Snowbomb!

February 28, 2012
When I read the first Winter Weather Warning for last weekend, I immediately sent an email to a few fellow snow worshipers and quickly had a party and location: Stowe, Vermont. The first wave of snow hit on Thursday, dumping 6" on the region. I drove up Friday morning and hit up the all-time classic Mad River Glen for some single chair and steep glade action. It did not disappoint with its perfect bumps and long, twisting, desolate runs. The second wave hit that afternoon and for the next 30 hours dumped two feet plus in some places, so on…

Maine Again

February 21, 2012
President's Day was a vacation, which meant a trip to Vacationland. I drove the 6 hours to Portland on Saturday and spent the long weekend in the company of amazing family. We dined the finest as Chefbro Andrew created some dazzling masterpieces at Hugo's, we played hard on the Reiche's Paddle Tennis court and enjoyed the company of parents and siblings and united families. I am always amazed by all of my relatives and lucky to be a part of their lives. On Monday, in celebration of Washington's Birthday, I drove up to Rangeley, ME to check out Saddleback Mountain.…

Good Grief

February 8, 2012
It wasn't a moment, but it happened fast Before the final seconds passed When the truth became the past Eternal facts will always last This can't be real so I deny it A cosmic joke A real riot To myself I'd rather lie Than know the pain I'd rather die And then I seethe in exploding rage The Beast is screaming in his cage My body clenches and thrashes inside Nothing stings like wounded pride I make a plea for simple perspective Seeking solace in the nice life I live A happy past and a hopeful future But the present…

Berkshire East: The Beast

January 18, 2012
After a dismal start to the Northeast ski season, a storm blew in on Thursday and Friday to drastically improve the situation. Knowing that I was headed to Foxborough for the Patriots-Broncos playoff game on Saturday night, I sacrificed sleep for snow and awoke in 5am darkness to head North and find the fluff. Scouring weather reports and triangulating distances between Brooklyn and Foxborough, I settled on an area I knew little about, but that seemed intriguing: Berkshire East in Charlemont, Mass. was reporting 12-14" of freshies, so I hopped in the car and rolled into the lot at 9:30am,…

Boston Bruins: Stanley Cup Champions!

June 18, 2011
Up until 9th grade, hockey was a huge part of my life. I played on various school teams and attended camps dedicated to improving my ice skills. The Bruins of my middle school years were a solid bunch, led by Ray Borque, Cam Neely and Adam Oates and were tantalizingly good but never achieved the dream of winning a Cup and faded into an afterthought through mismanagement and the end of my playing days. For the past 20 years, I have watched the team collapse year after year, losing painfully to the arch-rival Canadiens several times in the playoffs and…

SoCal

March 31, 2011
When the schedule opens up, I feel compelled to take advantage and did so with five days in Southern California. I chose that area for friends and saw many amazing people with whom I have long-distance relationships. Some friends I see weekly, others monthly and ones with large swaths of land between us tend to be multi-yearly. Even with email and telephones, a good face-to-face needs to happen occasionally. And it did last week; thank you to everyone there who took care of me! I originally planned this trip and thought about the beach, but when a monster storm dumped…

Magic Mountain

March 2, 2011
I did a lot of skiing over the past week, in Maine and Vermont, and while the conditions varied considerably from the first day (icy and wind holds on most lifts) to the last day (almost two feet of powder), I always have fun playing on a mountain. That last day, however, also involved one of my best discoveries of all time: Magic Mountain. This place was around back when I first started learning the sport, though I never went, then closed in 1991.  I never heard another word about it until last weekend, when I was informed that it…

The Glory and The Agony

January 18, 2011
Snow! Vermont! Skiing! Three-day weekend! I clicked into my bindings for the first time this season at Okemo and thanks a month of heavy snowfall, the skiing was delicious! Two full days of the most exhilarating activity that I participate in, gliding down a mountain a pair of planks; gaining terminal velocity on steep groomers, bumping into rhythm on moguls or picking a line through a maze of trees in the glades, I am constantly hooting and hollering in gleeful joy. Aside from the possibility of maiming or killing (small odds!) skiing never lets me down. Unlike some other activities…

World Cup!

June 13, 2010
Football fever! The greatest tournament in the world has returned and my eyes are glued to the TV. I have been watching excessive hockey and basketball playoffs, as well as plenty of baseball recently, but these games seem insignificant compared to the global stage of the quadrennial soccer tournament. The simplicity of the sport makes for great viewing, placing the athleticism of the competitors in focus and the game structure, two uninterrupted halves, limits our exposure to the dreaded corporate advertising that dominates American sports; how glorious to feel like a fan instead of a consumer! The games are being…

Freakonomics and Moneyball

May 13, 2010
I was an Economics major in college and anytime I tell people that they find it funny--probably because my job is playing music with kids instead of making money with money. I never had any interest in joining the corporate workforce but still found Econ the most interesting department at Middlebury. It incorporated so much about humanity, from history to psychology to our core values. The focus was usually money, but the how and why made the topic endlessly engaging. Stephen Levitt is an economist who brings the study into new realms; he sees the discipline as general tools to…