far...far...from my home

(an old photo of the Fornero ladies, and little Reese posing with their fresh purogies as part of an old tradition in my family)


Last night I spent the night with my family at my cousin Allissa's highschool graduation party. My cousin Shawny insisted that I be his beer pong partner and the problem was that we kept winning and that meant that I had to keep drinking, and drinking, and drinking. Needless to say it got to the point that I hit the fill line and had to turn on the blowers to purge the engine. I have always been a light weight, but coming back to Wisco and real beer emphasized the trend. I have 16 year old cousins that can drink more than me. Oh well, it doesn't bother me cause it is cheaper that way. My cousin's boyfriend Keith and his buddy brought out the homemade regulation beer pong table. I have to say that I was pretty impressed. Back when I was in highgschool we used to just drink beer. This thing was set up and had some real time invested in it. Maybe that is why these kids could shoot a ping pong ball like Kobe shoots a fade away. I have to say though that I had a great time and it really is a mind blow to see all of these kids growing up so fast. It is such a cliche' but it is the truth for me even more so because I am not around as much as I should be to participate in my families lives. I get to see them maybe twice a year and usually for just a weekend each time. However, even those short trips serve to keep me grounded and I wish I could come home more often. My everyday can really beat me down and turn me into a grumpy asshole, but just a simple trip home and some quality time with real midwestern folks is all I need to bring me back down to earth and reality. I have traveled all over this world and the folks from the midwest are still the most down to earth and hardworking people on the planet. Of course my objective opinion is probably somewhat biased but I don't care I still think that it is the truth. So in closing this post I want to say that everyone should take some time out and go home, whether it is a country away or right down the street, and also I would like to extend my congratulations to my cousin Allissa again. I am so very proud of the well rounded young person she has become and I do not worry much about her next year in college because she has a good head on her shoulders and our family work ethic in her backbone. I wish I could make it home for my cousin Kyle and Aubrey's graduation party next weekend, but such is life and I know that they realize that I wish I could be there. As well as everyone else in my family realizes that I wish that I could be around for the birthdays, graduations, and all of the things that I miss living so far... far... from my home.

blinking...


I think that since I have a tendency to blog when I have been drinking that I will now call the action, "blinking".  That is right.  Tonight some friends and myself and Christine went out on the town in SLC and had some good times at the "Keys on Main".  I have been drinking blue moons all night and now I am feeling like telling it like it is.  Zach and I were brainstorming on the VI concept tonight during our after party affairs and it is so fresh to hear the enthusiasm and readiness to take on a revolutionary and new idea.  The industry is ready for it and we are poised to blow this shit up this fall.  Our culmination project is coming up fast and we are all getting super stoked to launch the VI concept and organization this fall.  It is all so exciting to see the efforts of everyone's hearts and souls come together to make up this revolutionary concept.  I am so proud of our efforts and I am ready to take the idea to the next level.  We have all worked so hard the last two seasons and to see it all come together, and it is very gratifying and nerve racking at the same time.  We are ready to blow it up and we are getting ourselves set to do just that.  This winter's OR Tradeshow will prove to be the stage that we make our moves on.  I will not go into to much detail because we want to let our skiing speak for itself first.  You see, we learned something this season from our friends with the Levitation Project.  Promotion can only be backed up by delivery.  If you can not deliver, then you should not promote so much.  So the VI crew has kept it's mouth shut, relatively.  We would like to let the skiing speak for itself, and then promote to a level that is fitting to the product.  We believe that our freeheel skiing rivals that of anything that has been seen in the last two years and this fall you will be able to judge for yourself.  After that we will then begin our promotion to capitalize on our efforts accordingly.  Vertical Integration is all about making the products you are already seeing that much better.  We want to enhance the current TGP, PW, and Ydream movies that you are already watching and this is what we have been doing for the last two years.  We are making large waves behind the scenes.  So as I write away my buzz, I guess what I am trying to say is that VI is poised to blow up and we are simply waiting for the right opportunity to do so.  Our efforts over the last two seasons will start to air this fall and I will let you be the judge as to how we did.  We are all believers in the concept and everyone involved has embraced the idea.  We believe in collectively coming together and pooling resources and intelligence to achieve common goals.  And this is the beauty of the concept, it can be what ever you want it to be.  We are here to assist people in vertically integrating their talents in the snowsports industry.  If you are an aspiring skier and you wish to learn more about what it takes to be a pro then why not learn from those that are currently doing it.  If you are a skier and wish to get involved in photography or writing, then why not get in touch with VI and learn from writers and photographers in the industry that are already doing it.  We are a behind the scenes entity making front page moves that everyone should know about.  So be on the look out this fall for the concept that is revolutionizing the industry without having to say a word.  

Vertical Integration... get organized.          

Whoooo... I feel better now...

Back to the grind after that lengthy drunken rant on the stresses of modern life and death.  Gotta love the reflections, and if you don't... then you should try.  It's good for you.  I had to go back to work though on Monday still.  Felt good to tie one on and shake a little rust off though.  It had been a long time since I had taken the opportunity to do so.  The walls still need to be covered with rocks and the bags still gotta make it to their destinations on time.  Lord knows none would happen without me.  I've got responsibilities to take care you know (sarcasm coming through?).  Anyway, the new TGP projects are starting to  come around now and I have been informed that the HarmLess Season 1 television show is up and running on RSN or will be soon or something of that nature.  The HarmLess DVD will be out this fall and will be a compilation of HarmLess Season 1 and Season 2 television shows that will be on RSN.  Season 2 show will begin airing in January of this winter.  The Vertical Integration crew will be involved in a couple of segments including Utah segments in all three projects and a segment on the Austria trip in the Season 2 show and the DVD release.  I will also be in the Alaska segments we shot for last year and this winter.  It is exciting to start seeing everything coming together.  Two seasons of hard work are coming together and I can't really wait to see the final products.  Should be good for the crew too.  It has been two seasons for them too without a ton of exposure to help with selling cause most of them had little showing in Open Windows which has run for two seasons now.  This release should help them out though with getting their exposure numbers up.  The VI project has only really been steaming ahead the last two winters and this will be the culmination of the organizations efforts to this point.  It is kind of nerve racking.  With fingers crossed we move forward.