Milestones

Today I hit a milestone in cycling, actually 1,000 milestones to be more precise. The first 1,000 miles are the hardest miles to get on in the year and fighting winter weather doesn't make it any easier. Other updates in my life besides cycling include acceptance into BYU's graduate program for exercise physiology. I wanted to start up in July but there aren't any classes so it looks like I'll back in the classroom in the early fall. The personal trainer job isn't all that it is hyped up to. I'm putting out applications for other jobs and will take the first thing that comes along. I'll be heading down to Phoenix this week to spend some time with the family and to get to some sunnier weather.

Employment. Finally

With spring around the corner Sundance Ski resort looks more like a ghost town than a Ski Mountain and my interest in snowboarding is waning quickly. Lessons are few and far in between which means my pay checks are also getting smaller and smaller. My roommate is currently a personal trainer at a gym and I told him to ask if they had any openings. They did and no I have a new job! It pays to have a good roommate who is the most well liked trainer, to refer me to his supervisor. the interview was really simple, I have only worked out in a gym twice in the last five years so I hope that it all comes back to me, at least so I can sound like I know what I'm doing. Anyways, its nice to have some form of employment that doesn't have a built in termination date like my snowboard instructing job.

Science is Great

I find myself pondering a lot about science. I know when I say "science" that I am referring to a very broad subject, but science doesn't need to be so broad. In fact it could be compared to a very small amount of pennies, they don't even have to be shiny pennies. Just as long as the pennies have a good mixture of nickle and copper. Speaking of which, did you know that it costs the U.S. 5 cents to print one penny?! But don't worry, they make up the costs through printing dollars. It only cost about 2 or 3 cents to print dollar bills. That's a big relief. I hate it when people don't think their ideas through enough and end up spending more on development then they get in return. Anyways, yeah, science is great, I'm sure you know what I mean.

Mountains

Well, lately I was in a large group of people and found myself pondering. Is it weird that I do most of my pondering in large groups of people? That isn't what I was pondering about, that is a question I just thought of for another ponder session. So I was thinking about mountains and people. It is so interesting how people and mountains are so similar. Not in the tectonic origins per se, but the intricate similarities in the personalities or mountainalities of the two subjects being pondered on. I was thinking of how most mountain ranges span north and south. That is so true of people. It is always north and south, up and down. There is rarely east to west, or side to side with people. And then I found myself saddened for a brief moment. Most people will never know the joy of going side to side instead of up and down, then in the midst of my pondering I received a personal breakthrough: I am different than most people. I am like the Uinta Mountains, which contrary to their other mountain friends, run east to west. I thought about this...deeply, mind you. While others run this race called life they are simply going up and down, north and south and are missing out on the interesting adventures that can be found when one goes east to west, side to side. My brief sadness spoken of earlier was replaced with joy as I realized how lucky I am that I go east to west, traveling the untrodden ground and loving every minute of it. Then I asked those up and downers around me if they knew what was different about the Uinta Mountains. I was answered by blank stares...figures.

Fresh Air

Over the last few days of working up at Sundance Ski Resort I've taken some time to notice the view of Utah County from the top of the resort. The only problem is that the view has gotten progressively worse due to the inversion and pollution. Thinking that my lungs are something I would like to keep working I looked at the air quality forecast only to find that Provo was currently the worst city in the whole country in terms of particle pollution, even worse than LA and New York. Makes me kind of glad that I work several thousands of feet above where you can see more than a 100 yards without a haze.