So for the month of March -- I have failed you miserably, blog. I do apologize, but you see, March was kind of fantastic. I have a lot to say about March. It was just so busy that I didn't have much time to put it into words - but here it is now. Read this probably only if you're bored... this is mainly for me ;-)
"....It's the fucking Catalina Wine Mixer!"
Maine. Bethel, Maine to be exact. What a kickass town. Greg, Davey & I made a long weekend out of March 6-9 and left Friday morning on a great ride towards Sunday River Resort.
The Jolly Drayman Pub was our destination for dinner, a great Irish bar with a live guitarist, great beer (I liked Gritty's! Me!) awesome food, and great locals. And we watched Stepbrothers if you couldn't tell.. The Rostay Inn in Bethel is also adorable. We conquered the outdoor hot tub with bottles of cheap wine on both Saturday AND Sunday night. Bob's Real Pit BBQ made our mouths water Saturday night after a long day at the slopes. But mostly -- this weekend was about the skiing!Sunday River made me fall in love with skiing all over again. To be honest, I desperately needed that.
The icy conditions in the Poconos the past few years have kept me from tackling difficult hills, and disenchanted in general by my own performance. The closer I got to this trip, the more terrified I was of doing poorly, being in desperate need of a lesson - and in general disappointing myself.
But on the very first run we did -- Suddenly I had arrived! The conditions were so amazing. Such fresh powder, and clean runs - the difference was astronomical for me. I went down REAL black diamonds. And I tackled them! You had to if you wanted to keep control of yourself and not fall horribly. It was exciting again in a good way to be able to go balls to the wall on a trail like that again. The only problem was that I wasn't in good enough shape to tackle the Double Blacks. I at least realized that I would literally be too tired before the halfway point to safely get down the rest of the way. What a great goal to have though! Get up enough stamina to conquer those runs! It takes literally a good 25 minutes to get from the very top of the mountain to the bottom. Before the weekend was over, we were already talking about trying to plan another trip next year.
I also skied with a helmet (borrowed from my father, an excellent lightweight, warm invention), a full mask for my face, and goggles (thanks again to my father...) I'd have fared very poorly without all three pieces of equipment. I'll be treating myself over the next few months to my own helmet and goggles --- and possibly new equipment is on the horizon.
"We've got everything down to a science, so I guess we know everything..."
Modest Mouse! March 14th! What a show! Isaac Brock is freaking crazy!
I went to this concert as a tagalong with my brother and his friends Jesse, Guy & Mike. I've known Mike & Jesse forever, and meeting Guy was hysterical. Everybody loved the show - and we ate delicious, delicious Wawa afterwards. Good times...
"Wind down the window, maybe it doesn't smell like swamp anym--NoooOoOo! Shut itttt!"
The flight to Miami was lovely. Our luggage popped out in less than 2 minutes after we arrived at baggage claim. Getting to Key West from there would prove more difficult, ending with me driving (which I was happy about... I like driving) and us not getting to our hotel until nearly midnight instead of 8 p.m. Happy little Nissan Sentra! Delicious Chinese food in Key Largo at 9 p.m. after not eating since 1ish. The yucky swamp smell on the car ride down and trying to battle it with cologne.
We rented bikes for the week and I loved how much riding we did (as sore as it made us). So much Waffle House. Grainorade drinks at the Flying Monkey. Chasing Roosters. Walking down Duval Street with a drink in my hand. A sunshower on the beach with not a cloud in sight. Reading Watchmen on the sand. The best Cuban sandwiches ever down by the Southernmost Point. Scott & Snazzy getting MARRIED! A gorgeous ceremony, fun picture taking and an even more fun reception at the Hog's Head. The Floating Thai Restaurant. Biking home drunk. Lying on the beach for four hours and only feeling like you've been there for minutes. Kayaking through the Mangroves by headlamp. And 'Love is sharing the bathroom' at the hotel. Lots of bonding time with Papa - long silly bike rides, nearly dying biking back up Flagler Street, baking in the sun.
I came back to PA just in time to swing into half-day scheduling for the run of Defiance, giving me less time in the office and less of dealing with my box office lackey. After Watchmen I've started reading some excellent graphic novels. It's getting warmer and warmer outside and riding my bike to work is getting even closer to happening!
So that's about the best of it... April is here, and there's lots to do in the coming weeks, so I'll be busy as ever. Hopefully it can live up to March!
