Trying hard.

Somedays, when I am without you, when your breath goes unheard from my ear, I long for the whisper of the wind to deliver something to me.  I am not in the sunshine anymore, I am not in the hostel house with my hermanos.  I am not in the empty streets of capital cities who couldn't care less about my presence.  Away from the rivers edge, I am at an ocean.

You are a rockstar in another place.  I like your style like I like your face.  Something's lost but something's gained.  Nice to know but in the end if you're not with me what?

I am in the process of putting more photos up and trying to print a bunch and put them up somewhere.  So if you know a wall that needs photos let me know.  I am trying.

Tomorrow I am going skiing.  Over 50 inches in the past two days.  INCHES!!  Vamos!!

It is all happening.  I sit here in the Interurban Art Gallery where I am helping install a piece with my friends.  We have been having a super good time.  We are all in the same place in the physical sense and in the head as well.

And I think the head is so important.

Sean

No Time for Fall

It has been raining for days. House music blasts its beats through my open ears as I sit here typing. I can still hear the rain on the roof, the bass in Gaelen's room, the leaves quivering with wind, all wet and heavy and bright against the evergreens.

I don't mind the harsh transition from 26 degree sunny days in Montevideo to 7 cs in the rainy city and snowing at Whistler. We've gotten 164cm (there you go, Lukas!!) or 64 inches of snow in the last week. Last Saturday was the best opening day I have ever skied. Decent coverage, not toooooo horrendous lift lines, and a good crew made it a memorable one. Oh and there was a ton of snow :)) And more to come...

Extended forecast for Whistler - Blackcomb.
Wednesday.. Cloudy with flurries. Snow beginning late in the day.
Snowfall accumulation 15 to 25 cm.
Freezing level 1000 metres.
Thursday.. Periods of snow.
Snowfall accumulation 25 to 35 cm.
Freezing level 1000 metres.
Friday.. Snow.
Snowfall accumulation 15 to 25 cm.
Freezing level 1000 metres.
(http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/weather/forecast/index.htm)

So on top of the 164cm an additional 75cm makes for 239cm in the past two weeks. It's gonna be good. Expect some photos sometime. I am in the midst of uploading photos and emailing them to so many people right now. If you are one of these people or want to be one of these people send me your email and tell me what photo you want and I'll do what I can. Check in to my facebook too...

In the meantime finding a job is harder than I thought and ski season is all too tempting (especially with all the snow right now). If you know anyone who needs an able body, lemme know.

I think I'm going skiing on Wednesday and then the weekend. Gotta get the days in while I can...! See you on the hill!!

Sean

ps-

an old one of Chuck sharfin the gnar

Consistent consistancy

Just did my first day of Olympic training here in rainy Vancouver. I shouldn't say rainy, but that's what it has mostly been, save for a few wonderful west coast sunsets with the city and skyline set in front of the mountains. And about those mountains around this time year: when it rains in the city its snowing up there. That is why I find it so easy to love to wet weather we have here. It's just not enough to be wet, you gotta be cold too!

Olympic training was super fun. We tooled around for the day in some new GM suv thing we'll be shuttling clients around in during the games. Pretty sweet to check out where the venues are and what not. The Richmond Olympic Oval (ROO) is dope. Really really cool architecture and sustainable too! They used a lot of pine beetle damaged wood for the gorgeous interior of the complex. It's going to look sick on TV!! But ya, anyhow, I'm really looking forward to this winter. First some pow, then some Olympics. Good deal.

But now, how about an adventure?

It was Mikel Bock's birthday the other night so we honored the 21 year young man by heading out to Richmond for some skate action. The park's got lights til 11pm!! It was pretty quiet until these guys showed up...

Wham

Galen laying some rail down

Whoosh

Birthday boy Mikel sailing easy breezily

Wee

Paul Rarick gets high!

Whatup

Pibes de pavement

Oh kay, so next we went to the Chan Centere to do more cruisin' with Chuck and Ben and some girls that showed up. Continued fun with turtles and elevators. Not in the elevators though.

Level 1

Thanks tortuga!

Look ma!

Charles with a no hand manual...!

YO!

Ben pushing buttons at the Chan

So that concluded skateboard foto phest twofounsandnNine fantastic for having you.

Alright, the other day Gaelen, with whom I live casually let Charles and I know that "yeah, there are like two couchsurfers coming today." Ok, cool, no problemo. "Ya, one of them is hot, don't know about the other." Better. "Ding-dong." Why hello, welcome.

Thats not even the picture of "the hot one" though I must clear this up and say right now that they were both quite pretty and wonderful girls. One French and one Slovenian. Both work in Tacoma as au-pairs and found it pretty funny that all of us in the house are from the Seattle area. Chuck and I toured them around Vancouver on Saturday after some pesto on Friday night (delish). Stanley park, Granville Island, everything touristy. And they bought magnets and clothes and lots of fun stuff. Thanks for coming if you read this, girls! We had a good time with you in the house :)

And a sidenote/point of awesome awesomeness:

HAPPY 1.2 BIRTHDAY CAGEFIGHTING

These cupcakes were absof***kinglutely delicious!! Tofu frosting, baked in orange rinds and so, sooooooo rich y riquisimo! The poetry was very good. I'm super glad to be back with my people, haha. In my absence the group has grown and the quality/quantity/energy gotten better, closer, warmer, something. Thanks guys, you're the best.

Well I gotta take off here. I'm trying to get a job as a volunteer blogger for Whistler. I fit all the requirements (be there during the olympics) and would love to do it but I gotta go write two more blog entries. One about my best day of skiing last year (which I will relish recounting) and the other about the Peak-to-Peak gondy (which I someday want to jump off of, haha).

Here are a few shots from Montevideo para mis amigos ahí. Les extraño mucho. Espero que todo está bien en la casa!

It's Sam in the hall!

Sam in the hall

Jammin' out

This is a kick-ass photo. I like rock and roll.

And that dude is a rocker.

Peace, love, and snow,

Sean

Bienvenidos a Vancouver

Greetings from Vancouver. This is Alexandra Compton. She is awesome and a mastermind.

The leaves are falling as easily as I into winter here in Vancouver. There are still colors. Real maple leaf red like the flag and the leaf or an orange of a sunset at sea, it is torn between orange skies and blue sea, if you see what I mean. I like the lazy rainy days when the fire feels warmer than it is when I'm sitting playing drums in the corner with Charles on the guitar microphone. Thinkin damn it feels nice to be home. Alone?- not so. I got the homies like you don't even know- reading poetry and cooking chocolate gold, you know you know.

But here a day is cool.

Try to find a job.

Eat food.

No heat in the house.

Play with our cat, Squirrel.

Jam out.

Photos.

Help film some movie with Charles.

Cook food.

Eat Food.

Squirrel eats food.

Play drums!! and organ and guitar and with awesome people :)))

Write a poem.

Go to bed...

It aint that much different than when, back then back then sitting on the techo getting closer to heaven with Sebastian and Sam, they got the master plans, but I still have a key that Seba gave me. I love it when its sunny outside in Montevideo. I am disappointed to be missing summer there having arrived back in the classic Vancouver haze of rain and wind for days, the sun pokes out but never stays for long until the snow. That's what I'm here for. And more.

Pictures as they come...

Sam-I hope Bolivia is rocking. Send me photots pronto amiho.

To all, thanks for reading this the last five months. I am back in Vancouver. I surprised the friends and they were so excited one of them pooped himself! HAHA, that is not true.

We have couchsurfers here at home and I have Olympics training tomorrow. Exciting times.

Now I am happy but it is not sunny. I have my computer but there is not asado. Bummer of a trade. I'll be back.

In a very cold closet in Vancouver,

Love,

Sean

ps- And this blog will DEFINITLY continue randomly with some sort of consistency, hahahaha

You know I gotta get up on it.

Face to Face

I'm saving up the words to say I love you. I've waited months to hear your voice and now it grows near. Are you an illusion? Do you mean what you say? I'd love to take you up on anything you offer. I'd love to stay the night. I'd love to love you as you wish. I love to hear you say you love me. I love to know you mean it. I'd love to have a dance with you. I'd love you feel your energy.

I'm cold you're radiating. I can feel the vibes. In the coldest of winter, melt my snow. Make me feel like summer time.

Can't wait to see you Face to Face http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tT7GzgmNRn4

Love,

Sean

Medling around in Montevideo

I felt like Scooby Doo the other day. We snuck into the old train station. Pretty sweet place. Would be an awesome concert venue. Maybe someday I'll buy it...

Here are some photos from around the world and a song to go with it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFwQoqbWgSs

Alejandro, Gaucho extraordinaire.

The day I showed up at the house to new windows. It looks nothing like that now...

Some of the homies. From L-R: Sam, Seba (back with cup), Mariañita, Anthony, and Noelia.

Victor grindin heard to first place at the Pocitos skate comp. 16 year old skating phenom.

Tatafornow,

Sean

Muck fe I got robbed

Who wouldn't want tickets to the biggest futbol game this year? An epic matchup between arch rivals Argentina and Uruguay, played here in Montevideo tonight at 8pm. So I was walking along the Rambla towards Pocitos on a wonderfully sunny day with a new friend when a man who I'd met a couple weeks ago noticed we were speaking English and piped in. We had just passed a sign inviting Montevideans to be nice to tourists. The sign reads "1 turista, 1 amigo." The guy's wearing gold rimmed sunglasses and doesn't take them off. He somehow seems friendly enough, but I should have known from his New York Yankees hat that he couldn't be trusted. He speaks English and Italian, my friend does too. Everything seemed cool. He mentions casually that he's on his way to buy tickets to the big game. I thought the tickets were sold out and he confirms this. Abitab (the legit seller of tickets) is out and he's on his way to his buddy's house to pick up some tickets for himself. I ask if his buddy has anymore and he says he'll call. He tell his friend that his brother (me) and sister (Irene) just came in from Buenos Aires and want tickets and after some banter we seem to be getting some numbered seats for the game. We get to the the building and he tells us to wait outside. He has to go into the office for a second and since reselling tix is illegal he thinks its best for us to chill outside. Now I don't know this dude's name, don't have his phone, no nothing. I am used to having good luck and encoutering friendly people, such as this guy, so I have no qualms handing over 1,000 pesos for two tickets. Irene thinks different but we still let him wander into the building. "Two minutes," he says.

HAHAhahaha.

Two hours later. Our eyes had been on the door the entire time. Eventually Irene had to go to work so Sam came to give me some backup and we go looking for this shady fucker. Of course the building has a million exits. He probably went in one door and out another.

Knowing how small Montevideo is and that I've already run into him at least once before I have full confidence that this dude's time will come. Like next time I spot him I am going to follow him until I can properly attack him and take my shit back. Hopefully Sam will be there so we can pin him down and leave him with nothing but his shoelaces holding his hand behind his back, his pants on his head, and his belt in his mouth. I hate being tricked. I hate feeling like an idiot. But an idiot I am for this one.

All in all I must say karma is a wonderful cycle. Remember that thousand pesos I found on the floor of the hot dog stand a week back? Ya, I put that back into circulation. I figure you gotta give back somehow...

Sean