The Cause and Effect of Living in Fear

I wish it was possible for me to write the music in my heart and soul in word form to truly describe my feelings right now. I am really conflicted in my views on the state of humanity right now. So I am just going to work it out as I go. There is so much hatred in this world right now. From countries at war over mere greed to individuals spreading rumors and saying malicious things just to try to build themselves up. It feels like gas being pumped into a canister and at some point its just going to explode engulfing us all in a filthy cloud of animosity.
Now don't get me wrong I'm not all doom and gloom. I usually try to give people the benefit of the doubt and have hope for humanity. At the times when I feel the worst about the affairs of society something usually happens that renews my faith in humankind. The most recent example is when I went up skiing the other day and accidentally left the lights of my old diesel truck on. After about five hours of skiing both of the batteries were completely drained. So I wandered around the parking lot and finally found someone to give me a jump. The guy was pretty impatient so after a few failed attempts I let him go on his way. I figured with all the people driving by someone else would stop in no time and help us out. Boy was I wrong, I watched person after person drive by for more then half an hour. Finally this nice guy in a beat up truck pulled up and asked I needed any help. I was relieved that someone finally stopped and that I didn't need to have someone in my family just drive up and get me. This man was probably one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. He stayed for over an hour after countless starting failures(its really hard to jump diesel trucks especially really old ones) until finally the truck started. He didn't get impatient and was a pleasure to be around which helped me out a lot because I was pretty worried that I wouldn't get it started. For the rest of the day my heart was just filled with joy because of this kind individual.
I truly believe he was an 'angel' and a blessing. Its times like these when I see people like this man that I have hope for the future, even though people like him seem to be the minority these days. It also inspires me to do the best I can to bless the life of someone else. I really don't want to miss out on an opportunity to really help someone out even though it may not be a big deal to me. As long as there is at least one good person out there I have hope for change however difficult it might be.

patience is just another word for getting old

Listening to- Hurt by Johnny Cash
I think I might permanently become a ski bum, and maybe not by choice. The job market here in the fair town of Boise, Idaho is pretty rough right now. It really hits home when you try to apply at a call center and they aren't hiring for the first time since they opened. So for the time being I will try to take advantage of this opportunity to do the things I love like skiing/snowboarding (depends on the day), working on my photography, and just being with my family.
You know the saying,"when it rains it pours"? Well then I guess that if its not pouring rain then you can't have any precipitation at all because the job market isn't the only thing giving me a struggle. The 'female market' seems also to be in a recession for me. It seems like it is pretty hard to find a decent girl here in Boise as well. All the singles wards seem to have double or triple as many guys than girls so its pretty slim picking there. In the summer the number of girls was much more plentiful but during the school year they all run of to one of the various BYU's which doesn't help me out right now. I'm not just trying to limit myself to Mormon girls either but most all of the other girls my age seem to drink or 'party' a lot which is a major turn off for me since I am not into that sort of lifestyle. Every time I meet a girl that seems like one I might be actually interested in it seems like they want nothing to do with me. Its just a tad bit frustrating right now. I mean golly gee, how hard is it to find a girl who is smart, a skier/snowboarder, that loves being active, attractive, loves the same shows I do, and is pretty much perfect? Well that wasn't quite serious but I just want some one that I feel good being around and have fun with. Maybe I am too greedy but you kinda have to be when looking for a girl. I'm not in too big of a rush for a serious relationship either I just want to live, learn, and have fun.
That's probably enough about that so on to the next frustration in my life right now. There is a nasty inversion right now and it hasn't snowed at Bogus Basin for two whole weeks. Basically the only time I see the sun is if I go up to the mountain to do some shredding. Its amazing how much the sunshine feels and lifts my spirits as opposed to the dirty, wet coldness of an inversion. The lack of snow is slowly killing me I think. Without pow pow to shred I am forced to beat myself up in the terrain park. Ive come to terms that the more time I spend in the terrain park the more likely I am to be seriously injured. Its just not a healthy place no matter how fun it is.
I know this is a lot of complaining but I really am happy. Whenever I need a boost I just lean on the Lord and his infinite wisdom and comfort. I know that I will always have that as long as I continue to do the things that are right. Also I want to write more so that's my goal for February. Until next time....Shred the gnar!
PEAcE

The Sun is Jealous of the Way You Shine

There isn't much more I can say about this holiday season except it has been magnificent! Lots of family, friends, food, and just a bunch of general merry making. From skiing at Bogus Basin to being pulled around on a plastic snowboard behind my van, there hasn't been a dull moment!

So this morning I awoke early because it was supposed to snow last night and I wanted to check the snow report. I was excited when I saw that there were five new inches and it was still snowing so I sent a text to my friends to see if any of them wanted to go up the mountain. Jake said he was down since he didn't have to work and within the hour we were on our way up to the Bogus Basin. We got there around eleven o'clock a.m. and headed up to our run on the south face. The snow was untouched since there is no lift that covers that part of the mountain. Its technically a double black diamond because there are big rocks and hazards all over but that's what makes it fun.

Our first run down was pretty much perfect and I found a rock with about a six foot drop to jump off. It felt really good and looked really cool so Jake wanted to get it on video. So on our second run Jake went first and I waited about thirty seconds after he went and hit it myself. When I landed I couldn't see Jake so I figured he just finished the run and I would just meet him at the bottom. After I got to the bottom I still couldn't find my buddy so I waited, and waited. About twenty minutes later I gave him a call just to find out he had hit a tree and might have broken his leg.

I met him at the ski patrol building and he was in some serious pain so he gave me the car keys so I could bring the car around and we went home. I was a little bummed because it was such a perfect snow day and it sucked that Jake was injured. Its okay though at least I have a season pass so I am sure there will still be some fluffy days in the season yet.

Right now I am feeling hopeful for the future and what it will bring. I hope to start my photography off a little more once I get my 40D back.