2011--Count Down to Armageddon

As you all know, according to the Mayan Calendar the world as we know it will end on December 12, 2012. I am currently stock piling .308 ammo, chocolate milk and 2 Ply TP in anticipation of this event. So, that means in 2011 we need to party our butts off. Just kidding, I don't have a .308. Really though, I'm kidding I don't put any stock in that kind of "prophecy." Mostly because the Weekly World News has been predicting the end of the world incorrectly for decades now. Also, what difference does it make?

Regardless of your faith or lack thereof, this time of year is perfect for reflection and there is nothing like the latest rumor of Armageddon or Nuclear Winter to make you take stock in your life. I like to compile several things in preparation for the coming year, not necessarily resolutions, but more of a master list: A Mantra. Several important things to do. A reading list, a playlist, and one thing I'd like to accomplish. I'm sharing it this year as an alternative to "I'm gonna lose 50 lbs., learn to crochet, and pray more often-type resolutions." I encourage you to add your two cents, or share your own Master List.

Mantra: "How Long Can Rolling Waters Remain Impure"

Important Things to Do:

1. Get name legally changed to Penny Richens (I'm pretty committed to this marriage thing now)

2. Pay off Zelda

3. Pacific Coast Road Trip

Reading List:

1. Re-Read Animal Farm and 1984

2. Finish East of Eden again, I start it every year in December.

3. Les Mis, I'm not a play/musical/theater kind of person so reading it is the best I can do

4. Cicero

Playlist:

Amazed, My Morning Jacket

I Am the Highway, Audioslave

Time, Pink Floyd

Surrender, Cheap Trick

Macy's Day Parade, Green Day

Sweet Emotion, Aerosmith

Long White Caddlilac, Dwight Yoakam

Us of Lesser Gods, Flogging Molly

I Walk The Line, Johnny Cash

Naked and Famous, PUSA

Accomplishment for the Year:

Communicate instead of shutting down. Sounds a little abstract I know, but trust me it will make all the difference.

FYI Christmas was good, the kids are alright, and I'm ready for something new. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year. I actually mean it, and that's the truth. Also, I took this picture back in August when I went to Teton and Yellowstone Parks by my lonesome self. It was awesome.

Bouldering and Other Forms of Exfoliation

I've branched out a little bit with my photography lately, and was invited to be a photographer at the Rock Haus in Logan, UT, for one of their bouldering competitions. Fun was had by all. For those of you unfamiliar with bouldering, here is a definition I swiped from Wikipedia:

Bouldering is a style of climbing emphasizing power, strength, and dynamics. Its focus is on individual moves or short sequences of moves, unlike traditional climbing or sport climbing, which generally demand more endurance over longer stretches of rock where the difficulty of individual moves is not as great. Boulder routes are commonly referred to as problems (a British appellation) because the nature of the climb is often short, curious, and much like problem solving. Sometimes these problems are eliminates, meaning certain artificial restrictions are imposed. Bouldering is more focused on the technique of climbing instead of undertaking a full bodied climb.

To reduce the risk of injury from a fall, climbers rarely go higher than 3–5 meters above the ground. Anything over 7 meters is generally considered to be free-soloing (or simply 'soloing'), although such climbs might also be termed high-ball bouldering problems.

This competition had two major high-ball problems, the picture of the girl (Zowe) is part of a high-ball problem, what you can't see from the angle is that Zowe is about 18' off the ground. The other picture is of Ben who was catching his breath and planning his next move. I have a tremendous amount of respect for these athletes for several reasons:

1. Rock Climbing really is more of a way of life than a sport. You can tell a rock climber apart not just by the clothes they choose to wear, or the fact that they are in pretty good shape physically. You can see it in the way that they carry themselves, if they have been climbing for a long time their muscles are very balanced and they get around with very economical movements. It is very uncommon to see a beefed-up, muscle bound, roid-rager do very well at climbing.

2. They tend to gather together and form tight-knit little communities. Not cliques, that is completely frowned upon, but a network of people who support each other and promote rock climbing. They are not hostile to new comers, and they don't "hate" on other ways of doing things. All-in-all, the climbers I have been associated with generate a very positive outlook in general and are pretty open to the world around them.

3. They take care of the environment around them in a responsible way. These guys really do care about the environment, it's not a fad for them. It's not something that they do to get noticed, there were no light green Priuses in the Rock Haus parking lot. There were a lot of hard used Subaru Wagons and Toyota Pickups though. When you see climbers in their natural habitat outdoors, you notice that they don't have a lot of kit. They didn't pack in a bunch of stuff they aren't going to use, and they pack it all out with them when they go. There are usually some really happy well socialized dogs wandering around too, ones that probably came from the animal rescue.

So next time you see someone out climbing, or hiking the trail look past the stereotype of the "Smelly Hippy." Sure there are some smelly hippies out there, but most rock climbers aren't. They aren't granola munching pansies either. These guys are serious, and we could all do better by following their example. Live with sincerity, encourage each other, and do your very best everyday. That is the whole grain, lean protein, locally grown truth for the week.