Where’s my time going?

It used to be that I had more time available to waste on unproductive projects, daydreaming and the like.

Today, as I still waste my so precious time, my time container seems to have shrunk dramatically and I’m always running out of space to fit all the little ideas I want to implements, the chores that are overdue and the good and useful matters I should attend to.

My time-tank must be seriously leaking… This is becoming a huge problem as my plans aren’t shrinking a damned bit, but are forming a long, inexhaustible line in front of my eyes.

Has anyone got a solution or even a suggestion?

When first snowfalls seem too early...

This has been a snowy October, so far. Park City received its first white coat five days ago and this morning was even whiter! Is this going to stick?

Perhaps at higher elevations, but most likely not just where we live.

This said, early snowflakes get the entire community, the whole Salt Lake Valley and the Utah fans all excited, whether they live in Los Angeles, New York or Florida.

Early snow storms are no longer as forceful on me as it used to be. First, my survival doesn’t depend 100% upon the ski business and also, I’ve learned, over the years, not to get too excited about premature snowfalls.

I’d rather get a deep snowfall early December than a myriad of small ones in October that all end up melting away. Yet, this morning, I still can feel the anticipation!

Time to train for the race!

Next Saturday, I’m registered to race on my road bike along with my son and my grandson.

The race takes place down in St. George, in the middle of Utah’s southern desert, where the weather is still nice and warm, but where 35 miles is still 35 miles to ride. This will be fun...

The only problem is that I haven’t trained that much and I am a bit worried of being able to pull it off without being totally exhausted and suffering from a real pain in my rear end.

As of today, I still have to gradually train from 19 to 35 miles. Wish me good luck !

Chamois, Ibex and Mountain Goat's footwear

Climbing shoes are the result of clever R&D and modern materials, but long before La Scarpa and La Sportiva’s had developed their best and latest products, Mother Nature already endowed some mountain creatures like the Alpine Chamois, the Ibex or the American Mountain Goat, with the most advanced climbing footwear money can buy.

The sides of their toes is the same hard keratin found in the hoof of a horse. Each of the two toes wrap around toenails can grip and hold into cracks (A) or rock irregularities and is also helped by a traction pad that sticks out slightly from under the nails.

This pad is rough and malleable enough to provide all the friction needed when stepping on smooth rock and ice. In addition the two toes act like an independent suspension (B) by spreading themselves on uneven surfaces to maximize the contact area.

When descending steep slopes, the animal gets some extra contact points with its protruding dewclaw (C)that minimize the risk of slippage when the forces of gravity add up.

Now that you know why these experts climbers are so surefooted, we’ll try to determine which of the three is the best overall mountain ruminant.

Just be aware that, among the trio, the ibex stands out by climbing trees, but only the lower limbs so it can nibble some of its foliage!

Another (dismal) Democratic Debate

In my view, this 4th Democratic debate was quite disappointing. My main take-away was that the leading trio is getting older faster than regular time would allow for it, and I don’t look forward for another septuagenarian as our next president.

Bernie looks and acts old, Biden wasn’t quite in charge and Warren nervously defensive.

Well, Biden says that “Medicare for all” will cost $3 trillion a year, which is a tiny bit under what health care costs are now in the USA, so there’s not one red cent added to what we’re paying to stay healthy, and it’s just a question of data entry. Who exactly pays for it and how?

As for Warren, she’s woefully incapable of explaining how she’ll pay for all of her programs. Both are definitely not the most reliable calculators on the oval office desk...

The two only “good news”, thank God, so much younger, were Buttigied and Klobuchar, but they better be revving up their engines fast if they want a shot at the nomination. I think Harris is done and both Booker are O’Rourke don’t seem to get any new traction anymore…

The good news though, is that even the worst debater last night is still and far and away more qualified than the clown that currently occupies the White House.

Damned jet lag!

Traveling to far away places from East to West or West to East would be fun if it weren’t for jet lag and what it does to day. It is said that it takes one day per time zone to overcome it and that’s probably true.

Even in the most favorable direction (Eastbound) of our return trip from Europe, it took us a full week to recover the eight-hour time difference!

The scientific community says that jet lag is not just an inconvenience, it has a huge physiological impact on the human body. Folks who travel a lot are more likely to put on extra weight, behave badly and punish their cardiovascular system.

Apparently each one of the billions of cells in our body has its own clock, and vital functions including heartbeat, digestion and metabolism get all messed-up when organs can figure out which time it is.

As a result, more and more travelers are trying to fight jet lag with drugs like Melatonin, anti-anxiety medication like Xanax, gadgets like the Propeaq light-emitting glasses and there are even apps offered that can be installed on your smart phone!

We’re waiting to hear how these solutions work before we seriously consider them...

A (stupid) way of pricing a ski vacation

According to the UK Daily Mail, Bansko in Bulgaria is the cheapest place in Europe for a family skiing holiday while Italy boasts the highest number of best value resorts.

The report I read said that a week ski vacation for a family of four in the Bulgarian only costs the equivalent of $1,936. This compares to my hometown resorts of Morzine and Avoriaz, respectively ranked 11th and 18th in that same survey with a cost of $2,644 and $2,868.

These prices seems very cheap to me, but in taking a closer look at the above table, I came to realize that it didn’t include any transportation from home to the ski resort and, more strikingly, no breakfast, dinner or accommodations.

Obviously Brits are willing to sleep outside under some very cold winter stars to save a few Pounds... I guess those are self-imposed sacrifices ahead of a gruesome Brexit!