Life in the Mountain Valley

Hi folks.

So I feel as though I've lived here long enough to have a good working understanding of the people, the places, the attractions, the detractions and the overall vibe of life as a Vail resident. The only aspect of life out here that I do not fully grasp yet is the overall winter weather season. I know what winters are, Michigan will do that to a person, but weather, that is always something new depending on setting. I have spent some time out here in the Rockies during the winter, I know what a ridiculous amount of snow can mean but an entire life of it? I currently enjoy walking everywhere I go, can I say the same thing when 300 inches have fallen in a matter of months?

Small changes like that affect the things you enjoy.


The library is a gem here in Vail. I spend at least an hour at it 5 days a week. If I haven't made time for the library during my day it usually means mountain days have tired me out too much. I fear that the library will be a lesser place when Vail is in full swing and Scandanavian elitists are huddled by the fire in their fur coats discussing the pratfalls of competing nose wipes for their kids. For now its relatively deserted, aside from the busy computer section at which I currently sit. I found the most amazing Gonzo book on display last week. It is hardcover and at least a foot tall and one foot wide, so double that when opened. It has great widespread pictures, quotes, poems and just overall inspirational material.

Most of the books I have checked out from the library have been about music theory and guitar playing. I found a good deal on a nice yamaha and have been strumming my way through the dark sleepy nights out here.

For all of you interested back home, friends have been easy to come by. There is always a friendly face around the corner that I can share a laugh with. In the odd case that there is no one around the ambiguous mountain air and vibe get me through.

I'm sorry if I haven't checked in as frequent as maybe some of you expected/wanted. Or maybe I am reporting back just enough or perhaps too much. I have no gauge of this other than my overall desire to confine myself to the glowing pixels of a computer screen. In other words I'm trying to need the computer as little as possible so I apologize if I've been a little distant. I don't really enjoy talking on the phone to anyone unless I get involved in small talk enough to forget that I am on the phone.

Love you all, take care.
Byron, or fish as my nametag says on the mountain.

Overall Vail Update

Whats up all? I hope everyone in their respected places are doing well. I miss you. Things are good here in Vail. I am going through training sessions every day, pretty much all day. Turns out it takes a lot of equipment and protocal guidelines to memorize when working a ski lift. I love it here. Living in a mountain valley means looking out the window and every time seeing slopes and mountain peaks. The people are all friendly for the most part. Things are absolutely divided into, locals, tourists and Vail employees. Vail employees are close to locals but a lot of us, possibly myself included, are only here for seasons at a time so it is not really the same thing as living in Vail througout the summer as well and knowing how that whole lifestyle works. My first paycheck comes in about 1.5 weeks from now, thank god. Everything is on the pricier side of life but a perk of being surrounded by nice people is that you tend to find the deals pretty easily if you know how to ask. Life is good, I'm keeping a smile on my face everywhere I go and knowing that if I take the time to look around I will like what I see.

I'll have pictures soon I just haven't had enough daylight free time to get some good shots.

Love,
Byron

Greetings from Vail

I made it. I have been in Vail now for 4 days and I really am happy to be here.

I flew into Denver the day after Halloween with a bunch of hungover skate and board kids, pretty quiet flight really. Joe Schramm picked me up at the airport and I had the chance to hang out with him for 3 days in Denver. He has a nice little setup with Nick Kjolhede, Jason Bulter, John Hickey and little (but now all grownsies) JoJo. I got to play some disc, tour the town, hit up some bars and just kick back with some faces from the past.

I took the CME from Denver to Vail, it is essentially a van that they load up with ski bums and rich people. My first day in Vail was a little trying, I got to town with about 1 hour of daylight but most of that was wasted with paperwork at my apt. complex's housing office and just getting all my shit into my apartment and set up. So by the time I was ready to get my bearings about me it was already dark out and I just had to hop on the city bus and take it where it took me and figure out as I go. Luckily Vail is accomodating to the hiker. I stopped into a coffee shop and a cool cat named Quincy gave me a lowdown. So after drinking the free coffee Quincy gave me I hopped on a different bus and took it to a grocery store. Life is expensive out here. I shall be consuming tuna, trailmix, granola bars, eggs and beer, nothing else. So eventually I made it back to my apartment and just passed out.

Every day thus far has consisted primarily of training classes. Today is my first free day in Vail and I plan to just stroll the streets with my camera and get to know the place. I have plans to go hiking up one of the mountain sides with my friends Jeff and Philip so that should also give me a good idea of what else Vail life has in store for me.

I have two roommates, Cesear and Tyler, we are expecting one more by the time ski season starts. They are both good guys, Tyler is a fellow lift operator from D.C. Cesear has been in Vail for a year and a half and is working as a cook at one of the ridiculously expensive restaurants in downtown.

Life in Vail has been good but busy. I am looking forward to ski season and finally getting up there on the mountain and having the whole day to waste on shredding through powder. I am surrounded by people my age and of my mindset so making friends has never been easier. All in all life is good and just keeps getting better the more you let it.
LB

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