My Pictures

I went snowboarding today. My friend and I got into my car, drove 200+ miles total, went to Big Bear mountain, and had quite the adventure. Depleted gas tanks, two fender benders, three hours of waiting, four hours of sleep, twisted feet, dangerous winter encounters, gaining an edge, and the allure of older men, to say the least. All the while making sure snow doesn't fall into my pants and making sure the chair lift doesn't get the best of me

Currently listening to: Chris Walla Field Manual
On the road: Peter, Bjorn, and John
Wishful playlist: "Year 3000" The Jonas Brothers

Do you like the picture? The camera has a very neat tool that allows for color isolation. Simply focus the lens on a color and press the "display." In this case, I focused on the snowboard, which allowed the camera to filter in solely that color. I'm pretty much going to do this with all my pictures from now on. Amazing

Okay, so for me to completely relay my snowboarding adventures, I feel it necessary to tell you what I did yesterday. Yesterday I went to SPD, Sigma Phi Delta, the engineering frat. The day before, Thursday (also the day of the Conversations With Alums professional event), my apartment's courtyard was having a smashing party (three very beautiful words: Sierra Nevada keg), and when my roommate and I went, we saw all the SPD boys. I actually got a personal invitation to their Area 51 party, so I decided to check it out. Friday is work day though, so I didn't get home until 6:45 PM. After that, I went straight to Happy Hour at Mick & Schmick's with my brother, and some of my fellow sorority people joined us. I then went home and COMPLETED MY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING HOMEWORK (so help me, linear circuits). I then submitted it and watched the ending to a movie. When party time came around, I grabbed my phone and walked right out of the apartment. Immediately after the door closed I realized that I did not have my keys with me, and so I call my roommate to come over and unlock the door for me (boy did I feel stupid)

At the party, however, I was able to meet more of the engineering frat boys (I know most of them, but not all), including their pledges, so that was pretty cool. They were giving away glow stick bracelets, so I took a couple because they were pretty. I went to sleep at 1:30 AM, but I had to wake up at 5:00 AM. Which I did

So today I woke up at 5 to take a shower and pick up my friend. Well, while backing out of the ridiculously crowded garage, I swiped a car. However, since my car is silver and shiny, the scratch obviously appears on my car, a two foot long gash. I curse my inability to drive and go to pickup my friend. The car ride there wasn't that bad, except the highway up to Big Bear was especially precarious. There was soon snow (thus, cold weather), and worse, ice on the road, were very narrow and difficult to navigate. It also took me two hours to get there! But truth: I haven't seen snow in about twelve years, so that was exciting, even if I heard rumoring that it was all fake and such

At the mountain, my friend and I end up waiting there for about one and a half hours for the others to venture from their cabin (we did not stay with them overnight), and when they finally arrived, we learned that we were at the wrong mountain (we were supposed to be at Bear Mountain, and we were at Snow Summit), and so we had to take the shuttle there. But we got there intact, and after three hours of getting there and renting equipment and strapping ourselves on, I "hit the slope" for only the second time in my life. There was a ridiculous amount of people on the mountain! Well, the weather was perfect (not cold at all!)



Snow culture is incredibly interesting. Everyone has a gorgeous snowboard. Snowboard pants are a MUST, along with a thick snow jacket. Goggles distinguish the regulars from the newbies, who wear sunglasses like me (speaking of which, my sunglasses BROKE on the slopes, so now I need another pair as well). Snowboards are incredibly pretty, with their colors and shapes and images. Snow culture is very similar to the gym culture. I guess all cultures are somewhat similar. For example, you have the hardcores, whom you can distinguish because their equipment is very beat up and well used. Also there are the poseurs, who have top-notch, spanking new equipment that looks hardly use, and they walk around trying to look knowledgeable. You have the newbies who are quite timid and hesitant to go anywhere. That's me

Luckily we had the help of our alum's friend, who wasn't bad to look at either for an older guy. He was very patient in helping us take timid steps / slips down the mountain, which was probably at an incline of something like 10 degrees. Pathetic. He explained the concept of an "edge," and how we had to "get the edge," which I guess meant maintaining your course. That is very hard, since we have to travel down the mountain with our feet anchored to a board threatening to go out from under your feet with no way of stopping. I guess you would have to do it several (or more) times to get the hang of it. Towards the end we were just giving up trying to snow and simply falling down to stop. But I was like a toddler, giggling and getting back up every single time. Plus, the pleasant weather allowed me to not be cold at all, only a wet shirt on the back from always falling on the ground

Also, another fascinating part of the snow culture is simply how so many people go on several runs and then spend the rest of the day at the bar drinking and hanging around. That's what a lot of people in the party did

The snow really is quite beautiful though. The air is very fresh and clean, and the trees stand there in the open sunlight. Aside from the hoards of excited snow people, you could say the whole experience is very peaceful

Coming home, the traffic was awful. It was bumper to bumper descending from the mountains for at least sixteen miles. I was incredibly bored, and attempted to use my phone's wireless internet options. Doing so, however, distracted me and resulted in me crashing into the SUV in front of me. Luckily, I had only released the break, so I simply rolled into him, and luckily his car suffered no damage (since I was at fault). Still we, exchanged numbers and such, but thankfully he seemed pretty chill, saying "shit happens" (he was a college student too). Plus, he was driving the SUV, and thus my car had more damage. There is a not so beautiful crack on my front bumper. So in the period of one day I had a fender bender on each end of the car. Just beautiful

Also, my car is an incredible gas guzzler, and by the time I raced home, there were few ticks of the precious fuels, precariously balancing on the "low fuel" count. Thankfully I refueled, and was even able to go to UCLA and Westwood twice to enjoy dinner and cookies and frozen yogurt. Delicious. I went home and passed out though, so here I am today, sore and exhausted but feeling pretty good from an excellent weekend adventure



UCLA through the eyes of a USC Trojan