Black Temptations

I have discovered that days off from work are just as amazing as days off from school.  I had off from work this Thursday and Friday and I absolutely loved it.  The timing couldn't be more perfect.  My mind was overloaded with the outrageous ideas that my boss comes up with.  I began my Thanksgiving holiday by carbo-loading for the alumni 5k race that my high school cross country team hosts every year.  Last year I came to the race 9 months out of any kind of running and got my ass handed to me by a 40-something year old coach.  That had crossed the line.  When you get spanked by someone twice your age, it's time to start training again.  So this year I made sure that I at least had some basic mileage under my belt before showing up.  The miles certainly paid off.  I ran a respectable race and got to see some friends.  Overall it was a good morning.  (We ran at 9:30AM)

Sean (my brother), Matt and I after the race.

Afterward, I went to my aunt's house to have dinner with the family.  As usual, not all the cousins were there.  Some were at their wives'/girlfriends' houses instead.  We still had a good time exchanging stories and making fun of my grandmother and aunt for having a few too many drinks. My grandmother insisted that all the grandchildren (myself, my brother and my cousins) wash all the dishes from the meal, even though my aunt (the host) repeatedly told us that we didn't have to do that.  It was all going in a dishwasher anyway.  We got a good laugh out of listening to her though.

Oh Black Friday.  I don't remember ever going shopping on Black Friday.  It's not because of the whole "mob" of people that you have to battle through or the traffic that you have to dodge just to make it to the mall.  I just never felt the need to go shopping.  I shop when I need something, not just when there's a HUGE sale going on.  As it stands, I actually did need some things this year but moving into a new apartment has me saving wherever I can.  That said, I went to Walmart on Friday.  What?  I needed groceries.  After staring down this mp3 player for a good 20 minutes, going to get my food, and then coming back for another look at the music box, I left Walmart with nothing more than a car load of food.  I escaped Walmart without buying any electronics!  It was pretty tough, but I'm quite proud of my self-control.  My headphones still hate me for neglecting them though.

Pancakes vs Waffles

I was on my way to work this morning listening to Preston and Steve on WMMR talk about the difference between pancake batter and waffle batter. Steve, Preston, and Nick were all convinced that it was the same stuff. Casey was about to have a caniption trying to convince everyone that waffles taste and smell different. The bickering was put to rest when a chef called in to set them straight. Aparently the only difference is that waffles include more egg and some oil. Go figure. While they were on the topic of breakfast, one of the hosts mentioned that he makes hot chocolate for his kids in the morning. So one morning he grabs the cocoa packets, makes them their hot chocolate and notices that the box says "Pick-Me-Up Hot Chocolate." Hmmm, that sounds like some bangin' hot chocolate. So what's in it you might ask? CAFFEINE!!!!! "With as much caffeine as a cup of coffee." So needless to say, his kids were bouncing off the walls that day. His wife failed to notice the caffeine part when she bought this hot chocolate. Bad move mom, bad move. Anyway, this whole converstation was pretty funny and made my morning drive a whole lot better, even though I got stuck in traffic because of some accident that happened in front of me.

Oh yeah, and here is a picture of my climbing shoes sticking to the wall all by themselves. These things are magic, I swear.

Fantastic Friction

This weekend I went bouldering at Haycock with a bunch of friends. I made some new friends as well. The day was perfect for climbing. The cool fall air makes the friction on the rock amazing. The weather was great too. No wind, plenty of sun and NO RAIN. Beautiful fall day. We went to the Hanger 18 side of Haycock, which doesn't see as much traffic. We pretty much had the area to ourselves. With a little bit of hiking, we managed to get on some really cool problems. Probably the most memorable was 3 Star. I could be wrong, but I think it was a V4 R. You follow this crack line up 25' or so and top out. I nearly bit it when I stood up too far and my foot slipped. It was a sweet problem though and we had it really well protected. I think our 8+ crashpads and spotters had it covered. Tsunami had a really cool top out as well, after you get passed the crimps of course. Of course there was a sweet sloper problem that was a lot of fun.

Sunday I went to the gym with a friend for some top-rope climbing. We were both feeling kinda beat we roped up anyway and had a lot of fun together. What a weekend! Thankfully I have a 3 day work week leading up to Thanksgiving. I can't wait for all the turkey and stuffing I can handle!

Night Runner

It's official! I got the apartment. I pay the security deposit on Thursday. I'm still thinking about the layout in my mind. I've mentally purchased the pieces of furniture I'll need. Talking to the property owner of the other apartment wasn't all that bad. She tried to offer me a 1BR but I turned her down when she told me it was still nearly $200 more than the one I'm now signing for. So that's taken care of. Now I need to start getting electric and cable under my name.

Ever since I stopped running track/xc in the middle of my junior year in college I've been trying to keep some sort of a training schedule. I didn't run at all during my senior year but instead turned my focus toward climbing. Since graduating I've made an effort to bring running back into my daily routine. I'm not looking to race at the same caliber as I did in college but I still want to stay in good shape and run an occasional road race. Recently I've been trying to get back in shape for the alumni 5k race that my high school cross country team hosts every thanksgiving. SO,.... I was out for a run on Sunday and I felt absolutely horrible. My legs felt heavy and I had zero energy. My body just did not want to move. I managed to log about 4 miles before calling it a day. Last night however, I was feeling way better. I was back on my regular pace and logged 6 miles. I was starving the whole way though. Every house I passed by emitted a different aroma that made me more and more hungry. I swear I recognized the smell of burgers at one house and then steak at another. Somewhere in there I KNOW I smelled mashed potatoes with butter and garlic. Not everything my nose picked up smelled appetizing. A sudden whiff of garbage inspired me to speed up a couple times. I didn't have any potatoes in the house, but I still whipped together a pretty solid dinner to feed my appetite. I didn't smell anyone's cooking tonight but I did have a great run. Another six mile night with a sweet new look when I finished.

Train Track Tumbler

I came across this clip yesterday and it really amazed me. Some woman from Boston falls onto the train tracks and lives. How stupid do you have to be to fall onto the train tracks?! She's all over that yellow line that you're NOT supposed to stand on. (Strike 1) The train is coming, you can hear it coming from a half-mile away. You don't need to stick your head out there to check. Talk about some horrible balance too. That fall looked mad awkward. Then she starts flopping around like a fish on land but never makes an attempt to get up. Did she think she could fit under the train without getting mashed up? That doesn't even work in the movies. Luckily the train operator saw all the people waiving their arms and was able to yank the e-brake in time. Check it out.


I'm pretty psyched about moving into my new (prospective) apartment. I'm already planning the layout in my mind. At some point today I'm going to have to deal with the property manager of the first place I applied to. I have to break it to her that I won't be signing for that place. She might be a little pissed at me.

Apartment Hunters

The end of our lease on the house is getting closer and closer. We officially get the boot on December 31st. In lieu of that, the past few weeks have been dedicated to apartment hunting and boy did it get interesting. My roommate and I looked at a few places before applying to one. To make a long story short, I got approved and he didn't. The following week I contacted the property manager and asked her to allow the two of us to move in the apartment since I was approved. After an email and few phone calls, we got the green light. Later that day my roommate tells me that he cannot afford the apartment. I asked if he could afford a cheaper apartment and he said that the only way he could afford an apartment is if he gets one of the 3 or 4 jobs he "applied" to, one of which is in Maine. He goes on to tell me that if he doesn't get one of those jobs then he's going to move back home with his parents. So basically there's a pretty good chance that I'm going to get boned if we move in together. At that point I decided it best to start looking for 1-bedroom apartments. I found one right here in Media going for $675 with heat and hot water included. This weekend I went to check it out. It's got plenty of room for me, it's in a cool neighborhood and it's close to my friends. I'm sold. I should hear back on Monday or Tuesday about approval. With any luck I'll be moving in by December 12th!


Oh and those Evolv's I was talking about.....The right foot fits pretty well but the heel on the left foot is terrible. I've got no control on heel-hooks; my heel keeps sliding around. I'm considering buying a second, smaller pair for my left foot. I can't decide whether to downsize a full-size or half-size though. I'm not sure it's worth the gamble. Any thoughts?

Daylight Whatings?

Ever since I becoming old enough that trick-or-treating felt awkward, I've lost interest in the holiday. Halloween has since become a time to go out and party in wild costumes and issues girls a slut pass for the weekend. Instead of searching for some party I elected to go to a climbing competition at my local gym, PRG They a had a pretty solid field of competitors last night. Matt Bosley was there along with PRG's own Rob D'Anastasio. Both of them got beat out by Vasya Vorotnikov. He sent all three problems and flashed two I believe. Pretty wild.

So what got into the Eagles this weekend? They wouldn't let up on the Giants at all. I like how Any Reid put Jackson in on a kick-return right before the half was going to end just to see if he could run up the score. Gotta love that.

Just about everyone I know is probably going nuts about the World Series right now. I honestly don't care. Baseball just doesn't do it for me, sorry guys.

Today I ordered a pair of Optimus's from Evolv on a close-out deal. I couldn't pass up $59 for a sweet pair of climbing shoes! My friend Dustin let me try his Optimus Primes (the velcro version) and they are amazing. $59 is basically half of normal cost so I had to nab them. I'll write a review after I climb in them for a bit.

I totally forgot about daylight savings until I went to turn the Eagles game on today and it wasn't on for another hour. I was already up and moving around 10 (9 for those of you who turned their clocks back) to go for a run. Normally I would be mad about not taking advantage of the extra hour of sleep, but I was already plenty rested. Oh well, now to get ready to take on another week at the office. Sigh. I'd rather be climbing.