Wednesday, January 12, 2005
To: The Peoples
While I am incredibly clever and witty in person...such gifts seem to vanish on paper (and computer screen). I know, I know -- it came as a shocker to me, too. It is for this reason that I haven't joined the blogging club. However, in honor of Buck's recent posting regarding skiing, I felt the urge to write a brief account of my experience skiing.
Dec. 30, 2004: I went "skiing" for the first time (if you can call what I was doing skiing. It felt more like jerking uncontrollably, trying to keep my balance on two flat sticks while going down a steep and snowy mountain. But whatever. I guess I skied). We started on the bunny hill (which to a complete beginner like myself, felt more like a really, really, ridiculously big elephant hill). Buck got me in my skis and gave me a crash course on stopping (the info I was most interested in acquiring). We slowly made our way to the lift. step #1 complete. We got on the lift. step #2 complete. Now came the tricky part: getting off the lift. I had heard many stories from coworkers and friends about getting off the lift. So when the time came, I was determined to get off and out of the way. I put my skis down and leaned forward to propel myself out of the chair. I began falling, so I quickly leaned back to compensate...ya right. Before I knew it, I was flat on my back looking up at Buck who had this, "Oh no, we're in for a long night" look on his face. Perfect start. Buck's older sister, Chelsa, and her roommate, Cami, were on the chair behind us. "That was very graceful", Chelsa said with a smile. We remained on the bunny hill the majority of the night, while Buck taught me how to "snow plow"--what an awkward position. I got pretty good at it, falling only two times (which was acceptable considering the fact that it was icy and I kept catching the edge of my skies). Finally it was the last run of the night. With some hesitation I decided to join the ranks of the "big people" and go to the top of the mountain. Despite a series of mishaps that screamed, "Turn around, you don't know what you're doing!" (including getting my ski stuck underneath Buck's -- in a perpendicular manner -- forcing the man to stop the lift, and almost getting off the lift at the wrong stop) I proceeded on. The exit was smooth, luring me into a false sense of security. I proceeded to "ski" down the mountain, falling only 4 more (not-so-graceful) times: once almost taking out 2 skiers behind me, once finding that I had gotten myself stuck on a little ledge and trying to get down, once losing both of my skies, and oh...my personal favorite...once getting tangled up with one of my poles and sliding in a heap to a halt at the feet (literally) of Buck's sister, Crystal, who then proceeded to try to convince me it was "her fault". After that, it was smooth sailing. oh, except for the part where I couldn't get out of my skies and Crystal had to come over rescue me.
So ya, if you consider that whole kafoffle "skiing"...then I did it. I'm a skier.
Watch out Olympic qualifiers -- I'm on my way!
While I am incredibly clever and witty in person...such gifts seem to vanish on paper (and computer screen). I know, I know -- it came as a shocker to me, too. It is for this reason that I haven't joined the blogging club. However, in honor of Buck's recent posting regarding skiing, I felt the urge to write a brief account of my experience skiing.
Dec. 30, 2004: I went "skiing" for the first time (if you can call what I was doing skiing. It felt more like jerking uncontrollably, trying to keep my balance on two flat sticks while going down a steep and snowy mountain. But whatever. I guess I skied). We started on the bunny hill (which to a complete beginner like myself, felt more like a really, really, ridiculously big elephant hill). Buck got me in my skis and gave me a crash course on stopping (the info I was most interested in acquiring). We slowly made our way to the lift. step #1 complete. We got on the lift. step #2 complete. Now came the tricky part: getting off the lift. I had heard many stories from coworkers and friends about getting off the lift. So when the time came, I was determined to get off and out of the way. I put my skis down and leaned forward to propel myself out of the chair. I began falling, so I quickly leaned back to compensate...ya right. Before I knew it, I was flat on my back looking up at Buck who had this, "Oh no, we're in for a long night" look on his face. Perfect start. Buck's older sister, Chelsa, and her roommate, Cami, were on the chair behind us. "That was very graceful", Chelsa said with a smile. We remained on the bunny hill the majority of the night, while Buck taught me how to "snow plow"--what an awkward position. I got pretty good at it, falling only two times (which was acceptable considering the fact that it was icy and I kept catching the edge of my skies). Finally it was the last run of the night. With some hesitation I decided to join the ranks of the "big people" and go to the top of the mountain. Despite a series of mishaps that screamed, "Turn around, you don't know what you're doing!" (including getting my ski stuck underneath Buck's -- in a perpendicular manner -- forcing the man to stop the lift, and almost getting off the lift at the wrong stop) I proceeded on. The exit was smooth, luring me into a false sense of security. I proceeded to "ski" down the mountain, falling only 4 more (not-so-graceful) times: once almost taking out 2 skiers behind me, once finding that I had gotten myself stuck on a little ledge and trying to get down, once losing both of my skies, and oh...my personal favorite...once getting tangled up with one of my poles and sliding in a heap to a halt at the feet (literally) of Buck's sister, Crystal, who then proceeded to try to convince me it was "her fault". After that, it was smooth sailing. oh, except for the part where I couldn't get out of my skies and Crystal had to come over rescue me.
So ya, if you consider that whole kafoffle "skiing"...then I did it. I'm a skier.
Watch out Olympic qualifiers -- I'm on my way!
# posted by Anonymous : 3:42 PM
