Hello to all

So, today is my not-so-little brothers birthday and yesterday was my roommates birthday. All I can say is that I hope Jesse,(lil' bro,) has as much fun as I know Sampson did. On Monday, since it was my day off and it had been snowing for most of the weekend, Jeremy, Megan(Meghan?,) and I went to squaw Valley USA and shredded some pretty good snow. It was fun because it was the first time in a year or so that I rode with those two. It was semi foggy and kind of snowing off and on all day, and there were quite a few people, it being a holiday weekend and all, but we made the most of it and had an awesome time.

Then on Tuesday I woke up a little late, @ 10 and got a call from KeithRon Eduardo Flickerson from Flickville, informing me that he, our buddy Matt and another friend of theirs Andy were already at the Star of the North, or Northstar-at-Tahoe for the uninitiated. So I promptly rolled out of bed, gathered all my stuff and headed out to meet them. It was yet another awesome day and I had a great time riding with these guys. No pressure, just riding to have as much fun as possible. The snow was a little heavy, but there was still some new snow around and not as many people as Squaw. Keith is still kicking the mountains ass and it is very evident that the large quantity of days that he has and is putting in this year are really paying off. He is getting tons better every time I ride with him and soon he is gonna be leaving me in the dust to wallow in the misery that comes from being pass up. Just joking. But I do have some pictures of both Keith and Matt getting some air that I'll post soon, I forgot my camera since I was running late today.

These two days of riding kind of helped me come to the realization that snowboarding, and skiing probably too for that matter, are an interesting dichotomy, (not sure that is the right word,) in that it so reflects a lot of other aspects of your life. There are people that go out riding and are only doing for the social aspect, others who only go because someone else (be it mom, friends, significant other, etc.) is making them, and people that do it because they generally love the feeling of freedom and the inherent love of nature and progression that comes along with a good day of riding with your friends and trying to learn new things. These are the type of people that I really love to ride with. That being said, I would like to say that all of these folks, along with other friends, like my mom, little sis, Brent the Earth, sensuous Steve, Fancy Pants Mike and Scottie Pottie.

That is what I love about snowboarding, everyone has different skills, kind of like life, but we can still come together and do the things that we enjoy and have fun being around each other and having a good ol' time. I think that if more people could find something like this where they can release some of their tension toward the rest of the world and learn to enjoy others regardless of who they are or their skill level, the world would be a happier and more friendly and well adjusted place to live. Now I'm not saying that everyone should run out and buy snowboard or ski gear and it is going to magically make everyone love each other and turn the world into an utopian society, because there will always be those people that just want to make fun of others because of their clothes or their style or their lack of ability or whatever. What I really am getting at is that if people can learn to look outside of themselves a little more and realize that everyone is just a person like them, and that we face the same issues on a day to day basis, and that these things, be it riding or biking or knitting or physical comedy or music or whatever, are the things that enrich, enhance and make our lives worth living.
(wow, that was a bit of a run-on)

So, that is probably enough for right now. If any of this didn't make sense, let me know and I will try to clarify it for you. Like Tyson does on his blog, I am going to leave you with a musical suggestion, it is actually for an entire CD, and also a specific track. The CD is the new Handsome Boy Modeling School entitled "White People" and the track that is currently my favorite is called Breakdown with Jack Johnson. The CD itself is all hip-hop except for this track and it has a pretty diverse crowd of people on it, so check it out.

I am thinking about all of the people out there that I haven't seen in a while and just want to say I miss you guys, and you know who you are. Peace for now boys and girls.