I began the new year 20 minutes ago, waking up from a dizzyingly bizarre dream. Now thinking about the details is like zooming in on swiss cheese, odds favoring a closer view of the lacunae as much as the substance. I like to think it’s my mind wanting a fresh start, expelling a vaguely digested and compressed hairball of 2007’s oddities.

We fly back to Arizona tomorrow, and then have four days for business as usual until work resumes. I miss consistent blue sky. Even yesterday, a clear day for Ohio any time of year, had the sun shining through a gauzy filter of a sky. There are things to like about the Midwest, but the sky is not one of them.

We’ve gotten good family time on all quarters. All M’s feuding and far-flung (physically and otherwise) siblings and family made it back to the nest this year, and managed to get along, an event for which it was good to be present. Iowa did deliver snow for Christmas, which I appreciate. Ohio, until a stingy dusting this morning, has not cooperated thusly. Last night was a disappointment; 42 and rainy at ten peee-m, with none of my old favorite haunts open for business. Back the Oxford Community Arts Center fundraiser for us, fine for what it was but I prefer last year’s ritual of open open sky and beer around a Utah campfire. In 2008-9 I resolve to do better.

This trip is a bit of a rest or micro-taper, psychologically first, physically after. I’ve still gotten active consistently, running outside and doing Yoga with my mom. The morning after Christmas I rallied well before dawn and got out for 210 minutes, running from the house over to a old favorite singletrack stash in the middle of Des Moines, zipping around almost all of it, then taking the scenic path home on back roads and bike paths. Very little of that was on a non-snowy surface, which makes flat bike path tolerably interesting. I only ate shit once, finding some glare ice in the penultimate kilometer when I was too tired to recover fast enough. The holiday shoppers stared, but did not stop or slow. I may run today, or I may blow it off for family time. Haven’t seen cousin Laura, haven’t eaten at Bagel & Deli. Besides, those four days are likely to go by funfunbinge style.

Camp Lynda is calling (Ed and J).

It’s been fun reading occasionally all the holiday ramblings and adventures (nice “biking sabbatical” Chad, you are weak). Dave! Get well dude!! Don’t hurt yourself, maaaannn!!! Some certain snowy adventures are enough to make me consider growing a goatee, a more dour personality, and going corporate with a SO way younger than I am (ohhh, wait………… did that already…..shit.) ‘Course, I still can’t ski. Speaking of which, I’ve informed all the relatives that we’ll be skiing somewhere next Christmas, so the pressure is on. All have been warned.

Cheers.

PS
At some point there needs to a discussion about who’s rim-riding Moab, and where we all want to eat that night. I move for dinner reservations made a good month in advance. That was a bit annoying last year.