My Birthday Telemark Ski Adventure

Well, I have yet another "Kath" story to tell which happened to be on my birthday to boot. I took a learn to telemark ski clinic on Sat with the Alpine Club of Canada. I took "tele" lessons a few years ago, but have never gone backcountry skiing. There was this clinic available and a client of mine was leading the group. Thought it sounded like a fun way to spend my birthday out in the snow doing something new.

There had been a bunch of new snow and it was a clear day when we left for Squamish to head up towards Elfin Lakes. I was very excited going up there. One of the cars broke a chain part way up the hill so had to be left down lower on the road. We finally got started on our trek up to the Red Heather Hut which took about an hour and a half hiking up the hill. We stopped there for lunch and to re-group everyone. Some people had had enough and just wanted to ski out. A few of us went up further and did a couple of runs. The powder was so thick and I hadn't skied in powder like this before - let alone with telemark skis that I wasn't very good with. So I wasn't the most graceful getting down the runs, but I got a sense of what it was like to ski in "fresh tracks". It was awesome!!! Wanted to do more, but we had to get back to the vehicles before it got dark.

Once we got back to the cars, we were told that we couldn't get out since there was a 5 car pile up part way down the mountain. Noone was sure when it would be cleared out. Then, we got the idea that I would hike down with this guy, Ian, who had the car which had broken the chain earlier, was down below the accident so that I could try to make it to my birthday party. It was very slippery going down the road and I wiped out a couple of times. There were cars all over the place in the ditch, etc, but no major damage and no injuries. We passed a tow truck which was tied with a rope to a tree since it was that slippery!!!! I wasn't sure about this road, but it was supposed to be better down where the car was. With one chain on, we kept pulling to one side and it was like a sheet of ice so after a half hour of not getting very far, we had some help getting the car off the road so noone would hit it. For those who don't know this area, the road is narrow with a steep dropoff the side of the mountain so one wrong slip could have been fatal. I was so glad that we stopped and a local couple drove us out to a hotel. It sounded like everyone was going to have to be evacuated for the night to the hotel where we were at!!!

When we got to the hotel, and finally some phone reception, I called my friends who were at the restaurant waiting for me. I had to bail out on them!! I've never missed my own birthday party before!!! Anyways, what could I do?? We were starving so we had dinner and thought the others would be around shortly. We called them after dinner and found out that they had got out with their vehicles and were back in Vancouver!!!! So here I am on my birthday in the middle of a snowstorm, missing my own party with some guy I don't know or with any romantic connection there!! He was a good guy and did treat me to dinner since I think he felt badly that I missed my party. Unbelievable! It figured that a good friend who lives in Squamish happened not to be in town that night also. So, anyways, we crashed at the hotel. Bought more chains in the morning. We got so lucky that the couple that drove us out happened to be at the Canadian Tire when we were buying chains and drove us back to the car which was 8-10km down the road. We finally did get out and back to town Sun around 3pm!! I was exhausted.

It certainly was a birthday that I won't forget. It was a great lesson in safety and what could happen out there. I learned how to put chains on tires which I'd never done before either. Wow - and we are supposed to have another clinic ski day this Saturday. I'm really not in the mood for it yet, but I have a few days to get psyched up for it. I'm going in the trip leader's vehicle and not changing cars for anything this time. Oh well. That's my birthday saga and I hope people will still come out next year since I will definitely make be there.

First Ski of the Season!

Wednesday morning I went up to Cypress Mountain for my first ski of the season!!! All the mountains around here have opened early since we have just been getting dumped on. I don't think I have ever skiied this early before. The snow was heavy as they had to groom the cross-country area twice before 11am - that's how much they have been getting. It was great just to be out in the snow again. It was also good for me to notice how much fitter I am this year. Last year on my first time out, I had to stop for a few seconds at the top of the hills and doing an hour was pushing it. I could just keep going for the whole hour and would have liked to do more. Good for Ironman training!!! Yippee!!!

Money from almost nowhere!

So I have this spa blue "piggy bank" that says "Spa Fund" on it. This is for anything to treat myself with. I have been putting spare loonies, toonies and quarters in for the past year and a half. Not very diligently either and I have cheated by taking some $$ out at times. So it became full and I just rolled the $$$. A cool $250!!! Not a huge amount, but do you think I missed this?? Not at all. Amazing what you can accumulate in small amounts that add up!!!

Nine Tips for Investing in Happiness

This was forwarded to me by my friend, Lisa which was from the Wall Street Journal. Just thought I would share it. See how many of these you do for yourself.

NINE TIPS FOR INVESTING IN HAPPINESS

If you want to be happier, forget spending dollars - and focus on how you spend your time. Sure, a bigger house and a fancier car might briefly put a smile of your face. Yet academic studies suggest that simply amassing more stuff won't bring a permanent increase in your happiness. So what will? I dug through some of the work done by economists and psychologists, and came up with these nine tips.

1. Make time for friends. According to a 2006 report by the Pew Research Center in Washington, 43% of married people say they are "very happy", versus 24% for those who aren't. "Married people spend less time alone," notes David Schkade, a management professor at the University of California at San Diego. "There are parts of your brain that are stimulated by the presence of other people. You're more active and energetic and engaged." For the same reason, seeing good friends on a regular basis can also bolster happiness. "The data is coming in thick and fast on the value of friendships," says Andrew Oswalk, an economics professor at Warwick University in England. "The data suggest that making your friends a priority will have more bang for your buck than making your next promotion a priority," he notes.

2. Forget the pay raise. While regularly hitting the town with friends will likely increase your happiness, you probably won't get the same boost from spending hours at the mall. True, you are initially thrilled when you buy that new dress or that flat-screen television. But the thrill quickly fades and you start hankering after something else. The same thing happens when you get a pay reiase. Soon enough, you are taking the extra money for granted and you're feeling dissatisfied again. Experts refer to this as "hedonic adaptation" or the "hedonic treadmill."

3. Dont' trade up. Research indicates that, once folks achieve a fairly basic standard of living, it takes a lot of additional money to bring about even a small increase in reported happiness. Yet your income and wealth could still loom large - if you start comparing yourself with those around you. For instance, if you moved to a neighbourhood you can barely afford, you would likely be disgruntled. The reason: You will be surrounded by wealthy families, and that will be a constant reminder of your relative financial standing. "If you can look out your window and see the neighbours with lower incomes, you'll be happier," Prof. Oswald says. "People are very keen to move into the elite neighbourhoods. They don't realize that they won't be as happy as they expect. That's the curse of being human."


4. Keep your commute short. Moving into a ritzy neighbourhood would be even more harmful to your happiness if it means a longer commute. It turns out that commuting is one of life's least pleasurable activities. While we're usually pretty good at adapting to hardships, it's hard to adjust to commuting because it is so unpredictable. One day, you will breeze into work. The next day, you will sit steaming in traffic for 45 minutes. To make matters worse, a longer commute means less time for leisure. And the research says we enjoy leisure more than work.

5. Count your blessings. Your pleasure from your new house and your latest pay raise may subside. But you may be able to revive some of the good feelings by taking a few minutes to count your blessings. Remember how wealthy neighbours can make you feel poor? What matters is what you focus on. Instead of obsessing over your neighbour's riches, try focusing on the riches you have - and that will likely make you feel happier.

6. Enjoy a good meal. In surveys, eating ranks as one of our favourite pastimes. "It's a relatively pleasant activity and it satisfies a basic need," Prof. Schkade notes. "But if you aren't focused on it, you won't enjoy it as much. This is why the French enjoy their food more. They are less likely to eat alone and they are less likely to be doing something else at the same time."

7. Challenge yourself through exercise. Leisure is more pleasurable than work. but you should also think about how you spend your leisure time. After a long day at the office, you might be inclined to stagger home and collapse in front of your new flat-screen television. But in fact, the research suggests you'll be happier if you are more active. Suppose you start a new exercise program. The key : Set goals that are challenging yet achievable, because you will enjoy the sense of progress. Also look to change your exercise program occassionally, so the pleasure you receive doesn't start to fade. As an added bonus, regular exercise will leave you healthier, and that should further increase your happiness.

8. Volunteer. If you want to help yourself, try helping others - by engaging in charitable activities. Not only does it make you feel valuable, but also you see other people doing good deeds, and that makes you feel better. It makes you realize the world can be a good place.

9. Give it time. Surveys have found that reported happiness tends to be U-shaped through life, with folks becoming increasingly grumpy as they approach their 40s and than recovering from there. Maybe our happiness gradually declines as we fail to fulfill our youthful ambitions, only to revive once we accept our lot in life. Alternatively, maybe this midlife unhappiness reflects the time pressures faced by those in their 40s, as they juggle work and family. But whatever the reason, you are likely to grow happier as you grow older. Not sure any of the first eight tips will do the trick? Maybe you just need to give it time.