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Thinking of before, losing sleep
Wishing, wanting, needing, not here
Pushing away, my thoughts are elsewhere.
I am going through the motions, keeping afloat while still taking on water.
Losing the battle, drowning is next.

Depression?

So I am not sure what is really going on with me right now. Since moving to Vermont, I have been mostly happy. Then after we closed on our house, and were settled and moved in I became immensely homesick, and a bit depressed. Currently I am still kind of depressed, and if it was possible I would pack up a truck and go back to Utah.

Cage the Elephant

Just picked up a copy of their debut album on EMI record. I have to say, the Elephant has been let out of the cage. They are a true rock band, keeping the blues roots of rock n' roll alive and well. Some of you may say, "but he is rapping." No, he is singing the blues. Have you ever heard of John Lee Hooker?
The album opens up with hard hitting white trash blues number. The second song has a bit more of a pop/rock feel, and is a slight letdown. The third track, "Ain't no rest for the wicked," brings it all back into focus...
There are definitely some allusions to the White Stripes, and maybe even Panic at the Disco.
Overall the album is a good listen, I would recommend it. If they stick more to the blues end of the spectrum they will go far..

Lift Tickets

I find it absurd that ski resorts out east are charging so much for lift tickets..considering how small they are and how little snow they get..Seriously Mt. Snow in southern vermont..avg snowfall 160 inches...skiable terrain less than 600 acres..lift tickets $75.
Stowe...skiable acres 485, avg snowfall only 333", lift tickets $84...
Jay Peak... skiable acres 385, avg snowfall 350"...lift tickets $67
Killington...skiable acres 750, avg snowfall 250"...lift tickets $82
Let's compare to skiing out west..na..how about just Utah...
Snowbird...skiable acres 2500, avg snowfall 500" (though the last two years they have been close to 700)...lift tickets $62.
Alta...skiable acres 2200, avg snowfall 500+...lift tickets $66.
Even Solitude, one of Utah's "smaller" resorts has over 1200 acres of terrain, gets over 500 inches of snow, and lift tickets, $62...that is if you actually buy them at the mountain and don't get discount tickets, basically anywhere.
So really...the northeast needs a reality check. I feel bad for the skiers who never get to go out west and experience real mountains.

Finally

Foliage season is over, the tourists have tapered off, and I am finally getting two days off a week...yes, for the past three months I have been working six days a week. The overtime pay has been great, but I have been exhausted. All I can say now is, "bring on the snow."

More than the other

I had a thought the other day, a thought I never expected to have. I would sell my motorcycle so we had some extra cash if we were moving back to Utah in the future...yes..I actually thought of giving up my bike for epic powder.
Because of this, I have come to the realization that I am truly a skier. Yes I love riding, but I like skiing more...I guess it is because I can always buy another motorcycle..but consistent powder days only happen in Utah...I use to be an obsessive dancer...but I can dance anywhere...Being happy on snow is the best feeling on earth..

As I said in an earlier post, I was never actually miserable in SLC. I just made myself believe I was. The people there, weird though they may be, are at least friendly, and make an effort. Yeah I know, I am still just missing home.
I don't see anything wrong with that.

Pray for snow

Snow

Yes, snow will be a constant and ongoing theme in my blog...Even in the off season. When it comes down to it, I only see the year as having two seasons. Ski season, and training for ski season. Ski season starts as early in the fall as possible, and if the weather cooperates runs through at least late April. Training for ski season starts as soon as the other ends, which includes a lot of high elevation hiking, lunges, running, cycling, etc...Having two dogs helps a lot...they need to go for long walks...which involve climbing a 5000 foot mountain in 4 hours..up and down. Mountain biking with them, and running. Also since I have become somewhat of a telemark skier, lots and lots of lunges at the gym.
The Wasatch mountain range in Utah has received over two feet of snow already...it is being used...I saw pictures...I am severely jealous...I am still waiting for the snow here...I am told it is coming..but I don't see it..as always, pray for snow...
peace

Homesick...

I know it's been a while since I have written anything...life has been hectic, the summer was long and mostly rainy here in the northeast, and we are looking forward to Winter already. We have bought a house here in the state of Vermont. In the village of Essex Junction, just outside of Burlington. It is a 4 bedroom cape style home, with a nice size yard, in a nice neighborhood. Not too far from anything, but just far enough that the four colleges and universities in the area are not a bother.
I have mixed feeling about the whole thing right now. I am 3000 miles away from anything I know. My parents, long time friends, and the west...I look at pictures, and my heart is slightly saddened. I have never been truly homesick, but I believe this is what I am feeling. The western US and its' 10 states were my home for 28 years of my life. I would hear a story, and know I had been there. I miss how tightly held the dancers are there. Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sac, PDX, Seattle, SLC, Denver, Phoenix...these were all just part of a larger group of friends. So far the dance scene here is disappointing at best, and disheartening at its' worst. As much as I complained about SLC, I truly was happy there...I just didn't know it until I was gone. Sure the drivers were a bit off, and the people were a bit wacky..but the snow was just like heaven, and the mountains were a sight to wake up to. Yes, I know there are "mountains" here also...I still just see them as the green hills..barely reaching the sky at 5,000 feet. SLC was at almost that height.
I have always known that I am able to be happy in just about any situation, and make the best of it. So, who knows what the future holds. Maybe UT will once again be graced with our presence on its' glorious fluffy slopes. Only time will tell.
But for now, I am homesick, and a bit lost...here's to hoping all is not lost.

-Tim...

Long Trip

Observations from my cross country ride.

Rain gear is a must...even if it doesn't rain, it is good for wind protection. I brought 4 pairs of gloves...I used 3 of them. I brought tools, and string tire patches just in case, didn't use any of it, but it didn't take up much space. U.S. road atlas. didn't take a gps...my phone works as one, but I really didn't need it until I was in the cities I was staying. Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, and most of Illinois were windy, the entire length of the states, this is where the rain gear came in very handy. Without it I was shivering, with it I was warm and toasty. I also had a balaclava (one of those neck warmer things that also has a thin layer over your head.
Base layers and warm socks are a must. If you are a skier at all, you already know this. I do not have heated gear, nor have I ever, and I don't see the need for it if you know how to layer, and it isn't below 35*. I wore ear plugs the whole way. I took them out for about 30 minutes and couldn't stand it. I have in helmet speakers for my ipod, music helps the miles pass by nicely. I found between 100 and 120 miles was about my limit. Had nothing to do with my seat, just figured it was a good resting point...plus I get hungry often.
I had to dodge tumble weeds across most of Nebraska...it was the weirdest experience ever.
Those huge air spoilers on the top of semis really make a difference in turbulence when they pass going the opposite direction. I found myself cursing the ones without.
The weather was not perfect, nor was it horrible. I ran into a little rain in Chicago, some hail about 30 miles outside of Cleveland, and more rain in Buffalo, and Syracuse. Nothing that stopped me, or made me uncomfortable, but then living in Portland you get used to riding in rain.


Over all the experience was good, probably wouldn't do it again, unless I had two to three weeks, but I would take a more southern route.

Bruges Waffles & Frites

So, as I am always looking for a new and interesting place to put food into my mouth , I stumbled across a great write up in the Salt Lake City Weekly about Bruges Waffles & Frites . I was curious because I had rode by this place on my way home the day before. So today, I tried them, and I will definitely be trying them again.



So this culinary delight is originally a Belgian thing...the owner and cook Pierre Vandamm, no relation to the horrible actor, is a nice guy with a great accent. He knows what he is doing, and does it well. The name of his place comes from his home town Bruges, Belgium. It currently claims to be the waffle capital of the world. Waffles and fries are sold by street vendors there, kind of like our down town taco carts here in Salt Lake City.
The place is small, with only outside seating, or a small bar with four stools inside, but that really doesn't matter. The food is great, the service is exceptional, and the price is right...

I am always amazed

At how easily my body gets back into shape...Since ski season had started, I had been ignoring the gym. Since I had been skiing a couple of days a week, and running with our two dogs about 3 days a week, I had neglected my weight training regimen. But, 3 weeks ago I started up again...and I am always amazed at how quickly I get back to where I was 6 months ago, and already am seeing results. My body is amazing, I know that makes me sound like a pompous ass, but it is just the truth. I have been blessed with very good genes, thank you mom and dad. I am a true ectomorph. My daily caloric intake is upwards of 4000...yes you did read that correctly, 4000. I know, all you women hate me right now, no worries, I am used to it.
To be honest with you, it is actually hard to intake that many calories. I don't eat sweets, or junk food, so it is an incredible feat. Basically I eat 5-6 meals a day, and supplement with protein shakes in between. I eat breakfast twice, have a shake before lunch, lunch, a shake in the afternoon, and eat dinner twice.
It is tons of fun...of course there is also all the snacking in between meals..which usually ends up being some type of fruit. Ok, enough on this, time for second breakfast...peace

Road Trip

So I have an interview on April 26th in Burlingon VT...perfect excuse to ride across the country...taking the I-80 route...if any of you are on the way...I will gladly take a break....

April 1st...2009

Snow on April first in Salt Lake City....
I love it, spring is in full swing...snow and all...
It's interesting trying to get people to read your blog. You send a link to your friends, and are not really sure if they even read it or not.
It's kind of like throwing pasta at a pot of boiling water, just hoping some makes it in, hopefully enough to make a meal.
Of course, blogs are personal, but if no one is reading it, then what's the point. You might as well just pick up that old paper journal you haven't looked at in a while.
Sure, people say they write blogs for stress relief, to vent, to relax. In my humble opinion, that is a load of crap. You write your thoughts on the internet so other people can read them; if it was really peronal, you would put them on paper.
Facebook, twitter, myspace; these are all just ways for you to get your thoughts out there for others to read, comment on, disagree with.
It seems to me that we have become a society who yearns to be heard, no matter how pointless the thought may be.
Be it about your new child crapping it's pants, or the state of the economy, we have this need to let people know what we are thinking. Twitter is the worst of them, and yes, I use it.
I freely admit that I am a part of this movement. I want to be heard, I want people to disagree with me, to yell at me, to tell me their opinions.
The fact that I don't see a difference between bleeding heart liberal democrats, and money grubbing capitalistic republicans. Obama isn't doing anything different than Bush did. He talks the talk, but I want to see some actual real change. At this time he is failing, he is pushing for more war, more spending, more taxes.
He had all these big ideas, big words, and big thoughts...where did they all go?
So far our new president, is a disappointment. I hope he can change my mind...

So Cal Trip

I am not crazy....planning an earlier cycle trip, this one solo, for about a week. This one will be less travel intensive, and more just hang out time.
Going to visit my parents, then hang with friends in LA for a bit...dance, enjoy life, see the ocean.
I miss the ocean, this is as far as I have ever lived from the coast. Growing up it was only about 90 miles from home. In college I lived two steps from the sand. Portland, is an hour drive. The smell of salty water soothes my senses. Having experienced a lot of the west coast line, I have to say the southern California coast is my least favourite. It is too busy, crowded, and commercial. Basically everything north of Santa Barbara is nice.
Of course everyone is fascinated with Los Angeles. Most people I meet want to go there, live there; Hollywood fascinates people. If I had to pick a beach in southern California that I did like, there are two, Huntington Beach, and Ocean Beach.



First of all, Huntington, I like it here for it's sense of community. There are a whole lot of bars, and restaurants just up the street from the board-walk, and they all have their weekend breakfast regulars. Mostly people over the age of 50, but there are a few younger ones too. The joggers, dog walkers, bicyclists, they all are there, all the time.
Huntington residents have a sense of pride in their community. Most of them either grew up there, or dreamt of living there as a child. It is a peaceful setting, before all the tourists show up for the day, usually around noon.




Being of Irish and German descent, my favourite place to stop while there is the Killarney's Pub and Grill. The food is good, the servers are nice to look at, and I can get a nice cold pint of Guinness with my lunch.




Ocean Beach, on the other hand, is almost the exact opposite of Huntington. It is more of a counter culture refuge. It reminds me a bit of Santa Cruz, but without all the mansions on the hill. It is a small community of like minded people just west of down town San Diego. Hippies, posers, pot heads, wanna be high school kids, you name it, this is the refuge for everyone who wants to be different.

Serving your country

So I have been reading a bunch of blog posts about military service.
First, I have to say, I respect and thank everyone who has served, or is serving in the military. Personally, it is not for me, I am to opinionated.
The hardships these people go through are amazing feats of human endurance.
I salute you, soldier, marine, sailor, and airmen.

Thu Mar 26, 8:28 AM

Sitting her on my couch...debating whether to go skiing today or tomorrow...two feet of fresh snow overnight, with more on the way...
Spring started last Friday, and then winter came back a day later...hahahaa..it's like a big joke...keep moving..

La La La lalalalalalalalala

So, with all this time on my hands I have been repainting my bike. Putting new brake pads on my wife's bike. Sleeping a lot, and planning stuff.


My bike is almost done, the fenders, and side covers are finished. All I need to do now is a final coat of paint on the tank, and two layers of clear coat...so probably 3 or 4 days...then comes the sanding, and buffing...
Also since we are moving across the entire effing country, and all of my family lives in the south west United States, they are throwing a big family get together.
Also, my cousin is getting married in the middle of May, in Phoenix. So...basically I am planning a 10 day motorcycle trip, before we drive across the entire effing country.

Starting in Salt Lake City, going to Las Vegas for a couple of days, then down to Phoenix for about 3 days, over to San Diego for a day or two, up to my parents in the High Desert, then back to Vegas for a night, before our final destination of SLC...then two days later we leave for Vermont...you can take a breath now.

Food, motorcycles, and inspiration.

In short, food is an amazing way to enjoy life...just not too much.
Motorcycles are comparable to food, but on a different plain entirely.
Both are inspiring...and evoke artistic creativity.

(Note) will be updating this later with more..

Lots of time...

Having a lot of time on my hands gives me time to think...a lot.
Being unemployed is an interesting state of being. Sure, I am sending out my resume, and applying for just about any job I can find; yet this free time is nice also.
I don't really do much. I am mostly just looking at online employment sites.
It has also given me time to do things I have missed while working. Basically spending more time with my two dogs, and catching up on cleaning around here. I was bored one day, so I bought a bunch of spray paint, and decided to re-paint my motorcycle...it is still in process...but is coming along.
I have been catching up on reading the ride reports at ADVrider, those are always inspiring.
Busy planning our trip down to Phoenix for my cousin's wedding, of course it will be a six day motorcycle trip, with a stop in Las Vegas...oh and if you are ever in Vegas, go to the NYNY hotel and have dinner at Nine Fine Irishmen, it is a great Irish pub setting, with traditional Irish cuisine, and a great beer selection.
I actually have a slightly funny story about the first time we went there.
We were on our week long vacation to Zion/Bryce canyon national parks, and spent the weekend before in Las Vegas. My parents were driving up from CA, and it happened to be that Sarah's mom was going to be in Vegas with her boyfriend for some marketing conference. So, we all went to dinner there...it was interesting. I am Irish, and of course so is my father, and so is Linda's (Sarah's mom) boyfriend...it must have been fate.

Anyway...looking for a job in this economy sucks ass...
That is all for now..

I am lost?

So...you know how we have been all excited about purchasing a house, and the new job etc...well....
I have,I guess, been laid off. The restaurant is doing horribly, so they can not afford to pay me my salary. I can't say I didn't partly see it coming, considering how slow business has been over the last two months. Example: Yesterday we made a whole 200 dollars for the day...if this was an isolated incident it would be ok, but it is not. There have been many days like this.
Technically I am not fired, I have agreed to stay on for hourly pay, a much lower rate though. I guess it is better than nothing at all, but not by much.

What does this mean? Well the house we were looking at is not a financially smart decision anymore, unless I find a position within the next week or two that is comparable to what I had been promised.
If that doesn't happen, then we are most likely going to live out our lease until the end of May, and maybe move to Vermont.

All I have to say is that it is a good thing I am the kind of person who just takes life as it comes.

A sweet deal

Or at least I hope...we just put an offer on a house in Heber City, UT.
With the market today, and the fact that the house has been on the market for about a year, we offered 20% below the asking price...we will see what happens now....If all goes well we will be closing by the end of March.
Just in time for riding season...

In the End

In the end, I have decided to take this new job.
It will be good, it comes with a nice salary, room for growth, and 10% ownership of the business in 3 years.
It will be good.
We have decided to buy a house in Heber City Utah, stay for a few years, and then sell when the market is better.
After that we will most likely move to the Burlington Vermont to be closer to Sarah's mother, and sister. Her dad passed a few years ago, so we think it would be good to be closer as her mother ages...also her sister isn't the most reliable human being.
Yet as we make these plans we know that change is always possible. So nothing is set in stone, they are tentative plans that we can only hope for. We will take it as it comes.

On another note, I have decided I want to purchase a HD Sportster sometime in the next year or so. New or used it does not matter.
Not for any other reason than I think they look nice.
No I am not getting rid of my Virago, just adding on.


The snow is still falling, so riding is not in the near future. Probably will be about two months. Which is just in time for a more advanced rider course...hopefully they will actually have some to take this time around.