Dammit... Springtime already?!?

This winter has been quite busy for me... so I apologize to those of you who have been coming to my blog daily or even weekly, just to be repeatedly disappointed that I haven't written anything.

Ok, I know that last statement is only relevant to 3 people at most... but the apology is still sincere.

In the past month, I've been all over the place, both nationally and locally.

I spent a weekend in my home town with my parents and girlfriend. She and I did some snowboarding at Ski Liberty, then hung out with my parents at the local social club and got in some good face time... It's always good to know that your parents are doing well and having a great time in life. And I must say, my girlfriend is becoming a much more confident snowboarder!

One weekend was my girlfriend's birthday, so we headed out for a great weekend at the bars with all of her friends. Saki bombs are a lot of fun, especially with 15 people at 7pm in a restaurant full of families eating dinner and dozens of high schoolers having their pre-formal dinner with their dates!!

One weekend was spent with the little lady and some friends in Vermont, hitting the slopes at Mount Snow. Next year, the girlfriend is coming with us out west to hit the "hills"... that's how good she's gotten!!

One weekend was full of exercise in anticipation of the half-marathon we're going to be running in Nashville in April. My better half and I strapped on the blades and skated about 13 miles on Saturday (racing through 2 states and the District of Columbia in less than 2 hours), then donned our running shoes for a half dozen miles on Sunday.

And I just got back from Tahoe, where two of my friends and I enjoyed 50 degree weather while hitting the slopes sans gloves, hats, and anything else we could shed while we shredded.

Now... it's back to the daily grind. I've got no great weekend plans coming up for a while...

But I do have something great to look forward to!!

This weekend marks the beginning of our spring kickball season. I've finally gotten my team roster finalized, and we have our first practice/meet and greet this Sunday. On Thursday we've got the Pre-Season Kickball party at our sponsor bar (props to Nolan's) and on April 12th, we take the field to squash our first opponents (I hope!!).

Kids... if you have a kickball league anywhere in your area, and you have a free weeknight, or weekend afternoon, to give up for a couple months... I highly recommend giving kickball a shot. It's a great way to meet some fun people and enjoy the spring weather after a long day's work. Plus, I dare you to come up with a better reason to head down to happy hour...

So here's to kickball, springtime, and warm weather (oh, and more frequent postings on this blog!!)...

CHEERS!!

Well, it's official... I've found my cold threshold.

I drove all night from DC on Thursday night to Vermont so I could hit the slopes for the weekend (now that they actually have some natural snow and have been able to blow enough to open 50% of the mountains).

Yesterday's weather made the entire drive worth it. Highs around 30 degrees, a little fresh snow, and just a little wind.

Today, however, not so good. As of now, the temperature at the top of the mountain is around 12 degrees and the winds are blowing consistently between 20 and 30 mph, with 50+ mph gusts. At least they didn't close the lifts... but from what I hear, it was close.

Tonight, we get to warm up in style... Jager-style!! and watch one of the most interesting performers I've seen in a long time. His name is Bruce Jacques, and he's pretty much a one man entertainment machine. Check out his website... www.brucejacques.com and see for yourself. He plays here at Mt. Snow every weekend at the mountain bar (yeah, there's pretty much only one).

Tonight... we drink and laugh... tomorrow... we pop Advil and hit the slopes for the AM... then hit the road for the PM.

I hope you all are having a great (and warm) weekend!

When was our anniversary again?

Oh... right... New Year's Eve...

Apparently there's a new trend in weddings. This year, my girlfriend and I are headed to Minneapolis, Minnesota for the wedding of one of her friends. It's on New Year's Eve. Which means that I lose a much appreciated holiday. So do a few of my other friends. At least 3 people I've talked to are also headed to weddings on New Year's Eve. The one I'm going to should be a blast, so I'm not complaining about going.

So, my question is... Why would so many couples decide to tie the knot on a worldwide holiday? The only explanation I can determine is that neither of them will ever forget their anniversary. What other explanation could there be? (this is not a rhetorical question... if you have any ideas, send them my way)

The wedding I'll be attending should give me one of the best views of a fireworks display I've ever had... with the exception of that one a few years back in Gettysburg when the launcher fell over and started shooting the rockets at the spectators... now THAT was a show! The wedding couple spared little to no expense and will be holding their reception at a place called "Windows over Minneapolis." It's going to be on the top floor of a very tall building (maybe 30 or 40 floors) and from what I understand the entire floor has floor to ceiling glass windows giving the well-wishers a spectacular view of the city in any direction they choose to enjoy.

I'm assuming that the open bar will last until at least midnight, so I really couldn't ask for a better place to be for the dropping of the... ummm... .. .. well... whatever the hell they drop in Minnesota to commemorate a new beginning for their residents. Even if the booze isn't free until midnight, I'm sure I can make good use of the bartender for as long as she or he will let me. Plus, I'll be in the company of my extremely wonderful girlfriend, so what more could I really ask for.

But I truly pity those people around the country (or even around the world) who are being dragged away from their buds to attend a Catholic wedding ceremony following by a reception in a local fire hall where the only person they know is their date and MAYBE one other person that they've met once or twice before. It just doesn't seem fair to the guests. Family members of the wedding party probably don't mind since they most likely didn't have anything better to do anyway... hell, this could be the best bash they've had all year.

Now that I think about it, maybe the New Year's weddings are designed specifically to test the strength of the relationships of all those unmarried friends and family. If they can get their date to commit to this event... they must have someone who truly cares about them.

So now that you know what I'm doing... what are your plans to make the last day of 2006 memorable (or unrecoverable...)?