Around this time last year I was spending my days snowboarding, partying and looking forward to my family visiting. I was in Whistler to experience my first white Christmas, and very white it was too.
This year I am back home, and spending my time sleeping and working night shifts in a Royal Mail sorting office, occasionally seeing friends and having a beer or two. The change is still proving difficult to deal with, and I often find myself wishing I was back out there living life the way it is supposed to be lived.
Of course, I do appreciate the little things (Zombieland reference there for anyone who's seen it). Living with my family has its ups and downs, but I can't complain when I'm brought a cup of tea when I wake up, and have a decent meal cooked for me every night. And I may not be seeing much of them at the moment, but I'm back in the same country as my oldest friends. Knowing they're just a train ride away is comforting. Plus, it's Christmas soon. I love this time of year. I put the tree up today, and I'm not ashamed to say I had The Darkness' Christmas Time (Don't Let The Bells End) blasting out at full volume. It's the best Christmas song ever, if you haven't heard it you need to. Now:
Told you so.
So I am grateful to be at home this Christmas. The more I think about it though, the more I know where I want to be - sooner rather than later. I read an incredible article that perfectly captured my feelings about Whistler. You can read it here. For someone who hasn't lived there, my constant rabbiting on about a ski resort probably seems silly and idealistic. But I spent some of the best times of my life in that quiet mountain town. So I'm going back. It won't be for a couple of years, and I'll spend the meantime working towards becoming a journalist and saving some serious cash, but I'm going back. I'm young, I'm adventurous and I want to spend my youth having fun in a place where people don't care who you are or where you're from - they just want to know if you ski or board, whether you're riding Whistler or Blackcomb and whether it's Tapleys or...no, it's always Tapleys.
I'm not stupid. I know if I want to have a family and support them I need to build a career and save some money, which is why I'm applying for every journalism job in the area. I realise the importance of experience and I plan to spend a couple of years gaining some, building up contacts and most importantly getting published.
But the draw of Whistler is too big for me to ignore it. Once I have enough saved up I'll be back out there. I've already convinced one person to come with me, hopefully a few more will follow. Who knows how long I'll stay this time, but I've a feeling it will be for a long time.
Today's wisdom: rum and hot chocolate is the breakfast of kings.
Sunday, 12 December 2010
Monday, 20 September 2010
Given to fly
The adventure is over. On Friday I arrived back in England after exactly 11 months in the best place in the world. There were a lot of conflicting emotions running through my head, but after a couple of days at home collecting my thoughts, I'm beginning to realise what a brilliant year it's been.
Naturally, I was very sad to leave Whistler. That small mountain town has been my home for almost a year, and in that time I've had the most incredible fun. I've done many things I thought I'd never do, I've met hundreds of amazing people and I've come home with enough memories to last a lifetime. A lot has changed within myself in that time, although looking at the fridge back home it seems not a lot has changed here. And whilst I did shed a tear or two the morning I left, I couldn't help but smile as well. One adventure may be over, but through the friends I've made and the things I've learned, I can't help but think there are quite a few more yet to come.
But enough with the soppy stuff. Being home has been fantastic. I'd forgotten just how much better cheese and bacon is in England. The same goes for beer. Saturday saw my return to Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane (the home of the mighty Sheffield United, for those who don't know), to witness the usual disappointing performance and lucky win. Having sat through a baseball match in Toronto though, I know I'd rather sit with my dad and brother and watch the Blades play out a 0-0 draw than surround myself with a bunch of fatties stuffing their faces, looking up only to halfheartedly join in with whatever soundbite is pumped out of the PA system. I tried, baseball, I really did, but I'm afraid you're just rubbish.
It was great being in Yorkshire again. The people there are instantly loveable, which thankfully is a quality shared with most Canadians. I was pleased to find the same crowd sitting around us at the football. The clued-up Swede to the right; the passionate bloke behind us who, bless him, is still cheering for last season's team; the Rod Stewart lookalike in front; the list goes on. Things like that could be viewed as boring, but to me it's a sign that however long I may be away seeing the world, I can always come home to what I know and feel comfortable. Whistler may have become my second home, but I know where my comfort zone is (and after this year I also know that I can't stay in it for too long!).
This hasn't been a very coherent post, but the next couple should be a bit more structured. Before I left Whistler Nick and I went on a month-long trip round Canada and the US. I have PLENTY of stories to tell from that, and they should take up a good few entries. After that, who knows where I'll be. It's possible I'll try and become a grown-up and get a real job, but it's also quite possible I'll be jetting off to the other side of the world again. I may also become a sea lion.
Today's wisdom: life is short, eat plenty of bacon. Lads on tour.
Naturally, I was very sad to leave Whistler. That small mountain town has been my home for almost a year, and in that time I've had the most incredible fun. I've done many things I thought I'd never do, I've met hundreds of amazing people and I've come home with enough memories to last a lifetime. A lot has changed within myself in that time, although looking at the fridge back home it seems not a lot has changed here. And whilst I did shed a tear or two the morning I left, I couldn't help but smile as well. One adventure may be over, but through the friends I've made and the things I've learned, I can't help but think there are quite a few more yet to come.
But enough with the soppy stuff. Being home has been fantastic. I'd forgotten just how much better cheese and bacon is in England. The same goes for beer. Saturday saw my return to Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane (the home of the mighty Sheffield United, for those who don't know), to witness the usual disappointing performance and lucky win. Having sat through a baseball match in Toronto though, I know I'd rather sit with my dad and brother and watch the Blades play out a 0-0 draw than surround myself with a bunch of fatties stuffing their faces, looking up only to halfheartedly join in with whatever soundbite is pumped out of the PA system. I tried, baseball, I really did, but I'm afraid you're just rubbish.
It was great being in Yorkshire again. The people there are instantly loveable, which thankfully is a quality shared with most Canadians. I was pleased to find the same crowd sitting around us at the football. The clued-up Swede to the right; the passionate bloke behind us who, bless him, is still cheering for last season's team; the Rod Stewart lookalike in front; the list goes on. Things like that could be viewed as boring, but to me it's a sign that however long I may be away seeing the world, I can always come home to what I know and feel comfortable. Whistler may have become my second home, but I know where my comfort zone is (and after this year I also know that I can't stay in it for too long!).
This hasn't been a very coherent post, but the next couple should be a bit more structured. Before I left Whistler Nick and I went on a month-long trip round Canada and the US. I have PLENTY of stories to tell from that, and they should take up a good few entries. After that, who knows where I'll be. It's possible I'll try and become a grown-up and get a real job, but it's also quite possible I'll be jetting off to the other side of the world again. I may also become a sea lion.
Today's wisdom: life is short, eat plenty of bacon. Lads on tour.
Monday, 12 July 2010
Not just a place, but a state of mind
The first thing the sentence above brings to mind for me is Wayne's World. But it doesn't just apply to Aurora. I've been here nine months now and, without being too cheesy, Whistler is much more than a ski resort.
With a huge transient population, both in summer and winter, and a comparatively small number of natives, you might think it hard for Whistler to form an identity.
In fact, it's quite the opposite. Everyone here, from the manager of the biggest hotel to the lowly dishwasher, knows people are here to have a good time, to enjoy themselves and to make the most of what Whistler has to offer. Few come here with career aspirations, and few come here with long-term plans. People come to Whistler to snowboard, or ski, or bike, or simply take in the incredible scenery and natural beauty.
And it may be the mountains in the background every day as you walk around; it may be fact you can trudge home tired after a long day's work and be cheered up by the sight of a bear and its cubs in the woods next to you; it may be the fact that no-one is in a hurry, no-one is stressed, everyone is friendly and open - in fact, it's probably a combination of all of these things plus a hundred more - but Whistler is the place I've felt most in tune with. I can see why people get hooked.
Having said that, I am coming home in a couple of months. It's hard to believe I will have been away for almost a year when I get back, but on September 17th I will arrive back in England. It's difficult to know what to expect, but there are a whole bunch of people I can't wait to see and plenty of things I'll need to get reacquainted with. The family, the missus, all my fantastic friends, fish and chips, cheese, the Blades, Jeff Stelling, ale, proper bacon - the list is fairly long, so I'll stop there. I will miss all the fantastic people I've met over here, but there'll no doubt be a long soppy blog on that in a couple of months so I'll move on.
This month has been spent watching football and watching the World Cup. I was going to say enjoying but there have been so many distractions from the actual football this year that the tournament has been somewhat tainted. Between shocking refereeing, blatant cheating from players who are supposed to be among the best in the world or vuvuzela nightmares, I feel a bit disillusioned with football at the moment. There were some fantastic stories, like New Zealand's success, Italy and France's shocking performances, and the enthusiasm if the whole continent of Africa in getting behind their teams, but put it this way: I can't wait to get back on the kop at Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane.
There'll be another update this week, hopefully with pictures.
Today's widsom: label machines are ALWAYS fun
With a huge transient population, both in summer and winter, and a comparatively small number of natives, you might think it hard for Whistler to form an identity.
In fact, it's quite the opposite. Everyone here, from the manager of the biggest hotel to the lowly dishwasher, knows people are here to have a good time, to enjoy themselves and to make the most of what Whistler has to offer. Few come here with career aspirations, and few come here with long-term plans. People come to Whistler to snowboard, or ski, or bike, or simply take in the incredible scenery and natural beauty.
And it may be the mountains in the background every day as you walk around; it may be fact you can trudge home tired after a long day's work and be cheered up by the sight of a bear and its cubs in the woods next to you; it may be the fact that no-one is in a hurry, no-one is stressed, everyone is friendly and open - in fact, it's probably a combination of all of these things plus a hundred more - but Whistler is the place I've felt most in tune with. I can see why people get hooked.
Having said that, I am coming home in a couple of months. It's hard to believe I will have been away for almost a year when I get back, but on September 17th I will arrive back in England. It's difficult to know what to expect, but there are a whole bunch of people I can't wait to see and plenty of things I'll need to get reacquainted with. The family, the missus, all my fantastic friends, fish and chips, cheese, the Blades, Jeff Stelling, ale, proper bacon - the list is fairly long, so I'll stop there. I will miss all the fantastic people I've met over here, but there'll no doubt be a long soppy blog on that in a couple of months so I'll move on.
This month has been spent watching football and watching the World Cup. I was going to say enjoying but there have been so many distractions from the actual football this year that the tournament has been somewhat tainted. Between shocking refereeing, blatant cheating from players who are supposed to be among the best in the world or vuvuzela nightmares, I feel a bit disillusioned with football at the moment. There were some fantastic stories, like New Zealand's success, Italy and France's shocking performances, and the enthusiasm if the whole continent of Africa in getting behind their teams, but put it this way: I can't wait to get back on the kop at Beautiful Downtown Bramall Lane.
There'll be another update this week, hopefully with pictures.
Today's widsom: label machines are ALWAYS fun
Friday, 28 May 2010
Backflips, bears and barbeques
Quite a lot depends on the weather in Whistler. In the winter, snow is king. First lifts are packed on powder days, and if it hasn't snowed in weeks people start to get depressed. In the spring, the combination of sun and snow keeps people on the mountain. We had so many blue sky days in April and May, and spring riding was almost as good as the powder of November.
At the moment, the weather is miserable. A couple of weeks ago though we were treated to a glimpse of what the summer will be like. Sunny days by the lake, BBQs and regular bear sightings should make the next couple of months quite enjoyable.
Both mountains are now officially closed to skiers and snowboarders. As I mentioned though, Whistler has still been making the most of the rapidly melting snow. May saw a few excellent park days in the sun. Whilst I didn't manage to master the elusive 180, I was hitting the large jumps, nailing the hips and even riding the half pipe. Another few weeks and I'd be better than Shaun White, but that will have to wait now.
The snow has been melting though, and ponds and puddles started appearing on Blackcomb at the start of May. Clearly, the only sensible thing to do was to try and snowboard over the biggest one. As my Facebook friends will have seen, I didn't make it across. As you would expect, the water was freezing and the first time I went in was probably the coldest I've ever been. The shock literally left me speechless. The subsequent four dunks weren't so bad, but were all equally unsuccessful.
I was getting pretty tired of snowboarding home soaking wet and vowed not to try the pond again. That was, until someone built a jump into it. After a couple of minutes of indecision, me and Russell decided the best way to tackle this obstacle was to backflip off it. I got wet again, but this time it was totally worth it. Videos and photos do exist, and as soon as I get hold of them they will be online.
Icy-cold ponds aren't the only result of the melting snow. With summer almost upon us, Whistler's bear population has been enjoying the warmer weather. I've seen several from the chairlifts on Blackcomb, but the best sighting was just a couple of minutes' walk from the house. Walking home with my shopping I almost went right past a young bear, grazing away in a creek bed. It popped it's head up curiously, decided I wasn't as interesting as it's dinner and carried on munching away. Amazing.
In a bit of good news, I now have a job! I'm working in the kitchen of the Elephant and Castle pub where my roommate Nick works. My first shift is tonight, and I know pretty much everyone that works there so hopefully the settling-in period will be brief. Looking forward to my halibut and chips.
The World Cup starts in two weeks. I CAN'T WAIT!
Today's wisdom: Tapleys?
At the moment, the weather is miserable. A couple of weeks ago though we were treated to a glimpse of what the summer will be like. Sunny days by the lake, BBQs and regular bear sightings should make the next couple of months quite enjoyable.
Both mountains are now officially closed to skiers and snowboarders. As I mentioned though, Whistler has still been making the most of the rapidly melting snow. May saw a few excellent park days in the sun. Whilst I didn't manage to master the elusive 180, I was hitting the large jumps, nailing the hips and even riding the half pipe. Another few weeks and I'd be better than Shaun White, but that will have to wait now.
The snow has been melting though, and ponds and puddles started appearing on Blackcomb at the start of May. Clearly, the only sensible thing to do was to try and snowboard over the biggest one. As my Facebook friends will have seen, I didn't make it across. As you would expect, the water was freezing and the first time I went in was probably the coldest I've ever been. The shock literally left me speechless. The subsequent four dunks weren't so bad, but were all equally unsuccessful.
I was getting pretty tired of snowboarding home soaking wet and vowed not to try the pond again. That was, until someone built a jump into it. After a couple of minutes of indecision, me and Russell decided the best way to tackle this obstacle was to backflip off it. I got wet again, but this time it was totally worth it. Videos and photos do exist, and as soon as I get hold of them they will be online.
Icy-cold ponds aren't the only result of the melting snow. With summer almost upon us, Whistler's bear population has been enjoying the warmer weather. I've seen several from the chairlifts on Blackcomb, but the best sighting was just a couple of minutes' walk from the house. Walking home with my shopping I almost went right past a young bear, grazing away in a creek bed. It popped it's head up curiously, decided I wasn't as interesting as it's dinner and carried on munching away. Amazing.
In a bit of good news, I now have a job! I'm working in the kitchen of the Elephant and Castle pub where my roommate Nick works. My first shift is tonight, and I know pretty much everyone that works there so hopefully the settling-in period will be brief. Looking forward to my halibut and chips.
The World Cup starts in two weeks. I CAN'T WAIT!
Today's wisdom: Tapleys?
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Whistler, Part Two
The winter season is almost over, and Whistler is in transition. There are only a couple of weeks of snowboarding left before the mountain closes, and transforms into a bike park. It's a bit depressing in a way. The village is empty, half of the people I've spent the last six months with are leaving and there are approximately no jobs.
Luckily, I've had plenty to distract me over the past two weeks. Last week we had a leaving party at the Bayshores house, which was the perfect way to end the winter season. I'm pretty sure everyone in the house had a good time, we all got very drunk, we had an awesome DJ play and the police weren't called. Craig even managed not to set the house on fire. Bonus. I would put some photos up, but I don't think anyone needs to see my face in the state it was.
The day after the party was spent mostly in bed, followed by the Big House Clean. Then we said our goodbyes to the old house, and moved in to the Dream House Version 2.0. Nick and I have moved in with Dan, who I used to work with at Billabong, Faith and Ally, a couple that Dan knows, and Adam, also from Billabong. The house is amazing. It looks out over a golf course, is five minutes walk from Lost Lake and has the world's best shower. Seriously - it has two shower heads, and two seats. It's like showering in a car wash. And you can shower in pairs! (Turn to camera) Mmmmm, efficient.
Dan wanted me to mention something about him in this week's blog, so here's a brief bio: he loves Sunderland AFC, is rubbish at football and wears girl's jeans. A real man's man.
The next couple of weeks are going to involve many noodle sandwiches, and a whole lot of job hunting. Unfortunately most places in Whistler don't have enough hours for their current staff, so aren't looking to hire the Fastest Dishwasher in the West. Luckily I am a man of many talents, so I should be telling you about my fantastic new job as King of Whistler in a matter of weeks.
Today's wisdom: DOUBLE SHOWER!!!!
Just a few photos of the new place:
Luckily, I've had plenty to distract me over the past two weeks. Last week we had a leaving party at the Bayshores house, which was the perfect way to end the winter season. I'm pretty sure everyone in the house had a good time, we all got very drunk, we had an awesome DJ play and the police weren't called. Craig even managed not to set the house on fire. Bonus. I would put some photos up, but I don't think anyone needs to see my face in the state it was.
The day after the party was spent mostly in bed, followed by the Big House Clean. Then we said our goodbyes to the old house, and moved in to the Dream House Version 2.0. Nick and I have moved in with Dan, who I used to work with at Billabong, Faith and Ally, a couple that Dan knows, and Adam, also from Billabong. The house is amazing. It looks out over a golf course, is five minutes walk from Lost Lake and has the world's best shower. Seriously - it has two shower heads, and two seats. It's like showering in a car wash. And you can shower in pairs! (Turn to camera) Mmmmm, efficient.
Dan wanted me to mention something about him in this week's blog, so here's a brief bio: he loves Sunderland AFC, is rubbish at football and wears girl's jeans. A real man's man.
The next couple of weeks are going to involve many noodle sandwiches, and a whole lot of job hunting. Unfortunately most places in Whistler don't have enough hours for their current staff, so aren't looking to hire the Fastest Dishwasher in the West. Luckily I am a man of many talents, so I should be telling you about my fantastic new job as King of Whistler in a matter of weeks.
Today's wisdom: DOUBLE SHOWER!!!!
Just a few photos of the new place:
No bunk beds!
Massive wardrobe, plenty of room for parties
The living room, complete with fire place and resident goblin
The view from upstairs. Spacious eh?
Kitchen. Check out that sink
Chandelier. Classy
Golf course, just outside the window. Plenty of room for heads and volleys
Balcony feat. BBQ
Wouldn't be complete without the Hoff
Half of the Greatest Shower on Earth
Saturday, 24 April 2010
Number One?
Glastonbury has a new contender for best festival. I don't know if it was the people, the weather, the lineup or something else but my six days down in California ranks among the best festival experiences I've had.
There are almost too many good stories to tell, but I'll start with the tale of Wally, our festival dad. Nick and I arrived in Palm Springs a few hours before the rest of the crew, and after leaving our bags at the hotel headed out to find a beer. We stumbled across a bar called Cactus Jack's, clearly a local's hang out. After being ID'd and pretty much laughed at for being silly foreigners lost in the wrong part of town, we got chatting to Wally, the bar's owner. He warmed to our English charms pretty quickly, and before we knew it we were having a lock-in with Wally and his mate Jeff. Wally paid for our drinks - about seven pints and a Jager each - and gave us his number to call if we were ever in town again.
The tale doesn't end there though. We next saw Wally on the Sunday, in the festival itself. Me, Nick, Jess and Rob had been waiting for the rest to return with beer and rum, and when they did we proceeded to make up for lost time and drink all of it. As we were at it, Jess noticed a very drunken young man sitting by our car. We offered him water, but when he refused decided the best way to help would be to wrap him in toilet paper and put a sombrero (and Russell's face) on him. Half way through this, Wally rolled up on a golf cart with the general manager of the entire sight. Luckily they all found it about as hilarious as we and the gathered crowd did. Our festival dad managed to turn up at the funniest part of the festival - great timing all round.
Of course, we had to pay him another visit once the festival was over. This time we took the whole crew to Cactus Jack's, and despite our efforts to shove money in his hand he paid for a couple of round for the seven of us. He then took us to The Hood - not, in fact, the roughest end of Palm Springs but a late night pizza place and bar - for a bite to eat. Clearly the place doesn't get many English in, and we were the talk of Palm Springs for the evening. Billy ended up dancing on the bar with an MMA fighter, we all experienced the delights of a Dead Nazi shot (don't ask) and I got completely lost walking back to the hotel on my own.
Wally wasn't done yet though. He offered me, Nick and Jess a lift to the airport, took us on a guided tour of Palm Springs and treated us to the best burger I've had in ages. What a legend.
Russell, incidentally, didn't actually go to Coachella. To make up for that, we took a cardboard cutout of his face, which Nick and I quietly introduced on the Sunday. Looking back through the photos, it looks like Russell probably had the best time out of all of us.
Since I've been back, a lot of people have asked me who my favourite band at Coachella was. The honest answer is, I don't know. We saw so many good bands that it's impossible to pick a favourite. Them Crooked Vultures filled the heavy rock slot perfectly, and it was incredible to see John Paul Jones (former Led Zeppelin bassist) live on stage. Jay-Z was as good as he was at Glasto, and seeing him and Beyoncé sing Forever Young at the end was awesome. Frank Turner was a really good surprise, and Thom Yorke was a hell of a lot better than I thought he would be. Gorillaz were really good to see live, and a great choice to finish the festival. It was great to see Faith No More even if they didn't play Easy, Muse were great and the Specials were fun. MGMT were rubbish, Deadmau5 was a brawl and Gary Numan had volcanic issues, but that didn't matter - the lineup was amazing.
There are so many other stories to tell: football in the campsite on the first day, the balloon man, sprinting through the campsite at two in the morning, sleeping through an entire band's set, the water missions, the rum, the lazer glasses, Palm Springs airport (a.k.a. 'Heaven'). I don't want this to turn into an essay though, so those can wait.
I'm back in Whistler now, and today signed the lease on the Dream House 2.0. The next few days will involve job hunting, making the most of the mountain before it closes and the Goodbye Bayshores house party on Monday. I'll be back with an update on the new house, complete with photos, and the story of how we lost our damage deposit because Ian drove his car into the hot tub (possibly).
Today's wisdom: sitting>swimming
Oh, and here are some photos to prove I did go to Coachella.
There are almost too many good stories to tell, but I'll start with the tale of Wally, our festival dad. Nick and I arrived in Palm Springs a few hours before the rest of the crew, and after leaving our bags at the hotel headed out to find a beer. We stumbled across a bar called Cactus Jack's, clearly a local's hang out. After being ID'd and pretty much laughed at for being silly foreigners lost in the wrong part of town, we got chatting to Wally, the bar's owner. He warmed to our English charms pretty quickly, and before we knew it we were having a lock-in with Wally and his mate Jeff. Wally paid for our drinks - about seven pints and a Jager each - and gave us his number to call if we were ever in town again.
The tale doesn't end there though. We next saw Wally on the Sunday, in the festival itself. Me, Nick, Jess and Rob had been waiting for the rest to return with beer and rum, and when they did we proceeded to make up for lost time and drink all of it. As we were at it, Jess noticed a very drunken young man sitting by our car. We offered him water, but when he refused decided the best way to help would be to wrap him in toilet paper and put a sombrero (and Russell's face) on him. Half way through this, Wally rolled up on a golf cart with the general manager of the entire sight. Luckily they all found it about as hilarious as we and the gathered crowd did. Our festival dad managed to turn up at the funniest part of the festival - great timing all round.
Of course, we had to pay him another visit once the festival was over. This time we took the whole crew to Cactus Jack's, and despite our efforts to shove money in his hand he paid for a couple of round for the seven of us. He then took us to The Hood - not, in fact, the roughest end of Palm Springs but a late night pizza place and bar - for a bite to eat. Clearly the place doesn't get many English in, and we were the talk of Palm Springs for the evening. Billy ended up dancing on the bar with an MMA fighter, we all experienced the delights of a Dead Nazi shot (don't ask) and I got completely lost walking back to the hotel on my own.
Wally wasn't done yet though. He offered me, Nick and Jess a lift to the airport, took us on a guided tour of Palm Springs and treated us to the best burger I've had in ages. What a legend.
Russell, incidentally, didn't actually go to Coachella. To make up for that, we took a cardboard cutout of his face, which Nick and I quietly introduced on the Sunday. Looking back through the photos, it looks like Russell probably had the best time out of all of us.
Since I've been back, a lot of people have asked me who my favourite band at Coachella was. The honest answer is, I don't know. We saw so many good bands that it's impossible to pick a favourite. Them Crooked Vultures filled the heavy rock slot perfectly, and it was incredible to see John Paul Jones (former Led Zeppelin bassist) live on stage. Jay-Z was as good as he was at Glasto, and seeing him and Beyoncé sing Forever Young at the end was awesome. Frank Turner was a really good surprise, and Thom Yorke was a hell of a lot better than I thought he would be. Gorillaz were really good to see live, and a great choice to finish the festival. It was great to see Faith No More even if they didn't play Easy, Muse were great and the Specials were fun. MGMT were rubbish, Deadmau5 was a brawl and Gary Numan had volcanic issues, but that didn't matter - the lineup was amazing.
There are so many other stories to tell: football in the campsite on the first day, the balloon man, sprinting through the campsite at two in the morning, sleeping through an entire band's set, the water missions, the rum, the lazer glasses, Palm Springs airport (a.k.a. 'Heaven'). I don't want this to turn into an essay though, so those can wait.
I'm back in Whistler now, and today signed the lease on the Dream House 2.0. The next few days will involve job hunting, making the most of the mountain before it closes and the Goodbye Bayshores house party on Monday. I'll be back with an update on the new house, complete with photos, and the story of how we lost our damage deposit because Ian drove his car into the hot tub (possibly).
Today's wisdom: sitting>swimming
Oh, and here are some photos to prove I did go to Coachella.
Not a bad location for a festival...
The gang, plus our best mate with the toilet paper
Turn's out Jackson's still alive
Wally! Legend
Palm Springs 'Airport'
Tuesday, 13 April 2010
Going to California
Tomorrow I fly down to California. Don't worry, I'm not leaving Canada permanently. A bunch of us are heading to Coachella festival, and it promises to be most awesome. It will be good to get out of the Whistler bubble for a few days as well. Living in Whistler definitely removes you from the rest of the world to a certain extent.
My girlfriend was here for a couple of weeks, which was excellent. We stayed in Vancouver for a while, and spent a week in Whistler as well. There was no 'reintroduction' period, and it didn't feel like we hadn't seen each other for five months. We went bungee jumping in Whistler, which was amazing. A very strange feeling looking over the edge, knowing you'll be falling 100+ feet in a second or two. It was great fun though, highly recommended.
Staying in Vancouver was a lot of fun as well. We had some tasty, cheap meals on most nights, and had probably the best curry I've had in a long time. I FINALLY bought some new jeans as well, so I can retire the ones with the huge hole in the crotch. Bonus.
I'm now on the verge of being jobless and homeless. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. I was getting a touch bored of folding t-shirts at Billabong. And whilst working at Prime was awesome, mostly because of the tasty free food (and copious amounts of alcohol), the head chef at the Chophouse offered me a job there so when Prime closes I'll still be the Fastest Dishwasher in the West.
And whilst the Dream House has been a lot of fun, it's no longer the Dream House. The hot tub is broken, the toilet doesn't work properly and there are scary things living in the bottom of the fridge. Also, there are much better houses where I can have a double bed in my own room for half the rent. Get ready for a blog about the SuperDream House in a week or two.
Unbelievably, April has been really snowy. Last week I had some of the best runs on the mountain that I've had all season. Hopefully Blackcomb will be open for most of May as well, because I've missed a couple of weeks on the mountain recently. Time to get back in the park and start hitting the medium jumps again. I've invented a new trick. It's called the Chocolate Sundae. I don't know how to do it yet, but the name lends itself to so many variations that it pretty much invents itself. Look out for it at the next X Games.
By the way, how good is tea? If this journey has taught me anything, it's that you can never have too much tea. Conversely, one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to look into the tea box and see nothing but space. Truly, truly terrifying.
The summer promises to be a lot of fun. A new house, hopefully a lot nearer the village, a lot of sun and some very good mates. Don't worry though children, I'll be back in England at some point.
Today's wisdom: always go for the Golden Soldier.
My girlfriend was here for a couple of weeks, which was excellent. We stayed in Vancouver for a while, and spent a week in Whistler as well. There was no 'reintroduction' period, and it didn't feel like we hadn't seen each other for five months. We went bungee jumping in Whistler, which was amazing. A very strange feeling looking over the edge, knowing you'll be falling 100+ feet in a second or two. It was great fun though, highly recommended.
Staying in Vancouver was a lot of fun as well. We had some tasty, cheap meals on most nights, and had probably the best curry I've had in a long time. I FINALLY bought some new jeans as well, so I can retire the ones with the huge hole in the crotch. Bonus.
I'm now on the verge of being jobless and homeless. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. I was getting a touch bored of folding t-shirts at Billabong. And whilst working at Prime was awesome, mostly because of the tasty free food (and copious amounts of alcohol), the head chef at the Chophouse offered me a job there so when Prime closes I'll still be the Fastest Dishwasher in the West.
And whilst the Dream House has been a lot of fun, it's no longer the Dream House. The hot tub is broken, the toilet doesn't work properly and there are scary things living in the bottom of the fridge. Also, there are much better houses where I can have a double bed in my own room for half the rent. Get ready for a blog about the SuperDream House in a week or two.
Unbelievably, April has been really snowy. Last week I had some of the best runs on the mountain that I've had all season. Hopefully Blackcomb will be open for most of May as well, because I've missed a couple of weeks on the mountain recently. Time to get back in the park and start hitting the medium jumps again. I've invented a new trick. It's called the Chocolate Sundae. I don't know how to do it yet, but the name lends itself to so many variations that it pretty much invents itself. Look out for it at the next X Games.
By the way, how good is tea? If this journey has taught me anything, it's that you can never have too much tea. Conversely, one of the worst things that can happen to a person is to look into the tea box and see nothing but space. Truly, truly terrifying.
The summer promises to be a lot of fun. A new house, hopefully a lot nearer the village, a lot of sun and some very good mates. Don't worry though children, I'll be back in England at some point.
Today's wisdom: always go for the Golden Soldier.
Saturday, 20 February 2010
The Winter Olympics
The Winter Olympics have arrived in Whistler!
Unfortunately, I haven't had much chance to see them. I've been working pretty much non-stop since the games started, hence the lack of blog. I'm now working two jobs, at Billabong still and at a tapas restaurant called Prime. I haven't had a day off in two weeks, but I'm not complaining too much because I'll be loaded next payday.
Although I haven't seen much of the games, that doesn't mean I haven't felt the effect. The atmosphere around Whistler village at the moment is incredible. Everyone is buzzing, and every couple of minutes you walk past people shouting and singing because their athlete has won a medal. There's live music all around the village every day, and fireworks and freestyle shows every night. Everyone who said Whistler would be rubbish this year because of the Olympics was wrong. It's fantastic, and I'm glad to be here!
There have been one or two downsides, of course. Creekside, the place where we normally head up the mountain, is in lockdown. The buses aren't allowed through and there's a huge fence through the middle to guide spectators towards the downhill events. Unfortunately, Prime is on the wrong side of that fence. No-one can see where we are because of the fence, and if there's no downhill event on then no-one comes to the restaurant. But I can't complain to much - if I get cut early, I can snowboard.
I've been up the mountain a surprising amount this week, considering the hours I've worked. We finally got some more snow, and the skies have been clear and sunny for the past couple of days, so the riding has been amazing. The last two days have been mostly used for catching up on my sleep, but I'm heading up the mountain tomorrow to test out my new helmet. It's green. Oh yes.
In other news, a bunch of us may well be heading to Coachella festival in April. It's set in Nevada in the middle of a desert plain, surrounded by palm trees and framed by mountains. It's going to be awesome, and I'll get to see Muse, Jay-Z, Deadmau5 and Them Crooked Vultures, among many others. My girlfriend is arriving on March 23rd as well, and I absolutely cannot wait. Spending Valentines away from her was pretty lame, but she seemed to like her flowers. We'll have our Valentines in March instead.
My next blog will hopefully have some photos from the Olympics and the mountain in it, so you can see what it's actually like here. With any luck it won't be another month until I post it.
Today's wisdom: luge doubles - gayer than figure skating?
Unfortunately, I haven't had much chance to see them. I've been working pretty much non-stop since the games started, hence the lack of blog. I'm now working two jobs, at Billabong still and at a tapas restaurant called Prime. I haven't had a day off in two weeks, but I'm not complaining too much because I'll be loaded next payday.
Although I haven't seen much of the games, that doesn't mean I haven't felt the effect. The atmosphere around Whistler village at the moment is incredible. Everyone is buzzing, and every couple of minutes you walk past people shouting and singing because their athlete has won a medal. There's live music all around the village every day, and fireworks and freestyle shows every night. Everyone who said Whistler would be rubbish this year because of the Olympics was wrong. It's fantastic, and I'm glad to be here!
There have been one or two downsides, of course. Creekside, the place where we normally head up the mountain, is in lockdown. The buses aren't allowed through and there's a huge fence through the middle to guide spectators towards the downhill events. Unfortunately, Prime is on the wrong side of that fence. No-one can see where we are because of the fence, and if there's no downhill event on then no-one comes to the restaurant. But I can't complain to much - if I get cut early, I can snowboard.
I've been up the mountain a surprising amount this week, considering the hours I've worked. We finally got some more snow, and the skies have been clear and sunny for the past couple of days, so the riding has been amazing. The last two days have been mostly used for catching up on my sleep, but I'm heading up the mountain tomorrow to test out my new helmet. It's green. Oh yes.
In other news, a bunch of us may well be heading to Coachella festival in April. It's set in Nevada in the middle of a desert plain, surrounded by palm trees and framed by mountains. It's going to be awesome, and I'll get to see Muse, Jay-Z, Deadmau5 and Them Crooked Vultures, among many others. My girlfriend is arriving on March 23rd as well, and I absolutely cannot wait. Spending Valentines away from her was pretty lame, but she seemed to like her flowers. We'll have our Valentines in March instead.
My next blog will hopefully have some photos from the Olympics and the mountain in it, so you can see what it's actually like here. With any luck it won't be another month until I post it.
Today's wisdom: luge doubles - gayer than figure skating?
Friday, 15 January 2010
I'm still alive, I promise
It's been a very long time since I last posted. There have been various reasons for this, each less interesting than the last. So instead of boring you with those, I may as well tell you what I've been up to.
We left off last time with me trying to learn how to snowboard like a human. This has mostly been a success, and I can now stay upright on my board about 95% of the time. I've also been spending time in the terrain park, hitting a few jumps and boxes. There aren't many better feelings than landing a big jump perfectly, especially when you're out on the hill with a bunch of mates. My housemates and I are well on the way to becoming one of the posses of snowboarders you see doing cool things all over the place, scaring skiers and wildlife alike.
My family came to visit me over Christmas, which was awesome. I got to show Phil the best mountain in the world, and Mum and Dad got to buy me three steaks in the space of a week. This was the first time I'd had steak for Christmas dinner, and it was also the best steak in the world. They also brought a truckload of presents with them, including 600g of Cathedral City cheddar and an 'Unbelievable Jeff' Chris Kamara t-shirt. It was sad to see them go, but they made it a great Christmas (thank you!).
In more recent news, I went down to Vancouver with my mate Jason this week, to see Avatar in IMAX 3D. Vancouver was amazing. Despite the constant rain, it made my mind up that I need to live there at some point during my stay. There are so many incredible places to see, and the city is so new and shiny. I'll be exploring it all in the summer. Avatar was equally amazing. I was a touch skeptical of the 3D thing at first, but it's absolutely incredible. It felt like I was watching actual people on a set in front of me, rather than just on a screen. If you get the chance to go and see it, make sure you see it in 3D. I don't want to watch anything in normalvision now. Just like garlic bread, 3D's the future.
This week has been divided between snowboarding and looking for a new job. I haven't been fired from Billabong, don't worry, but they can only give me four hours a week at the moment which is useless. I've applied to a bunch of places, so hopefully I'll have a new job to talk about next week.
Some other things of note:
We left off last time with me trying to learn how to snowboard like a human. This has mostly been a success, and I can now stay upright on my board about 95% of the time. I've also been spending time in the terrain park, hitting a few jumps and boxes. There aren't many better feelings than landing a big jump perfectly, especially when you're out on the hill with a bunch of mates. My housemates and I are well on the way to becoming one of the posses of snowboarders you see doing cool things all over the place, scaring skiers and wildlife alike.
My family came to visit me over Christmas, which was awesome. I got to show Phil the best mountain in the world, and Mum and Dad got to buy me three steaks in the space of a week. This was the first time I'd had steak for Christmas dinner, and it was also the best steak in the world. They also brought a truckload of presents with them, including 600g of Cathedral City cheddar and an 'Unbelievable Jeff' Chris Kamara t-shirt. It was sad to see them go, but they made it a great Christmas (thank you!).
In more recent news, I went down to Vancouver with my mate Jason this week, to see Avatar in IMAX 3D. Vancouver was amazing. Despite the constant rain, it made my mind up that I need to live there at some point during my stay. There are so many incredible places to see, and the city is so new and shiny. I'll be exploring it all in the summer. Avatar was equally amazing. I was a touch skeptical of the 3D thing at first, but it's absolutely incredible. It felt like I was watching actual people on a set in front of me, rather than just on a screen. If you get the chance to go and see it, make sure you see it in 3D. I don't want to watch anything in normalvision now. Just like garlic bread, 3D's the future.
This week has been divided between snowboarding and looking for a new job. I haven't been fired from Billabong, don't worry, but they can only give me four hours a week at the moment which is useless. I've applied to a bunch of places, so hopefully I'll have a new job to talk about next week.
Some other things of note:
- My girlfriend bought her plane tickets out here this week. She gets in on March 23rd, I can't wait!
- I'm getting a Sheffield United sticker to go on my helmet. I am that cool.
- You can never have too much sleep.
- Craig Campbell and Glen Wool are a bit funny. Go Youtube them.
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