Recently the hold that I have had on Netflix let loose and I got a bunch of movies that I had forgotten were in my list.

Oddly enough, they were all vintage ski movies.  I’m not sure if that is the correct terminology for movies made in the 60’s through the 80s, but regardless…

I have been watching these movies in fits and bursts.  Initially it was just too weird to see 80’s and 90’s hero’s on straight sticks tumbling down hills and calling it good (I must admit that the day glow one piece suits didn’t help with my attention span), but then I popped in a movie called, “The last of the Ski Bums” from 1967 and discovered heaven.

These movies have great music, epic snow footage, some kind of Monkee’s madness montage stuck in and occasionally matching outfits.  The ski bum movie is narrated by a guy with a keen sense of humor and the acting barely counts.

As the early 60s movies turn to late 60s/early 70s movies you get things like t-shirt contests that would make your mom blush and guys who in their 20s look like they are in their 40s. (See K2’s promo video, The Performers for 30 minutes of sheer nonsense.)

These classics are a must view for any skier needing something to refresh the season for them and to add a good laugh.

Happy viewing!

Says me.

So I have this new technogadgetry that sidelines as my one and only phone and here is my week one review.

While I’m loving my email all in one place where I don’t have to be seated at my computer, I’m finding that it takes FOREVER for me to dial the dang thing to call out.

I don’t find it to be terribly intuitive, although Fred thinks it must be an end user issue.  (ha ha)

Living in MN means that the phone is often in cold weather, and the touch screen is not so hot with cold fingers.

It’s bigger than I want to carry in my pocket, so that is annoying, but I’m loving the big clear screen, especially for the web browsing.

For the way I use my phone, this isn’t maybe the best solution for me.  I need to keep my data private for work, but having to enter a big long password each time I pick up the phone is making me a bit nuts.   Also, I haven’t figured out how to make the thing ring when it’s in it’s little case… add that I’m charging it twice a day and I’m about ready to ship it back.

Today is the day that my new Blackberry Storm is set to arrive via Fed Ex.

I’ve never never had the newest fanciest anything as I’m a huge fan of the best value for the money rather than the name brand or the newest whatever.   The closest I’ve ever come to a “new car” had 60k miles on it when it came to me.  My “new skis” are last year’s model.

I’m also a fan of letting the new guys work out the kinks before adopting their technology.

This would explain why it took me AGES to get a DVD player, I never bought a CD till I was in college, my first MP3 player happened last year and I still don’t have a video game system. My stereo is circa 1997.  I’ve still never actually purchased a TV.

Grandma likes to say she’s being “a little scotch” when she gets cheap about buying the good bacon.  I think it’s fair to say I can be a little scotch.  (Fred laughs at the things I get cheap about.  I’m cheap about food, which baffles him.  That’s a whole different post.)

It’s a new era.  I have a new phone.  First touchscreen Blackberry ever.  Newest of the new.  It’s coming to me since it was a reasonable price for the upgrade I was planning on making already… and then they called to upgrade even more for the same price I was planning to pay for the step down model.  I said yes to touch screen.  Yes to real web browsing.  I said yes to the possibility of sending some orders through my PHONE!

When mom and dad had the party barge boat we went to a few boat shows at the convention center.  Mom and I would climb on these huge fancy boats and sniff around a little muttering things like…

“well this might be an upgrade”.

So, as I say goodbye to the smart phone that has done nothing but annoy me for the last year I will take a few minutes to be frustrated with myself for disposing of technology so quickly and adding to the environmental mess we have created with our disposable lifestyle… and then I will do my best to honor my mother with an upgrade comment…

and then I will spend the rest of today learning how to use the thing rather than finishing my laundry, dusting, cleaning the kitchen, tackling my office or decorating for Christmas.

We should be taking bets on whether or not I’ve sent it back by the end of the trial period.

Says me.

S.