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...

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Happy Natasha