Gang's All Here!

B and I did something we haven't done for years yesterday: we went skiing on a Saturday.

And joined a couple thousand of our closest friends for a day on the slopes at Meadows. Skiing on the weekend is an experience all its own, where the people watching spectacles never cease. We saw people drinking PBRs in the parking lot at 9:30am. The slopes were packed with ski schools from little kiddos all the way up to what looked like retired adults. Teenagers on twin tip skis were everywhere. Snowboarders dressed in every color imaginable were sprawled all over the place. I saw a guy pull an opened beer from inside his jacket, pass it to his girlfriend in the lift line who then took a few swigs, passed it back to the boyfriend who then put it back inside his jacket. We saw countless wipe-outs and faceplants from the lift.

But, it was snowing! Everyone had a smile on their face, no one complained about the 10 minute wait in the lift line. People were shouting hellos to each other from lift to slope or from slope to lift. While I will still take my weekday ski trips, where the runs are deserted and the lines non-existent, it was a great atmosphere and so fun to see so many people enjoying our mountain. I don't care what they say, the mountain economy is alive and kicking.

Chef's Corner

Here's a small check-in on the "cooking" resolution. Two more meals under my belt:

I made this chili for friends last week along with a to-die-for avocado salad whose recipe I stole from another friend. The chili was super spicy and instead of serving it over rice, I made jalapeno cornbread. Perfect. Tonight's dinner is this ravioli on the side of sauteed broccoli and roasted chicken.

Success. Full success.

Monday Morning

Proof that sometimes it doesn't rain in Portland.

Nordic Barbie!

Introducing... Nordic Barbie! Complete with skis, poles and mad skills.

Olympic gold medal, white Volvo and blond pigtails sold separately.

Lazy done up right

I really can't even remember how many plans we threw out for the weekend:

-- weekend in Seattle

-- weekend in San Francisco

-- skiing at Anthony Lakes

-- weekend skiing in Salt Lake City

-- weekend at the Oregon coast

-- camping/hiking in the Painted Hills

-- weekend skiing in Bend

ALL of these ideas were abandoned for various reasons-- too far to drive, too expensive, too far to drive-- but the main reason was that it was forecasted to rain all weekend, up and down the west coast. Rain in Portland, Seattle and San Fran and wintry mixes at the ski resorts. Ick.

So, we spent the 4-day weekend making "lazy" live up to her name. In between sleeping late, reading and lounging around, we did manage to watch a couple of movies, attend happy hour, have a sushi date night, finish up a long-over due sewing project and go cross-country skiing.

Hmmm, what to do next weekend...

Kristina and I posing outside of The Observatory in SE Portland.

B and I on the trails at Teacup XC skiing park.

Hey Nebraska, give us the snow back!

While it dumps, blows and blizzards snow on the Plains, we here in the Pacific Northwest are wondering what happened to winter. It started out great, but since then, zip, zero, nada. Sure, we're getting precipitation alright, just not enough of the white variety.

B and I headed for the ski slopes again today and were met with gray skies and crappy snow. So, what do you do when the slopes are chopped up and the out-of-bounds territory is an ice sheet? You jump stuff.

Well, I didn't say big stuff, just stuff. We spent a couple of hours in the parks today, basking in the 40 degree temps and the serious lack of anyone else on the mountain. Crappy snow aside, we had a pretty good time.

Resolution Solution

A new start. A fresh perspective, a fresh look. A new year, a new you. Blah, blah, blah.

I'm not good at New Year's Resolutions. It's not that I can't keep them, it's that I start to cheat right from the get-go: I set resolutions I know I will absolutely achieve without even trying.

Big, fat, cheaty mccheater.

So, this year, I have decided (very resolutely I might add) to actually set some goals that might actually be a challenge.

One of my 2010 goals is to spend more time in my kitchen. B usually does the cooking around our house and since he's rather exceptional at it, I really don't protest and let him take care of it. (I wash A LOT of dishes.) For some reason, I'm a little uptight in the kitchen. I get intimidated about trying new methods and if I don't have a recipe, I won't even attempt it. My goal this year will not only be to spend more time in the kitchen, but to spend more time experimenting in the kitchen. Finding what tastes will work well together, what ingredients can I substitute for other ingredients, finding a couple of recipes I can whip up from what we have in our pantry and mainly, trying to get B to say "wow, this is really good" when he takes a bite.

So to that end, 2010 is off to a great start! I'm proud to say that I've already made some resolute progress in this area. New Year's Eve? I made this. It was positively scrumptious. Tonight? I made this. But because I tried to combine it with another Asian inspired recipe, it was...meh. Guess that is two recipes down, only about a thousand to go.

Reflection

The year 2009 by the numbers:

Out of state trips taken: 6 (Denver, Kauai, Zion, Belle Plaine, Pullman, the Redwoods)

New states visited: 1 (California)

Days spent on skis: probably 25

Miles biked: around 350

Miles hiked: 50-ish

Days spent snorkeling: 3

Days spent rafting: 2

Nights spent in a tent: very surprising, only 3

Volcanoes circled by bike: 1 (Crater Lake)

Days spent at the coast: 10

Miles put on the Jeep: 28,372

Mountain summits reached: 1 (Mt.St. Helens)

Days spent together on an adventure, driving, flying, skiing, biking, hiking: 365

Rules of the Road

The rules Oregon drivers seem to follow during inclement weather:

1. If your car spins out and you can't go anywhere, DO NOT pull over to the side of the road. Just abandon your car in the middle of the freeway and walk to the nearest exit/bar.

2. If you get in a small fender-bender, DO NOT pull over to the side of the road. Simply stop in the lane, get out and inspect the damage with the other driver.

3. If you are lucky enough to have tire chains in your trunk and think you need to put them on because it has snowed approximately two inches, DO NOT pull over to the side of the road. Stop in the lane, get out and take the next 45 minutes to put on your chains.

4. If there is a sudden, glorious break in the traffic, DO NOT gradually accelerate so you can be ready to stop again. Speed up as fast as you can and then slam on your brakes to stop behind the other car in front of you. If need be, swerve to the side, spin out and then abandon your car.

Oh, I'm sorry, I might need to explain my tone: we had a surprise afternoon snowstorm on Tuesday. It took me almost 4 hours to cover my normal 40 minute commute. Arrgh.