It seems that each month is now dedicated to something, someone, some group, etc. Despite the excessiveness of this dedication system, it's not a bad technique for raising awareness.
In Blacksburg, April is the month for the bike challenge. Basically promoting cycling in all shapes and forms. In the bike challenge you log your miles for the month. The reason is simply to promote biking and the thousands of benefits...on the website they list a worthy top ten.
Check it out and register. If you need a bike, you can get one for super ridiculously cheap at the Blacksburg Bike Co-op. I can get you more info on that if you are interested.
Here is the bikechallenge site: bikechallenge.org.vt.edu
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Spring Break!
Vacations always go by fast, and this was no exception. We had a great time with Killington, VT as our primary destination. Lil-M got to spend 4 days with her grandparents and we got to spend those days bound only to the schedule of the lifts. The first day we missed her, but we quickly came to appreciate the time and remembered how carefree a vacation can be without a kid.
Killington is a perfect combination of old-skol and modern amenieties. It doesn't have that canned resort "village" feel, yet the mountain is very nice. We stayed at a Vermont style Inn that included an amazing breakfast that even big-M appreciated. We also had one dinner there that consisted of venison and australian lamb. The place had charm, yet was nice. We spent our late evenings in the lounge with the innkeepers and one other couple learning about the local Killington politics...just in case, big-M is starting his mayoral campaign there already.
As a huge plus, all the public places are smoke-free, one of the few laws in VT, but in my opinion a great one. We visited a few different restuaruants and bars, with our favorite being a place called The Garlic. Yes, we crazy bad breadth that entire evening. All the restaurants we visited were top-notch and served up interesting food and drink.
The snowboarding....the first day was a mere -13 degrees with 20-30 mph winds. Cold, cold, cold. Our first ride of the day we swore the wax had blown off our boards during the ride up on the roof. However, turns out that snow just gets a bit sticky when the temperature drops to the point where you shouldn't be outside for more than a few seconds. We not only survived by riding the heated gondola all day, but it turned into a beautiful day of riding and a great start to the trip.
The next two days were a balming 5-10 degrees. It really did feel balmy and we were able to ride all the lifts and stay out indefinitely. These two days were really great. We covered at least a few runs off of each peak and found our niches. Our favorite was a run call double dipper. It was off the top peak and had these beautiful powdery moguls that seems to go untouched. The extreme cold made for great snow that remained nice and soft for days.
Vermont claims to be home to snowboarding, snowboard this, that, etc. It was definitely true with respect to the superpipe and other features. We spent a good portion of our time hitting jumps and the pipe. The pipe was impressive. It is definitely a step up from a snowshoe-style pipe...if they even had one!
In summary, great snow; wonderful accomodations; great local foods; but manageable temps; and no one to worry about besides ourselves! Also, note that my boots rock. I was a bit worried, after the first day, but with a few adjustments, I'm in love.
Killington is a perfect combination of old-skol and modern amenieties. It doesn't have that canned resort "village" feel, yet the mountain is very nice. We stayed at a Vermont style Inn that included an amazing breakfast that even big-M appreciated. We also had one dinner there that consisted of venison and australian lamb. The place had charm, yet was nice. We spent our late evenings in the lounge with the innkeepers and one other couple learning about the local Killington politics...just in case, big-M is starting his mayoral campaign there already.
As a huge plus, all the public places are smoke-free, one of the few laws in VT, but in my opinion a great one. We visited a few different restuaruants and bars, with our favorite being a place called The Garlic. Yes, we crazy bad breadth that entire evening. All the restaurants we visited were top-notch and served up interesting food and drink.
The snowboarding....the first day was a mere -13 degrees with 20-30 mph winds. Cold, cold, cold. Our first ride of the day we swore the wax had blown off our boards during the ride up on the roof. However, turns out that snow just gets a bit sticky when the temperature drops to the point where you shouldn't be outside for more than a few seconds. We not only survived by riding the heated gondola all day, but it turned into a beautiful day of riding and a great start to the trip.
The next two days were a balming 5-10 degrees. It really did feel balmy and we were able to ride all the lifts and stay out indefinitely. These two days were really great. We covered at least a few runs off of each peak and found our niches. Our favorite was a run call double dipper. It was off the top peak and had these beautiful powdery moguls that seems to go untouched. The extreme cold made for great snow that remained nice and soft for days.
Vermont claims to be home to snowboarding, snowboard this, that, etc. It was definitely true with respect to the superpipe and other features. We spent a good portion of our time hitting jumps and the pipe. The pipe was impressive. It is definitely a step up from a snowshoe-style pipe...if they even had one!
In summary, great snow; wonderful accomodations; great local foods; but manageable temps; and no one to worry about besides ourselves! Also, note that my boots rock. I was a bit worried, after the first day, but with a few adjustments, I'm in love.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Snowboarding Boots
Today I ordered new snowboarding boots and they shipped today. Backcountry.com is amazing that way. I'm pretty much giddy and can't wait for our Vermont trip to try them out. My well-used K2 boots are 8 years old. I can't believe I've been snowboarding that long and I still can't get out of the pipe. I blame it on snowshoe for never opening their pipe until the last week of the season. My prediction is that they don't even bother to open it this year. They just taunt me with the phrase on their website, "opening soon," my ass.
Snowboarding has come a long way in the past 8 years. My K2 boots were the only women's boots I could find at that time, yet after I purchased them and did a bit more reading I found out that they were just men's boots with a women's tag on it. Sneaking marketing bastards. I'm grateful that I now have an abundance of brands and styles of brands to choose from in the world of women's boots. However, after further investigation, the shaft continues. This time although there are plenty of women's boots out there, it only matters if you have small feet. I wear a 10.5 and I found 2 brands, that make a women's boot over size 10. Even then, 1 of the brands only offers 10.5's in their entry-level boots. Seriously, this is ridiculous. I realize 10.5 is big, but I know I am not alone out here. Two years ago when I bought bindings I ran into the same problem. Companies make women's bindings, but not for boots over size 6, or some unrealistically small size. No offense ML, but often female athletes tend to not be petite little girls wearing size 6.
So big props to Northwave who makes a kickass boot and actually offers it up to size 11, gasp! I'm excited to finally get to play along in the world of women's snowboard gear.
Snowboarding has come a long way in the past 8 years. My K2 boots were the only women's boots I could find at that time, yet after I purchased them and did a bit more reading I found out that they were just men's boots with a women's tag on it. Sneaking marketing bastards. I'm grateful that I now have an abundance of brands and styles of brands to choose from in the world of women's boots. However, after further investigation, the shaft continues. This time although there are plenty of women's boots out there, it only matters if you have small feet. I wear a 10.5 and I found 2 brands, that make a women's boot over size 10. Even then, 1 of the brands only offers 10.5's in their entry-level boots. Seriously, this is ridiculous. I realize 10.5 is big, but I know I am not alone out here. Two years ago when I bought bindings I ran into the same problem. Companies make women's bindings, but not for boots over size 6, or some unrealistically small size. No offense ML, but often female athletes tend to not be petite little girls wearing size 6.
So big props to Northwave who makes a kickass boot and actually offers it up to size 11, gasp! I'm excited to finally get to play along in the world of women's snowboard gear.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Happy Valentines Day
We had a great evening last night. Big-M and I have the tradition of celebrating Valentine's Day with our friends. Every year this decision is confirmed as a good one.
This tradition of ours is obviously practical, as going out on Valentine's Day is ridiculous to attempt; that is, unless you enjoy crowded restaurants, higher prices, bad service (b/c they are so busy), and an environment of awkward relationships between all the people who only pay attention to their relationships on this one day every year. Big-M is my valentine all year long!! cheese I know, but true.
Not only is our tradition practical, but when we celebrate we love to have our friends around. Don't get me wrong, we thrive off our own little time together, but friends make a party and true celebration.
So anyway, thanks to our friends who spent their own valentine's day with us, enjoying specials foods, wine, and other friends. We love you all.
This tradition of ours is obviously practical, as going out on Valentine's Day is ridiculous to attempt; that is, unless you enjoy crowded restaurants, higher prices, bad service (b/c they are so busy), and an environment of awkward relationships between all the people who only pay attention to their relationships on this one day every year. Big-M is my valentine all year long!! cheese I know, but true.
Not only is our tradition practical, but when we celebrate we love to have our friends around. Don't get me wrong, we thrive off our own little time together, but friends make a party and true celebration.
So anyway, thanks to our friends who spent their own valentine's day with us, enjoying specials foods, wine, and other friends. We love you all.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
thermals
I need to give props to big-M and ML(medium-M?) for my current warmness. Big-M has always been a proponent of wearing long underwear and I was previously sold for extended outdoor events like football games. In comes ML wearing them on a more daily basis. So a couple weeks ago I gave it a shot...and amazingly I'm actually not cold all the time! I don't deal well with basic physical discomfort, like being cold, so this has been revolutionary for my daily demeanor. Everyone should try it.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Something I had to post even if no one reads it
This is a quote from an AP article today:
"The Federal Reserve is keeping close tabs on the performance of productivity and unit labor costs for any signs that slowing productivity and rising wage pressures are having an adverse impact on inflation. The hope is that businesses will meet worker wage demands by trimming their record profits rather than boosting the cost of their goods."
The last line is the one that cracks me up. It's nice and all, but what is the incentive for companies to trim profits instead of boost costs? Obviously costs can't be raised infinitely because there is a price point at which people (or enough people) won't pay for the service or good. Until that point is met, of course they will raise costs. It's ridiculous to think that out of the goodness of their hearts they'll cut profits? Does our government really think this?
Okay, I'll concede that maybe a few places will play along, privately held companies who are looking to improve their image, maybe pro-community places like Tom's of Maine, or amazing businesses like digital bazaar.
"The Federal Reserve is keeping close tabs on the performance of productivity and unit labor costs for any signs that slowing productivity and rising wage pressures are having an adverse impact on inflation. The hope is that businesses will meet worker wage demands by trimming their record profits rather than boosting the cost of their goods."
The last line is the one that cracks me up. It's nice and all, but what is the incentive for companies to trim profits instead of boost costs? Obviously costs can't be raised infinitely because there is a price point at which people (or enough people) won't pay for the service or good. Until that point is met, of course they will raise costs. It's ridiculous to think that out of the goodness of their hearts they'll cut profits? Does our government really think this?
Okay, I'll concede that maybe a few places will play along, privately held companies who are looking to improve their image, maybe pro-community places like Tom's of Maine, or amazing businesses like digital bazaar.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)