12 March, 2006 (Sunday)

A brief update
Another week, another 30cm of snow. The season is starting to draw to a close and suddenly I'm 3 and a half months through and I'm wondering how it went so fast. Where it went so fast?

We're getting a strange mix of warm and sunny days, melting the top layer of snow and softening the ice rink, followed by stretches of intense (but clear) cool. Today it was a balmy -1 degrees. Almost t-shirt weather, at least Jae thought so today (brrr!).

It's Spring Break over the next few weeks so we're expecting it to get busier. Students are on holiday and the snow this season has been the best that it has been for years. We're hitting more than 300cm with more still tumbling down. If the last three days are anything to go by we're in for some steady days, but nothing catastrophic or crazily busy. Not a rehash of Christmas or the New Years period.

Meanwhile, things have been happening in our little household. Josh has a 'friend', Amie staying with us for a bit. Jae is trying to change his hours around a little bit. I've been working on a few pet projects and trying to psyche myself to get the post-season period organised - at least in my own head if nowhere else.

(Picture: Liberated bowling shoes - Cat Shop Shuffle)

Week in review
So, what's been happening? More than a little I guess.

• Return of Amie: Amie, a friend of ours, has just returned to Canada. She's currently staying with us in our little flat. How long? Not sure. She's here for the rest of the season and looking for a place to stay.
  Amie arrived last Saturday and she's just getting settled. It also seems as though a romance is burgeoning... or perhaps it's in full swing. Josh, you sly dog! Just close the door and try and muffle the noise.
  
• 4 weeks to go: There are just over 4 weeks left until the end of the season. Time to start pulling together plans and budgets, and work out where to next. I'm in the midst of working out what I want to do, who is interested in participating in my jaunt, and what kind of transportation I need to get. Once I have the transportation I'm hoping that the rest of it will fall into place.
  Right now I'm checking out used cars. A perilous activity at the best of times. Prices seem to be a fair bit cheaper than back home. I guess that's one of the benefits of North America: having more people - volume discount. At the same time I'm a little afraid of driving on the wrong side of the road... especially after 3 months off. But I guess I have to bite the bullet sometime.
  
• My second job: In leiu of the end of the season I've got my act kind of together and lined up a second job. The bubbly Kelly has started training me up on invoicing and dispatch for a hot tub and general maintenance crew that work here on mountain. She's due to fly the coop on the 19th, so just a week away. Apparently the turn-over is pretty high. She's been there almost a month, and is the 4th person in the position. I've signed up until end of season.
  The plan is for me to put in about 3-days a week - around 20 hours. This will help me put a little extra cash away (hopefully) for travelling. My pass is showing around 42 days on-snow, which is pretty respectable. Including days that I wasn't scanned that'll hit around 48+, so I'm close to 50 days for the season.
  
• Spring break: Spring has sprung, the ice rink is melting but the snow is still here. I've been hitting upward ofr 40 hours in the last few weeks and I'm rostered on for 6 days a week at tickets. Brutal. But, I think hours are going to ease off once the ice rink melts and they close night skiing (March 25th). Holding my breath.
  Although if I do get a car that could mean a few day trips to local mountains. Apex here I come!