i seriously don’t know when i’d be back on the slopes, so i jumped on an opportunity to hit the tahoe ski slopes a couple of weeks ago. i was driving by myself from south bay to south lake tahoe area, and went via 580/I-5 route.
as soon as you hit highway 5, the traffic comes into a steady, speedy and extremely predictable pattern almost to a rhythm. cruising at 75 mph, i turned my mind off, and popped-in a few cd’s i wish i’d taken out more often.
one of them was ustad bismillah khan – sweet sound of his shehnai with a curious confluence of melancholy and celebration at once – was perfect to let the mind cruise in and out of tired thoughts while the ford expedition was weaving around a stream of freight trucks.
and then i thought – i’d miss this.
throughout my 5 month stay/work in late 2007 in central bangalore, i noticed one thing: there is no time of reflection in indian life. that’s perhaps why people seek solace in god and worship on pretty much daily basis. i would miss a few other things:
- pin-drop silence when i want it
- fixing my own breakfast in the morning
- a nice garage you can spend an afternoon in, working on a car or fixing up household stuff
- wonderful quilt of varied cultures
- skiing. though i don’t do i very often, i love it when i go up the slopes
- the open road
- standards of quality
- levels of ambition at all levels
- sheer indulgence in junk television
- and finally (and a bit masochistic) carrying a chip on the shoulder
btw, i was on my way to the kirkwood ski resort. the slopes are mostly beginner friendly, though the first slope you see while stepping on the snow is a bit intimidating to look at. it gets cold real quick due to the altitude, so sticking to well-worn routes (to avoid icy patches) will make for a day of happy skiing. the ski resort is a bit off the tahoe area, so make sure you carry chains in case it snows on you – it’s tough to get out of that area without the chains, and there aren’t many hotels around the resort.
yaeh! openid works. i spot some bugs though.