This made me laugh.

I can't think of a better message to open my inbox to.  Brilliant.

An evening at the spa...

You didn't expect that title coming from me did ya?  And why would you.  I'm not the type.  I'd never been to a spa before last week.  I'd never really been crazy about my perception of the typical spa experience (sitting around, being pampered, having cucumbers placed over your eyes and mud smeared on your face).  I've always been more interested in being active.  If you know me, you know I can't sit still for very long without getting bored.  I rarely finish what I start.  I'm slightly ADD.  A year ago, if you asked me to go to a spa - I'd probably laugh... a lot.  Then, when I was physically able to stand up after my ab muscles recovered, I might go with you... if you paid for it.

However, Whistler offers a much busier lifestyle than I was accustomed to back home.  Working in a restaurant is a demanding job.  It's physically challenging and dealing with the lovely and always respectful people on a daily basis is mentally tough as well.  It takes a lot out of you.  Combine that with the social aspect after work and you eventually get an exhausted Tash.  In the winter I had snowboarding as my release to de-stress and get back on an even keel.  Come summertime the gym has been great for helping me stay on track physically and emotionally.  Lately though, it hasn't been enough.  I've been feeling exhausted.  I needed something a little bit extra to get me feeling good again.  Back in March, I purchased a discounted day pass for the Scandinave Spa.  It was a really good price so I figured what the hell.  It was set to expire at the end of June so I had to use it or it would have been wasted money... and in Whistler, the only acceptable way of wasting money is on alcohol.

I did a bit of research beforehand and basically, the idea is this: get really hot, get really cold, relax, repeat.  It's called hydrotherapy.  The location itself is gorgeous and tucked away from the hustle and bustle (can't believe I just wrote that) of the Whistler village. 

The most interesting "hot station" I tried was the steam room.  As soon as you open the door, you get a massive wave of listerine scented vapour all over you.  It's like the entire population of Whistler chewed a couple packs of dentyne each and blew all of their minty breath into one small room.  Once you get over the stinging of your eyes from the minty freshness as well as the inability to breathe, it's actually pretty relaxing.  This whole dealio is supposed to start the detoxifying process.

After you hang out in the minty room for a while, you then proceed to the "get really cold" part.  Basically that means plunging into some super chill water.  This is supposed to boost your immune system and it freakin' better because it was freezing cold, dammit.

After you get out of the ice cold pool, you get to my favourite part - the relaxation bit.  They have a couple of options but the best by far is the hammock.  I never used to understand the appeal of a hammock.  Probably because I was a hyper-active child who never liked to sit still.  However, at the ripe old age of 23 I have come to completely appreciate every aspect of the hammock.  Pure comfort.  Every part of your body is supported and rested while you swing gently in the air.  Perfect bliss. 

In between my hydrotherapy cycles, I stopped at the in-house health bistro to grab a snack.  I devoured a yummy plate of grapes, almonds and a variety of cheeses and then washed it down with some mango juice.  The cheese was by far the best part.  It had been so long since I'd eaten good cheese.  I also got a free double chocolate cookie.  Things just kept getting more awesome.

The whole experience is pretty cool.  But by far, the absolute best thing about this place is the code of silence.  No talking to others.  No cell phones.  No ipods.  Just you and the spa.  No creepy old perverts hitting on you like they do in the hot-tub at the gym.  No annoying chatty kathys who feel the need to constantly have a phone attached to their hand.  No young punks putting their terrible taste in music on display by blaring it through their headphones.  The Scandinave Spa is a place of peace and tranquility.  Just the sounds of waterfalls splashing and birds chirping while you soak up the sun and breathe the fresh mountain air.

This is my new paradise.  I was only there for 2 hours but it felt like 10.  It seemed like time just came to a standstill.  I left feeling rested, relaxed and re-energized.  If it wasn't so expensive I would have bought the 3 month passport for unlimited bath access.  But since I'm poor, I'll have to settle for the spa being a treat for when I'm on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Tash.

Things.

Things I've learned about biking in the last week:

Pedaling uphill makes a tired Tash.
Riding after a few drinks is much easier.
Riding after a few more drinks allows me to travel at super sonic speeds.
Keeping your mouth open while riding will result in swallowing varying types of insects.
Riding in the dark on unlit trails and without a bike light in a bear inhabited community is frightening and not intelligent.

That is all.

Peace out.

What is red and smells like blue paint?

Red paint.  This has nothing to do with the following blog... just thought it best to start with a joke/fact.

Apparently if you eat, drink and perform minimal exercise for six months straight - you'll gain weight!  I know folks, it's quite shocking.  I've never worried about my weight before but it seems I'm getting old.  My mother told me the day where I could not eat whatever I pleased would come, but as per usual - I didn't believe her.  I don't own a scale in Whistler and one of the first things I did when I arrived home was weigh myself.  When I looked down between my feet and saw a number I've never seen before, I thought "Surely that can't be right. This thing is broken."  I then ventured upstairs and used a different scale and to my horror I saw the same number!  "Dammit!  Why are all the scales broken?!!?!" 

Seriously though, I know I'd gained a bit of weight.  For the first time in my life I actually feel like I should shed some pounds.  Not just for aesthetic reasons.  For a little while now, I haven't felt healthy.  I've been lethargic, seriously lacking energy and super sleepy,   After a winter of indulgence, it all finally caught up to me. 

After seeing that novel number on the scale, I decided that I would commit to getting healthy and fit.  Last week I bought a bike which is going to be my main mode of transport this summer.  I've started cooking healthy meals and actually reading nutrition labels when I go shopping rather than looking for the cheapest items.  And today... I bought a gym membership.  In my previous attempts with these things - I've found I generally go diligently for the first week or two and then my attendance plummets.  I make excuses as to why I don't go and forget about the money I've wasted.  A couple months later, I go and buy another one and the cycle continues.  I am determined not to fall into this pattern again. 

Today I biked 5km to the gym, bought my 3 month membership and changed into an old band t-shirt and some Adidas shorts that would be cool if it were still the 90's.  Thankfully there weren't any of the lululemon "I MUST LOOK SUPER COOL WHILE EXERCISING" snobs around.  I strolled into the cardio room and figured I'd try the Elliptical trainer.  I attempted to get on and almost fell off.  Good start Natasha, good start.  I set the program to "fat burner" as it seemed to fit with my current goals.  I started moving and saw that the program was supposed to take 28 minutes.  This seemed like quite a daunting task but I figured I'd give it a go.  I'll breakdown my thought train during the workout for you:



0:03 - WTF?!?!? 28 minutes?  No freakin' way I can do this for a half hour.
1:00 - This isn't so bad.  Maybe I can do it. 
2:00 - My legs hurt already :(        (Yes I think in emoticons sometimes)
3:00 - I think my breathing is louder than the fans.
4:00 - I want to die... or maybe just take a nap.
5:00 - Maybe I'll stop at 10 minutes.  That seems reasonable for a first try.
10:00 - I have owies everywhere - but I've gone this far.  I'll keep at it a bit longer. 
12:00 - "Don't stop believin'" comes on my ipod.  Can't let Journey down now can I.
14:00 - My machine friend tells me "50 PERCENT COMPLETE".  Screw it, I'm going all the way.
16:00 - I hit this second wind made of magic, rainbows and puppies and become re-energized.
18:00 - I'm in the zone.
24:00 - I look at the television and see highlights of the Jays kicking the crap out of the Indians.  Happy days.
27:00 - One minute left!  HECK YES!
28:01 - I'm sorry but what the hell is a "cool down"?  5 extra minutes?  This machine is no longer my friend - IT TELLS ME CRUEL CRUEL LIES!
30:00 - Just a thought - a better way to cool down would be jumping in the pool - not sweating through my shirt even more than I already have...
33:05 - I can't believe I actually finished that.  Yay me!
33:30 - I want to get off this thing but I'm afraid my legs might give out.
34:00 - WIN - I successfully dismounted the machine! 
35:00 - Time for a jump in the pool and some much deserved hot tub action.

I won't lie.  The bike ride home was challenging but I'm very serious about keeping my commitment to exercise and healthy eating.  By the end of the summer I want to be in the best shape of my life.  However it seems I need a bit of discipline because as I sit here typing this - I'm devouring a bag of mini eggs... one step at a time I guess.

Tash.

I've been bitten,,,

... by the cooking bug.  After months of settling for leftovers from work or cheap and easy take-out options for dinner - I've decided it's time to cook again, for a number of reasons.  First off, I feel a lot better when I cook for myself.  I'm in the best physical shape I've been in since high school.  I figure it's time to combine that with a healthier diet.  On top of that, there's also the money side of things.  Aside from taking home extra food from work, cooking for myself is the most financially-friendly option.  Eating out in Whistler is delicious but expensive and I want to try and save some money so I can survive the off-season without breaking the bank.  Last but not least, it's a creative outlet for me.  I don't have my guitar or my painting supplies (which were my go-to options for creative expression pre-Whistler).  Even though I'm no whiz in the kitchen, I still love to create.  Check out my meals from the last week:

Mixed vegetable (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, red pepper, yellow pepper and red onion) and ginger stir-fry with honey-garlic chicken and noodles... and yes I listed all of the vegetables to impress my parents.

Linguine covered in creamy tomato sauce with garlic, red pepper, red onion and seasoned ground beef, topped with cheddar and mozzarella cheese.  Even though my sauce isn't homemade like I get back home, it still tasted damn good... probably due to the Philly cream cheese I added.

Ground chorizo sausage fried in olive oil, beer and onion topped with coleslaw and barbecue sauce on a toasted bun.   A perfect pairing with Hockey Night in Canada.

I'm going to do my best to continue the trend of home cooked meals as often as I can.  It definitely beats eating leftover pasta from work (which is great when it's fresh but if you've seen what it looks like bundled in a paper take-away container and plastic wrap, you'd understand).

Happy cooking.

Nat.

A letter to all those back home:

Let me get something straight - If you've been keeping up with my posts, you know that I love Whistler for the mountains and the snowboarding.  I don't need to reiterate that any further.  But know that this town can be cold (both literally and figuratively).  People come and go from season to season.  Friends I've made this winter will most likely be gone by the time May rolls around; or if I'm lucky they'll stay 'til the end of summer.  If you're reading this blog, you know me and you know I don't bond with new people quickly.  It takes time for me to find the ones who I want to have in my life for the long run.  It took me years to find you all in Ontario, and I left the comfort and security you provided behind when I moved out here.  I know that's the price I've got to pay to be doing what I love in Whistler and I've accepted that.  But understand this: I miss having people around me who I know I can trust completely who've got my back no matter what (both are hard to find out here).  So it may not seem like it but I do miss the world I left behind.  I miss you all dearly.  Know that and don't forget it. 

Nat.

A mid-season progress report...

25 days.  For the past two and a half months, I've been on my board every day I've had off.  Some days were better than others.  There were some sweet runs and some epic bails.  Some perfect powder days and some days of riding what felt like concrete.  Some successful jumps and some killer bruises.  All of this and everything in between.  That's what I'm here for.  And when life gets me down, all I need to do is look at this:

 
Then I remember why it's all worth it.  I fell in love with the mountains on my first day in Whistler and that feeling has only grown during my time here. 

Last Wednesday was my best day on the mountain so far.  I had so much confidence and it just continued to build throughout the day.  The sun was shining.  I managed to find powder in 7th Heaven and successfully navigated some tree runs.  I landed a few sweet jumps and got some wicked photos.  I had a couple peaceful moments just chilling, enjoying my tunes and taking it all in.  I felt incredibly free flying down the mountain on my last ride of the day.  I didn't want it to end.  But, it's always only 5 more days until I can do the same thing all over again.

The 3 reasons for the recent lack of bloggage.

1. Work

Christmas holidays = insanity at the Rendezvous = busy days for Natasha.  To put it simply: I've been freakin' tired.

2. Snowboarding

No matter what the conditions - everyday I'm not working is spent shredding.

3. Merlins

After a hard day of work, it's nice to go have a pitcher (or five) with friends.

More to come soon.

Nat

A taste of the mountain life.

No words.  Just visuals.  For full effect, make sure you click to enlarge them.

Bobsledding - so fast that even if you don't blink, you'll still miss it.

A few weeks back, I went to the Women's Bobsleigh World Cup at the Whistler Sliding Centre.  My boss gave me free tickets so I decided to check it out.  The venue was pretty cool.  You enter at the lowest point of the track which is located at the last major turn on the course (Thunderbird).  As soon as I got the tickets, I had my mind set on getting up to the beginning of the track to watch a start (not realizing how long it would actually take and how much energy I would need to exert to get there).  I later found out that I walked all the way up and and back down a 1450 metre track with a total vertical drop of 152 metres (this was all after an incredibly tiring day of work).  On top of that, it was snowing like mad all day which created a whole lot of ice, snow and slush to try and treck through.  Literally, an uphill battle.  By the time I got to the top, I wanted to slide down the track myself but I refrained.  I figured death by bobsled would be a crappy way to go out... and the track would get all goopy with my splattered insides everywhere (and the sweeper men who clean the track aren't really equipped to deal with that).  Anywho, it was a very impressive event to watch live.  I would definitely recommend it if you get the chance.  The speed is truly incredible.  Those athletes have to be insane to willingly slide down an icy track at ridiculous speeds, knowing that one wrong move could mean the end.  Unfortunately, sliding sports aren't really something you can capture with photos.  However, I did try my best.  Check it out:

Pretty cool, eh?  Yeah... you kinda had to be there.

That's all for now.

Nat.

A simple formula...

+

=

=

Happy Natasha

Two more days of boarding

This one starts off a little wordy so if you're like me and need to be visually entertained - there are pictures if you keep scrolling past those annoying letters...  Here's a couple photos of my new socks to give you the strength to push through:

How cute are these?

If you're unsure of what to get me for Christmas, snowboard socks are never a bad choice...

I consider myself very lucky because I get to be on the mountain seven days a week.  However, until work ski-outs start, I only get to be on my board for two out of the seven days.  So I've decided to take full advantage of the two days a week I do have off.  Up until Tuesday, I had been working for the past six days straight.  Needless to say, I was ready for some riding.  I woke up early-ish.  I did let myself sleep in until about 8:30... and yes I am fully aware of how sad it is that I consider not waking up until 8:30, sleeping in.  I got up, got ready, walked outside, and realized that it was raining.  Not really what I was hoping for on my first day off.  But I figure - no worries, it'll be better once I get to the alpine.  I walk the 8 minutes it takes to get to the village and arrive at the Whistler gondola.  My jacket is a bit wet but nothing too serious.  I take the gondola up to the midstation at which point a skier boards.  He was absolutely soaked.  The guy was even wearing Gore-tex outerwear (supposedly "guaranteed to keep you dry").  I was kind of worried at this point but I figured it was alright because I wanted to go up to the peak of the mountain and it couldn't possibly be raining there.  I started chatting with the drenched skier and he informed me that the lifts I wanted to take were closed for the day.  So I was thinking, screw it.  It doesn't matter.  It was my day off and dammit I was gonna get a full day of boarding in.  I did one run on Whistler and didn't like the snow (it was perfect packing snow which is not nice to ski or board on) so I decided to take the Peak 2 Peak (a $51 million gondola that spans 4.4km and connects Whistler and Blackcomb).  On a sidenote, I really do like Blackcomb better than Whistler so if you come and visit you know which one I'll be taking you on.  Here are some pictures from the Peak 2 Peak:

These aren't the best pictures.  Hopefully one of these days I'll get to go out on a clear day and snap a few sweet ones.

It also doesn't help that I'm using the camera on my blackberry.  There's no way my good camera would have survived the conditions of the past two days.

This is for my fellow blackberry users who play the game Pixelated.  I want these pants.

There was one recently opened lift (Crystal chair) on Blackcomb so I decided to go explore some new runs.  It was a good decision.  Although it was still wet, the snow was better than the stuff I was riding on Whistler.  So far, the Crystal runs are definitely my favourites.  After about four straight runs from the Crystal chair, the lifty at the bottom told me I was crazy to still be out boarding because I was soaking wet.  My jacket, my pants, my gloves, my neck-warmer, my sweatshirt, my base layer, my undies - all drenched.  Riding the lift was the worst part because I just had to sit there in my wet gear which made me even colder.  You don't notice it so much while you're boarding though so I kept going until the lifts closed. 

Chili + hot chocolate = the best way to warm up on a cold day.

That was Tuesday.  Wednesday was a completely different ball game.  Picture this: winds so strong that a chair lift carriage came inches from smashing into the support beam, white-outs so bad at times you couldn't see 20 feet in front of you and pine tree branches being blown off trees and onto the runs.  That sums up Wednesday in a nutshell.  There was a fair bit of fresh powder.  After the hell that was my last powder day, I got some tips on how to survive the next one.  Basically, keep your nose up and cruise; don't try to do too much... just float.  I had a bit more success than my last time out, although the snow was not nearly as deep.  After a couple runs down Wishbone and Zigzag (here's a trail run map in case you want to know which runs I'm talking about: http://media.intrawest.com/whistler/maps/trailmap1011.pdf ) I decided to go back to Crystal because of how much I enjoyed it on Tuesday.  I boarded the lift with two skiers (one of whom was sporting these skis http://www.altrec.com/images/shop/detail/swatches/HEA/29074.72976_d.jpg .  The lift was moving at a snail's pace.  It probably took a good 25 to 30 minutes (the chair lifts automatically slow down when the winds are high) to get to the top when it normally takes 5 in ideal conditions.  Thankfully I've started bringing my ipod when I go boarding.  It's nice to have a soundtrack to my day.  The winds were so bad at this point that we were getting pounded with snow that was being blown off the trees.  It was quite cold.  What was worse was actually how much we were swinging side to side.  When we were approaching the top of the lift, the winds picked up even more and the chair came quite close to crashing into the support beam.  Thankfully that didn't happen.  We arrived at the top relatively unscathed but were met with white out conditions.  After you make it past the first bit of the run you're alright because everything's a bit more sheltered.  I enjoyed the snow in the main run but did not appreciate the 2km of severely icy cat tracks (very narrow, flat runs designed for skiers) that I was forced to use at the bottom to get back to the lift... falling on hard ice is no fun.

The conditions mid-run in the Crystal zone.

I found this funny.  I was sitting in the exact same place when I took this picture and the previous one.  There was this one patch of blue sky and the rest was gray.

I had to snap a photo of these pants.  The picture doesn't really capture how incredibly florescent they were... but trust me - they were blinding.  Pants don't need to be that bright unless you're using them to help land an airplane.

So after seven days on the mountain, I'm getting much more confident on my board.  I've gone from a hesitant falling leaf on greens to carving with good speed on blues.  I might give a black run a shot in the next couple weeks. 

Stay tuned for more blogs... if the black diamonds don't destroy me.

Nat

ps. Keep commenting, but leave your names!  I can't always tell who the anonymous folk are... except if your name is Moira because it's pretty obvious ;)

OMG BROWNIES!!!

I figured a title like that was the best way to get your attention.  If you didn't click on "OMG BROWNIES!!!" immediately after reading it - there is obviously something wrong with you. Please, go see a doctor.

So I'm in Whistler... and how did I spend my Friday night?  Making chocolate peanut butter brownies while wearing pajamas and listening to Counting Crows.  That's how.  I'd been having some serious chocolate cravings over the last little while.  I went grocery shopping and bought some Reese peanut butter cups but decided that they just wouldn't cut it.  I'd been without a chocolate fix for so long that I needed to go big.  So I pulled up my no-fail brownie recipe and went to it.  I'll post the link at the bottom for anyone who wants to make the best brownies you'll ever eat.  Also, the last blog was a bit wordy, so it's going to be more of a visual display this time.  I figure I lost half my audience with the excessive use of text last time.  So, for my 3 remaining readers, here's how it went down:

Because I take food safety incredibly serious, I washed my f**king hands thoroughly before I began the preparation (that's a joke for all my fellow WB staff who experienced the same food safe training I did)... but I really did wash them.  To start, you melt butter and mix it with some cocoa... how can you not love making brownies when that's how the recipe begins.

The start of something amazing.

The result - chocolatey goodness.

A cup of sugar couldn't hurt...

Add in the eggs, flour, salt and vanilla and now we're getting somewhere.

The magical Reese Chipits to satisfy the peanut butter craving.

Throw a few in...

and a few more...

All ready to bake...

Like any sane person, I scraped the bowl and licked the spoon... well I scraped the pot.  Unfortunately I no longer have a mixing bowl so the pot did just fine.

The finished product.

Why my co-workers will love me forever.

I'm off now.  It's a Saturday night, which naturally means it's oatmeal chocolate chip cookie time.

ps.  My new roommate Christina (who is from Spain) had never tried chocolate and peanut butter together until three weeks ago.  Seriously Spain - what the hell. 

http://www.food.com/recipe/whatever-floats-your-boat-brownies-32204

My new motto: Lose fear. Gain freedom.

Sunday was an epic day.  I'll talk about that a little bit later, but first: what's working at an elevation of 6102 feet like you ask?  A little something like this:

Please click on me to expand to full view and get the full effect of how lucky I am.

I was born and raised in Guelph, Ontario.  We have some hills, bits of farmland and a lake.  All of this mountain business is new to me.  I honestly can't get over how gorgeous everything is every single time I walk outside.  Everyday seems like I just arrived.  The sense of awe just doesn't wear off.  If you don't believe me you should come and see for yourself... and if you do believe me you should come and see it anyway.

This is the first of two open face chair lifts I take to get to work at 7:15 in the morning.

Sunday was a key day in my development as a snowboarder.  For the last little while, I had been feeling like I was plateauing and kind of just spinning my wheels.  I wasn't really getting anywhere in terms of skill progression.  I was still enjoying myself on the mountain but was slightly frustrated as well.  My first run on Sunday, I decided to stop using my brain so much.  In trying to learn snowboarding (as in every other area of my life) I was over-thinking it.  I got some great advice from some good boarders basically telling me to just go with it.  Turn off your brain and start feeling it rather than thinking it.  As hard as that was for me to do, it was so incredibly worth it.  The moment I let myself go was the moment I was carving (something I had never had much success with before).  I thought it was a fluke but I just kept on doing it. 

In addition to being a great day for developing my boarding skills, Sunday was also a very quiet day on the mountain.  There were a few times where I could not see or hear another person around me (and if you read my laundry blog then you know I enjoy my quiet time).  As awesome as the quiet I associate with laundry day is, there's just no comparison to being in the alpine.  At one point, I sat down at the crest of a slope (as I often do because my legs are still getting into boarding shape) and just completely embraced the beauty of the nature that surrounded me.  Wind whispering.  Sun shining.  Perfection.

Love at first sight exists.

Tuesday was a whole different can of worms.  It had snowed overnight which meant 30cm of fresh powder to ride.  Being an easterner - I'm used to riding icy, flat hills.  But out west, it snows like nothing else.  I had heard about the "pow" (what the cool kids call powder) and how awesome it is from experienced riders.  I rode the chairlift Tuesday morning eager to get out there on a fresh powder day.  However, I was not fully prepared for the experience that would follow.  We get off the chairlift at the top of the mountain and clipped in.  We ride down a gentle slope on the way to the main run.  At this point I am having an awesome time; I'm only riding on a bit of fresh snow so I'm gliding over it and carving like a pro.  Then we get into the main run.  Bursting with confidence from the previous 30 seconds of riding and fresh off two solid days of improvement, I'm messing around in the snow and getting far too cocky for my own good.  I decided to try riding switch (unsuccessfully) which lead to a complete wipeout/faceplant into the snow.  Normally this would not be a big deal.  It's happened many times before.  However, I was apparently far too excited about riding powder that I forgot to clip my helmet strap on.  So instead of a regular bail - I hit my head on the ground but my helmet and goggles go flying 50 feet down the slope (I was lucky it was still pretty flat terrain or they would have rolled much further).  I was a bit shaken up but I have a pretty thick skull so I was feeling just fine after a few minutes.  After grabbing my wet goggles and snow-filled helmet, I proceeded down the mountain... or tried to.  Powder is a difficult beast for a novice, eastern-bred snowboarder such as myself to conquer.  I was riding with a more experienced friend that day so we went down a run that was barely touched since the previous night's snowfall (I'm talking snow up to my butt).  Basically, the next hour went a little something like this:

Natasha rides for 5 seconds.
Natasha falls down because the powder is too deep and she lost her balance.
Natasha sits in the snow for 30 seconds.
Natasha attempts to get up unsuccessfully.
Natasha repeats the previous step.
After much effort and cursing, Natasha gets up and rides for 4 seconds.
Natasha falls again.
Natasha whines a bit or a lot depending on how stuck she is.

Repeat these steps for about an hour or so, but with the time spent sitting getting longer, the riding time getting shorter and the whining getting increasingly annoying you have Natasha's first powder experience.

Supposedly it gets easier...  I'm looking forward to riding when I can fully appreciate a powder day.  It seems impossible now, but then again - carving seemed impossible a couple days ago.  And look where I am now.

Lose fear.  Gain freedom.

Nat

New blog about the mountain coming soon... for now - a frightening teddy bear.

This big fella sits outside a chocolate shop in the village.  I'm not sure what his purpose is.  He'd be kinda cute if not for the weird wrinkly eyes.

Is it weird that I like scraping out the lint trap?

I love laundry night for a couple reasons:

1.  I enjoy scooping out the lint blanket that the dryer makes.  I don't know why.  I just do...  (to all my fellow psychology majors - analyze away).

2.  Because of the supposed "clothing bandits" (see above) I sit upstairs in the hall outside the laundry room for a good two hours and listen to music, the low humming of the washer and the soft tumbling of the clothes in the dryer.  It's truly therapeutic when your days are filled with noise and all you want is peace and time to yourself.  While all the crazy kids are partying, I find comfort in the quiet.  Tonight's playlist went a little something like this:

Death Cab For Cutie
The Arkells
Counting Crows
Dashboard Confessional
The Weakerthans
Tegan and Sara
The Trews
Onelinedrawing
Jack's Mannequin
Matchbox Twenty
Bloc Party
Damien Rice
Nine Inch Nails
Pilate
Coldplay
Jack Johnson

If you have any laundry night music recommendations for me, just leave them in the comments section below.  I think I need to refresh my ipod a bit and I'm always looking for new artists/bands to get into.

This is the Blenz hot chocolate that I am in love with.  Does it belong in this blog?  Probably not.  But doesn't it look delicious?  Can you tell I'm craving chocolate?  Can I still call this a caption if it's this long?  Have I asked too many questions?  I think the sleep deprivation of the last two days is catching up with me.

In other news, after two days of training at Rendezvous (the restaurant I work at on Blackcomb Mountain), I've been promoted to lead hand (more responsibility and hopefully a pay raise to go along with it).  I'm quite excited about it.  The members of the management team have been awesome and it seems like a really great work environment.  I'm going to be learning the role as I go.  So it appears that just like my last job, it'll be initiation by fire... and that's the way I've come to like it.  After three months of unemployment, I'm ready to embrace a new challenge; I'm really itching to get going.  We open up for business tomorrow.  So with a bunch of snow in the forecast for the next few days, it looks like it'll be a crazy weekend.  Wish me luck; I'll let you know if I make it out alive.

This photo is here because I didn't have a segue from the last paragraph to the next one... and because i like this photo.

Coming to Whistler this year was probably the best decision I could have made.  I've been here three weeks now but it feels like I've been here a lot longer than that.  Everybody who lives in or visits Whistler chose to be here, so it's such a friendly place.  I've met some awesome people, made some great friends and hope to make many more.  I can see why so many people who come here find it too difficult to leave and just end up staying.  For now though, I need to leave this blog and go get a cookie... or four.

Nat

Really Vancouver? I could have seen that in Toronto.

I'm part of an employee social club program called Club Shred.  They offer tons of different discounts around town and one of the best is the $50 tickets to Vancouver Canucks games.  That includes transportation down there and back so it's a great deal.  When I looked at the schedule of games they offer the deal for, the Canucks vs. Blackhawks game immediately caught my attention.  For the past two years Chicago has kicked Vancouver out of the playoffs so it's a pretty big rivalry.  The Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup champs and both teams are up there with the best in the league.  So I'm thinking this is going to be a hard-fought, evenly matched, well played game.  So me and Dave grabbed tickets.

I was excited to see the Canucks play.  After the Leafs, they're my favourite Canadian team.  I was expecting some Sedin twin magic, amazing saves from Luongo, and an overall impressive performance from a potential Stanley Cup contender.  Unfortunately I was wrong on all counts.  The first period was disappointing as both teams were sloppy and did not play well.  I might as well have been watching the Leafs play... well, the Leafs.  I had hope going into the second that both teams would hit their stride.  I was half right.  Chicago picked up their play and scored 4 unanswered goals.  Toews started it all off with a goal assisted by Kane and Hossa (what a scary line that is) and it all went downhill from there.  It was 4-0 by the end of the second.  Luongo had been pulled.  Half of the fans were leaving.  Very disappointing.  But, having previously been to hockey games where crazier things had happened - I was still hanging on to hope for a comeback in the third.  No such luck though.  This is what happened:

At this point, the guys beside us who we had been chatting with throughout the game said that they were going down to get better seats for the end of the game since everyone was leaving.  We decided to do the same.  Just as we were entering the lower bowl to grab seats - the Canucks scored their first and only goal of the game.  I literally walked in the second that the lamp was lit. Dave unfortunately was not so lucky.  On top of that, the jumbo tron malfunctioned so we didn't get to see the replay.  You would think they would have wanted to play it seven times over to make up for the goals scored against them.

me (in my "authentic" $25 Canucks jersey I purchased from a "trustworthy" gentleman in China) and Dave in our original seats.

our seats after the switch.

Even though the Canucks played terrible - I still got to see the green men mocking the Blackhawks when they took penalties.

And have a delicious double double burger from Triple O's.

This is pure happiness on a bun.

And see Ryan Kesler.

Ryan Kesler: almost as yummy as the burger.

Here's hoping the next game we attend goes down a bit (read: completely) different.

Nat