The Ultimate P Can Ski...

...well sort of.

Last weekend I went downhill skiing for the first time at Stevens Pass. It was a lot of fun but not nearly as easy as it might look. I took a 2-hour lesson to get me going. I had no problem staying on my skis until I tried to turn or stop. Then I became intimately familiar with the snow. I left the mountain frustrated with a bruised ego and sore hips.

I returned to Stevens Pass this weekend for another attempt. All week long I thought about focusing on the technical aspects of turns and stops and it paid off. I was able to make it down the green run several times without falling. Then I tried a blue run which was quite a bit more steep. I felt pretty good but I don't yet have the muscle control or endurance to successfully control myself. At least not at that moment. I fell quite a few times but I believe I would have done much better had my legs been fresh. I ended the day with another lesson and a run down the green run. I was very happy with my progress after just one week. No bruises. Just worn out legs.

I will get another shot this weekend when me, Rebecca, and a group of friends make our way to Sun Peaks BC for a long weekend skiing. I am eager to try the blue runs and gain more confidence in my ability. I need to work on a few technical issues I have but knowing what I need to do is half the battle, right? Stay tuned for a report...

Volunteering: One Year Anniversary

Roughly a year ago I decided to do a few small things with the hopes of making a difference in someones' lives. One of which was joining the Snohomish County Big Brother Big Sister organization. In the last year I have become great friends with a really cool 11-year old. We get together once or twice a month just to hang out and have some fun. Some of the things we have done together include Mariner baseball games, frisbee golf, going to movies, hanging out at the beach, playing Nintendo Wii, and Boeing's Family Day. Today we met up for lunch and went to the Harlem Globetotters and had a lot of fun.

Another volunteer activity I've been enjoying is the Boeing After School program. It's part of the Alliance for Better Schools where the goal is to improve students achievement in school. The Boeing program focuses on math and science for elementary and middle school students. The idea is to generate interest in these subjects which can lead to rewarding careers. It's tons of fun. Once a week, myself and another volunteer go to a local elementary school and challenge the classroom to come up with solutions to various design requirements. The students learn how to work together in small teams, test their designs and record results, and think critically about some simple scientific principles. The first session in which I participated was about gliders and trebuchets. The second was about light. And the session I am in right now is on balloon-powered cars. It's a great feeling to see the teams come up with a totally unexpected design that works better than expected. There are some really smart kids out there.

I highly recommend finding some way to volunteer in your community. It's a great way to give back just a little bit and it comes with great rewards.

Sweet!

This video is so happy....

"Australia" by The Shins

Quite possibly the best drum duet ever...

Just in case you are in the mood for a killer drum duet...

Fired Up, Ready To Go

Written by Seattle-area musicians the Bergevin Brothers, and featuring Reverend Pat Wright and her renowned Total Experience Gospel Choir. Joe Bergevin watched Senator Barack Obama tell a story about one person, Edith Childs, who energized others with a "fired up, ready to go," chant at one of his campaign stops. Inspired by Obama's "One voice can change the world" speech, Joe wrote some lyrics and rough chords then called his brother Jon to help him compose and arrange the song. They named it after Edith's chant. After many phone calls, emails, and sleepless nights, they had assembled the team. Ten days later an epic recording was born with the intention of spreading Obama's hopeful message. Contributors include lead singer Reverend Pat Wright and her renowned Total Experience Gospel Choir, drummer Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam, lead singer Jake Bergevin, other top studio musicians, sound engineers, video teams, photographers, caterers, local news teams and a renovated theater with recording studio.

Washington caucus

So I went to caucus today and it was a great experience. The district I am in had incredible turnout. It was held in a local high school and the auditorium was packed. There were 3 delegates at stake from my precinct and there were 6 people that were present to decide their fate. It was really cool to be part of the process. Of the 6 of us, we represented different perspectives. One person was a former Bush supporter who was concerned about working well with the other elements of government, one was very concerned about health care, and one was focused on regaining global support. I supported Senator Obama because I believe that for anything positive to happen in Washington DC, we must do away with the influence of lobbyists and special interest groups. Obama advocates removing that influence and making government more transparent. He also has a strong track record of working bringing people together to accomplish common goals.

One of Washington's senators, Maria Cantwell, was there and actually spent about 10 minutes talking to the 6 of us. She's really cool. Anyway, of the 6 of us, 5 supported Barack Obama and 1 supported Hillary Clinton. This translated into 2 delegates to Obama, 1 to Clinton. Early reports indicates that Obama is doing very well in Washington state. Go Obama!

Yes we can