Pomerelle

On my way home from "home" I stopped off at Pomerelle, a ski resort outside of Albion, Idaho. It was a quaint little resort with two lifts and pretty panoramic views of southern Idaho. It only took a few runs to see the whole resort and then I became obsessed with hitting this one kicker. I realized that spinning switch comes more natural to me than spinning regular, so that was interesting.

What was more interesting were all the characters I saw up there! The majority of the people up there were rollin on free boards from beer or tobacco companies....(Bud Light, Corona etc.) I saw a few people in jeans. Almost no one had goggles. They didn't even have sunglasses! How could they see with the wind in their face? Hardly anyone had beanies and no one had a helmet. Gloves were also optional and everyone smoked on the lift. Not bud...but gross cigarettes! Someone built a little kicker on the run under the lift but no one was hitting the groomed kicker, except for me. The funniest part was that they wouldn't spin or grab, they would just launch themselves off the jump and land in the soft powder without even trying to ride out of it. Pretty strange! But, it was really fun to visit a new mountain and add it onto my life list of 100 resorts. (so far I'm still hovering around 20). I felt way over dressed in my purple pants and new Empyre hoodie, not to mention my new goggles! But the lifties were nice- always grabbed me while I was standing waiting for the chair. Not sure if they thought I was going to fall or what. Not my first rodeo....maybe I looked like a novice since I didn't look like some of hard core bangers and beaters they had there.

My drive home was also an adventure....my Idaho State Highway map showed that there was a road that connected Manta to the I-84...however, no such road existed. So, I took a lonely back country highway which was covered in snow until I hit the Utah border. (Where they are much more efficient at snow removal and use salt) I ended up getting back on the interstate and drove through my old friend Snowville, which put me at ease.

Once back in Salt Lake I stopped in and picked up the baby girl, who I had really missed. She had fun staying at Daddy's house and playing with her new boyfriend Boomer. (Aka Boom Town). There was some excitement at Dad's house- he got engaged over Christmas!!! Mischa will be the flower girl and Boomer will be the ring bearer. I'm so excited and happy for Josh and Andrea! Love is in the air!

A Muppet Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Yesterday Skip and I thought it would be great to go skiing...around 3:00. We went on a few really fun runs. We decided to swing into the lodge and sit in the sun and have a beer. We sat on the deck in 35 mph wind drinking our beer until mine kept spilling from the wind. We moved inside and enjoyed the rest. We started to notice that no one was on the mountain..."Oh, they're going home to have dinner and go to church..." I say. I couple little dudes came in and informed us that the lifts shut at 4:30 because of the holiday. WHAT? Since when? HUH? So, we had a really windy but cool run down to the bottom and we had the whole mountain to ourselves!

Today we slept in, Squirrel made us a good breakfast and we opened presents and posed like Muppets. Tonight, we're seeing True Grit. I'm going to nap with the boys and wait for Skip's turkey, pie and wassail...yuuuummm!!!!

(Allen got an air soft gun and of course attacked us with it. He scared the crap out of poor Biff. Conan and Bitch are used to being hit with foam bullets, but not my sweet little baby boys!)

The BRONCO NATION is Off to Vegas!

Another FUN trip for the Seymours!!! Skip, Squirrel and I loaded the Boise State "party" bus at 5:30 am Tuesday morning and allowed our bus driver to drive us through rain, fog, snow and slush all the way down to Las Vegas! Patron was imbibed (Skip's new favorite "treat") a nice bottle of Scotch was almost killed and we got there in record time.

Jimmy flew in from San Jose and we all headed down to the strip where we ate at one of my favorite restaurants; Canaletto, in the Venetian. I had a wonderful glass of Barbera, which is from the Piemonte region of Italy, where I lived. Skip ordered my favorite risotto dish and shared with me so I could get gnochhi. YUUM!

After an excellent dinner, we walked around the Strip, in the rain, and checked out the scene. Jimmy hadn't been there in 4 or 5 years! Much has changed! We all agreed how much we dislike City Center and how much we love the Bellagio.

As per norm, Allen and I were up to our usual shenanigans. I accomplished one of the funniest tasks that Allen has put me up to.....bombing Asian photography. The goal is to "poach" someones picture. Of course, Asians are the easiest, because they won't fight! My first mission was on the bridge over to Bally's. It was on a solo Asian girl getting her picture taken by her mom. I waited until the very last minute, right as the mom was pressing the button and I swooped in right behind her and got my mug right in the shot. AAHAHAHAHA HHHHHHAAAAAA AHAHAHA!!!! Of course, Allen and I laughed our heads off all the way over to the Bellagio gardens where my missions were even more challenging. I managed to get into at least 3 still shots and 2 video cameras. One lady even followed me and continued to tape me after I just blatantly put my face right in front of her video camera. She followed me with it and so I just stood there waving. Definitely the funniest part of the trip!

On Wednesday morning I was able to have brunch with one of my best friends, Lisa. Her and I always have much to discuss. We got a lot accomplished as far as discussing our usual life and relationship status. I can't help but laugh when I compare the two of us and what we love in our lives. We are so different! (She shops at Prada for her Christmas presents and I shop at Gallensons) We love different kinds of people, do different kinds of things, yet her and I seem to really get each other. I miss Vegas everyday, but miss it mostly because of her.

Later that afternoon, all of the BRONCO NATION met at Sam Boyd Stadium on the outskirts of Vegas, in the rain, to cheer on our boys. It didn't rain the whole time, and because of my thick skin, I wasn't too cold. It was a fun game! I had a girlfriend from Salt Lake sitting on the other side of the stadium and peeps from all over watching our win. Granted, it wasn't the Rose Bowl, and it wasn't the best game they have ever played, but it is always really fun to see #2 score :)

The party animals went to the Hard Rock after the game to celebrate, while Jimmy and I hair dried our feet and stayed in and watched a movie. Apparently, Allen had the best night of his life the night before, and I haven't gotten the entire story, but he was satisfied with his Vegas trip!

The trip home went pretty fast and it was fun to spend the weekend with the fam. Now, it's time for more snowboarding and a chance to watch Allen do a 360 kick flip on his snow blades. I'll try to document that!

(The middle picture is of Allen learning how to poach a picture. I am teaching the young one the finer intricacies of photo bombing! It looks like he got the hang of it!)

Avy Class!

Since I am totally obsessed with snow, snowboarding, the mountains and all that that entails, I thought it would behoove me to take an extensive avalanche training course. And man, I was right!! On Wednesday night about 50 locals (mostly dudes my age that love to ride) met with some of the local avalanche gurus to discuss some of the main topics of the course. Today we met at 9:00am and went straight through until 6:00pm.

In the classroom, we learned about islands of safety, terrain triggers, hazards and characteristics, weather patterns, first aid, dog teams, the proper chain of events, how to safely set up a production shot in the back country, safe ascent and descent and sled safety. We stopped for lunch and then all met up at Powder Birds where we learned about heli etiquette and safety and then met with the University of Utah life flight team. That was interesting to learn about how to prep a proper landing zone and how to "package" the victim.

The rest of the day was spent in groups. We went to different stations where we learned how to find hidden beacons with our own transceivers, strategic shoveling, spiral probing, on scene emergency protocol and the organization of information, team members and others on the scene as well as belay techniques.

It was only about 10 degrees outside all day and my new boots weren't as warm as I wanted them to be and my feet were freeeezing. I even had feet warmers in. But, it was such an amazing day and I learned more than I ever would have imagined. After learning these life saving techniques, I feel incredibly confident that I could perform them on the scene of a real avalanche. The statistics of finding your friend alive is daunting, however. Within 15 minutes of finding and digging your victim out, if they don't have head and body trauma, 90% of them will live. After 30 minutes 50%, after 45 minutes 40% and after the "Golden Hour" only 30% will survive. There are about 83 avalanche deaths in the United States every year.

Tomorrow we are talking about recognizing snow pack and conditions and analyzing the risk of riding certain areas. We will be riding on the mountain at the Bird and digging "pits" to analyze the snow. I am really excited! Extreme weather is soooo fascinating to me and especially living in Utah, I have the opportunity to experience it. But, after all is said and done, I feel that this class was so beneficial. Now, all my riding buddies are going to be stuck listening to me and having me teach them all about finding ME with their beacons, how to shovel me out and how to make sure that I am alive if I make the wrong decision and end up getting swept up in an avy.

I will say though, my whole motivation for this stemmed from the inbounds avy death at the Bird two years ago when Heather Gross, a local skier, who was my age, was caught in an avy off of Baldy. She didn't have a beacon on and it took her sister and the other skiers who witnessed the slide an hour to find and get her out. Unfortunately, she had head and body trauma and probably hypothermia and by the time she was airlifted the hospital she had passed. I'm not saying that I could have found her any faster, since I normally don't roll with all my back country avy gear when I'm just cruising around the resort, but I do know that I have gained an incredible amount of knowledge in order to keep myself and my friends in a safer set of circumstances when we are out in the back country.

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The lower picture at the top of this post is of Mount Superior, which is right across the canyon road from the Bird. I feel confident about ascending this bad boy. I am going to obtain a detailed top map of the Wasatch and drop all kinds of new terrain now. I always want to "See what's on the other side" and the same goes for this. I know that Big Cottonwood Canyon is on the other side of that peak, but I want to see the panorama for myself. So, that's on the list for this year!

The first picture is of one of the Powder Bird helis. I have had heli riding on my LIFE LIST for a looooong time and I found out yesterday that as my Christmas present, I am going to go heli riding in Utah this winter!!!!!! I was so excited listening to the guy talk about landing on peaks and hitting fresh lines out in the middle of nowhere, I could hardly contain myself, knowing that in a few short weeks, one of those is going to whisk me away to some of the best powder stashes on the planet amongst some of the most beautiful scenery in the world!!!!! I am a LUCKY AND HAPPY GIRL!!!!!

Happy Bird Day!

I was lucky enough to get three days off over the Thanksgiving week and I even got to go to a JAZZ game!!! Wayne and Spjute came with their sweet little nudger (Gage). Wayne, Spjute, Gage, Gavin and Livia drove from Boise with Kent, Wendy and Kara (Wayne's parents and sister) and the Randalicious drove up from Vegas. He wanted to drive his new crotch rocket, but we had such a crazy snow storm, we all thought it best that he drive a car instead.

The game was so fun! My ticket broker buddy hooked me up and we got lower bowl seats. I had nachos and a Chasing Tail.. and the guys beer next to me...on accident. I had moved over to let Spjute in, which then made my beer on my right side, not my left. I drank out of the guys beer who was sitting next to me...for probably half his beer. I was laughing hysterically when I found out. I told the crew and his mom overheard and then she told him, but he didn't say anything :)

The next day was Bird Day (as in Thanksgiving, not Snowbird day, which is happening Monday because Mineral is finally open!!). So, the whole gang met up down in Provo to celebrate in the gym with the Carlson side of the fam. Always a bunch of characters, good food, basketball and even a strange wig this year! It was fun to see all of Wayne and Randy's relatives. Wendy has 13 brothers and sisters so by my calculation there were like 200 people there. Gage was BY FAR the cutest (and biggest) baby there and he thought I was funny.

I talked the Randall into seeing Harry Potter with me. Not my favorite one so far, but always a good time. I'm excited for the next one to come out in July.

I had so much fun with the Gager! I already told Spjute that when I take her snowboarding this year, she better not pull the same move she did last year.....I take her up, on a nice night to Bogus. She FLIES down the bunny hill like 10 times and then finally at the top she goes..."Umm, I don't think I can ride anymore....maybe now would be a good time to tell you that I'm pregnant!" Not that I wouldn't be absolutely thrilled to be Crazy Aunt Brianna to another one of their beautiful kids ( please name him Dash!). Anyhoo....it was a really fun time with the Mortensens!

My Beloved Cat

As Park City Mountain Resort said..."It's time to roll out the white carpet!" AHHHHHH I love corduroy!!!

A Rare Post- Salt lake City- The City!

As much as I rant and rave about living in Utah, nothing is ever mentioned about the actual city. Probably because I practically live in the mountains, even though I actually live in the city. But, I just thought this picture was too pretty not to share. Maybe after seeing this Jimmy will reconsider calling this "Shit Stank City". We can only hope.

Blissed Out

It's November 11 and I just had the BEST first day of riding!!! I hooked up with some of my favorite riding buddies and we tore it up! Pow runs, boxes, rock drops. It was an incredible start to the season and I could not be any happier today!!

The Annual Pre Season Night Hike

Alas! Or should I say, AT LAST!!! The season has begun and I am back in my snowpants! Since someone would rather hang out with their pretty girlfriend than brave 10 degree temperatures at 11pm with me, I had to make the annual tradition a solo mission...

I bought new RIDE boots last week. Today was their first day and they performed wonderfully. I was not even able to tell that they were new boots. The intuition liner was snug, warm and squishy and I felt like I was back in my old boots again. An excellent purchase. I am lucky to not have the painful breaking in of the boots period, because they are perfect how they are. Hurray!

It was 10 degrees up there and anyone who has ridden with me before knows that the least amount of clothing I can wear, the better. So, after about 20 yards, off comes the coat and gloves. I was relieved that my internal furnace is still working. I hate wearing my coat!

One of my favorite things of all time is the snow cat. I want one so bad so I can groom my backyard some day. I love seeing them in the middle of the night cruising along the mountain. They were up there tonight as well as the snow making machines. (The middle picture). Some day I will hop aboard and go cat riding.

It was probably the worst night to attempt my mission because it was PITCH DARK! No moon at all. I could see the city below and the stars above but surrounding me was total darkness. Usually the snow reflects some light, but not tonight. Then, of course, my brand new head lamp went out about half way to where I wanted to go. So, mission aborted, but I still was able to get some turns in and and I even got tossed at the very bottom after hitting my nose on a big rock. (It was pitch dark with no headlamp, didn't see that coming!)

I really feel that when things in my world are just not right, I can always go to the Bird to recalibrate. The tears stop, the over analyzing in my head stops and until the lifts stop, I am in another world. Snowbird is my ultimate zen. For some wonderful and strange reason, all of my physical pain issues disappear too. I don't remember ever having a headache at the Bird. The swelling in my back is reduced and I never feel as good as when I'm up there. Of course reality hits once I hit the car, but for the time that I spend on the mountain, I am happy.

Since the new season technically started today for me, I thought I should calculate last seasons stats:

The 2009/2010 was my best season so far and here's why!:

3 season passes

77 days

542 runs

7 stitches

1 snowboard camp

1 new board (Which I LOOOOOVE!)

5 new Empyre hoodies

12 different resorts

9 months that I snowboarded in (October 27- June 20)

1 first time I landed a 3!

1 new favorite riding buddy

200 times I listened to "Don't Cry Out" by Shiny Toy Guns

98 times I listened to "Personal Jesus by Marilyn Manson (I learned how to ride to this song)

Here's how ridiculous my "snowboarding addiction" is:

$3,238 in lift tickets and passes

$2,193 cost of gas to get up all these mountains

$5.97 per RUN (that figure always rocks my little world)

9,040 miles driven just to go ride

36 tanks of gas

$200 cost of x ray

$1,700 cost of new brakes because I refused to downshift when coming down the canyons

$1,300 cost of new tires from going up and down the canyon everyday

$5,431 cost of passes and gas

These figures don't include the costs of all these fun little items associated with riding:

Wax sticks, edgers, cans of rockstar, powdered sugar donuts, Rumplemintz, PBR, 7-11 turkey sandwiches, smart wool socks, peppers, gum, peanut butter sandwiches, McDonalds chicken mcnuggets and apple pies, oil changes, new sets of car keys, new beanies, new pants, new bindings, shin guards, knee guards, helmet, Peeps pass, waterproof case for iphone, Patron, tylenol for black and blue butt (riding switch), new grenade gloves, beacon and wench straps.

I think that the whole summer I was a little bit "off" because I wasn't riding. Well, winter has come and I am READY TO RIDE!!!!!

School Nerd so I Can Be a Bird Nerd

As usual, Biff, and especially Axel, have been helping me with my homework and writing papers. Axel knows how to read, but Biff just lays across the desk, purring, offering moral support. It's getting down to the wire with the end of the semester thankfully looming. My main motivation is snow, however. Brighton is planning on opening on November 10th so my goal is to have all my research papers written and Arabic homework up to date so that when the chairs start moving, I'll be on one!

So, if anyone has any thoughts on rentierism regarding Iran, Turkey, Qatar and Kuwait, or on how oil thwarts democracy, or the economic prowess of Egypt between 1840-1914 or the influence that Islamic fundamentalist leaders like Hasan al Bana had on the formation of Hamas and its subsequent role as a terrorist organization and state provider, or how to conjugate Arabic adjectives into the future tense.....feel free to share!

Live, Love, LAUGH!

I am so lucky to have a LIFE that I love, people I LOVE and lots of characters to make me LAUGH! So to all of you jokesters in my life...

I LOVE IT WHEN YOU MAKE ME LAUGH!!!

I had to come back on here and post some of the funny things I'm currently laughing about:

• "I'm warning you...my house smells like a poop stick"
• "Just between us girls" (And it's a hot guy saying this :)
• "You so handsome" from a crazy Asian woman to her cute neighbor
• "Can I drive on the lawn when I drop you off? I did it to your best friend, I'll do it here"
• "He farted in front of our customer!"
• Spjute driving a mini van
• Crazy drunk women putting me in a head lock and then licking my face
• Ass punching a girl at work, with full softball style wind up
• "Who puked? Who F**king puked!!!!?"
• Telling your hot boss you'll be gone from work because of a breast reduction
• Sleeping in a bar and almost getting ketchup in my mouth
• "Why fart and waste it when you can burp and taste it?"
• "I'm wearing my visor". "Well I guess you won't be picking up a man, then"
• "Nutrients"

P.S. As I'm sitting here, I of course have tears running down my face and snorts that come intermittently. I'm so lucky that my peeps are funny!

It's Still Fall.....

I LOVE fall and I LOVE taking pictures in the fall. I drove up Big Cottonwood Canyon yesterday to look at all the pretty trees....and to verify that there still isn't snow grazing the half pipe that I want to ride... I drove over Guardsman's Pass and down into Midway. If I could access the Bird from Midway/ Heber via heli or snowmobile, I would totally live over there. I spent a lot of time there this summer and really like that side of the Wasatch.

Seeing Brother, Skippy, Squirrel...and Austin :)

Another wonderful Seymour Family vacation to California to see Allen...and Austin Pettis A.K.A #2. We started the weekend off with a walking wine tour of San Francisco. Allen had a White Zinfandel and loved it. (My favorite part of the wine tour was him enjoying his White Zin) From there we went on a tour of Alcatraz at night! I thought it would be scary, but it wasn't. The cells were so small. The "hole" was huge as well as the medical cells. Al Capone was there for 6 years for tax evasion. So, as much as I HATE giving money to Obama for him to waste on socialist policies, I would really hate to end up in jail for that!

The next day was the BIG day!!! Bronco Nation represented well at the San Jose stadium where we beat them 48-0. We covered the spread before the first half was over. I met my new favorite Bronco Nation Boisean....his name is Super Fan! He was leading the cheers in the Boise section the whole game. Skippy and I have been really wanting to start a grassroots revolution to implement a new cheer. Spread the word, it's the up and coming new Boise cheer. Instead of yelling Boise!....State!... we are now going to call and respond to BRONCO......NATION!!!! I went over and sat next to "Super Fan" and discussed my thoughts on the new cheer. He loved my idea and did it right away! He gave me props for the whole thing, we cheered and waved to each other the whole game and I think we might be onto something. I am anxiously awaiting the day that I return to Boise to hear my new cheer in action...with the WHOLE stadium involved!

The next day it was raining, but Squirrel came prepared with ponchos for the fam so we could watch the San Francisco 49's beat the Oakland Raiders! It was the first time any of us had been to a pro football game and it was so fun! The beer was good, the fans were intense, the game was pretty far below but it was really fun to watch!

After the game we went into San Fran to eat and watch the Giants lose to the Phillies. I was in a bar, drinking a beer, and somehow....I fell asleep. Unfortunately, this was caught on camera and I will never live it down I am sure. "The documenter" also took a picture of me sleeping on the plane the next morning too.....I think it is just a good indication of what a FUN time we had!!!

So Skip, thanks for all the tickets....Jimmy, thanks for letting me crash in the poop stick.....Squirrel, thanks for the vino and good food! Always a fun time with the fam! I love you!!!

Enjoying Fall While We Wait For Snow

Grammie texted us the other day telling us that she was riding her bike on the greenbelt and that it was a beautiful day up in Boise. I had already been up looking at a good place to hike, but surrendered to my headache and went back to bed. Grammie telling us that she was out enjoying the Indian Summer was enough to get me out of bed, grab the baby girl and head out on a hike.

We asked our neighbor Larry about where we should go. I had wanted to go to Park City, American Fork or the Provo Canyon, but since it was so late in the day, he suggested we go to City Creek, right behind the Capitol. We were there in about 7 minutes and enjoying the warm sun and turning leaves. If this Fall wouldn't have been so warm, the leaves would have been so pretty on our hike, but instead most of them were brown and shriveled up. But, it was still so pretty! Mischa was on the lookout for rattlesnakes, but she didn't find any, thank goodness. I've seen some in that area before and I was not in the mood to either suck venom out of her butt or pull her out of a snakes mouth

The view from the top was great. It was a little hazy, but we had a perfect view of the whole Wasatch Front, Kennecott, the Salt Lake valley and The Great Salt Lake. We sat up there for about 45 minutes enjoying the view and snuggling.

There are lots of different trails that go up the little canyon and according to some locals, it's a great place for snowshoeing. So, bring the snow! (He he, I had to incorporate snow in here somehow!)

Good Bye Summer- Hello Winter!

Within the course of 24 hours- this was the difference in Utah weather. Yesterday I was in my bikini and I took the baby girl to Deer Creek for one last spin around the the lake. Today, it is snowing at the Dirty Bird. A sight for sore eyes! The last time I rode was 3 months and two weeks ago and now I am ready to hike this B! Good thing I have a new beacon, a new shovel, and a new probe. Still need new boots, but that won't stop me from strapping on my headlamp and thundering up that mountain!!!! WHOOOOOO!!!! SO EXCITED FOR WINTER!!!!

Fans Running Amok!

Skippy actually had this great idea! She got all dirty loading up our bikes for GAME DAY on ESPN and she drove us down to the greenbelt where we rode from the river take out point to the stadium to watch Erin Andrews on ESPN and to cheer with 20,000 of the Bronco Nation fans! (Did I mention that this all occurred at 5:30 A.M.? And it was 11 hours before kickoff and I was wearing a skirt? And it was cold? And dark?) It was AWESOME!!!

At 8:00 a.m., just as the sun was coming up over the Eastern bleachers of the stadium, Skippy and I took off on our bikes and rode down to the Capitol where we lined up with about 20,000 women for the Celebration Fitness Walk, Run and Stroll. I felt like I was running the Capitol Classic again! It was lots of fun and we saw Spjute on our way down Americana! I liked Tuxedo Row- men giving out high fives in tuxedos and the highlight was seeing Don Day! HA!

Hi.....#2.....I liked your somersault into the end zone in Wyoming...even if it did get you a personal foul and benched...hi... I'll be wearing your jersey in San Jo... see you there!

"How do you get your fans to do that?" other teams always wonder how Boise can be so organized and wear the right color for the section they're in. I love it!!!

We had so much fun at the game! My boy, Pettis, #2 had one touchdown (sans the somersault) and a 6 yard TD pass (Which was crazy!) We beat the Beavers 37-24 and it was such an exciting game! We had lots of opportunities to yell "First Down!" and to see Cecil the dog run out onto the field and retrieve the tee.

So thanks Squirrel for the ticket! I think I represented the Bronco Nation well! It was a whirlwind day for me and Skippy but we had so much fun! I want to do it again!

Ready to Bust Some Moves

C Train! It's almost your birthday again.....I think we need to make another "entrance of a lifetime" and go bust some moves! I'm down to go somewhere.... I'll ask my Austin escort if he's down to party like a rockstar. So think about it.....

P.S. I'll be home Friday night- I would like Patron to be in my near future!

Dew Tour and the Best Athlete of Our Time

Every year Dew Tour comes to Salt Lake, and it conveniently takes place right next door to my bar! Every year is a wild and crazy time with pro BMX and skateboarders. They are a really fun crowd, a much needed change from all the Multi Level Marketing conventions!

This year I was able to meet the GM of the Dew Tour who hooked me up with V.I.P. passes to the Tour. I was also able to chat with some of the pros who stay with us. So today, I went to the skateboarding Vert Finals!!! Oh my gosh, it was soooo fun! I have been a HUGE fan of Shaun White and I actually got to see him skate in person today! He is the only person to have won the Summer Dew Cup and the Winter Dew Cup. (Not to mention two Olympic gold medals!)

He went so much higher, spun more and did bigger and better tricks. As much as I wanted to see my new little buddies do well, it was so amazing to see Shaun throw down some really awesome runs.

I know there are a lot of Shaun haters out there, and I don't know why. He is an incredible athlete, a good businessman and cool to the other guys in the comps. Plus, he has a white Lambo. Today was so awesome, I loved seeing him!

American Ignorance

I have been so angry at the lack of intelligence and overwhelming ignorance of the "Three American Hikers" that were arrested for "illegal entry into Iran" over a year ago.

The lone female, Sarah Shourd, is up for release as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seeks to celebrate the end of Ramadan. What was going to be a release of prisoner on the part of Iran has now turned into a $500,000 bail quest. The U.S. State Department is refusing to fund the bail amount claiming that they don't fund the release of American foreign prisoners.

Having lived abroad and traveled to many countries in the world, it blows my mind that these three Americans were so negligent with their own safety. This story, along with Lisa Ling's sisters story, has generated an even deeper resentment for etho and egocentric Americans. I have never in my whole life read a statement so incredibly ignorant than the following;

"There is no Lonely Planet Iraqi Kurdistan, and Ahmed Awa was not on the map we'd printed out. "

This was written by the fourth traveler who was smart enough to not go on the hike that day. Of course, I had to bust out Google Earth to really see how far away they were from the border. The border was only a 3 hour hike away. I can do that easily with my 9 pound Yorkie. Meaning- THE BORDER IS CLOSE AND YOU MIGHT CROSS IT IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MAP!!!!

I have absolutely NOOOOOO sympathy for these three prisoners. I risk my own Karma by saying this, but, the U.S. should let them sit in that prison. Why should we tie up diplomatic energy trying to release these idiots? If it were me, I would accept my fate, realize that I had made a fatal error and live with my sentence. (I would be Claire Danes in Brokedown Palace)

Time and time again I see Americans loping around the planet like they own the place. They assume that our laws apply to them wherever they go. They assume the U.S. government will come to their rescue. When I am abroad, I respect the laws, I respect the culture and I respect the fact that I am subject to whatever foreign governments want to do to me, whether corrupt or not. ($50 cash to travel through Slovakia on a train where I already had a ticket) and then in the same day; ($50 cash to travel through Slovenia on a train where I already had a ticket).

Since I found out that only 19% of Americans have passports I have been appalled- really, that few? Now I think- GOOD! The majority of Americans are too ignorant to travel abroad anyway.

العربية Arabic!

Today, completely out of the blue, I met a guy from Kuwait and a guy from Saudi Arabia. They came into the bar (?!) and were drinking vodka red bulls and eating chocolate cake. I finally had to ask them where they were from....The Middle East! Ahlan wa Sahlan!!!! They were shocked!

مسعئا (Mishayeel) was from Kuwait, which was so exciting because I have a presentation due next week on the effects of oil on democracy in Kuwait! I got out my little notepad and interviewed him about how much each citizen of Kuwait receives from the government, since it is a rentier state and how he feels about his government, Islam, the U.S., Qaddafi (ruler of Libya) the economic effects within Qatar from oil and corruption.

The most interesting part of the night was at the very beginning when I started to speak to them in Arabic. He told me that I would never be able to learn Arabic because it would be too hard for me. Well, as the night progressed, I was able to speak more and more to them in Arabic and he finally acknowledged the fact that I was able to speak it. He told me that I am the only Western woman who he has ever known to speak Arabic. :)

To me, it really seemed like he was trying to convince me to not learn it....like he didn't want Westerners learning Arabic, as if the threat of U.S. imperialism was impending. As the night went on, he helped me out with a lot of new words and phrases. So fun!

عمر (Omar) was from Saudi Arabia. He came to the states 3 weeks ago, so his English was minimal. He was listening to Arabic music on his ipod, which he let me listen to. ( on a side note, I am LOVING the new rap music Allen has sent me...some of it has a Middle Eastern vibe to it that is just so sexy with rap lyrics!) He was really interesting because I think he was quite fascinated with my flowing blonde hair, tight jeans and desire to learn Arabic and go to the Middle East. If I lived in Saudi, I would have to wear the حجب (hijab). So, I took a picture to see what I would look like....

They were asking me about going to Kuwait and going to Saudi. I laughed and told them that I wouldn't be able to visit Saudi because I wouldn't have a MAN to escort me. I told them that I was a good driver and that maybe I would be granted an exception...they laughed and said I'd be walking! (Women aren't allowed to drive in Saudi and cannot go out in public unless they are escorted by a man- only a husband or relative)

At the end of the night, I asked them, in al arabiya, if I could have their phone numbers. Mishayeel volunteered to help me with my presentation, so I got his number in case I have any questions. I told Omar that he and I should get together for al Arabiya/ al Englese speaking sessions!

Meeting them sparked my fire for learning Arabic even more. They were actually able to understand me, and I could understand them. Validation for all my long hours of studying and talking to the cats who don't respond in Arabic phrases, just meows!

Prediction Correct! BSU WINS 33-30!

The story goes like this....I'm laying in bed at noon, the day of the BIG GAME; Boise State v. Virginia Tech. I text Skippy; "Is the game at 6 or 6:30?" She texts back that it's at 6, she is decorating the house for the party she's throwing, making treats...the whole nine yards and then says that the game would be perfect if I would be there. Since Skippy does NOT have a life list, and prefers to live day to day and will strike when something hits her, I thought, you know....I could make that happen! So, me being the W.A.C. (Woman of Adventure and Conviction) that I am, I flew out of bed, jumped in the shower, grabbed my purse, threw on my two Boise state shirts snatched up Mischa and we were off!

I text Skip as I hit Micron and asked if the party had started....she text back that there were two people there. No sooner had she sent that, I burst into the house and Mischa and I yelled, "Let's get this party started!!!!"

There were great snacks, good beer, even better scotch, fun fans and an epic Bronco WIN! I believe that I am in love with Austin Pettis. (Or maybe just with his hot little mohawk). Either way I'm proud to be part of the BRONCO NATION!

So, Thanks Skip for a great party, thanks Squirrel for sharing the GREEN and don't forget to pick me up in the party bus on the way to Laramie!!!

Prediction for BSU v. VA Tech: A BSU WIN!

GO ORANGE!

GO BIG BLUE!

FIGHT! FIGHT! B-S-U!!

For the Love of...** SNOW **

IT SNOWED AT THE BIRD!!!! Every year on August 29th it snows at the Bird. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get me excited!! I've only been off the mountain for 2 months, but I am itching to get back on.

This week marks the beginning of my "Get back in shape because I drank too much beer and ate too many hotdogs over the summer while laying on the Sweet Unit." Luckily for me, Skip gave me a BOSU ball for my birthday, I am now lugging a heavy back pack all over campus and my hotel has 15 floors = 30 flights of stairs for me to run up and down.

Normally I put all my snowboard stuff away for the summer. Not this year! I am anticipating hiking the Dirty B in 6 weeks. The first week of October is my goal. Get ready boys! Here comes the snow!! WHOOOOOOOO!!!!!