January 25, 2007

Sometimes you have to look for the silver lining. Other times it is pretty obvious. Saturday my truck started overheating as we got off the highway on our way home from the ski resort. On Sunday, I added some water to the cooling system and it was pretty low. We took Kris’ car to the ski resort just to be safe. When we got back, I didn’t see any leaks, but I wasn’t comfortable with the situation. I drove to work on Monday and started smelling coolant about half way there. Steam was starting to roll out from under my hood at stop lights. I took it in and they found a couple of leaks. Oh yeah, the silver lining - 49,840 miles on the odometer. Warranty expires in 160 miles.

Sunday was another ski day with Kris’ internet friend. This time we got to ski with her other daughter as well. I felt pretty good since I helped her learn some techniques for steeper terrain. I don’t enjoy teaching kids as much since they don’t usually take to explanations. I have to find ways to trick them into new techniques. Once they are old enough to take some instruction, they are also old enough to start developing some attitude. So this was an exceptional teaching opportunity since she is a polite, friendly kid. I felt good about helping her out and she seemed to appreciate my help.

Kris and I made a few runs ourselves. We went to the top, but the visibility wasn’t too good. They were working on a downhill course for some races this week so we had to ski around the markers that were being set up. It did bring new perspective to the terrain we frequently ski. Trying to imagine letting your skis run down some of the steep pitches, hitting speeds of almost 70 mph, is terrifying especially with crappy visibility. It is hard enough to ski a controlled pace when all you see is white. Surprise dips, bumps, and ruts shake your confidence with every turn. I can’t imagine trying to run full speed in those conditions.

The snow was pretty good. We found some nice stuff a little lower on the mountain where we could see something more than just white. We made a few runs and called it a weekend, a weekend spent mostly on easier terrain hanging out with other people. It was oddly satisfying not feeling pressured to get the most value out of our days on the slope. It is great to feel like we are living on vacation.

I made it over a year in my job. I think I passed the anniversary last week, but I don’t really remember. It has been a great experience. I have learned so many things about the workplace and the world by taking this job. It was a good decision.

We did a little shopping tonight. Kris and I stopped at Sears. I was hoping to find some shirts. I seem to be running low. In ten minutes, I picked out 4 shirts and two pairs of jeans. I hate shopping, but that was sure easy. Everything was on sale. I spent $115. I almost paid that much for a tie once.