International Space Station

This link shows the progress over time of the International Space Station coming together.

Check it yo:

http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm

Incidentals

Lately I have been hearing a rather routine question from friends and family - "What the hell have you been doing out there?" To tell you the truth, the answer to that particular question is a lot of some things and little of others. Since my employment contract at Big Sky ended the 13th of April the main thing I have been doing is fly fishing. There is nothing better than being out on the water in search of a gill having monster lurking behind a rock just waiting to be fooled by the perfect cast and reeled in for a memorable photo before being released back into its habitat. There is something utterly tranquil and settling about being outside, surrounded by beautiful mountains, with good friends, and trying to master the art of fly fishing. I call it an art because everyone has their own variation of cast, mastery of float, genius of fly selection, basically boiling down to there being no one way to skin the fly fishing cat. 

Elsewise, I have been putting together and helping out with the project list at The BoneDance Ranch, also known as Peitz Land in Hall, Montana. Last weekend we built a fence around the camp ground portion, put together the military mash style tent Uncle Dave recently purchased, analyzed the "stock" (as the motto at the Bone is "in stock"), and put together a list for whence we return to civilization. I'm happy to say that from this Thursday on I will be spending the next month and a half at The BoneDance Ranch adding little things here and there to make it more complete, as well as, adding to my repertoire of handyman skills.  

Incidentally

A lot has been clouding my mind lately. Things to do with what next, where next, do I really want what I am interviewing for, why would I leave this place, what would have happened had I chosen something completely different, etc etc so on. Most of the things have no bearing whatsoever nor do they have simple answers. I envy the people who are content with mediocrity and doing the same over again just to slide by the wayside. 

What happened to the passion? 

Specialize? 

Manageable

The season has been over since Sunday the 12th yet it has been snowing here everyday since then, almost tempting management to reconsider. Granted, that would never happen but I wouldn't mind poaching a little before it all melts away. Again, that will never happen as I am just over two weeks past fracturing my left fibula. Well don't you leave me high and dry or anything. Being that I am one to push the envelope on the capabilities of my body, this was bound to happen. However, for next year I do need to purchase some backcountry heel-releasing bindings to better navigate the unknown, if you will. Snow shoeing up into Beehive Basin wasn't the best idea, exhausting and a good workout nonetheless, but not efficient means of transport. 

While sitting with my roommates watching the greatest tv series every produced, Planet Earth, I received a phone call from my buddy the HR director. He wasn't happy I will not be attending the Costa Rica trip and wanted to extend his sincerity about the issue only to then inform me that my previous boss put in for his two weeks leaving me the #1 for the position. Interesting turn of events indeed. I knew he was leaving at some point but not this soon to go back to the East Coast. Mulling the decision over last night segwayed into an email this morning from the HR recruiter at CNA informing me that a position in their Chicago office has opened up and they want me in for an interview fairly soon. 

Hmm.... I have heard these things happen in threes. Discussion with the boss lady tomorrow to talk further about the accounting role at Big Sky.

Upside - working with all my friends, great people, continue skiing, hunting, fishing at will, and would be able to stay in Montana.

Downside - working most weekends, absent for holidays again, and no telling where the tourism industry is headed. 

Season's Over and It's Dumping

The ski season ended on April 12th and so did my employment contract with Boyne. Of course after the season ended, myself and friends decided on getting entirely too debauched. This started at Yeti Dogs, the best hot dog you will ever eat, so they could empty their outstanding kegs of PBR which we had no qualms about. This was accompanied by the ski school finding a way to extend the pond skim in the plaza with about 3 inches of standing water and an endless takeoff ramp. Some fared well, others not so much. I then went over to my friend Cole's place for an end of season pow-wow, synopsis, and debrief. After this we met everyone down at the Halfmoon, only the best bar I have ever set foot in and believe me I have set foot in two or three over the years. 

The party at the Halfmoon lasted a good six hours, felt like 2. A shot-ski was taken out and that was the beginning of the end, people were bringing out the most ridiculous shot combinations that 4 people had to take down in unison. The shot ski can either make or break you and the three other people on your team. Great fun. 

After careful consideration and thinking long-term, I have cancelled my trip down to Costa Rica. This sucks due to my broken leg and the great group of people I would be going down there with, people I may not see again anytime in the near future. That being said I need this leg to heal as fast as possible so that it doesn't hinder fishing season nor effect movement later on in life. On thing I don't mess around with is my health, may be selfish to my friends who are still going on the trip but I need to lookout for #1. The pain is still there, more soreness and muscle burning than anything else but more than enough to keep me off of a surfboard. 

Plan: go down to Uncle Dave's in Manhattan for a while then head up to The Bone for the month of May. Anyone who wants to come hangout and fish is more than welcome. 

Tata for now. 

Too Quick

The end of the ski season came entirely too fast, even with being on the disabled list the past two weeks. We had cold and warm spells both in the past month giving everyone false pretenses of spring being here or not. The groundhog saw his shadow didn't he? Big Sky locals will tell you differently as we had the best skiing this March, powder days just about 4 times a week. Never in my life have I experienced a feeling quite like sailing through feet upon feet of powder with not a care in the world. It truly is magical hearing to whooosshh, fluff, and whiiisssppp of pulling about a G on deathly steep terrain. After those powder days concluded everyone can be found at their favorite watering hole telling stories of just how they shred the gnar on that particular day - who hit the Couloir, hiked A - Z's, hucked a phat cliff, you get the picture. Personally I enjoy telling stories to people who slept in on those days because without them the mountain would be much more crowded.
As this season comes to a close my options are fairly limited, with much uncertainty as to where I will be residing in the next few months. On one hand, I am always welcome back here in Big Sky working for the resort as I have made quite an impression on the management here. On the other hand, I have a great opportunity back in Michigan working for my father. Not everyone has the chance to spend that amount of time with the man who brought them into this crazy planet, let alone learn from him on a day to day basis. I feel like he is the most knowledgable and worldly individual I know who has not left the Northen Hemisphere. Very knowledgable and experienced in most things I too am interested in, especially on how to keep a company running in a failing American industry.
Leg permitting I will be on my way to do some surfing and travel in Costa Rica, Panama as well if I have time. Come Monday morning if I am not able to walk with a minimal amount of pain and discomfort, the trip is off. I see this as being fairly reasonable since both the doctors assured me I would be able to surf in a few weeks, 2-3 from the accident. Upon returning from Costa Rica I will be living at The Bone, the Peitz Ranch out here in Hall, Montana. Projects range from tiling a bathroom to building a 100yard gun sight range and of course fishing the area streams whenever I can. Also, Brando is coming out for a week in Mid-May to slay some fish and hang at the ranch. This is going to be an awesome month and a half, then clarity shall reign in.

Stay tuned.

Busted

Yes, if you are wondering what the hell I have been doing the last few weeks aside from not posting on my favorite posting site, I broke my leg. Unfortunately it was no extravagant accident. It happened last Monday in the bowl at Big Sky. A coworker of mine and I were bombing Challenger runs, cliffs, then moved over into the bowl where we conquered the Elevator Shaft - lookers left of the bowl on the far end of the Turkey Traverse where the steepness of the terrain is judged by the size of your balls. The Elevator shaft is 40ft of rocks on both sides that has to be pointed(straitlined) the entire way down, of which was mastered before my buddy Jules had to go back to work. After that I met up with my roommate Gray to explore lookers right side of the bowl, which I had not ventured toward since coming through the LRT chute toward the triple. We get to the first knoll on lookers right about 1/4 up into the bowl and I start my charge. Can;t even begin to tell you how fast I was going, Gray says, "fast as a speeding bullet in Nam." I easily clear the rock knoll by a good 25-30ft before floating back into some gnar powder, not realizing exactly how close the cattrack is at that point. My train of thought was to huck the cattrack with a nice cross 3 but before I realize anything a 3ft drop followed closely by a sudden incline in the side of the track throws my weight first forward then all the way back. Suddenly, I cannot regain control and brace for a soft landing in thigh deep powder. Doing a reverse superman, feet first, into the snow grabs the tails of my skis and snaps my left leg fibula in a 3/4 fracture. 

Bump, slam, fuck.

A Moonlight ski patrol makes his way over to see if I am ok while I grind my teeth in agony and unbuckle the left boot to allow swelling to ensue. He radios in and soon enough I am surrounded by Gray and two other ski patrolers bargaining with me to take a toboggan down to the medical clinic. Those of you who know me will agree that if there isn't something terribly wrong or I am unconscious, there is no way in hell I am using assistance of any kind. Well, let me tell you what, after walking 20ft and trying to put one of my skis on, the pain was unbearable enough to merit the use of aid. Sure enough the xrays confirmed my premonitions of a fracture right at the top of my boot. Shit. 

After going to two doctors, one at Big Sky who is an allergist by training - I know, and the other who is a US Ski Team doctor, they both concluded the same thing. I will be able to walk in two to three weeks and hopefully surf in a week down in Costa Rica, if I'm lucky that is. My vitamin regimen currently consists of - vitamin K, krill oil, cod liver oil, a multi vitamin, l-lysine, vitamin D, bone structure, and cilli minerals in hopes of all these things being able to repair a fracture in less than two weeks - no I'm not high either, just hopeful. If all goes well in this next week, I will proceed to Costa, if not - I bought travel insurance.