EEEEEE SKIIIINNNNGGG!

I awoke this morning to the still silence of new fallen snow! 3-4 inches fell last night, and as soon as I realized what had happened, I was cramming a corn muffin down my gullet, pulling on ski pants as fast as I could, and digging through the creepy room for a pair of rock skis.

I think I've done it, though. I can't prove this definitively, but I'm confident that I was the first person east of the Mississippi to go skiing this season! I WIN. I know I was the first person in MadTown, and I know I beat the people in Fort Kent because they texted me while I was skiing to tell me that they were headed out. This is a pretty big accomplishment for me. It was also really really fun, and the snow is still falling...

Maybe some pictures soon.

TOAST

P.S. Good to hear from Mr. Goldring

Hey hey!

Here goes...

So it's been on my agenda for weeks now, posting that is.  I only have a minute now as I have to read a book entitled "Amnesty After Atrocity?" for my seminar tomorrow, which outlines in gruesome detail the events that transpired in Rwanda in 1994 and the nation's attempt at national reconciliation in the years that followed... should be quite enthralling.  School?  Yes, I'm very much enjoying senior year round II.  My experience here is different in the absence of all you fine folks, it's true, but I'm managing quite well.  In fact, more often than not I find myself just where I want to be doing just what I want to do, which is pretty sweet.  LuziCare is gathering steam, in case you're interested.  We've had several events thus far this year and we're planning a benefit concert and a dance off for November.  I've got some sweet LuziCare T-shirts... $12 plus shipping and handling.  Let me know if you're interested!

It was wonderful to see some familiar faces this past weekend, if only briefly.  It made me kinda nostalgic, and then I got drunk with my parents at the pub.

Val, I wanna talk to you about TFA.  I'll be in touch.

Colorado folk, I'm coming West for JanPlan.  Charlie can fill you in.  I'm getting psyched...

I'll write more soon.  I hope everyone's doing well.

Much love!

JDG

Rich! You devil. How did you do that? Whatever, I don't need your fancy snakebites and halos.
Sophie, stop making me miss Colorado.

SNOOOOOOOOWWW!

Thats right East Coast Dandies- SNOOOOOWWWWWW! So what if it was only 1/2 an inch and I can only see it in the mountains, not on the street, its still the white stuff that got stuck in our shoes in Waterville.

Snow and sushi are some of the more major excitements in my recent life. Snow for obvious reasons (A-Basin opens on wednesday) and sushi for a terrible reason: Food Poisoning. For those of you who went to see Prince Caspian the sunday before senior week, imagine me in a similar state to Taylor in the flagship theater bathroom, but it lasted for two days.

School is totally sweet - Rivers, climate change and thesis work. I've gone on great hikes and runs and have tried ALOT of microbrews... I am bummed to be missing you all on the Hill this weekend but look forward to hanging out and shredding the gnar in early January!

Cööl pöst Töåst, if only we had those cool things on our keyboards.

Hysterical

Toast, I have not laughed that hard in a long time, thanks, and glad to hear you had a good trip.  I miss all of you and hope all is well.

Brian

Toast Dominates Sweden!

Hej! (that's Swedish for Hey)
I got back to MadTown last night, and was so tired I could barely think. Now I've had a good night's sleep, and I am ready to report on the ridiculous event that was my trip to Ostersund (the O has a snake bite above it, but we don't have that button on our key board), Sweden.

First of all, in Sweden, you don't need a boarding pass! They scan your fingerprint at check-in, and then they do it again at the gait when you go to get on the plane. Then they just print a little stub with your seat number. It was really cool. Probably better for the environment too. The flights were pretty long, but they fed us pretty well. I also watched the new Indiana Jones, which sucked. Anway, that's not important. On to cool things...

1. The two women I traveled with were not that awesome. They were both fairly old, and lacked some common sense. Most of the time with them was like herding autistic cats. It was slow and frustrating. They were also very stereotypical American tourists. They were loud, made everything about themselves, and constantly asked obvious questions. The people from other countries were usually pretty annoyed with them. Lesson: don't travel with old ladies you don't know.

2. I was on Swedish TV. The US delegation was asked to present on what our junior biathlon program is like. When it came time to present, my two noisy colleagues clammed up like poker champions. That meant that I gave a twenty minute presentation in front of an international audience of top coaches and former olympians on the US national program in a sport that I picked up a couple months ago. It was really intimidating. Afterward, a TV crew came up and asked to interview me. Apparently I sounded like I knew what I was talking about. It was pretty cool. Lesson: It seems that a Colby education is useful.

3. I was witness to a bank robbery. We traveled by train one day to a ski resort called Are (the A has a halo above it, but we don't have that button on our key board) to go hiking. As we walked up to the town square we noticed a cop standing behind his car with a gun drawn. He was yelling, and as we got closer, we realized that there were cops sneaking around all over. We found out there was a bank robbery in progress, and then they made us leave. Later, we learned that the robbers had gotten away... Seriously, who gets away with robbing a bank in 2008? I can understand it happening in 1894, but now? They told us they have so little crime that they just don't really worry about stuff like that anymore. WOW. Anyway, we had a nice hike, the mountain was beautiful, and I got to play in the snow. Lesson: It's easy to commit armed robbery in Sweden?

4. We went clubbing one night (not the old ladies and I, but some other coaches and I). Swedish girls are really hot. They seem to think I am too. I ended up bringing one back to my room. Later, she told me she was married... and had three kids... I was shocked! She wasn't that old, and she didn't have a ring. I was really flustered. Lesson: Beware of hot, young-looking Swedish girls. I am officially making my objective to find a girlfriend now, and there must be multiple dates and stuff before any canoodling.

5. Sweden is a really cool place. The city we were in was very interesting, and the country is beautiful. Not everyone is blonde, but they are friendly. There is a lot of history, and they love to eat moose and reindeer. The conference was very good, and I am much more prepared to coach biathlon now. All the Swedes I met were very sincere, and welcoming. I can't wait to go back. Lesson: I am learning a lot: about my profession and myself. I am gaining experience, and I am pretty good a causing a stir no matter where I am.

MAN RAFT. RA!

Customs in Costa Rica

I was walking to class the other day and went to clip the waist strap on my backpacking.  Rather than my hand catching the buckle on the right side of my pack, my hand just slid off, for a minute I was confused, then when I looked down at the frayed end of the strap, I laughed, thought of the time I held up the line for Customs in Costa Rica only to have Jake cut the strap on my bag, and missed all of you.

Everything is great here, the weather has been unusually good, but temperatures area starting to drop now.  My flat is in an unbelievable location right in the center of Edinburgh on the 5th floor of an OLD building, the view is unbelievable and tourists actually take pictures of my place, haha.  You are all more than welcome any time.

I have met many amazing people from all over the world, and in true form, I have already been off to a great start in procrastinating all of my work.  I am planning to return home from 13 December until 28 December, and I would love to catch up with as many of you as possible in those two weeks.  Hope all is well for all of you.

Cheers,

Brian