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29 January 2006

Winter X Games 10, 2006 in Aspen, CO

That's right it's here, and it's crazy!For those of you that don't know the Winter X Games are an extreme winter sporting event held every year, involving high speed stunts on snowboards, skis, snowmobiles, and motorcycles. The games take place on specially constructed ramps, a superpipe (very large half pipe), and various other tracks for downhill racing etc. The sport is extreme and these people are a little mad. Some of the world's best snowboarders and skiiers are here competing and doing promos.

The events are all free and open to the public, if you are brave enough to stand in the snow all day, and there are free concerts every night as well.
Friday night: Juliette Lewis and her band the Licks, followed by Louis XIV (this concert was a dog show, ended up being half cancelled because crowd behaviour was so bad - see photo caption),
Saturday night: Flipsyde, followed by Damien Marley and the Wailers (didn't get to see them, unfortunately had to work).
Sunday night: AWOL punk concert with The Vandals (they play on top of this huge wall/ramp thing and while they are playing Snowboard X pros ride up the side of the wall and perform tricks and jumps).

I have loaded a lot of photos, so check out my Flickr site properly. You can also check out the action on ESPN and at the official website.

16 January 2006

Green Ham and Eggs

This is too much. Scientists in Tiawan have successfully bred a three pigs which glow fluorescent green in the dark, as part of their ongoing efforts in human stem cell research. This I have to see to believe. Read the article on News24 here.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Ok so I have been in the US for a month and half or so, well in Aspen which is more like a bubble of fairyland than anything else, but here are some of my impressions so far:

The Good:
1. The Rockies: these mountains are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, and there is always something new to see and do.
2. Snowboarding: its just so cool
3. Ben & Jerry's ice cream: *drool
4. Starbucks coffee: espcially the caramel machiatto, its like eating a cookie
5. Cookies: these people know how to make them
6. The local Colorado people: super friendly and chilled, a pleasure to be around
7. Winter in a fairytale
8. No crime to speak of: leave door open, leave keys in car, while it's running to warm up for half and hour and its still there when you get back
9. Cheap clothes, shoes, sunglasses
10. Free local landline calls
11. Cheap international landline calls
12. The Winter X Games at the end of Jan - cant wait! Catch it on ESPN from 28-31 Jan
13. Free music concerts with awesome rock bands
14. No bank charges: unbelievably awesome!

The Bad:
1. The food generally available in the supermarket: fresh fuit and veggies are way overpriced and everything else has so much sugar in it its inedible, espacially the bread - yuck!
2. Eggs, bacon, pancakes and syrup on one plate: why?
3. Quote: "South Africa? Is that a state in Australia?"
4. Quote: "You from South Africa? Wow... *pause* Is is civilised where you are?" Civilised can mean anything from do you have running water to are you likely to get shot when you walk down the street?
5. US Postal Service: I find it ironic that they sponsored Lance Armstrong for so long...
6. They woke up the bears from their winter sleep after all the dynamiting and avalanche control, as well as all the fireworks: great just what we need, pissed off, cold bears who haven't had enough sleep walking around town
7. I'll say it again: MacDonald's. I refuse to go in there.
8. The bruises on my head, knees and lower back.... Mountain 1 Cat 0
9. US Mobile telecommunications: they just haven't figured it out yet, you have to pay to receive calls and sms's as well as send
10. Mexian illegal immigrants: there are a lot, and its not fair I have to pay so much to get here, I should just hop the border too... US economy would have trouble without them.

The Ugly:
1. Rivalry between SA and Aus among the seasonal visitors
2. Some of the people I have seen on the public busses to Glenwood Springs: no teeth, no hair, yellow eyes... I ran fast.
3. Some of the boarding accidents I have seen and/or expereinced: ouch!
4. American beer: I was going to put this in bad, but it's worse than that! BRING ON SAB!!!

14 January 2006

I think this describes my state of mind pretty well at the moment, I have been spending some time looking at places to travel, deciding where I want to go and what dreams to chase. This is a really exciting time for me, I am filled with trepidation and longing for open space and interesting adventure.

All men dream: but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty
recesses of their minds wake in the day
to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers
of the day are dangerous men, for they may
act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.

T.E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

07 January 2006

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I know it has been a while since I last posted, the past weeks over Christmas and New Year were a little mad - work, party, board, work, party, board - you get the picture! Best wishes to you all for the new year, hope that you partied safely but madly on the night and that 2006 holds only the best for you all.

I spent Christmas Eve with some friends down the road also from South Africa, we had a Christmas dinner complete with Turkey and secret Santa under the (rather tiny) Christmas tree. It wasn't my family at home, but the guys made me feel really welcome and I had an awesome night that turned pretty large in the end. Worked Christmas Day and solidly for the rest of the week. Aspen is really full of holiday makers at the moment, and it's peak season so there is money to be made from it all.

New Year was amazing:
15:00h: Go to work
23:30h: Leave work, run home grab some Bud and race to Rubey Park to see the new year in with my mates from down the road
00:00h: Fireworks over Aspen/Ajax Mountain, hugs all round, starts snowing on cue at midnight as the fireworks start - awesome!
00:30h: Walk home to the Saffers house, crack open some drinks to celebrate, decision made to spend the first hours of the new year in a jacuzzi
00:31h: Realise we dont have a jacuzzi
00:32h: Decide to "borrow" the neighbour's one
00:45h: Gate is locked
00:46h: Break fence
Not sure: Jacuzzi is incredible, starts dumping snow - clothes are all wet
Not sure: Aspen police not so impressed with the jacuzzi as we are
Not sure: Run for safety in towel, no shoes, clothes are soaked!
Not sure: Can't remember
10:00h: Breakfast to celebrate Dina's birthday - many happy returns my girl!
11:30h: Pass out
15:00h: Work again!