Casino Night!

It's the event everyone is talking about: Alison Aiken's big fundraiser to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Here's the deal:

As many readers of this blog (and Alison's fans) already know, Alison has spent the last several months training like a mad-woman for an Olympic distance triathlon -- the Mooseman -- to be held in Bristol, NH in June. She is participating with Team in Training and has pledged to raise $2800 in support of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. While most mortals spent the winter huddled around heaters and woodstoves, Alison has been out getting herself in killer shape and at the same time raising money for cancer research, which, as we all know, continues to claim and affect lives every day. Thank goodness some people like Alison and her TnT teammates are out there doing something about it... thanks to her hard work and the generosity of many people who have already donated, she has raised $1800 so far. Wow.

As a final push to reach her fundraising goal, Alison has announced "Casino Night" at Casa Aiken on Friday, May 21 at 6pm. Tickets are $20. Tickets are good for entry, refreshments, and -- most importantly -- CHIPS! People will furiously participate in different card and dice games -- or, for those who don't like cards or dice -- ping pong! At the end of the evening, an accounting will take place. Those with the most chips at the end win crazy prizes from places like Evolution Physical Therapy and Yoga, PetraCliffs Climbing Center, On the Rise Bakery, Tuscano Cafe Bistro, Stowe Mountain Resort, Sonoma Station, Bolton Valley, Bridge Street Cafe, Al's French Fries, and many more to be announced.

I know what you are thinking. You are asking "How do I get a ticket!" Here's how:
1) Post a comment on this blog or email Alison regarding how many tickets you need.
2) Click here for Alison's TnT fundraising website to purchase your tickets -- $20 per ticket.
3) Tell all your friends!
4) Pick up your tickets, come to Casino Night, retrieve your chips, and start winning!

For now, join the rest of the world in wondering about the big questions: Will Alison pull out her Las Vegas showgirl outfit for the night? Will pit boss Mark rule the tables with an iron fist? Will Oscar the dog leave the refreshments alone? And, of course, the biggest question of all: who will be the big winner???

Contact Alison for questions about Casino Night!

Good News and Bad News

I read an article someplace yesterday with bad news. It was about trash bags.

The good news here is that Alison and I are great about separating -- and reducing -- our garbage. Minimizing what you throw away is cheaper, it's better for the world, and it's just the right thing to do. So, at the moment, we separate out all of our glass, cardboard, paper, plastic, and aluminum. We also compost all of our food wastes. The composting probably makes the biggest impact: every avocado pit, banana peel, and apple core that would go to the dump now decomposes in our compost bin with our grass clippings (don't worry, we make strides to shrink our lawn every year!), leaves, shredded paper, and ashes and helps turn our garden into a fertile place for stuff to grow.

Here's the bad news. The article was about reusable trash bags. As I read, I thought about the trash I do bring to the dump. A small trash bag full probably every other week, I throw it in the dumpster before I drop the much larger crate of recycling stuff in the recycling dumpster. But I know where this is going. Soon I'll be emptying out my reusable trash bag and I'll be left with disgusting trash guck and juice which I'll have to wash out when I get home. Yuck.

Doing the right thing can be messy. And a pain. But we still do it.

Changing Seasons

The seasons are changing. That's right: we have shifted from the season when I play hockey twice a week to the season when I only play once weekly. The next season, coming soon (and known in Vermont as "summer"), is a four-week period when I don't skate at all.

Meanwhile, the changing of the seasons don't always go smoothly, and that was the case this year with the twice-a-week to once-a-week passing. In the middle there were two tournaments during which I played much more than once or twice a week: the Hyde Cup and the Monty.

The Hyde Cup is Stowe's local hockey tourney, held at Stowe's own Jackson Arena. A grueling 8-team affair, the Hyde is about one thing and one thing only: beer. Yes, there was some hockey thrown in there, but teams have to know their strengths, and our team knew ours. And it had nothing to do with moving the puck.

Two weeks later, I found myself 2800 miles west, playing in the Monty -- Whitefish, Montana's version of the Hyde Cup. The Monty was just like the Hyde Cup, with one difference: the Monty is even more about the beer.

For those of you just tuning in, I think you may be starting to figure out what it is about hockey we love so much. Meanwhile, with the Monty and the Hyde behind us, we can welcome in a new season. Happy Spring, everyone!

Training Begins

What's the best way to start training for an event? Talk about starting to train for the event! Or, in my case, write about the event. That's what I have done with my second Tuckerman Inferno, and you can read what I had to say in the latest issue of Vermont Sports magazine (click here).

I've been talking about the Inferno for months now -- and all the training I'm going to do this year. And I actually got quite a jump on the training by bringing my bike up to the house two weeks ago. Did I ride my bike, you ask? Uh, no. But I have definitely thought about it! Anyway, I finally got on the bike; after a 6-mile run with Oscar this morning, I rode on the stationary trainer for 45 minutes. How can I ride for that long without going anywhere, you wonder? Well, I actually went all over the place, including central Mexico, Leadville, Colorado, and to the bottom of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. Okay, I didn't physically go there, but I read about all of them in Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. Yes, Chris G, I'm finally into it. And it's good; I could have biked another hour, it was so good. But I stopped; it was time for pancakes. So, Inferno, Vermont City Marathon, watch out. My training has begun (and, PS, the pancakes were excellent).

Tailpipe, Anyone?

It was 1988. There I was, 17 years-old, driving up Route 7 in Colchester, Vermont in Old Betsy the 1977 red Jeep Wagoneer. On the roadside, was a dark, rusty pipe. "I wonder who lost their tailpipe," I wondered.

Upon closer inspection at home, however, I was alarmed to see that about 6 feet of tailpipe had rusted off of Betsy. The tailpipe was mine.

Fast forward 22 years. I am driving to the Dump with my dog. Over the sound of the radio, I hear a rattle -- the distinct sound of metal on asphalt. I pull over, and what is hanging off the truck? You guessed it!

Have I gone nowhere? Is there no escape? Will I forever be breaking down on roadsides, jump-starting my vehicles, and picking up car parts from curbs and shoulders? All I want is a little automotive stability in my life. And I really don't think that's asking so much.

Aiken Reaches Podium in "Lord of the Boards" Contest

Mark Aiken brought home silver, placing second in the first-ever Stowe Ski & Ride School "Lord of the Boards" contest. The LOB, held in conjunction with the annual Ski & Ride School fun race, is a grueling 3-part event, combining times of 3 runs in a giant slalom course on snowboard, alpine skis, and telemark skis.

"It was a thrill," said an ecstatic Aiken, between sips of a replenishing fluid (aka a 16-ounce Pabst Blue Ribbon), "just to be a part of the inaugural event." In fact, the event seems sure to gain momentum in years to come. Ski School Director Dave Merriam was heard discussing plans for a Lord of the Boards trophy -- to contain ski, telemark, and snowboard parts. The prize is sure to be highly coveted -- right up there with the Stanley Cup and the Ski Bum Bowl -- in the future.

Regarding this year's second-place finish, Aiken seemed to downplay the fact that there were just two contestants. The big winner -- 2010's Lord of the Board -- was snowboarder Frank Wilcox, who was seen practicing his telemark turns on Gondolier prior to the event (and who put up surprisingly strong numbers in his ski runs). Analysts close to the event (and believe me the event was full of analysis... and trash talk) agreed that the keys to the contest are having a strong ski run, a strong snowboard run, and a strong telemark. The level of brain-power surrounding the event was as astounding as the skills and technique demonstrated by this year's field.

As for Aiken, he will certainly spend his off-season training harder than ever for 2011's LOB.

Aspiring Photographer

Perry White [thanks for the correction, Sue] told Jimmy Olson, "A photographer always has his camera. A photographer eats with his camera. He sleeps with his camera."

I have been brushing up on my photography skills. For some, this might mean taking a class or maybe reading up about exposure, apperture, or shutter speed. Not me. I am mainly just working on the same thing as Jimmy Olson -- namely, having my camera with me when a photo opportunity presents itself.

Like today, for example. Alison, Oscar, and I went on another backcountry ski. All of a sudden we were in a cave of snow-covered tree-branches -- crystals glistening and occasional beams of sunlight coming through. It was other-worldly; Alison called it a tomb of blue and white (to keep the comic motif going, it was very much like Superman's Fortress of Solitude). I reached into my pack for the camera. But it wasn't there. That's right, I remembered, the camera battery had been dead that morning, so I left it home on the charger.

Yesterday, however, I was ready. One moment I was looking at a cloud (left), when, suddenly, the mountain emerged. And I was there with the camera to capture it. See, not so bad! In fact, I am such the photographer now, check out my next move. I had the perfect "couple's shot" -- Alison and me in front of the mountain! I could just hold the camera in front of us and snap the perfect shot. Beautiful!

Well, I guess there's no need to pat me on the back prematurely. The following are my attempts at self-portraits with a backdrop of Camel's Hump.


















I guess I'll keep practicing.