Happy New Year

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012. It has been an interesting year with a ton of fun times skiing, biking, sticking my finger in the spokes, all kinds of  activities. My finger has actually healed beautifully and other than some continuing numbness, (in my head, not my finger) it is back to normal.
I am definitely looking forward to skiing a lot this year starting at Blue as soon as my 5x7 pass is valid which I believe will be January 9. It will take several days to adjust to the new boots but at least I will have warm feet for the season and it's unlikely I will lose a toenail this year because of my boots. When I do get out for some daytime skiing the north ski runs should be open with all the snow they will be able to make over the next week. Kudos to Blue and their snow makers for working hard to get full hill coverage.
Tonight a group of us are celebrating the new year at the Craigleith ski club in the north lodge. It should be a great time. I will also be celebrating my last official day as a Bell Aliant employee. After 35 years I have called it quits and at this time tomorrow I will be retired. Hopefully that means more skiing, snowboarding, biking and goofing off. I'm OK at the first 3 and I excel at the last activity.
To my very few readers have a great time tonight and please do something that I wouldn't do, stay awake until midnight. And to Lori, one of my faithful readers, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I'm going to try to avoid this look tonight.

Night skiing

Last night was my first time out on the skis this year. I met up with Aaron at 4:30 and away we went, sort of. He went and I struggled with one of my new boots and the binding for a while. I finally thought I had clicked in, went to skate away only to leave one ski behind and end up looking like a beached orca. So much for a flawless year with no crashes. At least I got it out of the way. It seems a clump of snow was causing the problem and there were no further troubles with the bindings.
My new boots (Lange RX120's) were very comfy but it is going to take a while to adjust to boots that aren't as stiff, are slightly taller I think and have a different angle between the foot and ankle, or at least that's the way it felt. On the plus side my feet were quite warm the whole time. My new Spyder jacket was very warm as well and my helmet, with speakers pumping out the tunes, was great as well. An added bonus was I couldn't hear people calling me a doofus with the music on.
The skiing was fairly good, all things considered, with some of the hills to the south being open now (O-hill Cruiser, and Big Baby). We skied down Dr. Doug as well with what had to be a record for the number of skiers on that hill at one time. The snow making was going full bore which was understandable. It was overall a really good start to the ski season.
We then went to Jozo's to listen to Touch of Vinyl for a while. They are a local band and certainly one of the best bands to see in the area. Good music and lots of fun. I may have to make my way over today for the matinee. I'm so glad ski season is here.

Snow!!!

It has taken a while but we finally have a significant (6 inches) amount of snow which should aid in getting the majority of the runs open. It is cold enough to also be making snow so fingers crossed things will start looking up for the skiers of Ontario. As it stands right now the ski shops are hurting bad for business and many people who came here to work at the resorts are not getting the hours they need to enjoy their stay here.
For consumers like me it has been great because of the boxing week sales which have allowed me to buy some new stuff at great prices. I have all new stuff that I have purchased since the end of last season so chances are no one will recognise me when I am at the hill so here are some tips that should help in identifying me
I will be arriving in a blue Pontiac Vibe instead of a red Subaru. I'll probably get stuck in the parking lot because I no longer have all wheel drive so look for the guy in the Vibe asking for a push. Once I do get to a parking spot you can tell whether it's me or not by how much cursing and swearing goes on while trying find my gloves, adjust my goggles and to get my boots on. When I have achieved these tasks I will grab my skis, lean them against the car only to watch them crash to the ground followed by the requisite cursing and swearing for a second time. I will then walk about 50 metres before I realise that my poles are still in the car. After retrieving my poles I will be snapping into my bindings when I realise that my season pass is sitting on the stool beside the front door, put there so as not to forget it. Sound recognition will be sufficient to tell it's me after forgetting my pass because I will be cursing and swearing loudly to myself (it takes skill to do both at once), possibly waving my hands around and more than likely driving out of the parking lot looking like the madman that I am occasionally capable of becoming.
I just can't wait for it!!!

A beautiful winter day.

It's doofus time

I have never seen the actual definition of a doofus but I am pretty sure that as I sit here composing this there is little doubt I look like a doofus. My father occasionally called me a doofus as well so I must be one. Then again he sometimes called me a farmer and I was never sure if that was a good thing or not. But I digress. I certainly look like a doofus right now because  I am writing this while wearing my new ski helmet with my goggles and glasses as well. And while I am wearing this new helmet I am listening to Eminem on my MP3. That's because my new helmet has speakers. It's a K2 Diversion from Mountain Co-op and I am very happy with it other than I now look like the twin brother of Gazoo.
It seems as I get older I care less about how I look as long as I'm warm and comfortable. This helmet is absolute proof of that. Even Guinness seems aware that his owner is a doofus because he has left the room and I'm sure that's him I hear snickering around the corner.  But who really cares because now CSNY are playing through the speakers and they sound good., certainly better than the tunes on the adult alternative satellite channel I listened to while painting earlier on. I thought it would be nice to hear something a little different but all they played was a bunch of has beens and never weres doing their versions of a Christmas carol done better previously by someone else.
So I'll be rocking on the hill this year if it ever snows. My goal will be to go so fast I can't hear the music for the wind. I'm getting to like this new technology.
And now for something completely different I now present........THE DOOFUS!!!!!!

The man with no shame.

No Snow

Well it's tough to write about sports in Collingwood when Blue Mountain will be lucky if they can open this weekend. There is virtually no natural snow on the ground now and it is too warm to make snow so if 2 runs are open on the weekend I think they will be lucky. For me that sucks because I am no longer working, have very little to keep myself occupied and I have been looking forward to skiing this year more than I have for many years. I have new stuff just waiting to be used, almost new skis, new boots, new poles (leather wrapped grips....oooooh, aaaaah), a new jacket and pants and finally a new helmet, a $20 helmet for a $20 head.
The last couple of days I have walked up the hill at the unused Orchard runs with Guinness tagging along, stripping bushes of as many burrs as he possibly could. On Monday while cresting a steep section of the climb I did spot something amazing, a full size buck with a beautiful full rack, certainly the most impressive antlers I have ever seen. He was about 75 metres uphill from me and I guess he didn't see me because of the steep section I had just climbed and he didn't get my scent (eau de ultramaroon) because I was downwind from him. A great sighting followed by the spotting of a doe and fawn on the way down the hill. Sadly I forgot my camera so there is no record of it. Tuesday Brian and I were climbing the hill again when we spotted 5 deer about 150 metres away. I managed to get some pictures of them with my new smart phone (I feel strangely inadequate when using this phone. If it could get erections I would have to off myself for being redundant) but they were so far away you can hardly see them in the photo. All the same it was cool to see that many grazing on the hill.
So there you have it, no snow, little to do other than try to get a little bit of exercise here and there. My snow dance in the backyard was obviously unsuccessful although I'm sure the neighbours were entertained. We will just have to be patient which let me say is not one of my stronger suits. Damn.

Snow report, updated

I have called this a snow report but it could just as easily be a lack of snow report. There is virtually no natural snow on the hill. They are blowing snow at the top but the chances of a good Christmas skiing are looking slim right now.
I just checked the Blue web site and there are no towers blowing snow right now although there is a large snow gun blasting at the foot of the Silver Bullet. It seems to me they are going to need a ton of snow to cover the mini golf at the base of the hill. I also talked to someone at Blue yesterday and they were blowing at the top where it was cold enough and planning to push snow down the slope if necessary. The sad part is all this work could be pointless because later on this week rain is predicted for a couple of days with temperatures around 7C  in the daytime.
All this bad snow news is bothersome because I am really looking forward to getting out on the boards this year. Just a few years ago I wasn't sure if I wanted to ski again but that feeling has left me and I can't wait to speed out of control down the hill again. I even have new boots now, Lange RX 120s from Kemark Snowsports in Richmond Hill which should be great all mountain boots. Tom spent a lot of time fitting me and making the footbeds. They are comfortable and I can actually wiggle my toes because of the large toe box so hopefully my feet will be warmer. I don't want to lose a toenail like I did last year after our trip to Vail. I also picked up a new boot bag which I will use to transport all the things I might need in a day of skiing. It will come in real handy at the season ending trip out west, location as yet undecided.

Boot bag and Guinness' toy skunk

I'm going to head out to the back yard now and do a snow dance. I don't have to worry what the neighbours might think because it wouldn't be the first time that they have seen me convulsing in the back yard, ranting and raving, speaking in tongues. I think they are getting used to it actually.
I have just come back from the hill. I climbed up the Orchard and there certainly is very little natural snow on the ground, barely enough to cover the grass and that's about it. Blue had the snowmaking going full bore at the central area, Tranquility and Smart Alec, but nothing anywhere else. If anything is open next weekend it may just be those two runs.

Top of Orchard

Retiring

Well that's it. I'm done. After 35 years I have worked my last day at the big corporation. It was a topsy turvy ride with some great jobs I really enjoyed doing and others, such as what I have been doing for the last 7 years, that I truly disliked doing.
Over the years I have been suspended a couple of times, once for a week for believe it or not calling a fellow worker names. I felt vindicated just a few days later though when one of my descriptions for him, incompetent, was proved correct when he set a customers house on fire. Another time a tractor trailer scraped my truck and then took off while I was 35 feet in the air working in the bucket. Although I was 35 feet away from the steering wheel the company decided I should not have been in that place at that time. It was classified as a preventable accident and as a consequence my safe drivers award was taken away. It was the epitome of a kangaroo court.
I have worked in manholes, pits, at ground level, high in the air in bucket trucks and hanging off of poles on spurs. Jobs where I was building things were the ones I derived the most satisfaction from. There is nothing quite like finishing up a job, standing back and taking pride in the quality job you have just completed. I also remember finishing jobs where I may have cut a corner or two and in the end regretting doing so. Cut corners very rarely save you much time in the long run.
I did jobs that would last as little as a day to rehabbing entire neighbourhoods which in one case took me six months. It was a proud day when the guys who finished their part of the work complimented me on how smoothly everything went for them due to a job well done by me.
My favourite job was working on the line crew placing poles and aerial cable. We called it the brute force and ignorance crew and our motto was if it doesn't fit, get a bigger hammer. It was hard physical work which I loved doing. We had a lot of laughs especially when I walked around one day wondering where the hell that smell of dog shit was coming from. Everywhere I went that smell followed. I checked my boots, looked everywhere I could see on my body and no dog shit. I finally had to go up to my buddy and ask him if he could see any shit on me. I started to turn around and within a second he was laughing hysterically at me. I had been walking around for the last half hour with a big wad of dog shit on my hard hat. My hat fell off when I had bent over to pick something up and I had no idea that it landed on a giant freshie from what had to have been a very large dog. Needless to say my nickname was Shithead for the next week or so.
So now I am a retiree. I know I'm not the first to say "where has the time gone?" I'm 56 now and I am one of the lucky few who has a company paid pension and a financial position which should leave me living comfortably for the rest of my life. I should have nothing to worry about.....but a TV commercial has got my worrying about a new social problem that could start affecting me tomorrow. It's called..........ELDER ABUSE!!!!!!!!! I'm afraid, very afraid.