So, on a lark this weekend, since we actually had time off…. My response to the question, “What should we do this weekend.” came out as, “We should drive up to Big Bear to see snow.”

So, Saturday we loaded up the car and drove the requisite 2 hours. This was fun in a sorta warped way because the weather was atrocious on the drive up. Rain, fog… Basically, no visibility.

Now mind you, BIg Bear as a town is open from 7am until 4pm. We got in around 3:30… so there wasn’t much to do.

We drove around, got food. Stopped of in a board rental place… Yes, I was even willing to try skiing despite all the laws out there forbidding Jews from strapping planks to their feet on snow and ice.I bought gloves and a really silly looking hat. (Mind you, I’m really into Firefly at the moment. So hats make me uneasy)

We went back to the room. I got us one with an in-room ‘lukewarmtub’… Normally, they are hot not luke warm… but it was there. King sized bed… and sadly… as I accidentally discovered… open wifi. I mean come on… Big Bear ski resort… there isn’t supposed to be wifi! That’s like finding wifi in the Australian Outback. It’s so wrong.

The king sized bed… not so comfy. But the room came with a big white teddy bear that had eyes that looked more and more demonic as the night went on. (H) probably didn’t notice that I’d put it on a bar stool facing away from the bed in the middle of the night. (I was having clown toy in Poltergeist problems with it)

This morning. Up at 7. (I always wake up at 7, can’t prevent it)… Off to a nice breakfast. Cookin’ (You have to say cookin’ as opposed to cooking) in Big Bear is, “Mighty fine and neighborly.” Then it was off to “Snow Summit” We were going to get a 2 hr lesson, rentals, and beginner lift tickets.

The jew-like one was going to ski. So.. we get there. Will it be snow-boarding or skiing? We ultimately choose skiing. Many tickets and off to the rental place. Height, weight… Big boots. Lockers. Then skis, then poles… Okay… out to the flat snow. Hopping in boots. No problem. Putting on skis… check… Gliding forwards… great… Stopping

Ah, stopping. See, beginning skiers are taught to point their toes in and their heels out. Making a wedge with their skis helps to stop skiers. Except that my feet are splayed. My toes naturally point out. The muscles that most people use to assume the wedge are the ones I have to overtax to get my toes to just point straight ahead.

So after the first failure to wedge my skis. It became time to be reminded of everything I ever hated about phys ed class. But… it was fun. Even though I couldn’t stop… I got to skitter around the newbie flats. They wouldn’t let me on the actual slopes… this was probably a good thing. more soon… but sun baked and beaten to hell.

night all!