Wouldn't it be nice...

Something I take a bit of pride in is accomplishing goals. I'm a scrounger, and my mind works like a scrounger. When I see something that could be useful in the future, I make a note of it in my head. It usually comes in handy. Similarly, when I see something that looks like it would be fun in the future, I make a sort of "soft goal" or "bucket list". It's a goal (big or small) with no timeline and no intensity. But when the opportunity comes along, I take it.

Here are some examples of some older soft goals I've accomplished:

Drive buses in Alaska - Done

Be a summer camp counselor - Done
Go on something like Outward Bound - Done
Be an EFY counselor - Done
Learn to play the guitar - Done
Climb Mt. Timpanogas - Done
Learn to rock climb and own the equipment - Done
Teach at the MTC - Done
Be a ski bum for at least one season - Done
Intern with a Big 4 Accounting Firm - Done
Get a masters degree - Done
Climb Half Dome - I hiked it... but I still need to climb it!
Go to Mexico - Done

Learn web development - Done
Start a blog - Done

Here are some recent ones:

Live in Boston - Done
Go to New York - Done
Be in Times Square for New Years - Done
Solve the Rubik's Cube - Done
Ski Vail - Done
Stay in a condo at a resort - Done
Go to Maine - Will do this weekend
Climb Mt. Rainier - Will do this summer


I chose not to include the soft goals I haven't accomplished yet, but the list is much longer than what your see here. What are some of your soft goals?

Auld Lang Syne

Although slightly belated, I thought New York deserved a few lines. Being in Times Square at midnight on New Years is quite the experience/ordeal.

We had to arrive at 4:30 to get a spot. Once you were in, you were stood in a barricaded block-long corral. We were told that there were no bathrooms, so we were careful not to drink much before. There were no street vendors, so we had to bring our own snacks.

It was FREEZING. Standing around for 8 hours is not a particularly enjoyable experience. It was too cold to turn the pages of a book (I brought The E-Myth Revisited). There were lots of foreigners around to talk to, but it was so cold that nobody was very chatty.

The experience is one of those things you do so you can say you did it. For the rest of my life, every New Years, I'll be able to say I was there. It's a little like camping sometimes. The trip may be miserable, but the best part is looking forward to it and looking back on it.

The baked potato wasn't half bad...

After a perfect day of skiing we hopped into the PT Cruiser, paid a ridiculous $25 to exit the Vail parking garage, and got back on 1-70. Our destination? Red Cliff, CO. Google maps shows that Red Cliff is only 20 minutes from Vail. Google maps is a big fat dirty liar.

We got stuck behind a snowplow going 30 mph, driving up a windy and icy mountain road. 45 minutes (and one missed turn) after leaving Vail we pulled into the town or Red Cliff. Our hotel, the Green Bridge Inn, was the first building. (http://greenbridgeinn.com/)


Still donning layers of spandex and goretex, we headed to eat at Mango’s (http://www.mangosmountaingrill.com/), the only restaurant in town. The menu was varied, but nothing sounded very good. At length, I decided to order the Teriyaki Mahi. Some of you might be thinking “But Colorado is landlocked! Never order seafood in a landlocked state!” Well, you’re absolutely right. But I’ll get to that.

Michelle also ordered the Mahi. She picked it before I did, but I swear there wasn’t any collusion involved.

When the food arrived, fear coursed through my body. The mahi was tiny, the beans didn’t have a sauce and the garlic bread looked pretty burnt and stale. My fears were soon confirmed. I took a bite of the beans and nearly spit them out.

The waitress was nearby and explained that the beans were cooked on the grill. Hmmmmm… Out of sheer hunger, I choked the meal down. It was, without a doubt, the worst meal I have ever eaten at a restaurant. But the baked potato wasn’t half bad. Guess that’s hard to screw up.

At the hotel check-in (on the first floor inside the general store), a 50-something hippie awaited us. Long curly hair, bandana, jade necklace and all. He programmed our door code for room 33 (0933… very secure…), and we were in.


As we were entering, a couple was leaving and asked the hippie if there was food in town. He said “Mango’s is right across the street. It’s great!!!” I shared our recent experience and the desk clerk looked shocked.

At about 9 pm the phone rang. I answered, and it was the hippie. He said “I did some follow-up because I had to find out what happened with the mahi. You see, I was the cook there for 6 months, and the mahi is one of our best dishes. So I called over and here’s the deal. The cook is new and there wasn’t any mahi in the refrigerator, so he pulled some out of the freezer and put it right on the grill. But I’m really sorry you had a bad experience, because Mango’s is usually incredible.”

I found that interchange pretty humorous. I definitely appreciated his effort. It was quite unexpected.

The room was great. It was all built in August, so everything was practically new. There were two double beds, a flatscreen TV with a DVD player, and a stereo alarm clock with an iPod hookup. I was quite impressed that they had a DVD player and iPod compatible stereo. I’ve rarely been in a hotel with those amenities.

On Saturday we decided to stay at my friend Brig’s house in Longmont instead of the hotel. We called around 11 and asked if it was too late to cancel for that evening. The lady at the desk was incredibly kind and accommodating and said we could cancel the reservation and pick up our stuff whenever it was convenient.

We didn’t get off the mountain until late, and then we lounged around Lionshead Village for a bit. When we finally got back to the hotel it was around 7. We decided to check with the front desk again to make sure that we wouldn’t have to pay a penalty at all, and the lady was so nice. The hippy was there too.

As we thanked her for her flexibility, she added “Plus, I was really sorry to hear about the bad experience you had at Mango’s last night. I’ll send you a coupon for a discount on your next stay.” Even she had heard about the Mango’s incident! I was a little embarrassed, to be honest. I’m a little picky about food but I’m not one to complain. The whole town knew that we had a bad meal at Mango’s!!

Lessons learned? The hotel was great. The staff was nice and the rooms were new, clean and well-equipped. Just stay away from Mango’s!