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!

Busy girl . . .

Happy New Year! Belated, I suppose. My commitment to blogging is lagging recently. But I think I have some good excuses. Let’s see . . . since my last post I have divided my waking hours between work, skiing, skiing work, GMAT study, GMAT exam, holidays and a vacation. I even managed to squeeze in a manicure or two, but even then, I was multitasking, catching up on all the celebrity gossip I could glean from the salon’s selection of girly mags and tabloids in between coats of polish.

Brief respite on the beaches of sunny Santa Barbara.

That said, the next few months will probably prove to be equally as busy. My GMAT score was less than perfect (to say the least), so I plan on studying for a retake, working still and hopefully skiing a little (though a back injury has me sidelined for the moment – the perfect opportunity to catch up on life). I’ve also signed up for a belly dancing class once a week to keep stress down and I don’t plan on being quite as overloaded as I was in November and December. In fact, I’m going to be submitting posts for a new blog called CU Grad Gab, featuring a female graduates of the University of Colorado, all sharing their different perspectives on various topics, based on location, career, etc. It will be a good writing exercise for me. My blog posts will focus on life in the mountains and ski culture. I am trying to think of a name. So far, I have come up with Chair 10, Chairlift Chatter (but, I think this is stupid), Chairlift Confessionals (also, not so great) and a few other corny options. I think I like Chair 10, because that is the number of the Highline chair in Vail that was recently replaced by a high-speed quad. The old chair was the thinking chair. It was slow and wonderful – plenty of time to rest your legs and ponder the intricacies of the always scintillating Vail existence.

I’d also like to work on my children’s stories, read more, watch less TV and plan our trip to Thailand. Yes, Luke and I have decided that our spring destination will be Thailand. As soon as ski season ends and mud season settles in, I hope to be exploring the balmy tropics of SE Asia. It is going to be hot! Very hot – April is actually their hottest month. But, I can’t wait! We are going to relax on the beach, explore Thai temples, play with elephants and gorge ourselves on Pad Thai and mangos with sticky rice.

The next few months are going to be action packed, that’s for sure. Grad school applications, skiing, vacations, work, etc. I must confess that I’ve been fantasizing about blowing off my business obligations for a few months and getting a job waiting tables at night or something. I probably won’t do it, but it would be nice to decompress for a little while, make some quick cash, and devote my spare time to skiing and study. Might be a nice break before grad school. But, I have to remind myself that I work alone for a reason. Of course, it might make good fodder for a blog . . .

Almost Ski Season

I caught up on everything just in time to leave for Japan! I’ll be writing my Cooltiques blog, www.cooltiques.blogspot.com until I come home, just in time for Vail’s opening. Then, I’ll get to write about epic Colorado powder days - I can't wait!

SWAMPED!

I have never been so swamped in my entire life! There are simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done, so how I’m finding time to update my blog is a mystery. Well, maybe less a mystery than just a great procrastination tool.

But, blogging is part of what I do now, so if I don’t get it done, it hangs over my head just like any other project on my list. I would also like to start my copywriting blog and update my website and my listing on Media Bistro, but those things will definitely have to wait . . . until I’ve completed a few hundred more SEO product descriptions for one client, created new web content for another, written copy for an interactive map for somebody else, finished formatting and editing a technical manual, followed up with a few other clients who have things on the burner, and finally created thoughtful copy for a charitable foundation’s website (my pro bono project).

Anyway, now that I’ve gotten my head to spin uncontrollably, I am signing off and not promising anything to this blog until everything else is off my plate.

Happy Hour Boulder

I did something today that I haven’t done in a long time – write a Happy Hour Boulder newsletter. When we first launched the site, I was so good about communicating happy hour news on a weekly basis. But, as the luster of new business ownership faded, the parties ended, and the work set in, I began to lose motivation. Over the winter, skiing took precedence, as did work that actually paid, but I still took care of happy hour business as much as possible. By the time summer rolled around, though, and I left for Japan, happy hour news really fell by the wayside, and I was totally neglectful insofar as promoting our brilliant business idea.

On the upside, I diligently maintained the database. So even if anxious happy hour goers weren’t getting a weekly buzz from me, they could still count on the site to be complete and updated.

But, I’ve renewed my happy hour spirit with the idea of featuring a weekly cocktail in our newsletter and creating a happy hour blog (coming soon).

I plan on spending some time over the next few weeks rejuvenating our original plan by reestablishing relationships with different happy hours and the users of our site. We’re planning a one-year celebration and some cool ways to get businesses psyched on keeping their information updated. And, if there’s time, maybe we’ll even hit a happy hour or two. ☺