Time to get back in the game, Mitch Yost

Wow, really been slacking on this whole blog thing. But way to do work, Mac. It may just be a lame excuse...but we've really been busy working and stoking out here. I'm not really sure how to structure this post, so I'll just throw down my thoughts and hope they organize themselves.

The first part centers on some areas in which I've personally been slacking (the first of which being this blog, as I stated before). It's so easy to fall into the trap of "living the dream" and just get complacent with daily routines, knowing that there's bound to be some sort of stoke (without actively seeking it). The problem with the daily routine complacency thing is that it's so hard to think about the future, since things are so damn good in the present. So, just to get it out of the way, I'll list my future as another area in which I've been falling behind. I haven't really been giving too much thought to what the next step is, so I should really get on that. I'm weighing several options at the moment, including but not limited to: snowboard instructing in New Zealand; doing some type of tour gig in Europe; staying in Colorado and working at a golf course or doing landscaping; heading to Chicago to stoke out with Jon as he starts his portfolio school studies there (although I have no idea at the moment what I'd do there)...so several options. All of these are summer options, with me naturally returning to Beaver Creek (hopefully full-time) for the '10-'11 winter season. The only wrench in these summer plans is a possible trip to France with my family for almost all of July, so I still need to figure that out. (Another route would be going to grad school, but that is frankly much more of a commitment than I want right now. Plus, I'm still completely undecided on what I would study, and I'm not about to shell out all that money for something about which I'm unsure.) So those are my thoughts on my future.

Another area in which I've been letting myself go is my personal health. This is not as dire as it sounds, since snowboarding indubitably burns thousands of calories every day...but it's something I'd like to get under control. We all eat healthily enough, but we could definitely be healthier. One thing that is keeping all of us from being in tip-top health is our beer consumption. We're not alcoholics or anything (well, maybe we are...), but we could certainly cut back. I'd also like to start eating more vegetables, fruits, and other produce in general. We have a high fiber and protein diet, but we could definitely eat more of the good stuff. Also, I just worked out today for the first time since getting to Colorado. As I said, snowboarding is quite the workout, and we're fortunate to be able to do it so much. After all, it is our job. (Note: I'm pretty sure Mac, Ingo, and myself are all verging on 50 days snowboarding so far this season! 100+ days would be ideal...we're totally going to do it.) But I do enjoy lifting, doing pull-ups and push-ups, etc. so I need to start incorporating those into my routine, at least a few days per week. To sum up this section, I will set a goal for myself for the coming months: to cut back on beer, eat more produce, and work out more. I need to start getting shredded for Samantha and Sebastian's wedding in Key West in May!

Another huge area of improvement is that I need to start going to more places. We've been here for nearly two months and have yet to snowboard at any other mountains, except for Copper for our Level 1 certification. Our Vail Resorts employee passes entitle us to FREE riding at Beaver Creek, Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, and Arapahoe Basin. We have only ridden the Beav thus far. Pathetic. (And despite our--especially Mac's--enthusiasm for night riding at Keystone after those cert days at Copper, we homunc'ed out on that.) We not only need to ride all of those other mountains and check out their local scenes; we also need to check out several other places. We've been slacking on our Las Vegas/Lake Tahoe trip planning, so we need to get on that. What would be better than a Vegas/Tahoe trip with just the BULLS? Joshua Tree in Cali is also a must, as well as Glenwood Springs (a town west of Avon with natural hot springs) and a bunch of other places. Money is definitely an issue, but we can make all of these happen; I'm certain of it. We need to stop having Avon/Beav tunnel vision and take advantage of our primo locale and branch out to other places!

There are definitely things we need to make better, some of which I listed above...but damn, it really has been "The Experience of a Lifetime" out here. First off, I can't say enough for the two clowns with whom I live. Mac and Ingo are always so stoked...two of the best mates a guy could have. Maybe this sounds lame, but there's a lot to be said for enjoying the company of those with whom one lives. We could be living with a bunch of random schmucks, which would suck ass. But we're freakin mint with our living arrangements. The social scene is awesome as well. The free concerts at Vail are fun; Trivia Night and Karaoke Night at Loaded Joe's are a blast; the "club" at Foxnut ("ClubNut") is decent most of the time (free sake...for girls); and other places are fun, too. I'm really pleased that we've hung out with so many awesome people recently. We were falling into the trap of not going out (and going to bed early due to exhaustion from the day), but we've really stepped it up. We have a great condo, so it's naturally awesome to have a bunch of people over and share it with them. We have made so many friends out here, and it's great to hang out with all of them.

Ok, I'm getting sick of typing, and this post is way too long as it is...so I'm out. Let's set some goals and stick to them!

Rob