LOST and FOUND

I woke up at 5am this morning with a terrible feeling that I lost something.

It's not because I lost my interest in snowboarding, I found that again yesterday.

My two scheduled days off this week got dedicated to Cert clinic, which was a big sacrifice when they were my only two days off this fortnight. The habit of hard work and improvement are still with me, as I press on towards the next snowboarding goal, Cert 3. But as I sat with my butt in the snow during the clinic listening to my peers 'practice teach,' I realized it might be a little early to go at it full force.

My brain is a little burned out on snowboard tech talk; there is a little attention span for words like "turn initiation, control and finish" and "timing, intensity and duration". Though I do welcome the challenge to obtain the next and final level of snowboard instructor certificaiton, well, I am not quite sure it's time. What felt most comfortable is when Greg and I skipped out on the clinic after lunch and hit the powder in O.S. and WFO trees and then did a few runs in the terrain park. :) I love snowboarding with Greg. He is my favorite tree riding partner and always challenges me to go a little faster and jump a little higher.

The season has been much more successful compared to my rocky start. It's rewarding to bump into a few of my old students around town who cannot keep their lips closed about their improvement. One of my students generously surprised me with two tickets to the Counting Crows concert last weekend! How cool is that!



As far as Cert, well, I am going to sit back and enjoy my days off and ride for now. I did enjoy the new things I was taught at the second day of Cert camp (ie. heel to heel!), and gained some confidence about my switch riding. For now, I will spend my days off exploring the mountain for myself, having fun riding trees, bumps, wherever, and working on spinning 1's and 3's in the park. Let's take it to the next level!

(Roommates: Poaching the tubing hill with Greg. This is my roommate Rose!)

As for whatever it is that's lost...hopefully I can find it again, too...

The Slow Season

This time of year is always considered the slow season. I have been sent home a number of days from work because there is no work, barely paying off my lunch with show up pay. But, when there is work, it is nice to have small student-to-teacher ratios and a short lunch line. The slow season sucks if you were hoping to make more than $20 show up pay for the day, but it’s great in terms of socializing.


DJ Late Night (a.k.a. my boss P. Schaf) has hosted two rockin’ evenings full of hip hop and dancing. The Rumpus Room is the place to be on Friday nights, and, our Tuesday night tradition at the Ski Bar will continue in full swing. I have been busy promoting and poster-making to support my esteemed supervisor. It has been nice to see that the invitations are well received.

Life at the Ridge has been great. It’s not the “Ghetto” I’d imagined, except for the part about hoping on a short bus with twenty other youngins each morning. I love being nearby friends, who fill nearly every door on this floor. The other night was a great example: I invited John and Stan over for dinner, and soon, our living room was full of friends catching up and hanging out. It is quite convenient! The place itself is basic but not gross as it’s reputation allows. Greg and I got lucky to get in the block next to the bus stop. That, paired with a seasonal lease, a comfy couch (and all other furniture) and a kitchen with a dishwasher make home a good place. Greg has been a terrific roommate. With a fully stocked fridge, we have been feeding ourselves quite well—I missed cooking all summer! We balance our big nights out with computer evenings making movies and blogging.