Ghoullog 2009

A FINE looking bunch! Who's your dentist?

Smile for the camera Guinness :)

Danger Boy - Live Action Reporter

Pre-Amazing Race

In preparation for our inevitable tour of duty on a future season of the Amazing Race, Speed Racer and I set off last Saturday on the Great Urban Race. Bearing the team name Freshies (trying to do our peeps some justice) and outfitted in all our look-alike ski resort duds, we met up at the starting line.

The race, while not exactly AR style (which really is too bad), required us to find 11 of 12 locations around Boston based on a series of clues. With the help of Mr. Blackberry and phone-a-friend Shane, we were able to solve all but one clue, which was a series of symbols that translated into words. Clearly I will never have a career in cryptology (and then obviously never be the main character in a Dan Brown novel) because I spent 5 minutes working on the puzzle and came to a screeching halt. Speed Racer however solved the puzzle in the blink of an eye.

We headed off to various points around the city - starting with the steaming tea kettle, a plethora of stops in Fenway (word to wise, if you like the batting red sock tshirt - wait a while till they re-stock since about 250 people had one of them on at some point during the day - yuck!).

After a brief hiccup in the Back Bay, we discovered we made excellent sleuths solving a murder mystery before heading off to meet our friend, the 27 pound lobster. Thanks to a rude asian woman to whom we were clearly invisible given that SR asked a question to which she walked right past without acknowledgement, we were spared the humiliation of posing with a brass lobster and got the pleasure (and the clue right) by posing with the live lobster.

Then following a scramble to SR's old hood C'town and hoofing it up the hill (after 2 hours of no food and blazing sun) we tried to be the craftiest of the crafty by making our way back to the finish line via the locks - mocking the team ahead of us who felt it necessary to run, only to learn the last laugh was on us because they made it across the locks before we did and before the locks opened to let 2 dinky boats pass through.

We headed to the finish line, convinced we wouldn't win the race but postive we'd win the Native sunglass challenge - only to discover *sigh* we came in 2nd for that. Our quasi-respectable 75th place would have been more like 60th place had it not been for the damn locks!

But in the end we were sure of 2 things: 1 - it was great preparation and learning experience for our future time on the AR and 2 - the winning team had to have TOTALLY cheated.

Final Weekend Part I

French fry tossing contest
Soft-hand Eric
Denim overall Dickie's
Denim Day at Attitash
Pig's Eye vs. Pig's Ear beer

Double jointed man that appeared on Letterman

"He's got two moms"

Dancing

Gene Simmons look-alike

Seemingly the aformentioned list would be incongruous - gibberish even - but not when it's put in the context of the Freshies last night in North Conway!!  Not only did we witness/hear all of these things, we did it all in about a three hour span all at, you guessed it, The Red Parka Pub...yea baby!!   

The last Freshies to hit the house for the weekend all arrived on Saturday.  I arrived first, followed by Danger Boy who met me at the Moat for "just one" before the others arrived.  Two beers and 7 5-oz. taste tests later (foreshadowing for the evening to come...?) Private Dancer met us there.   After Private Dancer had one...maybe two beers, we headed home for a quick freshen up and dash out for dinner.  

None of us could belive that we hadn't been to the RPP all season, so nostalgia won out and we decided to grab some food and dance the night away at the RPP.  Tiny Boarder and Spider Pig met us there, but had to sit at another table because things were getting crowded.  This is when the 1st of the list above occured....french-fry tossing contest!!  The FF tossing proved that I am an ineffective tosser and Spider Pig is not as nimble as he once was since nary a fry was caught.   But (#2) soft-hand Eric did enjoy watching the action.   

After dinner is when the freak show that is the RPP started.  I noticed a gaggle of folks dressed in a rather peculiar way.  Two of them were wearing (#3) denim Dickie's overalls, one was sported jeans and his ski goggles on backward and the women with them had on denim from head to toe...so I had to ask them...."what the heck is with the outfits?" and they replied (#4)"Denim Day at Attitash!".  Apparently this is an annual (unsanctioned by Attitash) gathering whereby a bunch of people get together for the weekend, ski at Attaish wearing their denim finery and then drink copious amounts of liquor and ultimatley get thrown out of the RPP.  (side note - Danger Boy is dying to get on the invite list for next year)

Sorry - I am losing steam, Part II will be posted at a later date.  Here's a teaser:  Danger Boy may have beed overserved...and Gene Simmons is not aging well.

Safety Third

Boo Hoo - this was my final ski weekend of the year and as I told Danger Boy, my saddest day of the year. It was no fun having to pack up my things and load the car for the last trip home. But, it certainly did go out with a bang. With 2 glorious days of spring skiing with my peeps, I cannot say I have any regrets, well maybe one - that I wasn't there to catch all THREE of DB's 'accidents' on film. Though catching one was something of poetic justice for me. Seeing that DB felt compelled to share my previous year's foibles with the whole wide world, I find it only fitting that I share his as well.

Here is the before picture - looking good barrelling down Tomcat Schuss. If you look closely behind the goggled eyes, I'm sure you will see sinister, methodical plotting going on to spray the innocent bystanders with thick, wet, Wildcat snow. But alas...fate had something else in store for our dear, dangerous, adventure-seeking friend. Somehow, someway, DB ended up on his (as we polacks would say) 'duppa'. Thanks to Lucky Jeans who heeded my "duck, duck, duck!" pleas so I could catch said fall on film. One might look at the photo and think DB is just relaxing, taking a moment for himself to lounge on the warm, March snow. But be assured all who wonder - he didn't get there on his own free will (nor did he land in a snow fence or on his duppa once again after clipping my skis - on his own free will). He lives, breathes and falls by his name.

Thanks to all the freshies for another great season up north. I truly wouldn't know what to do with my winters without having a fab destination every weekend. Even if we never go out because we are too damned tired to peel ourselves off the couch each night - you are the best group of fun a girl could have. Have fun during the real final weekend of the year and have a Czech Pilsner for me!

Spring is Here!!

Kiwi, Speed Racer, Lucky Jeans, and Danger Boy had been tracking the weekend's weather forecast all week. When Friday's forecast came in as "clearing in mid-late morning, sunny , high of 55 (in N. Conway!)" our action plan became obvious - hookie!!! We took advantage of $39 Fridays at Attitash in March - with the tix at a 40% discount and the enticing forecast we knew the trails would be packed. Nosirree!!! We had the mountain to ourselves and boy did we take advantage of that. The no-jacket foursome hit all the classics on the main mountain for the first half of the day: Moat, Parmesan, Idiot's Option, and Tightrope to name a few. The snow coverage was great, except for on Tim's Trauma - Speed Racer and DB gave it a go and agreed that it should have been closed. We filled the afternoon with the steeps at Bear Mtn - they were still steep and fast despite the loose and wet granular conditions. Scary fast at times... (just the way we like it!)

We're really looking forward to tomorrow - Spyder Pig and Private Dancer are joining us tonight (Fri) and we're all heading to our fav N. Conway ski mountain tomorrow. Here's a couple clues about our destination: It has tremendous views of Tuckerman's Ravine, 2200' of vertical (biggest in NH), and rhymes with MildRat!

Spring skiing at the "Cat" & arm "wrasling"

OK, technically it wasn't "spring" yet, but last Sunday was a fabulous New England ski day at the Cat.  KB, Bud, Danger Boy, Kiwi and I decided to get a late morning start to let the hard pack from the day before soften up.  (It had nothing to do with our Sunday morning leisurely breakfast dubbed "egg pie" by Bud, no-no, it was a conscious effort on our part to get the most out of the day.  That's our story and we're stickin' to it!!)  There wasn't a cloud in the sky and I even got a little tan on my face.  Which, of course, means I am just less pale than normal.  The only bad thing about the day was that there was some issue with the quad and it was running between half and full speed.  However, the brilliant folks at Wildcat decided to keep the lifts open for an extra 1/2 hour to make it up to their loyal fans.  Yea!!  

For me the most memorable part of the day was the unofficial race on Bobcat.  Let's just say my name's Speed Racer for a reason.  Although DB keeps flapping his gums about  how he "nicked" me at the finish...pure rubbish!  The 

race is over when the trail is over, NOT when you pass someone on he traverse to the lift. 

I am also attaching photos and a video (yes, that is me laughing hysterically...and I have to apologize for the shoddy camera work.  I was, quite literally, falling over laughing) of a our very own Hydra's arm "wrasling" adventures at Wildcat apres ski last Saturday.  She didn't bring home the trophy, but did get a hat and boy-oh-boy did she make the Freshies and her son proud.  I believe the quote of the day was when we asked Hyrda's son what his response would be when people asked him where  he got his hat.  He rightly answered:  "My Mom won it arm wrestling...in a  bar...in New Hampshire."

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up!

Why hasn't Danger Boy been skiing lately?

I had been wondering why DB kept coming up with excuses not to come up to the Freshies house when I stumbled upon this top-secret draft of his upcoming project. I had NO idea?!?!

I didn't ski this weekend, but...

took a hike instead to grab a picture of where we ski most weekends.

Oh, and to summit Mt. Washington... yay!

WANTED

Any information regarding a missing Sunshine Ski Resort magnet.

Last seen on the refrigerator at the Freshie's ski house.

Monetary value is minimal, but sentimental value is priceless.

Whereabouts is unknown, but SR has VERY strong suspicions as to who may have stolen it.

0.17

The legal alcohol limit? My body mass index? The chances of there being fresh snow in North Conway? No, no, no!. 0.17 - The difference that separates 4th place from 3rd place (not that I'm bitter)- separating a winner from a loser. U Go Girl! Well, go faster, because you were 0.17 away from winning a Major Award! Sigh. A tighter tuck? A sharper edge? Less drag? The world will never know. No one remembers 4th place. Do they give copper medals at the Olympics? Methinks not.
But a big KUDOS to Speed Racer for pulling out the the silver medal - the place on the podium - actually winning a major award. What it is, you will have to stay tuned to find out. But in the meantime, here's to you Speed Racer, my hero. Way to go girl!

Kiwi's Tip of the Week/Month

Ok, since I'm being chastized about no tip - this one will have to make up for all of last month. Tip: Don't put something, that can otherwise always be found in the same location, in a new place for safe keeping unless a) you write down where that safe place is and/or b) you don't care whether you remember where the safe place is.

It’s a sad, sad commentary that the Freshies haven’t posted a darned thing to this blog since January 3rd…what is UP with that?? Last year you couldn't shake a stick without hitting a blogger…but alas, thus far no “Kiwi tip of the week”, no insights to the local N. Conway ski/après ski scene. Dare I say…no fun?!?! No, No, NO! We’ve been having so much fun, we just haven’t had time to blog!

Several of us (Tiny Boarder, Spider Pig, Lucky Jeans, Danger Boy Kiwi and Freshies wannabe - 2B) had a fantastic week in Canada for a ski vacation. We stayed in Canmore, AB and skied Sunshine, Lake Louise and Kicking Horse in BC. In the interest of keeping this entry short, (even though I fear it won't be!!) I will limit this to a “Best of the Canadian Rockies” list. The opinions here are expressly my own so to those that were there, please feel free to add your own comments and your own “Best of” should you not agree.
Best Food – nachos at Kicking Horse. I know nachos are hard to screw up, but they are also very hard to make really, really good. The ones at KH were all about the chips. (a close second was Tiny Boarders Beet Risotto…yum-my!! I love beets. I love risotto, how can you go wrong?)

Best Rentals/Sports Shop – Sport Experts in Canmore (or as Spider Pig liked to abbreviate it, S.EXperts). These guys were awesome! I rented skis all week and they were totally knowledgeable, nice and funny! They even had me and Kiwi buying “Superfeet” for our boots and so far, they are working pretty well. Oh, and I got a fabulous deal on Rossi Voodoo’s – and with the Canadian exchange rate, I couldn’t pass it up!

Best skiing - hands down, for me, Kicking Horse on our 1st day there. Lots of snow, lots of steeps and a rating system in which their blues are closer to double-blacks back home. This ‘aint no place for sissies!! The mountain is also absolutely gorgeous with seriously breathtaking vistas.

Best après ski drink – Glüwein at The Fairmont, Lake Louise. Such a warm and comforting drink and you get to overlook Lake Louise. This was beautiful in winter; I can only imaging it in the fall. They also had wonderful service as Lucky Jeans can attest when they accommodated a “special delivery” for her. (OK - so the pix isn't the Gluwein, but don't teh boys look tough??)

Best port-a-potty - You may ask why this is even a category, but as luck (or not so much) would have it, Lucky Jeans has to pee – A LOT - in the morning, so we saw our share of bathroom stops. The best was somewhere past Banff Nat’l Park off of CAD 1. Totally cute little log cabin outhouses…seriously, they were cute!

Best après ski song – Anything by KC and the Sunshine Band!! At least I and some older gentlemen at Kicking Horse thought so.

Best song for the ride to the slopes – ‘Lollipop' by Mika. Thanks to Kiwi for introducing us to the new Freshies ride to the slopes anthem! "Suck too hard on a lillipop and love's gonna get you down"!

Best way to relax after a hard day of skiing – Banff Hot Springs. Ahhhh, what a lovely way to soothe the muscles.

Best Canadian Microbrew – I’m going with Rutting Elk from the Grizzly Paw Brewery in Canmore. I didn’t know what “rutting” meant, so 2B informed me that “rutting” basically meant “horny”. At least that’s what I got out of his explanation. (He also taught me another word on the lift at Wildcat that sort of had something to do with his shoulder injury…but I digress)

Best renditon of "The "Walton's" theme song - Spider Pig's uncanny "trumpeting" ability far surpasses any I have heard.

Best attempt at a part in a Warren Miller movie - There are actually two, both by, surprise, surprise, Danger Boy - and we have the video to back it up. The 1st was Danger Boy's "attempt" to jump a rock that ended up in a scary looking face-plant. The 2nd was an "attempt" to jump off of the headwall at the top of the Paradise Lift at Lake Louise. Neither one was particularly pretty...but were quite fun to watch!

Best Quotes - There were a lot; I will limit it to two:
From the guy at S.EXperts when asked if he could repair a core shot -”I’m really good with carnage”.
From me, Speed Racer, after Lucky Jeans had to make an impromptu “wilderness” bathroom break – “The party pants will catch the drip”.

And with that I’ll leave you all with a real quote.
“Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh” – W.H. Auden

Here’s to lot’s more laughs for the rest of the Freshies season!!!

Two Runs and Done

Our first ski day of the season - Jan 3rd 2009 - was a total bust. It was about -19 degrees at the top of Wildcat but that includes wind chill. We managed two runs and that was it. Fortunately, we got back in under the hour limit and got vouchers for another day. Hopefully, that day will have a lot more snow and less of a wind chill factor.