Christmas Commercialism

Sometimes I get bummed out about the heavy commercialism of Christmas in the states.

Nice Guys

My brother has had a bit of success in some little races in Europe. Not a big deal, but I thought I would bring some attention to it because there isn't much media covering these races. I came across this article and I thought it was pretty cool and I wanted to share. Here is an excerpt and a link to the full article...

"Where's the nationalistic fervor? Where's the good old jingoistic hatred? Where's the irrational distrust for your fellow man?
Part of the joy and feel-good vibe on the World Cup these days is the fact that the typically dominant bullying Austrians are sucking wind. Eleven races without an Austrian victory is like a month without taxes. Who's not going to enjoy that?

But, truthfully, these are three gentlemen who have always competed the right way. And finally, the nice guys are finishing first."

http://wcsn.com/article/news.jsp?ymd=20061218&content_id=16192&vkey=skiing_news&id=34032&dpre=

And here is a rad picture of us. Rad.
Good on yah Steve(n). Love you dood.

Co2 Chart

click to enlarge and read away...

movie + book + movie

Last night I had a movie viewing duo. An Inconvenient Truth and Ir77 were the two. It was a viewing that started out with a bunch of downers to turn around and watch some uppers. I've seen both before, but it really struck a chord with me last night. Watching a movie about global warming and putting it into a very very real perspective that gets you pretty bummed out on the situation, then watching a film about the anticipation, dedication, stories, pain and exhilaration of the industry that I am directly involved in and basing my life around. They are both super real and important to me especially because they apply so directly. So I suggest taking a look and learning...especially about contributing to fixing the problem so many of us are ignorantly part of.
www.climatecrisis.net - learn a bit about what you can do.
www.ir77book.com - some insight into the emotions of someone trying to make it in the snow industry.

Sleep walking in your real life and wake walking in your dream life.

This is one of my favorite movies. Its kind of heavy, but it has some interesting philosophy in it. I suggest taking a view or a listen, because it can be a little hard on the eyes.

Kendama

A kendama (けん玉 or 剣玉 or 拳玉) is a Japanese toy that consists of a hammer-like object with a ball connected to it by a string. The ball has a hole in it, and it rests on a spike on the top of the kendama. The two sides of the "hammer" are concave and the object is to throw the ball upwards and land it on one of the concave parts of the "hammer".

JP's got some gnarly tricks up his sleeve.

Tiramisu

Last night we went grocery shopping. Tyler made burritos for everyone, then Elina made dessert. It was delicious. I just had a serving of it today, still delicious. Thought I would share the recipe and some history for everyone to enjoy. I'm not too sure of her specific ingredients/instructions, but this should do justice. Good luck...



Tiramisu. Pronounced tih-ruh-mee-SOO. Literally translated it means "pick me up" or "carry me up". It is an Italian dessert invented in the 1960's at the El Touga restaurant in Treviso, Italy. The classic version is composed of a sponge cake or ladyfingers that are dipped or soaked in a mixture of coffee (espresso) and alcohol (rum or brandy). The next layer is typically a Zabaglione (Zabaione) (pronounced zah-bahl-YOH-nay) combined with mascarpone cheese. Zabaglione is a light, airy wine custard made by whipping egg yolks, sugar and sweet Marsala wine over a water bath. Grated chocolate is then sprinkled over the Zabaglione, followed by a layer of softly whipped cream. The layers are often repeated which is why it is oftentimes called an Italian Trifle.

Note: Mascarpone pronounced mas-kahr-POH-nay is a soft unripened cheese that belongs to the cream cheese family. It comes from Switzerland and Italy and is a thick, buttery-rich, sweet and velvety, ivory-colored cheese produced from cow's milk that has the texture of clotted or sour cream. It delicate and mild flavor is great with fresh fruit and is probably best known for its use in Tiramisu. Produced mainly in the fall and winter it is sold in plastic 8 ounce tubs and can be found in specialty food stores and in the deli section of some grocery stores.

Coffee Mixture:
In a small measuring cup, combine the coffee (espresso), sugar, and rum. Set aside.

Whipped Cream Topping:
In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the whipping cream, mascarpone, sugar, and vanilla extract until soft peaks form.

Ladyfingers:
20 - 3 inch (7.5 cm) homemade Ladyfingers or 8 Savoiardi ladyfingers

Coffee Mixture:
1/2 cup (120 ml) very strong brewed espresso or coffee
1/2 tablespoon (6 grams) granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum or brandy

Whipped Cream Topping:
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup mascarpone
1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Topping:
1 ounce (30 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Cocoa Powder for Garnishing (optional)

To Assemble:
You will need 4 - 1 cup (240 ml) long stem wine glasses.
Have ready the ladyfingers, coffee mixture, cream mixture, and chopped chocolate.
For the bottom layer you will need 2 1/2 ladyfingers for each glass. Cut or break the ladyfingers in half. Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee mixture and place 5 ladyfinger halves in the bottom of each glass. Next, in each glass, place 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture and then 1 teaspoon of chopped chocolate. Repeat the whole process, putting 5 ladyfinger halves, followed by the cream mixture, and finishing with the chopped chocolate. Cover the 4 glasses with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for several hours, or even overnight. Just before serving dust with cocoa powder, if desired.

Makes 4 - 1 cup servings.

Made it.

Here are the words of the day from dictionary.com for the past few days. I think they are somewhat applicable to my past few day experiences; lay overs, missed flights, people watching, a lot of thinking, noise making, blah blah blah...

Friday December 8, 2006
interstice \in-TUR-stuhs\, noun;
plural interstices \in-TUR-stuh-seez; -suhz\:
1. A space between things or parts, especially a space between things closely set; a narrow chink; a crack; a crevice; an interval.
2. An interval of time.
Saturday December 9, 2006
Argus-eyed \AR-guhs-ide\, adjective:
Extremely observant; watchful; sharp-sighted.
Sunday December 10, 2006
syncretic \sin-KRET-ik; sing-\, adjective:
Uniting and blending together different systems, as of philosophy, morals, or religion.

I'm posting a lot on the Surface blog. If you're looking for some reading material, go right ahead...
www.thesurfacelab.blogspot.com

Viva Lost Vegas

Nothing like a four hour layover in the worlds most commecialized city. Advertisements everywhere, Christmas music playing soothly to boost everyones moral, but with a faint additive from the slot machines. High priced, low quality food and other various products.
But travelling sure is fun!!!!!!!!!!!!
Merry Christmas or can I not say that without someone getting offended? How about happy holidays...

COLOkindofRADO

Photo collage of the 50 hour trip we took to Colorado. Highlights include:

- 3rd Place World Cup Podium by Estaban Nyman!
- Good friends
- Cheek full of sunflower seeds
- Beaver Lickers
- High Speed Police Pursuits
- El Banditos
- Southern Utah via 85mph

+ more!! Take a gander at the chronological collage...