"Foam or cream?" is the question when ordering cappuccino here in South Africa.
To which my response is "if I wanted a coffee with cream in it, I wouldn't have asked for a cappuccino."
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Activist judges?
John McCain has flagged as a key part of his re-election strategy pandering to the "conservative right" in judicial appointments, especially appointments to the Supreme Court. He's using the standard code words - "activist judges" - to criticise judicial appointments that conservatives don't like, the implication being that conservative judges will somehow avoid "activism" and will stick to the letter of the Constitution.
What does it all mean? Shall we test it using the poster boys for judicial appointments during the reign ofKing George President George W. Bush, namely Justice Alito and Chief Justice Roberts?
Can you see where this is heading?
These judges are not activists, so say the conservatives and therefore it must be so. Which means that we can rest easy in the knowledge that they won't twist and turn the Constitution inside out to make it mean whatever conservatives want it to mean. Can't we?
They, not being activists, would never for example decide that the Federal Government can regulate the private, local consumption of medically prescribed marijuana under the powers granted it to regulate "commerce... among the several States" (the Commerce Clause) would we? After all, it involves neither commerce nor anything among the States so any other interpretation would be patently and wilfully absurd wouldn't it?
Oh, but they would and they have! It doesn't take a law degree to know that these men are full of it, that they are nothing more than unprincipled hacks who believe the end justifies the means, and that no principle is above delivering the outcome desired by those "conservatives" they owe allegiance to. Dare I say "ACTIVISTS!"
To prove my point, here's Alito in his dissent to the recent Supreme Court decision confirming that Guantanamo Bay detainees have the right to challenge their detention in a (real) civilian court:
... the decision "will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed."
Hmm, looks to me like he's playing the part of politician, arguing the merits of the policy (not with real evidence or logic but with emotion and fear, but that's another story), rather than doing what a judge ought to be doing which is expressing a view on what the law is and the Constitution requires and nothing else.
So when John McCain says "I won't appoint activist judges" I can just hear my favourite character from my favourite movie reply:
You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means. (Inigo Montoya played brilliantly by Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride)
What does it all mean? Shall we test it using the poster boys for judicial appointments during the reign of
Can you see where this is heading?
These judges are not activists, so say the conservatives and therefore it must be so. Which means that we can rest easy in the knowledge that they won't twist and turn the Constitution inside out to make it mean whatever conservatives want it to mean. Can't we?
They, not being activists, would never for example decide that the Federal Government can regulate the private, local consumption of medically prescribed marijuana under the powers granted it to regulate "commerce... among the several States" (the Commerce Clause) would we? After all, it involves neither commerce nor anything among the States so any other interpretation would be patently and wilfully absurd wouldn't it?
Oh, but they would and they have! It doesn't take a law degree to know that these men are full of it, that they are nothing more than unprincipled hacks who believe the end justifies the means, and that no principle is above delivering the outcome desired by those "conservatives" they owe allegiance to. Dare I say "ACTIVISTS!"
To prove my point, here's Alito in his dissent to the recent Supreme Court decision confirming that Guantanamo Bay detainees have the right to challenge their detention in a (real) civilian court:
... the decision "will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed."
Hmm, looks to me like he's playing the part of politician, arguing the merits of the policy (not with real evidence or logic but with emotion and fear, but that's another story), rather than doing what a judge ought to be doing which is expressing a view on what the law is and the Constitution requires and nothing else.
So when John McCain says "I won't appoint activist judges" I can just hear my favourite character from my favourite movie reply:
You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means. (Inigo Montoya played brilliantly by Mandy Patinkin in The Princess Bride)
Thursday, June 05, 2008
If only they'd read this...
I was searching for a quote from Winston Churchill to use in a presentation when I came across this gem:
Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
If only George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld had read this before they created the mess in Mesopotamia.
Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.
If only George W. Bush and Donald Rumsfeld had read this before they created the mess in Mesopotamia.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
A big farewell
My father-in-law's funeral is now over after four long and tiring and emotional days. I'm writing this sitting in the Emirates lounge in Dubai on my way to a consulting engagement in Johannesburg that I was supposed to start last week.
On Tuesday the family received condolences at home. Most of the visitors were relatives and close friends so it was quite comforting to receive them. The day was complicated only by the jet lag (we arrived in Beirut after 26 hours of travelling at 4 am and people started coming by around 10 am) and the fact that we had nothing to wear since Etihad had decided not to transfer our luggage in Abu Dhabi (to be the subject of another post I promise you).
Wednesday was the service and burial which took place at one of the churches in the family's home village (now a Beirut suburb) which fittingly we visited last October and which my father-in-law was instrumental in restoring after the civil war. The service led by the Maronite Archbishop of Beirut was conducted in Arabic so I didn't understand any of it, but I found it beautiful nonetheless.
Here's a photo I took of the church on that visit last October not knowing we'd soon be back there under such sad circumstances.
On Tuesday the family received condolences at home. Most of the visitors were relatives and close friends so it was quite comforting to receive them. The day was complicated only by the jet lag (we arrived in Beirut after 26 hours of travelling at 4 am and people started coming by around 10 am) and the fact that we had nothing to wear since Etihad had decided not to transfer our luggage in Abu Dhabi (to be the subject of another post I promise you).
Wednesday was the service and burial which took place at one of the churches in the family's home village (now a Beirut suburb) which fittingly we visited last October and which my father-in-law was instrumental in restoring after the civil war. The service led by the Maronite Archbishop of Beirut was conducted in Arabic so I didn't understand any of it, but I found it beautiful nonetheless.
Here's a photo I took of the church on that visit last October not knowing we'd soon be back there under such sad circumstances.
Viewing the body was harrowing but necessary to help us accept that he really is gone and burying my father-in-law alongside his parents in the family crypt was very emotional. So this was definitely the hardest day.
On Thursday the family continued receiving condolences in the salon attached to the church. The process consisted of us sitting in this large room from 10 am to 7 pm, standing to receive visitors and shaking their hands or kissing them on the cheeks (three times).
The visitors would then sit for some period of time (I'm sure the duration of their stay was carefully calculated according to some protocol but I didn't manage to figure out the algorithm) before repeating the process on their way out. This is quite a Middle Eastern thing to do. You'll often see photos of Arab political meetings where everyone is sitting around a room like this.
The process was repeated on Friday in a downtown location where fewer family and more political leaders visited. So I've now shaken the hands and kissed the cheeks of a sufficient proportion of Beirut's residents that I feel ready to run for a seat in the Lebanese parliament.
I always knew that my father-in-law was a man of some prominence in Beirut but I hadn't really appreciated how widely he was known and respected in the local community and in political and business circles.
I also knew that he'd maintained good relations with the Shiite community which is notable enough in a country renown for sectarian strife, but they really went out of their way to pay him respect; hanging banners farewelling him in the street; Shiite leaders coming to pay their condolences; and the overwhelmingly Shiite residents lining the streets and the Shiite shopkeepers closing their stores as the coffin was carried from the church to the cemetery.
Monday, May 26, 2008
One wedding and a funeral
On Saturday we attended the wedding of my cousin Kirralee (“Lil”) held on the beach at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. The weather was perfect for an outdoor wedding and it was a great opportunity to catch up with my parents and brother, some of my uncles and aunts and my New Zealand-based cousins. I like to think of myself as a fairly practical person but I like the big rituals; they generally emphasise the very best in human nature.
Unfortunately towards the end of the reception I received one of those phone calls that everyone dreads–news that my father-in-law Youssef Matta had suffered a heart attack and with no warning and no reprieve was taken from us. Telling my wife that she had lost her beloved father was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
Now we’re making the long journey with heavy hearts from Brisbane to Beirut for the funeral.
In the twenty plus years I knew him my initial feelings of intimidation became love, and for my wife, to whom family is everything, he was a central figure in her life. Fortunately we had the opportunity to spend a week with him in Beirut in October last year and my wife visited him again in January.
As sad as I feel, the hardest part of this is knowing how deeply my darling wife Marie feels the loss and being able to do nothing to ease her suffering apart from simply being there. We have a difficult process to go through in the next few days with the funeral and associated Middle Eastern mourning rituals. Then, as they say, life goes on. But when you lose a loved one it will never be quite the same.
Unfortunately towards the end of the reception I received one of those phone calls that everyone dreads–news that my father-in-law Youssef Matta had suffered a heart attack and with no warning and no reprieve was taken from us. Telling my wife that she had lost her beloved father was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
Now we’re making the long journey with heavy hearts from Brisbane to Beirut for the funeral.
In the twenty plus years I knew him my initial feelings of intimidation became love, and for my wife, to whom family is everything, he was a central figure in her life. Fortunately we had the opportunity to spend a week with him in Beirut in October last year and my wife visited him again in January.
As sad as I feel, the hardest part of this is knowing how deeply my darling wife Marie feels the loss and being able to do nothing to ease her suffering apart from simply being there. We have a difficult process to go through in the next few days with the funeral and associated Middle Eastern mourning rituals. Then, as they say, life goes on. But when you lose a loved one it will never be quite the same.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Return to Manila
This week we went to Manila in the Philippines where I had my first overseas job in late 1999, supposedly for ten weeks but I ended up having a series of contracts there throughout 2000 and 2001.
That was just the beginning of our continuing international adventure, but regular readers will know that we get back Brisbane frequently. In fact my Mum once told me she sees me more now that I live overseas than when I lived in Australia.
My last visit to Manila was in late 2003 (by which time we were living in Singapore) so I was interested to see if anything had changed in five years. The verdict? Not much. The traffic still makes getting around a nightmare; the air is still very smoggy; the hot and humid weather was a useful reminder of why I love Steamboat’s cool, dry climate so much; and corrupt oligarchs (think Russia without the oil) are still trying to run the country into the ground.
But the good things – the wonderful optimism and joie de vivre of the Filipino people – haven’t changed either. Not to mention the world’s juiciest but least stringy mangoes available almost year round for a pittance.
I’m not sure I’d want to spend a whole lot of time there again (and Marie is sure that she wouldn’t, so that settles that), especially when there are still so many other places waiting to be experienced, but I was reminded of why I enjoyed the experience so much the first time round.
That was just the beginning of our continuing international adventure, but regular readers will know that we get back Brisbane frequently. In fact my Mum once told me she sees me more now that I live overseas than when I lived in Australia.
My last visit to Manila was in late 2003 (by which time we were living in Singapore) so I was interested to see if anything had changed in five years. The verdict? Not much. The traffic still makes getting around a nightmare; the air is still very smoggy; the hot and humid weather was a useful reminder of why I love Steamboat’s cool, dry climate so much; and corrupt oligarchs (think Russia without the oil) are still trying to run the country into the ground.
But the good things – the wonderful optimism and joie de vivre of the Filipino people – haven’t changed either. Not to mention the world’s juiciest but least stringy mangoes available almost year round for a pittance.
I’m not sure I’d want to spend a whole lot of time there again (and Marie is sure that she wouldn’t, so that settles that), especially when there are still so many other places waiting to be experienced, but I was reminded of why I enjoyed the experience so much the first time round.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Springbrook
Yesterday we visited my sister who lives in Springbrook, right in the rainforest about 50 metres from the National Park.
After lunch and coffee (and cake), my nephew Julian and I decided to walk the Twin Falls circuit, although with my young and fit nephew it was more like a forced march than a walk; the National Parks' information says allow two hours but we did it in 57 minutes, including the additional 750 metres from the end of the trail back to my sister's house.
The walk starts at the top of an escarpment where there are sweeping views of the Gold Coast.
The first part goes along the top of these cliffs.
But the best part comes after you've descended to the bottom of the cliffs where the path passes through the fissures in the rocks on the way down. That's my nephew Julian disappearing into the rocks.
Then the walk takes you through a lush rainforest past and behind two waterfalls (hence the name Twin Falls).
Here's the track from the GPS unit.
I would highly recommend it, but please note the warning from the National Parks' website:
DANGER: Sheer cliffs and waterfalls. One slip could be fatal — serious injury or death may result from walking near the edge. Keep to the track. Supervise children closely.
After lunch and coffee (and cake), my nephew Julian and I decided to walk the Twin Falls circuit, although with my young and fit nephew it was more like a forced march than a walk; the National Parks' information says allow two hours but we did it in 57 minutes, including the additional 750 metres from the end of the trail back to my sister's house.
The walk starts at the top of an escarpment where there are sweeping views of the Gold Coast.
The first part goes along the top of these cliffs.
But the best part comes after you've descended to the bottom of the cliffs where the path passes through the fissures in the rocks on the way down. That's my nephew Julian disappearing into the rocks.
Then the walk takes you through a lush rainforest past and behind two waterfalls (hence the name Twin Falls).
Here's the track from the GPS unit.
I would highly recommend it, but please note the warning from the National Parks' website:
DANGER: Sheer cliffs and waterfalls. One slip could be fatal — serious injury or death may result from walking near the edge. Keep to the track. Supervise children closely.
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Music download
I made my first online music purchase yesterday. Two things came together to make this possible.
First, online music stores (like Amazon, which is the one I used) are now providing music in the non-proprietary MP3 format.
Second, they are now making online music available without DRM (Digital Rights Management), an evil scheme designed to hobble your listening and dreamed up by the devil himself (with a little help from his minions in the major music labels).
I've been waiting for these developments because in a field where technology is still developing it seems crazy to me to be spending money on music in ways that lock you in to a particular vendor (e.g. Apple or Microsoft) or a particular device thus preventing you from later on using music on devices that haven't yet been invented and in ways that haven't even been imagined.
So I'm happy now, because my wife will often buy a CD just to get one song she likes. It's so much better to be able to pay 99 cents and download just the song she's after.
First, online music stores (like Amazon, which is the one I used) are now providing music in the non-proprietary MP3 format.
Second, they are now making online music available without DRM (Digital Rights Management), an evil scheme designed to hobble your listening and dreamed up by the devil himself (with a little help from his minions in the major music labels).
I've been waiting for these developments because in a field where technology is still developing it seems crazy to me to be spending money on music in ways that lock you in to a particular vendor (e.g. Apple or Microsoft) or a particular device thus preventing you from later on using music on devices that haven't yet been invented and in ways that haven't even been imagined.
So I'm happy now, because my wife will often buy a CD just to get one song she likes. It's so much better to be able to pay 99 cents and download just the song she's after.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Self-assembling robots
I've been following developments in robotics for a while, and I even bought a Roomba a while back (mostly so that twenty years from now I can brag about owning one of the earliest domestic robots), but this is amazing:
I'm now more convinced than ever that robots will change the world for the next generation in the way the Internet is changing it for ours.
I'm now more convinced than ever that robots will change the world for the next generation in the way the Internet is changing it for ours.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Backcountry snowshoeing
Today we went snowshoeing on Rabbit Ears pass. Here's the track:
Note that we went out and back on the same course.
This is a marked trail that starts at the East Summit car park. But as you can see from the completely untracked snow, it hasn't had a lot of recent use.
It's quite a treat having views like this all to yourself:
This was quite a bit easier than some of the tours we've been doing on the mountain. Whilst the distance we covered at 2.56 miles is similar, the total vertical climb of 516 ft is quite a bit less (like 1,603 ft on the last one).
Note that we went out and back on the same course.
This is a marked trail that starts at the East Summit car park. But as you can see from the completely untracked snow, it hasn't had a lot of recent use.
It's quite a treat having views like this all to yourself:
This was quite a bit easier than some of the tours we've been doing on the mountain. Whilst the distance we covered at 2.56 miles is similar, the total vertical climb of 516 ft is quite a bit less (like 1,603 ft on the last one).
Friday, April 25, 2008
Final day (really)
Today, day 36, was really my final day of skiing for the 2007-08 season. I start my new job next week and I've got a lot of travel coming up.
There's still plenty of snow on the mountain, including six inches of fresh powder. A powder day is the ultimate way to finish the season nearly three weeks after the mountain closes!
There are no photos today - I took the camera but didn't check if the batteries were charged - but here's the track:
Again I started at Thunderhead after Marie dropped me. You'll note that this time I went all the way to the Four Points hut. My original plan was to go to the top of Storm Peak but a guy came down and said it was very wind blown on top. Frankly I didn't have the energy to go on so he gave me a face saving way to stop at that point!
Best sections were skiing down Rainbow and Valley View. Both were untracked. On Valley View in particular the powder was heavy enough to leave very clear tracks. There's no better ego boost than to stand in the valley below and look back up at the mountain and see your own tracks!
I also included in the track the section from the mountain to my home since I walked that and therefore consider it part of today's exercise program.
The most important statistics for today are elevation gained (the effort) of 2,510 ft and elevation lost (the reward) of 3,141 ft. This was a four and a half hour exercise. As tough as it was in places I'll take this over running on a treadmill any day.
There's still plenty of snow on the mountain, including six inches of fresh powder. A powder day is the ultimate way to finish the season nearly three weeks after the mountain closes!
There are no photos today - I took the camera but didn't check if the batteries were charged - but here's the track:
Again I started at Thunderhead after Marie dropped me. You'll note that this time I went all the way to the Four Points hut. My original plan was to go to the top of Storm Peak but a guy came down and said it was very wind blown on top. Frankly I didn't have the energy to go on so he gave me a face saving way to stop at that point!
Best sections were skiing down Rainbow and Valley View. Both were untracked. On Valley View in particular the powder was heavy enough to leave very clear tracks. There's no better ego boost than to stand in the valley below and look back up at the mountain and see your own tracks!
I also included in the track the section from the mountain to my home since I walked that and therefore consider it part of today's exercise program.
The most important statistics for today are elevation gained (the effort) of 2,510 ft and elevation lost (the reward) of 3,141 ft. This was a four and a half hour exercise. As tough as it was in places I'll take this over running on a treadmill any day.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
More snowshoeing
Marie and I continued to take advantage of the abundance of snow on the mountain to go snowshoeing again today.
Here's the track:
The key stats are distance covered 3.1 miles and elevation gained 1,603 ft.
Here's the track:
The key stats are distance covered 3.1 miles and elevation gained 1,603 ft.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Still not over
My ski season is still not over because I went hiking for turns again today. This time I went all the way to the top of the gondola. Here's the track:
The best part of the day was on Norther where I found untracked spring corn. Here's what it looked like before I skied it:
And here's what it looked like after I'd laid down some tracks:
Check this out for a ridiculous amount of snow two weeks after the mountain has closed:
And this is off Rudi's which is mid-mountain; there's even more snow at the top of the mountain!
Finally today's stats:
Vertical ft: 2,025 hiking up, 2,481 skiing down (Marie dropped me at Thunderhead which gave me 450 ft for free)
Maximum speed: 38.3 mph
Average climbing speed: 2.0 mph
You can see the difference between hiking up and skiing down quite clearly in this graph (the first dip is when I skied Norther and then climbed back up):
Hiking up gives you a whole new perspective on the mountain. In particular everything seems a whole lot steeper when you have to get up it under your own power. Even areas I think of as flat when I ski them actually have a distinct grade to them.
The best part of the day was on Norther where I found untracked spring corn. Here's what it looked like before I skied it:
And here's what it looked like after I'd laid down some tracks:
Check this out for a ridiculous amount of snow two weeks after the mountain has closed:
And this is off Rudi's which is mid-mountain; there's even more snow at the top of the mountain!
Finally today's stats:
Vertical ft: 2,025 hiking up, 2,481 skiing down (Marie dropped me at Thunderhead which gave me 450 ft for free)
Maximum speed: 38.3 mph
Average climbing speed: 2.0 mph
You can see the difference between hiking up and skiing down quite clearly in this graph (the first dip is when I skied Norther and then climbed back up):
Hiking up gives you a whole new perspective on the mountain. In particular everything seems a whole lot steeper when you have to get up it under your own power. Even areas I think of as flat when I ski them actually have a distinct grade to them.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Earning your turns
The opera's not over until the fat lady sings, and the ski season's not over until I stop skiing. Which means that the ski season is not over.
Those of you paying attention will be asking how that can be when I reported on closing day back on April 6.
It's called "earning your turns" - strapping your skis to your back and getting to the top of the mountain the old fashioned way. Like this:
You can see the gradual increase in elevation at quite slow speeds as I snowshoe up, and then some sudden spikes in speed and drop in elevation around the 1:45 hour mark as I begin to ski down.
Yes it's a lot of work, but worth it so you can do this when the lifts have stopped running and everyone has gone to the beach:
I was accompanied by my lovely wife Marie who took the great photo above and who thinks it's quite amusing wearing her summer hat on the snow:
So add one day and 1,726 ft of vertical to my 2007-08 season total!
Those of you paying attention will be asking how that can be when I reported on closing day back on April 6.
It's called "earning your turns" - strapping your skis to your back and getting to the top of the mountain the old fashioned way. Like this:
You can see the gradual increase in elevation at quite slow speeds as I snowshoe up, and then some sudden spikes in speed and drop in elevation around the 1:45 hour mark as I begin to ski down.
Yes it's a lot of work, but worth it so you can do this when the lifts have stopped running and everyone has gone to the beach:
I was accompanied by my lovely wife Marie who took the great photo above and who thinks it's quite amusing wearing her summer hat on the snow:
So add one day and 1,726 ft of vertical to my 2007-08 season total!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
New job
I gave my notice today after 8 1/2 years with my current employer (the first two and a half as a contractor). I'm moving to a smaller company that is entirely focused on my field of expertise rather than pursuing it as one of several areas.
Other than that, not much will change. The type of work is basically the same (in fact my old and new companies work together on many projects) and I'll continue to live here in Steamboat and travel all over the world which I love, but never so much that I don't always look forward to coming home, especially during the ski season!
Other than that, not much will change. The type of work is basically the same (in fact my old and new companies work together on many projects) and I'll continue to live here in Steamboat and travel all over the world which I love, but never so much that I don't always look forward to coming home, especially during the ski season!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Colour and movement
Check out this great photo taken by my nephew Julian. Amazing colours and he caught the dancer in mid air!
Here's the accompanying article he wrote for his university newspaper.
Here's the accompanying article he wrote for his university newspaper.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Snowshoeing
The ski mountain is closed for the season so today we went snowshoeing on the mountain rather than skiing. As you can see there's plenty of snow, so much that it's almost criminal to close the mountain so early, but don't get me started on that!
We started at the base and did a loop up around Bashor and then down Vogue. Here's the track.
It's only 1,528 ft of vertical in two hours but remember this is walking up, not riding a lift!
Here's my lovely wife Marie looking like she's having fun.
And me. It's a little less obvious but I'm having fun to.
We started at the base and did a loop up around Bashor and then down Vogue. Here's the track.
It's only 1,528 ft of vertical in two hours but remember this is walking up, not riding a lift!
Here's my lovely wife Marie looking like she's having fun.
And me. It's a little less obvious but I'm having fun to.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Crying into your beer
Some good news today, it seems Colorado is about to repeal its laws preventing liquor sales on Sundays.
This law is only moderately inconvenient - once you know about it you can plan ahead - but inconvenient it still is. And more importantly it's just plain wrong. Nothing but small business owners wanting government to let them get away with not serving their customers. Listen to this local liquor store owner:
“It went just fine without being open on Sundays,” said Ted Heid, who owns Southside Liquors. “I thought, ‘What a business to be in; I have football Sunday off.’"
He's speaking the language of special interests so let me translate. What he actually means is this:
"I don't want to survive by giving my customers the service they want, and I want the government to prevent my competitors from providing them the service that I won't."
My response to Mr Heid is simple. Take Sundays off. And Mondays to Saturdays while you're at it.
This law is only moderately inconvenient - once you know about it you can plan ahead - but inconvenient it still is. And more importantly it's just plain wrong. Nothing but small business owners wanting government to let them get away with not serving their customers. Listen to this local liquor store owner:
“It went just fine without being open on Sundays,” said Ted Heid, who owns Southside Liquors. “I thought, ‘What a business to be in; I have football Sunday off.’"
He's speaking the language of special interests so let me translate. What he actually means is this:
"I don't want to survive by giving my customers the service they want, and I want the government to prevent my competitors from providing them the service that I won't."
My response to Mr Heid is simple. Take Sundays off. And Mondays to Saturdays while you're at it.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Season summary
I promised yesterday to provide a summary of my 2007-08 season. So here it is.
The obvious place to start is with our record breaking 489 inches of snow, well ahead of the previous record of 447.5 inches. So as I anticipated three weeks ago, I can now say I lived and skied in Steamboat during the biggest season ever! I could be bragging about this to newcomers for the next 20 years...
For various reasons, including the late opening, some travel and some unexpected surgery, I only managed 33 days (although I did think at one stage that I was finished at 24 days).
But what a fantastic 33 days they were including this powder day before Christmas when I skied so hard I could barely get out of bed the next morning, my best day ever on January 10, my best week ever in early February on my new fat skis, this unexpected bonus powder day in mid-March after I'd recovered from my surgery, and finally powder days right in to April in the season where Spring never came.
And finally, this season I introduced GPS tracking. Here's a consolidated track from the last eight days of skiing. Next year I should be able to produce a track of every single run for the season which should cover pretty much every piece of this wonderful mountain!
The obvious place to start is with our record breaking 489 inches of snow, well ahead of the previous record of 447.5 inches. So as I anticipated three weeks ago, I can now say I lived and skied in Steamboat during the biggest season ever! I could be bragging about this to newcomers for the next 20 years...
For various reasons, including the late opening, some travel and some unexpected surgery, I only managed 33 days (although I did think at one stage that I was finished at 24 days).
But what a fantastic 33 days they were including this powder day before Christmas when I skied so hard I could barely get out of bed the next morning, my best day ever on January 10, my best week ever in early February on my new fat skis, this unexpected bonus powder day in mid-March after I'd recovered from my surgery, and finally powder days right in to April in the season where Spring never came.
And finally, this season I introduced GPS tracking. Here's a consolidated track from the last eight days of skiing. Next year I should be able to produce a track of every single run for the season which should cover pretty much every piece of this wonderful mountain!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Closing day
Well that's it, the end of the the record breaking (489 inches!) 2007-08 season.
We're closing with a base of more than 100 inches and it's forecast to continue snowing all week. Unfortunately because Easter was so early this year visitor numbers in April would not have been enough to make it worthwhile for the ski company to keep the mountain open longer.
In keeping with the mild Spring we've been having it was overcast and cool today. Five inches of fresh snow overnight made for a silky smooth surface for carving those final turns. So here's the track for today.
The highlights included Chute 2, the trees to skier's left of upper Twister, and some nice powder stashes in the trees of Wally World.
I'll blog a more detailed summary of the season tomorrow, but for now I just want to sit back with a beer and bask in the glow of a fantastic season.
Finally today's stats:
Vertical ft: 13,479
Maximum speed: 41.0 mph
Distance skied: 12.18 miles
Time skiing: 52:48
Time stopped: 11:15
Time riding lifts: 57:53
We're closing with a base of more than 100 inches and it's forecast to continue snowing all week. Unfortunately because Easter was so early this year visitor numbers in April would not have been enough to make it worthwhile for the ski company to keep the mountain open longer.
In keeping with the mild Spring we've been having it was overcast and cool today. Five inches of fresh snow overnight made for a silky smooth surface for carving those final turns. So here's the track for today.
The highlights included Chute 2, the trees to skier's left of upper Twister, and some nice powder stashes in the trees of Wally World.
I'll blog a more detailed summary of the season tomorrow, but for now I just want to sit back with a beer and bask in the glow of a fantastic season.
Finally today's stats:
Vertical ft: 13,479
Maximum speed: 41.0 mph
Distance skied: 12.18 miles
Time skiing: 52:48
Time stopped: 11:15
Time riding lifts: 57:53
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)