The Talons Challenge 2009

OK - I'm totally not crazy enough to do this, but a bunch of my friends are! (yep, that's part of why I love 'em so much).

We're heading up to Beaver Creek tomorrow, where my friends will attempt to conquer all 13 black diamond runs in 1 day. I don't think I'd even try to conquer more than 1 black diamond at Beaver Creek in 1 day. My problem really is moguls (or to non-mountain people, the bumpy things in the photo above). Everyone seems to think that I'll just fall into a groove, and the movements will just start coming to me naturally as I navigate my way down the slope. Well, they're right about the falling part! I understand the desire for a new challenge, but I think I'm pretty happy where I'm at -- just doing my thing on my lovely blue / intermediate runs, while listening to old AFI albums through the speakers in my new awesome helmet. And hey, I'm trying jumps this year, so that's a good start. Maybe I just need to take things one baby-step at a time.

So moguls, I will accept your challenge in my own doggone time. I know you probably don't want a mogul-amateur like me messing up your bumps anyways. 'Cause all I'd do is snowplow all the powder right off of ya at this point. Let's make a date for next season, maybe?

An Experiment in Human Values...

This is from a forward that my little sister emailed me the other day. I'm not big on forwards, but this one was really interesting! Don't forget to stop & smell the roses, kids....

A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats average $100.00 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context?

One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?

Napoleon Complex

Did you know that Napoleon Bonaparte was 1.7 meters tall? That's approximately 5 feet 7 inches here in the US of A. So really, he wasn't all that short. I guess he was short by some men's standards, but hey, I'm 5'5". He still would've been taller than me (if I weren't wearing my 5" platform shoes). Which I am. This painting was a portrait of Napoleon done by Antoine-Jean Gros. This is a very different depiction of the Napoleon I'm used to seeing. I always imagined him as a short, balding, somewhat ugly man. This painting shows him as a regal, handsome young man, with flowing locks of hair. Interesting interpretation eh? It's funny how before cameras & video, the way we visualize historical people & events is moreso based on their actions - or how an artist depicts them. Yeah, I totally Wikipedia'd the shit out of Napoleon today. Just 'cause I was curious how tall he actually was. Hope y'all have a great weekend! :)

Slumdog Millionaire

I just saw the beautiful & brilliant "Slumdog Millionaire" last night with my friend Mindy. I didn't realize that one of my favorite directors Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, A Life Less Ordinary, Shallow Grave, Sunshine) was the director either. The little boys in the movie (pictured) were outstanding - and so ridiculously adorable. It was a happy / sad / touching / horrifying / beautiful story - and I recommend that everyone go & check it out. All of the adult actors did an amazing job as well! :)

Bummed / Sad / Guilty

So I've been pretty bummed out / sad / feeling guilty the last few days. I recently ended a short but intense relationship with a boy. What hurts the most is that he's a really good person, and deserves so much more than what I could give. He has a wonderful heart, and I hate that I'm someone who hurt it. I don't know why my feelings changed, but once they did I couldn't let things continue. I had to be true to myself because I've grown to understand how important that is. I hope that this boy can try to understand that as well.

So - boy - if you're reading this, I can't tell you how sorry I am for hurting you. I don't regret any part of what we had together, and I hope that you don't either. I hope and pray that you feel better about everything, and that soon we can share a drink together as friends.

XO

MySpace - What the hell??

As if women don't already have enough problems with their body images, I've begun to notice the screaming ads surrounding my login page for MySpace. Not only that, but they've begun to target me specifically -- saying "Overweight at 27? Lose weight now!" and the like. Really, Mister King of MySpace Tom -- what the hell. Are you guys so strapped for cash that you have to sell your souls to the bastards helping to support a weak body image for female website users? I refreshed my page 4 times, and below was the result. 4 different ads basically telling me that I need to lose weight. Sure, you have to put ads on your site to make money. But Facebook hasn't resorted to advertisements like this. In fact, I'm thinking of closing my MySpace account soley because of their lack of morals in this matter. It may seem harsh, yes, but I think it's a small step towards a better world. A world where women love their bodies no matter what size, and where men stop placing unattainable standards on what we should look like. Because ladies, you are beautiful - and you deserve a man (or woman) that sees you that way.

Crazy Crazy Christmastime

It’s Christmastime again, and I’m thankful for so many wonderful things in my life. I have a beautiful loving family. I have a warm bed to sleep in every night, and a roof over my head. I know that my next meal will be hearty & healthy (ok, let's face it - it might be pizza, but at least I know that there will be a next meal). I have wonderful friends that make me laugh a ton. I'm very lucky to have a Christmas that can be celebrated not only with lots of delicious food and gifts -- but surrounded with an endless amount of love. There are a lot of people out there that don't have even the love part, and that makes me sad. At the same time it makes me greatful, and very thankful for how fortunate I am, and how wealthy I am when it comes to love. So on that note, here's a picture of Will Ferrell as Buddy the Elf. Because Christmastime makes me smile, and smiling's my favorite! :)

Cannibal! the Musical

Last night I watched another hilarious Troma movie release entitled "Cannibal! The Musical" -- based on the true story of Alfred Packer. It was written and directed by Trey Parker (co-creator of South Park), so you can only imagine the ridiculousness that ensued.

In the midst of horrible acting and lulls in the story -- there was room for a number of moments where I laughed so hard that it was worth watching. For example, Alfred (played by Trey himself) led the group to a river that they needed to cross. One man wondered how deep the river could be, so Alfred turned, picked up a rock from the riverbed, and tossed it into the water where it made a large splash. Everyone stood staring for a moment, and Alfred said nothing. Eventually the man turned to Alfred and said "well what the fuck was that supposed to do?"

Yeah, that cracked me up.

So if you enjoy really stupid humor, all put to music by one of the minds behind South Park, definitely check out this flick. It's so awful that it's kinda good!

Bettie Page - you rocked my world....

Bettie Page died yesterday at the age of 85. I know that she meant a lot of things to a lot of different people. For me, she was a sexual revolutionary. She wasn't afraid to show off her curves. She basically defined "pin-up", and not only made it beautiful, but made it fun. She came into success out of a life that began with poverty and abuse. She's an icon of our time.

Rest in peace, Miss Page.

Gettin' ready - morning style

I was never a person who took forever to get ready in the morning. I usually take 1 hour tops, which includes all showering / dressing / blow-drying / makeup application, etc. For a chick, I don't think that's too bad. Without a shower, I can be ready to go in 15 minutes flat. That's even better!

Then, as I started packing to move into my new apartment (YAY!!!) -- I realized how much crap it takes to get me through that process. I mean, I don't think of myself as very high maintenance. But I've got a lot of products that I'm not sure I could go without every morning. There's the shampoo & conditioner, the loofah, body wash, comb, blowdryer, straightener, 3 hair products (leave-in conditioner, frizz-smoothing serum, pomade), toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, retainer (don't laugh!!), eyebrow plucker, razor, shaving cream, body lotion, perfume, deodorant.... and that's all just before I leave the bathroom!

While camping I could easily go without all that stuff -- no problemo. I'm kind of wondering how I would do without them though. I don't like to dwell too much on my appearance, but I like to look nice & everything. Hmmm... maybe I should try an experiment to see how much I could cut out of my daily routine and be OK with it. Welll.... maybe when summertime comes around again... ;)