Hmm...(and Winter)

Today was boring. And I mean boring. And I feel really bad because there is no way that I can possibly relate to you the series of events that made up today without losing your interest, which is not something I want to do. I've also tried to update this blog daily, and while I'm not the most realistic person, even I have to admit that after awhile, it's just not going to be possible.

Well, I guess you can't do everything everyday.

I've gotten into the rythm of the new school year now, or at least I think I have. I understand my teachers, know who I like or dislike, and I'm starting to act a bit more like myself in class. This is a big step for me as the first few days of school, my level of excitement is on par with what you might expect from broken chair. In fact, a few of my friends came up to me and asked me if I was feeling alright. Of course I was, I was merely mourning the death of a friend, in this case summer.

But I'm looking forward to winter, looking forward to the cold. Despite the fact I was born in California, I like winter, and I like snow. I'm an avid snowboarder who takes great pride in the way I've mastered how to fall and look like it was on purpose. This is a fairly large achievement because it's hard to make it look like you meant to lose your balance and slam into the cold hard snow at upwards of twenty miles and hour. But I try.

"So, Andrew you sure you're ready for this triple black diamond?"
"Are you crazy? I heard this thing got a Death Rating of 127% from Ski Magazine. I'd be stupid not to try it."
"Whatever, I just want to make sure you're up for it."
"Of course I am. Did you know my mom used to ski when she was pregnant with me? I practically having skiing in my blood. My blood is ice cold."
"Whoa, that's pretty cool."
"Yeah it kind of is. I should write that down. Where are we again?"
"About halfway up the ski lift."
"Yeah, that seems about right." *looks down at ski slope beneath that runs at a roughly ninety degree angle. "Doesn't look so bad."
"I lost four uncles to this slope, along with breaking my arm last year trying it. Makr my words Andrew, this thing is a monster of a run."
"I could ski this thing in my sleep."
*whoosh as I slide cleanly down the ramp away from the ski lift at the top*
"Okay let's do it."

BAM

"Andrew! Are you okay?! I've never seen anyone wipe out that bad in my life!"
"Are you kidding? I've never seen a snow rabbit that slow in my life!"
"What?"
"You didn't see it. There was a mother snow rabbit with two babies transversing this slope. I wiped out to save them." *friend looks around*
"Where? I don't 'em."
"Well, of course not, they're SNOW rabbits. They blend in to hide from predators."
"Never mind that, are you okay enough to get to the bottom?"
"Sure I am, I'm pretty sure my pelvis is in no more than three pieces. no worries!"

So that is how most of my ski trips go, and let me tell you, I have some kind of fun! You haven't been snowboarding unless you've been snowboarding with me!

But winter isn't all fun and games. The snow and ice that can build up on our New England roads out here can make car travel pretty dangerous. Tons of people wipe out everyday, and even at school, the buses get into snow-related fender benders on occasion. However, the constant atmosphere of pervasive death and the constant danger of a car accident are more than compensated by the never failing humor of the soccer mom who believes that her 4WD will help her brake.

Ok, I've found my rant for the day. People in winter not understanding how a 4WD works. It's actually not that complicated and while my dad happens to be a mechanic by trade, I think the common ground squirrel could probably understand the basics of 4WD. A car moves by turning it's wheels. In most cars the front wheels are turned by the engine. In some, the rear wheels are turned. In a 4WD car, you have the option to connect the engine to all four wheels. this is useful if you're stuck on an icy patch in the road, and need traction on all the wheels. So you enage your 4WD, keep it in low gear, and accelerate away happily down the road. This concept doesn't seem too hard to me, so it always baffles me why year after year, we have people spinning out at stop lights because they're going they're usual fifty miles per hourspped they use in the summer. They live in a state that annually gets a little north of five feet of snow annually, but it always seems to continually surprise them, year after year when winter rolls around. "Wow!" They say to each other on their cellphones while they're driving. "What's all this white stuff everywhere? It's so cold, I think that my Starbucks Cappuchino is freezing. Well, I'd better get in my five hundred ton GMC Yukon and blaze down the road at fifty miles an hour even though I have no where to go. Luckily I hav 4WD which will obviously help me stop, even though I have no idea how the actualy system works!"

That is a common conversation here in the New England, and these people spin out without fail when they slam on thier brakes at a stop light. There are only two thing that'll help a car stop: 1) the type of tires you have and, 2) Surprise! That kind of BRAKES you have. Nowhere does it say that having 4WD automatically makes you unable to have an car accident in the winter, and anyone in the world with even a limited, Lego induced, knowledge of mechanics could tell you why. So it really makes no sense to me that after these people crash into a telephone pole, or more commonly, another car, they angrily slam their hand down on their hood and yell at the policeman, "It's not my fault! I have 4WD! I don't know how this happened!" I've actually seen this happen.

So, even though today was boring, I was able to get a pretty nice post going here.

Until next time...