life thus far...please read

Lately I've began to realize how much of a fulfilled and priviliged life I have already led at the age of 23. I have the greatest family that a person could ask for, loving parents, and fantastic and successful siblings whom are all unique and awesome in their own ways. I'm both proud and grateful for having them as a base for my endeavors and adventures in life.

As a young man at 23 years old, I am able to say that I have accomplished, experienced, and endured many scenarios in my life. I have traveled to different places in the world; I've stepped out onto the colossal Cliffs of Moher in Ireland and drank in the small towns and big cities of that country. I have traveled across the countryside of Ireland with my father and indulged in the roots of my family's historical trees. I have experienced death at a young age and learned from the grief and despair that no young man should have to experience at the ripe age of 16. I watched our nation crumble at the hands of terrorism from my classroom windows on my third day as a high school student. I walked to the crime-ridden train station in the freezing night every night after 4 hours of grueling wrestling practice finished. I have starved myself and pushed my physical and mental boundaries in the name of sport. I have went into combat against another man in front of a gymnasium full of people and come out victorious on more than one occasion. I have encountered the overwhelmingly deteriorating feeling of being beaten in aspects of strength and determination by another man in front of a large crowd of people. I have swallowed the harsh reality of being cut from a team solely based on the fact that I was not good enough. I have comprehended the ideals of hard work, determination, commitment, and victory through high school athletics. I have canoed 60 miles down a Central American river which was infested with crocodiles and other types of hazardous factors. I have camped on the shoreline of the Carribean, snorkeled one of the most spectacular coral reefs in the world, and explored Mayan ruins in Guatemala. I have looked back upon my younger adolescent years and realized my stupidity and immaturity. I have realized the importance of maturity. I have made mistakes, been arrested by the law on multiple occasions, and disappointed my parents and family on numerous occasions and on various levels of disappointment. I have worked in a corporate office, washed dishes in the back of a restaurant, and worked in construction warehouses. I understand the concept of hard work, which I am currently applying to my potential career. I have an ambition for life that many people envy. I have spent nights in New York City that were based upon no sleep, explored the city of Boston on many occasions, and partied in San Francisco the night of the 2010 World Series when the SF Giants won the world title. I was there for the 1999 World Series when the Yankees beat the Braves to win the title during the last game of the century. I have a mother who would trade the world for her children and who I often under-appreciate. I have a father who is the most successful and loving man who I have ever known or even heard of in my entire life. I have friends in any major city across the country, great friends in New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. I have watched sunsets that would stun most humans. I have hiked many of the New Hampshire mountains within the presidential range. I have met Ronald Reagan and John McCain. I have explored incredibly deep caves in the jungles of Central America. I have done insanely idiotic things during my college career which labeled me with a reputation for being crazy and fun to party with. I am not proud of said things. I have been first in line at Disney World after a night of staying up all night and partying in Orlando. I have experienced and party’d in Vegas in the most proper way imaginable with 8 of my New Zealand friends. I have resided in more than one place that is considered to be a highly regarded tourist destination. I have thrown legendary house parties. I have spent a New Years Eve in NYC drinking alcohol out of a paper bag on a door step in the suburbs of the city. I have observed a night sky that most people will never be able to see in their life. I have jumped off of buildings into trees. I have almost died on numerous occasions. I have Dj’d at a bar party and have had people partying uncontrollably to the sound I was producing. I have ski’d on mountain slopes that presented deathly obstacles and looked to be suicidal, I’ve ski’d off of 100 ft jumps, and pushed myself to levels in skiing that I never thought I would have been able to in my life. I have lived at 10,000 ft above sea level, resided in the Rockies, ski’d snow that was chest deep, and lived in Lake Tahoe California. I have driven across the country, twice. I have road tripped up and down the northern part of the east coast on many many occasions. I have ice skated in Rockefeller Center NYC and have attended Christmas Eve mass in Saint Patricks Cathedral. I was the problem child in both middle school, high school, and part of college. I have done backflips off of bridges and rope swings, backflipped into the Hudson River off a pier in downtown Manhattan in the early hrs of the morning, canoed rivers in Maine, pledged a fraternity, and met everlasting friends throughout my life who would do anything for me on the drop of a dime. I have produced skiing edits that have captured the attention of my friends and peers. My path in life is not only supported by my family and friends, but also by my college professors and high school teachers. I have a self-motivated view towards life that enables me to achieve whatever I want. I have loved a girl with all of my heart. I have been heartbroken and moved on from the experience properly. I am unbelievably and exponentially thankful for everything that I have been provided with in my life, and everything that I am absorbing from this life I live. I will continue to spend my time on earth in the most seemingly righteous way and keep all of the experiences, people, and ideals that I have picked up with me along the way.

Remember to always live your life the way you feel is the most appropriate, fulfilling, and passionate way you possibly can. We only go around this thing once, we should not waste a minute of it. Live the life you love, love the life you live. Finish off your days on earth with no regrets and a smile on your face.

Gerard

This entry is especially for Gavin B…Welcome to Tahoe and living the dream buddy! Seems like yesterday you were dropping me a msg about dropping the b.s. and living the life you truly want to live. Heres to some awesome times ahead my friend! Glad I could be an inspiration.

a thank you and some quotes to live by

Wuuld just like to say thank you to those who have been following this blog. Got a message the other day from a buddy of mine telling me about how I've inspired him to pursue what he truly wants to do in his life. Hope it all works out for him in that way and for everybody else I know...Couldn't be more stoked for Tahoe.

In the meantime, here's some quotes to live by that I've referred to from time to time. Enjoy.

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. And you're not your fucking khakis." Tyler Durden, Fight Club

"This is your life, and it's ending one minute at a time." Tyler Durden, Fight Club

“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” – Jack Kerouac

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost

“I thought about the adventure I could embark upon, and let the thought of it dance around in my head for most of that day. Then, I looked around my room. This isn’t home anymore, this is just a place to rest my head and keep my things. It was at that point in time that I realized; it’s time to get back on the road.”

"When a dream takes hold of you, what can you do? You can run with it, let it run your life, or let it go and think for the rest of your life about what might have been."

"The ideal life is in our blood and never will be still. Sad will be the day for any man when he becomes contented with the thoughts he is thinking and the deeds he is doing--where there is not forever beating at the doors of his soul some great desire to do something larger, which he knows that he was meant and made to do."

"For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return."
--Leonard da Vinci

The dream never dies

You get to a point in your life when you either succumb to the cookie cutter mold of society and decide to allow the office, apartment, commute, and repetitive weekend routine consume your life. Most convince themselves that this is appropriate and necessary, only because of the expectations that have been placed upon them by their parents and surroundings during their young adulthood. Spending the early morning hours traveling through subway systems, navigating the overcrowded streets of a city, inhaling car fumes, and wasting away hours of precious time behind a desk; I'm sorry, but I just can't hand myself over to that lifestyle. Not without a fight at least. And my resistance toward this outrageously mundane lifestyle? The dream. My dream. My desire and passion for getting out there and experiencing life in the best way that I see fitting. My personal way of fulfilling these passions of mine is to venture out, traveling with nothing but my belongings, somewhat of a plan, enough clothes to get me through a week, and just enough money to get me to where I am going. Being home in New Jersey is great in the sense that I can reminisce about old times, visit the places that gave me some of the best experiences of my life, visit old friends, and spend time with my family. I have tried, for at least 3 months now, to convince myself that I want to stay in New Jersey and get some type of career started and perhaps move into New York City or somewhere close to it, along with many of my other friends. However, it just isn't possible. My family means a lot to me and I have some good friends back on the East coast here, but I can't deny the life that I want to live. I can't deny the dream that I mistakenly cut much too short. The dream has become my reality, and it's definitely a part of me now. Time to get back out there and fulfill the one life that I was given.

I could go on at this point and tell you about my current job, girl situation, and what I've been up to lately, but none of that really matters. All that matters is that this summer provided me with a realization that has enough power to alter the course of my life, and I cannot wait to set sail toward that horizon; the golden coast. My advice to everyone? Never drop anchor and never stop living your life the way that you personally, truly want to. Sure, it seems a little extreme to just up and go, but it's important to not be afraid to be different. It's important to not waste any time in this life, there's plenty of time for a 9 to 5 job. But let's hope that it doesn't get to that point...at least any time soon. Much love to everybody whose been following me during the last couple of years in my life. I hope this serves as an inspiration.

Never drop anchor.

Gerard Byrnes

jersey summer

Alright, so since my life isn't as exciting as it has been lately, I haven't really been keeping this thing up to date. In summary, I'm currently living at home in NJ, working two jobs, and missing the shit out of skiing and out West in general. Nobody probably reads this thing anymore anyways haha. The "dream" has been put on hold for a little while in order for me to set up a career and build up some money so that I can set out and live where I want with confidence and a life path, not just bumming it around everywhere. Time to put in some hard work and make the right connections, and I am pretty confident in myself at this point in my life.

my winter in photos

put together a montage for my season...check out fo sho!

http://www.vimeo.com/11309859

just click on the link, enjoy

Home

Yep, so the rumors are true, I am back in that famous place known as New Jersey. As the season wound down out West, I found myself with a job that was about to be non-existant and a lease that was running out. Didn't want to end up homeless and broke 2,000 miles away from the safe place that one calls "home", so I packed my shit, threw the dog in the car, and drove my soccer mom mobile of a car back to the east coast. I've been spending my time landscaping for my uncle (which is pretty good money and sort of enjoyable because I get to be outside all day) and visiting friends everywhere from Baltimore up to Boston. To be honest, I am trying to spend the least amount of time possible in Jersey. It's hard to explain, but just the idea of being back home and in such a familiar setting is driving me insane. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be back and spend time with family and friends, but this lifestyle is just too redundant and bland compared to the fun life I was living out West. Definitely trying to look for a job that would relocate me out there; preferably the state of California. I am continuously job hunting for these types of jobs, but if one doesn't seem to pop up, then I might just save up some money and drive out to Cali to go in on a place on the beach in the San Diego area with my New Zealand buddies. Sounds a little spontaneous and irrational, but I feel like it will work if I just job hunt my little buns off as soon as I get out there and spend my money cautiously. Oh well, we'll see. Just wanted to drop a line and let everyone know whats up, even though no one probably even reads this thing anyway...or they stopped reading it because of the tardiness of my updates...or they'll stop reading it now because my life is boring again. BUT, plans are definitely in the making and I will come up with something soon...I'm planning on writing another entry a little later on tonight or tomorrow in regards to a career path and what I want my life to be like from here on out, so I'll check back then. Peace!

my season edit

Rest in Peace CR Johnson

CR Johnson, probably one of the most influential skiers of all time and a a guy with the heart of a lion, died a few days ago in Squaw Valley. A few years ago, he survived a traumatic brain injury that put him in a coma and robbed him of all of his physical abilities for quite some time. He had to work so hard to get back to where he was in the skiing industry, and he did, but passed away right at the height of his comeback. Horribly tragic. Thoughts and prayers to his family and yet another reason for me to ski hard on a daily basis.

Vegas, more visits, and a new job.

I'm pretty horrible with this whole blogging thing. I even gave up my Twitter because I was doing pretty horrible with that thing too. Anyways, a whole lot has happened over the past month or so, and I'm gonna try my best to remember and recap everything in this post.
LAS VEGAS. Vegas was undoubtedly the best time of my life. Myself and 10 of my New Zealand/Australian buddies from over in Breck decided to take a road trip out to Vegas for a long weekend for some serious partying, debauchery, and rugby. We went to the Rugby Sevens Tournament, a pretty large-scale rugby tournament that happens once a year in a certain place of the world. This year it was in Vegas, so we decided to check it out. SUUPER fun. They're a good group of people and damn do they know how to party. Definitely plan on heading back to Vegas at least a few more times in my life, that place is like Disney World for grown-ups. There's fun to be had in every corner of that place. I would definitely need to head back there with more money next time though, my ski bum budget was definitely not compatible with that place. That didn't stop us from the party buses, constant partying, limos, and good times though...that's for sure.The drive through the deserts of Utah was pretty sweet too. Nothing like the open road, good friends, and exploring new places.
In the past month, Chuck Buck, Mike, and Devin have all visited. Great times were had by all. I really enjoy showing my friends from home a good time out here and letting them experience the life I love so much. Also, I got yet another new job (haha). Working at Arapahoe Basin, a ski resort right down the road from me. The perks are really awesome (free breakfast, higher pay, good people to work with, and a couple of awesome ski passes). The weather is starting to get really nice too, which makes it awesome to work in. Not to mention A-Basin is pretty much the last ski area in North America to close for the season, they stay open til June usually, which is awesome because I'll have a job for some of the summer and that place is just going to be a huge party when the nice weather hits. So pumped! That's all for now, pretty hungover from a crazy night in Boulder! I'm gonna try to start blogging more, but how many times have I promised that. Just know that I am enjoying everyday of my life and things seem to keep getting better and better as my time out West goes on. Absolutely loving it. Oh, and I'm heading to Baltimore this upcoming weekend to visit my little bro, watch his lacrosse game against Duke, and see my family. Cannot wait. Much love to all my friends and family reading this, Gerry peacing out!

time flies!

Man, can't believe it's already February. Pretty funny how I said how I was gonna blog more, but it didn't really happen. Anyways. Chuck came to visit, which was sickkk. We had a great time and I'm so stoked that I was able to show him a good time. As I am writing this, my boozehound of a dog is drinking out of my whiskey on the rocks. What a great pup. In other news, Kollar is probably going to be moving out here...which is so ridiculously sick. Both of our skiing levels go over the top whenever we're together. He's the best dude to have out here and ski with, and I'd be sooo pumped if this went through. Besides all of that, I'm currently in the job market. The job I have right now is paying minimum wage and I feel like a homeless person, so I'm looking to bail. I will let you guys know how it goes. Oh, and a trip to Loyola is in the works for early March to see my bro. Should be sick! Life is good. Hope everyone is well, keep in touch.

billy poole tribute

visitors, a new job, and life in general

I've come to the realization that I really need to start updating this thing more. I didn't realize that people actually follow it and are pretty stoked on the life I'm living, it definitely makes me a happy dude and I thank everyone who appreciates all of this. It's great to lead a life that people admire and take interest in.
Anyways...Christmas came and went. Myself, Jordan, Sean, and Joe all went out for a chinese dinner on christmas eve (Christmas Story style) and spent the holiday boozing and missing our traditional family parties back east. It undoubtedly felt pretty weird being away from home for Christmas, but it also solidifies that sense of individuality that I've been forming ever since I came out here. It wasn't such a big deal either because my family came out the day after Christmas and spent 5 days here in Summit County. A pretty nice condo right on the mountain in Breck, to be specific. It was really awesome to see them and I think I showed them a really good time.
January also marks the start to people visiting. Kollar and Tarallo are out here right now. Both are passed out/scattered across the apartment as I type this, actually. It's sick to have them out here. We also just got at least 5 inches of snow overnight, so we will definitely be heading out in a couple of hours to catch first chair at Keystone for some serious tree skiing. Should be fun.
Oh, and I am no longer working at Breckenridge as a lifty. The job was boring, a hassle in terms of commuting, and just not my type of work environment. It was a great experience, but I set myself up with a better situation. I'm currently working at the Spoon Cafe; a bar that is right at the bottom of Keystone and a 30 second walk from the chairlift. It's pretty ideal and I am definitely stoked on landing this job. The people are cool, I eat for free, and it is 5 minutes down the road. Booyah!
Hopefully the snow starts falling pretty hard from here on out and the search for steep lines and deep snow begins. Avalanche danger is considerably high though in our range, so I definitely have to be careful. These rails and jumps in the park are getting old and definitely do not do the body any good. So many bruises from eating shit, it's ridiculous.
Just wanted to drop in and update a bit. Gotta start getting my gear together and start heading to the mountain to get some fresh tracks. Weather is calling for blue skies and sun. That, on top of the snow we got last night, should make it yet another gorgeous Colorado day. Loving life, staying healthy, and working hard. I'll start dropping more posts/videos/pictures on this from now on. Later!

P.s.- I learned how to do backflips on my skis. BOOYAH! And there's a good possibility that I will be dropping by back East for a couple days in the beginning of Feb, so get in touch!