Dobish's Blog

2010-11-15T20:59:00.001-08:00

Ski Season is here, or so it seems

2010-10-29T22:45:00.000-07:00

This is a song for my friend buzz, sung by some of our friends... we miss you buzz.

2010-10-20T22:35:00.001-07:00

For my friend Buzz, who will be missed.

2010-06-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Buzz, you shall forever be missed. you are an inspiration to us all, and every day you make people realize how lucky they are to be alive. I wish I could have thanked you more for all you have done for me. I was one day late with the text I wanted to send you, and I drove by your house just one too many times and said... i should stop in and say hi to buzz. I know you would have stopped what you were doing to hang out with me and catch up. You lived life to the fullest, and you encouraged everyone to do the same. your smile is contagious, and your laughter a true song. Your zest to make life better for everyone is unparalleled, and your couldn't drown out your kindness with the entire ocean.

Even in death, you have helped people realize how important they are to each other, and how important being a part of the community is. You bring people together to celebrate life, and to make sure that we are all still enjoying ourselves here on earth. You are up in heaven, skiing neck deep in clouds of powder with your gang up there, and we will miss you. We will think about you on those epic ski days, and we will think about you on cruiser rides in the rain. We will think about you on sunny days at GCB, and the days with the worst weather we can imagine, we will be thinking of you and enjoying our lives. You have instilled that in us, and we thank you.

Thank you buzz, for all have done. As I type this I am crying, and I don't know why. you wouldn't want me to cry. you would want me to be enjoying myself and celebrating the time we did spend together.

You would want me to be telling people about the day you gave me the mad max mobile at GCB, or the day we had 7 dogs, fajitas, and tried to teach Carin how to play poker. You would want me to go ride around town on the jewzer and go ski powder at the basin. You would want me to go give everyone a hug, and invite people over for tequila shots. You would want me to go live life as you did, filled to the max with joy. You shall always be my friend buzz, and you shall always be an inspiration.

Cancer sucks. Real bad.

Backcountry Coalition

2010-05-19T23:42:00.000-07:00

So a couple of friends and I are obviously backcountry skiers, and we also work in the retail world. There are a lot of people out there that want to get out and go backcountry skiing, but there are also a lot of people out there that do not want to have to sort through a lot of guidebooks and other stuff, so we decided to start a website designated to being a user based online guidebook for backcountry skiers, in an effort to keep people safer as well as provide information so people can have fun trips.

well, we started www.backcountrycoalition.com which is exactly that. It is a way for people to find out some data about the routes you want to go ski, as well as have people post comments and other information about the area. Anyone can sign up, and if you have something to participate, please feel free to do so!

Right now the site is in its infancy, but there is a lot of potential for there to be a lot of good stuff!

Sign up and Enjoy!

Florida Trip.... 2010

2010-05-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures from my last trip to florida!

Melting..... I felt like i was

2010-05-05T00:07:00.001-07:00

I was down on the beach in florida this past weekend. I love the ocean, and love the sand. I hate the heat. i wish that I could have been not 93º at all times. I did get some sun, and i went swimming, and it was a good time.

Overall it was a good time, but i was missing out on 3 feet of fresh snow at Vail Pass.... It is kind of a tossup, because i got to hang out with my wonderful girlfriend on the beach, in a fantastic setup.... but it was almost so hot that we didn't want to do anything.

we did eat some sandwiches, play in the ocean, eat some more, dance the night away, and enjoy some fantastic sunsets....

i think i will allow it. Next time though, can someone turn down the heat?

15 minutes of fame

2010-04-09T21:50:00.000-07:00

So they say that everyone gets 15 minutes of fame.... well. Today was my day, or at least my dog's day. I submitted a picture of him a while ago to www.cuteoverload.com as a joke, and today I noticed that i was getting a bunch of traffic to the blog from there. Sure enough, they chose to have Rally's Picture on the site....

Here is the link to his page CuteOverload.com. I hope you enjoy!

Rally is a pretty awesome dog, who loves to play in the snow. I thought it was appropriate to have him all dressed up to go play...

here are a couple more pictures of him....

Passover

2010-04-03T18:38:00.001-07:00

Passover makes eating sandwiches difficult. Riding bikes is fun.

Chopping wood is good exercise... i split a lot of wood today..... it was fun.

also, i rode bikes today. tomorrow i will ski...

Alaska Trip 2010

2010-03-29T10:18:00.001-07:00

I had an opportunity to go to alaska for a ski trip, and I took that opportunity. We skied 5 days in a row, I ran into some friends from Golden, and shared a plane with someone I knew. I also got harrassed because I used the wrong names of a couple of places, but it was ok because we skied a lot of powder. You know that feeling where your legs are burning, you are exhausted, but still have a big grin on your face? That is what it was like every day I was up here. I am actually off to go ski one more day, but i wanted to put up some of the pictures from the last couple of days! We skied at Turnagain Pass, Kenai Peninsula, Alyeska, and back to turnagain. Today we are headed to the front range...

Enjoy

Loveland Ski Area

2010-03-22T19:08:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos of skiing at loveland resort the other day. it sure was cold, but it was also really sunny out. found some good snow and there were some good laughs...

Devil's Backbone 3-13-10

2010-03-15T21:07:00.001-07:00

Bike Riding is fun... especially when it is 60 degrees, sunny, and the snow is terrible. Also, bike riding is fun when you bring food and water, which I normally do not do...

Here are some pictures of our trip up to the Devil's Backbone just south of Fort Collins, CO...

Boy's Regular Please

2010-03-10T15:04:00.001-08:00

Remember when you used to go down to the barber shop every couple of months and get your hair cut by Frankie? I do... and no matter what I wanted done with my hair (i always wanted it spiked... ) I always got the same thing... boys regular. Boys regular completely disregards any kind of styling, and even neglects to confront cowlicks, wavy heads, or natural parts.

Boys regular meant that it was a little shorter on the sides, parted down the side, and combed over so that your cowlick would stick up. Every barber had one, no matter what his name was.... I'm pretty sure you got boys regular until you went into the armed forces or something...

well, i took my dog to get a haircut the other day, and I said, can you leave it a little longer on top, so it covers his eyes a little bit? He doesn't like the really bright lights... well. this is what a got.

A boy's regular. but for my dog.

Mountain Biking in Pueblo, CO 3-6-10

2010-03-08T21:26:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of mountain biking in pueblo last weekend...

not only was it the first ride of the season, it was also a great day to eat 7 donuts, and an ice coffee (5 of the donuts and the iced coffee were from my favorite place, Dunkin Donuts!)

Riding Bikes and Calorie Intake

2010-03-06T22:08:00.000-08:00

I rode my bike today down in Pueblo... it was 65 degrees, and fantastic. i also ate 7 donuts, and an iced coffee, and only think i took in about 2500 calories....

i also ate 10 chicken nuggets and some fries, but it was a great day to ride bikes and hang out with friends. We talked trash unto each other, rode some pretty technical stuff, and got some good photos which I will put up soon. I got called a dork a lot because of my love for dunkin donuts, my matching orange pedals, and my sandwich blog, but that is okay. I wish my dog could have come, but I think he would have been a little warm....

pretty soon he gets a haircut, which is always exciting. That normally means that is is about time to snow again! Hopefully this year it will happen that way as well, since I really haven't been doing a lot of skiing!

well, I am tired from visiting with Terrence, getting up early, eating way too much sugar, riding bikes, and my general business that i had today! check back soon for pictures!

A new blog

2010-02-11T22:52:00.000-08:00

I started a new blog, purely about sandwiches... i was inspired by a fellow sandwich eater, and my favorite sandwich shop, D'Deli in downtown Golden, CO, who has my favorite types of sandwiches; the ones i want to eat!

I will continue to use this blog to talk about skiing, trying to sell people's gear (i have some 27 tornado's for sale), as well as some other fun topics and trivia. i will probably use this one to vent and express my frustrations, but if you want some good recipes, please check out splitloaves.wordpress.com and see what I can come up with to eat.

Carnival Tricks

2010-01-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

I should have been one of those people who guesses other people's weight at the carnival. I was sitting on the subway the other day, trying to size people up and i seemed to be pretty much right on. I asked a couple of people if i was right, and i got some very strange looks.

I did however find that if i phrased my questions appropriately, it came across as not as akward or bizarre. When i asked people outright what they weighed, they were either offended or looked at me like I was nuts. When i suggested that they looked like someone I knew, or was trying to purchase a gift for, they were more willing to share their weight with me.

the outcome of this venture was that I figured out I could probably take out about 30% of the people that I asked in a wrestling match :)

Sandwich VS Burrito

2010-01-17T23:14:00.000-08:00

In a battle which would win,
since burritos do not have arms to pin?
Would a burrito wrapped tight
put up a good fight?
or would the sandwich
turn into a manwich?

What is the best way to settle this battle?
Would it be with two cowboys in the saddle
or with a kayak and a paddle?
If you don't want to know, then ski-daddle!

I like fresh veggies,
i don't like wedgies.
I like the lettuce, so crisp and pleasant,
but burritos are favorites of my tenant.

The trick for sandwiches is the bread,
and what goes on in your head,
when you add the dressings, the insides,
and whatever else you devise.

I think in a rumble,
the sandwich would tumble,
but my stomach would grumble,
if neither did win.

Burritos are wrapped up all nice,
and have the right amount of spice,
but there is always something messy,
about the last bite.

Sandwiches stay consistent, unless you suck at making them.

which i don't.

Soup, Sandwiches and Skiing

2010-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

1 of these is not like the other. Or are they all the same? They all begin with S, they are all things that bring me energy, and they are all things I can accomplish in a day. Sometimes I eat sandwiches while I ski, and sometimes I eat soup while I ski, and sometimes I eat soup and sandwiches and dont ski.

We went out for a tour on Saturday up at Berthoud Pass, and the weather was perfect. In the 30's bluebird, and the snow was decent. We started out a little slow, dealing with some of the traffic and what not from other ski areas, but we had fun. We sat at the top of the climb and busted out the jetboil and boiled up some soup for the ramen, pad thai, and other such yummies. Spinach wraps, chocolates, etc. it was like we were going on a picnic, not going skiing.

But all good things must come to an end, so we packed up our bags, put on our skis, and took some photos, which will be posted below. All in all, it was a great day of skiing with friends.... oh wait, we did play around in some avalanche debris, which was interesting to see what the layers were doing. Some pretty big slides, started by skiers, as well as a bunch of natural avy slides. Please people, if you are going to do stupid things, don't do them near me. I don't like having to ski along and then suddenly start thinking that you might be buried under the snow below me.... be smart, not stupid.

Sandwiches are pretty awesome... so are burritos, but in a battle, i think that a sandwich could take it... but that might be for a different blog post.

Tokens.... not the subway type

2009-12-24T22:33:00.000-08:00

So Everyone knows a Token. On South Park they brought it out into the open, and at the dinner that I was at tonight, I am known as Token by the 3 year old girl that is there. The token is the one that is there for ceremony. In my case, because I am more of an orphan in this world of colorado, and I am a jew, I get to enjoy the festivities of Christmas with other people's families. Every year for the past 3 years, I have been going to my friend Jay's sister's house. They live up the street from me, but this year, Jay and his Fiance bought a house, and we all trekked up there. I loaded up the dog, a stuffed christmas tree, and my appetite and prepared myself to be Philipino.

Now this is a tradition that I can look forward to. There really is nothing very religious, or even Filipino about this dinner, but I love to tell people that on Christmas, I get to be Philipino.

You may have noticed that there are 2 different spellings here. I am told that because I was not born Filipino, that I have to spell it with the PH...... i like to humor people. But Jay and Ingrid and Grace and Jerry, and their little daughter Sophia are very much like my family on christmas.... they even get me a present, and cook me food, and offer up beverages. This year the dog came, and he very much enjoyed all of the attention.

Normally the holiday season annoys me, because after so many years of working retail, it gets old really quick having to listen to Holiday songs, carols, and customers that never seem to understand that we cannot stock everything in every size all of the time. Why don't they do their holiday shopping in August when we get this stuff in? But it really was not that bad this year. I only was tortured with rudolph a couple of times, and that was for a few brief moments at the grocery store and while doing some quick shopping. I did go to a holiday party where the cops showed up because there were about 50 people belting out carrols at the top of our lungs, but nobody seemed to know the words... that was a good time.

Well, I think that is it for me tonight. I hope you all have a happy and healthy holiday and you are safe out there. Enjoy the time with your friends, your family, and your friends' families. Take a little time to think about what Christmas means to you, because it is definitely not about the presents. Even as a Jew who isn't into the religious aspect, and a salesperson for a retail shop who isn't into overly blatant consumerism, I am still able to know that this is a holiday where you get to enjoy the time you have with your family. With that being said, Merry Christmas, and Happy holidays.

ps. I think it is a little odd that I did not post about Chanukkah, which was last week. I was too busy working and selling stuff to people who were buying Christmas presents :)

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T21:43:00.001-08:00

i like turkey. i like cranberry sauce. i am grateful for thanksgiving, and all that I have good in my life.

Every year our family gets together and causes some trouble, plays some beer pong, and drinks ourselves silly. Normally there are a lot of people a lot of plates of food, and what some may think is waaaaay to many dinner rolls. I am of the opinion that there are never too many dinner rolls. My favorite part about thanksgiving besides hanging out and beating my mom and aunt in beer pong is the after dinner turkey sandwiches. Dinner rolls cut in half, 1 piece of lettuce, and some leftover turkeys. Even after eating about 1lb of turkey and 2 lbs of potatos and about 12 cookies, i am normally good for about 6 or 7 of Howie's after dinner sandwiches.

Mean Steve (who is not really mean) will drink his grolsch beer and will probably pinch people who are causing trouble, but then he will go around with a video camera and ask everyone what they are thankful for. Some people say turkey, others say family. A few will say the booze that we are drinking, and others will be thankful for their newborns or their puppies or their girlfriends or new wives or husbands.

I am not quite sure what I will have as a response this year, but if I beat my mom in beer pong, I will surely be thankful for that.

for your enjoyment, here are a couple of photos of previous year's thanksgivings...

2009-11-20T06:51:00.001-08:00

It is a little bit late, but here are some pictures of the ski season kickoff party... I was waiting until I was actually skiing, and now I have been a couple of times. i realized I should have gone earlier. My legs didn't even hurt, and it was great to see a lot of the crew out and about. Enjoy some pictures, and I will see you out on the slopes!

What I think about ski season

2009-10-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

So I was asked to write about something related to the sport of skiing... this is what I came up with:

Bzzzztt. Bzzzzzt. Bzzzzt. It is not so much of a sound, but a small vibration in the car door. It causes you to stir every couple of minutes, but your mind doesn't comprehend what is going on. You slowly fade out of consciousness for what seems like an eternity. Suddenly, you hear a sharp, high pitched tapping noise that rattles you out of your daze, only to enter a world of confusion. You are in a cocoon, tightly wrapped by the warmth surrounding you, while you can feel the brisk air trying to sneak in; your nose is exposed. Eyes opening ever so slowly again, as you peer out of your dark solitary confinement. Shadows appear before you, but everything is fuzzy and bright. Sunlight reflecting off of a million different facets.

Tap. Tap tap tap. Tap tap. Tap. A muffled voice in the background. You mumble something inaudible that even in your head sounds odd. The time has come, you must make your move. As you start to stir, your vision gets clearer. You see the shining facets of ice crystals, you feel the frigid air rushing around you as you stretch and move your snuggled limbs. Finally, your hand emerges from your cocoon to be greeted by a rush of cold air and the scraping of those crystals. Shaved ice cascades down onto your face; cold and crisp. The light is brighter and the source of the tapping becomes clearer, just in time to hear it one more time.

Tap tap tap. Tap tap. Tap. The inaudible voice becomes clearer as your mind focuses. “Its time to get up man, its a powder day.” Your murmurs under your breath go on unheard as the source of the tapping moves on down the line. You can hear the sound of tapping coming from further away, as you lay there trying to guess what time it is and how much snow is actually out there. From the scrapings your fingernails have made on the glass, it is almost impossible to distinguish the amount of pure fluffy goodness there is out there. It could be an inch, or it could be a foot. Either way, your alarm told you it was a powder day.

The noise around you becomes louder as cars drive by, people are shouting from car to car, and the stereo next door to you starts to play a little bob marley. You wonder why nobody ever blasts vivaldi or choplin at this hour of the morning? The steady beats coming out of the subwoofer thump as you get dressed, layer after layer; you bundle up expecting the worst. The ice buildup on the inside of the window leads you to believe you have slept well, breathing in and out consistently enough to create a crystal fortress on the inside of your car. You take a deep breath as you gently push open the door and recoil from the falling flakes as they swirl about and end up in your lap. You know they won't hurt. They will barely be felt as you step out of the back of the car, blending into the outside world, where people are moving and talking and getting ready for another day. You wonder where their energy comes from. Some people are just morning people. Some people are not.

You reach for the sky... BIIIIIIIG Streeeeetch. You stare absently into space, dreaming of what the day will come. When you first heard the tapping and the knocking, you were tempted to ignore it all. Now that you have seen the outside world after emerging from your cocoon, you are energized. You draw from the energy of the people surrounding you. Bob rocks on, as further down the line some new rapper makes his debut in the parking area, blending ever so well with the skynard and the metallica combining melodically in the air. The day has been brought upon you, and you are ready to greet it with arms wide open. A few steps away from your car, and you realize that the day is going to be good. The snow erupts from the bank, plummeting into your boot as your take your first steps away from the home away from home. You know what today will bring; monotony.

Another day of the same old stuff; deep snow, legs burning, and a smile so big you won't be able to contain yourself. This is day 14 in a row of this same old routine. Sometimes things get changed on you; your alarm is earlier or later, or even a different sound all together, your windows don't ice up as much as they did today, or your head hurts from the night before. Most of the time you wish you could just relax for a day, but then the snow falls again; pushing you to continue on with your adventure. This is ski season, and this is freedom. When you emerge in the parking lot, you are there to start your day. You don't have an office, you don't have a boss. You do the same thing day in and day out; you are a creature of habit. Wake up, Get dressed, Ski all day, Apres Ski, Bedtime, Repeat. Calendars are good for keeping track of powder days, not dates. Irons are better used for a fresh coat of wax on your skis than a shirt with a collar.

You are awake, alive, and feeling energized. Your body tingles as you make your first turns; powder enveloping you like a great wave in the ocean. Snow crystals float down your collar and turn to water droplets as they melt and drip down your spine. Your legs burn as you get deeper and deeper into the snow, but with each turn they are strengthening. At some point you may not be able to get out and ski, but your memories are so vivid of the days that you have been skiing that all you will need to do is close your eyes and imagine. It does not matter where you are, or what season it is. Whenever you want to return to this moment, you can. And you will. Frequently.

Bachelor Party weekends

2009-10-20T10:23:00.001-07:00

Some people go out and have strippers, some people go to vegas and cause trouble. My friend Phil just wanted a chill weekend where we all hang out, ride bikes, camp, set things on fire, and play with potato guns. That is exactly what we did.

A couple of things we figured out on this trip was that a 285lb guy who is 6'9" cannot go more than a day without breaking his gear. we also figured out that trailers in potatoes does actually work, and if you hit a flaming bottle of lighter fluid with a potato, it makes some cool effects.

I also realized that my dog is a pansy. He doesn't like loud noises, like explosions. In fact, he ran off for quite a while just because of the constant firing of the potato canon.

Here are some pictures from the weekend, as well as some other random stuff. Mostly just bike riding photos and people hanging out and some camp fire photos... .
Enjoy!

WalMart and Roommates

2009-10-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

So my roommate Hillary is moving out, and she is a pretty cool roommate. My house is like a gateway for better things, as most of my roommates seem to go on and either find love, or a new job, or something exciting to happen to them. Yesterday, Hillary and I went to WalMart to get her a new car battery. I am sure a lot of you have seen the site People of Walmart but it really is amazing the kind of people you will see there. I haven't been to a walmart in almost 3 years because I prefer to shop with local businesses and not give my money to huge corporations that make their money undercutting the little guy, but that is for a different day.

While we were there, we completed our walmart experience by going to McDonalds. I was pushing for the deli, but we went with the McIE D'S. We saw the guy with his shopping cart full of empty shopping bags next to him, we saw the granmother, mother, and 2 kid combo of people that combined ages were not 50, and we saw the pear-shaped woman who ordered 3 double cheeseburgers, 2 hot and spicy's and 3 large fries and a large drink.... for herself.

Then we went to look at halloween costumes... I was really tempted to buy a costume for my dog... and another for my other roommates dog, and some koozies with skulls on them, and a freddy krueger outfit, and a witch costume... but i couldn't bring myself to do it. I don't know if there is something wrong with me, but buying halloween costumes for $14 seems wrong. It seems disposable, and it seems cheap. Where is the creativity? Are we that much into disposable products that it is profitable for someone to make these costumes and sell that at such a cheap price? apparently. I am going to boycott the holiday this year.

Then we went on to bikes. I heard someone ask the salesman, "which is more durable, this aluminum crankset or the plastic? I am not going to use it off the trails a lot, but i might take it mountain biking..." wow. that is all i have to say. i know not everyone can own a $2500 mountain bike, but you can find more reliable stuff on craigslist for the same you would buy new at walmart.

So that brings me to my final point. I need a roommate. please spread the word. I have an awesome house in Golden CO, and i need someone to move soon... like next week, or maybe the first of november. You have to like dogs, and like being around awesome people.

Ski Season Kickoff Paartaaaay

2009-09-24T14:19:00.001-07:00

La Shana Tova

2009-09-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

Happy new year to all you jews out there. While for most non-jews, it doesn't seem like it should be time to bust out the party hats, the streamers, and the champagne, but for the chosen people, its that time of year. For me, New Year's Eve has never felt like the turning of a new year. Yes, we do have to remember to write the new year on our checks, and i know my birthday will be in a couple of weeks, but there isn't really any change going on. Having the New Year in the fall is a great way to do it, because it is when change really happens. Spring is when things start to grow, winter is when everything is dormant, but fall is where it all begins. Summer has come to a halt, plants start to change colors, and the animals start storing their food for the upcoming months.

School starts, and people can feel the excitement in the air of new experiences and seeing old friends. Not being in school anymore, I don't quite feel like that, but fall for me is always a good time to get in touch with people i haven't talked to for a while. Fall also means raking leaves, which I do not enjoy.

The rabbi at the service I went to this year talked about how we communicate differently than we used to now, through facebook and email. As i sit here writing this, I think about how many people read this, and if it has any impact on them. i try and keep in touch with people, and I know that I could be doing a lot better of a job. My goal is to try harder, and be a more active part of people's lives, and involve them in my own. I have grown very used to my routine, and very secure living in a small town, but at the same time, I dont' want to uninvolve myself from other people, just because I do not see them regularly.

Thank you for reading, and I wish you all a happy and healthy new year.

Weekends

2009-09-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

My wonderful girlfriend came out to visit me this weekend, and we did a lot of colorado-y things, like eating, mountain biking, hanging out in the hammocks, and going to micro-breweries. We went to the train museum, and we went biking at Buffalo Creek, where unfortunately it was really sandy. Emily had never been on a mountain bike before, and she did great! The first part of the trail, she was totally rocking, and then once she started to fall a couple of times and the trail got really bad, she started to get a little nervous, which is understandable. I hate falling, but she kept getting right back on....

I brought my attorney with me, just to be on the safe side, and my rocket scientist, in case we had any emergencies. The last little bit of the trail was more a road, but Emily was doing really well, until she hit a nice big patch of deep sand. I turned around just in time to see her super-manning right into the road. by the time i got to her, there was blood on the ground, and it was dripping down her arm!

We took a little break, and she started to walk the bike, but then decided to get right back on and start riding, because walking was taking too long! I am so proud of her!

We then made some chili, at a lot of food, and went to a couple of parties! All in all, it was a great weekend!

Then we went to the train museum, and saw lots of trains, and hung out in a hammock and played with my big shaggy dog...

Fatherly Bonding

2009-08-30T05:35:00.000-07:00

My dad and I do not have the same relationship that other fathers do with their kids, or maybe they do, but bonding with my dad is a little weird. My parents got divorced when I was about 5, and my dad moved back to wisconsin where he lived with his aunt, in the house that he now lives. Over summers and holiday vacations, my brother would go out and visit dad, and we would do construction projects, tear down walls, put up walls, move houses, do roofs, etc etc. i have learned a lot of practical skills about home improvement and construction and electrical work, all of which have come in handy while working on my own house.

While this sounds like good father bonding, the tough part about this is my father is not always the best communicator. he has a lot going on in his head, and sometimes, no words come out, or if they do, it is almost impossible to understand what he is talking about. I do not know if it is a gift or a curse, but I manage to follow his trains of thought most of the time, and with relatively little amounts of confusion, can know what he is talking about. Other people on the other hand, do not appear to be so lucky.

My dad has been working on his house for almost 15 years now. A couple of years ago it was the bathroom, which took a couple of years to finish, and before that it was the entire attic, which my brother and I helped tear apart, but then didn't get finished until last year. This year it was the porch and the deck. The porch was really just a storage unit for old crap, like tv's, clothes, cookie tins, and some treasures.

He found all sorts of toys, and old beer bottles, some glass cars and some old plates, some tooth powder, and all sorts of other things. His house is kind of like a museum, with history from the family and the town displayed all around.

This trip we were supposed to build a deck, but the wood didn't get delivered. So, we did some drywalling, we put in a hardwood floor, and we did some electrical work. We did also go to the Oshkosh Public Museum, and the Paine Art Center, and eat some pizza, cook some chicken soup, and hang out with the family at a bbq.

It was a good visit, and pictures will show up if I can get them off of my phone, which was shorted out by an ocean wave.

Ski Season is here, or so it seems

2009-08-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

New skis have shown up, new boots have shown up, and nobody seems to care about the fact that you can find killer deals on summer clothes. I love this time of the year, when people start getting all amped up for ski season, even when we really won't have snow for another 2 months or so.

I used to ski every month of the year, and for 36 months, no matter how much snow there was, i would try and hunt down a place to go, whether it be St. Mary's Glacier, or Rollins Pass or some 14er with a Couloir. Last September I missed my first month in 36, and then my streak was ruined. October didn't see a single day because of the lack of snow, but then november and december blew in some good snow. I am hoping that this year the snow starts early, because I want to go out and get after it.

While looking for photos for ads, I came across a couple from last season that I really liked, and as it turns out, one of the photos that Bent Gate is using for the Backcountry Gear Guide ad is of me in some blower pow. i am pretty excited.

Well, pray for snow, continue enjoying bikes, and start waxing those skis.

Weddings, Travel, and Work

2009-08-06T19:52:00.000-07:00

I think i might become a Wedding Photographer. I would of course have to buy some new cameras, maybe some different shoes, and come up with some kind of way to distinguish myself from everyone else, and maybe charge, but it could be a good gig for me. I mean, free food, I get to snap photos of people I don't really know, and its not like there is a whole lot of variation in the photos themselves... how many times are you going to be taking photos of the exact same wedding party. Once you have your system down, it should work.

I recently shot photos for my friends Lindsey and Zac, and it was a lot of fun. I sort of missed out on enjoying the ceremony, but it felt good capturing the moment for them. Looking back at the pictures (and there were a lot of them) was interesting, and the whole decision process on what to keep is WAY harder than actually taking the photos I think.

But then I got to go to another wedding, where there was one main photographer, and about 1000 people with cameras it seemed (even though there were only 100 people or so at the wedding...) I imagine it would be very difficult to try and sell your photos to the family when you have so much competition.... maybe I will make chocolate covered business cards or something to keep all of those "amateurs" occupied.

Traveling is a lot of work. Flying standby is stressful, plane tickets are expensive, and hotel beds are not really all that comfortable. I don't mind it, especially when i get to see people that I care about or would love to see, but I am glad that I do not do it for work right now. Those were different days of living on the road and trying to pick the same hotel chain (courtyard marriots are all very similar, as are La Quinta inns and a lot of best westerns) so you can build up points. Choosing a dog friendly hotel is also way easier than choosing a dog friendly airline (although you now can fly with little dogs that fit under the seat, which leaves out rally) which leaves you with Southwest as one of your only options.

Ok, enough for today.... I just finished up with work, and hope that tomorrow is a little less hectic than today was....
Enjoy some photos from Zac and Lindsey's Wedding!

Thunderstorms and Rainbows

2009-07-27T19:09:00.000-07:00

There is something comforting about thunderstorms to me. Some of my fondest memories are during thunderstorms or hurricanes actually. Here in colorado, the thunderstorms pass all too quickly it seems, but today, there was one that came in with such gusto, that my memories came rushing to the surface, just as quickly as the storm rolled into town.

I have been helping a friend with his roof, and while there was not really a forecast for weather, there is always a 50% chance that the weather guys are wrong. We put most of the finishing touches on the roof this morning at about 8am, just before the waffles hit the table, and i'm glad we did.

Leaving work, it started to sprinkle, but I stopped by my old neighbors house with the dog to say hi and congratulate them on their recent engagement. Right as i walked inside, the storm rolled in and CRASH BOOM! lightning and thunder galore. The dogs were freaking out running in circles trying to find places to hide, and the wind picked up. I sat there in the kitchen petting the dogs and thinking of how fantastic the storms have been recently.

Nighttime Lightning storms, extended rains, flooding, and hail. Most people thing this weather is terrible, but it always brings a smile to my face. I remember having to evacuate the beach house during hurricane Bob back in 1991, and we went to the town hall and hung out in the basement. My cousin Rachel and I played cards, and it was one of the only times that i was actually able to play my game-boy for more than 30 minutes at a time. Then I remember another time at the beach, where we were playing monopoly because it was raining and storming and we couldn't go on the beach. Eventually someone came up to our house and told us that our boat was floating away, so we had to go chase it and I had to sit on the bow to weigh it down so we could get it safely to the marina!

Kayak surfing in Rhode Island during hurricane season was always the best, because nobody was around, and the surf was always up, with decent breaks. I can recall a couple of days surfing for hours without seeing another person on the beach, and going to grab a nice warm cup of soup and a hot chocolate when i was done.

There is something about the smell of static in the air, steamy pavement, and wet leaves slapping your face after a good storm. Not only is there something special about the storms, but without the rain, we wouldn't have rainbows.

Buffalo Creek Freeride Trail Building

2009-07-21T23:01:00.001-07:00

Along with riding trails comes making sure that trails are built properly and maintained. It has been a year or so since I have had the opportunity to go out and do some manual labor and put some love back into some of my favorite single track locales. the Colorado Mountain Bike Association has teamed up with team Evergreen, the Forest Service, IMBA, and the FRMBP to build a new sweet trail through some of the burn area though Buffalo Creek. The purpose of this trail is going to be a gravity oriented, downhill/freeride trail with drops, berms, technical sections, and other fun obstacles that are different than Buffalo Creek has ever seen. The progress has been great, and things are starting to move along.

Here are some pictures of the build day!

Mountain Bike Photos from Winter Park

2009-07-19T22:45:00.000-07:00

So Me, Evan, Jamey, Stefan, and Nate all went up for a nice day of downhilling at Winter Park. We had an awesome day, that ended with beers and pom-frites.... i saw a deer, jamey double flatted, and I walked down after we had no tubes left and I flatted! It was one of my top 10 days of riding, and for those of you who are wondering who the classy guy in the tuxedo jersey is, its me!

Dunkin Donuts, here I come!

2009-06-30T07:03:00.000-07:00

So I will be heading back to the East coast for a couple of days this coming week, and I would love to get together with people. I am going to post my itinerary here, and would appreciate if people would get back to me with a time and place if they want to get together, or you can meet me wherever I happen to be...

Thursday, July 2: 9am Arrive at Logan Airport.
Thursday, July 2: Be in and around Boston. until the evening when the barhopping happens around davis/porter, etc.
Thursday, july 2- 7pm: Bar Hopping Starts... Starting at Redbones at 7pm. Call me and we can meet up. I am unsure of the plan, as my friend Emily is in total control of this.
Friday, July 3-1pm: Get to Old Saybrook via the train. Then go to Clinton to hang out on the beach.
Friday, July 3-5-7pm: Drinks with Emily's parents somewhere around that area....
Saturday, July 4: Hang out on the beach in Clinton, eating hotdogs, swimming, drinking beers, causing trouble.
Sunday, July 4: Hang out on the beach in Clinton, hopefully Larissa and Becca can come down.
Sunday, July 4, 5pm: Bring Emily to the train.
Monday, July 5: Go to NYC in mid-morning, then go downtown around lunchish to meet up with Ali
Monday, July 5, PM: Go out for dinner and drinks somewhere in the city with whoever is around. Please let me know.
Tuesday, July 6, 7am: Go back to CO to go to work.

all of these events are surely going to be intertwined with drinking dunkin donuts iced coffee and eating donuts....

Beginner Group Rides...

2009-06-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Painting houses

2009-06-07T22:24:00.001-07:00

it sucks. don't do it..... especially when you start in november....

also, i need a new roommate, starting in july.

Alpine Adventures

2009-05-17T14:11:00.001-07:00

The next time I tell someone I want to go on an Alpine Adventure, someone needs to tell me 'NO'.

I was recently on a hut trip out by Breckenridge, at Francie's Hut, where I have been going every may for the last 4 years. Most of the time we get up super early and ski Crystal Peak. Last year, I skied a Coulior named Father Dire, which was a lot of fun, but there are bunch of other fun lines out there that we never really ski.

Well Sarah, Vela, and I decided it was going to be fun to go up and tackle one of the lines that we had never skied. It was a pretty short skin in to the base of the coulior, and the bootpack wasn't that bad. Then we came to the point where there was a fork. Vela and Sarah went right, up the wider chute, and I suggested that I would go for an "Alpine Adventure" and get some rock rasslin done and take some photos.

Well, i climbed to the top of the ridge, where i could get a shot, and watched them ski down. Then I attempted to get back to the snow line, which ended up proving more difficult than I thought. There were no holds to grab onto and the snow was actually just a dusting of soft snow on-top of rock and ice. I tried climbing higher, but that proved even worse, because i ended up downclimbing for about 200 feet, on very little nubs and dime sized holds. Eventually I got to the snow (after about an hour of being a little gripped and swearing at myself), put my skis on and attempted to ski down the 50 degree coulior. I made it down to the girls, and then had to redeem myself while skiing the rest of the 800 ft chute.

The day was finished off with countless bloody mary's and another lap, much more mellow of course, right before dinner.

here are a few pictures:

Drinko De Mayo

2009-05-03T20:58:00.000-07:00

So my friends are hilarious, and continue to amaze me. Every year, they throw a Drinko de Mayo party, and people will show up from all over the place.... Every year the party gets better and better, and the weather gets worse and worse. This year, they finally decided to bring a pot bellied stove in addition to the massive grill, the 2 kegs, the 100 burgers and 100 hot dogs... they also brought 3 shot skis, a stereo, and a lot of booze and pre-mixed margaritas....

Given that i messed up my back last week, i thought it was a good idea to not ski, and drink and take photos.... after i drank for a while, i forgot i had my camera.... but when it came out, i went hog-wild.... 500 photos in under 2 hours.... most of them included giving direction on facial expressions and trying to take self portraits with a very large sombrero....

I am in the process of sorting them, but i will post a few up here shortly.

The Mad Max Mobile

2009-04-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

So Everyone has one of those friends that makes you laugh every time you hang out with them. My friend Buzz is kind of like that...

A couple of weeks ago, I was out driving new trucks and was thinking about trading in the chalet subaru, but couldn't bring myself to do it. At the local brewery, Buzz decided that it was stupid that I buy a new car, so he just pulled out his keychain and gave me the keys to his pickup truck.

I was laughing so hard, that I couldn't help it. My stomach hurt, my eyes were tearing, and for some reason I thought it was hilarious that someone just gave me a car at the bar. Well, it turned out that I didn't sell my car for a while, and when it was about to sell, Buzz handed over the keys once again and off I went in the mad max mobile...

Its a great little truck that has about 1000 cracks in the windshield, the heater sounds like a jet plane, and the door doesn't stay closed sometimes, but it runs great, and the price was right. In appreciation for all of his support, I thought it was a good idea to pick up the tab for a couple of rounds of margs.... Thanks Buzz!

I am officially Car-less

2009-04-16T12:52:00.001-07:00

i sold my home and my baby.... it is a sad day, but i had to do it...

i feel liberated and exhilarated... and a little sad inside....

No more rock shift knob.

2009-04-06T22:12:00.001-07:00

So here are some more details about my car.

it is a 2003 WRX with 129,000 Miles on it. i have been the original owner, and I know what has happened to this car. I have all of the maintenance records. It has had all of the recommended service, and at 120K I replaced the head gasket, water pump, O2 Sensor, (timing belt was 100K), Clutch and Flywheel, thermostat, and radiator, as well as the hoses. The tires are 50,000 mile tires that were purchased in november. They don't have very many miles on them at all.

This car has been my baby for a long time. I have carried around boats and skis and bikes and people for the past 6 years, and there are a couple of marks on the car to prove it. Someone backed into me and broke my rear tail light, and the door to my fence bashed into my car during one of the wind storms. The interior is in good condition, a couple of stains here and there in the trunk, but the car runs great.

It has an updated head unit, and speakers, so you can play MP3 cds, and get some good sound. The shift knob is a rock, which may seem a little weird, but it actually feels pretty good. There is plenty of space in this car for your gear, but my big fuzzy dog would like something a little bigger, with a little more clearance.

Please contact me if you are interested, and would like to meet up.
Dobish@bentgate.com

I am open to offers, but am asking $7900.... the car is super fun to drive, and is running very smoothly....

Selling my car...

2009-04-04T18:11:00.001-07:00

yep... selling the subie.... asking for $7900, obo.....

here are some pics....

Here is the custom shift knob.... its a rock.

Under the hood.... running great.

my first blog of my own...

2009-04-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

now i am a true internet geek.... i officially have a blog of my own, and not someone else's to post... i skied today, and it was fun.