The Echoes get crazy at Fat Tuesday's

Purple Mountains Majesty

I think it may have been a trick of my goggles, but the mountains across the valley were purple today. The lake, of course, was its usual state of shocking deep blue. The views here are unbelievable.

Observations from today:

• I think I'm getting better! Or more likely it's all psychological, and I've been cheered by the compliment I received from a stranger this afternoon.
• Little kids on skis: cute. Little kids on snowboards: even cuter. I could eat them alive.
• Groucho Marx is hot.

I'm being beckoned to the hot tub. Adios.

Tahoe Observations

It's now the end of my second day of mountain bliss in Tahoe, California. It poured snow all day yesterday, but I managed to clamber all over Heavenly in pursuit of my lost ski legs. Found 'em! Today was the storm's brilliant after-math: sunny skies and pure fluff on the slopes. My quads may never recover, but my heart is full to bursting. Oh, and did I mention that my mother, father, aunt, and best friend are here?

Observations from the past couple days:

• For some reason I always figured I was a pretty decent skiier. Turns out I had a generous definition of "decent."
• Tahoe snow plows are HUGE. And scary.
• Genius award goes to the person who thought of popping up windshield whipers on cars. This prevents them from freezing on the windshield.
• You can save yourself from a certain-death backward slide down a hill by yanking the emergency brake and flipping a 180, then gunning it downhill. Between that and an ample supply of dumb luck, you can survive even the most harrowing of winter driving experiences.
• Sunscreen has an expiration date. Huh?? Of course I only realize this AFTER I'm burned into oblivion.
• Heavenly is full of catwalks. Catwalks are hard as f%^$ing hell. In related news, they also suck.

I think I'll curl up with a hot tub and some single malt scotch now. White out.

Yes, I'm a Groupie

Went to an amazing concert yesterday at Iota. And since this is my own personal space for making whatever ridiculous pronouncements I wish to, let me say this: The Echoes and Brainfang rock. I adore them, and I am fast on my way to being a groupie.

Now I realize there are only like three people that read this blog, but if by any chance you happen to stumble across this - especially if you live in the DC Metro region - you really must check them out.

'Tis the Season to be Jolly

OK, I just have to say that I freakin' love the middle of December. Screw Chrismukah - I'm talking year-end lists! You know, when critics rank the best music releases of the year. I am basically wallowing in bliss. Today Pitchfork released their "Top 100 Albums of 2005," which I was pleased to note put my dear, dear friend Sufjan at #1, as did Amazon. I also dig the Onion AV Club's method of giving multiple reviewers a chance to publish their own lists instead of trying to compromise on one official ranking. Read, learn, and listen, kids!

Baltimore

Had a great time Sunday spending the day in Baltimore. Thanks to my friend Jan Louis I was able to experience the pleasure of a visit to the Dime Museum, a truly bizarre, creepy, and thus utterly appropriate homage to the dime museum of the late 19th Century and the carnival sideshow of the early 20th. Exhibits ranged from a stuffed two-headed calf to an aligator-woman in a glass case (as our guide said, "Feel free to be skeptical"). Very whacky but fun place - too bad it will be closing at the end of the year.

After a delicious dinner courtesy of Faith's parents, I then went with buddies Faith, Jan Louis, and Ray to the "Miracle on 34th Street" display of shocking Christmas excess on 34th Street in Hampden. It was visual cacophony, but awesome. Back in Los Gatos we had (still have, I guess) a house we always drove past on our way home that was super, super decked out for Christmas - it sometimes included a BMW M3 covered with lights (yuppie Santa's modern sleigh) and a roof lined with lights and programed to do a rippling sequence from top to bottom. That was cool too, but it would have been just another face in the crowd on 34th Street.

Bonsai

Made my first trip to the National Arboretum this past Sunday. My impression may have been slightly affected by the clear, sunny skies and unbelieveable, unseansonable 72º weather, but it is easily one of the most beautiful places I have seen in DC. The cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin are the closest competitor (although I haven't yet been to the Botanical Gardens, and I hear they're pretty nice). At any rate, the arboretum is enormous and certainly worthy of a full-day exploration; in an effort to keep from getting too overwhelmed, however, I limited myself to the Bonsai & Penjing Museum. They have a really terrific display of bonsai from all over the world. Some of them - as you can see from the picture above - even change color in the fall. Amazing.

Halloween Greetings

Check out this cute little video to put you in the Halloween mood. Anyone who's ever been the victim of one of my scares knows how much this speaks to me. Plus it's given me some great ideas....

Boring blog?

I was recently criticized for having "the boringest blog ever" (thanks, RA). OK, I admit I haven't been the most diligent with my posts. It's actually not because my life has been unremarkable in any way - in fact it is quite the opposite - but I don't have the DSL in my new apartment set up yet (it arrives on November 3) and I've been a wee bit busy between my new job, a car break-in, moving, and lots of other boring excuses. I'll be back sooner than you care.

Oh, and for the record, this is the boringest blog ever.