A whole new kind of ski lift

The snow has only just begun to dust the Sierra Nevada, but my new 2005-06 ski lease gang has already been confirmed and we're all getting ski fever. Today we held our second meeting at the Marina Sports Bar & Grill on Lombard Street, and it looks like our group is all just about locked-in.

I was running a bit late, so I when I got there it wasn't hard to find the group. There was Tracey, the organizer, parked at a table with a stack of papers and a pen. Aaron and Sarah, our resident Brits, were to her right. And going around the table were Christine, John, Mike, Jennifer, Nunzio, Ward and Ana. Apparently East Bay Mike and Mary Ann couldn't make it. I found a chair between Ward and Ana and plopped down. After signing the lease, settling a few housekeeping issues and submitting our checks, we ordered some more beer and got into some serious conversation.

"You know those Pony tows they have sometimes instead of chair lifts?," said Nunzio, as he began a story about skiing in Europe. "Here they have them on beginner slopes, but in Europe they can be on really steep runs."

"What?" asked Aaron. "A Pony what?"

"A Pony tow," said Nunzio.

"I've never heard of a Pony tow," said Aaron. "But I've heard of a Camel toe."

Tracey hid her head in her hands.

Nice start. I can already tell this is going to be a fine year.