Sunday 4/14/19
I did not drink alcohol this week. 4 years ago today I wrapped up a month of sobriety. For a few years leading up to my decision to fully abstain from alcohol, I used to take a month off each year to prove to myself I could. I was too afraid back then to commit to complete abstinence.
It's been just about 13 months since I decided to quit. I could count on one hand how many drinks I've had since I quit. My social life is now virtually non-existent. I've detached from a lot of people I used to associate with. Slowly but surely, my work flow is improving. I'm feeling better. I'm taking better care of myself, eating healthier and stretching daily.
Late Season Snow in Vail Mountain
So we got all this unexpected snow this week; Two feet in two days, and more here and there since. I'm getting on the hill today for the third time since the beginning of the storm, my 30th day this season. Vail closes next Sunday and we might get one more storm this week. After that I'll officially put away my gear, and have one less distraction from work. I'm almost ready for hiking and running season.Childhood
I had this friend Jarad in preschool. We were great friends but his family moved and we didn't end up in public school together. Jarad became a drummer so in middle school we both ended up at the same "Jam Camp" where they put us into bands and taught us how to produce, record, and perform. Aside from a few hellos that summer, we haven't spoken in 20 years. A few nights ago my mother called me to say she had just seen Jarad drumming in Chicago with "Tillie" @whoistillie and they're coming to Denver Wednesday at The Globe. I hit him up to ask if he remembered me and to say I would come see him next week. He enthusiastically insisted he remembered me and offered me a spot on the guest list. Jarad was always a badass drummer, and it makes me so happy to discover he's all in on drumming. I'm eager to catch up.
420 in Colorado, then Mr. Voorhees in California
Then Saturday is 420, and I heard The Wook Show was cancelled so I definitely won't be going to Denver or Beverly Hills for that...Speaking of Beverly Hills though, I'm definitely headed to SoCal next month. I can't even remember the last time I did a trip west, as I probably spent less than 24 hours in the state on a delivery. This will very much be a work trip, but I'm giving myself enough time to enjoy myself as well. I'll be flying into LA where I'll rent a car and drive up to Santa Barbara to meet with the newest artist who is joining the Drinking Vessels team. Have any of you heard of Voorhees? You can expect his first ever DRINKING VESSELS DROP by the end of next month, and we might even have time to squeeze in a collaboration or two! After SB I'll head up to Santa Cruz to finally meet Cameron Burns in person after what feels like years of talking on the internet and appreciating his cups. Cam and I don't have anything officially planned yet, but if you guys are lucky I'll be able to share big news after the trip.
Art Basel, Anyone?
A few days ago I began the initial discussion to plan an experience in Miami during Art Week in December. I'll know by June 1 what's happening, and hopefully begin planning the biggest event of my life so far. We're wrapping up the video on this years Vail Cup Collectors Club, which was my greatest undertaking up until this point. I'll definitely be hosting that event again next February, so if Miami pans out next year will be the busiest of my life.
Want to Chat?
I've been corresponding with people via composition notebook in the mail rather than digitally. It's a slow moving process, but my self portraits are improving tremendously. If you want to be my pen pal, shoot me a message for the details. I'm on a mission to ditch digital, and eventually expect to only communicate face to face, or via composition notebook. I feel like I've given my life to technology, and I want it back.
I spend a lot of my alone time in the car. There are some extraordinary sights around here, that I get to enjoy on an almost daily basis. I have a few favorite curves on this earth, and one of them is the turn into the front of Minturn; I've never seen anything like it. As you S between a river and a rock face, a little bridge brings you into our little town. The town has one road with no more than one or two blocks in either direction, nestled snug between the natural geographical wonder that is our earth. I love pulling into Minturn every morning (or afternoon). I have the nicest neighbors, and a personal relationship with most of the dozen business owners in town. Friday I spent time talking with the boys at Weston Snowboards, Dan at Holthammer Motorcyle (the baddest Harley Davidson bike shop I've ever encountered), my new neighbor Kevin who is building a photography studio across the street. In addition to digital photography, he has a dark room a general store, and a coworking art space developing. My dude Mark down the road at Kirby Cosmos feeds me more than a few times a week, and when I'm not there I grab Gardunos authentic tacos or the Thai Kitchen Minturn who bring the heat and always greet me with a smile and nice chat.
If you follow my Drinking Vessels Instagram, you'll notice it's turning into an advertisement space for my friends. I hate social media, but I love the fact that I can share my friends amazing projects with as many people as I do. Every day I wake up and scroll through Instagram thinking about how I can promote my friends, which is usually the click of a few buttons and I'm learning how to make gifs (typing in a search bar). Just a few short months until JCost arrives to help me sort out this massive undertaking I somehow got myself into. It's my goal to bring you the best content I can, and I've gotten to the point where I can admit it's gotten too big for me to maintain on my own. It's hard to admit we need help sometimes, because it means facing our flaws and recognizing that we may not be the best at something we've worked hard at. I'm working on admitting I can't do it all, but I'm committed to finding the best people for each role that comes up in this project.
I was sick in the beginning of the week, which put a damper on my time with my brother. The snow came later in the week, which I couldn't refuse this late in the season. I blew glass a little this week, but when I did I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I'll take a half day on the hill today, and spend the afternoon on the torch. An ideal Sunday for me.
Thanks for tuning in and enjoy your day!
Ben
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