G Routine

For X-mas this year my Mom gave me a Glassybaby. Now what's that you say? Check out the image above, although this time the photo doesn't do it justice. Basically it's a blown glass candle holder that's made with a lot of love and patience. Something about it is just really soothing. I light mine just about every time I sit down to work at my computer.

For me the cool thing about it is the floating water like appearance. When the tea light wax inside begins to melt, the green glass looks like it has a shadow of water inside. It's pretty cool.

My Mom gave me a green one since she knows that's my favorite color and primary brand color. The following is a description of the Glassybaby and what it's all about. If you like what you read, you can find out more at www.glassybaby.com or call 206.568.7368.

GLASSYBABY //

The favorite description of Glassybaby was written by Lee's 12 year old son, Hector, and given to her in the early morning last Christmas.

"A Glassybaby is physically a small, colored, glass cup, candleholder, or vase. But the light of the candle coming through the Glassybaby generates more; it gives warmth to a cold day, a calm token of peace in the busy world.

Since 1998, three-time cancer survivor Lee Rhodes has been designing, publicizing, and selling these small, extremely tough and strong cups. In 2001, she began to learn to blow these glasses, and has produced many glasses since.

Glassybaby are made through a multi-layered glass blowing process and their color comes from different shaded color rods to produce a mix of opaque, translucent, and deeply colored glasses. This method creates a thick, strong piece of glass that has many functions and uses.

Glassybaby come in 53 different colors that you can mix to create a stunning, flickering picture for a quiet vigil or a bustling party. Shining out of a window, a Glassybaby creates an aura of love and good that fills the heart of anyone on the sidewalk or street.

There is almost no limit to the moods and feelings that a Glassybaby or a group of Glassybaby can produce in someone, be it the calm and tranquil mint green or the inspiring dark orange.

As glasses, the Glassybaby are beautiful and useful, they act as cups and goblets, and the transparent colors are ideal for this job. The Glassybaby are dishwasher safe and are practically indestructible when you drop them.

Glassybaby are useful in many ways. But their real use is lifting bad moods and loneliness. Their warm and colored light flickers like we do in everyday life.

The Glassybaby serve as a metaphor to symbolize hope, and are humble in spirit but not in beauty. Whatever your mood, a Glassybaby can keep your home inviting and full of Spirit." - by Hector Rhodes.

The kid who wrote that is 12 years old! I think he has a future in copy writing.

Posted by Gary at 10:47 PM | Permalink

Wow what an amazing ski season I've had. I couldn't have picked a better winter to be "semi-retired". It just keeps on snowing in the Northwest when the rest of the world isn't getting much. My 30th day of the season was particularly special because I got to share it with my Dad. Yep, that's my old man ripping a turn through the forrest of Left Angle at Crystal Mountain.

How many 65 year olds do you know that still have that kind of form huh? I do okay on the twin sticks myself but owe it to my folks for getting me started. Skiing is by far my favorite thing to do, period. Nothing gives me a feeling of satisfaction like skiing, especially on a powder day. It's the people, it's the community, it's the atmosphere, and it's the activity itself that's makes it so special.

It took us a while to get up there on Saturday, slow traffic, people chaining up, and a blizzard starting just as you hit the two-lane road made for a mellow drive. There were a lot of people, as we had to park near the back of the lower lot.

In the morning we were a little stuck in the masses of people but it didn't matter. It was snowing so hard I knew most people would soon be heading for the lodge. My Pop and I started out with the traditional runs, Lucky Shot, Green Valley, Snorting Elk, and Ice Berg. Then I took my Dad down Right Angle. He traverses the hill and needs the trees to be spread out a little more than most. Must be because he used to be a downhill racer. So I kept the tour to more wide open spaces.

After a few runs on the edge of North Backcountry, we then did a few laps on the Frontside. So good!!! Then we put some fuel back in the tanks with lunch at the top lodge. Can't get enough of that chili and fresh cookies.

Post lunch we did a couple easy runs to process our new energy. Then moved over to High Campbell for something more challenging. Unfortunately as the Ski Patrol was blasting away, trying to get South Backcountry open, many people were hanging out on Chair 6, making the lift line too long for me to bare. So we dropped into an epic run down Powder Bowl. I checked the clock and it was 2 pm. I decided to let my Dad take a few fun runs by himself and I went to knock off a few T to B's. Hit Frontside right under the chair a few times, hit Orgasm Meadows, Upper to Lower Exterminator, Right Angle again, cruised back over and did Powder Bowl again, then finished up the day with Left Angle.

The storms are once again stacked up ready to dump copious amounts of snow in the Cascades. Too bad I'm busy with interviews and getting a new job. I would be up at Crystal the whole week if I could. If you can, get up there. Only a month and a half left. Go 'give-er'!!!

Check out a couple more ripping pow shots of my Dad, Jay. Look at how hard it was snowing in the shot of my Dad traversing out of North. I love a good blizzard.

Posted by Gary at 07:50 PM | Permalink

How many great ideas have you had that never came to fruition? I think it all started in college when a friend of mine, Max, and I started to write down different business ideas. It was a little competition on who could come up with the best new business idea. Then as I became social chair of our fraternity, I started to write down new party ideas. That became how can I create a comfortable atmosphere that will promote social interaction between the sorority girls and my fraternity brothers. It was just a notepad in which I did my thinking and problem solving on.

Hmm, let me go back even further. Maybe it began with my Mom and her daily writing down of the "To Do List". I then started to write down and organize each and every day on a small notepad. Through the years, my note taking, thought process, "To Do List", and writing has progressed. Now I keep everything in a notebook journal of sorts.

I came to this new journal method via a friend and mentor named Jane. Upon her leaving a job and handing the reigns to me, she gifted a Moleskine notebook. I didn't know the company or notebooks history at the time, but having used them for the past 4 years, it's been great. They are almost like my diary but encompass so much more. I write quotes in them, business plans, travel logs, notes on life, topics for my blog, things to do, and is also a form of mental therapy. Most of all, it's where I write down my ideas. I wish I had kept more of my past notebooks, especially the ones from college. I only begun keeping my journal notebooks these last couple years.

I highly recommend you go out, purchase and keep a notebook yourself. It might not be for everyone, but it really has helped me in my life. It wasn't until a month ago that I noticed a little pocket in the back cover. Inside the sleeve was the history of these notebooks and who else they've helped organize. Here's the description:

THE HISTORY OF THE LEGENDARY NOTEBOOK //

Moleskine is the legendary notebook, used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin. This trusty, pocket-sized travel companion held sketches, notes, stories and ideas before they were turned into famous images or pages of beloved books.

Originally produced by small French bookbinders who supplied the Parisian stationary shops frequented by the international avant-garde, by the end of the twentieth century the Moleskine notebook was no longer available. In 1986, the last manufacturer of Moleskine, a family operation in Tours, closed its shutters forever. "Le vrai Moleskine n'est plus" were the lapidary words of the owner of the stationery shop in Rue de l'Ancienne Comedie where Chatwin stocked up on the notebooks. The English writer had ordered a hundred of them before leaving for Australia: he bought up all the Moleskine that he could find, but they were not enough.

In 1998, a small Milanese publisher brought Moleskine back again. As the self-effacing keeper of an extraordinary tradition, Moleskine once again began to travel the globe. To capture reality on the move, pin down details, impress upon paper unique aspects of experience: Moleskine is a reservoir of ideas and feelings, a battery that stores discoveries and perceptions, and whose energy can be tapped over time.

The legendary black notebook is once again being passed from one pocket to the next; with its various different page styles it accompanies the creative professions and the imagination of our time. The adventure of Moleskine continues, and it's still-blank pages will tell the rest.

Come on, does that copy not inspire you to go out and get your own? If you are in Seattle, you can find them sold at Paperhaus on 1st Avenue. For more information, check out the website at: www.modoemodo.com.

Below are a couple shots off of the their website of famous notebook pages:

Posted by Gary at 02:32 PM | Permalink

I was called out. "Dude, you're like that chick on Sex and the City. You know, that famous girl who writes the newspaper column but hangs out with all her women friends. Then writes about her life experiences." I think that's pretty funny. Got to be able to laugh at oneself right? Now I just need to start getting some lovin' and it could be true.

Yeah, so lately I've been getting kind of deep. I will also admit I watch that show occasionally. I find it interesting and a slight guide as to the minds of neurotic older women. Too bad there's a new version of it on TV, Men in Trees or something. It's about another journalist who moves to Alaska or something. More like "Sex in the Boonies".

I will agree with my male friend, my ROUTINE has been anything but the daily happenings of Gary Winberg. But hey, I'm going skiing tomorrow so we'll get back to some more manly stuff like sports.

Thanks for the call-out. What did you say, "sack up like a man!!!"

I think I'll go to the gym next and lift some weights.

Posted by Gary at 10:34 PM | Permalink

My last entry provoked many emails. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts by clicking and writing in the comment section. Most of the responses were about helping one another out and what it means to be friends. So I suppose this post is a summary of emails and thoughts from others, interpreted by me, and from my point of few to protect those who choose not to share their opinions on the site.

Does friendship have a time limit? No, but it does take work and continuous interaction. Some people don't like Seattle because the 'people' aren't very friendly. Or as a city we are friendly at first, but then drop off significantly. Is this true of this city as a whole or is it small groups within it that people are being exposed to? Or is it society out here and the variables of work, family, financial burdens, and the grey skies that affect how we interact?

I believe men and women define and experience friendship differently. I hate to put things in a 'box', but it's okay to be different. I have many friends that I don't see very often nor do we make an effort to change. But when we do come together in a social setting, it's like we hung out yesterday. No hard feelings, no "why didn't you call me", etc. We just lead different lives that coincide less frequently. But at the same time I do miss certain people I used to see more often.

An old roommate and good friend moved to Portland for all the right reasons, a good woman. But he was the main instigator or common thread that bound a good group of people together. He was the one who found concerts in Seattle, shows, parties, happenings, and put out an email or called to get everybody together. He would have people over at the house on a regular basis, just to hang out. Or to cook and have people over for dinner.

Upon his departure, I no longer see that contingent of people. I of course wasn't the best of friends with some of these people, but I miss them none the less. I could make an effort to re-connect with these folk but for some reason I don't make the effort. Only when my friend comes back to town or there happens to be a party in which an eVite is required do I get to catch up.

I also used to have another good friend who was my main ski buddy. Besides skiing we would hang out a couple nights a week. Now due to many different circumstances, we don't hang out anymore. Only on rare occurrences do we bump into each other at social occasions. It always feels good to see him and I always tell myself shortly thereafter, "I got to call that guy more often".

Then there is also the single versus married or couples dynamic. It sucks to be a third wheel sometimes. But I have also been told it sucks to be the couple who people stop calling to do things with because they are married or a couple. Even in relationships, those people need a break from one another or other social interaction together. There are multiple levels of being lonely. Whether one is single or in a relationship. It goes both ways, either you don't call because you're too busy being in a relationship or you don't get called because people assume you're too busy being in a relationship.

It also costs money sometimes to be social and be friends. Going out to clubs, parties, dinner, comedy shows, ski vacations, it all costs money. Don't let financial reasons affect your friendships.

There's also geographic challenges to friendship. I live on the West Side, you live on the East Side. In Seattle as the traffic continues to worsen, it becomes a chore to visit certain friends. Some of us are not even in the same city, yet plane tickets aren't expensive compared to the value of friendship. Just shoot an email, have an iChat, Sykpe, call during cell phone free air time, and just try to share in each others lives.

I guess what I've learned from the feedback and discussions is to be mindful. Look at your extended group of friends and try to determine who might be lonely. Some may seem extremely social but are unhappy none the less. Others may seem reclusive and not want to go out, but maybe there is another underlying problem or issue. It just comes down to what being a friend is all about, helping one another whether one asks for it or not. You just have to make an effort. See ya'll around...

Posted by Gary at 10:10 PM | Permalink

Choices, outcomes, who we've become, and who we'll be is determined by the road we travel.

I've been struggling with this entry for some time as I look around and see so many idling at the fork in the road. What to do? Get off at the next exit, stay on the highway, take the scenic route, go off-road, stop and ask for directions, put life in cruise control, or put the pedal to the floor.

I was surfing a friends, Josh Mitchell's, flickr site to check out his road trip from Seattle to Chicago and came across the image above. The shot grabbed me. He and his wife Melissa packed up their things and moved to Chicago for new career opportunities. I'm impressed with their willingness to move across the US and start fresh.

My roommate is considering traveling the express lane in the sky. Her whole family has been in the airline industry and she was a flight attendant once before. She left the industry to attend college and work on her marketing degree. The cloudy Seattle skies, a repetitive day job, and the need for adventure finds her pondering less money, a more challenging study atmosphere, a new place to live, new travels, and an old career.

Another good friend of mine just left her job at an agency. She has three mortgages, rents two of them, and needs to find new purpose and passion in life. She's brave to leave her job without another one waiting in the wings.

Some other friends own a small business experiencing rapid growth. The pedal is down to the floor and their driving a bus with curves ahead. They need new investors to keep pace with the growth. Who should they choose? The people who own furniture stores, the sports management group, or sell out completely? One road is hard, unpaved, but at least they get to steer. The other is straight, freshly paved, and comes with a driver.

Another friend owns a PR company and could sell, trading in a truck for a Porsche. A beautiful person who keeps me healthy is struggling in her business and could sell. A childhood friend has found success in business and financial security but is bored with work and doesn't care for the projects. He wants to do something he's more passionate about, but what about the good money that keeps pouring in? An athlete calls, wondering which film company to shoot with and what brands to represent?

Marriage. I can't believe the amount of weddings I've been to the last few summers. This spring and summer will be no different. I have 5 'save-the-date' cards sitting on my desk, waiting to be inputted in iCal. This life commitment changes the road and how you travel. "The person who goes alone can start today, but the person who travels with another must wait until the other is ready". - Henry David Thoreau.

There's the vacations you'd like to take and the ones you can afford. Which ones do you go on? Do you take friends with you? Do you seek out the sun and the beach or the blizzard and the mountains?

Do you rent, buy a condo or house, go in on it with friends or with a girlfriend?

Past, present, and future. The road we have travelled, the fork in the road we idle in front of, and the roadmap of life's future ahead of us.

Past. All roads we've travelled so far has lead us to who we are today. Looking back, do you ever ponder what could have been? Who and where you'd be today if you had taken a different road? I wonder sometimes.

What if I never skied or never played soccer? What if I would have stuck with baseball or played more football? What if I had gone to a different college or joined a different fraternity? What if I had gone to work for Onyx Software Corporation instead of Helly Hansen for my first job? What if I had put more effort into a couple relationships, would I be married now?

It's all just wonderment. I have no regrets, as I have lived an amazing life and am surrounded by great friends and family. Wouldn't change a thing but I'll still wonder. Why? Because the road of life continues and I know where I'm going, I just need to look at the map and figure out how I want to get there. My past experiences aid me in picking the next path.

Present. Here I am, looking at the map. I'm at a major interchange with so many routes staring me in the face. Just as many of you are. Should I take the express lane or the scenic route? Should I drive a bus, an SUV, a bio-diesel, a mini-van, station wagon, or a sports car? It's nice to have choices and whether or not you know it, everybody has lots of them.

Future. It's bright because I plan to drive in that direction. Every day is a new day in which we can choose our own road. We are the driver and can take any on-ramp or off-ramp. The trick is to know where we're going, how to read the map, and not be afraid to ask directions from friends and family along the way.

Along your drive through life, I hope you see a couple rainbows, as they are truly beautiful. They appear when it's cloudy, raining, yet clear and sunny at the same time. As you travel towards them, they remain elusive. You can try to find the end of the rainbow and your pot of gold, but I think you'll be missing the point. The rainbow is the reward itself. Always changing, moving, and appearing only when all of natures forces and different weather elements are present. It makes you stop and enjoy the beauty amongst the turmoil. Try to do the same during your life.

When we keep our noses very close to our own daily grind for a very long period, we are in danger of becoming, every now and again, pessimistic. If this happens to you, change. Grab the map out of the glove box, the atlas off the bookshelf, and pick a new road or direction.

"I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment". - Hilaire Belloc

Posted by Gary at 10:20 AM | Permalink

How much of life should one capture? Wether that be through photography, video/film, or in written form? How much should just be submitted to memory and thought about from time to time?

I have become a huge fan of photography and film the last couple years. There are so many styles and reasons to take a photo. Some capture a moment in time while others are timeless. There is photography as an art form and there is photography for the masses, which typically encompasses freezing a memory to be placed in an album for later review.

But sometimes taking photo's or whipping out the camcorder can take away from the moment. The trick is to know when to capture and when to release. I think this is one of the reasons why I can't stand reality TV. It's taking an art form or what should be a memory of an experience and commercializing it. Then prodding situations and setting things up for a contrived response that's just not natural. Hmm, it makes me squirm.

I didn't realize how much I learned from being on professional photo shoots. How to frame an image, how to capture a documentary feel, how to stage a high production shot with tons of lighting, and how to talk with people to make them feel at ease in front of the lens. Capturing people on film is amazing. Why do we never sound or look like what we think we do? I wish I had learned and absorbed more.

Then there is capturing nature. My favorite type of photography. It doesn't have to be nature per say, it just has to have interesting angles and texture and be void of action. These are timeless images or film that could have been shot in the 1800's or yesterday. They speak to the viewer regardless of time constraint.

I need a better camera. I need a better understanding of photography and film. I need to learn how to better manage my film and photo assets. I need to know when to capture and when to release. But I always need to bring the tools of capture with me. I always need to be open to learn more about the capture.

Posted by Gary at 10:20 AM | Permalink

Life got a little busy. After going to Las Vegas I figured out what a great "network" I had. Noticed a lot of friends working really hard but some need a little help. I decided I have time to help them. Bought my business license online and am patiently waiting for it to come in the mail.

I currently have four clients. Mostly working on business and marketing plans. Some for executional purposes and a couple to obtain new investors. It's fun to do as I love strategy and planning. It's also exciting because two of them are outside of the action sports industry. Haven't sat in front of my computer this much in months. Realized how much I enjoy my work. Crazy thing is I have clients lining up. I think it can easily become a full-time job if I so desire.

Trying to get everything that I'm currently working on done by months end. I'm hoping the beginning of March will bring some fun and exciting new challenges. I'd say what they are but I don't want to let the cat out of the bag in case it doesn't come to fruition. Oh but I'm so hoping that it does...

Still exercising like crazy. The more I work the more I find I want to exercise. Been working out, doing Pilates, running more, and playing soccer. I want to enter some running races coming up, so I've been running around the inside of Green Lake at 'race-pace', running around the the inside twice at a medium speed, then running around the outside and up through the dog park into the Zoo at a super slow pace. Training like I did in college.

My co-rec soccer team won it's first game of the new season last Thursday night. Our team won the championship the last two seasons, so GSSL moved us up two divisions. All of our games have been close, we just haven't been able to pull out the wins. The whole team played extremely well the other night. I'm not sure when it happened, as I had a couple good collisions, but I ended up with a big bump on my head and a slight concussion. That evening I couldn't sleep, was dizzy in bed, and threw-up in the middle of the night. It's been awhile.

Still went skiing the next day. After skiing 2, 3, or 4 times a week most of the winter and then not going for 2 weeks, I needed a dose of nature. I also needed to go set up a photo shoot, get lift tickets and lodging dialed in. It was awesome. The mountain air and exercise cleared my head by lunch time. My goggles were a little tight on my welt, but otherwise all was good. Also saw a few friends on the hill and did some fun runs.

Ah what else. Been hanging out trying to better myself for seven months. The money I put aside for this semi-retirement stint is starting to run low. I told myself I wouldn't dip into my "house account" or retirement funds so it's time to get serious about a new salary stream.

Another interesting note, I found an intriguing woman I want to ask out. I haven't really dated anybody for four years. Why? Well my excuse is that I was always traveling, on the road, and the relationships I did have didn't last. So I stopped trying. Once I started to look for something, now that I'm not traveling, I didn't see anything that caught my eye. But all that has changed. Truthfully I'm a little nervous, but a good and excited nervous. Time to ask her out.

The Ski Journal Party was really fun. Great artwork from K2 in the gallery. Great magazine. Also a few friends have been in town. Been going out and networking a lot. Kevin Back of Powder Mag was here, thanks for picking up dinner. Went to a DOE and Utility open house. Cool agency. Few more magazine folk in town this upcoming week. Should be fun.

Okay, time to get back to work on these business plans.

Posted by Gary at 11:44 AM | Permalink

Click on the image to go big, otherwise you won't be able to read the copy. This Friday, in the gallery at EVO, will be the launch party of THE SKI JOURNAL. If you are a true skier and want to support a magazine that will make skiing and the industry better, then you need to come. I got the first issue and read it cover to cover. This is a magazine that skiing has been waiting for. I mean there are really good ski magazines out there, for me it's the business model of how the magazine is put together that I applaud.

Upon reading the first issue, ever article and every page spoke to me. I'm looking forward to celebrating this great new venture and voice. Please come on down and tip one back with me. Hope to see you there. For more information, go to: http://www.evoseattle.com/.

Posted by Gary at 05:44 PM | Permalink

Can you feel it? Maybe it's just me, but I think good things are to come. I watch the news, talk with people, and see things that give me hope for society and the world.

So many things have been going wrong or there seemed like a negative trend in so many areas. But lately I sense a trend break. People and companies finally realizing that the government isn't going to do it for them. That each and every individual has to be a part of a greater good. People taking it upon themselves to make a difference.

Whether it was the war in Iraq, the corruptness of the US government, the media only reporting on death, destruction, and negativity or people being so busy and messed up that they only had time to care for themselves. I don't know what it is, but I feel like there has been a subtle shift. Maybe it's just me and my outlook, but I'm starting to see and hear about more good deeds.

Part of this topic comes from a conversation I had with some friends a while back. Am I an environmentalist? My answer was a 'yes'. But then I was challenged on what things I did to make a difference to better the environment? This lead us to defining what it meant to believe in a good cause and what it meant to be an activist.

Being an environmentalist is a tainted word that the media and far right made dirty. Now it's more appropriate to say your 'green'. I'm in marketing and I think there isn't a difference. It's just what's more socially acceptable and how it's spun in the media. These type of discussions are healthy, and made me realize that reading Al Gore's book was one thing, but living by it totally another.

I think it's great that Al Gore is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. It just goes to show that people realize all the nay-sayers were bought by big business. If you don't think global warming is for real, then you've been programed. Sorry, but that's just my belief.

What will be interesting to see is how fast things change. Unfortunately it will happen the fastest for the wrong reasons, when it becomes profitable. You can already see it. But just as one knows the difference between right and wrong, people will know what companies are doing good because they believe in what their doing versus it being good for their bottom line.

I guess the other reason for this entry is my friends new company, GIV. It is based on the values and ideals that I have recently embraced. It's about a collective of friends and like minded individuals that share a love for art, nature, and those things good. It's about, "GIV more, GIV back". There are other companies out there doing it for the right reasons. If you haven't read "Let My People Go Surfing", by the founder of Patagonia, you should. It's more about how to run a business and do good for all people and the world you live in. It's a business model more than, "look at my successful business I built" type of book.

If you have time, check my friend Peter's company out at: www.givbrand.com. It was good to see you in Vegas Peter. I wish you success in business and life. Cheers buddy.

Posted by Gary at 05:33 PM | Permalink

If you think you've heard that title before, it's because you probably have. That is the slogan for the new Seattle Art Museums' outdoor Olympic Sculpture Park. I have yet to go walk through but plan on marking it off my list soon. I would have done it already if it weren't for the big eraser sculpture I saw when driving by. Why feature an item artists use to delete there work? It just doesn't seem like art to me.

So I was walking to the Wells Fargo Bank from my house through the Wallingford neighborhood, when I saw a painted billboard advertising the new park. The billboard painting itself was a piece of art. I had my digital camera with me and decided to take a picture. It's the shot above. I was just taken back by the different textures. The metal along a stairwell, the trees, the brick, and the billboard. It to me was 'Where Earth Meets Art".

As I kept walking, I noticed other things that I felt fit in this category. Cool street art or graffiti on buildings that at one time also had advertising on them. Old typography and fonts were so clean and simple back in the day that they almost are better than a lot of what's currently out there. I think one of the hardest things in graphic design is to make an impact and still be clean. Just because we have all this new technology doesn't mean that we can communicate it better through graphic treatments. I feel like there is a movement back towards simple, straight forward fonts.

Our generation has been so bombarded with advertising, slogans, messages, and 'used car salesmen' tactics that a blunt, straight-forward message can almost be refreshing. Hmm, what is the difference between a graphic designer and a graphic artist? Are there designers out in the world that aren't artists as well? For example, somebody who designs a logo or a font, are they any less an artist? I don't think so.

If you'd like to follow me along my walk and the things I saw, go to my photo gallery and click on 'Wallingford Walk'. Go check out the new Olympic Sculpture Park as well. Then notice all the other places in Seattle 'Where Earth Meets Art". I think you'll find that it's all around you.

So somebody brought to my attention that you normally end a entry with a quote instead of start it (like I did in an earlier Routine entry). I beg to differ. I think you can either begin with one, put one in the middle, or conclude with a quote. As long as it has meaning it shouldn't matter which part of the copy it appears. Today, it's at the end.

"What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you're standing". - C.S. Lewis.

Posted by Gary at 03:54 PM | Permalink

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TARA ORTIZ.

Went to the Black Bottle in Belltown for some tapas and cocktails. Was a really good time meeting some more of Tara's friends. She has a wide network. I have hung out with Tara many times and tonight there were maybe 20 people there, of which I only knew 4. That's just to give you an idea of how many different people this girl knows.

That's T n' me in the photo above. Tara and I are planning on taking some Salsa dance lessons. I just need to find a good class and sign us up. Anybody out there know of where we can learn?

Posted by Gary at 03:10 PM | Permalink

Ok, I'm breaking my first rule of blogging. Never drink, write, and post. So if you are reading this, it's most likely the day after and I haven't proof read nor edited it to a more tasteful version. Read it now because it won't be the same later on tomorrow .

Went out tonight for my friend 'Lil T's' B-day party and then was supposed to meet another beautiful woman later. Got home around quarter to midnight and decided I should stay in and catch up on my 'Routine' and other work items. I should go back out to the party, but the next stop on the tour was the Make Out Room and I'm already a kissy face after cocktails, so I would have probably gone around kissing all the ladies I could. Trying to change my ways even though there's no harm in kissing the ladies in my book. Practice makes perfect, right?

So on to the Vegas trip in review. I realize my last few posts have been a little gushy for a dude. A lot of how great friends and people are, but my trip to Vegas was like getting back together with a girlfriend who once broke your heart. My past experience with the Action Sports Industry was a Love/Hate relationship. I loved it to death but became unhealthy with the fun and partying aspect.

I also left having over extended myself and made business promises I could no longer fulfill. This being the main reasons why I left. I thought my reputation was tarnished and that my name no longer held much credibility. I think that was one of the reasons why I was looking for work outside of the Industry. But going back to the SIA trade show made me realize how amazing the people are. How much positive energy there is and how happy the work makes me. How could I possibly leave it?

The first thing I came to realize is that I lived many men's corporate fantasy. I had three amazingly hot interns at HH. They were all awesome and I wish them the best in life and in business. I was fortunate enough to go out with two of them in one evening. They are Lynsey Dyer and Kylee Miller. Completely beautiful people and more like sisters than anything else (including the 3rd named Nancy). They are the ones that you root(sp?) for. Hoping that they find success and happiness. Check out the pictures of us in the limo. Yeah, two nights in a row we used limo's instead of taxi's. So spoiled. Love the VIP lifestyle sometimes.

Then I saw so many athletes, people who work for magazines, individuals who run film companies, graphic designers, peers in marketing at other companies, and just good people that I used to spend time with on the road. The positive energy was almost overwhelming. So much friendship that I had missed and no hard feelings with how I left things with my old job that I felt a huge relief. I hadn't blown it, I hadn't burnt my bridges or lost the respect of those I worked so hard to earn. The following are a few pictures of those people. First off, check out Pat (The Community Project Film), Murray (MSP) and Jonny (Poor Boyz Productions). Icons of the Action Sports film industry partying together. Then the following image is Joel Berman, graphic's guru at Scott USA, and I.

The whole trip was magic. Checked in at the Mandalay Bay and they upgraded my best friends fiance and I to 'The Hotel' and a amazing room with two bathrooms, a small office, bar, living room, and a nice big ol' flat screen TV. We started out living the good life in Vegas. Here's a shot of the room. They hadn't completely cleaned it as you can see, they missed taking down the Bachelorette party sign and didn't vacum up all the confetty. I was happy none the less and they cleaned it up a little better the second day.

Every night included expensive dinners with friends and VIP parties through the evening. But at the same time, I managed to pace myself and only drink a little, making sure I had lots of water in between my cocktails. This was also my first time in Vegas where I didn't go to the Crazy Horse. Still haven't decided if that is an accomplishment or not. Here's a couple images of the MSP kids and Hugo in the limo on the way to the Biz Markee party. My friend who works at Giro helmets had a co-worker in the band who opened. Crazy small world. So many more photos, wait till the gallery posting, it should be entertaining.

It was awesome to see so many of my past and current friends, that I am now making more of an effort to stay in touch. I'm back, healthier and smarter than before. I love skiing and snowboarding (only sometimes, I'm not going to pretend that I'm a snowboarder) and if I can work, doing something that I love to do more than anything else, than it's a win-win situation. I loved my work before, and I will love it again, I'm just going to be smarter about it the second time around. More balance...

I would liked to have taken more pictures, but since I was working and flapping my lips to get paid , I just didn't make a good enough effort. I plan on gathering a bunch of images from friends and will post them in my gallery when I have time.

Thanks again to Ryan and Dustin of POW Gloves for getting me there on contract. Without you I wouldn't have realized all that I missed. I'm so looking forward to getting back to work and sharing our passion for the sport, having fun, and making wintersports better for everybody. Peace.

I also plan on catching up with my 'Routine' entries. This one is over a week past due and I have 15 topics in my journal I need to get down. Stay tuned, more to come. That and they are getting out of order. Whatever.

Posted by Gary at 12:39 AM | Permalink