Hello again. Just a quick diddy about my trip this past week. As some and most of you may know I was over in the Colorado Springs (Front Range as it is called here) the past week for recruiting purposes at the college. Normally, a person such as myself does not attend such college fairs for highschool recruitment, but being that we are a larger department, I convinced my bosses to let me go. They paid the meals for the week and travel and living accommodations were courtesy of my friend Ben's admission travel budget. As you can see from the pictures (http://picasaweb.google.com/aldsmith3) we had a lot of free time between fairs to get into the outdoors! Most other admission counselors and recruiters at the fairs from other colleges opted to eat, drink, and be merry but Ben and I had other intentions. It was great to experience a handful of new areas in Colorado. Definitely hard to judge places until you try them. Found some beauty and so forth I wasn't expecting in the Colorado Springs area.
In other news, for those of you wondering how my "W" Mountain Race finished 2 Saturdays ago, I took 35th out of 90 or so racers. 23:50 was my final time. The course was 2.6 miles and gained about 1,000 feet over that 2.6 miles. Ben and I followed up the race morning with an epic mountain bike ride at Hartman's Rocks for the better part of 3 hours on a sunny, mildly warm, and beautiful afternoon.
It snowed here in Gunnison today! It was so exciting to see snow again. I know some of you are dreading it but the snow really adds another layer of beauty to the scenery out here-crested mountain tops, dusted sage brush, etc. Also, the presence of snow excites me for the ice hockey season, which started yesterday (Monday), though I didn't sign up till today because of monetary issues. My first game is tomorrow night. I am excited! Glad to get back on the ice and have some competitive fun.
Not too much else going on...looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving and time with family (especially the Baker clan) and friends. Hope ya'll are doing well. Keep in touch if I don't hear from you or see you as this holiday season approaches.
Later ya'll
Al
As always, check out the photos online (link is above) if you haven't already seen them on facebook.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
News News
Hello again. Good news and an update real quick. I am leaving Sunday afternoon for a week-long trip to the Front Range (Denver, Colorado Springs, etc.) to do recruiting for the RESS (Rec. and Exercise & Sport Science) program here at Western, as well as the college in general because lord knows, not many high schoolers know what they want to pursue in college. I will be tagging along with my friend Ben Johnson from Admissions as he attends different college fairs all next week. It will be a nice outing from the lab for me. I am getting funding for food from my department and luckily I can stay on Ben's admission tab for lodging and transportation. Yay.
I'm really fairly excited about this trip. I think it will provide some valuable experience and definitely I always enjoy mixing it up with newbs (new people).
If you haven't seen my photos from God's Crag yet, do yourself a favor and give them a checking out! (http://picasaweb.google.com/aldsmith3)
Hope ya'll are well as always. More to come after the trip. Tune back in a week or 2. Peace!
Al
I'm really fairly excited about this trip. I think it will provide some valuable experience and definitely I always enjoy mixing it up with newbs (new people).
If you haven't seen my photos from God's Crag yet, do yourself a favor and give them a checking out! (http://picasaweb.google.com/aldsmith3)
Hope ya'll are well as always. More to come after the trip. Tune back in a week or 2. Peace!
Al
Friday, October 9, 2009
A Lovely Fall Friday
Hey guys. Just a quickie about the week about done. Had a day of surprise and fun yesterday (Thursday). Found out that I was runner-up for Best Waiter in Gunnis0n. It's called the Gunnison County People's Choice Award. I was completely surprised! I had no clue that was going to happen. Also yesterday had my very first mountain bike race at Hartman's Rocks. In the spring and fall the local Gunnison Trails Association does races at Hartman's to raise funds and to get people outside. This race last evening is the last for the season. Anyways, being it was my first race I entered in the short course with 2 other people. I probably should have entered in the long course under the Sport category (other category was Expert), but I wanted to smash it the first time I raced. Took 1st place by 10 minutes. No big deal though because everyone is just out to have a good time, free beer, and half-off pizza afterwards in town at Pie-Zans Pizza...yumm.
So that's my big day of news. Lastly, if you thought that I had myself straight...you were wrong! I am most likely not going to apply to the online Master's program. Reason being I feel I can save having to repay school loans by being a graduate assistant and thus going for virtually free. So look for updates as to where I will decide to continue schooling. Whew. I just can't make up my mind can I?! haha.
Catch ya'll around.
4. Best Waiter/Waitress
CHRISTIAN INGRAM, GARLIC MIKE’S Al Smith/Garlic Mike’s
So that's my big day of news. Lastly, if you thought that I had myself straight...you were wrong! I am most likely not going to apply to the online Master's program. Reason being I feel I can save having to repay school loans by being a graduate assistant and thus going for virtually free. So look for updates as to where I will decide to continue schooling. Whew. I just can't make up my mind can I?! haha.
Catch ya'll around.
4. Best Waiter/Waitress
CHRISTIAN INGRAM, GARLIC MIKE’S Al Smith/Garlic Mike’s
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Happy Roktober
Hey ya'll. Fall is here as is October...aka Roktober. So good to feel that brisk fall air and semi-warm sunshine. The nights are chilly (low 30's) but the days are gorgeous and ideal for being outside mildly clothed. Still into that wonderful mountain biking! Going again tomorrow in CB and then racing in a local race at Hartman's Rocks next Thursday! Woo!
Tuesday evening (this week) marked my last night of work at Garlic Mike's for the winter. We do the bulk of our business in the summer tourism months and being that I still work at Hertz rent-a-car, I've decided to give more time to that job. One justification for such is that I'd need to work 2 weekdays and 1 weekend at gmikes and that was difficult if I was going to work at Hertz as well. So, I decided if I couldn't do 1 day a week at gmikes to just let myself be unscheduled until busy season next summer.
In other news, there is of course the HAPLab video up. It is gaining popularity and probably at it's peak thanks to many of you. I have a new thing to share this time...an article written by my friend Luke who is a freelance writer as well as the Assistant Director of Public Relations at Western. The link to the article on Western's site is as follows: http://www.western.edu/news/training-smarter-not-harder-with-the-wsc-high-altitude-performance-lab Please check it out! Neat to read what someone else writes about the lab I work and try to flourish in.
As always, if you are on facebook (aka the book of faces, fbook, or just the book) be sure to add the HAPLab to your fan pages. More picture are being added slowly. I have new ones up from 2 weeks ago showcasing our equipment. Lastly, I am slowly preparing to apply to an online master's program at Cal-U of PA for a MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Slated start date would be January 2010. The entirely online program lasts 12 consecutive months. I'll need to take out loans to pay for this, so if you have any advice with the federal loan process please let me know! I'd love any insight. Hope ya'll are doing groovy. Gotta go get the chicken out of the oven and and then go play some ultimate frisbee with students. Peace ya'll.
Tuesday evening (this week) marked my last night of work at Garlic Mike's for the winter. We do the bulk of our business in the summer tourism months and being that I still work at Hertz rent-a-car, I've decided to give more time to that job. One justification for such is that I'd need to work 2 weekdays and 1 weekend at gmikes and that was difficult if I was going to work at Hertz as well. So, I decided if I couldn't do 1 day a week at gmikes to just let myself be unscheduled until busy season next summer.
In other news, there is of course the HAPLab video up. It is gaining popularity and probably at it's peak thanks to many of you. I have a new thing to share this time...an article written by my friend Luke who is a freelance writer as well as the Assistant Director of Public Relations at Western. The link to the article on Western's site is as follows: http://www.western.edu/news/training-smarter-not-harder-with-the-wsc-high-altitude-performance-lab Please check it out! Neat to read what someone else writes about the lab I work and try to flourish in.
As always, if you are on facebook (aka the book of faces, fbook, or just the book) be sure to add the HAPLab to your fan pages. More picture are being added slowly. I have new ones up from 2 weeks ago showcasing our equipment. Lastly, I am slowly preparing to apply to an online master's program at Cal-U of PA for a MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. Slated start date would be January 2010. The entirely online program lasts 12 consecutive months. I'll need to take out loans to pay for this, so if you have any advice with the federal loan process please let me know! I'd love any insight. Hope ya'll are doing groovy. Gotta go get the chicken out of the oven and and then go play some ultimate frisbee with students. Peace ya'll.
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