I LEAVE SUNDAY!!

As i sit in a lab and realize that I am approaching the 10th hour in a row that I am occupied with activities that keep me indoors I am surprisingly okay with it. This is because I am so close to departure date. I don't talk  much these last few days (weeks really) and I guess it is because I don't want to waste my breath. How involved can I really be in a conversation if my mind is off in the Denver airport? I really have nothing of merit to add to a work conversation. The only things that really distract me from Vail are tiny things like the various shades of grey that permeate the Michigan sky this time of year. The southward bound birds, green colors spread amongst oranges. Simple little things.

I have all but wrapped up life at Such Video. My desk never had much of my identity in it. One would go to it now and find post it notes. A phone book. A small desk lamp. The G4 that made work bearable at times. No personality. There never was any really, just traces of life. Here and there I would leave an article of clothing. A cd. Something given to me by a friend that hadn't made its way home with me yet. Now, nothing but the cold dark whisper of corporate sterility.

My room is the exact opposite. Everything I am taking with me is visible. Skis sit next to travel bags with tags on them that hold words like voyage, journey, travel. On the countertop sits my passport, some deoderant, and a few books sprawled out so as to show me every cover. It is tough deciding what words to take with you. Paper is so heavy and does not weather well. I think I will miss my collection of literature as much as anything. Even the books that I never finished, they always sat there looking at me with confidence that I would someday discover their total message. If they are ever lost I will lose more than just the sum of their parts, their very existence in my collection is a story that I am happy to remember.

My final project, a 60 second video meant to bring to light the plight of American Veterans that suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, is completed. I think this video will keep me grounded in the notion that my college education was/is worthwhile. I have no regrets about college, the friends I made, the relationships I had/have, my overall experience, but I do always question my current course and whether or not I could be doing something that fully utilizes my abilities and my desires. I think everyone, if they speak truthfully, feels that way.

LB

Two Weeks to Go!

Only two weeks left before the big move and I can't help but be bored. I love the fall colors here, orange, reds, yellows, its all really pretty and produces sweet smells and great harvests. Michigan is a really cool state for anyone thinking of relocating here. It's hard really appreciating it if you've grown up here and don't know anything else. This is why I can't agree with anyone that just stereotypes a region as one thing. Michigan has so much variety and I know this because I've spent so much time here. I can't even begin to assume I know the entire spectrum of splendor that somewhere like Maine has to offer. The same goes for people. Don't pigeon hole a person into a type, unless you want to be proven wrong. Barack Obama was just a fat momma's boy, now he's three weeks away from the oval office, I hope.

Well that was a random diatribe, all I really want to say is that things are progressing and I am one week closer to Vail. Our friends from New Zealand, Dan and Mary, are on their way to us right now. They will be staying with us for a while until they go back to Kiwi land. I am excited to talk with them about their travels and my future trip. Spending time in New Zealand remains one of my long-term goals. It is a staple of who I am and who I want to be. That's all I have. These posts will start getting more exciting I hope as the coming months progress.

3 Weeks and Counting

Yowza! 3 Weeks. Here is where I am:

• Plane Ticket: Purchased. Detroit to Denver Nov. 2
  
• Skis: Purchased. Salomon 1080 Foil Twin Tips
  
• Bindings: Purchased. Demo Salomon S712 Flat. I'm not ecstatic that they are demo's but I have to start somewhere and I couldn't argue with the deal I got.
  
• Boots: Not purchased. Looking for a good deal on Atomic Hawk 80's.
  
• Pack List: Half way completed. Its been difficult to decide what I want to keep cuz I don't know when I'll return. Like my Ipod speakers. I love them. They are heavy and don't travel well. They have to stay but I know I'll miss em.
  

I guess those are all the big things but there is a ton of other stuff that is secondary. Hopefully everything will fall into place. 

NOTICE: My last official night out in Michigan will be Halloween in East Lansing. I look forward to seeing anyone that can make it. 

Im the meantime, I had a nice weekend visiting old friends in Dearborn, Royal Oak and other little wealthy communities just outside of Detroit. One lasting remark about the weekend, Detroit and its outlying cities epitomize the state of our economy. BMW's and beaters, wealthy aside woeful. The gap is enormous.

Anyhow, I'll keep this post short. Things are falling into place nicely at this juncture. I feel like my conscious is teetering on cold feet but I like that, it lets me know that this is not something that is any small feat. The scarier the better really. 

Love

LB

4 Weeks and Counting

I figured its the right time for a countdown. Before I go into any diatribes here are some pics from my September and October. The flight is imminent and most of every decision that I make revolves around the departure date. I should probably be concentrating at the tasks at hand a little more but concentration is impulsive and I can't seem to stop getting powder snow on mountain peaks in my mind. Work is just 8 hours that try to distract me from thinking about what to bring and what is no longer an item I keep. As I write this and try to assemble my thoughts in a blurb I got distracted by an email from Vail Lift Operations discussing the first training date... exhibit A. 

Went to buy skis today. They are gonna be a major purchase but as I look at it, that will only prove to be reinforcement that if I am willing to fork it over, I am doing the right thing, and that feeling will last.

What is an important distraction from Colorado is the project that I am doing with Tom Gennara. We are assembling a piece that showcases the plight of the forgotten homeless of the American Veteran. These guys fought for their country, sacrificed their lives and their minds in many ways to make this country safe for all of us and now that they are back and struggling the only people that will help them, besides the underfunded VOA are local photographer Tom Gennara and a recent college grad that wants to help but also would take most video projects that allow his creative input. The 5 gentlemen we interviewed were amazing in their ability to be candid. We asked a lot of them. Open up about what has been the most difficult thing in their lives. And all five of them did. You couldn't get that kind of honesty in all of Wall Street. 

Anywho, I'm proud to be where I am and I am proud of where I am going. Through all of my faults, the ones I am self-aware of and the ones I am not, I feel like each day is progress, and thats what I like about life.

LB