Stupid programming decision

So, on Saturday afternoon I was supposed to be watching Snowboarder X on ABC...guess what, they decide to show the KU-Nebraska basketball game (can you really call that a game?) instead. Meanwhile, they've been showing every single heat of snowmobile racing, but they can't cover any of the Snowboarder X except the finals, then they don't end up airing it in Iowa. I can see why they'd make that decision, though. After all, college basketball is only on nearly every day for several months, whereas the Winter X games are on for four whole days each year!
So, I watched some choppy coverage of snowboard slopestyle, which turned out to be pretty incredible, with Shaun White riding a broken board and Heikki Sorsa unfastening one binding right before flying through the air and still sticking the landing.
Then, the evening coverage was pretty awesome also, a big night of snowboarding. But a ton of guys fell on the superpipe, way more than usual it seemed. Then snowboard big air was crazy as usual. Those guys are so insane. If my kids ever do any of these events I would need to be medicated every time they went out there.
Well what am I doing? X games are on, gotta go!

the x-games are only four days away

I can't wait to watch the Winter X Games. It starts Thursday and goes through Sunday. I printed out the schedule so I'll know when to watch. I just realized it will work to my advantage that I live in Iowa, because with the different time zone the coverage shouldn't interfere with the kids' bedtime. When we were in Colorado I missed a lot of good stuff. I am always looking for anything in the category of "advantages of living in Iowa."

why I love snowboarding so darn much

I'm not even sure what exactly it is about snowboarding that makes me enjoy it so much. Is it the numbness of my fingers and toes? Is it the feeling of my head slamming into the hard, frozen ground? Or could it be the thrill of a close encounter with a tree?
I may never fully understand what motivates me to strap both feet to a slippery board and attempt to maneuver down a snowy mountain. All I know for sure is, when I hit the slopes, I find myself having an unreasonable amount of fun. I walk around the resort with a big goofy grin. I chat with people on the lift. If I'm going up the lift alone, I swing my legs, whistle (weather permitting), and take in the scenery.
When I'm on my board, all I'm thinking about is riding. I'm in the moment. If my mind starts to wander, I'm liable to wipe out, so in fact I have to be in the moment. In general I am not very good at being in the moment, so I welcome the opportunity.
Most of the time, I am out there alone. For most people, skiing and snowboarding are social activities, but at this stage of life my husband and I have to take turns watching the kids. I don't mind. The thing is, I am so rarely alone that it is a real treat for me to have the time to myself. Time to think, to relax, to focus on something that has nothing to do with my day-to-day life.
The other aspect is, learning something new is hard. Accomplishing something hard is satisfying.