New Years Resolutions
Every year we all make these resolutions -New Year’s resolutions Hooray!
Last year my resolution was to stop drinking so much coffee. I did. I succeeded. At the end of this year I started drinking more coffee though so maybe I didn’t succeed fully but you know, it was a valiant effort. This year I didn’t know what my resolution should be. After thinking a lot about it I had some help from my Christmas presents. Sure I asked for these things but seeing them altogether made everything clear.
So here is the grand list:
1. Brush up on my French
2. Run more
Yes the list is short but each requires quite a bit of time, energy, commitment, and motivation. I took French in college and was actually pretty good at it. However, in the past few years, I haven’t had the chance to use it and language skills are kind of a “use it or lose it” type of thing. Mainly I’m losing vocabulary. If I try, I can still think and speak in the language but I’ll miss key words that I don’t remember. Because I’m going to Paris this summer, I would really like to converse easily. Parisians love it if you can speak French. Here is where Christmas comes in. I asked for a book or two so I could work on my French but instead of just a book, I got Rosetta Stone! Boom! I’m going to be speaking French again before I know it. Yes it is a little ridiculous but it’s better than fancy jewelry or something–it’s for learning!
Running more is going to be a big one this year too. This past year I didn’t run as much as I have in the past. Living in the mountains definitely worked against me. It’s hard to find motivation when the mountain is calling and none of your friends are ever busy. Plus, with all the snow we got last year, running outside was a wash. In Denver, my friends are busy, I can’t go ride after work, it’s flat, and it is a mild climate. So how do the Christmas presents fit in here? I got running tights, iTunes gift cards, a North Face gift card, and a little running hat. I mean, this is a recipe for success. All I need to do is get out there and do it. Easier said than done.
2012, here we go!
Finally updated my desk area
I finally updated my desk area! Hooray! No, there aren’t really new things here but it certainly looks better. I’m planning on displaying my postcards on the wall above the bed. Also, I need to get a chair so I can actually use the desk as it was meant to be used. Any other ideas? Please comment below.
I took the photos with my new Nikon camera. The photos came out really well. The wide angle lens is ridiculous. I can’t wait to get some more shots with it. I’m not used to how bulky it is but the photos are much better than my Casio Exilim.
End of November
It is the end of November, er… I mean, Movember. Finally after 3 long weeks, my refridgerater has grown a stashe. Check it out:
Online Discovery
I’ve recently found Pinterest, an online bulletin board of sorts where you can “pin” cool, interesting, or stylish things you find on the internet. Not only that but you can follow and “re-pin” things your friends post too. I’ve found it is really helpful for keeping links together– rather than emailing it to myself. Usually when I do this, I don’t fully delve into the site and eventually I lose it. Pinterest is the online equivalent to clipping out your favorite articles from magazines. So far I have boards (i.e. catagories) of snowboarding, my style, for the new apartment, products, and ideas and causes. I imagine these will expand and I’ll create new boards in the future as I continue to use the site.
Check out my Pinterest boards here.
Skiing, Snowboarding, and the Weekend
Guess what I got to do on Wednesday? I went to Loveland Ski Area to demo skis. That’s right, I got paid to ski. My first paid ski day. I think I have arrived. Yes, it is a small victory but a victory no less. Over the summer, I really learned to appreciate small victories from one of my friends. He literally celebrated the smallest things e.g. opening a hard to open jar. Anyway, in the long run, it is a small victory. I anticipate many more terrific events in my career. Since I work for a ski shop, I skied the whole time (no boarding), but it was fun near the end. None of the skis I skied were the correct size for me. I was skiing on planks that were 20cm too long. This made it an adventure. Super fun, great hard-pack conditions, and good company made it a great day.
On Saturday I worked and then drove up to Breckenridge. I had to stop to get my snowboard that I was having tuned. I paid extra for them to fix the base with p-tex repairs and everything but when I picked it up, there were still some marks along the edges. I told this to the shop guy hoping to get a discount on my next tune but he gave me a coupon for a free tune! I didn’t have to complain or anything. Then I met up with some friends in Breckenridge. My one friend loves to make the rounds i.e. have a drink, change bars; have a drink, change bars. We were also introducing a girl to Breck because she just moved out there for the season. Good times.
Sunday we rode Keystone. It was still pretty busy but since more terrain was open, and it’s November, more people had their legs underneath them. We pleasantly found that the skill level dramatically improved across the board since opening weekend. I took it upon myself to introduce my new friend from Pennsylvania to PBR. She had never had it before. I told her its a choice beverage in Breckenridge and in other parts of the country it is revered as a hipster drink. This made for another fun night.
Monday I went out to Vail. I didn’t look into what was open before I left. The only lifts open were Born Free (out of Lionshead), the Lionshead Gondola, and the Vista Bahn. Not terrible, but for Vail, that is kind of weak. I talked to some people and they said that there needs to be about a foot more snow for more terrain to open. After lapping well groomed hard pack for 4 hours, I called it a day. It wouldn’t have gotten any better– in fact, it seemed like as the day went on, there were more and more people. I feel like the majority of those people stayed at the mountain on Sunday night. I don’t understand how people can sleep in when there are only 7 hours of resort riding available!
Overall, it was a great week and weekend. This week, I have work on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Pretty cushy, eh? I told you I would live my life of leisure. Work hard/play hard works super well– even after college.
