Extra Layers Are Your Friends

Hey whales, I geddit! I understand the whole concept of this blubber business you hold so dear. Fat is an excellent thermal insulator and as such, I have cultivated myself a tidy little layer to keep me going through this winter, as your good mammal selves tend to do. It has served me well so far, and I have even been enjoying my morning walks to work in -35 degress. So cheers for the inspiration good friends. That said, I don't quite want to become one of you, so I have been attempting some forms of activity here in Ulaanbaatar.

I learned to ski for the first time last week, and I also intend to spend much time at this wonderful place in the near future:



It is a warehouse skate rink right in the city. They only have inline skates, but I have great intentions to order roller skates from Texas so roller derby training can kick off in UB. Some people are good at inline skating. I'm not one of them. Plus the skates are kinda ugly.



I'm expecting more than a few collisions with the concrete and the snow in the coming weeks, but I don't think any of them will result in injuries as spectacular as those I sustained last night when some dude tried to steal my bag. Although I really don't like digital cameras, I have come around to my little Canon friend, so I decided I wanted to retain my bag, and the camera residing in it. Therefore he grabbed, I held on... and went for a derby-style knee slide sans knee pads.

Now that you've seen my spew, I feel it's only fair to share my bruises:



Who needs roller derby when you've got bag thieves?