Facebook/Twitter

I don’t know why I made it a goal to keep up on my blog. I can’t even come up with enough interesting information to support Twitter every couple of days. And my last Tweet about eating peanut butter elicited the most excitement of anything I’ve posted in a while. So, writing an eventful, captivating blog entry is more than I am equipped to do.

That said, I’m posting links to Facebook and Twitter (the two social media networking sites to which I’ve reconciled myself) here (see right side of page).

Cheers!

April Fools!

I’m blogging – April Fools! No really, I am blogging, but it feels like an Aprils= Fools joke because I haven’t posted anything in so long. One of my goals this winter was to keep up on my blogs. That, and work on Happy Hour Boulder, pursue outside writing projects, do more yoga, compile photo albums, retake my GMAT, etc., etc. So, it’s disheartening to realize that it’s already April (winter is technically over), and I don’t have much to show for my big “to do list.”

On the other hand, I was traveling for work much more than I had anticipated – trips that took me to Squaw Valley (see blog entry), Park City and Lake Placid, so I can’t really complain. And I jumped on board a planning committee to do marketing and PR for an event called Boulder Chefs Up Front, which benefits Operation Frontline and ending childhood hunger. There were a few other mini-vacations thrown in there as well (Moab, Santa Barbara, Santa Fe(see pic above)), in addition to some ski weekends (Vail and Keystone), so all was not lost.

For spring, I have started swimming again and have taken up hula hoping – both very worth pursuits if I do say so myself.:)

Hello, again!

Yikes! Three months since my last blog entry. One of my goals this fall was (is) to keep up on my blogs. My copywriting blog has sort of taken a backseat since I am no longer independently employed, but I would like to be better about Megskis. And actually, there is a lot to report since I last wrote in July . . . Luke returned from Japan, we moved back to Boulder, AND I started my new job. But, I’m not going to catch up on all that now, because it’s too far behind. So current stuff instead . . .

The last few weeks have been really busy work-wise. It’s almost ski season (well, not really, but because I work with the industry, the season starts for me in a few days). The PSIA-AASI National Teams just arrived for a week of training, which means the office has been in freakout mode. So far, so good, though. We just wrapped up a weekend training session in Lakewood, and the teams just left for Copper Mountain. I will chill in Boulder tomorrow (one day of weekend is better than none!), and then head up to Copper on Monday for what will probably be three days of schlepping on skis, by foot, or in the car. I’m totally looking forward to it, however, as I like to be crazy busy.

(World Series interruption – Rays vs. Phillies, game three. I can hardly believe that this time last year I was in Japan during the World Series, watching the Rockies in the corner of Luke’s TV screen! Visit www.cooltiques.blogspot.com)

It should be a lot of fun. And I am really psyched to get back to skiing, as my season was cut short in the spring by my shoulder dislocation accident. Speaking of which, I have just been able to start climbing again, and it looks like Luke and I will head for Moab next weekend after I wrap up in Copper and Vail (have to go to Vail for a meeting right after team training!). We plan to climb and bike, which will make for a nice trip before the winter comes.

I can hardly believe that it’s the end of October. It seems like we were just on the Western Slope viewing the colors (see picture above), but I realize now that it’s been a month since we went over that way to hang out in Carbondale, Marble and Glenwood with Matt and Anne! Wow, before we know it, it will be Thanksgiving and then Christmas. And probably another three months until I blog again. Time is flying!

New Job! PSIA/AASI

Now that I’ve updated my website and built up my clientele, I’ve gone and gotten a new job. Really, it’s an opportunity I could not pass up. So, as of the beginning of August I will be the marketing coordinator at the Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors! I am super excited to pursue what I consider to be a dream job. This will, however, necessitate a move back to the Front Range. So, I am Boulder bound!

Website Update

My website is updated and fabulous! I finally wrote new copy and put together my portfolio. Check out www.mmmccarthy.com to explore a day in my life, flip through my Workbook, browse the Menu and learn more about why it’s super important to hire a professional copywriter – like me!

Totally Worked

I don’t think I would feel any worse right now had I been hit by a 16-wheeler in the middle of I-70 last night, than doing what I actually did, which was to run a 10k trail race – the Summer Solstice Twilight Trail Run. Yes, it was only 10k. Yes, I’ve run much further. But, in my defense, it started at an elevation of about 8,500 feet and climbed to probably about 10,000 feet, complete with grueling steeps and fast downhills. That combined with the fact that I just started running again about a month ago, and have yet to go more than 30 minutes or so, is why I am so exhausted.

I actually felt really good during the run, especially when I got my second wind after mile two, but I knew I would pay for my lack of training in recovery. And, I was right. It sucked the life out of me. I am a little bit sore, but mostly, I’m just wiped out, which is how I’ve found time on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to blog. I’m certainly not planning on heading out to enjoy the day – I don’t even think I could stroll through the farmer’s market right now. That said, I plan on racing the next La Sportiva Vail Mountain Trail Running Series race on July 6, which starts in Vail Village and ends at Eagle’s Nest. It’s 7.5 miles and over 2,000 feet of gain – phew! It’s going to be tough.

In between now and then I have a bike race - the Davos Dash - and just a few days after the Vail Hill Climb, I have another bike race. I had no idea I was going to be such the racer this summer! But, now I’m hooked, so my goal is to complete all the races in each series. Not that I’ll rack up enough points to be super competitive, but it’s still fun.

Icky Outdoor Apparel

I bought some new bike shorts and a wicking top yesterday. I really needed some new outdoor apparel and I’d been putting off buying it for so long because it’s all so hideous. Just a moment ago, I was checking the deal at www.steepandcheap.com, and I was totally horrified to find a women’s performance top that looked like it had been cut for . . . actually, I don’t even know who would wear it. That’s not entirely true, there are plenty of people out there who don’t care about these kinds of things, and are probably better off for it. But, as for me, and not that I represent the height of fashion, it’s totally insulting to have to stoop to such an unfashionable level just because I like to play outside. I mean, and this will sound snobby, but am I expected to prance around in a pair of Hudson jeans and James Perse top only to have to shed my complete identity to get what I need to compete in a bike race? Apparently, this is the case. Not that what I bought yesterday, was horribly unfortunate looking, but it hardly compares to my normal style.

So, the question is, with so many companies that exclusively manufacture women’s outdoor apparel, how come nothing cute has come on the market? These so-called women-specific sport clothing companies can’t seem to come up with anything better than what the men had in mind. There are a few exceptions, but they’re few and far between and if the fit is wrong, it’s not like there are tons of other options.

Ah, the high-class problems you can come up with while sunning on your deck. But, really, I think we women deserve something better – not just acceptable outdoor apparel, but something a true fashionista could appreciate. Riding in the mud, running on trails and trekking into the backcountry are no excuse to look like a dirtbag.

Oh, and just to update, I checked back with Steep & Cheap only to find this grotesque tank sold out. To whom, I wonder. It was cut all wrong with some horribly modified boat neck, unflattering trim and in bad colors. Props to Steep and Cheap for the deals, and it’s not like they designed it, but still – ewww.