8:30am

A couple more inches. It'll be another great day of riding.

8:30pm

8:24

That was not the funnest thing I've done this weekend.

7:43

7:30pm

Well, it turned out to be a decent storm. The riding was great today and we still may get another foot tonight. The bad news is that the husband is insisting that I shovel the deck so it won't get weighed down. So much for documenting the accumulation.

7:40am

If this really had been the storm of the half century then everything would be closed and I'd be continuing to update this all day today. But since it wasn't...you can find me on the mountain.

9:00pm

Still not a stellar performance.

7:00pm

6:00pm

4:30pm

Now we're talking. An inch in 45 minutes.

3:50pm

Still no big deal but the temp just dropped so it's all snow now.

1:20pm

Just a bunch of wind and slush. Disappointing showing thus far.

11:20am

Snow's just beginning to stick

Storm Play by Play

8:40am Even the dog knows something's coming

There have been only two topics of discussion here this week. 1. The Iowa Caucus and 2. The Storm.

Thank goodness topic number 1 is over so we can stop talking about that (end result is Obama and Huckabee). Topic number 2 is just beginning to play out. I'm always amazed how much people can talk about something that may or may not happen in the future and that they have no control over. The grocery store prepared for a panic buy yesterday. Don't ask me how that went, I wasn't part of it. People have been talking about this blizzard now for over a week. Here's what NOAA has to say about it.

"ATTEMPTING TO TRAVEL IN THE SIERRA WILL PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK!...IF YOU DO ATTEMPT TRAVEL IN THE SIERRA YOUR CHANCES OF BEING STRANDED FOR MORE THAN A FEW HOURS IS VERY HIGH. REMAIN INDOORS DURING THIS BLIZZARD...EVEN A SHORT WALK OUTDOORS COULD BE DEADLY AS YOU WILL BECOME DISORIENTED IN THE WHITEOUT CONDITIONS WITH ZERO VISIBILITY."

Yes, it's all capitalized just like that. With dramatic talk like that, I guess it's no wonder people won't stop talking about it.

Well, talk or not, it's finally Friday and the storm is finally here. I'll do my part by posting the action as it happens from the comfort of my living room.

Coco loco

I have just discovered that coconut oil exists only in solid form at my house. I’m not sure why that is but I can only assume it has something to do with the altitude since my house has no other unusual attributes. But we’re not at that high of an altitude; only slightly higher than the mile high city of Denver and I find it hard to believe that all Denverites go about their lives sans coconut oil.

I thought at first it was a fluke that the little bottles of monoi we stole from our hotel in Tahiti solidified once we got home, but this weekend I tried making a coconut cake with Coco Lopez pina colada mix and lo and behold, it was solid too. Why in the world would altitude turn a liquid into a solid? How does one make a pina colada while camping? Why am I just now discovering this after having gone to a party college a mile above sea level? Intriguing.

Her angel

As I was standing in line for coffee the other day I was distracted by a woman talking to herself at a nearby table. She began directing her conversation in my general direction, and since I don’t come across crazies enough to be disenchanted with them, I gave her my attention and ear. She asked me to help her look for her gloves and then she found them in her purse. She asked me what happened to the chickens in the rotisserie and why they weren’t ready yet. She told me the cab driver had driven right past her this morning and she should have run to chase him down. She asked me what time it was. She told me it’s beautiful here.

And then she looked right at me and said -- I used to live here. I lived here for 6 years. It’s funny, you know. Everything is going great and life is wonderful. And then……then…something happens……….and there was no angel on my shoulder.

She stared at me with melancholy resolution. An acceptance full of sorrow and woe. The heaviness of her life pressed down on me while the sound of air being forced into milk pierced my ear.

I chose to accept our encounter as advice rather than an omen.

26 Red again

So did anything life altering happen this year on April 26? Not really life altering but I definitely think there is a weird energy about that day.

I found out that my cousin is pulling her two little girls out of my wedding party because she has too much going on in her life right now and can't commit to it. That really bummed me out. I'm not mad at her, I completely understand, it's just that coupled with the fact that I only have one other relative who is willing to commit to coming to my wedding. And who knows even with her. I guess I always imagined that even though we live far apart and only see each other every couple of years, that they would make the effort for this event. I guess that sounds rather self-absorbed. But I don't really rely on my extended family for much, and if absolutely no one makes it to my wedding then I'm pretty sure I can't really rely on them for anything at all. Sigh.

Also, April 26 announced the merger between my former employer and his competitor. It took many months after leaving that job before I stopped having dreams about how it would all turn out. I had reached the resolve that maybe nothing would ever happen and my former boss would somehow manage to bump through limbo his entire life. But I guess since the church decided limbo doesn't exist then he had to do something.

I'm actually happy for the "merger" and happy that he can have some resolution as well. Strange that I would wish him anything at all, but I am happy for him. I know he will never find peace and ease in his life but at least he's one step closer. My former coworkers, on the other hand, have varying opinions on the value of this ending. Tom is actually mad that he sold out. But I really admire that in Tom. Despite all that he went through, he's still loyal to the passion and ethos of the sport. That amazes me and is truly admirable.

So there it is. Nothing earth shattering but definitely more bumps on the road than an average day.

Until next year...

26 Red

It's April 26th. I should really write a list of all the significant life altering moments in my life that have occurred on April 26th. It seems there is some cosmic pull around this date. I don't feel like anything significant is going to happen to me today but I guess you never really know.

I'm battling computer woes at work so this diversion is semi-justified. It snowed this past weekend but this upcoming weekend we will be wakeboarding with friends down the hill. That seems weird to me. My Saturdays this summer have booked up fast and I wonder how much boat lounging actually awaits me this year. I can smell summer around the corner and it smells sweet.