Conservative parents of America, I hereby apologize if you are offended by my reference to Ryan’s fascination with my “improved” breasts. But can you honestly say that your husband or boyfriend didn’t respond the same way? Maleness is universal. I just happen to be the one unafraid to speak frankly.

I love being edgy! My mom wasn’t too pleased by my honesty and I’m sure Ryan’s mother was irked as well. Who can blame them really? This is not a situation either would approve of, let alone understand. But I doubt there’d be anything I could say that would make it all better right now.
They are both wonderful women but it’s their loss, really, if they can’t understand or can’t get past the open language because then they miss that smart, funny, caring, logical, constructive person inside. The girl who will stay up all night with you after you find out your boyfriend is in love with another guy, the one who writes your resumes and sets up contacts and interviews for you, the one who will pick you up from the airport at 2 a.m., the one who walks you through sending an email attachment (when you should know this by now) or isn’t afraid to tell you those pants make you look fat- if you ask, of course.
I’m not a private person. If I was, then blogging would not be an option. For the most part, I don’t go hogwild anymore at the dinner table but that doesn’t mean I’ll sensor my own blog. Jeez. This is me, Folks. Freedom of speech in all its glory and I’m not embarrassed or ashamed to mention sexuality, motherhood and low income in the same space.
Like Howard Stern’s producers once said, “While, the average radio listener listens for an average of 12 minutes, the Howard Stern fan listens for an average of 42 minutes because they want to hear what he’ll say next.”
Pig Vomit: Ok…but what about the people who hate him? “Good point,” they responded. “The average Howard Stern hater listens for 52 minutes.”
Pig Vomit: But if they hate him why do they listen?
“The answer most commonly given, ‘I wanna hear what he’ll say next.'” Ironic that Ryan loooves Stern.

Taos Ski Valley, NM, is like the poster child for global warming this season. Poor guys. I’ve been hanging at the Austig House motel/hotel for the past three nights, cruising the mile and a half up to the base of the resort to watch the diehards eek out whatever turns they can make on 30 inches of manmade snow that will now soon melt away. Snowmaking ended recently because the their forest service says so.
Al’s Run looked like vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce all over it- the sauce being dirt. The ski school, fortunately, has chugged right along as many beginners and intermediates continued to show up for those infamous ski weeks and toasts at the martini tree. I was actually surprised at how much of the mountain was open given their snowfall this year. Crews have worked diligently to spread that manmade around and make it stick. ooh boy, were the runs firm- even in 60 degree weather. Easterners, though, probably were psyched. But, truthfully, one day on the hill was enough for me. Without sharp edges, you’re hanging on for life with every muscle gripped in tension. I can wait. I know that back home there will be plenty of freshies from the incoming storm headed our way. Instead, I’ve eaten myself into a coma this weekend. New Mexican cuisine is yummy. Lots of spices, kick, mixed flavors; tonight, for example we ate the Apple Tree in downtown Taos and I had chicken enchiladas in a blue corn tortilla with mango/green chili salsa. Our waiter served everything with a smile as we sat among local art for sale on the walls and the hum of diners from around each corner of the restaurant’s mazelike seating arrangement. I highly recommend the place.
I fly home tomorrow. Maybe I’ll finally be able to kick this cold and nausea doing a number in my tummy ever since I got back from Brazil last week. Ryan’s buddy Chad got married in Campos de Jordao and two days later in Ubatuba he was flattened by the flu. As luck would have it, Ryan and I were the ones sharing the tiny car with him as we drove four hours to Rio for my flight to Utah. I swear I’m like a virus magnet. So long as I’m around healthy people, no worries. One person with a nasty case of something and I’m its next victim.
Speaking of Ryan… we are still going strong!! I bet that freaks him out to consider but at the same time we both agree that it’s just “easy.” Of everyone I’ve ever dated, this one is the healthiest, most normal and least high maintenance. Sure, I worry that one day he’ll simply pack up and move home to Massachusetts without even saying goodbye (thanks, Greg, for giving me that issue) but what can you do? If it happens, I survive and move on like I did before. Each dude has been better than the last. Let this be a lesson to you, Girls. Never think that you’ll never meet anyone better than your last guy. YOU ALWAYS DO.

Maybe it’s me, but I’ll be damned if Utah isn’t more crowded than ever. Lines everywhere! Even at Deer Valley. Of course, I still know my way around them (except last Tuesday at Snowbird when we made two runs in three hours!) but still. It’s nuts. We hit PCMR today and thank god for the fast pass access. I didn’t have to wait in line with my special dealio and even got 10% off of lunch at the Summit House. For anyone wondering about the conditions, despite a couple of very warm days, the snow is soft and plentiful and the weather report calls for 5-10 inches by tomorrow evening. PCMR is grooming enough of their mountain now to give DV a run for their money but since the trails are longer and wider you don’t get buzzed as often by over-zealous intermediates screaming down the hill thinking they’re rockstars on rentals. But if you don’t have that fast pass and you hate standing in line, you’re better off at DV. PayDay and Bonanza were pretty thick. I never made it Jupiter because my friend Carol would have hated me and never skied with me again. We stuck to those buffed groomers off King Con and Silverlode. I’m digging the food these days at the Summit House- best on-mountain pizza and chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. The food’s always great at DV but I’m angry they raised the price of their turkey chili. A bowl is now about the same price as a burger (no fries)! arrrgggghhh. Tomorrow we’re doing either the Bird or Alta. I’m calling ahead to see what chairs/runs are open before the final decision. I don’t want to get skunked again by liftlines. BTW< if you're at all concerned with crowds, check out Snowbasin. They're even running a January two-for-one special. Solitude is another good bet. The b-friend bought a dual Alta/Bird pass so we're committed to Little Cottonwood whenever we ski together.

I’ve finally returned. Writing in a blog is like writing in a journal. Once you skip a few days, the thought of catching up becomes daunting- so much to tell and so little energy. But then you wait a whole long-ass time and all of sudden you can encapsulate and it’s not so bad anymore. I’m currently waiting for it to snow in Utah while sharing Thanksgiving dinner with the folks in Carlsbad, Calif. It was gloriously sunny and warm today – both in Park City and San Diego- unfortunately. This is one of the driest holidays I’ve seen in a decade.

Weatherbug forecasts snow starting Saturday and it’s about time. Other than bumming out about skiing a foot of manmade snow on one run at the handful of open ski resorts, life is good. Ryan will move out of my place and down to Salt Lake next week to take a job with Fidelity. Since he can’t drive, he needs to be close to TRAX. I’ll miss the boy but because he took the nightshift, I now have a regular Snowbird ski buddy this winter (as opposed to last, when he worked at Wells Fargo all day). I am in the process of finishing my kitchen remodel and looking for people to rent my spare room so I can start paying off the tab on that one. Oh, and I spent last week in the Dominican Republic. What a cool place to sit out the pre-season ski blues- we surfed, kiteboarded, road horses and did this hairy, challenging sport they call cascading- kind of like canyoneering but not- we actually hike UP waterfalls in helmets and life jackets then ride down them or cliff jump into the deep pools below. We did 12 waterfalls and the average leap was 20 feet. Wahoo!

Well, I’ll be home Saturday and can update you on the storms and whether it’s worth booking a trip out to Utah. You can also tune in to www.onthesnow.com and look at my Destination Resorts reports. BTW, if you hear of anyone looking for a ski instructor, have them contact me! My Christmas schedule is filling up fast but we can work something out.