MN - the highs this week end are supposed to be zero with lows around -12. We plan to hang out alot in our new room with the Vermont Castings stove fired up. Pen was sick all last week end with chemo side effects, but she recovered and went in for more yesterday! We are hoping to get out of here around March 1 and down to Paradise, but some things have to fall in line. The latest possible glitch is some very sad news for us. Our beloved Sammy stopped eating because he couldn't keep his food down and John Hotvet (can you believe that name) told us his kidneys are failing. Village Animal is keeping him during the day giving him fluids intraveniously but it will only buy us some time with this wonderful, loving creature. So we are bummed out grieving the loss of part of our family. DBB
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
CHANGE OF PLANS
I got the message from my coworker that "Fox News will be coming up on Friday....they want to do a story on us, and specifically, a story about Valentine's Getaways". I said "Friday??" - Yup, Friday. So, after considering the fact that my ski trip would cost a year's salary if I still went - since I'd likely get clipped for bailing on a PR piece that has innumerable revenue potential - I made the call to the boyz informing them of my plan to bail out. I don't own a TV, I don't watch TV, and I don't even enjoy TV (except for sports)......but, our clientele watch TV - so you gots to do what you gots to do, ya know?!
So, in lieu of losing out on a ski-trip, I have constructed a plan that comes in a close 2nd in terms of having a hecka' lotta' fun whilst accommodating the obvious responsibility. Plan B starts by taking advantage of the 6+ inches of new snow we have today and going snowboarding all-day tomorrow. Quick change of clothes and shower, then down to work for a few hours to catch up. The next day? Same thing. Friday - well, work with the film crew of course in the AM and then maybe back to the mountain for the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday will be spent road cycling in the 55 degree verde valley - about an hour south.
SO - I'm excited about Plan B - despite the fact that I will miss out on some great new terrain in Utah. Do you see any moping around here? Heck no - I'm gonna go check my board and make sure I do a quick tuneup before tomorrow's adventure begins when the lifts open at 9:00am.
CB
I got the message from my coworker that "Fox News will be coming up on Friday....they want to do a story on us, and specifically, a story about Valentine's Getaways". I said "Friday??" - Yup, Friday. So, after considering the fact that my ski trip would cost a year's salary if I still went - since I'd likely get clipped for bailing on a PR piece that has innumerable revenue potential - I made the call to the boyz informing them of my plan to bail out. I don't own a TV, I don't watch TV, and I don't even enjoy TV (except for sports)......but, our clientele watch TV - so you gots to do what you gots to do, ya know?!
So, in lieu of losing out on a ski-trip, I have constructed a plan that comes in a close 2nd in terms of having a hecka' lotta' fun whilst accommodating the obvious responsibility. Plan B starts by taking advantage of the 6+ inches of new snow we have today and going snowboarding all-day tomorrow. Quick change of clothes and shower, then down to work for a few hours to catch up. The next day? Same thing. Friday - well, work with the film crew of course in the AM and then maybe back to the mountain for the afternoon. Saturday and Sunday will be spent road cycling in the 55 degree verde valley - about an hour south.
SO - I'm excited about Plan B - despite the fact that I will miss out on some great new terrain in Utah. Do you see any moping around here? Heck no - I'm gonna go check my board and make sure I do a quick tuneup before tomorrow's adventure begins when the lifts open at 9:00am.
CB
Monday, January 29, 2007
Hella hella busy weekend
Well its over...my annual owner's meeting at the resort is in the books. Squirty/D and I got to spend one short day together yesterday, and it was super mellow. We went ice skating in the afternoon, and Lyza is now working on trying to skate backwards. That cracks me up! She has been doing great on skates as this is now her 2nd season on them. Lyza's birth mother will take care of her this week, so I am a free man to....
NOW I turn my attention to a ski trip to Utah this weekend. Park City to be precise. Brighton, Cottonwood Canyon, Deer Valley and Snowbird. 3.5 days of snowboarding + night boarding from 4pm until 9pm. I'm going to go until my legs just cave in. We have 10 guys squeezing into a condo for 8 that is right at the base of the Wasatch range in Park City. I'll give you the full report on Sunday night or Monday AM.
Well its over...my annual owner's meeting at the resort is in the books. Squirty/D and I got to spend one short day together yesterday, and it was super mellow. We went ice skating in the afternoon, and Lyza is now working on trying to skate backwards. That cracks me up! She has been doing great on skates as this is now her 2nd season on them. Lyza's birth mother will take care of her this week, so I am a free man to....
NOW I turn my attention to a ski trip to Utah this weekend. Park City to be precise. Brighton, Cottonwood Canyon, Deer Valley and Snowbird. 3.5 days of snowboarding + night boarding from 4pm until 9pm. I'm going to go until my legs just cave in. We have 10 guys squeezing into a condo for 8 that is right at the base of the Wasatch range in Park City. I'll give you the full report on Sunday night or Monday AM.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
BLOWN OPPORTUNITY
I left work at 3pm yesterday with my Scalpel, and met a buddy along the way for a nice 2-hour shred through the Sedona slickrock. His front tire was flat, so we stopped at the shop on the way to the trailhead for a quick burst of compressed air. My old pal Dave Cichan was there, and we caught up for a bit, but we were soon OFF so we could get in plenty of ride time. At the trailhead, the bikes came down off the rack, and Aaron's is rattling when it hits the ground. Turns out - all four of his crankarm bolts are gone - completely gone with the exception of one threaded nut that was holding the two outer chainrings on. Someone had been messing with his bike. So back we go to the shop, and Dave finds four replacement bolts to hold Aaron over for the ride. 30 minutes later we're back at the trailhead - quick change, and off. Not 100 yards down the trail, I hear a massive "CRUNCH" behind me. Aaron says "Dude....I'm done". I turn around, and his derailleur is snapped in half, and his has a broken chain.
Aaron has a handbuilt $3,000 Titus Racer X, and someone, SOMEONE was messing with his bike either when it was on his roof rack, or parked outside a coffeeshop. These types of things don't even happen when you have a horrific crash - especially the missing crankbolts.
So - bottom line....We both fanagled the hard-to-come-by time off from work, drove down to Sedona, rode for 100 yards, walked 100 yards, and ended up HERE to finish the epic adventure. After the Oak Creek Amber went down, the bike ride didn't seem like such a wasted effort. We're headed to the Wasatch Range outside of Park City, UT next week - so this will be a distant memory in about a week. 3 days of snowboarding in the 3000 vertical foot canyons of Park City is just what I need.
C-B
I left work at 3pm yesterday with my Scalpel, and met a buddy along the way for a nice 2-hour shred through the Sedona slickrock. His front tire was flat, so we stopped at the shop on the way to the trailhead for a quick burst of compressed air. My old pal Dave Cichan was there, and we caught up for a bit, but we were soon OFF so we could get in plenty of ride time. At the trailhead, the bikes came down off the rack, and Aaron's is rattling when it hits the ground. Turns out - all four of his crankarm bolts are gone - completely gone with the exception of one threaded nut that was holding the two outer chainrings on. Someone had been messing with his bike. So back we go to the shop, and Dave finds four replacement bolts to hold Aaron over for the ride. 30 minutes later we're back at the trailhead - quick change, and off. Not 100 yards down the trail, I hear a massive "CRUNCH" behind me. Aaron says "Dude....I'm done". I turn around, and his derailleur is snapped in half, and his has a broken chain.
Aaron has a handbuilt $3,000 Titus Racer X, and someone, SOMEONE was messing with his bike either when it was on his roof rack, or parked outside a coffeeshop. These types of things don't even happen when you have a horrific crash - especially the missing crankbolts.
So - bottom line....We both fanagled the hard-to-come-by time off from work, drove down to Sedona, rode for 100 yards, walked 100 yards, and ended up HERE to finish the epic adventure. After the Oak Creek Amber went down, the bike ride didn't seem like such a wasted effort. We're headed to the Wasatch Range outside of Park City, UT next week - so this will be a distant memory in about a week. 3 days of snowboarding in the 3000 vertical foot canyons of Park City is just what I need.
C-B
Monday, January 22, 2007
An excellent race...not on a bike this time.
I've got a crush on Nancy Pelosi. Why not? Anyone who slows down the Prez rules in my book.
I cannot wait for the Democratic Primary race to really get going over the course of 2007 and into 2008. Seems as though we have some huge names in the hopper especially if Give 'em Hellary Clinton and Barack Obama face off.
Every pundit has already chimed in with the opinion that Hillary, while immensely popular with liberal Dems, would get crushed in an Electoral College vote - essentially making her a questionable at best choice for the Dem ticket because she may be 'unelectable'. This is aside from, AND because of the fact that she is a woman. Then we also have Obama who is getting tagged as "inexperienced", and questions about his supposed 'Muslim shaping' are already hitting the press.
I think all of that means squat because......... the bottom line is that Hillary and Barack are not white males. Nobody needs a histpry lesson to know that or the past 200+ years we have had white males serving in the Prez and VP roles, and if you think that will change in 2008 then you are in the minority.
Personally, I am really very torn on what I feel is the real issue..... That is: Do we (the Dems) nominate an "electable" candidate who by the very definition of the term "electable" is a white male moderate democrat with just another pretty face (read: John Edwards-type), or do we nominate a candidate that really fulfills our expectations - yet he/she is deemed unelectable. I don't know the answer to this yet, despite having spent a lot of time in politically-riddled situations via work and volunteer organizations.
I am also very curious to see how the efforts of this guy pan out. I don't know much about him, but the more I read, the more I want to read.
In the meantime, let the chessplay begin, and I hope that at least on the Dem side of the ticket, the campaigning is clean, and for the party's progress - not for individual agendas (yeah, right?!).
I've got a crush on Nancy Pelosi. Why not? Anyone who slows down the Prez rules in my book.
I cannot wait for the Democratic Primary race to really get going over the course of 2007 and into 2008. Seems as though we have some huge names in the hopper especially if Give 'em Hellary Clinton and Barack Obama face off.
Every pundit has already chimed in with the opinion that Hillary, while immensely popular with liberal Dems, would get crushed in an Electoral College vote - essentially making her a questionable at best choice for the Dem ticket because she may be 'unelectable'. This is aside from, AND because of the fact that she is a woman. Then we also have Obama who is getting tagged as "inexperienced", and questions about his supposed 'Muslim shaping' are already hitting the press.
I think all of that means squat because......... the bottom line is that Hillary and Barack are not white males. Nobody needs a histpry lesson to know that or the past 200+ years we have had white males serving in the Prez and VP roles, and if you think that will change in 2008 then you are in the minority.
Personally, I am really very torn on what I feel is the real issue..... That is: Do we (the Dems) nominate an "electable" candidate who by the very definition of the term "electable" is a white male moderate democrat with just another pretty face (read: John Edwards-type), or do we nominate a candidate that really fulfills our expectations - yet he/she is deemed unelectable. I don't know the answer to this yet, despite having spent a lot of time in politically-riddled situations via work and volunteer organizations.
I am also very curious to see how the efforts of this guy pan out. I don't know much about him, but the more I read, the more I want to read.
In the meantime, let the chessplay begin, and I hope that at least on the Dem side of the ticket, the campaigning is clean, and for the party's progress - not for individual agendas (yeah, right?!).
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Gym
After a 1-year absence, I have decided to hit the weights for my upper body again. Why? Because I'm weak. My arms have shriveled into cyclist arms. Muscle tone? Zero. Strength? OK - but not good. So I ambled on over to the gym last week twice. The first day I took it reaaaaally easy, and was rewarded with little soreness. The second time, I let 'er rip, feeling strong the first time back. I totally overdid it, and have had to take a 2-day break. I can barely get my dress shirt on due to shredding what is left of my pectorals and triceps. But ya know what? I feel pretty psyched to get back into this. One aspect that I like about this is that I go around 9pm - after I put Lyza to bed - so the place is quiet and I can get a lot done in around an hour. I have realistic goals, and its also some solid "quiet time" for myself. I'm like most Gen -X gym rats, I don't talk to anyone unless I have to, I wear headphones, and I'm selfishly into my routine. Hey - that's what works for me.
The biggest reason I'm back in the gym is because I don't feel as self-confident when I'm feeling physically weak. Also, turning 39 didn't mean much to me mentally, but after playing in the snow a couple of weeks ago, using muscles I haven't used in a while - I was like a gimpy old man.
So, my ultimate goal is to stay at the same weight of 190 so I don't lose any speed on the bike this summer, and to just feel better about the fact that if I'm in better overall shape I can play any sport any day and feel OK. The Men's A-level racquetball league starts in 3 weeks, and I WILL be ready to tear those punk b*tches up....
After a 1-year absence, I have decided to hit the weights for my upper body again. Why? Because I'm weak. My arms have shriveled into cyclist arms. Muscle tone? Zero. Strength? OK - but not good. So I ambled on over to the gym last week twice. The first day I took it reaaaaally easy, and was rewarded with little soreness. The second time, I let 'er rip, feeling strong the first time back. I totally overdid it, and have had to take a 2-day break. I can barely get my dress shirt on due to shredding what is left of my pectorals and triceps. But ya know what? I feel pretty psyched to get back into this. One aspect that I like about this is that I go around 9pm - after I put Lyza to bed - so the place is quiet and I can get a lot done in around an hour. I have realistic goals, and its also some solid "quiet time" for myself. I'm like most Gen -X gym rats, I don't talk to anyone unless I have to, I wear headphones, and I'm selfishly into my routine. Hey - that's what works for me.
The biggest reason I'm back in the gym is because I don't feel as self-confident when I'm feeling physically weak. Also, turning 39 didn't mean much to me mentally, but after playing in the snow a couple of weeks ago, using muscles I haven't used in a while - I was like a gimpy old man.
So, my ultimate goal is to stay at the same weight of 190 so I don't lose any speed on the bike this summer, and to just feel better about the fact that if I'm in better overall shape I can play any sport any day and feel OK. The Men's A-level racquetball league starts in 3 weeks, and I WILL be ready to tear those punk b*tches up....
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