January Blues January 2003 If we're not skiing right now, we're collecting signatures for an important petition

	New life has arrived to California hills

Do you also feel that January is the most depressive month of a year? Christmas gone, going to work in the dark, returning from work in the dark, high noon looks like dusk in the land of Mordor; next holidays or actually anything pleasant to look forward to seems awfully remote. I, too, did not avoid a slight hangover after autumn and winter events, although our winter is rather optimistic here. Thanks to precipitation, our hills turn green, calves and lambs and piglets get born, as well as little deer and all other possible critters, trees are getting ready to bloom. Jasmines and saffrons, which my mom planted in our back yard, jumped with joy and refreshed formerly bland surfaces.

We were, however, not really feeling like going on trips. New Mexico has probably let some of our traveling blood out, and during rainy or murky weather, one would tend to crawl back into one's lair anyway. We brought ourselves to go on half-day or single day trips -- mushrooming, to the coast, and skiing. I had mentioned Kirkwood here several times, but this time we made an experiment with a different resort.

It all started with Don inviting us to ski. He planned it for a day when Super Bowl is being played, which means that majority of "sportsmen" and couch experts sit and gaze into the tube, watching football and commercials. Hence we could assume that those induhviduals won't hang out in the mountains. And should that not convince us, Don kept another trump up his sleeve -- we were invited to get a ride in their car, which would free us from laboring eight hours behind the wheel.

	Sid, Carol, Don, William plus Bear Valley

It was of course quite tempting, yet a closer scrutiny revealed that Don intended to take off around five a.m., which implied for us getting up by three thirty. I personally consider getting up at 6:50 -- my workday morning alarm -- quite inhuman, so I would not likely survive any earlier hour. Further, we are quite familiar with our wimpiness: after some five hours of skiing we get quite exhausted, so it's adequate for us to arrive at a slope by noon -- until they close the lifts, we get our fill of exercise. No lines to the lifts here, you know, and that means no killing time in a queue and having some rest from skiing.

MAXIDOG FIQ FOR PRESIDENT!

An all-time favorite, especially with youngest voters In permanent memory of the nation since 1975 Obviously never been involved in any political or economical scandal Extends above partisan politics: has never been a member of any political party Multi-colored, media-friendly, well trained. Doubtlessly an animal lover. Well known for his affinity to education, sport, and tourist industry. Meets requirements of Communists: "has no negative aspects" Though well-traveled, he has never forgotten his homeland and his plain ancestry. Acknowledged at home and in the world for his extraordinary skills in the area of aeronautics, sports and mass entertainment. A summary of living experiences and successes is easily available to the voting public in the form of video tapes and DVDs. Surely, and most certainly, he is not Václav Klaus.

We were quite eager to try skiing at Bear Valley. This resort is located only one mountain ridge south from Kirkwood -- it is also theoretically closer to our house, but the ride turns out about the same. Don brought along only a part of his family (i.e., his wife Sally and his youngest son William) and chose this locality because it is most suitable for beginners. Finally -- for the first time in my life -- I could feel on skis like a big expert. Before we arrived (by our usual noon), Sally and William had enough of skiing already, and declared a lunch break. Don joined us, who were eager to get on the slope. It turned out that like we, he is a landscape skier, who does not mind to stop all the time, take breaks, enjoy the views, and talk. Thus we had a great time. Later, William joined the bunch, but I had the feeling that he was not quite keeping up, especially one moment when we arrived at an edge of a black diamond slope, which we had to traverse to continue on our usual blue marked one. It was William's first day of serious skiing, so he actually showed quite a bit of personal courage.

Skiing had brought us a certain uplifting moment into an otherwise dark January, but it was followed by more depressions. One of the less enjoyable events was a visit of a General Very Important Person to our subsidiary of the Supreme Korean company. I had mentioned last year the unbelievable déjà vu -- the world of Black Barons and Good Soldier Švejk (classics of Czech literature) lives on at my workplace! During a year of my employment there, I gained up on conviction that our subsidiary is either a "warm chair", a reward out of some opaque obligation, or a convenient repository for an embarrassing comrade. The fact that we have not closed a single business contract during a whole year was to be made up for by a vigorous clean-up and beautifying activity, three days ahead of the arrival of His Highest Elevation. Paintings were hurriedly purchased and framed (horrid ones, as far as my taste can reach; but I am not worthy of artistic feelings attributable to the sole civilized - read: Korean - nation); a service was contracted to supply and maintain fresh green plants; the only true and correct Korean ginseng tea was obtained; after a series of misunderstandings, it seemed by 8:30 a.m. we would have not a single platter of refreshments, only to receive them in double abundance by 9:00 from two caterers. His Penultimate Chiefdom took no notice of our celebratory decorations, lasted through a one hour conference room meeting, listening to sweet tirades of our future successes, and left for the airport. Given the fact that He Himself did not touch any food, no underlings could possibly do that, either, and so we were left with all of it intact in the end. Had I not lived through many such absurd scenes during the first thirty years of my life, I might have found the whole affair amusing. Given my past, I remain indistinctly disquieted.

A parade of daily news does not improve my paranoia. Most of all, Czech media appear to have reached new depths of desperation. I was paying close attention to the Czech presidential elections that did not produce a president. I admit that a headline "Parties look for someone who can beat Klaus", had sent a cold shiver down my spine. A whole roster of his opponents appears to be several classes below himself, and I cannot figure who could possibly be a better candidate. Compared to a worn-out party operative like Zeman, Klaus can at least dress well, has shown some civilized manners, and speaks English. I find it pathetic that a new president should be defined most of all by NOT BEING Václav Klaus. Just like a relatively colorless Chirac won in France because he was not Le Pen. Well, it seems it can get worse yet. Under the influence of media campaign around a possible candidacy of Karel Gott (an elderly, popular singer) I propose to establish a movement MAXIDOG FIQ FOR PRESIDENT! and to start collecting signatures.

Copyright © 2003-2005 by Carol & Sid Paral. All rights reserved.