Tree sweater

So I was on cuteoverload.com and I ran across a picture of a knitted apple cozy. This was linked to a picture of a tree sweater. This is the best thing I've run across on the web in a while... I was laughing so hard.

On another note, my half sister is going to visit me this weekend. I can hardly believe it! Crazy! Anyways, just thought I'd show the pic of the tree sweater.

The inflatable shark

Somewhere along the line I was optimistic. Thinking I would write in this blog more often. But, since I haven't, here's a few highlights:

-There is an inflatable shark in my office. He's a pool shark.
-I have moved to a fourth floor office, and now have an ocean view. Hopefully my shark will not leave me for bluer waters...
-My half sister found me on myspace. I am finding out things about my family I never knew. My dad is alive still. Good to know.
-Our post-doc and his wife have a new baby. The baby (Harry) cries louder and louder, until he's practically shreiking, lets out with a loud fart, and becomes peaceful again.
-I have tendonitis in my left wrist. I've been unable to climb since the beginning of August. Bleh.
-I went snorkeling with sharks for the first time. It was only some small ones, but they're really cool. I saw three of them in an hour (apparently there are lots more than that out there at once).
-Went kayaking with Obi around La Jolla Cove. Aggravated my tendonitis, but enjoyed seeing a sea lion swim right under my kayak.

I'm sure I'll think of more later, but it doesn't feel like I've done much in the last month other than school work. And it will continue that way until my quals in a month. Ugh. SOOOO busy. But eventually it will all be over.

My jumbo watermelon has gone astray

Well, wedding season continues for Obi and I. We have decided a few things about weddings. First, something minor always goes wrong.

Matt and Helen's Wedding: Matt held the wrong hand when he tried to give Helen the ring. She switched hands and the last second.

Beck and Amy's Wedding: The hairdresser went AWOL.

Mike and Jen's Wedding: The downside to having a wedding in a beautiful forest is that wasps also like beautiful forests. And the bridesmaid's flowers. Bee:1, Bridesmaid:0.

Next, friends seem to get married in clumps. Obi has four weddings to attend this year. Three down, one to go, unless somebody sneaks one in at the last minute. These weddings do have an upside for us. Not only do people who haven't seen eachother in a long time get to hang out, and people who haven't met get to, but we get to go on trips to places we otherwise wouldn't. And on these trips, fun things happen. For instance, we recently watched Star Trek IV. The one with the whales. And the "nuclear wessels". No, I didn't spell that wrong. Watch the movie if you don't remember. Anyways, said "wessels" are stored in Alameda, in the Bay Area. We passed Alameda on the way to the airport. We were disappointed at the lack of nuclear wessels.

Also on the way to the airport, we saw a giant watermelon slice on the side of the road. It's at least two feet across. We debated for a moment pulling over and picking up said slice, but it probably would not have been overhead bin sized. Perhaps if they were wedge shaped. We also debated the origins of the newly dubbed "advertislice". How does somebody lose a two foot tall watermelon slice? Obi said it was there two weeks ago. Has nobody missed the slice?!? Why is it still on the side of the road? For god sakes people! There's a piece of jumbo watermelon out there all alone! And where is the rest of the melon? Note: it did not appear to be seedless. Perhaps it is a nuclear wessel.

Also of note, mostly to me, but I ran a 5K in 26:47. This is the fastest I have ever run a 5K (I am normally very very slow). Having gone up to just a little bit slow, I'm quite happy (I'm four minutes less slow than last time! Woot!)

Also, the pic was included as an homage to my friend Robb's return from Alaska. Yeah baby.

my alien is looking at my pinata funny...

Well... we've survived the road trip. And, truth be told, it was actually a lot of fun. I've always had road trips go strangely wrong. Either money has been stolen or drivers have not driven. This time, no money went strangely missing (although, I did mysteriously end up with a plushy green alien), and driving was done by all (although Obi drove all the way back from NM on the last day because I had the cat in my lap. Wow.) Instead of listing the entire trip, I figure I'll record a few highlights.

-- There was a cross that was shaped like a robot.
-- Obi called the town Deming "Denny's". Perhaps he was hungry at the time...
-- I had a conversation with my sleeping pad that went something like this:
Sleeping pad: Screw you, I'm going down by your feet
Me: Bitch, get up here. You're a three-quarter length!
-- Obi tripped after I told him to jump off a sand dune more enthusiastically than he did the first time. His leg has a great scrape on it now.
-- Obi did not die being in close proximity to a cat for 12 hours straight.
-- I learned the alien conspiracy
-- Helped my good friend Amanda prepare some things for her good friend's memorial.
-- Visited White Sands National Monument. This contains the best sign in a national monument: Please watch for the following unexploded ordinance: this is where pictures of the different varieties are.
-- Showed Obi around Carlsbad Caverns while trying to avoid being pooped on by small birds on the way in.
-- Received 8 mosquito bites on the lower part of my back because it was not covered by my jacket while setting up the tent near Roswell. This was after the nearly hour long search to find the state park and driving down a random road in New Mexico between farms to find the park (we were greatful to find it).
-- Climbed with Obi in Box Canyon on Highway 60 near Socorro. It was lots of fun and he determined why I don't like smearing.
-- I purchased a 2.5 foot tall pinata. It's cool. Llama shaped. I love it more than can be explained. Obi kissed it... I think even its rear end...


I think that covers the highlights... If I think of more, I will post it! It left me with a smile.

Pan bam, can you do the pan bam?

Well, I've done it again. To fill you in if you didn't read my myspace blog, a while back while cooking for Obi and Robb, I blew up the pan that the yams were cooking in. I'm not entirely sure what happened, but I think it was differential cooling of the pyrex. So, the other day, I went to make food, and I turned on the wrong burner. On the burner I turned on was a pan that Jenny had left out from the day before. She had been cooking chicken, so it was full of chicken grease. It started to sizzle, and I realized what had happened and turned the burner off. A minute later, while Obi was in the kitchen, I walked out of it, and around to the living room. At that moment, the pan exploded. That's right. The score is now: Pyrex 2, Johnnie 0. Why does this keep happening? Is there a pan god that I pissed off? Did I misuse a pan sometime in my past, and now they just want to explode at me (are they secretly saying mean things behind my back?). So, now I owe my roomie a pyrex pan.

Which I will hopefully not blow up...

No yams were involved in this incident.

Also, Robb brought over beer floats to make me feel better. And maybe laughed at me a little...

up up and away

Have you ever had a day just go so right? A day where you couldn't stop smiling? I had a day like that on Sunday. Climbing has been a little frustrating lately. Actually, working out in general. Just haven't had the time. So, on Friday, Ob and I went to Vertical Hold and tried a couple climbs. It began in a very frustrating way with some climbs that I think were really badly rated (the 5.9 felt more like a .10d). After the first two awkward climbs, I felt kinda deflated, like I had regressed so much. Then, we found a really fun climb (.10b) and both cruised it. It wasn't actually easy, but it had a nice flow to it. So, that made me feel better, and we tried a .10c after that by the same setter. I really like this setter. I think they have a good sense of ratings, a good feel for the flow of a climb, and they don't make them hard simply by making them reachy. They're technical, not just long. I fell once on the .10c, and decided that I really liked it. Ob had tried it because it looked fun, and he enjoyed it even though his shoulder kinda popped when he tried it. The funnest part for me was figuring out how to do the crux, which involved a very long reach or a rather unusual move to get your feet higher. So, with my left hand near my left foot, my right foot above those, and my right hand up high, I was able to stand up and grab the next hold. So, on Sunday, I went back and tried it again, and got it clean. My first clean .10c! I was so excited! I know to many good climbers, it doesn't sound like much, and most of my friends are .11 climbers and up. But there are milestone moments I think. When you look back, you can see improvement. I can see that change from my struggle up my first clean 5.8 to this moment. I can remember my first clean v2 that I actually thought was a v2. If you don't appreciate those landmarks, sometimes you forget them. I enjoy them. I try to get better too, but I smile when I think about them.

To complete my wonderful Sunday climbing, I also got a v2 that I had been working on and passed the lead test, which I hadn't wanted to take before because I didn't think I could clip fast enough. They changed the test, but that's ok. I still passed A lead test... even if it wasn't THE lead test...

The Buttermilks

Day 2 brought us another beautiful sunrise and the day of our exodus from Bishop. However, we needed to get some food first. We packed up our stuff after literally rolling off the crash pad, and headed into town to Erik Schat's Bakkery. No, I did not spell that wrong. There, we lazily perused the bread and waited for the turkey legs to become available. Oh, how I do love turkey legs for breakfast. So, we each got one, some oj, and Obi got a large sandwich and some other bakkery products as well. We were well set for a day of climbing. So, off to the Buttermilks.

We arrive and I see the giant boulders for the first time. Grandma and Grandpa Peabody are looming over the ground. Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into? We didn't have much time to climb today, but it was a great day anyways. We headed up to a problem Dan had mentioned. It's called Hero Roof. While not actually a roof in the fully overhanging sense, it is a fun v0. Which was all I worked on for the day. I tried it a bunch of times. And made it up the vB downclimb. As we were there, we began to gather people. It became sort of a party. And I felt that I let down a number of people. Everyone was rooting for me to make the climb. I had the bottom dialed. I got it smooth. I had lots left for the top. But I just couldn't reach the move everybody else could stick. It was rather depressing to get so far, and be totally unable to stick a move purely because it was just an inch too far away on my closest attempt. I put everything I had into that throw. And didn't make it. But it was nice to have people cheering me on. It was nice to feel everybody believing I would make it that time. It felt good that there was no doubt in people's minds that I could make the move. It was just ever so slightly out of reach. With more spotters than I had ever had, it was easy to make a good try for it. There was no fear of falling. I have mixed feelings about my day at the Buttermilks. Maybe I'll go back this fall and be just a little bit stronger. Maybe I'll go the first day, and have everything to throw at that problem. But the most frustrated I get is when I can do the move just like everybody else, maybe smoother, and the only thing that prevents me from reaching is the physical length of my arm. I was crushed inside.

So, that was all I really attempted at the Buttermilks. We spent a long time there, and didn't really have time for much else. Obi worked on something called Bowling Pin. It was a neat problem and he was flowing so nicely through it, but again, it had a heel hook, which didn't allow him to work it. It's hard watching him ache, knowing he's strong enough and he has the technique. I feel like I understand him better because of my height. It's not that he lacks the strength or ability to make the move, there is a physical limitation holding him back that he can't get past right now. I really feel for him.

We went on a tour of the nearby boulders, seeing the Buttermilker, Mandala, Evilution, Soul Slinger (which we saw someone send). It is a damn impressive set of climbs, for sure. We passed back by the group that had paused with us at Hero Roof. They asked if I made it, I said no. They looked sympathetic. Bleh. Someday.

So we headed out. We stopped at little pizza place (the name involved uncle... I'm so bad with names). The pizza was very thick, and served by the one and only employee present. It was cool. I liked the little place. It definitely had a home/family run feel. Then we made the long drive back to San Diego, in order to get here by 10pm. We didn't quite make it, we hit more like 11, but it was ok anyways. The trip was a real learning experience for me, and I look forward to trying many of those problems again in the future, when I'll have felt the moves before, be able to work it out a little faster. Mostly it got me excited for Black Mountain season. When I'll get to go back to the climbs that I am most familiar with outdoors (besides gunsmoke). And I'll get a second crack at my old friends.

The Happys

Well, I don't think Bishop was as entirely successful for me as it could have been. I had a zero trip altogether except the vBs... which is a little depressing, but then again, I never tried a v1, and the only v0 I tried was on the second day and involved a very long reach, which was the only part I couldn't get. Which sucked. Alright, first day goes like this: We awake. It's 10am. After enjoying the sleeping in, which I had not done in a while, we headed to the Vons. Why Vons, you ask? Because my finger was all pussy and infected from having moved furniture the day before. I scraped it open on the textured outside wall of my roomies apartment as I was helping move a couch down the stairs. So, I began the weekend with the worse cut I would get the whole time. So, after swabbing with some purchased alchohol swabs, we were on our way to the Happys.

This was my first time, so, having not seen much or heard hardly anything about the area, I recalled a picture of Taryn on Monkey Hang, and we headed over there. The warm-up boulder nearby was nice, and made the only climbs of my day. Note: Monkey Hang is a roof climb. It is burly. And the reach I ended up having to do was backwards from the way Obi did it, so that took many tries to figure out. (Reminder to self... reach for the lip with your RIGHT hand). Many tries of hanging by my arms alone, with no feet. So, I was a little tired by the time I figured out what I needed to do. And I still couldn't make the move.

Next we went to this little v2 that Obi liked. I couldn't pull the v2 move though, which involves pulling ones body over a bulge. Afer about 10 tries (maybe more) I was getting even more tired and frustrated, so we moved on again. Then we encountered Solarium (v3) which had a really fun bottom part to it, most of which I did in approach shoes. Unfortunately, when I put on climbing shoes, I only was able to add one move. Then there's a big move to the lip, which I couldn't reach without a full-on dyno. And I suck at dynos... so, that was over. However, when we first approached the climb, there was a guy standing there, looking at it. We asked if we could work in on it, and he said yeah. He was actually losing motivation and really needed help. His girlfriend was having a low motivation day and he wanted us to stay. We hadn't eaten lunch yet, and invited him to hang out and eat with us, then we'd work the problem. While we were eating, we began chatting. Obi asked him where he was from. Turns out it was San Diego. Where? Santee. What did he do for a living? Computer science at UCSD. He had worked with some people at SIO too, out on the ships that I have sailed on. Craziness! So, we ended up climbing with him for Solarium and...

Then, we moved over to my favorite climb of the whole trip: The Hulk (v6). Out of sheer curiosity I hopped on. On the second try, I sailed up the bottom of the problem, smooth as butter. I loved it! I couldn't make the v6 move, but I was close, and I think if I came up to it first, I could put a pretty good try in. I can see why it's a world class problem. There's a little bit of everything in it. Smooth flow, hard pinch, toe hook (or heel hook), big, careful move back, big move onto a huge swing. Ooh, it's just so sweet. And the best part was, I figured out all the moves on my own. I was actually projecting something with Obi too, which was so much fun. Unfortunately, his knees have been bothering him lately, and he had to stop because of the heel hook (which I have decided every climb in the Happys except Solarium requires). Another couple wandered over and started working the problem too, and it was so much fun to see different people of different strengths climbing it. Never got to see somebody stick the big move to the lump you swing on, but it was great anyways. So that was really it for me. My fingers hurt, and we wandered around a little to try and find Obi some stuff to really tire him out on. That ended up being a traverse along the rim of the canyon, which was pretty sweet, but really sharp!

Alas, we were exhausted and our finger tips would take no more, so we headed into town for a feast of Taco Bell. That's right, I said it. Neither of us really wanted to cook, so that's where we went. We stopped by the outdoor sports place (that I can't remember the name of) too, and I picked up a camera bag and a really cheep fleece neck warmer (I left mine in Alaska...). So, after our feast of Taco Bell, it was back to the Pit, the crash pad bed, and off to dreamland under the beautiful snow-capped Sierras and a sky full of stars. It was a great and wonderful day.

Road Rules

Well, Obi and I have returned from Bishop. This trip was just a few days, driving up on Thursday night, returning Saturday afternoon/evening. However, in this short amount of time, a lot can happen. This truly was a road trip. First of all, on the drive up, we passed a number of interesting things. Note, I did not say vehicles. As we are discussing what we would like to climb, what to do we pass on the freeway? A climbing wall. That's right, there's a climbing wall going down the road. This is one of those pre-fab deals you see at the carnival, but unusual none the less. We debated momentarily if we should pull up beside it and hop on. The whole climbing trip could have ended right there. We had found a climb. It was over. We continued on, deciding this was just too funny. Next, what do we pass but the Road Rules RV. It was all lit up inside with people sitting around talking in much the same way you would imagine on TV. We might be in the background of a Road Rules shot. Cool. Third, we were passed by a water tank. Now, this is no small affair. We were on a two lane highway (as in the whole thing consisted of two lanes). We see a police officer approaching with full lights and sirens. We think, maybe he's pulling over a speeder. No... instead, he is the leader of an escort, involving several police leading a giant water storage tank down the road. This thing is at least 12 feet wide, maybe more like 15. So it takes up more than three quarters of the road. An odd thing to be taking down the highway in the middle of the night, and certainly unexpected. We arrived in Bishop around midnight, and drove to "The Pit", a local camping area for climbers near the Happys, our target for the following morning. After throwing a few things out of the car, we settled on the mondo and were off to dreamland surrounded by stars.

This is getting long for tonight... I'm tired, thinking about all of those stars... plus I just ate in Hillcrest after kidnapping a large wardrobe and loading it in Obi's car. So this story will continue tomorrow, with harrowing tales of climbs and.. well, I can't think of anything else harrowing right now... maybe bears or something, but there weren't any of those around, so we'll just stick with climbing.

yams

I am eating a yam. It is really, really tasty. Last time I tried to bake a yam, it exploded. Well, actually, the pan it was in exploded. We tried to eat some of the yams, until Robb realized the crunchy bits were pieces of pyrex.. Luckily, nobody was injured in the explosion. Except maybe small parts of Robb's throat. I am glad to report that no pans (or yams) were injured in the making of my afternoon snack this time. Yeah me!

gummi blue sharks

Why am I so fascinated with gummi sea creatures? Gummi octopi, gummi sharks, gummi fish... the octopi are really great. You can rip each leg off individually and eat it like it was a gummi worm. So it's like 8 gummi worms strapped to a gummi bear. Scary...

I'm going to go climb at Bishop this weekend. I'm so excited. I have never been climbing there. Right now, it's just me and Obi. It should be a lot of fun. I hope I stay motivated. These climbs are HIGH!!! Check back with me on Monday to make sure I'm still in one piece.

My new roomie is moving in this week. I'm not that excited about it. I want to live on my own honestly. I'm so sick of having to live with somebody I don't really want to live with. Bleh. But, she's better than the previous one... so I'm at least moving in the right direction. It's not like she's that bad... I just don't know how I'm gonna like it... Oh well, new stuff... just have to try it and see how it goes.

I'm gonna eat another shark now...

Uh.. wow.. I feel so... open

Um. Hmm... so this is the first of what may be many posts.

To begin with, the power was out on Tuesday at Scripps. I had a prospective student staying with me who was mostly tired and didn't talk much. That was less interesting than it could have been. Last year on the weekend of Open House, I was getting drunk in PB with some random hot guy from Colorado. This year, I went to the burial of Obi's younger brother. The burial definitely left more of an impression.

Today I received an IM from Larry about the use of the Apple logo on exstacy pills. After debating how to spell exstacy for a minute.. I realized something. I have lots of friends that have done drugs. I feel in a really strange minority not to have done any drugs. I feel somehow left out. But I don't really want to do drugs to join the club. At this moment I can think of three people that I am friends with that have not tried some sort of recreational drug. They are some of the most innocent people I know. Am I like that? Do people think of me that way? Hmm...

Going climbing tonight. That should be cool.