A long awaited day

YES! ..... after the big storm we had this weekend, Snowbird finally opened the Tram on Sunday for the first time in 2007!

This was a long-awaited day, and I'll let the pictures do the talking this time:

GREAT TIMES!!

Thanks for checking out the pics. Give me a call if you wanna come hit the slopes!

Ryan

A soundtrack to a better place

What's up friends.... This blog is to share 10 songs off Angels & Airwaves new album, and just to mentally prepare you, this music is all about setting yourself free. Seriously! ....... I dare you to listen to "Secret Crowds" and not take flight! :)

(a little preface here)

It's interesting to see how humans struggle against one another in an effort to gain energy. We'll manipulate, control, and undermine each other in attempts to gain power—and then again in efforts to keep it. The rub there is that the power we're seeking isn't really what will make us happy or keep us feeling fulfilled. I feel that part of our journey here is to evolve into a higher awareness of ourselves, and an awareness of the truth that we're all here together, all cut from the same cloth, and all fed by a constant source of that power we're searching for; and that source is always flowing and always available if we'll choose to let it in and let it fill us with life's better emotions. Because when we're feeling that love, our dreams are open to achieve, and acts of service to others come as naturally as the air we're breathing.

So if you're in the mood to ditch any mediocre events of your day and shift to a better place, these songs are a soundtrack to some of those better emotions.

ANGELS & AIRWAVES: I-EMPIRE

Call To Arms:

Everything’s Magic:

Love Like Rockets:

Sirens:

Secret Crowds:

True Love:

Lifeline:

Jumping Rooftops:

Rite of Spring:

Heaven:

Thanks to Angels & Airwaves for pushing an higher level of thought to America’s youth. And thanks to those who posted these audio clips and videos on YouTube.

Hope you felt what I was talking about!

Ryan

www.angelsandairwaves.com

the power of camaraderie

Anyone here felt how incredible the Power of Camraderie is? I had a real cool time last week at the National Sales Meeting for my company Braintree Labs (BLI), and thought I'd throw down some thoughts about it since tonight is one week since it all wrapped up.

The song in this video is "Umbrella" by Rihanna, sung by Alejandro Manzano of Boyce Avenue…. I love how this kid's accoustic version sounds, and the song is about dedication to friends and loved ones and has a good Camaraderie theme for today… so push play and keep reading!

About this time of year I get asked what I miss the most from the time I spent in the NFL, and my answer is that I miss the camaraderie. I miss competing at the highest level of my profession with a group of dedicated people who were passionate about what we were working to accomplish. Hands down the incredible camaraderie beats out all the other good things about playing pro ball. I'm sure most of you have been on a team at some point and felt what I'm talking about. I MISS being an important part of a team. I won't lie, I miss the huge paychecks and being on the field on game-day and all that too; but money comes and goes, and money can't buy that utterly magical camaraderie that comes from being a member of a team that you really care about.

So on to the sales meeting…. First off, BLI has a unique culture to it that is much more comfortable and personable that any other corporation I've ever worked for, and it's way more conducive to building camaraderie in the first place. I've been with BLI for almost three years, and worked hard to be productive and contribute. It's paid off with a good career path and great friendships built, and our sales meeting is the time to see everyone and get our party on for a few days! So now picture five straight days of hanging out at DisneyWorld and partying with some of your favorite people that you rarely get to see..... there were so many smiles…... so many great jokes….. so many funny looks, funny texts, so many times people bought drinks for each other..….. everyone being unselfish……… so many genuine smiles…….. so many times people shared great stories……. so many people living for a few days fully accepted and loved by their peers…... It's a funny little alternate-universe we create for a week, getting so little sleep but having so much fun…. I loved it and its something that I look forward to all year!!

On the last night of the event we have an awards banquet, and before it started I spent some time on the fringe of the cocktail party just looking over our crowd. It was a serene minute for me, looking at all the people I've grown to know and love; seeing the faces of BLI interacting and enjoying one more night of good times before we all head back to our individual states and territories to work alone again. This is about as cheesy as I can get, but it's sincere and it ended up being pretty poignant for me, so hang in here…. Or maybe just picture a group of people you really care about, put yourself in a space of real gratitude and love for them and the role they play in your life, and see if you can relate it…….. We were at the end of five days of fun and laughs, long nights, longer meetings, mediocre food, scorching hot volleyball and pool time, lots of drinks, and some funny skits mixed in. Basically we'd spent the week bonding as a group, and as I looked at each person in that banquet hall I thought of a fun time we'd shared or something they'd accomplished or a way they'd shown up in a caring way for me or for the other people in our company. It was a really big gratitude moment for me because once again I truly felt like an important member of a team that I really cared about. And I know I wouldn't have felt it if I never would've put myself out there and made sure this group knows I care about them too. But I have, and this moment was a part of the payoff. I started tearing up a little bit. It was kind of selfish of me in a way, in that I am a huge sucker for positive group interaction and I wanted to wring out every ounce of happiness from this time that I had with my friends. I talk to or text these folks all year without putting a face on the voice, and this week I'd blown that limited interaction away and just spent these days in the middle of the coolest social hurricane I've ever experienced! So there I was on day five, at the end of our yearly time together, wearing a suit and tie, standing alone, choking up with gratitude and appreciation for these people I love and how appreciated I've felt by them. So wanna know what can make a supposedly big tough guy cry silently to himself at a banquet? The Power of Camaraderie can. And did.

So take the next step...... load up a slideshow of pictures of your friends or loved ones and play this song while you go through those pics a few times. See if you get yourself to that space of love and gratitude. It might be nothing, but it also might be the best thing you do all day. Because it doesn't take a big outside group or team to feel the power of camaraderie in our lives. We're all already part of a team, part of a family, part of different families. We all have access to that power.....just have to plug into it. Lemme know how it goes!

Big thanks to all my friends at BLI and everywhere else! I love you guys!!

Ryan

ps. If you liked Boyce Avenue, check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/boyceavenue

Music lessons

This video is "The Heinrich Maneuver" by Interpol - one of my favorite bands.
I like how this video unfolds in reverse time, a la the 2000 film "Memento." Makes for a revealing ending that puts all the pieces together, and its great to watch the second time around. Enjoy

This is true, and it may save you someday

(POST CAVEAT for new readers: This post is 100% more sarcastic than the last one, but I consider it almost as a public service announcement)

There are a lot of ways to pump nutrition into ourselves during our athletic endeavors, and this "Orange Cream" flavored Clif Shot is one of them:


Some of you may have seen these type of energy shots before. Some of you may have tried a few, and know what they are like. This Orange Cream Clif Shot is a unique variety though, as I found out this week after buying a 24 pack of them.

And I'm certain that pretty much ALL of you know what THIS is, and what it is like:



THAT is a dirty cow-pie. If you are within several feet of that thing, you may have difficulty breathing. You may actually dry heave if you get too close. Under no circumstance do you ever want to put any of that cow-pie in your mouth.

SO, now for the record, I'm going to go ahead and correlate the those two pictures. (this is the part that may save you someday, when you're out on a long ride or run, or hiking somewhere, or just having a decent day that you don't want to ruin)



Any Questions?

with pictures and video... my cycling story

Today, July 7^th 2007, marks the start of the 2007 Tour de France, and prompted a new blog to give everyone a background on how and why I got so hooked on cycling!

To start off, if you hear "Tour de France" or "cycling" and immediately think of thin, maniacal masochists in Lycra jabbing needles full of EPO in their veins for a shot at a glory only Europeans really give a crap about, then this blog is going to be good for you! You may just start your enlightenment to what cycling is really about! On the other hand, if "Le Tour" and thoughts of cycling have you remembering Lance's achievements and how he overcame insurmountable odds to achieve tremendous success and inspire a nation, you're gonna love this blog and these videos! Because love him or hate him, Lance Armstrong took control of his life and lived with focus and confidence while working like a dog to wring out every last ounce of his ability. I don't mean for this post to be a big Lance love-fest, but he is a terrific example of someone who succeeded under the most intense scrutiny possible while performing on the biggest stage at the highest level of his profession. To the athlete in me, that is absolutely inspiring. To the human being and humanitarian in me, that is absolutely inspiring as well.

So backing up now, I remember being 5 or 6 years old and having a recurring dream where I would be walking down a sidewalk in my neighborhood, and when I would concentrate really hard, I would slowly levitate and start floating along the way, building up speed until I was cruising pretty quick 3 feet above the concrete, with a huge grin on my face, having the time of my life! That was a thrilling dream for my little kindergartener self! Here I am around that age, with my little sister Jamie--who was the one who pushed me to buy a road bike in the first place! (and don't ask why I'm wearing my shorts on the outside of my pants. I was young.)

And here's me again around that time, showing my early need-for-speed by absolutely BOMBING a green run at Brighton! Check out that snow-plow!

So it started way back then. I loved when I would fly, and if you ask anyone today who rides bikes with me, or goes skiing with me in the winter, or even anyone who's been in the car when I'm driving, I still love flying! GOING FAST in general, in every sense, is something I think we're all in love with on some level. Think about it. Who here doesn't like to feel the wind in their hair as you cruise across a lake in the open bow of a boat? How great does it feel to cruise down an open freeway? How nice is it to FINALLY see that opening in traffic and just blast right through it and blow by everyone while you're listening to your favorite song? For the skiers and snowboarders out there, how perfect is your life when you're floating down a fresh powder bowl, bombing out big wide turns?

WE ARE ALL GET WIRED WHEN WE FEEL THAT FREEDOM! It's what America was founded on, baby! Freedom is a live wire emotional connection with your spirit, and when it zings you it can't help but feel incredible!

So remember at age 16 when you took the car out with your friends for the first time? Remember the last day of school? Remember riding your bike out of the neighborhood for the first time? That was FREEDOM RINGING!! And I'm laughing as I'm typing this, because no matter how cliché that sounds, you and I both know that we loved it!

Thinking back on that dream I had….. The joy in that dream came from a combination of knowing that my own will and intention was what made me fly, that the better I focused the faster I flew, and that tremendously cool feeling of flying along the ground. I'm brought that up because in 2005 I'd already been following cycling for a while, and once Jamie convinced me that buying a road bike was the answer to many of my fitness and recreational ambitions, I've flying three feet above the ground ever since!

In this Nike commercial no words are spoken, but it captures the spirit of cycling better than anyone could ever explain it:

I swear, watching that video takes me to a better place spiritually. I love it. The feelings associated with that video take some of my stress and removes it, opening some channels for a free flow of creativity where its just easier to take action.

So, changing gears now......

Part of the cool about cycling is the freedom, the sense of accomplishment, and the fun at high speeds.

The other part of the cool is how cycling feeds the human instinct to pursue perfection and constantly improve and evolve.

In late July of 2001, Lance Armstrong had just won his 3^rd straight Tour de France in a dominating manner, and I was an NFL rookie headed into my first training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lance-mania was starting to spread across America. His comeback from cancer was a big-time inspirational story, and in one of our team meetings our coach Tom Coughlin used Lance's story as a motivational tool for our team. He had compiled a bunch of videos showing clips of Lance with cancer, Lance behind the scenes while recovering, then Lance in training busting his ass to get back to professional form. Then there were some clips from the Tour de France of Lance putting it all together to become a (then) three-time Tour de France winner. EVERYONE on our team LOVED IT! For an athlete, for any athlete, and for any human who pushes themselves to their limit over and over again to see what they are made of, this video session was like mainlining inspirational crack!

Here's another Nike commercial that was running on ESPN a lot at the time. I LOVED and STILL LOVE THIS CLIP!

What am I on?? I'M ON MY BIKE, BUSTING MY ASS SIX HOURS A DAY!! What are YOU on? That line speaks volumes.

So how did you get good at what you do best? YOU PUT IN THE WORK!! While regular people are working at their jobs all day then get home and put in their couch time, athletes of every kind are working the same hours, then spending their free time busting their ass to compete at the highest level they can. And even to a room of NFL meatheads who weigh twice as much as an elite cyclist, there is the common bond between athletes. There is a RESPECT that binds them. We all recognized the effort Lance had put in to be where he was. And all of us on that team KNEW the effort and long hours of training that we had all put in to have EARNED the right to be sitting in that room together. The surface differences between the sports were eclipsed by the underlying common bond of human people working their tail off in pursuit of their dreams. THAT is the connection I made that day. And THAT is when my 260 lb. football-playing self started following cycling. And thanks to cycling, I'm now 240, on my way back to 235!

Here's a similar clip to what I saw that day: LANCE IN TRAINING, REFUSING TO STOP.

And here's another clip like I saw that day, of ALL the pieces coming together at the time when it matters most. This is what all the blood, sweat, and tears are about! This clip is Lance Armstrong putting the hammer down on the competition in the late stages of the 2001 Tour de France. This stage ends with an epic climb up the infamous Alpe d'Huez, where Lance does his famous "look" back at main rival Jan Ullrich prior to leaving him in the dust. This shows what is possible when you never compromise your focus and train like a champion. (IF THIS DON'T MAKE YOUR BOOTY MOVE!!)

SWEET, HUH?? I wish you could see the grin on my face right now! So is cycling starting to make sense? Hopefully you've feeling the same thing!

So what do you think? Anyone up for a ride out to the canyon and back? I'll have the latest Tour stage on Tivo and we can check it out when we get home……

-Ryan

PS. Thanks Havi for supporting me and being the best wife ever

Thanks again, Jamie, for getting me started and always being a light in my life

Thanks Brad for being the man and always being up for a ride

Thanks Mom for finding and sending the pics of me when I was little,

and thank YOU for making it to end of this post! PEACE!