1-My seemingly dead laptop has risen like a phoenix from the dead. I actually carried it across the street to a PC repair place to get it checked out but the guys were out on a service call. When I got home, I took apart the case to look at what I expected to be a bunch of blown capacitors on the motherboard. To my surprise, most things seemed in order and I doubled and triple checked all the connections before closing the case back up. Imagine my surprise when I hit the power button and the lappy roared (figuratively) to life! For the past month, hitting the power button did nothing more than cause it to flash without booting up. It's been on for a few hours and all the diagnostics seem to indicate everything is running again. Go figure!
2-Of all the places to consider a job, I am possibly looking at a position in New York City! (NEW YORK CIT-A, like in the salsa commercial!) Obviously, this is not a permanent locale--the idea is to work there for a few months then move back to Colorado and work remotely. It's a great position working with the National Parks and I'd be nutty to not at least think about it. I've had a few interviews and I think I have some leverage thanks to my experience, so we'll see. I have some other opportunities looming that I need to pursue, including a possible position with the revamped mountainzone.com.
So is it the blue moon effect at work? If that wasn't enough, I got a free bagel today from Moe's Bagels (where the elite meet to ... eat bagels?) by answering a "question" -- name three attractive women in music, one each from the 60's, 70's, and the 80's and if the power hungry clerk bought your trio, you got a free bagel. The poor dope in front of me said Janis Joplin, which instantly eliminated him. And I think he followed it up with Marie Osmond which probably made the price of his bagel actually increase (she wasn't ugly, but to consider her stuff "music"? Come on!). Put on the spot, my unemployed nights up at 2 AM watching commercials for Time-Life music collections came in handy! I said Michelle Phillips for the 60's, Nicolette Larson from the 70's (who, I technically have no idea what she looks like other than long hair, which works for me) and the post Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle for the 80's. I said these with such confidence, I earned myself a free salt bagel with strawberry cream cheese. Awesome.
I suppose actually getting a bagel in itself is a blue moon occurrence for me as I'm not a huge bagel afficianado. The moon is its normal silvery white tonight, so I guess it's all back to normal, which means my laptop will be dead in the morning.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Is the little kitten drinking milk named "James Kitten"? I'd like to think so :)
Monday, August 27, 2007
Yes, the first major flaw in my book has been found! In the Mount Powell chapter, I compare the experience to Homer's ascent of Mount Springfield when everyone knows that Homer climbs the Murderhorn. Thanks to Will for the keen eye! Hopefully, only the nerdiest amongst us will notice this mistake. :) By using the upside-down Jenny bi-plane error theory, this might make my first edition book a collector's item! Woo-hoo!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
This is painful to watch. In essence, it is actually the same tactic used here by Mike Tyson when asked, "Was this your shortest fight ever?" (which is a much easier question to answer). Oh well, at least she didn't threaten to eat anyone's children.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Last night brought back memories of the sand volleyball days. I was able to go out to the courts here in Boulder with friends from my indoor pick-up games and have a blast. It's wild to think the "old days" of v-ball are literally old days, 4-5 years gone. I think Kirk is the only other player still around who would be up for sand v-ball from those times. Still it was a lot of fun and the views from the court are stunning.
In PR news, my book is out n' rolling so order your copy today! Colorado folks: ask at your local bookstore by name, it helps with orders and supports the hometown shops (Boulder Book Store in Boulder and the Tattered Cover in Denver are great places to check out). And if anyone would be as so kind as to write up a quick review, which I'm sure will be glowing but not too glowing, for Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble--well that would be plum awesome.
Also, it's been the dog days of Boulder out here--yes it's been hot, but I've also gotten to watch Mystic for the past 6 days, since Sheila has been out on a mini-vacation. I cannot express how cool this dog is, he's a bit wild when in the wilderness (makes sense) but he's a really fun, cuddly guy when the day is done. We've been watching Rockies games on TV, chillin with Xanadu (who loves him) and it's going to be tough to give him back! Never fear, I'm still a "cat guy" but the ratio is probably like 51/49 when the dog is as awesome as Mr. Mystic.
In PR news, my book is out n' rolling so order your copy today! Colorado folks: ask at your local bookstore by name, it helps with orders and supports the hometown shops (Boulder Book Store in Boulder and the Tattered Cover in Denver are great places to check out). And if anyone would be as so kind as to write up a quick review, which I'm sure will be glowing but not too glowing, for Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble--well that would be plum awesome.
Also, it's been the dog days of Boulder out here--yes it's been hot, but I've also gotten to watch Mystic for the past 6 days, since Sheila has been out on a mini-vacation. I cannot express how cool this dog is, he's a bit wild when in the wilderness (makes sense) but he's a really fun, cuddly guy when the day is done. We've been watching Rockies games on TV, chillin with Xanadu (who loves him) and it's going to be tough to give him back! Never fear, I'm still a "cat guy" but the ratio is probably like 51/49 when the dog is as awesome as Mr. Mystic.
Monday, August 20, 2007
A full summer of great ultimate frisbee culminated in our Boulder summer tournament this past weekend. My team came into the tournament ranked #1, having gone 15-1 in the regular season--a pretty impressive feat in A-League. If all went well, we'd have three games to win to capture the championship trophy (or in this case, a sweet 1 Gallon core-chilled championship Nalgene container).
As the day started, we were surprised to be facing the 1-12 team, who won their play-in game over a higher ranked team. After a slow start on our part, our team picked it up and won in good style. Our second game was a bit more a of a battle, as we fell behind 5-3 then scored 6 unanswered points to jump ahead 9-5, finishing the game at 13-10 for the win.
In the finals, we again were surprised to play a team that had upset the "local favorite" (and the only team to beat us in the regular season). It was again a battle, but we slowly pulled away with an 8-5 lead at halftime. We put together a good string of points, turned it up a bit and ended up winning 15-9! I was surrounded by awesome teammates and I was glad to contribute with solid D, good passing, and caught 4 of our points in the finals game (almost had the game winner too, except for a great D by my opponent).
So with a final record of 18-1, I'm again on top of the frisbee world! I haven't been on a championship team since 2002, so it feels good to win again. My team was a fantastic group of players and great people, proving there really is something to the chemistry of a team. After a bit of debating, I decided to take the fall season off to enjoy the outdoors (assuming I'll still be in Colorado) and focus my attention on other pursuits. But what a fun ride and I'll be back on the fields for sure next spring!
As the day started, we were surprised to be facing the 1-12 team, who won their play-in game over a higher ranked team. After a slow start on our part, our team picked it up and won in good style. Our second game was a bit more a of a battle, as we fell behind 5-3 then scored 6 unanswered points to jump ahead 9-5, finishing the game at 13-10 for the win.
In the finals, we again were surprised to play a team that had upset the "local favorite" (and the only team to beat us in the regular season). It was again a battle, but we slowly pulled away with an 8-5 lead at halftime. We put together a good string of points, turned it up a bit and ended up winning 15-9! I was surrounded by awesome teammates and I was glad to contribute with solid D, good passing, and caught 4 of our points in the finals game (almost had the game winner too, except for a great D by my opponent).
So with a final record of 18-1, I'm again on top of the frisbee world! I haven't been on a championship team since 2002, so it feels good to win again. My team was a fantastic group of players and great people, proving there really is something to the chemistry of a team. After a bit of debating, I decided to take the fall season off to enjoy the outdoors (assuming I'll still be in Colorado) and focus my attention on other pursuits. But what a fun ride and I'll be back on the fields for sure next spring!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The string of 90+ degree days here in Boulder is gnarly. My habit has been to move my mattress into the living room and absorb the full blast of my air conditioner; even then, it's toasty. Despite my extensive travel to the Carribean, I still hate being hot and I tend to suck it up the best I can but I have no idea how people can live in Texas, Arizona, Uganda, or Egypt. Ugh! So freakin' hot--
As a result, I've been doing most of my outdoors things at twilight when it's a bit cooler. There are not a lot of people out and as an added treat, I've gotten to see a lot of wildlife in the last few days. Deer are common but I've gotten to see fox, badgers and a bear as well. The bear was very cool, he was just chillin' in a grassy meadow, looking perfectly content with everything in the ursine world. Having spent as much time in the outdoors as I have, bears don't really scare me--as least not in Colorado. We have mostly black bear here, whose agenda rarely involves eating errant bikers (mountain lions, that's another story.) I still wouldn't go up to one and pet it on the head but I also don't need a change of underwear if I come across one in the wild.
It's wild to think last summer at this time (check out my archives!) I was nearing the end of my hikes. Time has gone especially fast the last year! Not much else to report here in the present though. Until next time...
At the roughest patches of the book writing process, I always envisioned the moment the completed book would be in my hands; what would I feel? Would it all be worth it? This weekend it finally happened in the seemingly out-of-place locale of Salt Lake City, Utah. Here's how it all went down--
I knew I had to make the Outdoors Retailer Trade Show (thus the non-Colorado setting), either by driving or flying, no matter what cost. I had truly put my heart and soul into my book and it was imperative I be there at the release. As it turns out, I had to book a flight that left at 5:10 AM from Denver, to Phoenix, then over to Salt Lake. I opted to not sleep Thursday night into Friday, assuming correctly I would doze like a dead man on the plane rides. A series of events led me to having a place to stay at the Salt Lake City Motel 6, where for 70 dollars a night you can stay in a room whose ambiance could best be described as "black and white crime scene photo". Whatever, a stained bed with grimy sheets is still a place to stay.
Arriving at the show, I was able to hook up with the Wilderness Press crew. Ironically, all the three folks there I had not met in person, which is somewhat impressive considering it's a small company. Heather and Emily were there from WP and Rick D. was another author who's book on hiking Half-Dome is definitely worth checking out if you'll be in the area! Milling about the show floor while sleep deprived is an odd experience, but I ran into colleagues and friends all over the place. I also finally saw my book-- and it looks great! But since the official signing was a day away, I didn't indulge in the pages too much.
One thing that was nice is that I didn't have any industry obligations for the night, so I was free to go wild in Salt Lake City-- WOO-HOO! Heather and I opted to check out a minor league baseball game, the Salt Lake City Bees, which was the perfect way to spend a summer night. Gorging on hot dogs and nachos, we watched the Bees triumph over the (possibly) hated Portland Beavers. After that, we hooked up with Emily and hung out in the city, meeting up with folks and generally schmoozing.
The break of the night was that both Heather and Emily had extra space in their rooms at the Holiday Inn, so even though I payed for the Motel 6 experience, I took them up on their offer to sleep in a rat-free environment. One thing that is nice about the Outdoors Industry is that people are laid back and generally cool about sharing space, food, etc. (I've certainly shared my rooms in the past). Of course being Utah, by Mormon law I may now officially be married to both Emily and Heather, which really isn't so bad, as long as my previous hotel-created wife Christina doesn't mind. :) heh!
As for Saturday, the book signing went great and was a lot of fun. If there's one thing I can do, it's talk about mountains. It's funny how I had scribbled my name in flowing cursive in notebooks in college, envisioning my grand book signings, imparting my fans with words of wisdom. In the end, I wrote sloppy signatures, but a GOOD sloppy, an excited sloppy! When all was said and done, I finished the afternoon schmoozing some more before flying back to Colorado saturday night. As if just to keep me humble, I had to pop-start my car at the airport, as I think the battery is fizzling out a little. Not the best thing to come home to but at least I know how to pop start a car.
By the way, the pictures here are small and grainy because they were taken with a phone (thanks Heather!), as cameras are not technically allowed in the show without a special permit. The weird baby panda head comes from Emily, who inexplicably went out of her way to get the creepiest plastic product ever made. What's a book signing without a little nightmare fuel, eh?
So back in Boulder it's hot but all is well for the time being. Xanadu is happy I'm back and tomorrow I'll be celebrating the 2 year anniversary of my climb to the top of Mount Rainier with Sheila, so maybe it's a lucky week for me!
As a result, I've been doing most of my outdoors things at twilight when it's a bit cooler. There are not a lot of people out and as an added treat, I've gotten to see a lot of wildlife in the last few days. Deer are common but I've gotten to see fox, badgers and a bear as well. The bear was very cool, he was just chillin' in a grassy meadow, looking perfectly content with everything in the ursine world. Having spent as much time in the outdoors as I have, bears don't really scare me--as least not in Colorado. We have mostly black bear here, whose agenda rarely involves eating errant bikers (mountain lions, that's another story.) I still wouldn't go up to one and pet it on the head but I also don't need a change of underwear if I come across one in the wild.
It's wild to think last summer at this time (check out my archives!) I was nearing the end of my hikes. Time has gone especially fast the last year! Not much else to report here in the present though. Until next time...
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
At the roughest patches of the book writing process, I always envisioned the moment the completed book would be in my hands; what would I feel? Would it all be worth it? This weekend it finally happened in the seemingly out-of-place locale of Salt Lake City, Utah. Here's how it all went down--I knew I had to make the Outdoors Retailer Trade Show (thus the non-Colorado setting), either by driving or flying, no matter what cost. I had truly put my heart and soul into my book and it was imperative I be there at the release. As it turns out, I had to book a flight that left at 5:10 AM from Denver, to Phoenix, then over to Salt Lake. I opted to not sleep Thursday night into Friday, assuming correctly I would doze like a dead man on the plane rides. A series of events led me to having a place to stay at the Salt Lake City Motel 6, where for 70 dollars a night you can stay in a room whose ambiance could best be described as "black and white crime scene photo". Whatever, a stained bed with grimy sheets is still a place to stay.
Arriving at the show, I was able to hook up with the Wilderness Press crew. Ironically, all the three folks there I had not met in person, which is somewhat impressive considering it's a small company. Heather and Emily were there from WP and Rick D. was another author who's book on hiking Half-Dome is definitely worth checking out if you'll be in the area! Milling about the show floor while sleep deprived is an odd experience, but I ran into colleagues and friends all over the place. I also finally saw my book-- and it looks great! But since the official signing was a day away, I didn't indulge in the pages too much.
One thing that was nice is that I didn't have any industry obligations for the night, so I was free to go wild in Salt Lake City-- WOO-HOO! Heather and I opted to check out a minor league baseball game, the Salt Lake City Bees, which was the perfect way to spend a summer night. Gorging on hot dogs and nachos, we watched the Bees triumph over the (possibly) hated Portland Beavers. After that, we hooked up with Emily and hung out in the city, meeting up with folks and generally schmoozing. The break of the night was that both Heather and Emily had extra space in their rooms at the Holiday Inn, so even though I payed for the Motel 6 experience, I took them up on their offer to sleep in a rat-free environment. One thing that is nice about the Outdoors Industry is that people are laid back and generally cool about sharing space, food, etc. (I've certainly shared my rooms in the past). Of course being Utah, by Mormon law I may now officially be married to both Emily and Heather, which really isn't so bad, as long as my previous hotel-created wife Christina doesn't mind. :) heh!
As for Saturday, the book signing went great and was a lot of fun. If there's one thing I can do, it's talk about mountains. It's funny how I had scribbled my name in flowing cursive in notebooks in college, envisioning my grand book signings, imparting my fans with words of wisdom. In the end, I wrote sloppy signatures, but a GOOD sloppy, an excited sloppy! When all was said and done, I finished the afternoon schmoozing some more before flying back to Colorado saturday night. As if just to keep me humble, I had to pop-start my car at the airport, as I think the battery is fizzling out a little. Not the best thing to come home to but at least I know how to pop start a car.By the way, the pictures here are small and grainy because they were taken with a phone (thanks Heather!), as cameras are not technically allowed in the show without a special permit. The weird baby panda head comes from Emily, who inexplicably went out of her way to get the creepiest plastic product ever made. What's a book signing without a little nightmare fuel, eh?
So back in Boulder it's hot but all is well for the time being. Xanadu is happy I'm back and tomorrow I'll be celebrating the 2 year anniversary of my climb to the top of Mount Rainier with Sheila, so maybe it's a lucky week for me!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Weighing my options, I decided to charge a plane ticket and fly out to the summer Outdoor Retailer show. Perhaps this leap of faith will pay off in some new job opportunities; at bare minimum, showing my face amongst my peers lets them know I'm still alive. It's a quick in and out business trip, I'm certain most people in Colorado won't even have time to miss me!
Trying to stay positive and not bore anyone with my job search details, I'm excited for next week's Ultimate Frisbee tournament. My summer team is a solid squad and I expect we'll do quite well (though our 6'8 guy with incredible throws may be injured, which would suck for him AND us!) Those interested in checking out our stats can do so here (I'm on team A4).
Also, last night was the Rush show at Red Rocks! I had forgotten about the show until early this week, since I got the tickets in April. Rush played a great set, though a few of the songs from the new album dragged a bit and lost the audience. The only bummer was that it was very quiet for a rock show--you could easily talk to the person next to you in a normal speaking voice during the songs. Nonetheless, Rush has still "got it" and here's hoping they will tour again in the not-too-distant-future.
Tomorrow is my stellar 5:40 AM flight (ouch!) and then, after all my hard work I get to actually SEE my book for myself! At this point, I'm so detached from the experience I'm not certain what to expect. More updates from Salt Lake if I can find open compys to use (remember my laptop is currently dormant, so it's staying home this time around).
Trying to stay positive and not bore anyone with my job search details, I'm excited for next week's Ultimate Frisbee tournament. My summer team is a solid squad and I expect we'll do quite well (though our 6'8 guy with incredible throws may be injured, which would suck for him AND us!) Those interested in checking out our stats can do so here (I'm on team A4).
Also, last night was the Rush show at Red Rocks! I had forgotten about the show until early this week, since I got the tickets in April. Rush played a great set, though a few of the songs from the new album dragged a bit and lost the audience. The only bummer was that it was very quiet for a rock show--you could easily talk to the person next to you in a normal speaking voice during the songs. Nonetheless, Rush has still "got it" and here's hoping they will tour again in the not-too-distant-future.
Tomorrow is my stellar 5:40 AM flight (ouch!) and then, after all my hard work I get to actually SEE my book for myself! At this point, I'm so detached from the experience I'm not certain what to expect. More updates from Salt Lake if I can find open compys to use (remember my laptop is currently dormant, so it's staying home this time around).
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
This weekend is the annual Outdoors Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City and I have to be there; it's the "official" unveiling of my book! The problem is Salt Lake City is a bear of a drive, a good 10 hours one-way through mostly desert. Add to that, my little car could probably do without the mileage so my dilemma is do I fly or drive? I really only need to be there for one day--Saturday--and then I can come back home. Trying to do the math is tricky; right now I can get airline tix for about $250 but that adds in taxi costs etc. Driving can save me about 100 bucks at least but puts wear and tear on my car, involves a good 20+ hours of driving and if the car breaks, becomes much more expensive than flying.
So any strategic thoughts? And no, I'm pretty sure there aren't any Mormom pilgramages headed west this time of year...
So any strategic thoughts? And no, I'm pretty sure there aren't any Mormom pilgramages headed west this time of year...
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Worry not friends, this isn't a metaphoric post about my life--it's much more objective than that. Yesterday, all five light bulbs in my living room chandelier fizzled out, the light on my porch died, my laptop computer OR it's power supply crapped out (not sure which yet), my car battery died, my roadbike brake cable snapped, my watch drained another battery when it accidentally got wet (it has a fracture from my spill on the sidewalk a while back), and I melted the keyboard I use for the aforementioned laptop by accidentally leaving it in my car in the 100+ degree weather. I'm starting to feel like Gil Gunderson.
On the plus side, I finally completed a rather lofty gaming goal (I'm an insomniac these days, so when I'm not working freelance or job hunting I have to do something cheap)--- I unlocked the Unknown Fighter II in Einhander, a classic shooter for the PSX by Squaresoft (yes, that Squaresoft). To most of you this means nothing but it's one of the harder "unlocks" you can achieve in honest gaming style. I'm piecing together an FAQ for it, hopefully I'll finish it in the "spare" time I have these days.
Here we are August 2007; I can't believe how fast time flies when you are just waiting for things to fall into place... making the most of those spaces is an art unlike any other.
On the plus side, I finally completed a rather lofty gaming goal (I'm an insomniac these days, so when I'm not working freelance or job hunting I have to do something cheap)--- I unlocked the Unknown Fighter II in Einhander, a classic shooter for the PSX by Squaresoft (yes, that Squaresoft). To most of you this means nothing but it's one of the harder "unlocks" you can achieve in honest gaming style. I'm piecing together an FAQ for it, hopefully I'll finish it in the "spare" time I have these days. Here we are August 2007; I can't believe how fast time flies when you are just waiting for things to fall into place... making the most of those spaces is an art unlike any other.
