I had a wonderful idea for this blog, but since the clutch in the tractor is going out, I am unable to write about it... so, instead, I will write about what I was going to write about.
Have you ever learned something and then wondered when you would ever use it in real life? I certainly have. Well, this week's blog is about using skills that I learned in Heavy Equipment Operations lecture & lab at Colorado Mountain College.
The plan was for me to teach my mom how to use the tractor to clean off our driveway. Now, I could be a girl and say that it's my dad's job to clean the snow off of the driveway, but he doesn't clean it off fast enough for my mom's liking. Last winter, I got my Explorer stuck in our driveway. Then, a day or two later, my mom got the Expedition stuck in the driveway. After that, the guy who lives about a mile away felt sorry for us and came and cleared the driveway off for us with his tractor. Hence why I was going to teach my mom how to use the tractor to clean off the driveway. The only glitch... the clutch on the tractor is going out, so we are not using it to clean off the driveway.
As far as the rest of my life goes, Christmas was good. Quiet, but good.
The local ski area changed the loading & unloading ramps for thechairlift in an effort to make it easier for disabled skiers. My opinion on the change is: Issac (the 1 disabled skier who I have ever seen there, and who is way better than 99% of the people at the ski area) could already get on the chair just fine. While it may be easier for the disabled skiers to get on and off the lift now, the non-disabled skiers and snowboarders struggle to stay upright. If you have ever felt the stuff that they put on top of ski/snowboard boxes, the ramp material is a lot like that- designed to be fast and slippery, not designed to grip/slow you down/allow you a lot of control, and definately not a surface that you want to use an edge on. I must say, I am certainly looking forward to going back to Copper. I don't think their loading & unloading ramps are made entirely of natural snow, but they definately aren't a slip & slide either.
Monday night I went to down with my parents and my brother and we drove around looking at Christmas lights. Well, at least my mom and I looked at Christmas lights- my dad and my brother both took naps.
Tuesday we did some last minute Christmas shopping before opening presents Wednesday night (Christmas Eve) since my dad worked Christmas Day.
Today consisted of 2 runs at Great Bear before the slip & slide unloading ramp got the best of me. After that, I came home and cleaned our laundry room (aka: junk collection room) and did a little bit of cleaning in my room.
Plans for tomorrow involve snowboarding and then a very thorough search of my Explorer and my house in an effort to find my black snowpants that went missing. I am determined to find them... they WILL reappear.
Until next week, goodbye and stay warm & safe.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
A Week At Home
I left Leadville at 6:30AM last Friday (December 12th). By some miracle, I managed to avoid rush hour traffic alond I-70 and through Denver. It was then smooth sailing until I got to the Colorado/Nebraska border. Not that it was rough sailing once I got there, but I did have to stop because cars only run for so long on a tank of gasoline. While there, I stopped and got Subway. I then continued along on my way to Omaha, Nebraska. I think I hit rush hour in Omaha. I didn't notice it on I-680, but when I got off to find a gas station, traffic was not moving at all quickly. After filling up in Omaha, I got on I-29 and went home.
Saturday I woke up at 6:30AM with the realization that I was allergic to my parent's house. My mom claims that she vaccummed "once or twice"... if you ask me, she probably thought of vaccumming once or twice, and then decided to take a nap instead. (Disclaimer: My mom is aware of the last couple sentences, and takes no offense). Then we went to Walmart and then to home. After that, we went to the little tiny airport that she works at and did she some paperwork so that her employees could be paid. After that, we went to a film at the University of Sioux Falls that someone did as their senior project. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think my mom did too, but she fell asleep for the ending.
Sunday we stayed at home all day. My mom and I cleaned my brother's room in an effort to avoid it becoming a toxic waste dump. My mom and I really aren't that nice to just clean his room for him, but we needed the power cord for the DVD player. We never did find the DVD player power cord, but we did find underwear from when he was probably about 6 years old (he is now 16). I also choked on enough dust under his bed to almost die of asphyxiation. That day, my parents were also introduced to the wonders of Wii bowling, golf, and boxing. My mom beat me in bowling, I beat her in golf, and my dad beat the computer twice in boxing.
Monday, I went to the dentist. I had no cavities :) and my two teeth that I thought I had broken weren't actually broken. AND the dentist gave me samples of gum and I LOVE gum, so it was a good day. Then I drove to my brother's school and picked him up after play practice and fed him Get N Go pizza before taking him home.
Tuesday afternoon I went skiing on a little anthill named Great Bear. That evening, my brother played in Pep Band at the basketball game and my mom and I sold concessions with FCCLA.
Wednesday I had the great priviledge of torturing my brother for several hours while I put blonde "highlights" in his hair. Originally, they were supposed to be white tips. By the time that I had taken the wonderful little hook that came in the kit and pulled 200-300 tufts of hair through the tiny little holes in the cap, I did not have the patience to make only the tips of his hair white. So, I convinced him to let me attack all of the hair that I had pulled through the cap with the dye. After 30 minutes of him wandering around with the worst smelling hair possible (I have dyed my own hair... I have dyed my mom's hair... I have been around while Erin and Randi dyed their hair... I have NEVER EVER EVER smelled dye that was anywhere near as bad as his), he was tired of having dye in his hair, so I instructed him on how to was it out. The next day, he went to school and was apparently embarrassed by his hair, but the people at school liked it and his teacher liked it (he did it for the school play), so I guess that's all that counts. However, I apparently did it wrong because I didn't do enough hair in the back. If you heard how much he was screaming, you wouldn't have done enough hair in the back either, lol.
Thursday my brother got out of school early because of semester tests. Then our neighbor came up to our house and found a mink living in our barn. He, along with two guys in their early 20s who also live nearby, then had the thrill of chasing the mink around the barn in an effort to capture it so that it would no longer kill the chicken and ducks living in our barn. After that episode of excitement, my mom and brother went to school so that he could again play in the Pep band at the basketball game while my mom helped sell concessions, this time for the preschool in town.
Today, Friday, I was planning on driving to Minneapolis to go tubing at Afton Alps with a group of kids I traveled with this summer and then to go to a weekend church thing. However, due to the road conditions my parents told me not to go, so now I am at home for the weekend. Today's journeys involved taking a cat to the vet, eating at HyVee (a grocery store that has a small dining area), my mom going to work for about an hour, and going back to HyVee to get gas (if you buy an item in the store, they give you a discount on gas). Now we are at home, trying to remove a "Trojan Vundo" virus from my brother's computer.
Plans for the weekend probably involve sitting at home, watching it snow. Assuming we get our act together, we are going to cut our Christmas tree down in our backyard. According to my mom, it is crowding other trees. Due to the fact that I have not been out to look at it, I can't tell you if it's crowding trees or not.
You'll have to wait until I get back to Leadville for pictures because I think if I tired to upload 3 or 4 pictures with the dial-up internet that we have at home, I would be waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.
In case I don't post again until after Christmas, have a Merry Christmas. We'll worry about the Happy New Year later- I think I can manage to post again before then.
Saturday I woke up at 6:30AM with the realization that I was allergic to my parent's house. My mom claims that she vaccummed "once or twice"... if you ask me, she probably thought of vaccumming once or twice, and then decided to take a nap instead. (Disclaimer: My mom is aware of the last couple sentences, and takes no offense). Then we went to Walmart and then to home. After that, we went to the little tiny airport that she works at and did she some paperwork so that her employees could be paid. After that, we went to a film at the University of Sioux Falls that someone did as their senior project. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think my mom did too, but she fell asleep for the ending.
Sunday we stayed at home all day. My mom and I cleaned my brother's room in an effort to avoid it becoming a toxic waste dump. My mom and I really aren't that nice to just clean his room for him, but we needed the power cord for the DVD player. We never did find the DVD player power cord, but we did find underwear from when he was probably about 6 years old (he is now 16). I also choked on enough dust under his bed to almost die of asphyxiation. That day, my parents were also introduced to the wonders of Wii bowling, golf, and boxing. My mom beat me in bowling, I beat her in golf, and my dad beat the computer twice in boxing.
Monday, I went to the dentist. I had no cavities :) and my two teeth that I thought I had broken weren't actually broken. AND the dentist gave me samples of gum and I LOVE gum, so it was a good day. Then I drove to my brother's school and picked him up after play practice and fed him Get N Go pizza before taking him home.
Tuesday afternoon I went skiing on a little anthill named Great Bear. That evening, my brother played in Pep Band at the basketball game and my mom and I sold concessions with FCCLA.
Wednesday I had the great priviledge of torturing my brother for several hours while I put blonde "highlights" in his hair. Originally, they were supposed to be white tips. By the time that I had taken the wonderful little hook that came in the kit and pulled 200-300 tufts of hair through the tiny little holes in the cap, I did not have the patience to make only the tips of his hair white. So, I convinced him to let me attack all of the hair that I had pulled through the cap with the dye. After 30 minutes of him wandering around with the worst smelling hair possible (I have dyed my own hair... I have dyed my mom's hair... I have been around while Erin and Randi dyed their hair... I have NEVER EVER EVER smelled dye that was anywhere near as bad as his), he was tired of having dye in his hair, so I instructed him on how to was it out. The next day, he went to school and was apparently embarrassed by his hair, but the people at school liked it and his teacher liked it (he did it for the school play), so I guess that's all that counts. However, I apparently did it wrong because I didn't do enough hair in the back. If you heard how much he was screaming, you wouldn't have done enough hair in the back either, lol.
Thursday my brother got out of school early because of semester tests. Then our neighbor came up to our house and found a mink living in our barn. He, along with two guys in their early 20s who also live nearby, then had the thrill of chasing the mink around the barn in an effort to capture it so that it would no longer kill the chicken and ducks living in our barn. After that episode of excitement, my mom and brother went to school so that he could again play in the Pep band at the basketball game while my mom helped sell concessions, this time for the preschool in town.
Today, Friday, I was planning on driving to Minneapolis to go tubing at Afton Alps with a group of kids I traveled with this summer and then to go to a weekend church thing. However, due to the road conditions my parents told me not to go, so now I am at home for the weekend. Today's journeys involved taking a cat to the vet, eating at HyVee (a grocery store that has a small dining area), my mom going to work for about an hour, and going back to HyVee to get gas (if you buy an item in the store, they give you a discount on gas). Now we are at home, trying to remove a "Trojan Vundo" virus from my brother's computer.
Plans for the weekend probably involve sitting at home, watching it snow. Assuming we get our act together, we are going to cut our Christmas tree down in our backyard. According to my mom, it is crowding other trees. Due to the fact that I have not been out to look at it, I can't tell you if it's crowding trees or not.
You'll have to wait until I get back to Leadville for pictures because I think if I tired to upload 3 or 4 pictures with the dial-up internet that we have at home, I would be waiting, and waiting, and waiting some more.
In case I don't post again until after Christmas, have a Merry Christmas. We'll worry about the Happy New Year later- I think I can manage to post again before then.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Room Arrangement
As I write this, I am sitting on my desk in my newly re-arranged room. Today, I packed up the stuff I needed for Christmas vacation and then packed it into my Explorer. After all of the stuff was moved out, the room seemed rather empty. Well, not necessarily empty, but more open then usual. Being who I am, this empty space meant that things MUST be rearranged.
If you have ever lived in a dorm, you may have discovered that white-washed walls are not the prettiest things to look at. You probably also discovered that the RA's idea of how to arrange your room is not the way you would arrange it. Hence why pictures from home, a calandar, two bulletin boards, a giant sticky note pad, a Mt Hood poster, 2 Led Zeppelin posters, and a couple hand-drawn pictures of Halloween costumes cover the walls of the room that Erin and I share.
When we first arrived, the only rearrangement of the room that occured was Erin turning her desk 90 degrees. A week later, my desk got rotated 180 degrees. A couple weeks later, my bed got turned 90 degrees, shoved along the wall with the window (aka the other side of the room), and my desk moved. That suited me for a couple weeks. In the meantime, Erin had rotated her desk another 90 degrees. After a couple more weeks, I was once again tired of the location of my furniture. So, my bed got turned 90 degrees with my desk next to it (I wish I had pictures to help explain all of this, but I don't). The room stayed that way for probably a good month and a half. Tonight, all of that changed.
It started off with me moving my desk. Then, in order to not block the fridge and microwave, I had to move those too. In order move the fridge, I had to move my tower of storage crates. Then, Erin decided to join in on the action. So, she spun her desk around 90 degrees, moved her footlocker, and put her printer on top of an empty box of mine. Although it might not sound like we moved much, the room looks entirely different and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the new arrangement. I think Erin does to, but she's managed to contain her excitement slightly better than I have, lol.
Tomorrow is my last day here for the semester. I have two finals (Technical Math and PC Apps). Then I leave bright and early Friday morning (bright and early being 5 or 6 AM... a time I have not yet gotten out of bed by this semester) for a rather long drive home, along a route that I have never been on.
I hope that you have enjoyed my blogs this semester, that they have given you a look into the life of a college student at Colorado Mountain College- Timberline Campus, and that you will continue to read my blogs next semester. I will try to update a couple times during Christmas break since I'm sure you're all DYING to know about the excitement of living in eastern South Dakota with our GIGANTIC ski hills.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Where oh where should I start?
I have 2/5 of my finals done.
*Intro to SAO was a take home final that I turned in yesterday.
*On Saturday we had our OEC practical test and it sounded like everyone did amazing on it. Today we had our OEC written test. It appears that a lot of people did well on that too, because facebook is becoming filled with status messages of “I passed OEC!!”.
*Tomorrow is our Heavy Equipment Operations final.
*Thursday is my Technical Math final and my PC Applications final.
Friday I'm guessing the dorms will be pretty empty because a lot of people don't have class on Friday, so I'm assuming that would be the day that they are leaving.
Because it is finals week, the dorms are on 24-hour quiet hours. I believe the library is also open extended hours.
Sunday night there was a pool night and yesterday there was a late night breakfast to provide energy for everyone that was doing some late night studying. Wednesday night there is another swim night.
Friday night, Erin and I passed out iFilm CMC chapstick.
iFilm CMC is a video contest that is open to all full-time students that are 18 or older. The idea behind the contest is that you film a day in the life of a student at CMC. Winners will earn a spot on the college website. Other prizes include a semester of in-state tuition, iPhones, iPods, and iTunes gift certificates. Entires should be between 1 and 5 minutes in length and must be received by 11:59pm MST on January 30th, 2009. Click here if you want more information. and If you would like to enter, go here.
If you are interested in being a blogger next semester, especially if you are at the Spring Valley campus, I encourage you to go here to apply.
Friday, Sunday, and Monday I went to Copper Mountain. More and more of the area is being opened up. Unless you are down on American Eagle, it is now possible to make a run while only having to share the run with a half dozen people. I am looking forward to when I return in January because they should have most, if not all, of the mountain open by then.
Well, I should probably go back to studying for my Heavy Equipment Final now. I'll try to update this again before I go home on Friday. This will probably be the one and only time that I say this, but DON'T hope for snow... at least not until Saturday- I want to be able to get home without it being a blizzard outside :)
*Intro to SAO was a take home final that I turned in yesterday.
*On Saturday we had our OEC practical test and it sounded like everyone did amazing on it. Today we had our OEC written test. It appears that a lot of people did well on that too, because facebook is becoming filled with status messages of “I passed OEC!!”.
*Tomorrow is our Heavy Equipment Operations final.
*Thursday is my Technical Math final and my PC Applications final.
Friday I'm guessing the dorms will be pretty empty because a lot of people don't have class on Friday, so I'm assuming that would be the day that they are leaving.
Because it is finals week, the dorms are on 24-hour quiet hours. I believe the library is also open extended hours.
Sunday night there was a pool night and yesterday there was a late night breakfast to provide energy for everyone that was doing some late night studying. Wednesday night there is another swim night.
Friday night, Erin and I passed out iFilm CMC chapstick.
iFilm CMC is a video contest that is open to all full-time students that are 18 or older. The idea behind the contest is that you film a day in the life of a student at CMC. Winners will earn a spot on the college website. Other prizes include a semester of in-state tuition, iPhones, iPods, and iTunes gift certificates. Entires should be between 1 and 5 minutes in length and must be received by 11:59pm MST on January 30th, 2009. Click here if you want more information. and If you would like to enter, go here.
If you are interested in being a blogger next semester, especially if you are at the Spring Valley campus, I encourage you to go here to apply.
Friday, Sunday, and Monday I went to Copper Mountain. More and more of the area is being opened up. Unless you are down on American Eagle, it is now possible to make a run while only having to share the run with a half dozen people. I am looking forward to when I return in January because they should have most, if not all, of the mountain open by then.
Well, I should probably go back to studying for my Heavy Equipment Final now. I'll try to update this again before I go home on Friday. This will probably be the one and only time that I say this, but DON'T hope for snow... at least not until Saturday- I want to be able to get home without it being a blizzard outside :)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Finals and Chapstick
A week from now most students will be loading up their cars to go home. The dorms close at noon on Saturday, December 13th, I doubt the RAs will have too much trouble getting students to leave though because we're all so excited to go home and see our family and friends. Another perk of going home is not having to shove quarters into the washer and dryer. However, before we can all enjoy the fun of going home, we must take finals.
*For Introduction to Ski Area Operations, Paul gave us a take home test that is due Monday at 5pm.
*Our test for Outdoor Emergency Care will be taken in 2 parts. This Saturday we are taking our practical test which consists of 4 scenarios. Then, next Tuesday we taking our written test. Luckily for us, because of National Ski Patrol regulations, we have two chances at every scenario along with two chances on the test
*Cyrus is giving us our Technical Math test on the last day of class (Thursday).
*Our Heavy Equipment Test is next Wednesday.
*PC Apps will be my last test of the scenario. It will be Thursday night and it's going to be on Microsoft Access 2007.
The cafeteria is serving a "Late Night Breakfast" on Monday night. I believe it is from 9 to 10pm. So, come take a break from all of your studying and enjoy a relaxing "breakfast" with friends... or at least enjoy eating while thinking of how unprepared you feel.
Open Gym nights are done with, but there are still two Pool Nights- Sunday night from 6 to 8pm and Wednesday night from 6 to 9pm.
If that isn't enough excitement for you, there is always the option of hitting the rails behind the residence hall.
If you want some iFilm CMC chapstick, Erin and I will be passing it out in the cafeteria tomorrow (Friday) night from 5 to 6pm. The chapstick is Orange Mango flavored. It also has SPF 15 and is designed to protect your lips from sunburn, dryness, and windburn... which is perfect for the cold, dry weather up here in Leadville where the elevation is 10,200 feet.
Tomorrow night the college plans on announcing who the new RA is. Six people (myself included) applied. The application process involved filling out an application, answering 13 short-answer questions, and writing a cover letter. Each applicant also had to get two letters of reference. Then we each had an interview with Sarah and Brett and now we are anxiously awaiting the results.
On Monday we doubled the size of Student Government. Several students had left, which resulted in there not being enough voting members to decide on how we wanted to spend the Student Government money. So, Monday at noon, Brett came roaming through the cafeteria, convincing students to join Student Government. Several students also gained officer positions. The purchase of a Wii for the Residence Hall was then discussed. There is no Student Government meeting this coming Monday because of finals. Student Government meetings will resume in January once classes start again. I don't know for sure, but I assume the January 12th would be our first meeting because that is the first Monday of classes. Intentions of activities to continue next semester are gym and pool nights. There is also talk of the occasional bowling night and a few ice skating nights.
If you still haven't signed up for classes for next semester, now would be an EXCELLENT time to do so as many classes are quickly filling up.
Colorado has been getting dumped on for the past week and the majority of the campus is LOVING IT. However, there is the occasional person who thinks that we need EVEN MORE snow. I suppose there might also be the rare person who is NOT happy that it is snowing, but if so, they're in the wrong place. Sunday night I-70 and Highway 91 were both closed... In the past 72 hours, Copper Mountain has recieved 9 inches of snow... Denver got 6 inches of snow last night... and most mornings for the past week students have woken up to a fresh layer of snow. Unfortunately the semester is soon ending which means that many of us are going home to slightly less snowy locations. Hopefully the snow will continue anyway so that we can return in January to amazing snow, because amazing snow equates to epic days skiing and riding.
Until next time... have fun, try not to slide around on the road too much, and hope for MORE SNOW!! :)
*For Introduction to Ski Area Operations, Paul gave us a take home test that is due Monday at 5pm.
*Our test for Outdoor Emergency Care will be taken in 2 parts. This Saturday we are taking our practical test which consists of 4 scenarios. Then, next Tuesday we taking our written test. Luckily for us, because of National Ski Patrol regulations, we have two chances at every scenario along with two chances on the test
*Cyrus is giving us our Technical Math test on the last day of class (Thursday).
*Our Heavy Equipment Test is next Wednesday.
*PC Apps will be my last test of the scenario. It will be Thursday night and it's going to be on Microsoft Access 2007.
The cafeteria is serving a "Late Night Breakfast" on Monday night. I believe it is from 9 to 10pm. So, come take a break from all of your studying and enjoy a relaxing "breakfast" with friends... or at least enjoy eating while thinking of how unprepared you feel.
Open Gym nights are done with, but there are still two Pool Nights- Sunday night from 6 to 8pm and Wednesday night from 6 to 9pm.
If that isn't enough excitement for you, there is always the option of hitting the rails behind the residence hall.
If you want some iFilm CMC chapstick, Erin and I will be passing it out in the cafeteria tomorrow (Friday) night from 5 to 6pm. The chapstick is Orange Mango flavored. It also has SPF 15 and is designed to protect your lips from sunburn, dryness, and windburn... which is perfect for the cold, dry weather up here in Leadville where the elevation is 10,200 feet.
Tomorrow night the college plans on announcing who the new RA is. Six people (myself included) applied. The application process involved filling out an application, answering 13 short-answer questions, and writing a cover letter. Each applicant also had to get two letters of reference. Then we each had an interview with Sarah and Brett and now we are anxiously awaiting the results.
On Monday we doubled the size of Student Government. Several students had left, which resulted in there not being enough voting members to decide on how we wanted to spend the Student Government money. So, Monday at noon, Brett came roaming through the cafeteria, convincing students to join Student Government. Several students also gained officer positions. The purchase of a Wii for the Residence Hall was then discussed. There is no Student Government meeting this coming Monday because of finals. Student Government meetings will resume in January once classes start again. I don't know for sure, but I assume the January 12th would be our first meeting because that is the first Monday of classes. Intentions of activities to continue next semester are gym and pool nights. There is also talk of the occasional bowling night and a few ice skating nights.
If you still haven't signed up for classes for next semester, now would be an EXCELLENT time to do so as many classes are quickly filling up.
Colorado has been getting dumped on for the past week and the majority of the campus is LOVING IT. However, there is the occasional person who thinks that we need EVEN MORE snow. I suppose there might also be the rare person who is NOT happy that it is snowing, but if so, they're in the wrong place. Sunday night I-70 and Highway 91 were both closed... In the past 72 hours, Copper Mountain has recieved 9 inches of snow... Denver got 6 inches of snow last night... and most mornings for the past week students have woken up to a fresh layer of snow. Unfortunately the semester is soon ending which means that many of us are going home to slightly less snowy locations. Hopefully the snow will continue anyway so that we can return in January to amazing snow, because amazing snow equates to epic days skiing and riding.
Until next time... have fun, try not to slide around on the road too much, and hope for MORE SNOW!! :)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Winter Is Here!!
Well, I think it's safe to say that winter is here. It's been snowing on campus for the past day. This morning when I looked at Copper Mountain's website, it said that they had received 7 inches of snow in the past 24 hours and another 3 inches the day before that.
Now that winter is here, I thought I'd take a few minutes to remind you of a couple winter driving tips. These come from the Colorado Department of Transportation website.
If you're planning on coming here next semester, I'm guessing that you have probably already applied. If you haven't, now would probably be an excellent time to apply.
Things that you'll want to be sure to bring
Things that you may think you need, but really don't
Now that winter is here, I thought I'd take a few minutes to remind you of a couple winter driving tips. These come from the Colorado Department of Transportation website.
- Always keep the top half of your gas tank full. It can give you better traction and gives you a bigger margin of error if you get stuck and have to keep the engine running periodically to keep warm.
- Carry water, a flashlight, a shovel, and some non-perishable food. Winterize your vehicle's safety kit by including extra blankets, sand to help gain traction in the event you become stuck on ice or snow, jumper cables, and an ice scraper.
- Be sure you have good tires. The Colorado State Patrol recommends at least 1/8 of an inch tread depth.
- In poor visibility or even whiteout conditions, don't drive faster than you can see ahead.
If you're planning on coming here next semester, I'm guessing that you have probably already applied. If you haven't, now would probably be an excellent time to apply.
Things that you'll want to be sure to bring
- Lotion and chapstick... the air is incredibly dry up here, which results in your skin being very dry.
- Dishes and easy to prepare food... when you decide at midnight that you're hungry, you'll be thankful that you are able to make yourself food. Steal some old pots and pans from home, it'll making cooking on the weekends easier and it's a lot cheaper to bring them from home than to buy them at Safeway when you get here.
- A water bottle... it's really easy to get dehydrated at high altitudes. I can easily drink 5 Nalgenes of water within a day. Yes, they have water fountains here, but professors only have so much tolerance for you getting up in the middle of class to get a drink of water. You also will not accomplish much when you're studying if you get up every 5 minutes for a drink of water.
- A swimsuit and gym clothes... the college puts on free gym and pool nights.
- A snow shovel, winter boots, and winter clothes... You probably already thought of the winter clothes. Winter boots are helpful when there is a foot of snow covering campus (like, right now) and you have class (wearing soaking wet shoes for 2 or 3 hours isn't exactly fun). Also, if you have the great fortune of sliding off the road, a shovel and boots will be helpful in getting yourself out.
- Quarters... it costs $2.50 for one load wash&dry- quarters go fast, so bring lots of them.
- Cleaning supplies... aka a broom and/or mop, multi-purpose cleaner, and a rag. You'll realize that you only have so much tolerance for dirtyness.
- Toilet paper... each room has it's own bathroom, but you have to provide your own toilet paper.
Things that you may think you need, but really don't
- Your entire closet... There are clothes that I brought that I have yet to wear even once. You also will not need every pair of shoes that you own (well, if you're a guy you might... but that's beside the point)
- Lots of dress clothes... maybe bring one set, but that's it. Also, make sure that it is something that will not require ironing.
- A ton of school supplies (like notebooks)... The teachers expect your homework to be typed. Also, a lot of them give you notes that are already printed out. I brought a notebook for every class, and I've probably only used half of them. A couple of pencils are always a nice touch though- Cyrus (math teacher) doesn't appreciate people who write in pen and scribble their answers out a million times. A nice, big, fat eraser also works well for when you realized that you did the entire problem wrong on a test.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Leadville Walking Tour
"Not only is Leadville the highest incorporated city in the U.S., it is also one of Colorado’s largest historic districts.
Leadville, Colorado is a National Historic Landmark District consisting of over 70 square blocks and was designated by Congress in 1966. It’s a beautiful and interesting area for a short walk anytime of year. This is a brief peek into the history of some of district’s more interesting buildings."
Yesterday, I was sitting in my room wondering what I could possibly do to entertain myself for the day while Erin climbed a mountain, Marea went shopping, and many of my other friends worked on homework. I started off by reading the blogs from the other campus. One blog was about going to the animal shelter and taking a dog for a walk. That sounded like a cool idea, but I didn't really feel like doing it by myself. Then I decided I'd go to the park, but I didn't know where the park was, so I attempted to look it up online. Somehow, the Historic Walking Tour of Leadville, Colorado appeared in the search results. Since I had nothing better to do, I wrote down the buildings and addresses, drove to 10th Street, parked my car, and began walking.
The first stop was Ice Palace Park... I never did find it. The Ice Palace isn't actually in existance anymore. However, when I mentioned it at dinner, after people made sure that I realized that it no longer existed, Jeremiah was getting creative and decided we should build a little tiny ice castle and attempt to get people to drive to Leadville to see it.
Leadville, Colorado is a National Historic Landmark District consisting of over 70 square blocks and was designated by Congress in 1966. It’s a beautiful and interesting area for a short walk anytime of year. This is a brief peek into the history of some of district’s more interesting buildings."
Yesterday, I was sitting in my room wondering what I could possibly do to entertain myself for the day while Erin climbed a mountain, Marea went shopping, and many of my other friends worked on homework. I started off by reading the blogs from the other campus. One blog was about going to the animal shelter and taking a dog for a walk. That sounded like a cool idea, but I didn't really feel like doing it by myself. Then I decided I'd go to the park, but I didn't know where the park was, so I attempted to look it up online. Somehow, the Historic Walking Tour of Leadville, Colorado appeared in the search results. Since I had nothing better to do, I wrote down the buildings and addresses, drove to 10th Street, parked my car, and began walking.
The first stop was Ice Palace Park... I never did find it. The Ice Palace isn't actually in existance anymore. However, when I mentioned it at dinner, after people made sure that I realized that it no longer existed, Jeremiah was getting creative and decided we should build a little tiny ice castle and attempt to get people to drive to Leadville to see it.
Then I walked to Healy House which was easy to find, partly because it was still in existance and partly because I had a better address for it.
Then it was off to the Heritage Museum. They had some sweet old machinery to look at outside. At one time it was the Carnegie Library.
The 4th stop on my walk was the National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum. In my opinion, it looked a lot like a school. This museum was actually open (the others were closed for the winter) but I wasn't interested enough in mining history to pay the admission fee.
Leadville City Hall was the 5th stop on the walk.
After that, it was off to the Deleware Hotel.
Next on the tour was Annunciation Church. The "Avalanche Danger" sign added a little humor to the walk, but considering the height of the building and the fact that their roof was rather sloped, it is probably an important sign when there is more snow around.
On my way to looking for the Iron Building, which was the next stop on the tour, I found a nice little park tucked in between the Columbine Cafe and Pueblo Bank and Trust. The park consists of several benches, two little rocking zebras, and a rock with holes in it whose purpose I am unsure of. The public restroom there was even warm and maintained. Then I went on a search for the Iron Building and the Tabor Home, neither of which I found.
After that I stopped at American National Bank, which was the 10th stop on the walk. American National Bank is the building that is currently Sawatch Backcountry (sorry... I couldn't get the pictures to rotate)
After that, I looked for the Breene Block (Scarlet Lounge) and the Hyman Block. I did not find either of these places.
The 13th stop was the Tabor Opera House.
After the Tabor Opera House, I walked past the Silver Dollar. Then I attempted to find George's Episcopal church before proceeding to Western Hardware. Western Hardware is no longer Western Hardware- it is now an antique mall.
The Lake County Courthouse was the 17th stop on the tour.
For lunch I stopped at a wonderful little place called International Gourmet Coffee (and Snacks, Smoothies, and Ice Cream). The food was amazing and the prices were good. I may just have to enjoy lunch there more often, because I'm beginning to tire of Subway every weekend. (The college only serves breakfast and dinner on weekends, which means that you're on your own for lunch).
Davis Drug and the Tabor Grand Hotel were the 18th and 19th stops on the tour, neither of which I found. While looking for them, I discovered that it's a state law in Colorado that you cannot smoke within 15 feet of the doorway to a building.
The 20th stop on the tour, which was also the last stop on the tour was the Old Church.
I walked past this on the way back to my car, so I thought I'd take a picture of it cause I thought it looked cool.
This concludes my picture tour of Harrison Avenue in Leadville, Colorado. It occupied two hours on a Saturday afternoon and cost nothing. It also allowed me to enjoy some fresh mountain air (if only it was more oxygen-dense, lol). Walking around and enjoying beautiful scenery was also a welcome change from my normal Saturday routine of either messing around on facebook or watching movies.
Until Friday or Saturday, you'll have to survive without me because I'll be in Conneticut visiting my grandparents for Thanksgiving. Goodybye until next time.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Life in the Dorms
Yes, I told you'd I'd post pictures last Sunday, but then my camera went MIA. Also, I don't have pictures of the mini-golf tournament because I was not aware of it while it was going on.
On Monday, in Introduction to Ski Area Operations, two people from Adaptive Adventures came in to talk to us about adaptive skiing. After their presentation, I had enough information to complete my final paper which I wrote about adaptive snowsports. Monday night was swim night.
Tuesday we learned about caring for pediatric patients in Outdoor Emergency Care. Then in Technical Math we took a practice test.
On Wednesday, we learned about hazards and equipment operation in Heavy Equipment Operations lecture. I think the pictures were the most amusing part of the lecture- some of them looked incredibly stupid. Wednesday's gym night consisted of 6 students plus Sarah and Brett playing volleyball. Brett then tried to recruit us to join student government because there aren't enough members in student government to vote on spending our money right now. Assuming that student government gets enough voting members, next semester we may have free gym nights, free pool nights, free ice skating nights, and the occasional free bowling night.
Thursday we learned about caring for adaptive patients in Outdoor Emergency Care. Then in Technical Math we were given a take home test that is due Tuesday by the end of class.
The dorms are starting to empty out as people leave for Thanksgiving break. Some people are priviledged enough to not have class on Monday and Tuesday, and others made reservations without consulting their class schedules (or they consulted their class schedule and then ignored it anyway).
Tonight Erin, Marea, Randi, and I are going to have a girl's night. I'm not sure what exactly we are doing, but it may involve doing hair and nails, eating junk food and popcorn, and dying my hair. In a college with an overwhelming number of guys, girl's night is a necessity... although we have somehow survived up until now without one.
Well, I'm being summoned for girl's night now, so I'll have to finish this later. Bye!
PS: You should vote in the poll, if you haven't already :)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Leadville Learn to Ski Program and SOS Outreach
Ok... now time for a little bit of promotion... it's for a good cause though, I promise. Plus, as a blogger I feel obligated to inform you of events in the Leadville area. Also, I told the lady in charge of the Leadville Learn to Ski Program that I would help promote the following events/programs.
The Leadville Learn to Ski Program will enable 50 local 2nd graders to spend 5 days at Vail learning how to ski. They are hosting an enchilada dinner this Thursday from 5:30 to 8:00pm at West Park Elementary. In conjunction with the dinner, they will be having a silent auction and talent show. Parents will also have the opportunity to enroll their 2nd grader in the program. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for kids (4 and under are free). Auction items include accommodations at various resort hotels, lift tickets, ski/snowboard equipment, museum tickets, sleigh rides, gift certificates to restaurants, and gift certificates to local stores.
If you are busy on Thursday night or just aren't into the idea of enchiladas, you have another opportunity to help out the Leadville Learn to Ski Program. Wednesday, December 10th, is "High Mountain Pies" night from 5-9pm. All proceeds and tips from pizzas ordered that night will be donated to the Leadville Learn to Ski Program.
Another non-profit that I want to briefly inform you about is the SOS Outreach. SOS's core values are courage, discipline, integrity, wisdom, and compassion. They have a Diversity Program, a Learn to Ride Program, a University Program, and a Junior Sherpa Program. They also have a Volunteer Program.
The Diversity Program provides inner-city youth in Denver an opportunity to be introduced to skiing and snowboarding at Vail Resorts. Participants are provided with instruction, equipment rental, lift tickets, and appropriate clothing.
The Learn to Ride Program includes 5 days of instruction, emphasis on the core values, equipment, clothing, and lift tickets, character development curriculum, and the ability to enroll in the University Program after successful completion of the LTR program. The LTR program is offered at 29 ski areas throughout the nation.
The University Program is a 4 year program that provides 5 days of riding each year with a mentor, emphasis on the core values, a curriculum focused on community service and life skills, and goal setting with your mentor. Equipment, lift tickets, and clothing are provided.
The Junior Sherpa Program pairs University program graduates with a Sherpa (mentor). The Sherpa and the Junior Sherpa then work together to mentor 1st and 2nd year University Program participants.
The Volunteer Program is for the adults that want to give their time, talents, energy, and love for youth and snowsports. Participants are trained to help serve youth. Training sessions focus on teaching skills to youth to mentor them in a positive, life impacting way.
I strongly believe in the purpose of both of these causes. Snowboarding has made a huge difference in my life and I believe that it can make a difference in other people’s lives too. Back in South Dakota, I worked with several groups at my local ski hill that provided under-privileged youth the opportunity to learn how to ski and snowboard. Seeing the excitement on those kids’ faces was what fueled my passion to instruct, even when it was bitter cold and I had 10 kids that were so excited to snowboard that they couldn’t focus their attention on me for more than 30 seconds at a time.
Friday, November 14, 2008
snowboarding and Colorado Mountain College
I'm afraid that I did one run too many at Copper yesterday. Before I get into that though, I have a brief rant to express:
Ok, that is the end of my rant... back to why I think I took one run too many... I'd had a perfect day of approximately 5 minute laps on the Excellarator lift at Copper Mountain. At 3:30 they closed the Excellarator lift, so I went to the bottom of the American Eagle lift figuring that I'd call it the end of the day. Well, my friends Jeremiah, Joel, and Weston were down there, so I figured I'd take a run with them. About 2/3rds of the way down the hill, I had the great fortune of flying over a bump and landing on my tailbone. While my tailbone is just fine, I’ve decided that I will try to avoid menacing bumps in the snow that have the intent of throwing my through the air.
Ok... enough about me... time for some blogging about Colorado Mountain College. The CMC student and staff blogs have made news on a national advertising and marketing blog which I think is awesome. Apparently we're "inimitable". In case you are wondering what "inimitable" means (neither Erin nor I knew); dictionary.com defines it as "Not capable of being imitated, copied, or counterfeited; beyond imitation; surpassingly excellent; matchless; unrivaled; exceptional; unique;”
If you attend a residential campus of CMC and are in need of some Chapstick, the bloggers will be handing out iFilm CMC Chapstick during lunch sometime in the next week or so. Don't just steal our Chapstick though... at least go look at the info for iFilm CMC.
Last Tuesday, Curt (one of the Ski Area Operations professors) helped me pre-register for my classes for next semester. Pre-registration guarantees your spot in classes, assuming that you pay by December 12th. In order to live in the dorms, you have to maintain at least 12 credits of course work.
My official (16-credit) schedule for next semester is:
Monday
*Ropeway Operations lecture
*Events Management
*Public Speaking
Wednesday
*Trail Grooming Operations lecture
*Ski Patrol Operations lecture
Other
*Snowsports promotions (weekend in Steamboat)
*Intro to Food and Beverage Management (online)
I'm quite excited about this schedule... the only problem is that I will have excess free time... see, originally, I was going to join the alpine snowboard program at Copper Mountain, but then I decided against that... Now I'm considering getting a snowboard instructing job someplace, possibly at Copper Mountain... and as much as my parents might like the idea of me spending tons and tons of time on my studies, I'm not quite that dedicated.
We now have 2 1/2 weeks of classes left and then a week of finals. Heavy Equipment Operations is the only class that I'm really concerned about, but I have confidence that I can pull it up once I find someone to re-explain the stuff to me. Outdoor Emergency Care is a class that I'm slightly concerned about because the tests keep gaining more and more points, but between attending study sessions, doing my workbook, reading the book (actually reading your textbook... what a novel idea), and using the online study materials, I'm sure I'll do fine on these last 2 tests. I did really well on the last practical and apparently exhibited great leadership as the "leader" of the rescue, so I'm stoked... I definitely can't take all of the credit though because good leadership doesn't get you anywhere if your minions don't their stuff.
There is currently a contest going for which floor can build the best mini-golf course. The courses will be judged on Sunday night.
In Intro to SAO on Monday, a guest speaker is coming in to talk about adaptive snowsports. Hopefully their talk will give me enough information to be able to write the last ½ page of my final paper. Then I can make my PowerPoint to present to the class. In case you are in Intro to SAO and don’t have a grasp of the deadlines, we are presenting our presentations on November 24th and December 1st. Our final paper is due at 5pm on December 1st.
In Outdoor Emergency Care, we have a test next Tuesday. Then I imagine we will be reviewing and practicing for our final test.
In Technical Math, we are learning about functions and matrices. Due to people leaving at various times for break, we are being given our test on Thursday and it is due by 5pm on Tuesday.
In Heavy Equipment Operations, I believe we are still learning about hydraulic systems.
This week in PC Applications, we are having a test on Excel and then starting a unit on Microsoft Access.
Monday night is pool night and Wednesday night is gym night again.
More and more rooms are beginning to be adorned with Christmas lights. Yes, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but considering that we are all headed home two weeks after Thanksgiving, I think we have an excuse to decorate early. Last night, a fellow student said that he might just leave his Christmas lights up for the rest of the year because he likes the light that they provide his room. I thought he was crazy. Today, I hung up lights in my own room, and after plugging them in and turning off the overhead light, I enjoyed them for approximately 5 seconds before they began flashing erratically. Now they are functioning normally after I moved the "flasher" bulb to a different location on the light string, and I have a beautiful array of blue, yellow, green, and red lights lighting my computer screen.
Tomorrow, after locating my camera, I will post pictures from Copper and pictures of the mini golf courses that the 3 floors have been constructing.
First of all, I have a problem with neither "gapers" nor ski racers. I do however have a problem with "gapers" and racers who run into people with absolutely no warning at all. "Gapers" may not be the most talented people on the mountain, but I think that they are capable of yelling a simple "WATCH OUT!” If you have enough skill to race, then you probably have enough skill to avoid me, and I know you have enough skill to yell "WATCH OUT". Yes, I am part of the problem because I'm a snowboarder and I don't have eyes in the back of my head, but if I'm downhill from you, I have the right of way. And if you must hit me, can't you at least stop long enough to make sure that I'm still alive before continuing to race down the trail?
Second of all... I see absolutely no reason as to why you must stop in the MIDDLE of the trail to use your cell phone. I will praise you on the fact that you at least stopped, rather than continuing to travel down the trail while not paying the least bit of attention to anyone else. But really, can't calling or texting someone wait until you get to the bottom of the hill? Or at least until you have moved to the side of the trail?
The SLOW PATROL... I have mixed emotions on them... I understand that skier/rider speed needs to be controlled, but can't I go slightly faster than Granny Speed? Please, please please! And if you insist that I go Granny Speed, shouldn't the ski racers have to go Granny Speed also?
Last, but not least, if you go out-of-bounds and get yelled at by the ski patrol, you have no reason to yell back at the ski patrol. Yes, there is a nice soft 2 inch layer of snow covering the rocks under the lift, but the "CLOSED" ropes are up for a reason. Also, if you tell the ski patrol something like "Well... I didn't see the 'CLOSED' sign" you sound like an idiot because there are closed signs approximately every 10 feet along with orange marking tape tied at regular intervals along the rope.
Ok, that is the end of my rant... back to why I think I took one run too many... I'd had a perfect day of approximately 5 minute laps on the Excellarator lift at Copper Mountain. At 3:30 they closed the Excellarator lift, so I went to the bottom of the American Eagle lift figuring that I'd call it the end of the day. Well, my friends Jeremiah, Joel, and Weston were down there, so I figured I'd take a run with them. About 2/3rds of the way down the hill, I had the great fortune of flying over a bump and landing on my tailbone. While my tailbone is just fine, I’ve decided that I will try to avoid menacing bumps in the snow that have the intent of throwing my through the air.
Ok... enough about me... time for some blogging about Colorado Mountain College. The CMC student and staff blogs have made news on a national advertising and marketing blog which I think is awesome. Apparently we're "inimitable". In case you are wondering what "inimitable" means (neither Erin nor I knew); dictionary.com defines it as "Not capable of being imitated, copied, or counterfeited; beyond imitation; surpassingly excellent; matchless; unrivaled; exceptional; unique;”
If you attend a residential campus of CMC and are in need of some Chapstick, the bloggers will be handing out iFilm CMC Chapstick during lunch sometime in the next week or so. Don't just steal our Chapstick though... at least go look at the info for iFilm CMC.
Last Tuesday, Curt (one of the Ski Area Operations professors) helped me pre-register for my classes for next semester. Pre-registration guarantees your spot in classes, assuming that you pay by December 12th. In order to live in the dorms, you have to maintain at least 12 credits of course work.
My official (16-credit) schedule for next semester is:
Monday
*Ropeway Operations lecture
*Events Management
*Public Speaking
Wednesday
*Trail Grooming Operations lecture
*Ski Patrol Operations lecture
Other
*Snowsports promotions (weekend in Steamboat)
*Intro to Food and Beverage Management (online)
I'm quite excited about this schedule... the only problem is that I will have excess free time... see, originally, I was going to join the alpine snowboard program at Copper Mountain, but then I decided against that... Now I'm considering getting a snowboard instructing job someplace, possibly at Copper Mountain... and as much as my parents might like the idea of me spending tons and tons of time on my studies, I'm not quite that dedicated.
We now have 2 1/2 weeks of classes left and then a week of finals. Heavy Equipment Operations is the only class that I'm really concerned about, but I have confidence that I can pull it up once I find someone to re-explain the stuff to me. Outdoor Emergency Care is a class that I'm slightly concerned about because the tests keep gaining more and more points, but between attending study sessions, doing my workbook, reading the book (actually reading your textbook... what a novel idea), and using the online study materials, I'm sure I'll do fine on these last 2 tests. I did really well on the last practical and apparently exhibited great leadership as the "leader" of the rescue, so I'm stoked... I definitely can't take all of the credit though because good leadership doesn't get you anywhere if your minions don't their stuff.
There is currently a contest going for which floor can build the best mini-golf course. The courses will be judged on Sunday night.
In Intro to SAO on Monday, a guest speaker is coming in to talk about adaptive snowsports. Hopefully their talk will give me enough information to be able to write the last ½ page of my final paper. Then I can make my PowerPoint to present to the class. In case you are in Intro to SAO and don’t have a grasp of the deadlines, we are presenting our presentations on November 24th and December 1st. Our final paper is due at 5pm on December 1st.
In Outdoor Emergency Care, we have a test next Tuesday. Then I imagine we will be reviewing and practicing for our final test.
In Technical Math, we are learning about functions and matrices. Due to people leaving at various times for break, we are being given our test on Thursday and it is due by 5pm on Tuesday.
In Heavy Equipment Operations, I believe we are still learning about hydraulic systems.
This week in PC Applications, we are having a test on Excel and then starting a unit on Microsoft Access.
Monday night is pool night and Wednesday night is gym night again.
More and more rooms are beginning to be adorned with Christmas lights. Yes, it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but considering that we are all headed home two weeks after Thanksgiving, I think we have an excuse to decorate early. Last night, a fellow student said that he might just leave his Christmas lights up for the rest of the year because he likes the light that they provide his room. I thought he was crazy. Today, I hung up lights in my own room, and after plugging them in and turning off the overhead light, I enjoyed them for approximately 5 seconds before they began flashing erratically. Now they are functioning normally after I moved the "flasher" bulb to a different location on the light string, and I have a beautiful array of blue, yellow, green, and red lights lighting my computer screen.
Tomorrow, after locating my camera, I will post pictures from Copper and pictures of the mini golf courses that the 3 floors have been constructing.
Monday, November 10, 2008
An eventful week
Well, we never got 18 inches of snow last week.
As far as classes go, Wednesday we learned about hydraulic systems in Heavy Equipment Operations. On Thursday we learned how to remove helmets in Outdoor Emergency Care. In Technical Math we are still working on our assignment on functions. Last Thursday we finished our PC Applications chapter on Excel and this week we have a test and then we learn how to use Microsoft Access.
Wednesday night I went swimming. Normally, swimming is fairly uneventful, but not this past week. I was enjoying the warmth of the hottub and I may have spent just a tad bit too much time in it. I don't think sitting in the sauna for a couple of minutes helped either. However, after drinking a couple bottles of water, I was fine, and I plan to attend again next week, but I think I'll spend slightly more time in the pool. Swimming night is on Thursday and gym night is on Wednesday this week, I believe.
Thursday night me and two of my friends squashed onto my bed, burrowed under a pile of blankets, and watched a movie.
Friday I went snowboarding at Copper Mountain because it was opening day. Apparently my chairlift unloading skills are still a bit rusty because I stood up too soon while unloading the lift and ended up falling and getting a concussion. Two or three runs after that I called it quits and went back to the dorms and slept. Later that night, I went to Breckenridge to go ice skating. I hadn't ice skated in quite a few years, and it definately showed. I started off by trying to hold myself up with the wall, but the wall wasn't much to hold onto, so then I resorted to using this little walker that they had, which worked quite well. Eventually I ditched the walker and sort of stayed up on my own.
Saturday, I spent the day doing math homework, deciding what classes I want to take next semester, and booking airline tickets for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty excited about my prospective schedule for next semester. It involves only taking classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and possibly a weekend class and an online class.
Sunday I cleaned my room and worked on some more homework.
Today in Intro to Ski Area Operations, a graduate of the SAO program came in to talk to us about avalanches. Then I went snowboarding at Copper Mountain, came back to the dorms, had dinner, and have been studying OEC for the test tomorrow for about the last 3 hours. Next week in Intro to SAO, we are learning about adaptive skiing. Then we start presenting our research papers (in powerpoint format). While at Copper, one of the ski patrollers informed me that they're expecting to get about 4 inches of snow tonight. Unfortunately, I won't be going back to Copper until Friday. Oh well, school must come before snowboarding. Earlier this evening, I had the opportunity to look out my window and watch big, fat snowflakes fall. I love watching snow fall, in fact, I love snow in general. The only time I don’t like snow is when I’m trying to drive home from someplace and/or I’m in the ditch.
I should probably get to sleep now to rest up for tomorrow's OEC test. Goodbye until next time. It'd be sweet if you left a comment. I also created a new poll the other day, and it'd be awesome if you voted in it.
As far as classes go, Wednesday we learned about hydraulic systems in Heavy Equipment Operations. On Thursday we learned how to remove helmets in Outdoor Emergency Care. In Technical Math we are still working on our assignment on functions. Last Thursday we finished our PC Applications chapter on Excel and this week we have a test and then we learn how to use Microsoft Access.
Wednesday night I went swimming. Normally, swimming is fairly uneventful, but not this past week. I was enjoying the warmth of the hottub and I may have spent just a tad bit too much time in it. I don't think sitting in the sauna for a couple of minutes helped either. However, after drinking a couple bottles of water, I was fine, and I plan to attend again next week, but I think I'll spend slightly more time in the pool. Swimming night is on Thursday and gym night is on Wednesday this week, I believe.
Thursday night me and two of my friends squashed onto my bed, burrowed under a pile of blankets, and watched a movie.
Friday I went snowboarding at Copper Mountain because it was opening day. Apparently my chairlift unloading skills are still a bit rusty because I stood up too soon while unloading the lift and ended up falling and getting a concussion. Two or three runs after that I called it quits and went back to the dorms and slept. Later that night, I went to Breckenridge to go ice skating. I hadn't ice skated in quite a few years, and it definately showed. I started off by trying to hold myself up with the wall, but the wall wasn't much to hold onto, so then I resorted to using this little walker that they had, which worked quite well. Eventually I ditched the walker and sort of stayed up on my own.
Saturday, I spent the day doing math homework, deciding what classes I want to take next semester, and booking airline tickets for Thanksgiving. I'm pretty excited about my prospective schedule for next semester. It involves only taking classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, and possibly a weekend class and an online class.
Sunday I cleaned my room and worked on some more homework.
Today in Intro to Ski Area Operations, a graduate of the SAO program came in to talk to us about avalanches. Then I went snowboarding at Copper Mountain, came back to the dorms, had dinner, and have been studying OEC for the test tomorrow for about the last 3 hours. Next week in Intro to SAO, we are learning about adaptive skiing. Then we start presenting our research papers (in powerpoint format). While at Copper, one of the ski patrollers informed me that they're expecting to get about 4 inches of snow tonight. Unfortunately, I won't be going back to Copper until Friday. Oh well, school must come before snowboarding. Earlier this evening, I had the opportunity to look out my window and watch big, fat snowflakes fall. I love watching snow fall, in fact, I love snow in general. The only time I don’t like snow is when I’m trying to drive home from someplace and/or I’m in the ditch.
I should probably get to sleep now to rest up for tomorrow's OEC test. Goodbye until next time. It'd be sweet if you left a comment. I also created a new poll the other day, and it'd be awesome if you voted in it.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Where to start?
Ok... now that we have all recovered from staring at tv and computer screens for the last couple of hours, and then reacting when the results were announced... I will give you a short little update of life in Leadville.
Well, the election has been a pretty big deal around here lately. About a month ago, there was a lady here helping people to register to vote. A lot of us are from out of state, and not everyone got an absentee ballot in time, but apparently they were still allowed to vote for the President in Colorado. Since then, we've had professors telling us to get out and vote, and fellow students who told us to get out to vote, some of them being a little more opinionated then others. Tonight, I opted for watching the election on the internet, but a lot of people were watching downstairs. When they announced the results, I could hear the screaming from the 1st floor loud and clear in my 2nd floor room. Apparently the news didn't travel through the ENTIRE dorm initially, because there is still the occasional scream. I just realized that tonight is $2 bowling night (as is every Tuesday). I kind of doubt that the bowling alley had too many college student customers, based on the volume of the initial scream from downstairs.
Ok... now onto less stressful issues. Last night the college sponsored an open gym. I was happy to see more girls there this week. Evidently my spreading the word to other girls helped. 2 rounds of volleyball were played- I was on the winning team once and the losing team the other time. A lot of people also played basketball and lifted weights.
Tomorrow is Heavy Equipment Ops. Afterwards, there is an OEC study sesh that I definately plan on attending for the sake of my grade. Then I'll probably do a little homework before eating dinner and going to free pool night.
Thursday I have OEC again, then tech math, and then PC Apps.
Friday is the opening day of Copper Mountain. I'm sure it'll be packed, but me and a few other students who have passes there are going to make an appearance anyway. I've heard that Keystone and Breck are also opening this weekend.
It is rumored that we are going to get up to 18 inches of snow sometime in the next couple of days. The teachers act like they hate it when it snows during class because no one pays attention, but I know that the vast majority of them love it because it means skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, and better snow making. Plus, there's just something magical about watching snow fall. Not to mention the rail sessions in back of the dorm and the snow ball fights that I'm sure will occur.
Hopefully it doesn't snow too much tonight because my roommate and a few other people are going camping. As much as they love snow, I'm not sure they'd appreciate waking up to a foot of it surrounding their tent.
And now that they're predicting so much snow, I'm definately going to speed up the winter boot and snow shovel buying quest. Why oh why didn't I bring them out here with me? Colorado definately does not have a shortage of snow, lol.
The college is doing a canned food drive next Wednesday. Open gym is also next Wednesday night and free pool night is next Thursday.
Thanksgiving break is coming up and students are allowed to stay in the dorms, but Wednesday breakfast through Sunday lunch, you're on your own. It sounds like the dorms are clearing out pretty well, but I'm sure there's a few people sticking around.
Registration for spring classes was previously starting in December, but now it's starting next Monday (the 10th). I'm likely taking a pretty light course load next semester because I took 20 credits this semester, and theres only so many classes offered to 1st year SAO students during the spring semester. I don't think I'll mind having a light load too much, after all, it means more time for snowboarding. :)
Now that the screaming has subsided for the most part, I'm going to venture downstairs to check my mail before going to sleep. Until next time, drive safe because it seems like I've been hearing about more and more car accidents lately.
Well, the election has been a pretty big deal around here lately. About a month ago, there was a lady here helping people to register to vote. A lot of us are from out of state, and not everyone got an absentee ballot in time, but apparently they were still allowed to vote for the President in Colorado. Since then, we've had professors telling us to get out and vote, and fellow students who told us to get out to vote, some of them being a little more opinionated then others. Tonight, I opted for watching the election on the internet, but a lot of people were watching downstairs. When they announced the results, I could hear the screaming from the 1st floor loud and clear in my 2nd floor room. Apparently the news didn't travel through the ENTIRE dorm initially, because there is still the occasional scream. I just realized that tonight is $2 bowling night (as is every Tuesday). I kind of doubt that the bowling alley had too many college student customers, based on the volume of the initial scream from downstairs.
Ok... now onto less stressful issues. Last night the college sponsored an open gym. I was happy to see more girls there this week. Evidently my spreading the word to other girls helped. 2 rounds of volleyball were played- I was on the winning team once and the losing team the other time. A lot of people also played basketball and lifted weights.
Tomorrow is Heavy Equipment Ops. Afterwards, there is an OEC study sesh that I definately plan on attending for the sake of my grade. Then I'll probably do a little homework before eating dinner and going to free pool night.
Thursday I have OEC again, then tech math, and then PC Apps.
Friday is the opening day of Copper Mountain. I'm sure it'll be packed, but me and a few other students who have passes there are going to make an appearance anyway. I've heard that Keystone and Breck are also opening this weekend.
It is rumored that we are going to get up to 18 inches of snow sometime in the next couple of days. The teachers act like they hate it when it snows during class because no one pays attention, but I know that the vast majority of them love it because it means skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing, and better snow making. Plus, there's just something magical about watching snow fall. Not to mention the rail sessions in back of the dorm and the snow ball fights that I'm sure will occur.
Hopefully it doesn't snow too much tonight because my roommate and a few other people are going camping. As much as they love snow, I'm not sure they'd appreciate waking up to a foot of it surrounding their tent.
And now that they're predicting so much snow, I'm definately going to speed up the winter boot and snow shovel buying quest. Why oh why didn't I bring them out here with me? Colorado definately does not have a shortage of snow, lol.
The college is doing a canned food drive next Wednesday. Open gym is also next Wednesday night and free pool night is next Thursday.
Thanksgiving break is coming up and students are allowed to stay in the dorms, but Wednesday breakfast through Sunday lunch, you're on your own. It sounds like the dorms are clearing out pretty well, but I'm sure there's a few people sticking around.
Registration for spring classes was previously starting in December, but now it's starting next Monday (the 10th). I'm likely taking a pretty light course load next semester because I took 20 credits this semester, and theres only so many classes offered to 1st year SAO students during the spring semester. I don't think I'll mind having a light load too much, after all, it means more time for snowboarding. :)
Now that the screaming has subsided for the most part, I'm going to venture downstairs to check my mail before going to sleep. Until next time, drive safe because it seems like I've been hearing about more and more car accidents lately.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Update
Correction: gym night is tonight and pool night is on Wednesday... I believe I switched them around in my last blog.
In Intro to SAO this morning, we learned about what Vail is doing to increase environmental sustainability. Next week we are supposed to learn about avalanche awareness and the week after we are going to learn about adaptive skiing. I'm excited for the lecture on adaptive skiing because I'm doing my final paper on adaptive skiing, and I think the lecture might provide me with the little bit of information that I need in order to get my last page written.
Tomorrow in Outdoor Emergency Care, we are supposed to learn about "Assessment and Care of Bone and Joint Injuries". On Thursday we will be learning about "Head and Spine Injuries". Next Tuesday we are having a test. I just looked at my syllabus, and it says that tomorrow's lab is "Open Lab", so I guess I'll find out what we are doing in Lab tomorrow when I get there.
In Technical Math, we just started a new chapter on functions.
Last week, in Heavy Equipment Operations, we had a test over power trains. This week we are going to learn about "EOT: Dozer- Dirt Moving, demolition, etc. Special Topics for Ski Areas".
In PC Apps, I believe that we are learning about Microsoft Excel this week.
I'm pretty sure that all of the 2nd year students have left to do their co-ops now. They'll be back in April to cram in a few more classes before graduating in May.
Thanksgiving break is in 3 1/2 weeks and a lot of people are getting pretty excited.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm making myself sit down in these next few days and get all of my homework done and catch up on studying that I've maybe neglected a tiny bit more than I should of, because I know that once Copper is open, I won't feel like sitting in my room and doing homework while everyone else is out snowboarding.
In Intro to SAO this morning, we learned about what Vail is doing to increase environmental sustainability. Next week we are supposed to learn about avalanche awareness and the week after we are going to learn about adaptive skiing. I'm excited for the lecture on adaptive skiing because I'm doing my final paper on adaptive skiing, and I think the lecture might provide me with the little bit of information that I need in order to get my last page written.
Tomorrow in Outdoor Emergency Care, we are supposed to learn about "Assessment and Care of Bone and Joint Injuries". On Thursday we will be learning about "Head and Spine Injuries". Next Tuesday we are having a test. I just looked at my syllabus, and it says that tomorrow's lab is "Open Lab", so I guess I'll find out what we are doing in Lab tomorrow when I get there.
In Technical Math, we just started a new chapter on functions.
Last week, in Heavy Equipment Operations, we had a test over power trains. This week we are going to learn about "EOT: Dozer- Dirt Moving, demolition, etc. Special Topics for Ski Areas".
In PC Apps, I believe that we are learning about Microsoft Excel this week.
I'm pretty sure that all of the 2nd year students have left to do their co-ops now. They'll be back in April to cram in a few more classes before graduating in May.
Thanksgiving break is in 3 1/2 weeks and a lot of people are getting pretty excited.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'm making myself sit down in these next few days and get all of my homework done and catch up on studying that I've maybe neglected a tiny bit more than I should of, because I know that once Copper is open, I won't feel like sitting in my room and doing homework while everyone else is out snowboarding.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Open Gyms, Dancing, and Pool Tournaments
Wednesday night the college sponsored a free open gym at the middle school. This gave students the opportunity to spend 3 hours running, lifting weights, and playing basketball and vollyball. Free weekly pool and open gym nights are now official, check the signs in the dorms for dates. Thursday night there was a Halloween dance. There were approximately 20 students that attended. Marea and Patrick were the winners of the costume contest. Marea was dressed as a flapper and Patrick was dressed as Paul Raushke (one of the SAO professors). Other costumes included a witch, a pirate, Princess Peach, Curt Bender (the other SAO professor), Mario, 2 Greek gods, a cowboy, and a UPS delivery man. The Joker from Batman also made a brief appearance. Friday was Halloween. Various staff members dressed up for the day. A couple of people went trick-or-treating. A few of us had a "scary movie" night in a fellow student's room.
Today was the CMC Student-Faculty Double Elimination pool tournament. The entry requirement was 1 canned food item. Student government is apparently going to match the canned food contributions. There were 12 participants. There were a few surprises in the game, one of them being that one of the school's better pool players received his 2nd elimination about halfway through the tournament. Another upset involved a student sinking the 8-ball and then scratching, so he lost by default. The championship game was played between Curt and Patrick. Patrick had already beaten Curt once during today's tournament, so it wasn't a huge surprise when Patrick beat Curt again.
Garrett (student) placed 3rd and recieved a tshirt and DVD. Curt (faculty) placed 2nd and received a thsirt and pool cue. Patrick (student), who placed 1st and received a tshirt and pool cut, managed to go undefeated for the entire tournament.
Garrett (student) placed 3rd and recieved a tshirt and DVD. Curt (faculty) placed 2nd and received a thsirt and pool cue. Patrick (student), who placed 1st and received a tshirt and pool cut, managed to go undefeated for the entire tournament.
Tournament prizesThe 2nd year SAO students are now leaving for their work experience co-ops and they won't be back until April-ish. Us 1st year SAO students are being encouraged to start thinking about where we might want to work next year as an A, B, C, and D plan. We are also starting to look into classes for next semester even though registration doesn't open for another month. Our professors have been giving us gentle reminders that if we don't like what we are studying, it's OK to admit that and pursue something else.
Monday is another free pool night.
Wednesday is free open gym.
Friday is when I've heard that Copper Mountain is going to open for the season.
Until next time, hope for more snow- it was 51 yesterday (Halloween). Someone said that a cold front is supposed to come in on Monday and I hope they are right.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Half-week in review
Saturday: Marea and I went to the Ski Cooper job fair. Then we got bored, so we braved the MPR kitchen and made home-made (as opposed to a box mix) brownies while eating Subway. They didn't look quite like I was expecting because of the altitude, but they still tasted just fine. After that, we had this brilliant idea to go swimming, except the pool was closed. So then Marea went home and I hung out with Randi while she was on RA duty.
Sunday: I accomplished the writing of half of my final paper for Intro to SAO. Then I did laundry (you wouldn't believe how exciting clean clothes can be... you also wouldn't believe how what you thought was 1 load of laundry magically transforms into 2 1/2 loads).
Monday: I had Intro to SAO where we went over the assignment that he gave us last time we had class. Then a woman came in to tell us about an outreach program that they are starting for Leadville 2nd graders. They would spend 5 days learning to ski at Vail. The hope is that by learning to get along with others in their lesson group, they will be able to resolve conflicts and get along with people un-like themselves by the time they reach middle school. I think this is a really sweet idea and I, along with several others, signed up to volunteer with the program. In Leadership Development we took a quiz and did an assessment of the class. Then I went to the pool because the college was sponsoring a free swimming night.
Tuesday: During Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned how to remove ski and snowboard boots while causing the least amount of pain to the patient... at least that was the idea. However, there was a little too much screaming in the room to say that it was a painless process for everyone, lol. I'm glad that Paul said that removal of boots is generally done in the ER with anesthesia. In OEC lab we were practicing extrication (removing people from tight areas, basically) in the stairwell and I think a few passer-bys thought it was real based on the look on their faces. Then in math we had our chapter 2 and 3 test. A few people went to the bowling afterwards cause it's $2/game on Tuesday nights.
Today: We had a test in Heavy Equipment today, which proved to some of us (myself included) that we didn't understand diesel engines quite as well as we thought we did. Tonight is the final for Leadership Development. I opted to do it in a group, so I'm hoping that with 3 or 4 heads we can get enough answers right that I don't fail the class (I actually don't think I'm doing quite that horrible). I'm excited about the class ending because it means that my Monday and Wednesday evenings will now be free, but I'm sad because it means that some of my friends will be leaving for their SAO work experience.
Tomorrow (Thursday): I have OEC lecture and then Erin is going to help me do my hair for the Halloween dance and put on my fake nails. Then I have math class, then I'm working on a group project, and then I have PC Apps where we are presenting our group PowerPoints. We also have a test and an assessment in PC Apps tomorrow. Then I'm going to hurry back to my room and put on my Halloween costume and go to the Halloween Dance.
Friday: HALLOWEEN!! I'm hopefully going to Denver for some haunted house fun. Otherwise, I'll enjoy another weekend in peaceful little Leadville.
Saturday: CMC Billards tournament! It's too late to register now, unless Patrick really likes you and you get someone else to sign up (if you're a student, you need a faculty member... if you're a faculty member, you need a student).
My next post should include pictures of the dance, Halloween, and possibly the Billards tournament. In the meantime, I should study for my Leadership final. Bye!
Sunday: I accomplished the writing of half of my final paper for Intro to SAO. Then I did laundry (you wouldn't believe how exciting clean clothes can be... you also wouldn't believe how what you thought was 1 load of laundry magically transforms into 2 1/2 loads).
Monday: I had Intro to SAO where we went over the assignment that he gave us last time we had class. Then a woman came in to tell us about an outreach program that they are starting for Leadville 2nd graders. They would spend 5 days learning to ski at Vail. The hope is that by learning to get along with others in their lesson group, they will be able to resolve conflicts and get along with people un-like themselves by the time they reach middle school. I think this is a really sweet idea and I, along with several others, signed up to volunteer with the program. In Leadership Development we took a quiz and did an assessment of the class. Then I went to the pool because the college was sponsoring a free swimming night.
Tuesday: During Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned how to remove ski and snowboard boots while causing the least amount of pain to the patient... at least that was the idea. However, there was a little too much screaming in the room to say that it was a painless process for everyone, lol. I'm glad that Paul said that removal of boots is generally done in the ER with anesthesia. In OEC lab we were practicing extrication (removing people from tight areas, basically) in the stairwell and I think a few passer-bys thought it was real based on the look on their faces. Then in math we had our chapter 2 and 3 test. A few people went to the bowling afterwards cause it's $2/game on Tuesday nights.
Today: We had a test in Heavy Equipment today, which proved to some of us (myself included) that we didn't understand diesel engines quite as well as we thought we did. Tonight is the final for Leadership Development. I opted to do it in a group, so I'm hoping that with 3 or 4 heads we can get enough answers right that I don't fail the class (I actually don't think I'm doing quite that horrible). I'm excited about the class ending because it means that my Monday and Wednesday evenings will now be free, but I'm sad because it means that some of my friends will be leaving for their SAO work experience.
Tomorrow (Thursday): I have OEC lecture and then Erin is going to help me do my hair for the Halloween dance and put on my fake nails. Then I have math class, then I'm working on a group project, and then I have PC Apps where we are presenting our group PowerPoints. We also have a test and an assessment in PC Apps tomorrow. Then I'm going to hurry back to my room and put on my Halloween costume and go to the Halloween Dance.
Friday: HALLOWEEN!! I'm hopefully going to Denver for some haunted house fun. Otherwise, I'll enjoy another weekend in peaceful little Leadville.
Saturday: CMC Billards tournament! It's too late to register now, unless Patrick really likes you and you get someone else to sign up (if you're a student, you need a faculty member... if you're a faculty member, you need a student).
My next post should include pictures of the dance, Halloween, and possibly the Billards tournament. In the meantime, I should study for my Leadership final. Bye!
Friday, October 24, 2008
Campfires in October
Yep... I'm still alive. I haven't forgotten about my blog either, so don't you worry.
Nothing too exciting happened this week.
*We didn't have Introduction to Ski Area Operations this week because our professor had to attend a meeting.
*Leadership Development ends on Wednesday, so I've been working on studying for the final exam. This past Wednesday, we had a guest speaker from Beaver Creek who is the head of Slopes and Trails.
*In Outdoor Emergency Care, we've been learning about facial injuries in the lecture portion. I'm glad that we're finally done with the illnesses part of Outdoor Emergency Care... I think I might have more skill in dealing with broken bones than I do dealing with diabetes. In the lab portion of Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned about traction devices this week.
*In Technical Math, we have now finished chapter 3, which was about figuring out area, perimeter, and volume of various shapes.
*In Heavy Equipment Operations we are learning about power trains now.
*In PC Applications, we've finished learning about Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint and now we're learning about Microsoft Excel.
It started snowing Tuesday morning and continued until early Thursday morning. The snow resulted in a lot of people getting extremely excited, some panicking about driving, others getting a refresher lesson in "I'm the ice and you're going to go where I want you to go", and still others (myself included) who are thinking that it's probably about time to get a shovel and snow boots.
On Thursday the college sponsored a free swimming night. Free swimming night is supposedly going to become a weekly thing, on rotating nights.
Ok... so apparently this didn't post when I asked it to last night, so now that I've rescued it from my drafts, I figure I'd give you a quick update on the last 24 hours.
Friday night some friends and I had a campfire with s'mores after our plan to go camping fell through.
Next Thursday night, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Dance. It should be a lot of fun because I love going to dances and it'll be interesting to see everyone's costumes.
Nothing too exciting happened this week.
*We didn't have Introduction to Ski Area Operations this week because our professor had to attend a meeting.
*Leadership Development ends on Wednesday, so I've been working on studying for the final exam. This past Wednesday, we had a guest speaker from Beaver Creek who is the head of Slopes and Trails.
*In Outdoor Emergency Care, we've been learning about facial injuries in the lecture portion. I'm glad that we're finally done with the illnesses part of Outdoor Emergency Care... I think I might have more skill in dealing with broken bones than I do dealing with diabetes. In the lab portion of Outdoor Emergency Care, we learned about traction devices this week.
*In Technical Math, we have now finished chapter 3, which was about figuring out area, perimeter, and volume of various shapes.
*In Heavy Equipment Operations we are learning about power trains now.
*In PC Applications, we've finished learning about Microsoft Word and Microsoft Powerpoint and now we're learning about Microsoft Excel.
It started snowing Tuesday morning and continued until early Thursday morning. The snow resulted in a lot of people getting extremely excited, some panicking about driving, others getting a refresher lesson in "I'm the ice and you're going to go where I want you to go", and still others (myself included) who are thinking that it's probably about time to get a shovel and snow boots.
On Thursday the college sponsored a free swimming night. Free swimming night is supposedly going to become a weekly thing, on rotating nights.
Ok... so apparently this didn't post when I asked it to last night, so now that I've rescued it from my drafts, I figure I'd give you a quick update on the last 24 hours.
Friday night some friends and I had a campfire with s'mores after our plan to go camping fell through.
Next Thursday night, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Dance. It should be a lot of fun because I love going to dances and it'll be interesting to see everyone's costumes.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Camping Extravaganza
I know I said I wasn’t going to write until Tuesday, but I couldn’t resist telling you about last night’s camping trip.
Friday afternoon, I texted one of my good friends from the college.:
“Hey, wanna do something this weekend”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
This then progressed from a sleepover, to going to a dance, to camping. Camping sounded like one of the best ideas ever. We got two other people to agree to go with us. After awhile, we decided that it might be a good idea to find someone who’d let us borrow their tent. After 4 hours of trying to locate a tent, we had a “Mega Man” tent (4 people) and a “2 or 3 person tent”. At 7pm, we thought we were ready to go, but then a bunch of people decided that they were going to go swimming first. While they went swimming, one of my friends and I were sent to locate a campsite. We figured this would be easy because no one in their right mind goes camping in the middle of October. The first two campsites we tried had people at them, and the next 5 had gates across them. Finally, we found a campsite, except by then, we were so lost ourselves, that there was no way we’d be able to give other people directions, so we ended up going back to the pool and having them follow us. At 10pm, we got back to the campsite and had the great fortune of watching a car have no clue where they were going.
“Woah! There’s another car. I wonder who that is?”
“Are they going to drive into the lake?”
“Of course they aren’t going to drive into the lake”
“Well, where are they going then?”
“I don’t know”
“GUYS! THEY TOTALLY JUST DROVE INTO THE LAKE!!”
“No they did…. Ok, they did”
We then sat there and watched them sitting there with their front bumper in the water.
“You suppose they realize that they’re in the water?”
“I definitely think they realize that something isn’t right.”
The car then backed up and drove away and we all got out of our cars and burst out laughing. We just couldn’t help it. Water generally does not look like the road and usually, when a sign says “Boat Ramp” you don’t continue driving.
Friday afternoon, I texted one of my good friends from the college.:
“Hey, wanna do something this weekend”
“Sure. What do you want to do?”
This then progressed from a sleepover, to going to a dance, to camping. Camping sounded like one of the best ideas ever. We got two other people to agree to go with us. After awhile, we decided that it might be a good idea to find someone who’d let us borrow their tent. After 4 hours of trying to locate a tent, we had a “Mega Man” tent (4 people) and a “2 or 3 person tent”. At 7pm, we thought we were ready to go, but then a bunch of people decided that they were going to go swimming first. While they went swimming, one of my friends and I were sent to locate a campsite. We figured this would be easy because no one in their right mind goes camping in the middle of October. The first two campsites we tried had people at them, and the next 5 had gates across them. Finally, we found a campsite, except by then, we were so lost ourselves, that there was no way we’d be able to give other people directions, so we ended up going back to the pool and having them follow us. At 10pm, we got back to the campsite and had the great fortune of watching a car have no clue where they were going.
“Woah! There’s another car. I wonder who that is?”
“Are they going to drive into the lake?”
“Of course they aren’t going to drive into the lake”
“Well, where are they going then?”
“I don’t know”
“GUYS! THEY TOTALLY JUST DROVE INTO THE LAKE!!”
“No they did…. Ok, they did”
We then sat there and watched them sitting there with their front bumper in the water.
“You suppose they realize that they’re in the water?”
“I definitely think they realize that something isn’t right.”
The car then backed up and drove away and we all got out of our cars and burst out laughing. We just couldn’t help it. Water generally does not look like the road and usually, when a sign says “Boat Ramp” you don’t continue driving.
The 8 of us then hauled our stuff from our cars to the campsite. Me and another girl set up the two tents by the light of one large flashlight, while 2 guys gathered wood, 2 other people built a fire pit, one girl took a nap, and the last guy just kind of stood there and watched us. We set up the “Mega Man” tent (which I think looked like a mini circus tent) with the guidance of a couple kids who were ORL students and actually knew how to set the tent up. After setting up the 2-person tent, we realized we’d put it on a bed of rocks, so we decided we would just use it to store all of our stuff. The 8 of us then proceeded to stand around the fire and make s’mores. As I looked around that campfire, I realized “This is what friends are. They put up with your crazy idea to go camping when it’s already pitch black out and freezing cold. They convince you that you can manage to get a tent pitched in the dark. They make endless trips to get more sticks to burn. They laugh with you while dancing around the campfire to rap music. And the craziest thing is that they willingly agreed to come camping with you.” Around midnight, 3 people decided to go back to campus for the night. Of the 5 of us that remained, 4 of us (myself included) were wimps that slept in the “Mega Man” tent with our sleeping bags that were probably rated for about 40 degrees. The 5th kid was an ORL student who had a sleeping bag rated for -50 so he was nice and toasty while sleeping under the stars. At 7AM, we finally decided that we would give up on sleeping in the supposedly 28 degree weather, put out the fire, pack up, and go back to campus.Even though I was exhausted by the time we finally set up our tents, I had the most fun that I’d had in a long time. Some of us even decided that we’re going again next weekend… but we’re going to plan ahead, find someone with a big tent we can use with the sides actually attached to the floor (no offense to the “Mega Man”), bring LOTS and LOTS of blankets, and we are going to pitch our tent and find firewood in the daylight (a novel idea, I know).
The mountains looked even sweeter at about midnight, but I don't think my camera would have taken a very good picture of them then.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Snow, boarding, and fun
As my roommate prepares to go home for the weekend, I thought I’d take a little time to update you on the occurrences of the past few days.
It snowed for the first time on Monday night. I woke up to about an inch of snow on the roof and a dusting on the parking lot when I got up for OEC at 7AM on Tuesday. It was melted by noon, but at least we know that winter is on its way now. In Outdoor Emergency Care lab we learned about spinal injuries, immobilization, and how to use a backboard. Everyone got a chance to wear a C-collar and be strapped to a backboard. We also practiced rolling people onto backboards and did a scenario on removing someone from a patch of trees.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland ski area both opened on Wednesday. Everyone that has a Vail-resort pass is excited because they can go snowboarding and everyone that has a Copper Mountain pass is going crazy because Copper isn’t scheduled to open until the 7th and no one wants to pay $50 to go skiing early-season.
Wednesday afternoon I had my last Heavy Equipment Operations lab. It is probably a good thing that our lab is over, because we were really starting to run out of tasks that we were capable of doing. I learned how to survey… well, it was more like, I learned how to hold a prism out in the middle of the field, hoping that I didn’t get run over by a giant bulldozer, while someone else punched buttons on a fancy calculator-ish thing that then told them the elevation. Wednesday night, there was a girls-only hula dancing night. There were 4 of us in attendance, and it was entertaining to say the least because none of us were very good at swiveling our hips.
Last night, we had health & safety inspections of our rooms. The RAs went to each room and made sure that the room was generally in clean condition and that the smoke detector worked. They they put on a surprise pizza party. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much pizza devoured that quickly.
My roommate is leaving for the weekend and I don’t have class until 7pm Monday night, so until then, I intend to enjoy the peace and quiet. As much as I love my roommate, I’m loving the idea of a weekend without her. There is just a certain freedom you feel knowing that for 2 days, you can go hide out in your room, and it’s guaranteed that no one else will be in there. Hopefully I can manage to get all of my homework done and my desk re-organized. So, until Tuesday, have fun, and hope for MORE snow! J
Oh… and before I go… I must mention the 2008 CMC Timberline Faculty/Student 8-Ball Billiards Double-Elimination Tournament. It’s being held on November 1st and is open to all CMC-Timberline staff and students. Registration materials are located on www.mogulskiing.net/billiards
It snowed for the first time on Monday night. I woke up to about an inch of snow on the roof and a dusting on the parking lot when I got up for OEC at 7AM on Tuesday. It was melted by noon, but at least we know that winter is on its way now. In Outdoor Emergency Care lab we learned about spinal injuries, immobilization, and how to use a backboard. Everyone got a chance to wear a C-collar and be strapped to a backboard. We also practiced rolling people onto backboards and did a scenario on removing someone from a patch of trees.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland ski area both opened on Wednesday. Everyone that has a Vail-resort pass is excited because they can go snowboarding and everyone that has a Copper Mountain pass is going crazy because Copper isn’t scheduled to open until the 7th and no one wants to pay $50 to go skiing early-season.
Wednesday afternoon I had my last Heavy Equipment Operations lab. It is probably a good thing that our lab is over, because we were really starting to run out of tasks that we were capable of doing. I learned how to survey… well, it was more like, I learned how to hold a prism out in the middle of the field, hoping that I didn’t get run over by a giant bulldozer, while someone else punched buttons on a fancy calculator-ish thing that then told them the elevation. Wednesday night, there was a girls-only hula dancing night. There were 4 of us in attendance, and it was entertaining to say the least because none of us were very good at swiveling our hips.
Last night, we had health & safety inspections of our rooms. The RAs went to each room and made sure that the room was generally in clean condition and that the smoke detector worked. They they put on a surprise pizza party. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much pizza devoured that quickly.
My roommate is leaving for the weekend and I don’t have class until 7pm Monday night, so until then, I intend to enjoy the peace and quiet. As much as I love my roommate, I’m loving the idea of a weekend without her. There is just a certain freedom you feel knowing that for 2 days, you can go hide out in your room, and it’s guaranteed that no one else will be in there. Hopefully I can manage to get all of my homework done and my desk re-organized. So, until Tuesday, have fun, and hope for MORE snow! J
Oh… and before I go… I must mention the 2008 CMC Timberline Faculty/Student 8-Ball Billiards Double-Elimination Tournament. It’s being held on November 1st and is open to all CMC-Timberline staff and students. Registration materials are located on www.mogulskiing.net/billiards
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Why I picked Ski Area Operations
If you are wondering why I chose to study Ski Area Operations… During my junior year, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do with my life or where I wanted to go to college. I love snowboarding, so I looked at the website for the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski & Snowboard Association) to find out what colleges had ski/snowboard teams. Then I visited the websites for all of those colleges and eliminated the ones that only had ski teams. I went through the remaining colleges and got rid of the ones that I couldn’t see myself going to. When I got to CMC, I was like “What… a degree that relates to snowboarding! How much better can I get?”. So, with the idea that I wanted to study something relating to snowboarding, I had it narrowed down pretty well. Then, my senior year I applied to a 4-year school in California, and visited CMC and a school in Michigan. I decided that neither California nor Michigan were going to cut it, so I was left with CMC. Originally, I was considering going to the Steamboat campus for Ski & Snowboard Business, but then I found out that I’d have to learn about boot fitting, which didn’t interest me. When I visited Leadville, they told me I’d have to learn about diesel engine mechanics, which didn’t sound much better.
Last winter, I interned at the ski area near where I lived in South Dakota. This firmed up my decision that I wanted to study Ski Area Operations.
It turns out that diesel engine mechanics are tolerable and that apparently the snowboard team is in Steamboat, but I am still happy with my decision to study Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado.
A couple weeks ago, I was asked what I want to do with my degree, and I replied “I’m not exactly sure. I really like instructing, but this degree doesn’t have much to do with instructing, but it does give me a background on the industry.”
Last winter, I interned at the ski area near where I lived in South Dakota. This firmed up my decision that I wanted to study Ski Area Operations.
It turns out that diesel engine mechanics are tolerable and that apparently the snowboard team is in Steamboat, but I am still happy with my decision to study Ski Area Operations at Colorado Mountain College in Leadville, Colorado.
A couple weeks ago, I was asked what I want to do with my degree, and I replied “I’m not exactly sure. I really like instructing, but this degree doesn’t have much to do with instructing, but it does give me a background on the industry.”
Monday, October 13, 2008
Pictures
View from the stairs between the 2nd and 3rd floors of the dorm
The school's backhoe that we use for Heavy Equipment Ops. lab
We dug up a power line in class
The bulldozer that we use for Heavy Equipment Ops lab
The compactor that we were using one week
So... this is college
I have been in Leadville for 7 weeks now. I can look out my window and see majestic fall colors. I have woken up to breathtaking views of snow-capped mountains. As I am writing this, on October 13th at 10:30 AM, it is 19 degrees outside, but I don’t think anyone minds too much because cold weather means that snow is coming soon.
I have learned a lot of things in college, and it’s not all book stuff either. I have learned that water is my friend in an effort to reduce how dehydrated I am. I have come to realize that not only can women drive bulldozers; they might discover that it is a lot of fun to shove around dirt, trees, and pieces of concrete. I have discovered that actually reading my OEC book is a very good idea and that studying is not as over-rated as I once thought it was. I have redefined what “clean” clothes are. I have happily discovered that the “Freshman 15” here involves LOSING 15 pounds because you spend so much time outdoors. I never knew receiving mail could be so exciting. Your mom is not here to clean up after you, so one way or another you’re going to have to discover how a broom works, because the dust balls become intolerable after awhile. There is no such thing as modesty after you’ve gone outside in your pajamas at 4AM because the fire alarm went off.
I’m a Ski Area Operations major. We have roughly 20 first-year guys in the program. As far as girls go, it’s me and one other girl. My classes include: Introduction to Ski Area Operations, Leadership Development, Outdoor Emergency Care lecture & lab, Technical Math, Heavy Equipment Operations lecture & lab, and PC Applications. The teachers here are really cool and are willing to help you in any way possible.
So far in Intro to SAO, we have learned about the 10th Mountain Division (pretty much the reason for the existence of Ski Cooper), Mountain Pine Beetles, Ski Area Regulatory Organizations, Ski Safety Laws, and we’ve discussed various elements that impact snow sports participation. According to the syllabus, we are still supposed to learn about adaptive skiing, avalanche awareness, and environmental stewardship. Several guest speakers have come to give presentations, which I really think adds a lot to the class.
Leadership Development is my favorite class. I’m pretty sure it is a 2nd year class, but no one told me that when I signed up for it. It ends in a couple weeks because the 2nd year students leave to do internships soon. Some of the topics that we’ve covered are leadership & follower & communication styles, power, and influence.
I received my CPR certification in Outdoor Emergency Care. We have also covered anatomy, patient assessment, and various on-hill emergencies. After successful completion of OEC, we receive the certification that is required to be a ski patroller.
Technical math is math class, not a whole lot to say about it. Cyrus does a really good job of explaining the material though, because for once in my life I actually understand what I am learning.
Heavy Equipment Operations is an interesting class. Driving heavy machinery doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but a lot of the guys really like it. So far, I’ve had the chance to drive a bulldozer, backhoe, excavator, and a compactor. The bulldozer is my favorite piece of machinery. The first two weeks of class, we were practicing on campus, but since then we’ve been helping to create a recreation complex. Last week we used the backhoe to unbury a power cable. A couple weeks ago, we were taking out trees with the excavator and destroying a giant pile of dirt with the bulldozer.
In PC Applications we are learning how to use Microsoft Office 2007, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access.
There is always something going on here if you just ask around. It seems like someone is going camping almost every night. About a week ago, 10 of us got together to play “Capture the Frisbee” on the soccer field. Quite a few people have gone rock climbing in the Buena Vista area in the past couple weeks. A few weeks ago there was a sign up for a rugby league, but I don’t know if it was ever started. I’ve heard one guy talking about trying to start a rodeo team. There is an indoor swimming pool not far from campus. About 15 of us went there last night and it was a ton of fun.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area are in a race to see which resort will open first. The idea of a ski area opening soon is exciting for everyone here, but I imagine that it is most exciting for the people who have been hiking the small snow patches on the mountains surrounding campus. There isn’t any snow on campus yet, but apparently the same thing happened last year, and they ended up getting some really amazing snow in January and February.
Three weeks ago, the college sponsored a bowling night which was a lot of fun. About 40 people attended. I heard one faculty member say “Wow… people actually dressed up for this?!” I wouldn’t have called it dressing up, it was more like “Hey, I’m leaving campus so I think I’ll take a shower and put on clean clothes”. Plus, with such a lack of girls (I think there are 15 of us living on campus right now); we have to take every chance we can get to be girly.
The college also sponsored a trip to the hot springs a couple weeks ago. I did not attend this trip, but I hear that it was a lot of fun. They left on Saturday and went near Aspen I believe. They camped overnight and came back on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, the CMC marketing department did a photo shoot, which was a lot of fun. While in Leadville, they took pictures on campus, at a coffee shop, and at a lake near Fremont Pass. I haven’t seen any of the pictures yet, but I’m sure they turned out great.
On the 30th of this month, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Party/Dance which I am really looking forward too. On Halloween night, we are going to a haunted house in town that is supposed to be really good.
If you’re debating whether you should apply to CMC or not, I definitely think you should- especially if you’re a girl, because it would really be awesome to have more than like 15 of us here.
Until next week, be safe, have fun, and hope for snow! :)
I have learned a lot of things in college, and it’s not all book stuff either. I have learned that water is my friend in an effort to reduce how dehydrated I am. I have come to realize that not only can women drive bulldozers; they might discover that it is a lot of fun to shove around dirt, trees, and pieces of concrete. I have discovered that actually reading my OEC book is a very good idea and that studying is not as over-rated as I once thought it was. I have redefined what “clean” clothes are. I have happily discovered that the “Freshman 15” here involves LOSING 15 pounds because you spend so much time outdoors. I never knew receiving mail could be so exciting. Your mom is not here to clean up after you, so one way or another you’re going to have to discover how a broom works, because the dust balls become intolerable after awhile. There is no such thing as modesty after you’ve gone outside in your pajamas at 4AM because the fire alarm went off.
I’m a Ski Area Operations major. We have roughly 20 first-year guys in the program. As far as girls go, it’s me and one other girl. My classes include: Introduction to Ski Area Operations, Leadership Development, Outdoor Emergency Care lecture & lab, Technical Math, Heavy Equipment Operations lecture & lab, and PC Applications. The teachers here are really cool and are willing to help you in any way possible.
So far in Intro to SAO, we have learned about the 10th Mountain Division (pretty much the reason for the existence of Ski Cooper), Mountain Pine Beetles, Ski Area Regulatory Organizations, Ski Safety Laws, and we’ve discussed various elements that impact snow sports participation. According to the syllabus, we are still supposed to learn about adaptive skiing, avalanche awareness, and environmental stewardship. Several guest speakers have come to give presentations, which I really think adds a lot to the class.
Leadership Development is my favorite class. I’m pretty sure it is a 2nd year class, but no one told me that when I signed up for it. It ends in a couple weeks because the 2nd year students leave to do internships soon. Some of the topics that we’ve covered are leadership & follower & communication styles, power, and influence.
I received my CPR certification in Outdoor Emergency Care. We have also covered anatomy, patient assessment, and various on-hill emergencies. After successful completion of OEC, we receive the certification that is required to be a ski patroller.
Technical math is math class, not a whole lot to say about it. Cyrus does a really good job of explaining the material though, because for once in my life I actually understand what I am learning.
Heavy Equipment Operations is an interesting class. Driving heavy machinery doesn’t do a whole lot for me, but a lot of the guys really like it. So far, I’ve had the chance to drive a bulldozer, backhoe, excavator, and a compactor. The bulldozer is my favorite piece of machinery. The first two weeks of class, we were practicing on campus, but since then we’ve been helping to create a recreation complex. Last week we used the backhoe to unbury a power cable. A couple weeks ago, we were taking out trees with the excavator and destroying a giant pile of dirt with the bulldozer.
In PC Applications we are learning how to use Microsoft Office 2007, which includes Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Access.
There is always something going on here if you just ask around. It seems like someone is going camping almost every night. About a week ago, 10 of us got together to play “Capture the Frisbee” on the soccer field. Quite a few people have gone rock climbing in the Buena Vista area in the past couple weeks. A few weeks ago there was a sign up for a rugby league, but I don’t know if it was ever started. I’ve heard one guy talking about trying to start a rodeo team. There is an indoor swimming pool not far from campus. About 15 of us went there last night and it was a ton of fun.
Arapahoe Basin and Loveland Ski Area are in a race to see which resort will open first. The idea of a ski area opening soon is exciting for everyone here, but I imagine that it is most exciting for the people who have been hiking the small snow patches on the mountains surrounding campus. There isn’t any snow on campus yet, but apparently the same thing happened last year, and they ended up getting some really amazing snow in January and February.
Three weeks ago, the college sponsored a bowling night which was a lot of fun. About 40 people attended. I heard one faculty member say “Wow… people actually dressed up for this?!” I wouldn’t have called it dressing up, it was more like “Hey, I’m leaving campus so I think I’ll take a shower and put on clean clothes”. Plus, with such a lack of girls (I think there are 15 of us living on campus right now); we have to take every chance we can get to be girly.
The college also sponsored a trip to the hot springs a couple weeks ago. I did not attend this trip, but I hear that it was a lot of fun. They left on Saturday and went near Aspen I believe. They camped overnight and came back on Sunday.
Two weeks ago, the CMC marketing department did a photo shoot, which was a lot of fun. While in Leadville, they took pictures on campus, at a coffee shop, and at a lake near Fremont Pass. I haven’t seen any of the pictures yet, but I’m sure they turned out great.
On the 30th of this month, one of the RAs is putting on a Halloween Party/Dance which I am really looking forward too. On Halloween night, we are going to a haunted house in town that is supposed to be really good.
If you’re debating whether you should apply to CMC or not, I definitely think you should- especially if you’re a girl, because it would really be awesome to have more than like 15 of us here.
Until next week, be safe, have fun, and hope for snow! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)