Pretty Much Sums Up My Ski Season

As you know by now (or should know), I'm deploying to Cuba in about two weeks - therefore effectively forfeiting my ski season as it begins. I'll probably get in a total of ten days for the 2010-11 season.

That being said, I couldn't have asked for better conditions than what I got during my five-day trip last week with Lance Rottger, Eric Yates, Rory Clements and Blake Henderson. There are a lot of people I wish I'd seen or seen more of, but I'm in no position to complain.

For the last four seasons, Lance and I have traveled to Lake Tahoe together and never struck less than five feet of fresh snow during our time in there. Last week was no different as we scored about 10 feet of wet, then dry, then rain and finally that perfect snow I've come to love in California. It was so good I bought an extra day in town and got this footage on my new GoPro camera. What an awesome Christmas gift.


One Day in a Five-Day Season from jason tross on Vimeo.

Seven Weeks and Counting

If you hadn't already heard or guessed, Lindsay is pregnant. Seven weeks to be exact and this is what our little "bean" looks like - a mix between an alien and a tadpole but much cuter in that fetal sort of way.

Much like our first time at this, I'll be away for the better portion of Lindsay's pregnancy. Luckily we've both experienced some form of this process while being apart. It's terrifyingly exciting - just as the last few years leading up to this have been. This may be our third trip along this highway, but things are very different. This time they're different in a very good way.

The baby is due what appears to be a couple weeks before I get home from deployment in Cuba.

T-Minus 20 Days Till Deployment

If you don't know already, I'm preparing for a six-month deployment to Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I report for duty January 15, 2011.

I've known about this for about six months now and have been making preparations accordingly. There are a lot of reasons to volunteer for this particular deployment and I could cover them for hours. If you really wanna know why I'm doing it - just give me a ring in the next two weeks. Better yet, hit me up while I'm down there. I'll be restricted to the base the entire time doing public affairs work so I oughtta have some time to write an email or two.

Despite being away from my family for six months (which sucks more than you know), I'm excited to do my job again. I'm a college graduate w/ plenty of experience doing more traditional public relations and public affairs. I think GITMO (as we call it) brings a lot of opportunity to both try something new and reintegrate into the Navy - which has been my plan for nearly a year now.

So let's meet up in the next two weeks if you live west of the Washington Cascades - preferably in the mountains.

Series Sweep

I forgot to follow up about what happened after I blew the first game of what was my first round of playoffs.

I decided to practice - twice as hard.

 The end result was a complete series sweep, having batted a thousand and put up numbers that far exceeded the requirements to win. I essentially did two entire semesters worth of college credit in a week. That's why you couldn't reach me.

And you probably won't be able to reach me any time soon either. This most recent playoff series was just the first. Now it's on to the quarter finals. With each series I complete, I have to up the ante and work that much harder to win. I'm not only out to win this, I'm out to destroy this!