With school not starting for a few more days, I decided to take a ski adventure into the mountains.  The plan was to drive up FR 517 until the snow stopped the truck and skin from there.  Also part of the plan was to build a snow shelter, camp for the night, skin up some more and enjoy the views before heading back to the truck.  A cheap fix to the swelling cabin fever of the Christmas break.  A combination of bad sleep, poor decisions, and deeper than expected snow resulted in a day trip of just a few hours of skiing.  Not exactly the plans I had  envisioned when scouring topo maps and the weather forecast.  Even though it was an abbreviated adventure thanks to the culmination of calamities the fresh air, silence, and spitting snow over the vast landscape provided perspective .  Along with my ski tracks were those of fox, rabbit, deer, elk, and presumably chasing them all wolves.  The harshness of winter gives the landscape a new slate that shows the activity of the forest.  A story that says out here I am alone.  Just a visitor passing through who should enjoy what’s here before the falling snow starts the story over.

At the expense of throwing the defibrillator at this blog (see last post) I have to say that 7am MST is way too early to be using a plunger.  A Folgers induced Vesuvius rocked the early morning silence on my block.  It’s just as well though, I couldn’t sleep in.

I had dreams of wolves and bears.  The last thing I remember in my dream was wrestling with a pack of wolves in a snow storm, kill me now.  I don’t know who would of won and that’s probably best.  In the nights prior to leaving town I didn’t have dreams.  They were restless nights of tossing and turning, stressing and wondering.  Today, I woke up refreshed, and after the Folgers ran it’s course faster than Usain Bolt, much more refreshed.  Yesterday I woke up at a mountain lake with the brisk wind and snow slapping my face.  No worries, no schedule.  Just fishing and exploring on the agenda.

The outdoors impress a feeling of obligation to keep going and exploring.  There’s the guilt of possibly missing something around the next bend or over the next ridge.  At some point though, nature always wins.  You have to head back appreciating what you were able to see and postulate the wonders of what lies beyond.  Hoping you’ll be fortunate enough to make it back and put in another round.

I headed back after exploring what I was able to explore.  Joyous and refreshed, it was time to head back to the hollow concrete canyons .  Like an alcoholic and Jim Beam, this cocktail of fresh air and solitude will hold me over, for a while.  Rolling back down the highway with my windows down the 5.2 cruised at almost 90 mph as I was distracted by the peaks around me and singing along to Johnny Cougar.  I’ll sleep good tonight, I thought.

Link to a few Pics…caution may be NSFW…that is if you’re stuffed in a cubicle somewhere.

1: Senate seeks a Compromise on Financial Reform Bill
The article includes a picture of Obama giving a speech with arms outstretched.  The imagery gives the impression that safety rests under the wings of Barry.  That, with the needed change comes hope…or some bullshit like that.  Anyway, the article addresses the “need” for sweeping financial reform so we “never” have another financial meltdown.  You have to love reform.  How can we forget the recent health care reform bill.  The one that was supposed to extend coverage to millions AND save money..wait, whats this..it will COST more…good thing we find that out AFTER it is passed.  It further goes on to declare the need for a new agency to protect consumers in the marketplace.  Oh another agency!  This is fantastic…(See headline 3) Other statements in the article say that “we need to reign in Wall St. risky practices.”  Correct me if I’m wrong here but the majority of the financial crisis was created by defaults on subprime mortgages.  Those mortgages were urged by Congress, so everyone had the “right” to home ownership.  Makes about as much sense as taking a dook in my front yard.

2) Goldman, White House ties raise eyebrows
So Goldman is shackin’ up at the the White House…Gee I am shocked.  These “Wall St. Fatcats” who need to be reigned in to avoid another financial crisis, donated about a million bucks to Obamas 08 Presidential run.  Then while under investigation from the SEC, their CEO visited the White House numerous times.  SEC..we’ll cover those guys in headline 3, where they’re on top of their game.

3) SEC Workers Were Watching Porn as Economy Tanked
In their defense, it probably is more exciting watching a wobbly H than plummeting stock charts.  I digress, back to the main point of the current financial reform push.  The Administration is saying we need more oversight, so we don’t have another financial crisis.  I can see it now…the SEC offices don’t have cubicles but coin operated booths where they put in gold coins (tax payer $) and the curtain raises to show pole dancers holding top financial firms latest earnings reports.  As the SEC execs sit in the shadows smoking stogies they contemplate the risks of these fat cats.  The curtain closes as the timer runs out.  Question, if Goldman was in bed with the White House, would the SEC watch?  Maybe if they got to 2nd base on a webcam.  This is a system that I have confidence won’t let another meltdown happen. (sarcasm)

4) B of A wants to let jobless skip house payments
Because we simply cannot let those people miss a payment.  I mean times are tough.  So tough in fact that Uncle Sam has extended benefits to 99 weeks by extending payroll taxes.  The incentives to be unemployed are starting to outweigh the pros of being employed.  I should just buy an Xbox and get fired, life would be great.  And what does BofA have to fear, if they run out of money, I’m sure Uncle Sam would be glad to step in with an IOU.

So since I believe everything I read I can only conclude that we need more financial reform and agency oversight  so we can have more agencies who watch porn and more corporations who are in bed with politicians.  And just in case a company does something where they will lose revenue, Uncle Sam will be there like a nurturing mother because they are “too big to fail.”   Actually it seems the problem more lies with Washington.  Can I get a hell yeah for lobbyist, politician reform?

If you’re reading this I know two things.  1) You should cancel your internet service if you’re reading crap like this, and 2) you weren’t with me on the ride so you probably don’t care.  To me though it’s these memorable moments to myself that shift the whiskers and skin flakes on my face to form a genuine smile.  A smile of appreciation for my place at that time.  I know some of this may sound more lame than charging processing fees on your kids allowance, but I don’t care, it was a couple of hours that really put a smile on my face.