When the hell am I going to start training? Or writing on this blog? Or go somewhere exciting? Time's a wasting. I'm living in Germany and I have yet to ski in the Alps. Or climb. What the hell is wrong with me? I got comfortable, that's what. Lazy is more like it. I've started to settle for whatever was put in front of me instead of going after the things I wanted. It's about time to put that hat back in the closet, or burn it, and put my game face back on. I've got marathon training to do!
I've been extremely lucky with meeting such an awesome group of friends. They showed zero hesitation in adopting a crazy American into their crew (what were they thinking?!). I'll never forget the kindness they've shown me since the day I arrived. But they are some lazy ass Germans! I thought everyone would be an athletic phenomena. So much for that idea. No one (in my group of friends here) has the slightest desire to get outside and DO something. OK so one of my friends is really into mountain biking but he's been playing the "it's too cold" card since early November. Fine, it's cold. Now pull on a pair of spandex and let's ride dammit!
It's not fair to put all the blame on my friends. I'm generally pretty active and rarely depend on anyone else to join me. I almost always run by myself and when I can't find a climbing partner I take no shame in going to the gym for a boulder session. So why haven't I done that here? Because I'm full of excuses. No running partner, no climbing partner, no car, too cold, raining, blah blah blah. I let myself get lazy and get away with it. Well I've just put a stop to that. I forced myself to man up and go for a run every day this week; except yesterday but I did core training instead. Gotta keep those abs looking nice. I haven't done any climbing yet but past weekend my hangboard finally came in. All I need to do now is build a stand and get it mounted. And hope I don't step on any nails in the process.
Showing posts with label climbing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label climbing. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Climbing vs Running
Coming from a running background, I think of different climbing styles in terms of race distances. Bouldering is most like sprinting because both practices require raw strength and power with dedication to form. I look at roped climbs as mid-long distance events due to the focus on endurance and efficiency. During some eh, spare time, I gave the analogy more thought. This is what I came up with.
100, 200 meters = Bouldering
400 meters= High Ball Bouldering
800 - 1600 meters = Sport Climbing / Top Rope
3200 - 10k = Marathon Sport Climbing (Sharma style)
10k - Marathon = Trad/Big Wall Climbing
Triathlon/Ironman = Mountaineering/Alpinism
I didn't really put much thought to top rope but decided to throw it in with sport climbing under the 800 - 1600 meter range because most top rope climbs are the same length as single pitch sport climbs. Marathon sport climbing gets its own category because people like Sharma have noticeably pushed the limits of single pitch sport climbing. A lot of the routes he's established, like the ones in Catalunya, Spain or Yangshuo, China, required a special rope made by Petzl. The next tier is Trad and Big Wall climbing. I chose the race equivalents above because most Trad climbs dip into multipitch territory. Trad climbing is often the gateway drug into Big Wall climbing just like 5k's and 10k's eventually lead to half marathons and full marathons. Often times marathons lead into the ultimate challenge of Triathlons, Ironman's and Adventure Racing just as Trad and Big Wall climbing may one day lead to full-on mountaineering and alpine climbing.
I didn't add ice climbing to this list because I didn't want to unfairly place it somewhere. I would probably put it alongside both the Trad and Mountaineering/Alpinism categories because the skillset is different than other forms of climbing, just as marathoning and ultra-marathoning are far different than your local 5k. In marathons and beyond, you have to worry about replenishing nutrients midrace, unlike a 5k or 10k.
The comparison was just for fun, but if you have any comments feel free to leave them below.
100, 200 meters = Bouldering
400 meters= High Ball Bouldering
800 - 1600 meters = Sport Climbing / Top Rope
3200 - 10k = Marathon Sport Climbing (Sharma style)
10k - Marathon = Trad/Big Wall Climbing
Triathlon/Ironman = Mountaineering/Alpinism
I didn't really put much thought to top rope but decided to throw it in with sport climbing under the 800 - 1600 meter range because most top rope climbs are the same length as single pitch sport climbs. Marathon sport climbing gets its own category because people like Sharma have noticeably pushed the limits of single pitch sport climbing. A lot of the routes he's established, like the ones in Catalunya, Spain or Yangshuo, China, required a special rope made by Petzl. The next tier is Trad and Big Wall climbing. I chose the race equivalents above because most Trad climbs dip into multipitch territory. Trad climbing is often the gateway drug into Big Wall climbing just like 5k's and 10k's eventually lead to half marathons and full marathons. Often times marathons lead into the ultimate challenge of Triathlons, Ironman's and Adventure Racing just as Trad and Big Wall climbing may one day lead to full-on mountaineering and alpine climbing.
I didn't add ice climbing to this list because I didn't want to unfairly place it somewhere. I would probably put it alongside both the Trad and Mountaineering/Alpinism categories because the skillset is different than other forms of climbing, just as marathoning and ultra-marathoning are far different than your local 5k. In marathons and beyond, you have to worry about replenishing nutrients midrace, unlike a 5k or 10k.
The comparison was just for fun, but if you have any comments feel free to leave them below.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Nailed Down
The two things I love to do the most are run and climb. I've been hitting the trails more often to satisfy my burning desires to escape the cage that is my apartment. I'm still lacking big time in the climbing department. Being in Germany, you would expect me to have climbed in the Alps already. Or at least on some mountain around here. Neither is the case. The tricky thing about climbing is finding a partner that you trust. That trust doesn't come easy. It generally requires multiple climbing sessions together and a thorough knowledge of the sport and its many risks. Since departing the U.S. I have been severed (almost) from my trusty adventure partner and have yet to find a substitute. Actually none of my friends are intrigued by the idea of climbing outside and so far only one has agreed to climb inside with me. I jumped on the opportunity last week and weaseled him into going climbing tomorrow after work. Friday afternoon, the plague returned. In search of some wood for a freestanding hangboard I'm planning to build, I went dumpster diving in the bin at work. I found a few pieces that I thought might serve a purpose in my design before a stealthy 1/8" nail found its way into the arch of my foot.
As signals of pain made their way to my brain I quickly raised my right leg and watched the 4" long nail reveal the other half inch that was previously residing in my foot. Within 3 whole seconds after stepping on the nail I was out of the dumpster sitting on the ground with my shoe and sock torn off applying pressure to the hole in my foot. Feeling embarrassed about not seeing the nail, I wanted to get somewhere that I could clean the wound and bandage it up before finding someone to take me to the hospital. That plan only last about 90 seconds before I lost my calm and the lights went out after walking 50 yards. I didn't even make it out of the parking lot. Someone making a delivery lifted me off the ground and dragged me inside the security guard booth where I was given a glass of water. I quickly came to and had to answer a bombardment of questions, in German. I explained who I was, what I was doing and what had happened, also in German. How's that for "Aware and Oriented x 5?" I had to repeat the entire rundown again plus answer a few more questions when the paramedics arrived to wheel me away to the "Krankenhaus."
About an hour later they were about to discharge me before I started firing off a few questions of my own. Not able to remember when I had my last tetanus shot, I wasn't too keen on walking out of their without one. I found it interesting that no one had confirmed whether I had had a tetanus shot recently. I remember the paramedics saying something about it and I thought they meant that they were going to give me one once I got to the hospital. False. Now I realize that they were asking me if I had one and I mistakenly said yes. So much for that German course. Anyway, I asked the nurse if she was going to give me the shot. When I explained that I had no idea when I had my last tetanus shot she consulted the doctor who informed her that it had to be within the last 5 years. Definitely did not have a tetanus shot in the last 5 years. She agreed it was best to give me the shot and let me on my way, after which I called a friend to come pick me up.
I spent the rest of the weekend with my feet up, surfing the internet and playing video games. Monday came around and as instructed I went to see my doctor. Yes I have a doctor here in Germany. Mr. Agha and his staff of nurses know me by first name. He had to re-open the wound to let it bleed out to prevent infection. With one nurse restraining each of my legs and one nurse on standby, Mr. Agha cut into my foot and recovered two hefty pieces of rubber originating from my shoe. Thanks to the nurses at the hospital that did such a great job cleaning it out! Before wrapping my foot in a whole roll of gauze the doc put some plastic apparatus in there to keep the wound open for the next two days. "Wonderful." I go back tomorrow to have it removed so the wound can finally start to heal properly. Needless to say I won't be climbing tomorrow.
As signals of pain made their way to my brain I quickly raised my right leg and watched the 4" long nail reveal the other half inch that was previously residing in my foot. Within 3 whole seconds after stepping on the nail I was out of the dumpster sitting on the ground with my shoe and sock torn off applying pressure to the hole in my foot. Feeling embarrassed about not seeing the nail, I wanted to get somewhere that I could clean the wound and bandage it up before finding someone to take me to the hospital. That plan only last about 90 seconds before I lost my calm and the lights went out after walking 50 yards. I didn't even make it out of the parking lot. Someone making a delivery lifted me off the ground and dragged me inside the security guard booth where I was given a glass of water. I quickly came to and had to answer a bombardment of questions, in German. I explained who I was, what I was doing and what had happened, also in German. How's that for "Aware and Oriented x 5?" I had to repeat the entire rundown again plus answer a few more questions when the paramedics arrived to wheel me away to the "Krankenhaus."
About an hour later they were about to discharge me before I started firing off a few questions of my own. Not able to remember when I had my last tetanus shot, I wasn't too keen on walking out of their without one. I found it interesting that no one had confirmed whether I had had a tetanus shot recently. I remember the paramedics saying something about it and I thought they meant that they were going to give me one once I got to the hospital. False. Now I realize that they were asking me if I had one and I mistakenly said yes. So much for that German course. Anyway, I asked the nurse if she was going to give me the shot. When I explained that I had no idea when I had my last tetanus shot she consulted the doctor who informed her that it had to be within the last 5 years. Definitely did not have a tetanus shot in the last 5 years. She agreed it was best to give me the shot and let me on my way, after which I called a friend to come pick me up.
I spent the rest of the weekend with my feet up, surfing the internet and playing video games. Monday came around and as instructed I went to see my doctor. Yes I have a doctor here in Germany. Mr. Agha and his staff of nurses know me by first name. He had to re-open the wound to let it bleed out to prevent infection. With one nurse restraining each of my legs and one nurse on standby, Mr. Agha cut into my foot and recovered two hefty pieces of rubber originating from my shoe. Thanks to the nurses at the hospital that did such a great job cleaning it out! Before wrapping my foot in a whole roll of gauze the doc put some plastic apparatus in there to keep the wound open for the next two days. "Wonderful." I go back tomorrow to have it removed so the wound can finally start to heal properly. Needless to say I won't be climbing tomorrow.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Week 2
Week two has commenced and I'm starting to settle in. Work is getting more interesting. I've been given the task of retro-fitting our pump to fit into the dimensional constraints of a competitor's pump. Basically we have a customer that doesn't like our competitor's pump anymore and wants to put ours in it's place. The pipework has already been fitted to the dimensions of this other pump and the customer doesn't want to redo everything. So I get to design some mods to our pump to that it will fit. I spent the last week drawing up some ideas in 3D (since everything is done in 3D here). Real design work! Sometime next week we'll talk about it and decide what we're going to do.
I still haven't gotten my clothes and gear from customs yet. Someone from our shipping department contacted me about a packing list and a declaration of goods. I had to confirm that there were no alcohol, drugs or weapons in my stuff. With all documents forwarded along, all I can do now is wait for them to finish and tell me when I can pick it all up. I hope it's soon. I've been rotating between 3 sweaters and two pairs of jeans for the last two weeks. I think the guys at work are catching on.
After going to the bank and making a few calls to my bank in the US, I discovered that I can't just transfer money from one bank to the other. I don't understand why not. If I have the account number it doesn't seem all that difficult to me. I pay my bills just by supplying an account number. I wonder if I could set up a bill payment to my German bank account.... Anyway, I found out that I get free international withdraws from ATM's and that I can take out up to $1000 per day. Not a bad deal to be honest. I can take out money at the ATM outside the bank and then walk in and deposit it. I also avoid any kind of transfer fee. Good deal.
Earlier this week I got a few particulars about the language course I'm supposed to take. Starting June 7th I'll live with a host-family in München for a week while I attend the course. The course lasts from 9-4 each day and is said to be pretty intense. The program requires living with the host family in order to totally immerse you in the language and force you to use what you've learned. It's going to be pretty wild. The good news is that I won't have to worry about work stuff while I'm there. After this week, there is a 2 week break before I return for a second week. I'm looking forward to being able to speak to Germans without a translator. It's kind of a pain when you can't talk to anyone at the bar.
On Friday I decided it was pretty important that I get a bike so I can ride around town and figure out where things are. I went to the closest bike shop and picked up a secondhand mountain bike for 100 €. Good enough. Saturday I threw on my pack and took the bike out for a spin. First stop was getting a haircut at a salon that a friend from work goes to. This was going to be tricky. How am I supposed to tell them what I want? Easy, a picture! Lucky for me there was someone there that spoke good English. So I explained to her what I was looking for with the help of the pictures I brought. She then relayed the requests to the hairstylists and we were good to go. Before I sat down they asked me if I would like a coffee. Yes please! That's so cool that they ask you that here. It made me feel pretty relaxed. It also helped that the hairstylist was good looking. She took her time with the cut and did an awesome job.
Happy with my new cut I decide to go and explore the town a bit. Riding down the street the first thing that catches my eye is a giant sign with a skier doing a backflip with his skis crossed. I take a closer look at the store and notice Deuter backpacking packs on display in the window. I hit the brakes, pull over and lock up my bike. When I walk in I'm immediately drawn over to the packs. Most of them are Deuter, a German brand that I'm familiar with from outdoor gear shows, gear shops and outdoor film festivals. Sweet packs. On my left I see a small rack with spools of rope, cord and webbing. A little higher and I find the Edelrid slings and Mammut draws and lockers. Not a very big selection, but still comforting to know that it's here. I continue to walk around the store and take inventory. The store is an odd combination of an EMS and Dick's Sporting goods. There's a good selection of outdoor clothing and hiking shoes/boots with a small section of sleeping bags and tents. There's a fair selection of running shoes which I also like. Yeah I stopped long enough to see which models they carry. Moving on I see they carry an assortment other sports equipment, most dominant is the fußball(soccer) equipment. Soccer is so much bigger here than it is in the states. It probably won't be long before I need to buy a pair of cleats for pick-up soccer games.
I decided to part with my bike in exchange for walking and really taking my time to get to know the town. Continuing my stroll I find dozens of little coffee shops with a wine shop scattered in here and there. I also noticed a bunch of places selling fresh fruit. Not having much room in my pack, I decided to make a fruit run the next time I come back.
Next I stumble across a book store. Another weakness. Not expecting to really find much, I walk in. I don't recognize any of the books or authors at first. As I proceed to browse the shop I notice German versions of books that I'm familiar with, most notably is the Harry Potter series. I've read the first four books in the series, but being as that the copies here are in German I keep walking. Eventually I get to a section that reads English. I'm fucked. I know I'm walking out of here with a book. I just finished an awesome book called "A Million Little Pieces" and I'm dying for another adventure. I won't get my books until all my stuff is released from customs, so I'm in need of a book. I recognize a few of the titles, and after picking up some of the others I determine that they're not worth buying. Back to the ones I know. I read the back cover of a half dozen books and none of them thrill me. I'm left with one alternative. The Twilight Series. I was kind of hoping to find something else when I saw these books here. No such luck. I delved into another vampire series by Laurel K. Hamilton well before the Twilight books came about and I really enjoyed them. I intend to finish the series actually. Being as that this other vampire series was entertaining I figured I'd give this one a try and ignore any stigma that may come about from reading a "love story." There and vampires and werewolves, it's gotta be good! Look at Underworld. Those movies were awesome! So I bought it. I'm about 30 pages in so far; no real opinion yet but I'll be sure to comment on it later.
At the end of my tour I stop at a sandwich shop that I'm familiar with. A friend from work took me here for lunch the day before. Liking what I had, I came back. They roast turkey on a vertical rotisserie device and then scrap off shavings to make a sandwich. It kinda looks like the chopped up meat you would see in a cheesesteak except that it's turkey. It's sooo goood! They serve it on a kaiser roll that they flattened and grilled in a sandwich press; the kind they use for panini sandwiches. They cut the roll about 3/4 of the way through and then stuff it with turkey the way you would a pita. Anyway, they dress it up with a mayonnaise-like sauce, lettuce, onion, tomato and sprinkle a paprika seasoning on it to make it spicy. Gooood stuff. It's pretty cheap too. 3 €. One of those and a drink is all you need.
Throughout the day I noticed tons of bike racks. There's one outside every other store almost. So many people bike to get around here, I love it. I've even seen a bunch of old people riding around. Some of these folks have to be in their 70's! Crazy! So cool though. I hope I'm biking around town at that age.
I got home and relaxed for a bit before making dinner and watching the Bayern München game. They got shut out by Inter Milan. Boo!
I'm beginning to feel the effects of this six hour time difference to the east coast. It's made it really difficult to chat with friends. When I hop online after work everyone at home is still in the middle of the work day. When they get home from work, I'm in bed. That makes real-time conversation an inconvenience or an interruption for someone no matter what time it is. I've been getting by mostly on facebook comments and wall posts. Emails are certainly better when I have a lot to say but I find myself waiting longer for a response since most would prefer to send emails from their computer instead of the short messages that are so easy to send from a phone. I'm trying to be as patient and positive as I can, but this six hour time difference makes for some solemn hours in my apartment.
I still haven't gotten my clothes and gear from customs yet. Someone from our shipping department contacted me about a packing list and a declaration of goods. I had to confirm that there were no alcohol, drugs or weapons in my stuff. With all documents forwarded along, all I can do now is wait for them to finish and tell me when I can pick it all up. I hope it's soon. I've been rotating between 3 sweaters and two pairs of jeans for the last two weeks. I think the guys at work are catching on.
After going to the bank and making a few calls to my bank in the US, I discovered that I can't just transfer money from one bank to the other. I don't understand why not. If I have the account number it doesn't seem all that difficult to me. I pay my bills just by supplying an account number. I wonder if I could set up a bill payment to my German bank account.... Anyway, I found out that I get free international withdraws from ATM's and that I can take out up to $1000 per day. Not a bad deal to be honest. I can take out money at the ATM outside the bank and then walk in and deposit it. I also avoid any kind of transfer fee. Good deal.
Earlier this week I got a few particulars about the language course I'm supposed to take. Starting June 7th I'll live with a host-family in München for a week while I attend the course. The course lasts from 9-4 each day and is said to be pretty intense. The program requires living with the host family in order to totally immerse you in the language and force you to use what you've learned. It's going to be pretty wild. The good news is that I won't have to worry about work stuff while I'm there. After this week, there is a 2 week break before I return for a second week. I'm looking forward to being able to speak to Germans without a translator. It's kind of a pain when you can't talk to anyone at the bar.
On Friday I decided it was pretty important that I get a bike so I can ride around town and figure out where things are. I went to the closest bike shop and picked up a secondhand mountain bike for 100 €. Good enough. Saturday I threw on my pack and took the bike out for a spin. First stop was getting a haircut at a salon that a friend from work goes to. This was going to be tricky. How am I supposed to tell them what I want? Easy, a picture! Lucky for me there was someone there that spoke good English. So I explained to her what I was looking for with the help of the pictures I brought. She then relayed the requests to the hairstylists and we were good to go. Before I sat down they asked me if I would like a coffee. Yes please! That's so cool that they ask you that here. It made me feel pretty relaxed. It also helped that the hairstylist was good looking. She took her time with the cut and did an awesome job.
Happy with my new cut I decide to go and explore the town a bit. Riding down the street the first thing that catches my eye is a giant sign with a skier doing a backflip with his skis crossed. I take a closer look at the store and notice Deuter backpacking packs on display in the window. I hit the brakes, pull over and lock up my bike. When I walk in I'm immediately drawn over to the packs. Most of them are Deuter, a German brand that I'm familiar with from outdoor gear shows, gear shops and outdoor film festivals. Sweet packs. On my left I see a small rack with spools of rope, cord and webbing. A little higher and I find the Edelrid slings and Mammut draws and lockers. Not a very big selection, but still comforting to know that it's here. I continue to walk around the store and take inventory. The store is an odd combination of an EMS and Dick's Sporting goods. There's a good selection of outdoor clothing and hiking shoes/boots with a small section of sleeping bags and tents. There's a fair selection of running shoes which I also like. Yeah I stopped long enough to see which models they carry. Moving on I see they carry an assortment other sports equipment, most dominant is the fußball(soccer) equipment. Soccer is so much bigger here than it is in the states. It probably won't be long before I need to buy a pair of cleats for pick-up soccer games.
Deuter packs
I decided to part with my bike in exchange for walking and really taking my time to get to know the town. Continuing my stroll I find dozens of little coffee shops with a wine shop scattered in here and there. I also noticed a bunch of places selling fresh fruit. Not having much room in my pack, I decided to make a fruit run the next time I come back.
Next I stumble across a book store. Another weakness. Not expecting to really find much, I walk in. I don't recognize any of the books or authors at first. As I proceed to browse the shop I notice German versions of books that I'm familiar with, most notably is the Harry Potter series. I've read the first four books in the series, but being as that the copies here are in German I keep walking. Eventually I get to a section that reads English. I'm fucked. I know I'm walking out of here with a book. I just finished an awesome book called "A Million Little Pieces" and I'm dying for another adventure. I won't get my books until all my stuff is released from customs, so I'm in need of a book. I recognize a few of the titles, and after picking up some of the others I determine that they're not worth buying. Back to the ones I know. I read the back cover of a half dozen books and none of them thrill me. I'm left with one alternative. The Twilight Series. I was kind of hoping to find something else when I saw these books here. No such luck. I delved into another vampire series by Laurel K. Hamilton well before the Twilight books came about and I really enjoyed them. I intend to finish the series actually. Being as that this other vampire series was entertaining I figured I'd give this one a try and ignore any stigma that may come about from reading a "love story." There and vampires and werewolves, it's gotta be good! Look at Underworld. Those movies were awesome! So I bought it. I'm about 30 pages in so far; no real opinion yet but I'll be sure to comment on it later.
At the end of my tour I stop at a sandwich shop that I'm familiar with. A friend from work took me here for lunch the day before. Liking what I had, I came back. They roast turkey on a vertical rotisserie device and then scrap off shavings to make a sandwich. It kinda looks like the chopped up meat you would see in a cheesesteak except that it's turkey. It's sooo goood! They serve it on a kaiser roll that they flattened and grilled in a sandwich press; the kind they use for panini sandwiches. They cut the roll about 3/4 of the way through and then stuff it with turkey the way you would a pita. Anyway, they dress it up with a mayonnaise-like sauce, lettuce, onion, tomato and sprinkle a paprika seasoning on it to make it spicy. Gooood stuff. It's pretty cheap too. 3 €. One of those and a drink is all you need.
Throughout the day I noticed tons of bike racks. There's one outside every other store almost. So many people bike to get around here, I love it. I've even seen a bunch of old people riding around. Some of these folks have to be in their 70's! Crazy! So cool though. I hope I'm biking around town at that age.
One of many bike racks in town
Now thats a bike rack! Look at all those spaces!
My European loot left over from the day
I got home and relaxed for a bit before making dinner and watching the Bayern München game. They got shut out by Inter Milan. Boo!
I'm beginning to feel the effects of this six hour time difference to the east coast. It's made it really difficult to chat with friends. When I hop online after work everyone at home is still in the middle of the work day. When they get home from work, I'm in bed. That makes real-time conversation an inconvenience or an interruption for someone no matter what time it is. I've been getting by mostly on facebook comments and wall posts. Emails are certainly better when I have a lot to say but I find myself waiting longer for a response since most would prefer to send emails from their computer instead of the short messages that are so easy to send from a phone. I'm trying to be as patient and positive as I can, but this six hour time difference makes for some solemn hours in my apartment.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Snow!!!!!!!!
Weatherman says we're due for about a foot of snow. I say bring it on! I'm ready. Who am I kidding. It's going to be a lonely ass weekend when I'm stuck alone in my apartment. It will be a long weekend of movies, gaming and surfing the internet. That plan could go down the pipes super fast if the cable gets knocked out. Man would that suck. Then I'd be stuck with reading one of the dozens of books sitting on the shelf. I suppose that wouldn't be so bad. I do have a lot of really good books I've been meaning to read. Meh, one day.
I'm glad it's finally the weekend. This week has been all kinds of crazy. I've been training with one of the "engineers" at work in the past few weeks and consequently stopped working on all the side projects that my boss had me working on. Well that kinda backfired. This week my boss asked for updates on all those research and development projects that he assigned to me. Apparently he expects me to be able to train AND conjure up results on all these r&d projects. He's not much of a realist. On top of that, Terry (the guy I'm training with) is catching wind of my plans to work in Germany. He doesn't know exactly whats going on, but he has been saying all week that he knows something is going on and that he's going to get "fucked." As of January, he is supposed to begin his retirement plan by moving to 3-day weeks. He's pretty sure that won't happen. Somehow he can sense that the company is going to dick him over and ask him to stay on full time. I feel pretty terrible because I know that by going to Germany I'm basically fucking up his retirement. There's no way that I can turn down this opportunity though. I can't pass this up, no way. I'm going.....Sorry Terry.
Aside from being busy at work, I heard from my old roommates that the realtor is trying to make us pay for January and February because we didn't tell them that we weren't renewing the lease. That's pretty messed up. The original lease that we signed didn't have a renewal option checked off. We signed a new lease when we changed roommates 1 year into the lease. Well that one had the "Lease will automatically renew unless tenant provides 60 days written notice to landlord" option checked off. Fucking con artists. They changed the terms of the lease. I'm mostly mad that I didn't catch it earlier, but I'm still pretty mad that they want money that they really don't deserve. The owner of the house called us a while back and asked if we were renewing and we informed her that we were NOT renewing. She didn't say anything about it so we assumed we were OK. Then someone got a call from the realtor. Con artists I tell you. The owner actually went to the house today with a realtor and put the house back on the market. I wasn't there (because I moved out and I was at work anyway) but my roommate Karyn told me that the owner didn't say anything about the extra two months and that we might be off the hook. Well she and I both agreed that until someone starts asking for that money we're keeping our mouths shut.
In other news, rockandsnow.com awarded me $25 for all the climbing gear purchases that I've made this year. Sweet! They are a really great climbing store in New Paltz, NY. They also have a website that allows for online shopping and they ship super fast. Maybe it's because they're in NY and I'm in PA, but I swear they send me an email on the day I make my purchase saying that "your item(s) have shipped." Before I know it there's a package at my door and I'm super happy with my new gear. So I think they're great. I'll probably use the $25 to get carabiners or something. A few more never biners on your harness never hurts.
Speaking of climbing and online-purchases, I just bought a really cool Osprey travel backpack from moosejaw. Check it out. They are another company that I LOVE ordering gear from. I can't wait to spend all the reward points I've accumulated.
Until something more exciting happens, wood signing off.
I'm glad it's finally the weekend. This week has been all kinds of crazy. I've been training with one of the "engineers" at work in the past few weeks and consequently stopped working on all the side projects that my boss had me working on. Well that kinda backfired. This week my boss asked for updates on all those research and development projects that he assigned to me. Apparently he expects me to be able to train AND conjure up results on all these r&d projects. He's not much of a realist. On top of that, Terry (the guy I'm training with) is catching wind of my plans to work in Germany. He doesn't know exactly whats going on, but he has been saying all week that he knows something is going on and that he's going to get "fucked." As of January, he is supposed to begin his retirement plan by moving to 3-day weeks. He's pretty sure that won't happen. Somehow he can sense that the company is going to dick him over and ask him to stay on full time. I feel pretty terrible because I know that by going to Germany I'm basically fucking up his retirement. There's no way that I can turn down this opportunity though. I can't pass this up, no way. I'm going.....Sorry Terry.
Aside from being busy at work, I heard from my old roommates that the realtor is trying to make us pay for January and February because we didn't tell them that we weren't renewing the lease. That's pretty messed up. The original lease that we signed didn't have a renewal option checked off. We signed a new lease when we changed roommates 1 year into the lease. Well that one had the "Lease will automatically renew unless tenant provides 60 days written notice to landlord" option checked off. Fucking con artists. They changed the terms of the lease. I'm mostly mad that I didn't catch it earlier, but I'm still pretty mad that they want money that they really don't deserve. The owner of the house called us a while back and asked if we were renewing and we informed her that we were NOT renewing. She didn't say anything about it so we assumed we were OK. Then someone got a call from the realtor. Con artists I tell you. The owner actually went to the house today with a realtor and put the house back on the market. I wasn't there (because I moved out and I was at work anyway) but my roommate Karyn told me that the owner didn't say anything about the extra two months and that we might be off the hook. Well she and I both agreed that until someone starts asking for that money we're keeping our mouths shut.
In other news, rockandsnow.com awarded me $25 for all the climbing gear purchases that I've made this year. Sweet! They are a really great climbing store in New Paltz, NY. They also have a website that allows for online shopping and they ship super fast. Maybe it's because they're in NY and I'm in PA, but I swear they send me an email on the day I make my purchase saying that "your item(s) have shipped." Before I know it there's a package at my door and I'm super happy with my new gear. So I think they're great. I'll probably use the $25 to get carabiners or something. A few more never biners on your harness never hurts.
Speaking of climbing and online-purchases, I just bought a really cool Osprey travel backpack from moosejaw. Check it out. They are another company that I LOVE ordering gear from. I can't wait to spend all the reward points I've accumulated.
Until something more exciting happens, wood signing off.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
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.
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.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
D-Day
I got fed up trying to schedule that presentation at work, so the other day I told my boss that since everything revolves around his schedule that he should schedule the meeting. I didn't phrase it exactly like that, but it was fairly close. There was definitely a glimmer of "fuck you" in the way I said it to him. He agreed to schedule it though (1 point for me!). So the big day is tomorrow at 7:45AM. Yes, 7:45AM. The guy is in meetings ALL day tomorrow. I do not envy him. Today I realized that if everything goes to hell tomorrow morning, this presentation has the potential to ruin an entire Friday since it is so early in the morning. How crappy is that? I better make some plans for tomorrow night so I have something to look forward to.
Going a bit off topic, my new tent came in the mail today! I bought it from Moosejaw. They are a really great company. They sell mostly backpacking, climbing, and general outdoor clothing and gear. Their customer service is terrific, the rewards program rocks and I love getting their emails with sayings like
"If you order something and get the free $21 Gift Card and then return the something but don't return the Gift Card we'll deduct $21 from your credit. Sorry for being so mean about it."
You gotta love that. These people are so down to earth. Everyone should go check out their website and buy lots of stuff from them.
Going a bit off topic, my new tent came in the mail today! I bought it from Moosejaw. They are a really great company. They sell mostly backpacking, climbing, and general outdoor clothing and gear. Their customer service is terrific, the rewards program rocks and I love getting their emails with sayings like
"If you order something and get the free $21 Gift Card and then return the something but don't return the Gift Card we'll deduct $21 from your credit. Sorry for being so mean about it."
You gotta love that. These people are so down to earth. Everyone should go check out their website and buy lots of stuff from them.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Ode to Media
This weekend was a good reminder of why I love living in Media, PA. Friday night I went to Joclyn's to see my favorite band, Jealousy Curve, play. They have a new album coming out in a few weeks and everyone should pre-order it. The best part about Joclyn's is that it is within walking distance of my house. Today my roommate and I went to our favorite hippie coffee shop, Seven Stones. It is also within walking distance. On the way there we watched a squirrel jump out of the bushes and ricochet off of a parking meter. I felt bad for the squirrel but I couldn't help but laugh at the expense of its stupidity. Or maybe it was retarded.
So often I'm not home during the weekends that I forget how great it is to live in such a fun town. One of my roommates and I intend to get an apartment when our lease on the house is up. I think we'll stay in Media.
However, I need to find some outdoor climbing in the area. Hopefully some nice bouldering. Who wants to go boulder hunting with me? It would be nice to find a moderate area to climb close to home. Most of the good outdoor climbing takes an hour or more to get to. I don't mind making the drive generally, but it can be hard to find a partner that is willing to go. If I could find something closer to home, I wouldn't mind going by myself.
So often I'm not home during the weekends that I forget how great it is to live in such a fun town. One of my roommates and I intend to get an apartment when our lease on the house is up. I think we'll stay in Media.
However, I need to find some outdoor climbing in the area. Hopefully some nice bouldering. Who wants to go boulder hunting with me? It would be nice to find a moderate area to climb close to home. Most of the good outdoor climbing takes an hour or more to get to. I don't mind making the drive generally, but it can be hard to find a partner that is willing to go. If I could find something closer to home, I wouldn't mind going by myself.
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