First Snow

I took this on the night of the first snow in Boston. The stained glass window is part of the Episcopal Divinity School, where we have our church services while our building is being rebuilt.

The only thing on my list this year

Up Down Up Down

I woke up feeling a little sick.
I ate an apple and felt better.
I went to eat at Eggs over the City and really enjoyed it.
When the girl swiped my credit card and looked at my picture, she said it looked nothing like me.
That made me reminisce on that summer of spending all day every day outside, in Alaska but especially in Southern Utah.
But was it just the hair that changed? What about the goofy smile or the carefree expression? Am I a little too serious now? What happened to that carefree guy? Do I play enough?
I found out about Liftpedia.com.
I drove to pick up my skis from Brig's grandma's house.
I stalled Ryan's car twice. I hate driving manuals.
Brig gave me the wrong address.
It started to snow and the roads started getting slick.
I drove up the canyon and there were spots open at the Park and Ride.
The bus came in about 15 minutes.
I didn't have exact change and had to pay $5 instead of $3.50
While I was fumbling with my money, the bus driver started driving and my skis fell over, making me look like a complete idiot.
The bus didn't stop at the main Center at Snowbird, but went to Cliff Lodge instead.
Someone gave me bad directions to get to the ticket counter.
I got there anyway.
The half-day ticket was only $42, less than I expected.
I met up with Mark Roger Bean, who is quite talented on a snowboard.
The snow was phenomenal. Light and fluffy and coming down strong.
On our third run, I had a small crash that somehow broke my binding. Part of the plastic snapped off.
A mountain host came by within 5 minutes.
A ski patrol guy named Steve brought down an extra ski.
Steve made fun of my 2006 Dynastar Troublemaker skis.
Steve also said that he had my same pair of boots, but that was 10 years ago.
On the way down he had to fix something and told me to meet him back at the center.
I went the wrong way and had to go up another lift to get back there.
Mark and Richard and I took the bus back down.
It was full so we had to stand the whole time.
The snow wasn't too bad and the roads were relatively clear, so I didn't have trouble getting Ryan's car back down.
I called a bunch of people to see if anyone had extra bindings but nobody did.
I went to a ski shop but they didn't sell bindings, they mostly did rentals.
I went back to Ryan's house (no stalling!) and started looking on Craigslist for a cheap pair of skis or bindings.
While online, I was logged into Gmail chat. An estranged friend who I was once very close with chatted me.
We met up and had hot chocolate at Sugar House Coffee.
It was easily one of the highlights of my week.
I went to Barnes and Noble and found a gift I was looking for as well as a gift I wasn't looking for
I talked to Brooke on the phone.
I drove to another ski rental place to get skis for tomorrow.
I decided to rent the more expensive ones.
The guy rang me up for the normal price ($15) anyway.
The skis are brand spanking new Nordica's. No one has ever skiied on them before.
They will be the nicest skis I've ever used.
I feel sleepy and extremely content.

I love clever advertisements

Good Advice

Nike Free

I would buy these if I could find them in my size anywhere!

When did they invent this?

You're Messing With the Whole Family

Yeah, so, a lot of people have been asking me about the whole Accenture and Tiger Woods thing. I think it was the right decision, especially in an industry where trust and integrity are so essential to success.

The musician John Mayer made some funny comments on Twitter about it -

"Accenture just dropped Tiger. Apparently he was no longer a good fit with that company that nobody knows what the hell they do."

"Dear Accenture, I would love to endorse your space shuttle parts. Or is it your sentient war machines? Tic Tac Toe scoreboards?"

"Do they make assgaskets? Motorized fake beard racks? Big pants for little people? Do they make dollhouse panic rooms? A gun that shoots whips? Panther saddles?"

Source here.

Rock Hard

Thanksgiving

My family is far too competitive.

The kids absolutely adored Brooke!

Uncle Derek's naptime was rudely interrupted...

After that, I taught her how to put spin on the ball.

The twins discover the hand dryer.

Made My Day

Bookish

My favorite part about the holidays is reading. There's something about being with your family that brings you back to High School days. This Thanksgiving break I finished two books and read two others: Influencer, The Long Tail, Three Cups of Tea, and A Separate Peace.

The Long Tail - I already did one post about this book, but I have to mention it again. There was a whole chapter which had the sole purpose of refuting what Barry Schwartz claims in his book The Paradox of Choice (another of my favorites). It was fascinating to read a well-researched rebuttal. Although Chris Anderson doesn't address all of Schwartz' points, he does have some powerful ideas of his own. Read both books.

And did I mention that The Long Tail is the perfect length? He stops writing when he runs out of things to say - a rare trait in this day and age.

A Separate Peace - This was, without a doubt, my favorite book I was assigned to read in High School. Re-reading it led me to do a lot of reflection. The first chapter contains so many resonant quotes that the reader can't possibly stay emotionally detached. If you haven't read it, you should.

I drew a lot of ties between A Separate Peace and Atonement, by Ian McEwen. Characters in each of those books completely destroy the lives of other characters. The stories are of guilt and lies and envy and fear. It's fascinating to see the inner struggle of some of the characters. What I realized is that we all, from time to time, and in a more minor sense, destroy the lives of others. I've done my fair share of destruction, and I've also been on the receiving end. The good thing is that people heal and continue their lives (except in the case of Phineas, who died).

Points

In the consulting profession, it's common for people to travel to other cities on a weekly basis for work. This may seem like lunacy to most of you, and it is, but it happens. At least 50% of the people working on my project fly in on Monday morning and fly out on Thursday afternoon. Every week.

When you live out of a suitcase and spend more time in the air per week than you do in your actual apartment, you start accumulating points. They come in all shapes and sizes - hotel points, frequent flier miles. When the zeros start adding up, you know you have to start cashing in.

I'm surrounded by people who constantly go on trips to the Bahamas, Greece, Italy, and Costa Rica... and pay for the whole thing with points. I don't envy their lifestyle at all - I have a life when the workday ends while they have a lousy selection of television shows - but sometimes it does sound adventurous.

I decided to take some time to organize my points accounts. I have them, although most of them are scarsely used and sparsely populated. I used 4,000 Delta Skymiles to subscribe to Harvard Business Review, WIRED, and Business Week. I finally opened an American Airlines AAdvantage account and linked it to my Christmas travel. My Marriott Rewards account is probably in the best condition, hovering at around 10,000. That's enough for a free night stay at a low-end Marriott in a podunck town during the off season.

Am I ready to switch to a mileage credit card? Not yet. My Citi Rewards card gives me $300 cash back per year, and I like it. Cash is easy, and I always redeem it.

How do you manage your points?

Chris Guillebeau, in his blog The Art of Non-Conformity, has lots of frequent flier mile tips and tricks, many of them which don't even necessitate boarding a plane.

Sub for Santa Charity Extravaganza

A big thanks to everyone who helped put on the Sub for Santa Charity Extravaganza. We were able to raise over $6,000!

Three Cups of Tea

This book is poweful and moving. Read it. Then read Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Then read A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. Then watch Slumdog Millionaire. Then watch City of God. Then read The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs.

If that doesn't make you want to change the world, nothing else will.

Yes

http://www.nobiggie.net/2009/02/word-about-blogging.html