The Last Snow???

I'm thinking this will probably be the bookend to my first snow post last year. It was 80 degrees this past weekend, and yes the high temperature on Monday was 35 with just over an inch of snow in the early evening. This crazy up and down doesn't really surprise me any more, but I still think its incredible that its been about 6.5 months since that first snow. I'm betting that this is our last snowfall of the year, but I guess you never know in Denver...

Pictorial evidence from our balcony:

Two years and counting...

Despite all odds, somehow Sarah and I have made it through two years of marriage. Our actual anniversary (and yes I did remember) was on April 17th. Since this fell on a Monday, instead of doing one big thing we ended up doing more of a progressive anniversary weekend. It actually started out on last Thursday when we went out to try some swing dancing at the Mercury Cafe.
As is typical at these places, there was a large group lesson beforehand followed by a DJ led dance session afterward. I was impressed by a few things that night. For one, the overall level of dancing at the place was the best I've seen. Most people who went to the lesson (clearly some beginners) didn't bother to stay for the dance afterwards, but everyone who showed up at the final dance were really good. Sarah and I were certainly holding our own though, as we remembered and got back into the swing (no pun intended) of it quicker that I thought it would take. My main thing that took a while to get back was leading, or communicating to Sarah what move I wanted her to do without actually saying it out loud. Luckily there was only one gentle fall due to mis-communication!

Although mainly related to my desire to get back into golf after a long ski season, and not really having anything to do with the progressive anniversary celebration -- Sarah and I did play golf for the first time this year on a Par 3 course. Usually this would not involve anything important enough to mention, but Sarah decided to continue the party by getting a hole-in-one on the 9th hole. I don't think I've ever even known anyone personally who has made an ace even after many years of playing, but Sarah despite around 12,000 to 1 odds came through with a five wood from 147 yards out!

The next phase of the celebration brought us to Bear Creek Lake for a picnic and a short jaunt around the lake itself. The picnic was certainly the highlight of the day, provided by the "Specialty Foods" section of Whole Foods. Fresh bread, cheese, deli meat, sun-dried tomoatoes, fresh olives, and roasted red peppers provided us with a delictable picnic menu. It was a sunny, hot day so we cut the walk pretty short but still had a good time.



Finally, on our actual anniversary, we went to a fancy dinner downtown at one of our favorite seafood restaurants in Denver: Willie G's. It was a nice evening and great way to finish the multiday celebration.

A Farewell to Skiing....

It was interesting when it finally hit me - "I don't want to go skiing anymore." Skiing is available, but I would rather do other things with my free time. It reminded me (of course) of a Simpsons quote:

"What's happening to me? There's still food, but I don't want to eat it. I've become everything I've ever hated!" -- Homer Simpson

I don't think I've quite became everything I've ever hated, but knowing that I won't have this opportunity next year..its tough not to go. On the other hand, its also tough to think about skiing as the temperatures turn to near 80 degrees for most of the week. I'm sure I'm not getting anyone's sympathy with my complaint about TOO MUCH skiing, but I promise you'll only have to hear about it for a little longer.

Skiing in Colorado
A look back at the 2006 Ski Season

Part I: The stats

Number of resorts visited: 5 (Brecekenridge, A Basin, Keystone, Vail, and Copper Mountain)
Number of times skied: 23 for Mike, 19 for Sarah
Number of trails skied at Breck: I could only count 52 (out of their total of 147). It seemed like I had done more than that but there are a ton of blacks and double blacks (and some greens) I never got to.
Number of times snowboarded: 1 for Mike, 1 for Sarah
Number of times fell while skiing: ~30 for Mike, ~15 for cautious Sarah
Number of times fell while snowboarding: At least 50 each(including two minor injuries)

Part II: The Pictures

Solitude at Breck	Sarah at Vail
Snow Diving
Sarah with Giant Mound of Snow	Mike at Vail
1st Time Snowboarders

Part III: The Lessons

Breckenridge starting as number one and certainly ended up as our favorite resort. We tried snowboarding with fun but relatively painful results. I never got to try shirtless snow diving (jumping into the snow, then back in the hot tub), but I'm not sure that having skin that feels on fire is a sensation I want to have. We never really got the hang of moguls, but we did venture on several different black diamonds. We learned never to forget your facemask on a January lift ride. We had a great time this season, and with that I bid skiing farewell...for this year.

V...

I can certainly count on one hand the amount of times I've been to the movie theater this year; mainly because nothing has really seemed worth the money and effort. However, I was recently persuaded to check out V for Vendetta because of strong word of mouth and generally good reviews (now in the top 250 at imdb). I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I think its main charm is that it's so hard to put in any one genre. It's based on a comic book (maybe I'm not PC but I refuse to call a comic book a graphic novel), but it doesn't feel anything like a typical comic book movie. Its tone is dark, its story is complex, and its overall setting in a futuristic totalitarian state is frighteningly realistic. There are only a few action scenes (one is particularly violent, that I enjoyed but Sarah did get a little squeamish), so certainly the main focus is on the story and the complexities of the two main characters: V and Evey. Despite the fact that V wears a mask, Hugo Weaving (remember Agent Smith from Matrix or perhaps Elrond) does an excellent job with the many sides of V. Natalie Portman does a great job as well, although she loses some of her hotness with a shaved head.

I don't want to give away any more of the plot, because I personally like going into a movie with as little knowledge as possible. I do recommend checking it out if you have the opportunity, I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10 and I think many of you would enjoy it.