Pushing My Luck and the Beauty of Just Going For It

What an interesting turn of events we had the other day, stemming from the fact that rather than wishing we had done something, we instead opted to just take a leap and faith and do it, albeit with some trepidation.

We had gone skiing on Tue, and I knew I was pushing my luck a bit in thinking of skiing another day, as well, but there was purpose to my madness. When we ski at Whaleback, we are practically the only ones on the hill. It makes sense when you really get down to it. At some point in the afternoon, the crowds begin to show up, but for the first few hours we literally have the hill to ourselves. Now most people would see this as a huge bonus, but I find it a bit lonely and depressing. I guess I like a little human presence on the ski hill, especially for the kids.

This is what is beautiful about S6. On the days we go, A&N’s friends are there in droves from the school program. The hill is not too crowded, but for a change A can ride the chair with her buddies while N and I go up together. It works beautifully. I don’t deny that I love to ski myself, but that’s another story.

Anyway, when I broached the possibility of skiing with R, she was not enthusiastic about it, but she also wasn’t vehemently against it, either. Good enough for me. Normally I would have balked because I felt guilty, but the season is winding down, and our time in ski Eden was coming to an end.

The fact that S6 is on the expensive side doesn’t help, either. Whaleback has amazing deals, but S6 we were dishing out the big bucks. I figured that this might be the last time we skied this season. We knew our friends the Hs would be there, so A would get to hang with CH, our buddy.

It turns out it was his birthday, and in celebration of it all, his uncle showed up. His uncle is none other than JH and his magic bag of tools, sans tools, of course. Talk about a bonus, we were going to get to spend the day with the Hs on the hill. It doesn’t get any better than that.

The weather was beautiful, a little on the cool side, but sunny with very little wind. No complaints here. N and I got to hit the more challenging terrain because A was free to ski with her buddies, and N now had poles, so he was ready to tear it up. We had a great time, and we all re-convened at the base of the hill.

The added bonus to it all is that we may get some group discounts the next time we ski. We saw our good friend SS and he said we should join their group. I asked who should I talk to, and he said he was the man. Fabulous. Also, it was CH’s birthday, and next Thursday just happens to be A’s birthday, and we might very well celebrate in a similar manner. I love that. Next week they’re supposed to have a bit of a soiree after skiing, as well.

We had a great day, and hit the lodge for hot cocoa before piano/drum lessons. We bought one for CH for his birthday. The day worked out beautifully, and all because we decided to just do it rather than torture ourselves over whether we should or shouldn’t, and then do nothing about it. Just think, if we hadn’t gone skiing, we wouldn’t have experienced all those good vibes. I acknowledge that I’m probably justifying my desire to go skiing, but you can’t deny that things don’t happen unless you take action. Otherwise, you spend the rest of your life wishing you had and wondering what might have happened if you had just tried.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Karl-Erik Bennion for the pic.

Back at the Whale and Suffering for Our Supper

We couldn’t miss out on skiing at our favorite hill, Whaleback, especially on Vegas Tuesdays. The weather was pretty good, though the day before we had the crazy freezing rain, and then it got cold overnight so the conditions could have been icy. To their credit, the crew at WB did a fine job on the hill, and the snow was great.

As usual, the crowds were thin, and though it’s nice to have the hill all to yourself, I have to confess to liking more people around. Call me crazy, but I feel that having bodies on the hill makes for a more interesting ski experience, especially when your survival depends on avoiding them.

We had a blast, and N is really coming into his own in terms of skiing the moguls. He really tears them up, and leaves me behind to eat his dust, or in this case, his snow. At some point I told him that I couldn’t handle these runs, at least not with my poles, and he went them all by his lonesome. I felt bad leaving him to fend for himself, and went with A down one of the more manageable runs. I figured that I’d have to wait for him at the bottom while he struggled his way through the rugged terrain.

Well, if you can believe this, when A and I got to the bottom of the hill, who should be standing there waiting for us but N. He’d zoomed through the moguls and beat us down. When I asked him how he’d come down so quickly, he said he can ski much faster when he doesn’t have to stop and wait for me. Good old dad, holding back progress once again.

The hill was open until 7:00, though it seems too cold to night ski. However, as Spring conditions start to prevail, I would be more inclined to night ski. We’ll see where that one goes. We got our cocoas and headed over to the big city for A’s guitar lesson. From there, the plan was to meet mom and have supper at Tuck. The only problem was, we couldn’t find parking, and ended up searching for quite a bit before parking about 1/2 mile away and walking in. We had a nice meal, but in retrospect realized it was more work than it was worth, and probably won’t be doing that again.

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Alex Bruda for the pic.

Adventures in Underwear Land

We were all in need of new under garments, for assorted reasons, and went on a mission to get new ones. Being the progressive and open-minded dad that I am, we even went in search of some for mom after clarifying what was acceptable. Not too many men out there will agree to buy women’s underwear, but when you really get down to it, there is a certain amounted of vested interest in what sort of under garments your spouse wears, and is worth some thought and effort, for a number of reasons that I won’t elaborate on. Let’s just say that it could pay off in the long run.

Either way, we had our marching orders, and off to the store we went. Finding A’s and N’s underpants were easy, and mine were fairly simple, as well. I’m not too picky, as long as they’re comfortable and make me look like an MTV reality star.

It was in choosing R’s that things got interesting. I couldn’t believe the selection, not unlike choosing a breakfast cereal. Not only were we looking for a certain style, but color and size were critical. Needless to say, we ran into problems. I was hoping to be in and out of there in a few minutes, but I couldn’t find what we were looking for.

There were certain styles that weren’t going to work, mainly the kind dating back to the time of King Arthur that go down to the knees. It was a bit of a challenge finding the right size, as well, at least in the style that we were looking for. And then, of course, there are fashion considerations, which when you really get down to it, are an important issue. At one point, the sales person came by and tried to help us, which was sort of embarassing, but what are you going to do? However, every time she thought she’d found something, I had to remind her that we were not looking for Medieval underwear.

In the end, we found what we were looking for, and got out of there ASAP. It was more challenging than I’d anticipated, and in the future might stick with buying the stuff online. It makes perfect sense, because you can’t try them on in the store, anyway, so might as well just go to Amazon.com.

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

phredude v.2.0

Not satisfied to leave things alone, I've modified my site and, owing to my anal retentive/OCD nature, will probably continue in this suit until who knows when.

In the meantime, here's the latest update to phredude.com. Stay tuned for more, and thanks for reading, and thanks to RIC for all her design work.

Good Vibes from Blue Mountain Guitar

I don’t know much about musical instruments and I find the whole process of shopping around for them intimidating on a number of levels. First off, instruments are expensive, which immediately them them a big issue for the likes of me. Secondly, an instrument is a very personal issue, and require some thought and investigation. And thirdly, musical instruments are an esoteric purchase that entail the knowledge and personal input of the musician.

In other words, I have no idea what makes an instrument good or bad. They all look and sound good to me. I can’t play a $1000 guitar (I can’t play any guitar, for that matter) and tell you how much better it sounds than a $100. Again, they all sound fine to me.

This, of course, will make the search for A’s new guitar all the more challenging, but we have time on our side. Since we’re not in a hurry, we have time to initiate the standard research protocols (i.e., 24/7) and gather as much information as we’ll need to make an informed decision.

With this in mind, I’d just like to mention that I really like the guys at Blue Mountain Guitar. They’re always so nice, helpful, and knowledgeable, they don’t make me feel as clueless as I know I really am, and they always give off good vibes. Case in point: we needed a guitar case for my guitar since A is more than likely going to play it at her lessons. We can’t show up with a guitar and no case, it doesn’t look good.

Either way, I called them and they have gig bags that he quoted for $50. Not too bad, so we headed over, and while we were there, he showed us some smaller body guitars that would work for A. She got to strum them and check them out. We spoke at length, and there was no pressure in the process. When we paid for the bag, I believe he cut us a break on the bag. They also know us there, N used to take drum lessons so we were there every week.

I was stoked, those guys are so cool, and I felt comfortable talking about something I’m fairly ignorant about. To top it off, there was a guy trying out a drum set and N got a huge kick (inspiration, perhaps?) out of watching him jam. As a parent, you just can’t beat the times when you see your kids inspired, it’s what parenting is all about.

So, many good vibes from Blue Moutain Guitar on many levels. A’s teacher is encouraging of buying a guitar from Hanover Strings, but they are definitely more high end. I know we’d probably get a higher quality instrument from there, but it’s much more expensive, and we’d have to weigh all the factors. As much as I’d like to save money, I also think with certain things, you should get something good to last you a lifetime (wow, did I just say that?).

Until the next time, thanks for reading.

A’s New Guitar Teacher

A had her first lesson with her new guitar teacher and it went well. Like everyone says, he’s a really nice guy, patient and very knowledgeable, and A enjoyed her time with him. I think he teaches a number of instruments.

The only downside is that the lessons are in the big city (Hanover) on a weekday at 5:00. How’s that for bad timing? Not only do we have to deal with traffic, but we also have to find parking for a half hour lesson. By the time we find something, the lesson’s pretty much done, but what are you going to do? It gives us a chance to spend some time in the big city.

In addition to learning to read music, A’s teacher, EE, said she should consider graduating to a bigger, better sounding guitar. This is something I’ve hinted at for some time but have met with complete resistance, but as soon as her teacher mentions it, she’s ready. Sometimes you just have no credibility.

It was funny because when I dropped A off, I had to park illegally because we were pressed for time. As we were going into the store, I spotted AM, and knew if she nabbed us she’d talk to us for hours on end, and we had no time for this, so we snuck in without getting caught. Of course, when I came out to move the car, she was still lingering, for whatever reason, right out in front of the store. N and I managed to sneak past once again, but at some point when we finally parked, there was no getting around at least saying hi without being mean.

Luckily for us, she had grabbed another victim, so we could pass by and say hi without too much damage being done. I love when that happens. The lesson went well, A’s teacher had many positive things to say about her playing, and he mentioned that his students play a small recital at some point in town, which would be really cool, right up her alley.

Of course, we now have a no mission in our lives (and blogs), and that’s to get A new guitar. She can use mine for now, but it’s a little big, and she should have her own, so we’ll see where this adventure takes us.

Until then, thanks for reading.

Exciting Day in the Big City

We were out for a day on the town in the big city, and we sure had a good time. R had to go in and do some work, and we are getting some things ready for me to do since we are embarking on a new project. This meant that I had to go in, as well, and get things oriented.

From there, the plan was for us to go the hockey game, and then meet up with mom to go ice skating on Occom pond. Afterward, dinner at our regular eatery, Boloco. Sounds like a plan. After going over what needed to be done at work, I took the kids to the game. The women’s hockey team was in some sort of playoff against Clarkson University, which I’d never really heard of before I moved to the East Coast, but is some sort of hockey powerhouse. I’m not even sure where Clarkson is.

Now, excuse my ignorance, but I’m not even sure what ECAC stands for, but that’s what was going on. They were doing a best of three series, and Dartmouth had lost the first game. We were a bit late to the game, but the place was empty, and we had no problem choosing an entire section to ourselves. It’s a shame the women don’t get more support, they are so good.

From the moment we were there, however, Clarkson seemed to be dominating the game until about the end of the second quarter when Dartmouth really turned it up a notch and took over and won.

Even more importantly, however, was the fact that we scored a puck. It even has ECAC, whatever that means, on it, so it’s some sort of commemorative puck for the occasion. The teams were scrambling for the puck in the corner and it got flung into the stands. Since we were the only ones in the section, it was simply a question of getting off our butts and getting it. One guy in the next section started for it, but me and N bolted out of our seats and nabbed it before he got there. I was ready to employ my hands of death, if necessary.

A&N were excited to have a puck, and if that wasn’t enough, during the zamboni run, the guy was tossing out shirts and tossed one to A&N, who were putting in a grand effort to gain his attention, and it took a huge effort on my part to stay seated and calm and make sure they did all the work. I was ready to reach over the glass and grab the thing myself, but what sort of message would that have sent?

After the game, excited about the day’s events, we then met with mom and headed over to Occom Pond, where we skated into the twilight of the day. It was really nice out there, and not so crowded. At some point, everyone leaves the ice, and we were practically the last ones out there. N got to try out his gloves, though he balked at using the helmet, for now. We’ll get there. We practiced a little hockey, and it was a lot of fun.

As it grew dark, we headed over to Boloco and ate killer burritos. You can’t beat the joy of savoring that first bite of a Summer Burrito, it’s euphoria. A lot of people must understand this, because was it ever crowded. We usually go early, so it’s not an issue, but since it was later, we were there when the rest of world was ready to eat. Luckily for us, we beat the crowd, but it was quite the happening place, and rightfully so. We even saw some friends from Cobb Hill there. They were going to the basketball game.

Boy, the big city sure is an exciting place to be. Until the next time, thanks for reading.