This is what they do on quiet days at Mt. Hood Meadows . . . 2 quaterpipes, one above the other and a skier clearing the second, landing on the far side having pulled a corked 540 . . . it was awesome1

Finally a day of total rest! But I will start with last night! As you can see from other posts I was drinking! I spoke to Mother/Father and Smurf! I crashed out at about 2am and woke this morning with a mild headache at 10:30am . . . By the time I had a shower, eaten my scrambled eggs, drunk a silly amount of fresh OJ and got my crap together it was 3pm! I did think about going for a night boarding session but instead thought I would continue relaxing for the day!

I bust my goggles last time I was up at Meadows . . . my light lens (standard orange persimmon) has a crack and fogs in between the lenses. I decided to go to the US out door centre to see what was in their sales . . . I think you all know where this is going . . . I wanted to jump on the train but it was throwing down with spring rain, so the SUV was going to get to turn its wheels!

I arrived at the shop to find it had a huge sale on . . . . They were out of stock of the Hi-yellow lens I wanted (that's the one you have smurf, incase you were wondering!) But I had a back up plan to go for the Persimmon again, a good cheap all round lens. But as I said they had a sale, this lens is usually 40 pouunds, I got the frame, lens and Oakley bag all for $50, reduced from $90 . . . Thats right, 35 pounds . . . are you all sure you don't want me to bring anything over? You can get the xbox 360 easily out here . . .

I ventured around the store, I needed new socks, the ones I have date back to Andorra . . .the first time out there with Dave!

I found some nice looking socks, on sale for $10 and decided to head down the stairs to the snowboarding section . . . this is where it goes wrong . . .

The sale extended to the boards . . . 40& off RRP . . . there were 159 zeps, Ride Timeless even a battery of Burtons . . .Then I realised, in the corner . . there was a gold bag . . . would it smell of Chocolate? COuld there be a Ride Theory with "Charlie and the Chocolate factory" graphics and your own golden ticket . . . . As I got closer I could smell it! But hold on . . what size is it, I need the 159 . . The closer I got the bigger my grin got! I looked at the tag, $500 . . . :O . . . a short bit of thinking later I worked out it is now going to be $300 . . . that, to you guys is about 170 quid . . .what would you do . . . the board you want, last one in your town, 170 sheets . . . .

I'm not telling you what I did. I think you need some suspense in your lives! On the one hand I have been banging on about retiring the Parka all year and on the flip side I am only going to ride the Kink this summer and I am pretty skint . . . .

I had to grab a coffee to think about it . . .

Anywot. I am going up to hood tomorrow, it has been dumping all day at meadows, another reason why I did not go up tonight, I plan an early start to make fresh tracks in Heather Canyon, you remember that Tons-O? Mmmmm, pow and treeeesssss :)

On other topics:

Dave, the SC101 is cool there are issues with it. It uses a different file system, so anydrives you stick in it need to be formatted by the thingy itself. Over here it is $120 give or take from the shops, that is 70 punds, so you could save 20 quid. Oh, and update your blog man!!!

I solved my network problems, I bought a linksys router, I am returning the netgear. Apparently according to the webmongs on the interspaz the Netgear suffers 2 problems:

1. It crashes if you overload its cache
2. If you have heavy traffic on you network it tends to overheat and look up, not fully resetting . . .

I hope I can get a full refund from the store . . . .

Right, I am off to try my new socks on!

Ok, lets play a game!!!!!!!! It is called "you know you are drunk when . . ." . . . I'll start, you guys must post comments though, all of you! Anyone not posting a comment owes me beer when I am over NEXT WEEK!!!

I'll start. "You know you are drunk when" . . .

10. Your gf is being affectionate! he-he only playing Smurf, you creased me up last night, was great to talk with you XXX! and an extra X! for being you!

9. You sing the lyrics to a tv show intro . . in my case tonight "I'm no superman" . . . Marty name the show!

8. You knock the snowboards over!

In true Letterman style post you comments, add the appropriate number as set out in the sequence above . . .the rules of engagement exist for your safty and the safty of those around you!!!

This was the wine Tons-O and I nearly bought, I will bring some back for you Dave ;)

And the next picture is the road to Meadows the other weekend, crazy amounts of snow!!!









So fine wine aside, here is the picure of the road up to Meadows. Incase you cannot tell what the the white stuff is next to that bus on the left, it is 22ft of snow . . . that is why I get lost, you cannot see the damn signs . . . . mmmmm . . snooowwwww . . .




When I rolled into the car park after a few hours boarding, this is the state of the SUV! It was dumping allll day, I was so tired after 3 hours of pow riding!!! By the tme I stuck the board in the car it was under 1.5inches of snow! :)



And as a side bar, this is my "computer room" . . . This is in teh spare room walk in wardrobe. I have not found a suitable shelving unit for it all yet . . not sure what to do about that yet . . .

On the left is the NAS dual caddy with a 300Gb drive (there is a 200Gb comming back from the UK with me), then the most unreliable damn router in teh world and the broadband modem. On the floor is the surge protecting/smoothing/isolating thingy with a lot of velcro keeping the wires tame . . . I know, I know . . . I know you are all looking at the poorly cartels on the left . . . :(

Enough of he boring! I am booking MOnday as a day off and I will spend 2 or 3 days up meadows :) ha-ha !!!! there's you thinking, boring post, then at the end, 3 days up meadows! 1 day on rails, 1 day in the pipe and 1 day back country :) That is the plan . . . . . . . That my friends is the plan . . . .

All of you that have a copy of "Afterbang" put it on now. Read what is on the side of the bus in the opening credits, literally 35 seconds in!!!! I am in a very, very cool town :)

Oh my God. . . Oh my God . . . . . .

****read the next paragraph in an urgent "hand-flapping" manner****

Frasier, series one episode 20 "Forty somehting". . . Frasier and his dad are in a trendy clothes shop . . . Frasier puts on some silly "youth" style clothing as the fit female assitant is comming on to him and trying to make him buy stuff . . When she leaves Fraiser turns to his dad and says " Did you see that girl assiting me?" to which his old man responds "Of course I did . . . .I'm not dead!"

Guess whose email address I need . . . if any of the usual suspects can help me here, I think we need a night out when I am back in September playing drink the beer . . break dance sty-leeeeeee . . . . .




*poomph-cha . . . pooomph-chaaaa . . . .* Can y'all beatbox? . . . . or spin on y'all head? . . . I knew a guy that was thirty -. . . - not dead . . .*poomph-cha . . . pooomph-chaaaa . . . .*

He-He-He . . . . I am going to confess to something now that most of you will rip me apart for! it is dumping up Mt Hood and I am not boarding in the morning! I know you are all ashamed of me . . . I am sorry to let you down . . . but I have a very . . . VERY good excuse! That bottle of sav-blanc in the fridge lasted some 50 mins . . . It is now 20:22 . . . I have a case of beer in the fridge. The chances of me being fit to drive in the morning are zero! All I have to say is happy Paddy's day you better be drinking. . . . or as I am eight hours behind you (see. . . SEEEEEEE I told you 8 was the magic number, did you believe me . . . nnnNOOOOOoooo!!!) Happy hang overs!

Oh, and a special note to Dave and Em, that you so much for the email, it really made my day today. Dave, you bet we will find time for a beer and a chin-wag. I am in the UK for over a week and I think I have 3 nights free outside of work. One for Smurf, one for general drinking and the last one a sit down and a catch up with you. I will call you when my flights are booked . . . now back to my vino!

I hate to admit this . . . But around New years, when the Scooby gang had all crashed Em's parents in Cornwall, we played trivial persuit. (I think that was the game, there was one other occasion we played too, but for the sake of he story I will cary on!) One of the questions was:

"Who plays Daphne Moon in the comedy series Frasier?"

I could not remember at the time, and I STILL cannot remember . . . It has serisouly bugged me ever since . . .

This has got so bad, that even though I am watching the first series of Frasier I have to skip the credits. . . . I WILL remember . . .

It's not over . . . not yet . . .

So this post is nothing but good news! I love it when they are like that. I had a really tough day today but the highlights are so distinct! I spoke to Smurf twice :) May call her again in a bit! I got my skype phone sorted, it works sooooo well! it is a Linksys CIT200 . Now, you have to understand before I carry on, it was about 8:30PM for me when I started to test how well this cordless wonder worked . . I think all I need to say is I spent 40 mins on the phone to my Mother as the birds were waking at the crack of dawn . . . The phone is amazing, it cost about 1.6p a min for call a land line and as it is cordless I can wonder all around the apartment and talk freely. It copies my skype contacts into its phone book and they are free to talk to, it has a speaker phone. . . in its the future! $116 . . . money well spent!

The phone was not my only technology investment . . . I also picked up a Netgear SC101. For you that a techno enabled, this is a NAS HDD cady. It means I can load it up with my 200GB and 300Gb(being bought tomorrow . . .from Frys for $140 . . . not bad, not bad at all . . .) HDD and plug it into my Netgear WGT624 to act as my primary file server. When I get my PC over here I can add that to the nest of computer goodies in the spare room closet and have a real little server room!

Only problem with the SC101 is it formats drives in a funny way, so you have to port across all your stuff and not just stick any HDD in the caddy . . .. A smaill price to pay . .


I think the key here is to show Smurf where all the films live when she comes over the easy way to use it all! Or I may just set things in motion and show her how to pause stuff ;) !!! I will get yellow car'd for that!

I am finally polishing off that Rioja, had a great chat with mum about life and stuff, I was over tired and a bit hyper, but the red vino has calmed me down . . . I have been up since 4:30 . . .

I will be back in the UK for a week at the star of April, just as a load of my friends head out to the US for their snowboarding holidays! California is just fab at the mo, I was there today and they have had buckets of snow and some more to come!!! You lucky devils! As for the rest of you, let me know if you are about on the last 1st or 2nd sat in April, we MUST play drink the beer and watch Spurs-Man City! Tons-O you fancy a trip to the lane? I "may" be able to convince Smurf to to the Lane, not just a pub . . .

And it is here I sign off and crash out. . . . I guess I will notpost the pictures from the weekend until Sunday, This week is a social wash out . . . Even with it being Paddy's day on Friday I will be at home with a bottle of Cab-Sav . . .

SO I have been a bad son . . . as I mention below . . . So how can I make this up? How about saying I will be in the UK at the start of April! So Mum, Dad even Sis, that Saturday before you go away, I will be there! Smurf has said she will bring drive me down to see you (and maybe get her Champagne at last!!!)

There you go, not the same as remembering your birthday but at least you will see me!

Back to the rest of the world! I have a working phone number, if you want it email me and I will forward it, you can use the skype button to the left if you like, it is the same thing (don't worry mum, I will show you how to work it!)

I had a major home network problem yesterday, wireless router kept throwing me off, so a couple of hard resets later and a firmware downgrade then upgrade, it finally apears stable. but my SSID is "unstable" . . . Well, I thought it was funny!

I was gutted to hear Spurs lost at the weekend, injury time goal . . .AGAIN!!!! grrrr. . . I have not seen the F1 yet, unfortunately I know who won as I am watching the race now. Fizzy at his first pitstop made some classic tv!

Race tech: "We are going to give point 3 more front wing, I know it is hard, you are doing a great job we can get some points"

Fizzy "This is f***ing shit. . . .f***ing shit" *volume fades out . . . .*

I love F1 and this race has been a stonker from the go!!!!

Looks like I will be able to call home and Smurf tomorrow at lunch, miricale I know! I can't wait! DOn't get me wrong I like my own space, but I do miss you lot! Yes Kev especially you and your menu skills!

So here is a request from me to all of you, when you get a chance send me an email and update me on what you are up too, I know you must have news! The Scooby gang is never quiet for long . . .

I can't believe it; I forgot my own Mothers birthday. I think that is the first time ever. Sorry Mum. Happy birthday for Sunday . . . If it is any consolation I spent the day with rubber gloves on cleaning out the bathrooms and rest of the apartment. . . Oh, and trying to get a flipping phone number . . .

I will post info on Saturdays riding when I get home tonight, i do have some pictures somewhere!

Well what a day, I finally had a chance to clean the apartment. It was newly decorated when I moved in, but still, it was not as clean as I like. . . All I have to do now are the windows, next weekend!

Even though the recharge base for my Scutter is not working I can still charge it from the adapter. That means the little beastie has been sorting my floors out for me today, and a mighty fine job it has done too!

I finally joined the Skype conspiracy, I even paid for a real phone number and stuff. . . Once it is all confirmed and I pick up a handset thingy (well, go out and buy one!) I will let people know the number. I am trusting word of mouth will spread the number out to people as I hate general emails to lots of people etc . . . In the meantime there is a little indicator on the left above "my snow" that says that lets you know if it is safe to try and call me. So those of you on skype can nag be on that and the rest will know to call my number, when I get it all sorted. Smurf has is prelimanaryly (however you spell that, I am to tired for F7), the rest of you can wait!

Anyhow, the apartment is clean, my steak was rare and tender, the wine is red! Thanks adam I am on that Rioja, nice tip there!

I did not get to speak to Smurf this weekend, that is a real low-light for me. It is my fault I was busy trying to get stuff sorted here today and yesterday was . . . well . . . the most snow I have ever been in. Period. Pictures and comments to be put up tomorrow night . . . But now I have a phone number almost sorted we should be able to talk freely whenever we like and it will not cost the Earth!

Right, I am shattered! Goodnight one and all!! Especially my Smurf!

So it is time I put some pictures up of the pad, especially as I have gone through my finances and can see I will be skint until by birthday! That means I will be spending a lot of time here and you should all see my space!

You enter the apartment through the kitchen, the entrance is to the left of the bin in this picture. As you can see I have a coffee maker (with a thermos jug) and a kettle for the gas hob! It is a very well designe kitchen, just needs a second dishwasher and less cupboards . . . That is a lot of cupboard space for a bag of Oreos and 4 wine glassess





So the other side of that little wall on the right is the lounge. At the moment I have this nice glass and metal computer desk (it is a little wonky but I have a spirit level now so can straighten that up!) Please note my filing draw thing and funky swivel chair, my roomba was being shy and is just out of sight to the bottom left, which is temporarily called "Scutter". Some people laugh, the others need an explination . . .



Hhhmmm . . . not a good picture . . . this is the rest of the lounge, you can see the funky sofa and the very heavy steel (brushed nickel plated) coffee table, not to mention the gas fireplace (just for you smuf!) The door opens out to the deck that could seat a dozen people happily (if I had the furniture, I am working on it . . .)




Ok, this piccy is taken as you walk in, hang a right and you see this corridor. The first door closet for jackets, then the one on the right is the bathroom, the next left is the guest room and at the end is the en-suite master. The bed is to the left of that up lighter. There is an uplighter either side of the bed.







I will post more pictures of stuff tomorrow, including the wine that Tons-O-Fun found in Safeway last week . . . It was very appropriate for the pair of us . . . I may get some in time for his next visit . . .

Oh, do youlike the template change? The bottom of every post now links to the conditions at Mt Hood Meadows mid station :)

I am really into Red dwarf at the moment, only on season 1, but I really fancy a hot Gazpcho soup . . . hot . . . God bless Rimmer . . .

The joys of technology! As I said I bought a roomba robot vacuum, but it is a little poorly! For some reason it will not charge from its base station, it discharges instead . . . I am on the phone to cusomer support now to try and sort it out.

I really like this little pet :) but in order for it to be truely useful it needs to be able to find its way back to its charging station AND recharge! I hope it is an easy to fix problem . . . . Well as I am writting this it seems this is not an uncommon problem. They are sending me a replacement base unit free of charge, this will take a week or two to come through by the sound of it. The roomba is still useable, just not as cool without the self docking/charging facility . . .

Today is friday and in a about 8 hours my weekend will begin . . . I can't wait . . . I am ready for bed already . . .

Wow, were to start. The last week and a half has been a real rollercoaster. I finally moved into my apartment (much more on that in a mo!) on the 1^st. I can just about see Mt Hood though the trees!

I got myself down to “bed bath and beyond” and got myself set up with all the stuff I need that is not being sent over from the UK. Coffee maker, kettle, pots/pans, cutlery etc . . . I spent a fortune but got good stuff at reasonable prices. I bought a queen size bed ($550, how good is that!) Then the week got crazy on Friday.

About midday on Friday I was coughing and spluttering, feeling really rough . . . I eventually had to face the music and go home to put my head down. On route I stopped to get some food and supplies during which time Tons-O-Fun makes contact! It turns out the snow in Breckenbridge has not been all he had hoped, so while being sat on a chair lift he calls me and asks the fatal question “What are you doing this weekend?” . . . Well what could I say! I cannot say I am ill so I say nothing, why you fancy riding up at Hood, the forcast is freshies on Sat and Sun! The phone goes done, I get on line . . . I find a flight for 9:20PM, text Tons-O back and next thing you know I have booked our dearly loved random one a flight to Portland! I will let you check out his blog for the details of his journey over!

Now I panic. I am ill, well . . . I can get drugs for that, there is a safeway around the corner! But I have no bed, seats or anything for a guest . . . Que a shopping trip that sees me get a full bed set to drape the air mattress in and . . . a sofa . . . I had to go to about 4 show rooms until I could find one I liked that would fit in my SUV, it is a blue 3 seater, nubuck material so nice and strokable. It has silver feet too. I had a real struggle getting it in the car, then back out, then up to my apartment on my own. . . But I managed, just . . .

It is at this point, about 9:40 Tons-O lets me know he has missed his flight and will not be with me till the morning. In a way this was a huge relief! I got my sofa, beds, sheets and coffee table all sorted ( I know mum, but I had to get something, I was expecting a guest!)

Adam was due to arrive at 7:45 the next morning, It was now time for me to crash out and try and build my reserves for the days to come.

I picked up Tons-O at 8am and we got onto the hill at about 10:30 . . . It was hevenly! Freshies a couple of inches deep. I would dearly love to bang on about the bowls and the tree runs and all else, but really the next day was even better!

We were expecting 3inches to fall over night. In reality this did not happen. It was far, far more then this . . . I reckon up to 10” in places and an average of 6” where we were riding. The pictures can do the talking here.

Sunday was without doubt the best days riding I had ever had. The highlights for me were seeing Ad on my tiny kink riding a double diamond bowl! He has the video to prove it! We also laid fresh tracks under a lift on a black diamond. My favourite was a tree run we hit, it was fairly steep, the trees were a good space apart and you could fly through! It was like the speeder bike scenes from star wars with me as a storm trooper and Ad as . . well . . . Darth Vader?

The pictures speak volumes. Nothing else to say expect it was amazing!

I bought my first ever season pass, expect me to be showing that to all and sundry when I visit the UK!

Sunday night was also my first encounter with US taxi companies (as reliable as the UK!) and the first adventure into downtown.

Tons-O and I went for a lite-bite and a venture out into downtown. We grabbed a really good meal in a Henry’s bar and grill on 12^th Street. The dumb waitress was . . . well . . dumb! Again . . not on my blog! The taxi was cheap, $15-20 each way and was a horribly bouncy, fast, scary journey. As all good taxis should be!

I had a real bad day on Monday, the most ill I have been for a while, my friend had gone home, the drugs were not working and work was a real tough ride. When I got home I crashed out with the help of NyQuil (I went for the capsules, not the green death liquid . . .) and that was the end point of the weekend! I finally got some rest!

Tuesday has been an altogether better day. I woke up ok, work was ok and . . I feel a little better. But most importantly I have a new friend. A vacuum cleaner! It is a Roomba Discovery . . . A robotic vacuum cleaner! With the scheduling remote control it cost me about $330.

Now you have to understand that I am a dyson fanatic through and through but I love gadgets. On the whole these little beasts have got fair write ups and I decided it would be nice to have a bit company. So far the cleaner job has been brilliant through the whole place and it is nice to see the little thing bounce around knowing it is helping me keep the pad clean! It also means when Smurf is here she will have company on the days I have to work.

Tons-O, get one for your place, they are fab, it gets right under the bed and is surprisingly good at corners and stuff.