Like for most people, the bricks that build my life are mostly made of routine, yet over time, I have picked them so they’re unique, attractive and always are something I look forward to.
My day is never boring and each seemingly repetitive step doubles up as a challenge on its own right. Having build my daily life that way, each day is like a maze I’m looking forward to resolve and go through smoothly, swiftly and with flying colors.
This is something that slowly developed since I’ve been retired. Bit by bit, without realizing it too much in the messed up world we’re living in, I’ve been attracted by nurturing a form of life philosophy. I realize that such a process based on my values, lifestyle, and beliefs is a deeply personal and ongoing journey.
It must begin with self-reflection, like identifying my core values or what’s important or essential to me, like honesty, compassion, freedom, knowledge or creativity. Same thing with my core beliefs or lack thereof as well as with my personal lifestyle and what truly matters to me in the way my environment aligns with my values.
Equally as important, is to review what gives my life its meaning? What do I want to achieve and what kind of impact, if any, do I want to make on the world? Goal setting is also part of the process and applies to both long-term and short-term objectives that must be in harmony with our values and purpose.
After this foundational work, I will need to make conscious choices that reflect my values and beliefs, regularly reflect on my life experiences to make sure they align with my philosophy and of course be open to change as it evolves over time, as I grow and learn.
Finally, the frosting on the cake is to connect with folks that share my views, and also to share my philosophy, values and beliefs with friends and family.
Even since our Democratic leaders lost the election to Trump, the top leadership of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has remained silent, showing their sheer incompetence or total impotence.
As soon as Biden took office in 2021, Trump’s big mouth has been constantly criticizing the old man, but that symmetry is not there today because the Democrats do not seem to have a strong spokesperson, and are all behaving like “sissies”.
Where is this person hiding and where can we find him? I am not counting on Kamala Harris or Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and the rest of the DNC members to do this job, because they were absent the whole time and are still today.
As soon as Trump returned to the White House, we needed a strong voice that unfortunately has been terribly absent. Some list Harris, Newsom or Shapiro. I would say Liz Cheney, if she could be persuaded to change her label or if it were possible to dissolve the DNC and create a true Progressive Party...
In this comparison, it’s easy to see that Biden’s margin of victory in 2020 was stronger than that of Trump in 2024 (4.40% vs. 1.50%) Also, in spite of an increase in population and eligible electorate, Biden received 81 million votes for 77 in the case of Trump.
So the difference is substantial and where did it go? This would suggest that if Trump did a better job increasing his number of supporters, Harris suffered a lack of support from her Democrat electorate that from the get-go wasn’t motivated by an excessively old candidate (Biden) and its weak replacement (Harris).
It’s a fact that, during the 2020 Primaries, Harris performance was also lackluster as she was one of the first ones to drop from the race and sure enough, Biden chose it because of her weakness.
In 2020 Trump lost to Biden because of his antics that were still fresh in everyone’s mind and of his Covid’s mismanagement. In retrospect, it’s helpful to remember that, during the 2008 Democratic Primaries that lined up Obama against Clinton and Biden, It’s Joe Biden who was the first to drop out of the Primary..
Still, in looking at an increased 36.1% abstention, the difference in that rate between 2020 and 2024 is a whopping 2.7% which shows that the Democratic electorate turned its back on Bidden/Harris by not voting because of the lackluster choice offered to them.
Finally, while Trump claims “having a mandate”, he only gets the support of 31.82% of the eligible voters!
Following an “epidemic” of unjustifiable and dubious pardons for too many acts and offset in time, I think that both Biden and Trump have made a mockery of the device, and that it now falls to Congress and States to work on a constitutional amendment to fix a power that has gone astray.
This wouldn’t be easy, but given Biden and Trump’s bipartisan excesses, this might be possible. It would work like this, first by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, then once proposed, the amendment has to be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of the states.
As stated in the US Constitution, the presidential pardon power says that the president has the power to "grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of impeachment". This would mean that this power is broad and Congress can do little against it. The president can pardon someone at any time after the crime was committed, including before legal proceedings, during proceedings, or after conviction.
The president can also commute sentences, remit fines and forfeitures, and grant amnesties. The president's pardon power is intended to be a tool of mercy and justice, and to serve the public interest. When we look at these weak and far too general “guardrails”, we can see that there’s plenty of room for abuse, as the pardon power, as we’ve just witnessed it, can be used to pardon political allies or friends, raising concerns about favoritism and corruption.
Further, there is no requirement for the president to justify or explain pardons, leading to a lack of transparency. The worst in my view is that a President can issue pardons before charges are filed, which some argue undermines the justice system. Finally, some pardons have sparked public outrage, such as those granted to individuals involved in significant scandals or crimes.
This is why I believe what we’ve just seen regarding the Biden family or the January 6 criminals warrant a full Constitutional Amendment, as hard and difficult it may seem.
This early January has been marked by a lack of precipitation, resulting in hard snow, sometimes tricky in places where the cover is dry-rotten underneath a seemingly packed top surface.
All this requires a certain amount of prudence and a light touch at all times, especially when the cloud cover plays tricks with visibility. In other words, I need to be more careful than usual and refrain from letting speed get the best out of me.
I also can ill afford to get hurt, as my spouse needs my healthy presence more than ever, as we’re now both old enough to take too many risks. Yet, even with more controlled and civilized speeds, skiing remains fun and rewarding which is, after all, all what I’m looking for.
I still ski the same hard terrain, albeit a tad more slowly and find plenty of fun and satisfaction in doing it.
Last year, I promised to prioritize quality over quantity and it only took me a full year to get started with it!
"Frontline" is a PBS news show that usually offers a daring and compelling look at complex, vital and often-controversial subjects. Each broadcast consists of a long-form news documentary.
Most are good, but the most recent one examining Donald Trump’s life and career, after his 2020 election loss, felony convictions and historic comeback misses on a critical point, nobody seemingly wants to talk about.
It’s the horribly weak candidacy of Biden for a second turn, that delivered Trump’s 2024 on a silver platter and that the DNC should have prevented but didn’t have the balls to stop.
Biden pulled another RBG (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)’s trick to satisfy his own ego in running again against the best interest of the Nation, and his party’s most influential members let him do that.
Instead, the documentary comes out as a glorification of Trump’s bad behavior all his life long, in other words, an immoral tale that says being a bully, a liar always pays off.
Had the Democrats lined up someone alive, who didn’t have a foot in the grave, against a convicted felon, we wouldn’t have Trump again today!
My old friend Philippe Mollard, a hard core skier who is going to turn 85 this year was telling me the other day that he had to make a switch from his conventional front-entry, overlap ski boots, to something much easier to get in and out of.
He was telling me about one of his brothers, about the same age as he, having to ask passers-by to help him pull the boot out of his foot and leg! Not the most convenient way to do that job.
I think that next year, I’ll be due for a new pair and while alternative designs like Dahu and Apex might be worth looking at, the Nordica HF mid-entry that Philippe now uses could very well be the winning ticket for me!
This place, a natural sinkhole in northern Utah, is one of the coldest places in the contiguous United States. Another one is Grand Forks, North Dakota, due to its high latitude, flat topography, and exposure to Arctic air. Peter Sinks is located 8,164 feet (2,488 meters), above sea level, in the Bear River Mountains about 20 mi (32 km) east of Logan where my son attended university.
Due to temperature inversions that trap cold nighttime air, it routinely produces the lowest temperatures in the US mainland, Alaska excepted. Even in the summer, the bottom of the sinkhole rarely goes four consecutive days without freezing.
It is so cold near the bottom of the hole that trees are unable to grow. I’m glad I’ve learned about this cool place and might even visit it next summer when the weather is getting to hot for me in Park City!
In 2024, Utah elected a new senator, John R. Curtis, a Mormon, former mayor of Provo for 8 years and state representative in the US Congress for the past 7 years. He replaced Romney who always disliked Trump. Curtiss is said to “Tackles tough issues with innovative approaches, inviting all to the higher ground of common ground. He believes that big ideas, innovation, and consensus can drive transformational change.”
"Dear Senator Curtis, No, you cannot vote for a depraved person like Pete Hegseth as our Secretary of Defense! Would it be that you have become scared to death of Donald Trump's wrath? Have you asked yourself 'What would Jesus do in my place?' I recommend you don't and realize that a vote for that drunk, corrupt and sexual predator never stands on your track record. This would be the kind of hypocrisy your campaign promises strongly negated. Thank you for being the 'man' I expect you to be."
The same day, he responded, telling me,
“I take very seriously the role that the Senate has in the Constitution for advice and consent—and have spent significant time reviewing President Trump’s nominees, including his Defense Secretary pick Pete Hegseth. I’ve met with Mr. Hegseth, talked with many people who have known him in different roles, carefully watched his confirmation hearing, and even read his writings to better understand who he is. While there are actions from his past that give me pause, I carefully weighed these concerns against his qualifications, leadership style, and commitment to bolstering the world’s most respected military. I am confident Mr. Hegseth shares my vision of ensuring our armed services are prepared to meet the evolving challenges of the 21st century.”
To which, I responded :
"The question remains, can you trust the man for doing the job to the level we the taxpayers are expecting? The honest answer is a resounding NO and if you pursue your support in confirming this individual, it will be a permanent blemish on your judgment."
Welcome back to the Trump regime !
As of yesterday, I’ve been meditating every single day, for five years, and I’ll try to explain how that consistent practice has had an impact on my personal, day to day life.
However, before I do this, let me say that my meditation practice is not conventional at all and is far from being even close to that found in most guides. Still, I believe it’s the right one for me, so I’ll stick to it, and I would even add that it probably should be customized to each person.
So to review the tangible benefits I received from the practice, I’d say that it has contributed to reducing whatever excess stress and anxiety I had, and instead, experiencing greater calmness, a sense of inner peace, and protection from stress. It also had a big impact in freeing me of the tyranny of my emotions, leading me to regulate them and feel happier and more content as a result.
I’ve been able to better manage anger and frustration and turn them into more constructive energies. I would also admit that meditating has improved my sleep quality, I now fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly.
One remarkable thing is that now, I can get almost instantly into a meditative state when I need it, to pass a tough moment, endure a pain or just fill a void, so it’s there at my disposal, any time I need it.
Again, no single individual experience will be the same as the benefits of meditation will vary greatly, but I see its impact as well worth my while and I am now fully convinced of its positive impact on me!
As of today, Park City is now situated well into the new Russian republic of Dumfukistan, as its fearless leader is being inaugurated today.
Then, what is going to happen to the few blue sections, labeled USA and left on the map?
My guess is that they’ll be annexed by Canada, in just response to our same leader’s recent threats!
Over all these years, if I had gotten a good option, I would have taken public transportation to go skiing instead of taking my car and contribute to traffic and parking problems, but that wasn’t available except if I was willing to walk one mile round trip, in my ski boots and my skis on my shoulder, to and from the next regularly scheduled shuttle stop.
This puts my next bus stop less than 250 ft away from my garage door and it takes me less than a minute to get there.
The only problem is its limited frequency, but as the service gains in popularity we might see that factor increase in the upcoming season!
This is the letter I received from Vail Resorts, in response to my open letter to Kristen Lynch, its CEO:
I appreciate you reaching out and I’m sorry to hear about your experience. Safety is our priority. We have been opening the terrain that is safe to open with the team members we have each day.
While the Park City Mountain team and patrol leaders from our other resorts worked hard to keep the mountain open, we recognize the strike did impact the guest experience over the holidays. We deeply regret anytime we are not able to provide the guest experience you expect from us.
We are pleased that the patrol union strike has ended and are looking forward to welcoming back our striking patrollers. We are grateful for our guests’ patience and for our team who worked hard to keep the mountain open and operating safely over the past two weeks.
Thanks for your continued support of Park City Mountain. Emily, Guest Escalations, Vail Resorts
…And this is my answer to Kristen :
Hello, Ms. Lynch,
To this form reply below, I respond, how hypocritical are you to say that our terrible experience was motivated by “Safety” when in fact it was “Money” or rather unadulterated “Greed”.
You had been confronted with Park City ski patrol’s demands for ten months and knew what potentially was coming in terms of strike, but instead Vail Resorts (VR) played chicken hoping to deflect the ski patrols demands.
As the season got seriously underway you chose to penalize your Epic pass users by taking a chance to see who would blink first. You ended up losing your bid and depriving all of us of a full mountain when the snow came and the Holiday crowds poured in.
Now, I’m simply asking you for a simple monetary compensation for the bad experience my daughter, my grandson and I had during the 2024-2025 Holiday season. For the three of us, this is worth Three Thousand Dollars ($3,000.00) or One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) each.
Thank you for responding in kind and we'll remain good friends. 1/4/2025
Freeloading is more of an art than a technique, at least that’s my opinion.
A few days ago a guy I used to know, let’s call him Paul, but that has ignored me for a long time, sent me that email: “I'm driving to Utah tomorrow and will ski at Snowbasin on Monday. I'm planning on skiing at Park City on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Let me know if you'll be skiing any of those days and we can try and take some turns together.”
On the surface, that looked perfectly legit, but knowing Paul like I do, I sensed that he was fishing for free room and board, so I agreed to one afternoon of skiing together, but didn’t offer him what I thought he was looking for.
On that day, we were supposed to meet at a certain spot at 1:30 pm sharp, he came up with some excuse and was 30 minutes late. When he finally showed up (I had time for a run as the weather was bitterly cold and didn’t want to freeze standing up). Surprisingly, he was with a friend, that we’ll call Charlie, and he said to me, “Usually, I always show up ahead of the agreed upon time…”
I’m sure Paul was still hoping I would invite them both for dinner at my house, but I didn’t. Paul did not offer me to have a beer with them at the resort base either, I guess he forgot, and only Charlie was gracious enough to thank me for a “Fabulous afternoon”. I guess that summarizes what I have learned in having lived in Park City for 40 years and getting burned countless time by professional freeloaders!
In 1989, for my wife’s birthday, I decided to turn into reality a design-sculpture concept I had dancing in my head for a long time. I had called that business concept “Slice of Life”; it consisted in stringing together slices of wood into a shape.
At any rate, “Pig-Gitou” has followed us into the four residences that we’ve occupied after it was created. Over 35 years of age, clean, never hungry, smelling good old pine, not requiring vet visits or immunization shots and never uttering a nasty word, it instantly became the ideal pet.
That was until it fell and split into two pieces, breaking Evelyne’s heart in the process. She had to reawaken the animal’s biological father who took it to the operating table and reassembled the two pieces into a stronger pig ready to survive both of us, take on inflation Trump’s second mandate, climate change and a life that I guarantee won’t be boring at all!
I used to admire Elon Musk a whole lot, but not anymore, especially since he took some radical political positions a couple of years ago, then purchased Twitter to use it as a mouthpiece to convey Trump-style lies and more recently for financing his presidential campaign and wedging himself inside the dictator’s inner circle.
At the same time, as Musk is blinking, Tesla’s US sales are down by 5% in 2024 (before Q4 results) compared to the prior year. Regionally, Tesla would be down about 10% in Europe, up 8% in China, although Tesla’s growth has greatly slowed down in the world’s biggest auto market, and finally down 5% in the US.
Our domestic US market is particularly interesting and worrying for Tesla, considering the automaker operated in the country in 2024 with record discounts and incentives, including price cuts, subsidized financing and introducing its new Cybertruck. It’s clear that from the get go, when it came with its Model S, Tesla was the progressive’s beloved, non polluting, green car, and certainly not the vehicle of Trump’s redneck supporters.
Since then, Elon Musk has devolved into a polarizing figure, his actions and statements often sparking debate. Long gone is his visionary leadership that propelled Tesla to the forefront of electric vehicles. Now, his controversial tweets and public statements have caused volatility in Tesla's stock price and raised concerns among investors while dispiriting Tesla owners and discouraging prospective buyers.
Being on the autism spectrum means having a developmental disability that affects how people communicate, interact socially, and learn.
This might explain his contradictory behaviors, as his recent involvement in the California wildfire response using Tesla Cybertrucks and Starlink terminals, showed his commitment to leveraging his companies' technologies for public good, but this barely counteracts his criticism of California's regulations, his promotion of conspiracy theories or his meddling into European politics.
While everyone is speculating on how long the “bromance” between Musk and Trump will last, the richest man in the world has become the most controversial and volatile personality America has ever seen.
This is perfectly called for as we don't have to tolerate their behavior and that a disproportionate response will scare the bejesus out of them. Here are some fitting strategies.
First it’s essential to assert oneself as bullies thrive on fear and intimidation. Ignoring their behavior will always embolden them. It’s time tto stand for what we believe is right, by using forceful, yet respectful language and clearly communicate what behavior will and will not be tolerated.
Make sure to let others know about the bullying in seeking widespread support and using the available means (media and such) to broadcast it in a loud manner and tone. We must remember to focus on our strength, positive qualities and accomplishments as we’re not, for the most part, convicted felons!
While some will recommend avoiding escalation and walking away, I’m convinced that’s good advice. One needs to respond extremely intensely and loudly to discourage any further attempt at bullying and turn that venom around straight in the perpetrator’s face (fight fire with treble intensity and don’t do as Jesus said by turning the other cheek.)
The bottom line is that to fight a bully, one has to check fear at the door and be ready to deliver a really punishing blow and create a shocking surprise so bullies won’t even think of doing it again!
When I had my slip-and-fall accident, my buttock’s piriformis muscle pinched my right sciatic nerve, but that son of a gun kept the pain going and carried it downstream alongside my thigh, my knee, my lower leg and even my ankle 9 days later. It also went back and “tickled” my lower spine in recent days, more than 10 days after the accident occurred.
This latter problem seems now to be losing some of its sting. So, all this made me think that there might be a connection, a connivance of sorts, between these two giant nerves.
My initial research on the subject tells me “NO”, but deep inside I’m not yet convinced… Sure, l learned that the sciatic and radial nerves are peripheral nerves, meaning they’re coming out of the brain and spinal cord.
Both contribute to motor function in controlling muscle movement. The sciatic nerve controls muscles in the back of the leg and foot, while the radial nerve controls muscles in the back of the arm and hand.
They’re also susceptible to being injured, compressed or irritated, leading to pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness. What’s different about them is their origins and functions as the sciatic nerve originates from the lower spine (L4-S3 nerve roots) in the lumbar region, while the radial nerve stems out of the cervical spine (C5-T1 nerve roots) in the neck region.
Still I can’t comprehend what had “woken up” the radial nerve while the sciatic one was being pinched and acted out. I continue to believe that a big problem with the sciatic nerve “provoked” the radial nerve to manifest itself.
This remains a total mystery, a troubling coincidence and I’m awfully tempted in connecting these two dots...
An interesting way to effectively resist autocratic leaders, or any dictator for that matter, is to think small, like a grain of sand, into what would be an oppressing machine with cog wheels all over (think of a giant gearbox).
These mechanical devices don’t enjoy the presence of pesky hard foreign particles that will impede their smooth function and eventually cause them to stop. A perfect illustration for the expression "Sand in the gears" means to cause problems or prevent something from happening as it should. Sand can cause significant damage to cogwheels.
The most obvious one is abrasion, even with tiny but hard stone particles that get crushed between the teeth of the cogwheels, acting like sandpaper and causing wear and tear. If this abrasion persists it will lead to the teeth of the cogwheels becoming rounded or chipped, reducing their ability to mesh or lead properly.
This causes increased friction between gears, leading to increased wear and tear and potentially overheating. Eventually, sand can get trapped between the teeth of the cogwheels in such ways nothing can turn smoothly and potentially causing the mechanism jams.
The severity of the damage will depend on several factors, starting with the type of sand, as fine sand is generally more abrasive and in time can cause more wear than coarse sand that’s more capable of bringing the system to stop faster.
If no one sees the grain of sand entering the machine, so much the better, and sooner than later will the horrible device come to a screeching halt. Just remember that!
European governments have a couple of very simple options when it comes to Elon Musk’s interference with their political systems.
Just give it about a month and if everyone is still stuck to the platform, shut it off sine die throughout the 27 country members.
Addiction being hard to break, the EC would probably have to opt for the later option, then “Sayonara” Elon!
A few days ago, Nicole Denis, a veteran ski instructor from Avoriaz, France, sent me that great video of one of her students, an Austrian-born baroness Barbara von Schmidburg who has come to the Avoriaz ski resort since its creation in the late 60s and has skied ever since under the guidance of Nicole.
The clip captured on the Swiss side of the Portes du Soleil, this large international interconnect straddling France and Switzerland, 20 miles north of Chamonix.
The place has been enjoying great snow conditions that at the very least require skiers to “turn’em”, but what’s very special is the age of that noble lady: eighty seven year young! I can only hope that I’ll manage to ski nearly as well ten years from now if and when I reach that age as a skier!
Going back to my end-of-year fall on the butt and my landing urgently at the ICU, my hurting posterior still has to be addressed and repaired, which in fact is both funny and concerning because it still hurts like hell, I can still barely put on my underpants, pants, socks and shoes on my own, and no skiing to boot, excuse the play on words, because it’s been impossible for me to get into my super stiff ski-boots, even if a third party tried to help.
That means skiing must wait, even though the Ski Patrol strike might eventually be over and the tourists are mostly all gone! So the brilliant doctors attending to me all focused on the cardiac problem I didn’t have and instead didn’t investigate my intensely hurting buttock.
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Clearly, I had to fall on my “piriformis muscle” and injured it badly in the process. I’m pretty sure you’d never heard of that muscle, but we all have a pair and now you do.
While not a believer in the after-world, I’ve always wondered what were the origins of the belief of life after death, and what made a central tenet used by most religions. Clearly, the belief in an afterlife has deep roots throughout human history and across many cultures.
It finds its main origin in “good old fear of death”, this inescapable human experience. Afterlife offers a good reassurance that not all is lost in the face of mortality. It provides a welcome extension of existence and a possible reunion with loved ones. What it conveniently fails to mention is that it leaves open the opportunity to run as well into plenty of enemies and debt collectors!
It could be that dreams, near-death experiences and other bizarre coincidences may have fueled early beliefs in a soul or spirit that survives death. That was conveniently picked up by ancient civilizations, from Egyptians, Greeks or Romans who began to develop elaborate beliefs about the afterlife, often intertwined with their religious and mythological systems.
There was only a short distance left before these beliefs could be leveraged into spiritual IOUs that would be promised to warriors, builders of cathedrals or any one toiling for no pay, very often against their will. I was also used liberally as a law enforcement and control tool, with the promise of hell as the ultimate maximum security prison for folks who committed crimes against society or failed to conform to strict cultural norms.
Of course, those who disagree say that the concept of an afterlife is a matter of faith and personal belief, and there’s no scientific evidence to definitively disprove its existence, I’ll say to them, “You can have it and enjoy it!”
The other night, following a full family dinner the other night we had a good discussion about why some women struggled in presidential elections and some opined that only conservative women could pretty much pretend accessing to top leadership positions like head of state, like for instance conservatives like a Margaret Thatchter or an Angela Merkel succeeded and a pair of liberals like Hillary Clinton or a Kamala Harris didn’t.
Obviously, we should begin by looking at what “textbook” leadership is supposed to mean. It begins by having a unique blend of qualities that can inspire and guide others, like a clear vision for the future and the ability to define and set goals that are realistic. It also demands a capacity for seeing ways through achieving these goals, identifying pitfalls along the way and seizing opportunity when they present themselves.
An ability to actively listen and read others' perspectives and concerns is also paramount as well as building and maintaining strong relationships with peers, team members, stakeholders, and the community. As for empathy or the ability to understand and consider the needs and feelings of others it could be a “nice to have” the cherry on the cake.
Leadership also means making tough decisions that are also timely and well informed, most of the time under tremendous pressure. This also includes effective problem-solving. Again many leaders don’t have these talents when they begin, some pick some of them, many don’t and remain hopelessly stuck in their ways.
It must be said that many of these specific competencies can be delegated to specialists. Leaders would surround themselves with smarter folks than themselves and not sycophants. Another “nice to have” skill among Leaders is their ability to take responsibility for their actions and decisions.
Convicted felons, or individuals with shady backgrounds, prone to lies and deception should absolutely be barred from leadership positions. No exception. This is essential for motivating and inspiring others and empowering team members to take ownership and contribute to the team's success.
Adaptability and resilience should also be part of that whole package. Most importantly appearance is key. Not just the physical aspect, the age that should be in the 50s to 60s at the very most, but also the strength of personality, the charisma and the ability to project a powerful image that inspire respect. Yes respect, not fear.
Finally if there’s a contest, the one candidate irrespective of their race, gender, you name it, is the one overflowing with these traits.
In my opinion, a perfect world might not be all that fun. Every one would be bored and a quick look at what goes on around the world in our most developed societies suffices to see far too many people bored, demotivated, depressed and mentally ill.
Imperfection in of itself is a form of adversity that makes people strive and appears like a necessary fuel, not just for progress, but for harmonious growth and sustenance. This is pretty much how I see things. It hard to deny that imperfection can be a powerful motivator. It’s in fact a never-ending endeavor, even if at times it can feel unsatisfying.
Yet, acknowledging and accepting imperfection allows us to focus on growth, improvement, and learning from our mistakes. Imperfection is often a powerful source of creativity and innovation as mistakes and failures can lead to new discoveries and breakthroughs.
Finally, on the plus side, imperfection contributes to the richness and diversity of life. If everything were perfect, the world would be a totally boring and uninteresting place.
Since there are two side to each coin, we can’t ignore a few negative sides to imperfection, like what it can generate in terms of inequality, suffering, disease, poverty, and injustice.
It remains however quite clear that if perfection may seem like a lofty ideal, it's likely unattainable and potentially undesirable.
Embracing imperfection can lead all of us to greater creativity, resilience, and compassion, while recognizing that it's crucial to strive for a world where the negative consequences of imperfection are minimized and everyone has the opportunity to thrive…
Vail Resorts (VR) is the owner of Park City Mountain, one of our local ski resorts and Kirsten Lynch has been Chief Executive Officer of VR since November 2021. Previously she served as Chief Marketing Officer. Prior to joining VR in 2011, Kirsten was Chief Marketing Officer with PepsiCo for two years leading the brand marketing, consumer insights and shopper marketing organization.
Park City Mountain’s ski patrollers went on strike Friday, Dec. 27, after a breakdown in mediated contract negotiations with their employer citing “Vail’s bad faith tactics”. As a result only 17 % of the terrain has been open until now, in spite of sufficient snow cover.
Visitors have been incensed and the strike is still going on without any resolution in sight. This situation prompted to write this open letter to Ms. Lynch, with copy to our local governments and media.
Dear Ms Lynch,
If your compensation package [it amounts to over $6.2 million a year] is any indication, it would suggest that you are capable of being a competent leader with good judgment. This said, I fail to understand why Vail Resort (VR) is digging its heels and refusing to acquiesce to the modest and seemingly justified demands from the Park City Mountain ski patrol personnel, especially in view of VR's substantial cash reserves [over $400 million] as well as your generous salary.
I would hope you settle this situation as soon as possible to stop the disastrous effect it has on Park City, as it casts a detrimental shadow on our town's reputation, its entire population, its government agencies, its businesses and their personnel, its various organizations including our Chamber and Visitors Bureau, as it negates its promotional investment and hard work.
As a Parkite, I quit skiing Park City Mountain on December 27 as no more terrain opened up in spite of all the new snow we received. I now feel that I am not getting the value I was due when I purchased my pass in May and September. Further you had the audacity not to keep your Epic pass-holders informed about the current crisis situation in a brazen display of disrespect to your patrons and total incompetence.
Obviously, I’d now like to know what are your plans to address the damage affecting all stakeholders, me included. From my own observations, following a rather checkered track-record in Park City these recent years, VR is over its head in trying to run a huge resort like Park City Mountain, with aging infrastructure and so much incompetence that it should consider selling it to a capable operator. Far less centralized than VR, liked by the locals and also more professional, Alterra could be a great match for that.
Thank you for your consideration,
With a slightly hurting right bum, but after a good lunch, I didn’t join my female companions for their afternoon stroll, but choose instead to do some “housecleaning” on my computer.
For more than 10 years now, I use a standing desk and unusually, this time, had to alternate frequent breaks and bursts of pain between standing and sitting in my office chair, to the point that I grew badly nauseated and became immobile and totally disabled.
They called 911, the ambulance came, ran a quick EKG that perhaps left to be desired as to its accuracy and drove me to one of the main cardiology centers in Salt Lake City were I was admitted in their ICU.
There, after spending the night and about 16 hours, following repeated testing imaging of all sorts, they couldn’t find any severe problem with my heart, except some calcification around my aortic valve that’s just a marker of old age.
So after disentangling myself from all the wires they had put on me and following a night without sleep I returned home to enjoy the last day of the year, with the doctors best wish for a happy 2025, no direct intervention and no prescription!
Since the doctors I saw at the ICU couldn’t figure out what had happened to me, I did some research back at home, I concluded that I had suffered a vasovagal response, which occurs when the vagus nerve is stimulated. It’s the vagus nerve that controls the heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and other bodily functions.
When it's triggered, the heart slows and blood vessels dilate, which can cause blood to pool in the legs and deprive the brain of oxygen. This can lead to fainting, or vasovagal syncope which is what happened to me that day. To treat it the right way, I should have lied down and lifted my legs up in the air to restore blood flow to the brain and help them regain consciousness.
These feelings of nausea weren’t new to me and are clearly like to an overly long standing posture at my desk, so next time, I’ll take a break, sit more often and stand a little bit less and life should go on nicely in 2025!
Evolution is everywhere around us and has existed since the beginning of time.
Let’s take walkers as an example (I’m talking about the mobility aid that helps people maintain balance and stability while walking). This device began very humbly as a basic support for folks that had difficulty walking due to age-related mobility issues, such as arthritis, leg weakness, or balance problems, or even for convalescents after surgery of a broken bone in the foot or leg.
I still am pretty good with them and on my 77th birthday, just a few days ago, as I was removing snow from my driveway, I turned around my “motorized walker” on the main road, my foot slipped on the very sleek roadway and I fell on my right buttock.
There was some initial pain that rapidly disappeared and after I was finished with my snow-clearing job, I joined my wife and daughter for our morning walk. Some 15 minutes later I felt an excruciating pain developing around the spot where I landed, to the point that I had to cut my outing short and go home to swallow some pain-killer.
Later that afternoon, as I was still pondering what I had, I called the family clinic that was full with ski injured patients and asked me to call them again the next day. Tomorrow, you’ll learn the rest of this story...
(To be continued...)
First of all, we ought to remember that the day we leave this world we won’t be able to take our earthly possession with us. If we believe in some kind of afterlife (hell, heaven or something in between) let’s remember that neither one of these places takes American Express or Visa and that we won’t be able to make a wire-transfer to that final destination.
This means that if we cannot fathom the idea of passing our wealth to our next of kin, friends, organization of all kinds (altruist or terrorist), we better spend it in the here and now! Now with this in mind, if there’s still a seed of generosity left in us, we could start reforming ourselves by cultivating gratitude and beginning to practice it in an effort to appreciate what we have and reduce our focus on material possessions.
When we get bored, we could also engage into acts of kindness and generosity to help us shift our focus from personal comfort to the well-being of others. Connecting more with others in a genuine manner and fostering a sense of community could also help us overcome feelings of isolation and scarcity.
As we’re getting out of our shell of stinginess, we could question and challenge our consumerist values and by curbing those, help create a more sustainable and equitable society. Practicing mindfulness could also help us become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and motivations, allowing us to recognize and challenge materialistic tendencies.
Since greed is generally well and deeply ingrained it certainly will force us to use all this extensive arsenal. Since it takes time to get the ball rolling, we ought to get started today by picking a more compassionate and generous mindset as a resolution for 2025. The sooner we’ll begin, the better we’ll start feeling.
In the meantime, happy new year to all!
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