Years of Poems and Spirits

Went with Haiyan’s family and friends to Lake Tahoe between 12/23-28 and skiied there for three days. I have to say these were the best skiing days ever.

Skiing is a sport that has heavy overhead and sunk-cost: before ever hitting the snow, one has to collect all the gears: helmet, goggle, gloves, pants, jackets, hats, poles, skis, boots, cell phone, and/or walkie-talkie, … what else I am missing here? Then driving hours on the road, then change, walking on boots with skis on shoulder for quarter a mile to buy tickets that cost hundreds of dollars. A good set of skis with boots and binding could easily go above a grand.

Learning skiing is also pretty tricky: the learning area (the green runs) are mostly in the lower part of the mountain where snow is either too thin or too slashy–either one could be a show stopper for a beginner.

So why do I ski?

A friend (Robinette? o bro where art thou) told me once, almost apologetically, “I know it is something I should do, but I never picked it up”. It certainly is a symbol of coolness. At least that is what drove me into it, against every thing I hold dear. The ice-rink-like runs in MD/PA/WV almost killed me many times over. I only started somewhat seriously when Song brought me to WA in 98, the year NW had record snow.

After Tahoe, however, I am a true skiier–skiing for skiing’s sake. Thanks a lot to YP and LS: their reputation as skilled and diehard skiiers preceded our acquaintance. They brought me to the back side of the Northstar, and I never looked back.

We spend the first day in Squaw, which was already very good. After two day’s of white-out snowing, the third day was heaven. Every wintery color was in its purest state under a bright sun shining through the thin air over Sierra Nevada. The contrast of colors is so strong that it physically hurts naked eyes. When a breeze blows by, the snow flakes fly off the trees and sparkle like billions of tiny crystals permeating the space around me.

Coming off the lift, standing at the top of the freshly groomed runs, I felt the calling. That sealed it for me.

Too bad that I didn’t explore Squaw more and didn’t go to Kirkwood as YP and LS recommended. But I gave it all on the last day.

Came back from vacation and saw my old boss Terry Drayton is on Seattle Business’ cover. As I was writing a message to congratulate him, I discovered he and his company, Count Me In, are in a deep legal mess.

It looks like Count Me In used membership fees that they are managing on behalf of the little league teams for its own operational use.  Some commentators are outright nasty, calling Terry “the Little League thief”. The Godfather of Seattle start-ups, John Cook, thinks the accusation is serious enough to warrant an indepth interview, which revealed a  distraught chief executive on the defensive (”This is not my legacy“)

I worked for Terry at HomeGrocer. He was the kind of leader that inspire loyalty: energetic, articulate and decisive. When WebVan started with billions dollars of funding, hoping to “do it all and end it all” in the online grocery business, I asked Terry why we were still focusing on high-end clientele only. He said it clearly, without any hesitation, that it is the only way the online grocery business could take hold.  Eight years later, I asked him the same question and he gave me the same answer. I had doubts eight years ago but now found myself coming around to his point of view.

Regardless of business acument, personally, I thank him for giving me one of the best moments in my IT/programming life. Therefore, it is quite painful reading through the interview he gave to Cook. I only hope and pray for the negativity to blowover soon and Terry to go back to his old self.

It is hard having not written anything for a long while. But a well-written essay is like a good meal that can jolt me into action.

The opening paragraph of Frank Rich’s column was the most delicious part:

WE like our failed presidents to be Shakespearean,  … So here, too, George W. Bush has let us down. Even the banality of evil is too grandiose a concept for 43. He is not [even] a memorable villain  … He is smaller than life.

Well said. Recently, I watched the 95 movie Nixon where Antony Hopkins played the most Shakespearean President in history. Now another, “Frost and Nixon”, is playing. As I was watching the trailer, I was just thinking along the same line …