Snowboarding

Its stranger to say than it is to hear, but I doubt I will again don the wanker planks that are skis. After 1 two hour lesson and an afternoon of boarding - I love it. I love everything about it that I hated about it when I was a skier. I dont care about the crazy dance you have to do in line for a lift, I dont care about sitting down at the top and bottom of every run, I dont care about the near death experience that is getting off of a chairlift.

Its bloody great. The lesson was so worth it, we got 3 lessons, 3 days passes, 3 days kit hire for USD99. Its an awesome bargain. The boots are more comfy, and learning is not that hard. I was very pleased with myself for getting on board so quickly. Alyssa did awesome too, we aced the class and just went on with it from there. I can swap from front to back and back to front without crashing, but only on green runs so far.

Gnarly duude.

Snow Boarding

I will be snowboarding today, with lessons and everything. At Snoqualmie Pass. http://www.summitatsnoqualmie.com
Stay tuned, more details and pics later.

Comments - come on people !!!

Hey, yall, if you read the blog, feel free to leave me a comment for any you blog entry that you like or hate. Go for it and flame me, dont be a loiterer.

Feel free to post an actual entry if you like.

Glen

Road Rage

Mental note: dont road rage against people who have over 20 pro-gun stickers on their ute. Its a pity this photo doesnt show them all clearly, but they were scary. My personal favorites are: Guns cause crime like flys cause garbage, Piss on gun control, life member of the NRA, 2006 national terrorist hunting permit, and of course, the number plate...

Australia Day

Australia day was quiet here. Too quiet. Alyssa, Dave & Ren and I went out (next door) to the Marriott bar to quietly reflect on the passing of an Australian anniversary. There was beer there that was going to go off, so despite it being a school night, I did the right thing and killed a few of them. I did all I could, but I'm just one man. Dave helped, you can see the shock he suffered when the beer finally ran out. What a trooper.
Glen

How 'bout them Seahawks

Well well well. The Seahawks went nuts and won the grand final of the NFL last night against the Carolina Panthers. Pity I dont remember much about the game. It was a flogging I think. Now the Seahwaks are in the Superbowl, in two weeks time. Against the winner of the other conference (there are 2 'leagues') who beat the Denver Broncos. Seattle is going to be a crazy place for a few weeks I think. What's better is that the Seahawks really look like a fair chance of winning the super bowl. It will be a big day for Seattle.

Mt Pilchuck hike

The big My Pilchuck hike got rained out. Bloody rain. We drove all the way up there, only to turn around and drive home. Our spirits were slightly improved by a 5 star breakfast of pancakes (and the works) at IHOP. I wish they had IHOP at home. http://www.ihop.com/ Come hungry -> Leave happy, a great slogan.
Glen

Ambassador Hendry

My buddy from work has 2 young daughters, one of which is in the girl guides. They were having an 'other countries' night, and they asked me if I would consider doing a little presentation on Australia. Since my exchange program is essentially a cultural exchange I thought this was definitely in my charter, and it seemed like a good thing to do. Well the girls were great, and seemed to enjoy my little powerpoint slide with maps and aussie animals and so I am very pleased that I did it. I was a little nervous, but I got the big thumbs up via a big synchronised 'Thankyou Glen' at the end and I felt pretty chuffed. (see pic)

The grand final of the Grid Iron is on this weekend with the New England Patriots versus the mighty Seattle Seahawks. Go Seahwaks!

Glendry

TV makes me sleepy...

We have nearly 100 channels here. Its dangerous for a (temporarily) single man who is trying to get to bed early. Interestingly, even with 100 channels, there is still almost nothing on.

Seattle Rain Record

Seattle is a rainy place. Especially in the winter. Especially if you are from Brisbane. Seattle is currently at its 29th day of consecutive rain, the record being 33, set 50 yrs ago. Yippee.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/01/10/seattle.rain.ap/

Glen

Crystal Skiing complete

Twas a big day. Including a hellish drive and some great snow. We left at 8am, and didnt get ther until 12:30. It was a nightmare. I dont know what was causing the traffic jams, but we crawled for hours as we neared the slopes. Lots of people were turning back. We werent even sure we would be able to ski once we got there based on the numbers. Parking was crazy.

But overall Crystal Mountain was great. Very few beginner runs, so less gumbies, and the snow was simply sensational. Ill let the pics do the talking. It was very cloudy, and very cold, but not too windy, so it meant good conditions for skiing, but not for sight seeing. I really wanted to get a good look at Mt Rainier, but we didnt see it at all.

Glendry

Skiing - Finally

Well I am going skiing today. I am looking forward to it. It is a shame Fiona cant be here as well to ski with me. I am going to Crystal Mountain, 2hrs from here, right next to Mt Rainier. Check web: http://www.skicrystal.com

Ill report back sarvo.

Glen

Petrol

I love buying petrol here, for one, its dirt cheap, which is good coz Im driving all over the country side, and two, I have never once had to go into the shop, its all pay at the pump, and credit cards are ubiquitously accepted at the pump, with quick approval and no signature required. Its sweet. The pumps, also have the throttle lock on them too, so you get set it up, and then get your bum squeezers back in your pockets, coz its usually 3 degrees outside. No wonder credit card theft is an issue here, in many places, you do not need to sign or show id using them, unless the purchase is large.

Bellingham Half Marathon

I decided yesterday to do a Half marathon this weekend, so I found one an hours drive north and did it after too many beers, and not enough sleep last night. Pathetic excuses aside, I struggled. I was really hurting the last 10 kays and my ITB flared, so I was reduced to walking some bits. It was very annoying. During the run, I was trying to think of all sorts of reasons why I was performing so poorly, but I was just out of HM shape, and my body was angry. I suffered badl.y for the last 5 kays, to sneak home under 2hrs. Beautiful course, around a nice lake near Bellingham, Washington. Nice conditions also. At home now, sipping some beer, and watching Sahara, a movie based on a novel by a favorite author of mine.

Fiona & JC arrive home safely

They arrived home in Brisbane 1230h today after long long flight. Good job Fiona, sorry I couldnt be there to help you with JC and bub.

Fiona and Josh gone

The Bellevue apartment will be without a little voice for my final 3 months here. I dropped Fiona and Joshua at the airport just now, and they are up up and away to Souel, then Sydeny, then Brisbane. They are due home Sat 6th at lunchtime, as they lose Friday in timezone magic.

Crookedest Street

We drove down the crookedest st in the world. It was crooked.