Killington's Last Hoorah

Today was Killington's last hoorah. Looking back on the season, Killington got me through some tough months. It saw all of my anger, all of my reckless behavior, and yet it still let me have fun and come back for more, even when I gave it hell. I have so many insanely fun memories of this season including season opener when only two runs were open and yet the whole crew was out there taking as many turns as possible, 80s party when Rachel and I dressed up in matching "let's get physical" type outfits looking ridiculous and dancing like no one was watching, Pimps and Hos theme party at the Pickle exemplifying everything that debauchery stands for, and coveted housemate time together on Saturday and Sunday mornings spent recapping the night before and drinking coffee before hitting the slopes. I've met so many people and have had so many good times and yet this weekend was perhaps the most special for me.

On Friday night when we rolled into the house it was amazing how much the place and the people felt like home. It had been a few weeks since I had seen everyone and it really struck me how much I had missed seeing everyone. The scene was ... chit chat on the couch with Tommy and Mandelbaum, silly stories being shared, a mix of poking jabs at each other and loving banter, the crew rolls in from a Friday night Pickle outing and Cari is giddy and looking fabulous, jokes and laughter in the air and even Clifford has a smile ear to ear. I had a light and happy heart being with everyone taking in the experience, as it existed in that moment.

Saturday morning I took Zion for one more shuffle up the hill. Here's a video of him running at full speed down the hill, absolutely happy as can be.



The house was buzzing with excitement for the Mogul Challenge and everyone got to the hill early to warm up for their qualifying races. The course was icey and fast but everyone progressed on to the next round. The day was exciting and beautiful with bright blue skies. I got a real treat by running into Jodi and her crew. It's crazy, but we have hardly ever skiied together and we both spend our entire winters on the slopes. Having talked about meeting up every time we had happy hour together at the Lookout, we finally got to take a few runs together.

Later that night we found ourselves at our usual spot at the back bar at the Pickle. Everyone was having a great time. We had dancing, smiles, and good humor in the air. There is almost always some kind of drama at the end of the night, but this night was different. Everyone was happy, there, and taking it all in.

Next, duals came on Sunday. The course was even faster than yesterday and the crew monopolized the standings. There were a few head on head rounds of competition between friends and in the end it was practically a battle just to stay on top of your skiis. The course was so difficult that almost everyone who got knocked out of the round blew up and lost their skiis or landed hard after a big jump. Bobby Zeolla should have taken the prize but he settled for second. It was a tough battle for everyone who competed.



Luckily, I've made it home and endured the last tired as hell ride back from Killy on a Sunday. It's been a big season and Killy saw me through it all. I'm signing off with last night's tired eyes and feeling appreciation for where I have come from and where I am now. The last eight months have been like navigating through a labrinth and having to overcome challenges to make it to the next door. Armed with the excitement of moving into a new room, I'd find a flood of water and would have to wade through it to make it to the next stepping stone. I feel like I'm out of the deep dark tunnels and seeing an easier road ahead. The timing of the journey was in parallel to my experience at Killington, and so the two exist in unison for me in my memories. It will be interesting to see what I decide to do next year, but for now, I'm taking things one day at a time.

Ramping up

The last two weeks have been a lot of fun. I've been focused on getting healthier and working out consecutive days in a row. Thanks to my handy iPhone app called Fitness Plan, I've been tracking my activity. Below is a snapshot of the last couple of weeks. I've been tracking both my workouts and alcohol intake.

Sat March 13th - Swim CMSC 1 hr; Hike with Zion 1 hr at Fells, Sheepfold route(pouring rain)
Sun 14th - Run with Zion 45 min, hill route (pouring rain)
Mon 15th - Spin at BSC, 45 min (still raining)
Tues 16th - Swim CMSC 1 hr
Wedn 17th - Bike with Rippers, 1 hr 45 min - (at 5:45am I'm OK, by 7:15am I'm a popsicle) (1 Guinness - it's St. Patty's Day!)
18th - day off (oops, 4 beers... clearly exhausted from working out, I gave in)
19th - Run with Zion 25 min, around Horn Pond

Sat March 20th - CMSC swim meet at Harvard, swam 1000m in 16:17; Bike 1hr 15 around Mystic Lake and up Johnson Road to main intersection and home; walk with Zion up the "mountain" next to our house with Mom.(out with the girls on a beautiful night after our 70 degree day, 1 beer, 1 wine)
Sun 21st - Hike with Zion 1 hr at Fells, Sheepfold route
Mon 22nd - Swim CMSC 1 hr
Tues 23rd - Spin 45 min
Wed 24th - Swim CMSC 1 hr (1 wine, book club with the girls)
Thurs 25th - Run w Zion around Horn Pond, 25 min

I find that working out consecutive days in a row takes a lot more effort than just the activity itself. To avoid getting sick with, recovering in time to work out the next day, and having the ability to wake up in time for swim practice when the alarm goes off at 4:50am, takes eating healthier, not drinking alcohol, and getting rest.

I've been doing pretty well moderating alcohol intake and I've already gotten made fun of for trying an O'Douls. In regard to eating, I think I've actually gained weight despite my activities because I've been stuffing my face. I also realized that even though I'm working out more, I can't eat a bag of m&ms and 7 cookies in one day. I'm going to make myself a diabetic if I'm not one already. Needless to say, I have a long way to come with nutrition, but I'm happy that I've taken steps towards working out more and adjusting my behavior.

The next couple of months are already busy. This weekend is Mogul Challenge at Killington. I'm planning on getting up early on Saturday morning and taking Zion for one last climb up to the top of Killington Mountain. The rest of the day and night should be filled with complete debauchery. Hopefully it'll be sunny so we can hang out on the back porch of Bear Mountain Lodge and watch my buddies compete. One of them will certainly win. They all bust it hard down the moguls.

Next weekend I'll be in Florida catching some much needed sun and playing tennis with the ladies (aka, my grandmother who will still smoke my ass even though she's nearly 80). April 16th I head to New Mexico to watch Dary graduate from his Para Rescue program with the Air Force. He's been training for two years and doing insane things like jumping out of airplanes at night, scuba diving in murky water, and playing survival in the wilderness. After graduation he'll be stationed in Las Vegas until he gets deployed. More on his adventures later. His girlfriend is a kick butt triathlete and I'm going to do a Sprint Tri with her while I'm there.

I've been meeting more people in my swim club, which has been fun. Thinking about biking in comparison, I've already found that I need more roadie buddies. My Winch Rippers ride early and no one is ever around to ride in the afternoon, so I did some research and found the Northeast Bicycle Club. They have two rides on Saturdays- one that meets at the Cycle Loft and one that rides from Bedford to Harvard (not Cambridge Harvard, the Harvard with the apple orchards). I really want to learn the Harvard route but I hear they have a drop-you and don't look back mentality, which the club is trying to change. However, I think I'll play it safe for my first ride with the group and link up with the Cycle Loft crew.

I did register for a bike race on March 8th called the 16th Annual Sterling Classic Road Race. I've never competed in any bike specific races and I'm hoping to see a lot of hot legs.

On that note, it's already 10pm and I'm not sure if I'm going to get up for swimming tomorrow or skip it. This is the reality that I'm working with. Goodnight.

Match.com – Dating Diaries

***Note: I am very sorry if you are reading this and you are one of my dating diary examples. Please forgive me.***

Real Men Don’t like Burberry

It’s a Saturday afternoon and I had just met up with a new Match date about 6 minutes earlier. Due to location we decide to take a stroll down Newbury Street. For those of you familiar, we started walking on the Arlington side and one of the first stores we pass is Burberry.

Here’s how the conversation ensued:

Match Date: I really like Burberry.
Abby: Really?
Match Date: Yea, I really like their stuff.
Abby: Huh. I’ve just never heard someone say that before.

In my head, the following conversation ensues:

Match Date: I really like Burberry.
Abby: Really? I don’t know anyone who likes Burberry.
Match Date: Yea, I really like their stuff.
Abby: Huh. I’ve just never heard someone say that before because #1, that shit is so ugly and insanely expensive. #2. you’re a dude and one of the first things you tell me about yourself is that you like high end fashion!? What does that say about you? #3, Are you trying to tell me that you make enough money to spend it on expensive things?

….In a split second… the following thoughts zip through my mind: Real men don’t like Burberry. You probably spend your weekends shopping and not doing fun stuff like skiing and god forbid you break a sweat. You probably take too much time getting ready in the morning and not enough time pleasing your woman. I want a real man and I can tell you right now that no man that I’m going to be into is going to like Burberry. Are you f&*king kidding me? You’re out.

... And then I spent the rest of the afternoon with a complete stranger who I knew was not a match for me.

Freak Out

After having a minor crazy moment myself, I am happy to report on someone else’s freak out session rather than my own. It’s a funny thing that happens when emotions are tampered with. The story of love is almost always preceded by moments of anxiety, stress, anger, and feeling left out to dry. It’s the part about being single that sucks. After snapping out of my funk, I have to admit that I felt a lot stronger when I saw male-craziness directed at me six-fold of what I dealt out the week before.

The below note was written by a guy through Match.com. He originally sent me a fairly long and nice note. I never replied and here is his follow-up freak out note to me:

Dear MtnGirl2010,
I have to admit that because of you I'm beginning to question the wisdom of a computer generated report on dating compatibility. According to match.com we have a lot in common. It says that we're a mutual match and that I'm looking for a woman like you and you are looking for a man like me. Obviously, match.com made a mistake somewhere. Despite our various areas of compatibility you didn't even feel inclined to reply to my email with a line, perhaps, just to thank me for my interest.

Look, its not my intent with this email to make you feel uncomfortable. I don't actually have the need for an email thanking me for my interest. But as an intelligent woman, I think you get my point. A reply would be the natural, logical thing to happen. So now, I'm questioning whether online dating is really worth our time.

I think that in theory it has the right elements. It shows us one or more pictures of the person selected by the computer to be on our list of possibilities. It shows many areas of compatibility or lack of it to help us make up our minds. It even allows people to write freely about who they are and what and who they're looking for. Still, I think it has failed in our case.

But who knows? Perhaps match.com is right about the basic elements of compatibility, but wrong about human nature. What if when presented with many options we tend to endlessly look for the absolute perfect match. In the real world out there we're normally limited by our environment, the places we visit, the activities we engage in. But here, a whole world of possibility is open for our taking. I think that's a real danger. The ease with which technology presents us with so many options might lead us to an endless search for that ideal person.

On the other hand, it could be something else entirely. It could be that with the power of technology we're misled into thinking that we can have absolute control in choosing the ideal mate. That the system can become some sort of a magic lamp where we express our wishes in detail and the genie magically presents them to us. The problem is that absolute control does not exist. We're not machines. We're complex human beings who react to life in a, sometimes, very unpredictable fashion.

But even if we had that kind of control in choosing a mate, it would take away the spontaneity of life. The unpredictability that makes life more interesting and exciting.

But anyway, this email is getting way too long. I might be wrong on all counts. It's even possible you already found your perfect match and simply forgot to get yourself out of the system. It could be that you're shy or too busy. Or that you really didn't see anything in my profile that caught your interest. Still, I think it's important to remember that we are "people" caught up in a "virtual" world looking for someone who could bring something positive to our "real" lives in the forms of companionship, friendship, and love. So, I think it would be wrong for us to behave selfishly as if we simply don't care. And I have to admit I've been guilty of that too.

So, as action or inaction can have an impact, your inaction has caused me to think about this and re-evaluate my values, attitudes, and ideas. The result is positive. I have no one else to thank but you.

Thank you and best of luck in your search.

- Match.com Dude

Again, thank god it was him, and not me.

Learn Yer Lesson

Today I signed off of Match.com. Like my previous experience on Match, I found that it’s like finding a needle in a haystack to connect with anyone who is compatible with you. Of course, there are incredible stories of people who have found their spouse through Match, which is awesome. The reality is that Match.com shows you pictures, it gives you the facts about someone and a little explanation about what they like to do. It doesn’t show you personality, it doesn’t show you how someone interacts with a group, and it doesn’t show you how they would treat you or if they are fun, kind, and caring.

My biggest lesson, following my week of dating anxiety, was that I need to do what is best for me. I am happiest when I’m with my friends and my family… with people who really care about me. Not only do I need to remember to spend time with the people who I care about, but I also need to focus on doing the things that are fun for me. Rather than bending myself to fit into someone else’s program, I need to stick with what makes me tick. I figure, if I’m going to invest my time looking for a needle in a haystack on Match, then I may as well redirect my time doing something that I would want to do anyway like join a cycling or running group, or attend more swim team socials.

The final lesson is that if he’s interested, he’ll initiate the next move. Period.

On that note, I’m walking away… feeling stronger then when I entered, and with a few lessons under my belt.