Woohoo: YouTube works on my new computer

Every three years or so, I get a new laptop from work.

My current laptop couldn't have come soon enough. There were severe memory problems. When I had too much stuff running on it, programs would just abnormally terminate on memory. Now this is probably mostly my fault because I am lazy and leave stuff open instead of closing it. But still.

Also some stuff just did not work on my old computer. Amongst them was the ability to play videos on YouTube.

You see I am cheap. I just don't see whereas I should pay good money to buy classical music when I can find it for free. One secret that I have found is that I can find good classical music on YouTube.

One thing that I have found was videos from last years Van Cliburn amateur competition (I competed in it on 2004). They can be found here. Check out the entries by the winner Drew Mays. They are wonderful.

Also check out the videos from the Boston Amateur piano competetion here (where I competed last year). The ones by Christopher Sith (the winner) and Rupert Egerton-Smith (the runner up) are excellent.

I would like to put videos of my playing on YouTube some time. Maybe use the piano at the Methodist church or the St. Albans school.

Cheap Skiing

Stupidity is travelling to Vermont and spending $79 per day per person for a lift ticket at Stowe Resort.

The absolute most that one should spend for skiing is $40 for a Vermont Resident pass at Jay peak.

Now I am ch.. er. frugal and over the years have studied how to ski cheaply in Vermont. These are some of the bargains I have taken advantage of.

When I was younger and skied every Saturday I would buy the family bash badges at Smuggs and then we would ski for half price which was between $25-$30 a pop. But even after this, I was always on the lookout for "really good deals". These are some of the good deals I have taken advantages of.

* At Smuggs my buddy Steve Dempsey used to arrange group passes for $15 a pop.
* Killington used to have Vermont ski free days for $20 a pop
* There used to be Refuse to Abuse days at the school where we got in for $15 at Killington and Sugarbush
* Bolton Valley has $10 lift tickets the week before Christmas
* At Sugarbush you can ski for $14 on February 14 and for $17 on March 17.
* Sugarbush had Warren Miller days where you could ski for $5.50 or something like that.

This year we are living off the 2 for one passes that you get for filling your tank at Mobil. Actually you only need three $16.00 fill-ups and you get a two for one pass. We have picked up a two for one pass at a rate of one per week, which is more than I ever will use.

Of course Stowe doesn't honor the two for one passes. They are too busy soaking the flatlanders for $79 per ticket. That is why I don't ski Stowe.

Anyway, yesterday I paid a little more than I like ($102 plus a couple bucks) and got three tickets at Jay Peak for myself, my son at Northeastern, and his girlfriend. We purchased 2 under the 2 for one for $62 and one more expensive Vermonters pass for $40.

I would grade the ski day a B+ for me personally. The weather was a little colder than what I prefer, but it was still not freeze your glutumus maximus off type of cold. There was a fresh 6" or so of powder on the slopes from overnight which made the skiing great for Stephen but unfortunately for me made skiing "The Jet" a little more difficult than I prefer.

Still there were no lift lines to speak of, and this old man skied 13 runs before tiring at about 2:00 in the afternoon. This was my third ski trip of the season..the first two being the $10 ski tickets at Bolton and a two-for-one deal at Sugarbush. My next ski trip (unless I go earlier with Stephen) I hope will be the $14 day at Sugarbush. However if the weather is really great I might go to Smuggs on a Friday and ski for 1/2 price.

Do not pay $79 for a lift ticket at Stowe.