January 20, 2019
On Sundays I reflect.
This week I did not drink alcohol, ten months after deciding to abstain. It feels weird to think I I quit drinking almost a year ago. I have no desire to drink, but choosing to abstain has certainly affected my social life. I used to meet people in bars, almost daily. It's not as easy to meet people without alcohol, and when I do it becomes awkward as soon as they ask me to grab a drink. I remember when I lived in Manhattan and tried to meet five new people every day. I was mostly successful. Living in seclusion in the mountains and abstaining from alcohol feels like the opposite of that lifestyle.
I've been working on prep all week, and riding Vail any time I can make time for the pow. Last night I fucked up another solo cup as well as a collaboration with Gina (@glassbyboots). It was a rough night, but I'm ready to try again today. I was pretty bummed, but today things will go better. That's what I have to tell myself anyways.
My body is very sore, as I went flying into a tree on the mountain two days ago. Sometimes you're flying through the air in the middle of the trees atop a few feet of powder when life slows down and you wonder how your going to avoid the cluster of three trees directly in front of you. Then you hit the tree with your knee and right arm while thinking "I'm so glad my board is ok". That was me on arguably the best pow day of the season while I was riding with some of my best friends. Fortunately everything is ok, I'll just be sore for a few more days!
This week we finished running a water line to my cold working room along with compressed air lines throughout the entire studio. I'm just waiting on medium for my sandblaster and then everything should be operational. I couldn't have done it without some help from the team and I'm feeling super grateful! What a relief! We also finally had another product photo shoot with Red (@rruokyte) so new product is coming to the website this week. I can't wait to show you what's been piling up in my office aka all the new drinkware.
So this upcoming week is all about preparing for the show. I'll be coordinating with artists and sponsors, in between trying to create collaborations and solo cups for the show. For the next month, I'll be a little tunnel visioned until the show is over. I'll keep trying to squeeze in laps on the hill, and hopefully Tuesday I'll make it to the Aspen Art Museum to check out the retrospective on Margaret Kilgallen.
I'm trying to engage you (the audience) more. I would greatly appreciate your feedback. I've been writing these reflections for nearly a year and it seems like a few hundred people have been reading them week after week. If you have any input on my reflections or things you would like to read about please contact me and share your thoughts!
Enjoy the day!
Ben
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