Ski-sensation at Mammoth
This year we decided to head for Mammoth again for skiing. While last year’s ski season was like a bad aftertaste after staying at Mammoth Mountain Inn, the slopes and snow at Mammoth is just unbeatable.
With Janine in daycare and Eon in ski school, we decided last year that it would be better for us to stay right at the foot of the slopes. We choose Mammoth Mountain Inn. The pictures were deceivingly clean and description was inviting. Little did we know. After 9 hours of driving (due 4 hours of to LA traffic), we finally arrived. The Lobby looked nice but once we head to our “suite” we were greeted with a smelly and stained carpet on the hallways. The elevated was in a similar state of neglect. The 2 bedroom “suite” with kitchen was an equal let-down. The sheets and curtains were worn and old-fashioned. The beds were squeaky… and my litany of not-so-great things about this place goes on and on. The only highlight was that it was on the slopes. But what is that worth if you go home exhausted from a day of skiing to a dump?
We decided to explore the village and found that Westin was at Mammoth. We looked around and decided that we have been…screwed!!
This year, we learned. We stayed at Westin and the brief gondola ride to the slopes was a breeze. Westin and their Heavnenly Beds was such a great upgrade from tawdry Mammoth Inn. This time around, I actually felt like it was vacation.
We ate, skied and went to the jacuzzi to soak our tired muscles. Everyday was a routine… in a nice way. It was Janine’s first year of ski lesson. It was a horror morning on the first day but somehow things worked out. Eon is out-skiing me but on our last day chickened out on a blue slope, fell and we had to make a trip down to the main lodge with the ski patrol. Eon was fine and back skiing soon after the ski patrol dropped us off at the bottom on the slopes.
I was up for more challenges and decided to cajole my littlest one to ride Chairlift 7 with me and Eon. She was fine on the lift but started freaking out as soon as we got off. She started crying and declaring that she was NOT going done the hill and “skiing was ugly.” After some threats of abandonment, we finally skied downhill. Call me a despot but that was actually quite fun.
Pulled-over 2
When you least expect it, you get pulled-over.
Apparently, you can’t have tint on your front windows. It’s against California law. Out of nowhere while driving within speed limits, a policeman in a bike mysteriously appears and starts to trail after me. I was baffled and I wondered if I missed any STOP sign. I didn’t.
I pulled-over.
Mr. Policeman informs me that I have tint in my front side windows and I need to take corrective action (How formal!) I got a citation and I’m suppose to have another police officer to sign it off after I take…corrective action. I had some 30 days to have it fixed.
I went to PepBoys and looked for the right tools to remove my tint. I left with a spray that was suppose to soften the adhesive.
Taking the tint turned out to be more laborious that I expected it to be. After 3 hours of working, my glasses were finally tint-free. My arms were aching and my back was tired. Sign of old age?
I’m just glad to have it done and over with.
Belly Dancing at Birdhouse
Tucked in Costal 101 is Birdhouse. A Turkish restaurant that we begin to frequent after our neighbor Lerzan introduced us to gyros and belly dancing. On Friday and Saturday nights, this cozy restaurant has 2 belly dancing shows. The kids love it! Be ready to see your kids practicing belly dancing in front of the mirror.
Janine specially LOVES the belly dancer and imitates her every single move. (Free lessons?)
The food is okay. I especially like the appetizers! My personal favorite is the gyro.
Resurrection
Like usual. It has been ages. In a span of a year, I gained a jb and pretty much lost half my literary life. I’m slow to respond to emails. Slow to read books. Lazy to even read the newspaper. Slow to respond to letters. Late in preparing our annual family yearbook and reports. Slow in almost every aspect of my literary life.
I haven’t visited my site. I suppose, I’m lucky it’s still up! every year I make a resolution to write more but I always fall back into the lazy habit of nothingness. Too vegetative after 10 hours of day at work and 2 hours of busy home life. I’m often at lost for words and groping for eloquence. How sad is that?
Let’s turn this into a habit. Again. I try.
Pulled-over
Last Sunday, I was for the first time pulled-over. Atleast, for the first time here in the US.
I was heading to our company dinner in Downtown San Diego. I was driving my husband’s car. I was on the phone talking to my step daughter when I heard a siren. I glanced at my rearview mirror and saw a car with weird bright lights and lighted rearview — I thought, what an odd car. Then came the realization that it was police car and I was being asked to pull-over.
I nervously hung up and slowed down. I lowered the passenger side window and waited for the police to approach me.
Totally unaware of what my violation was… I asked the policeman. He told me that I have been driving on the left-most lane for the part 3 miles at varying speed of 65-78 mph. “Ma’am did you know that the left-most lane is only a passing lane?!”
I profusedly apologized and pleaded ignorance. He asked for the car registratin (which I couldn’t find!) and then asked for driver’s license (which was still with the old address). He asked if I updated my address with DMV and left to verify my driving history…
Thankfully, he only gave me a warning saying that since I have a clean driving record, he’ll let me go without a ticket. Whew!
