Aside from mutually assured destructing in the kitchen, Jordan and I have fallen into a routine of sorts. As a result, it has been fairly easy to dismiss the past few months as a return to routine and normalcy. But hold everything... I learned how to do this
dang....I look cool.
For those that were with me for my first day on the mountain this year I thank you for your kindness and patience. On a related note, I have discovered that most people don't remember how hard it was to "use the potty" for the first time. Much in the same way, most snowboarders don't remember how hard it is to strap yourself to a glorified piece of plywood and throw yourself down a mountain using only moon boots to control your frantic, desperate movements. To them it is as natural as using the potty.
For the rest of us, that first day down the mountain is a little different. First of all, it is scary. It is, "forget the potty, find me a diaper" scary. Real snowboarders don't understand this, to them it is a sense of freedom and singular joy flying across snow. Thankfully, my first day on the mountain Ali accompanied me. Having someone who also understands snowboarding as the "plywood + moon boots = punishment for sins in a past life" equation keeps spirits much higher. The other kind of spirits that Ali brought with her also helped quite a bit.
It took us four, awful hours to get down the mountain that day. That same route takes maybe 25 minutes for me now, and probably 15 minutes for someone that is good. When we finally reached the bottom, neither Ali or I were entirely sure that we would be able to walk. "I feel like I have cerebral palsy" Ali giggled at me. That really is the only way to describe the feeling, regardless of how politically incorrect it may be. Nothing moves except to shake. All you want is a glass of water and a horse tranquilizer, hoping that you sleep through the next several days of sore muscles.
Learning to snowboard may be my first big accomplishment since I have been stateside. But I still have more stories, and more travel.
Nice to see you again, blog...I have so much to tell you.
