Get it?
I figured I would give a quick update on my progress over the past couple of weeks. Things have been going well so far. I've hardly watched any TV (unless you count the two night marathon of the 5th and final season of Friday Night Lights that just came out on DVD), I've been getting to work on time (or darn close to it), cooking more, drinking (a little) less soda, trying to squeeze in some reading (I wish I had time for more), and I've now flossed 5 times in 2 weeks! I feel pretty good about these first two weeks and am really looking forward to continue with the improved me. Hopefully I'll give a more detailed post later on, but I'm getting tired and would like to get a little reading in before I fall asleep. Let's hope week three goes just as well as the first two!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-changes
So I've been saying it for a long time, but it's time to make some changes...and this time, I mean business. For the most part, I'm pretty happy with my life, but for a long time, I've also felt a bit complacent. In the past, I have tried to convince myself that I would make a change (eg. getting up a bit earlier to have breakfast), only to see the attempted goal fizzle within a week or two. I have read that it takes 30-40 days to truly make a change (form a new habit), but as I'm sure you all know, those first 30 days can be pretty rough. Seeing as those 30 days are so hard to overcome, I have always tried to make it easier on myself by only taking on one change at a time. However, since none of these have stuck, I'm going about it a different way this time. I'm going all in. I will be working on all of the things that I have been wanting to improve upon or change in my life at the same time. I figure that maybe by doing numerous things at once, if I start to regress on something, the other progressing changes will make me feel bad about it and get me back on the wagon (or is it off the wagon?). I'm not sure if that makes sense to you (or me), but that's what I'm going to shoot for...I'll let you know how it goes.
Improvements, changes, etc... (in no particular order. Feel free to suggest additions):
I'm sure there are plenty more things that I could and should list here, but it is getting late and I need to get to bed so I can get to work on time. PLEASE help keep me on track! Call me, text me, Facebook me, whatever, and ask how my progress is going. Don't be afraid to scold either. If you happen across something you find interesting that relates to the fields above, please pass it along.
I know all of these things won't happen overnight by any means, but I feel like they are definitely doable, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens. I'm not sure where this motivation came from, but I have a couple of ideas. Lately, I've been so busy with work and other things that I really haven't had time for much TV or video games, and I just saw that I can actually live without those things and not miss them all that much. Also, in two short months, I will be moving into a new apartment, either by myself, or with a roommate, but the plan is to carry all of these changes into my new home. I'm not even going to get cable when I move. I'm sure that I will watch some TV shows on my computer, but I don't need an actual TV with cable...it just creates problems. Finally, someone recently came into my life that accepts me as I am, but at the same time, has made me want to become a better person, the person I know I can be. I just needed a reason to do it.
Improvements, changes, etc... (in no particular order. Feel free to suggest additions):
-Stop being so goddamn lazy:
this could be the whole list by itself, but the main focus is on just doing the small things that need to be done, especially since 'it' only takes 2 minutes and won't be in the back of my mind every time I'm around 'it'.
-Watch less TV
-Play less video games:
already happening actually
-Read more:
I actually started a book (see right hand column). I actually enjoy reading, but I just don't do it because I spend too much time watching TV. Stupid. I'm ready to read and educate myself.
-Educate myself:
I don't want to turn into one of those people that spends hours online pouring over news articles, but I'm waaaayyyy to apathetic right now, and could use a little more information in my life. Not just educate myself on current events either, but on life and philosophy and other things. The book I'm reading now is quite good so far, and the kind of thing I've been wanting to read for quite a while. Good ol' Naturalism.
-Eat less fast food:
I enjoy dinning out, it is my biggest vice and money guzzler, but as long as it is decent food, I don't see the problem. However, I still eat more fast food than I should, and I would definitely like to cut more of that out.
-Cook more:
I enjoy cooking, it is just hard to find time for it. I use climbing as an excuse a lot, since I go to the gym after work then get home around 8:30, who wants to cook? But really, climbing is only a few days a week, and I should have leftovers from the other nights.
-Cook healthier, real meals:
A lot of times when I do 'cook', it is Chef Boyardee or Hamburger Helper. Is that really cooking? Although I like that stuff, and there is a time and place for them, in general, I need to start cooking lighter, healthier meals; not because I'm trying to lose weight or anything, I just feel that I could be a much healthier person, which would give me more energy, which would make me want to do more, which would make me less lazy, which would...oh, you get the idea.
-Drink less soda (pop):
I drink WAAAY too much soda right now. By no means will I cut it out completely, because man, do I love me some soda, but it has gotten a bit ridiculous.
-Take better care of my body:
See above. Also, I finally started taking my vitamins. Day 1.
-Start taking better care of my teeth:
I have decently healthy teeth (surprisingly...knock on wood), but I really need to start flossing. Tonight will be night 3 of flossing out of the past 5. Not bad right? (it won't ever become an every night ritual, but it's better than once every 2 years).
-Get more done around the house:
I definitely need to contribute more to the overall cleanliness of our apartment.
-Get to work on time:
I have gotten in a bad habit of rolling into work late. Not just 5 minutes, but sometimes up to 20. Some of that is because I can get away with it (for now...who knows how long that would last), but I need to take charge and stop taking advantage. It really isn't that hard: just get to bed at a decent time by not watching so much TV and wake up well rested so I don't have to hit snooze 15 times...
-Be more considerate, less self-centered:
Sometimes I can hide it, sometimes I can't, but deep down, I'm a pretty selfish person, and I don't like that. I definitely spend too much time thinking about me. 'If I do this for someone, then I won't be able to do this (read watch TV) for myself.' How crappy is that?
this could be the whole list by itself, but the main focus is on just doing the small things that need to be done, especially since 'it' only takes 2 minutes and won't be in the back of my mind every time I'm around 'it'.
-Watch less TV
-Play less video games:
already happening actually
-Read more:
I actually started a book (see right hand column). I actually enjoy reading, but I just don't do it because I spend too much time watching TV. Stupid. I'm ready to read and educate myself.
-Educate myself:
I don't want to turn into one of those people that spends hours online pouring over news articles, but I'm waaaayyyy to apathetic right now, and could use a little more information in my life. Not just educate myself on current events either, but on life and philosophy and other things. The book I'm reading now is quite good so far, and the kind of thing I've been wanting to read for quite a while. Good ol' Naturalism.
-Eat less fast food:
I enjoy dinning out, it is my biggest vice and money guzzler, but as long as it is decent food, I don't see the problem. However, I still eat more fast food than I should, and I would definitely like to cut more of that out.
-Cook more:
I enjoy cooking, it is just hard to find time for it. I use climbing as an excuse a lot, since I go to the gym after work then get home around 8:30, who wants to cook? But really, climbing is only a few days a week, and I should have leftovers from the other nights.
-Cook healthier, real meals:
A lot of times when I do 'cook', it is Chef Boyardee or Hamburger Helper. Is that really cooking? Although I like that stuff, and there is a time and place for them, in general, I need to start cooking lighter, healthier meals; not because I'm trying to lose weight or anything, I just feel that I could be a much healthier person, which would give me more energy, which would make me want to do more, which would make me less lazy, which would...oh, you get the idea.
-Drink less soda (pop):
I drink WAAAY too much soda right now. By no means will I cut it out completely, because man, do I love me some soda, but it has gotten a bit ridiculous.
-Take better care of my body:
See above. Also, I finally started taking my vitamins. Day 1.
-Start taking better care of my teeth:
I have decently healthy teeth (surprisingly...knock on wood), but I really need to start flossing. Tonight will be night 3 of flossing out of the past 5. Not bad right? (it won't ever become an every night ritual, but it's better than once every 2 years).
-Get more done around the house:
I definitely need to contribute more to the overall cleanliness of our apartment.
-Get to work on time:
I have gotten in a bad habit of rolling into work late. Not just 5 minutes, but sometimes up to 20. Some of that is because I can get away with it (for now...who knows how long that would last), but I need to take charge and stop taking advantage. It really isn't that hard: just get to bed at a decent time by not watching so much TV and wake up well rested so I don't have to hit snooze 15 times...
-Be more considerate, less self-centered:
Sometimes I can hide it, sometimes I can't, but deep down, I'm a pretty selfish person, and I don't like that. I definitely spend too much time thinking about me. 'If I do this for someone, then I won't be able to do this (read watch TV) for myself.' How crappy is that?
I'm sure there are plenty more things that I could and should list here, but it is getting late and I need to get to bed so I can get to work on time. PLEASE help keep me on track! Call me, text me, Facebook me, whatever, and ask how my progress is going. Don't be afraid to scold either. If you happen across something you find interesting that relates to the fields above, please pass it along.
I know all of these things won't happen overnight by any means, but I feel like they are definitely doable, and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens. I'm not sure where this motivation came from, but I have a couple of ideas. Lately, I've been so busy with work and other things that I really haven't had time for much TV or video games, and I just saw that I can actually live without those things and not miss them all that much. Also, in two short months, I will be moving into a new apartment, either by myself, or with a roommate, but the plan is to carry all of these changes into my new home. I'm not even going to get cable when I move. I'm sure that I will watch some TV shows on my computer, but I don't need an actual TV with cable...it just creates problems. Finally, someone recently came into my life that accepts me as I am, but at the same time, has made me want to become a better person, the person I know I can be. I just needed a reason to do it.
- I'm not trying to change who I am...just what I do. -
-Quotes that have jumped out at me from the Aldo Leopold book I'm currently reading:
"A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward, ear cocked for geese. I once knew an educated lady, banded by Phi Beta Kappa, who told me that she had never heard or seen the geese that twice a year proclaim the revolving seasons to her well-insulated roof. Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers."
"The drama of the sky dance is enacted nightly on hundreds of farms, the owners of which sigh for entertainment, but harbor the illusion that it is to be sought in theaters. They live on the land, but not by the land."
"How like fish we are: ready, nay eager, to seize upon whatever new thing some wind of circumstance shakes down upon the river of time! And how we rue our haste, finding the gilded morsel to contain a hook."
"A March morning is only as drab as he who walks in it without a glance skyward, ear cocked for geese. I once knew an educated lady, banded by Phi Beta Kappa, who told me that she had never heard or seen the geese that twice a year proclaim the revolving seasons to her well-insulated roof. Is education possibly a process of trading awareness for things of lesser worth? The goose who trades his is soon a pile of feathers."
"The drama of the sky dance is enacted nightly on hundreds of farms, the owners of which sigh for entertainment, but harbor the illusion that it is to be sought in theaters. They live on the land, but not by the land."
"How like fish we are: ready, nay eager, to seize upon whatever new thing some wind of circumstance shakes down upon the river of time! And how we rue our haste, finding the gilded morsel to contain a hook."
Sunday, February 6, 2011
New Photos
I finally got around to updating my Flickr page. Maybe someday soon I'll get around to updating my blog. Check out my photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drodino/
Climbing has been going all right. My gym's bouldering competition is this coming Saturday. I've decided to bump myself up to the top division this year. My goal is to just not get last! (there will probably only be 5 - 7 people competing in the elite division.) Wish me luck!
Climbing has been going all right. My gym's bouldering competition is this coming Saturday. I've decided to bump myself up to the top division this year. My goal is to just not get last! (there will probably only be 5 - 7 people competing in the elite division.) Wish me luck!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Off to Arkansas
So I'm heading to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas in the morning for a couple days of climbing. Andrew and I are going down tomorrow (late) morning to get camp set up and what not, then climb on Saturday and Sunday. My friends Wayne, Marty, and Letitia are hopefully going to be meeting up with us on Saturday night to climb with us on Sunday, so that will be nice.
Anyway, just wanted to put the big goals down for the weekend trip:
1. send my first V8 - Numerical Methods. I worked the moves last winter, but didn't really put a whole lot of work into it as I was trying to send another problem at the time. This would be a big leap in grade for me, but I definitely think it is do-able.
2. Finally send Razor's Edge (v5). I've worked this problem (formerly rated V7, but downgraded) on my last three trips to HCR, but just can't get the send. It's gonna happen this time though!
3. Hang Ten (V7). This would be my first V7 as well. I worked the moves on the last day of my New Years' trip last winter, but couldn't quite finish it up. It is a very burly roof problem, so it takes a lot of strength along with some good technique. I'm not sure if I'm quite in shape enough for this one, but I'm definitely going to give it some good goes. If not this trip, it'll go when I go down for New Years.
4. Have a good time and climb with some great friends, take some cool photos, and enjoy a weekend at the rocks.
Keep your eyes peeled next week for a follow-up. Also, some video from a show my band played should be put up sometime next week as well.
Wish me luck!
Anyway, just wanted to put the big goals down for the weekend trip:
1. send my first V8 - Numerical Methods. I worked the moves last winter, but didn't really put a whole lot of work into it as I was trying to send another problem at the time. This would be a big leap in grade for me, but I definitely think it is do-able.
2. Finally send Razor's Edge (v5). I've worked this problem (formerly rated V7, but downgraded) on my last three trips to HCR, but just can't get the send. It's gonna happen this time though!
3. Hang Ten (V7). This would be my first V7 as well. I worked the moves on the last day of my New Years' trip last winter, but couldn't quite finish it up. It is a very burly roof problem, so it takes a lot of strength along with some good technique. I'm not sure if I'm quite in shape enough for this one, but I'm definitely going to give it some good goes. If not this trip, it'll go when I go down for New Years.
4. Have a good time and climb with some great friends, take some cool photos, and enjoy a weekend at the rocks.
Keep your eyes peeled next week for a follow-up. Also, some video from a show my band played should be put up sometime next week as well.
Wish me luck!
Friday, November 12, 2010
To Brighten Your Day
I was looking for this tune on YouTube so that I could pass it along to my band in the hopes of playing it with them and I came across this video. I usually try not to watch all those cute animal videos, but I can't resist this one. Enjoy!
Monday, November 8, 2010
A Few Pictures from the Holy Boulders
John working on Tyler Durden (V5)
Steve lacing up for Enlightenment (V5) and Undercling King (V5)
John on Tyler Durden
Jamie on Undercling KingIt was great finally getting to the Holy Boulders down in Southern Illinois and I'm definitely looking forward to a return trip soon. I flashed the classic warm-up Mollusk (V3) and sent Enlightenment (V5) on my second attempt. After that I didn't send any more problems, but I put in some good work on Undercling King (V5), Jungle Book (V8...an area classic/testpiece) and Tyler Durden (V5). Durden should go down the next time I'm there, but the others could take more work.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
and i'm back in the game...
So I am finally getting myself back into climbing shape after virtually not climbing at all for the past 1/2 a year (by virtually I mean about once a month at the gym). The very last day of February was the last time I had climbed outside until October 2. On that day in February, I achieved my personal best grade: V6. On October 2, I was able to climb a couple of V1s... Obviously, I had some work to do. For the past 3 1/2 weeks, I've been hitting the climbing gym 3-4 days a week and have been outside twice. The first two weeks were very hard, both physically and mentally. I was working on boulder problems in the gym for multiple days that a year ago would've been done in two or three tries. I felt worse after an hour long session than I used to after 4 hours at the gym.
In the past week though, I have been seeing some big gains. I'm repeating all of the stuff I was projecting in that first week with ease and have moved on to working on some of the hardest stuff at the gym. My endurance is still pretty low, and if I do two days in a row, that second day is noticeably worse, but my peak strength is probably back to 85% of where I was 8 months ago. I'm working on V5s-V7s and am up to 2 - 2 1/2 hour sessions at the gym.
This weekend, I'll be making my first trip to the notorious "Holy Boulders" in southern Illinois. It is supposedly the best bouldering area in SoIll and is a little hush-hush. There are no printed directions or maps of the area - you just have to know where to go and what problems are what. I know a couple of people who have been, but have never been able to get together with them. My friend John from the gym is taking me this weekend though (weather permitting), and I'm pretty excited! There aren't too many easy problems there since it is not a place where newbies go, but I'm hoping I feel strong that day and can do some of the awesome intermediates that exist.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have an update for you after this weekend if we don't get rained out.
It feels good to be back.
In the past week though, I have been seeing some big gains. I'm repeating all of the stuff I was projecting in that first week with ease and have moved on to working on some of the hardest stuff at the gym. My endurance is still pretty low, and if I do two days in a row, that second day is noticeably worse, but my peak strength is probably back to 85% of where I was 8 months ago. I'm working on V5s-V7s and am up to 2 - 2 1/2 hour sessions at the gym.
This weekend, I'll be making my first trip to the notorious "Holy Boulders" in southern Illinois. It is supposedly the best bouldering area in SoIll and is a little hush-hush. There are no printed directions or maps of the area - you just have to know where to go and what problems are what. I know a couple of people who have been, but have never been able to get together with them. My friend John from the gym is taking me this weekend though (weather permitting), and I'm pretty excited! There aren't too many easy problems there since it is not a place where newbies go, but I'm hoping I feel strong that day and can do some of the awesome intermediates that exist.
Anyway, hopefully I'll have an update for you after this weekend if we don't get rained out.
It feels good to be back.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
15 Favorite Jazz Albums
Head on over to the Jazz St. Louis website to check out my list...
http://jazzstl.org/featured/devin-rodinos-15-favorite-jazz-albums/
http://jazzstl.org/featured/devin-rodinos-15-favorite-jazz-albums/
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I Want...
Hopefully I get myself a raise soon because this is in line to be purchase number 2 (following iPhone 4!).
This lens would be a HUGE help for my photography at Jazz at the Bistro. It is the perfect lens for low-light situations because of it's speed (large aperture=more light). It is equivalent to increasing the ISO by about 10 times with no increase in noise. I would finally be able to shoot at ISO 400 or so and still get well-lit photos. This lens is also considered to possibly be the best all-purpose lens available. Perfect for traveling, landscapes and portraits, as well as low-light.
Anyway, we'll see what happens, hopefully I will be able to purchase this soon, but at $450, who knows. (Currently accepting donations...)
Here are a couple of shots from the opening weekend at the Bistro with my not-so-perfect for low-light situations lenses.
This past weekend I went up to Pere Marquette State Park for a busted camping trip (a severe thunderstorm rolled in around 8:30 p.m.). Here are a couple of shots from a hike that was supposed to be about 3 1/4 miles, but turned into being more like 6 1/2....woops...
One of these coming posts I'll talk about HDR photography, something I'm looking into...
Welcome back!
This lens would be a HUGE help for my photography at Jazz at the Bistro. It is the perfect lens for low-light situations because of it's speed (large aperture=more light). It is equivalent to increasing the ISO by about 10 times with no increase in noise. I would finally be able to shoot at ISO 400 or so and still get well-lit photos. This lens is also considered to possibly be the best all-purpose lens available. Perfect for traveling, landscapes and portraits, as well as low-light.Anyway, we'll see what happens, hopefully I will be able to purchase this soon, but at $450, who knows. (Currently accepting donations...)
Here are a couple of shots from the opening weekend at the Bistro with my not-so-perfect for low-light situations lenses.
This past weekend I went up to Pere Marquette State Park for a busted camping trip (a severe thunderstorm rolled in around 8:30 p.m.). Here are a couple of shots from a hike that was supposed to be about 3 1/4 miles, but turned into being more like 6 1/2....woops...
One of these coming posts I'll talk about HDR photography, something I'm looking into...
Welcome back!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
My Oscar Predictions
Last year, I won Ben's Oscar contest with 21 out of 24 correct, this year, I'll be getting all 24! Here they are...enjoy the show!
Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Hurt Locker (2008): Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier, Greg Shapiro
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart (2009)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side (2009)
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Mo'Nique for Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (2009)
Best Achievement in Directing
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Inglourious Basterds (2009): Quentin Tarantino
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Up in the Air (2009/I): Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner
Best Achievement in Cinematography
The Hurt Locker (2008): Barry Ackroyd
Best Achievement in Editing
The Hurt Locker (2008): Bob Murawski, Chris Innis
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Avatar (2009): Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg, Kim Sinclair
Best Achievement in Costume Design
The Young Victoria (2009): Sandy Powell
Best Achievement in Makeup
Star Trek (2009): Barney Burman, Mindy Hall, Joel Harlow
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Up (2009): Michael Giacchino
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Crazy Heart (2009): T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham("The Weary Kind")
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
The Hurt Locker (2008): Paul N.J. Ottosson, Ray Beckett
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Avatar (2009): Christopher Boyes, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Avatar (2009): Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham, Andy Jones
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Up (2009): Pete Docter
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Das weisse Band - Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte (2009)(Germany)
Best Documentary, Features
The Cove (2009): Louie Psihoyos, Fisher Stevens
Best Documentary, Short Subjects
China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (2009) (TV): Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill
Best Short Film, Animated
Wallace and Gromit in 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' (2008) (TV): Nick Park
Best Short Film, Live Action
Kavi (2009): Gregg Helvey
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Update
So it's been a month since my last post....big surprise huh? I need to get better about just doing shorter/quicker updates more often rather than saving a bunch of stuff for one big post once a month. Oh well. I'll try to keep this one shorter anyway. So if you haven't already heard, the bouldering competition went well last month. I ended up placing 4th in advanced, which means I reached my goal! I actually ended up being the top finisher from our gym in advanced, but that is because I really strong climber from our gym that would've beat me hurt his finger just 2 days before. But yeah, the 3 guys that beat me were from out of town. I ended up winning a new chalk bucket, so since my sister got me one for x-mas, means I have 2 now. Oh well, one for the gym, one for outside. The number of competitors was down a bit from last year, but it was still a fun time.
Last weekend I went to see the Mozart Requiem at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. It was good, but I like Brahm's Requiem better. I might be going to see The Planets tonight, but we'll see. I am fortunate enough to be able to get in to the symphony for free pretty much any time I want, so I'm trying to start taking better advantage of that.
Last Sunday, I ended up going down to Jackson Falls to do a bit of bouldering. It was gorgeous weather! I ended up sending one of my long-standing projects, Wise Guys (V5). I also sent my first every V6, a problem called Burlier Problem (it starts in the same place as another problem called Girlier Problem, which is a V3). It is only about 3 moves long, but, as the name suggests, it's pretty burly. Needless to say, I was pretty darn excited after that. I've been trying to get a V6 for quite some time now. Next up: V7....hopefully sooner rather than later.
The weather is finally starting to improve around here after 2 solid months of clouds and rain. I'm going to try to go bouldering at The Graveyard on Sunday, but they are calling for a possibility of scattered showers, so we'll see if I get to go. If so, I'm really hoping to send Bug Eyes (V5), RIP (V6), and check out a new climb that's in the V7 range. There are also a couple of V4s I will hopefully be able to do. Cross your fingers for now rain down here on Sunday!
Today however, is supposed to be AWESOME weather, so I'm planning on taking advantage of it in the form of LOTS of slacklining. I've got get my chops back up and start polishing some tricks!
Anyway, that's about it for now. Like I said, I'll try to be more consistent...hopefully I'll have some good news to report after this weekend! I hope everyone is well....have a great one!
Last weekend I went to see the Mozart Requiem at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. It was good, but I like Brahm's Requiem better. I might be going to see The Planets tonight, but we'll see. I am fortunate enough to be able to get in to the symphony for free pretty much any time I want, so I'm trying to start taking better advantage of that.
Last Sunday, I ended up going down to Jackson Falls to do a bit of bouldering. It was gorgeous weather! I ended up sending one of my long-standing projects, Wise Guys (V5). I also sent my first every V6, a problem called Burlier Problem (it starts in the same place as another problem called Girlier Problem, which is a V3). It is only about 3 moves long, but, as the name suggests, it's pretty burly. Needless to say, I was pretty darn excited after that. I've been trying to get a V6 for quite some time now. Next up: V7....hopefully sooner rather than later.
The weather is finally starting to improve around here after 2 solid months of clouds and rain. I'm going to try to go bouldering at The Graveyard on Sunday, but they are calling for a possibility of scattered showers, so we'll see if I get to go. If so, I'm really hoping to send Bug Eyes (V5), RIP (V6), and check out a new climb that's in the V7 range. There are also a couple of V4s I will hopefully be able to do. Cross your fingers for now rain down here on Sunday!
Today however, is supposed to be AWESOME weather, so I'm planning on taking advantage of it in the form of LOTS of slacklining. I've got get my chops back up and start polishing some tricks!
Anyway, that's about it for now. Like I said, I'll try to be more consistent...hopefully I'll have some good news to report after this weekend! I hope everyone is well....have a great one!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Goals
So the weather is still pretty miserable in St. Louis these days. I can’t remember the last time I saw completely dry ground. The worst part is that it is prime bouldering season and I haven’t been able to take an outside trip since New Years. On the upside though, I have been getting to the climbing gym a ton and will hopefully be in prime condition for the Gateway Boulder Bash 2010. This is the annual bouldering competition at Upper Limits (the gym where I climb). Last year I competed in the intermediate category and placed 3rd in the men’s division. This year I am gonna try my hand at the advanced category (Elite is the highest division). Last year there were about 25 guys competing in advanced, but I have heard that there aren’t as many competitors this year. Either way, my goal is to finish in the top half of the advanced men’s. Well, my goal is actually to place in the top 5, but I would be happy with a top half finish. I know some of the people competing in advanced, but once I know everyone that is competing I will have a better gauge…unfortunately that won’t be until I get there for the comp. My friend Andrew is also competing in advanced this year after not competing last year. Anyway, the competition is next Saturday, February 13. Wish me luck….I will need it!
Speaking of goals and climbing…I never made an official resolution at the beginning of the year. It’s been on my mind lately though, so here it goes.
Before the end of 2010 I want to:
- be flashing V5 on a semi-regular basis
- climb V6 fairly consistently
- have at least five V7s under my belt
- have at least two V8s under my belt (one of them being Numerical Methods)
- have a V9 that I am projecting
I also have a couple of sport climbing goals, but I’m really not as worried about these since my main focus really isn’t on roped climbing:
- Finally red-point Flingin’ Hog (5.11a)
- Climb a route in each of the 5.10 grades I haven’t yet climbed (5.10c and 5.10d)
- Climb in the 5.11 range regularly (5.11a – 5.11d)
These are all some pretty lofty goals...but that's the point right? Anyway, in order to help myself reach some of these goals, I have another goal of getting myself into shape. Besides my regular time at the gym (which I'm trying to increase a bit...4 days a week, minimum), I will be doing core strength workouts twice a week, hangboard workouts twice a week, and I'm going to really try to get back into doing some yoga or pilates. If I do all of this on a regular basis...my climbing will definitely see an improvement.Another one of my goals for this year is to really dive into the whole photography thing. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post that I got a Nikon D3000 dslr (same as my sister....but I got mine first!). I have been wanting to get into photography for a while now, and now is my chance. Below are some of my photos from Jazz at the Bistro where I work.
Above: The Bad Plus, January 6, 2010
Above: Vijay Iyer Trio, January 20, 2010
Lou Donaldson Quartet, February 3, 2o10Tonight I went to the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra to hear Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, the "Eroica." It was quite good. This is the second time I've been to the symphony, but since I get free tickets from my friend Marc, I need to take advantage of the opportunity more often.
So I started this post earlier today, and wouldn't you know it....the ground is now covered in a snowy/slushy/soon to be icy mix. I'm getting sick of this crap, so Janet and Jim...I'm coming to visit!
So I started this post earlier today, and wouldn't you know it....the ground is now covered in a snowy/slushy/soon to be icy mix. I'm getting sick of this crap, so Janet and Jim...I'm coming to visit!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Arkansas Part 2
So where was I? Oh yes, Day 2. I won't go through all the details, but Thursday was a nice day. It was still a little wet, but climbable. I started off the day working on Fraziac (V6) again. It still didn't go though. After that we headed over to watch Wayne and some other people try an awesome highball problem called Grand Dragon (V7). Unfortunately Wayne didn't quite finish it, so we moved around the corner to Numerical Methods (V8). I actually made most of the moves, which was pretty encouraging, but I never really gave it a solid effort because I was trying to save my strength for Razor's Edge (V5). I'm really looking forward to getting back and really putting some time into Numerical Methods...I really think I can climb it if I get just a bit stronger. That would be a big jump in grade, which would be crazy...but it's all subjective anyway. I then went and got some new beta on Razor's Edge, so I put some work into that, but still didn't get it. So the day was still pretty fruitless when it came to sending problems, but I got a lot of good work in anyway. That night we went back to the barn to slackline and start the New Years celebration. We definitely had a good time and eventually went back to the cabins for our traditional New Years dance party and midnight celebration. 
Friday was the best day the whole weekend. It was a decent temperature and all of the rocks were dry! I went out with a goal of doing 3 V5s in a day: Even Dirtier, Razor's Edge, and Momento. I went to Even Dirtier first and got it after about 4 attempts. This was my 2nd V5 ever, so I was pretty happy. We then went over to Razor's Edge and I gave it about 6 solid tries, but just couldn't quite get it. It involves getting a REALLY high right foot and I just wasn't flexible enough that day to get it, but it will go next time. After that I went over to Momento and gave that a few goes, but I'm still not really ready for that one. It is only one foothold that is keeping me from doing it, but it is TOUGH! After that I got a problem called Alabama Ahead (V4) after a couple of tries and called it a day. Once again we pasted the evening hours in the barn slacklining. By this time, I had gotten pretty much all of my slackline ability back, so I was trying some new tricks. My friend Evan is an incredible slackliner, so he was teaching me a few moves. Sometime this spring when it gets warmer I'll put up a video of me doing some slacklining (there is also a little bit in the video posted below).
On Saturday, we woke up to some frigid temps, but bundled up and hit the rocks anyway. Most of the group had left either the day before or in the morning, so there was just a few of us going out today. We headed to a boulder called Slopin' Joe to warm up and try a couple of classic problems. I think this is me on a problem called Slopadon Milosevic (V5). It is the classic problem of the Slopin' Joe boulder, but it was a bit out of my league.
After this, we headed over to the Undertow boulder to try Hang Ten (V7). It was an awesome problem and I ended up getting all the moves but one. I'm definitely looking forward to going back to that problem when I'm a bit stronger...I think it will go! That night we ended up staying in Evan's group's cabin after yet another night of slacklining. Unfortunately, we woke up to this:
Needless to say, climbing that day was out of the question, so we got an early start home. The roads ended up being terrible, but we only came close to dying once and wrecking about 3 times... But yeah, the first 2 hours of the drive, the roads were pretty bad, but after Springfield, MO, the weather cleared up. So in the end, the trip was AWESOME! It wasn't the most successful, climbing-wise, but otherwise, I met a lot of great people, caught up with old friends, and had a ton of fun!
So I guess this did sort of end up being a play-by-play...but oh well.
Andrew and I have tried going climbing outside the past two weekends, but the weather in the area has been wet, wet, wet. Hopefully we can get outside this Sunday, but we'll have to wait and see.
Anyway, sorry for the length, but here's a video wrapping up the week in Arkansas....enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7aqVdJKQ54
Friday was the best day the whole weekend. It was a decent temperature and all of the rocks were dry! I went out with a goal of doing 3 V5s in a day: Even Dirtier, Razor's Edge, and Momento. I went to Even Dirtier first and got it after about 4 attempts. This was my 2nd V5 ever, so I was pretty happy. We then went over to Razor's Edge and I gave it about 6 solid tries, but just couldn't quite get it. It involves getting a REALLY high right foot and I just wasn't flexible enough that day to get it, but it will go next time. After that I went over to Momento and gave that a few goes, but I'm still not really ready for that one. It is only one foothold that is keeping me from doing it, but it is TOUGH! After that I got a problem called Alabama Ahead (V4) after a couple of tries and called it a day. Once again we pasted the evening hours in the barn slacklining. By this time, I had gotten pretty much all of my slackline ability back, so I was trying some new tricks. My friend Evan is an incredible slackliner, so he was teaching me a few moves. Sometime this spring when it gets warmer I'll put up a video of me doing some slacklining (there is also a little bit in the video posted below).On Saturday, we woke up to some frigid temps, but bundled up and hit the rocks anyway. Most of the group had left either the day before or in the morning, so there was just a few of us going out today. We headed to a boulder called Slopin' Joe to warm up and try a couple of classic problems. I think this is me on a problem called Slopadon Milosevic (V5). It is the classic problem of the Slopin' Joe boulder, but it was a bit out of my league.
After this, we headed over to the Undertow boulder to try Hang Ten (V7). It was an awesome problem and I ended up getting all the moves but one. I'm definitely looking forward to going back to that problem when I'm a bit stronger...I think it will go! That night we ended up staying in Evan's group's cabin after yet another night of slacklining. Unfortunately, we woke up to this:
Needless to say, climbing that day was out of the question, so we got an early start home. The roads ended up being terrible, but we only came close to dying once and wrecking about 3 times... But yeah, the first 2 hours of the drive, the roads were pretty bad, but after Springfield, MO, the weather cleared up. So in the end, the trip was AWESOME! It wasn't the most successful, climbing-wise, but otherwise, I met a lot of great people, caught up with old friends, and had a ton of fun!So I guess this did sort of end up being a play-by-play...but oh well.
Andrew and I have tried going climbing outside the past two weekends, but the weather in the area has been wet, wet, wet. Hopefully we can get outside this Sunday, but we'll have to wait and see.
Anyway, sorry for the length, but here's a video wrapping up the week in Arkansas....enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7aqVdJKQ54
Top 25 Films of the Decade
1. There Will Be Blood
2. Moulin Rouge
3. The Dark Knight
4. Let The Right One In
5. Gladiator
6. The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers
7. Love Actually
8. Cloverfield
9. Sin City
10. Closer
11. Casino Royale
12. The 40-Year Old Virgin
13. No Country for Old Men
14. Match Point
15. The Wrestler
16. Brokeback Mountain
17. City of God
18. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
19. Atonement
20. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
21. Avatar
22. Zodiac
23. Old School
24. Rocky Balboa
25. Gone Baby Gone
2. Moulin Rouge
3. The Dark Knight
4. Let The Right One In
5. Gladiator
6. The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers
7. Love Actually
8. Cloverfield
9. Sin City
10. Closer
11. Casino Royale
12. The 40-Year Old Virgin
13. No Country for Old Men
14. Match Point
15. The Wrestler
16. Brokeback Mountain
17. City of God
18. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
19. Atonement
20. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
21. Avatar
22. Zodiac
23. Old School
24. Rocky Balboa
25. Gone Baby Gone
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Devin on Film
Top Ten Films of 2009
1.) Avatar
2.) Inglourious Basterds
3.) Whatever Works
4.) Up
5.) An Education
6.) Up in the Air
7.) Star Trek
8.) I Love You, Man
9.) Zombieland
10.) The Hurt Locker
Worst Films of 2009
1.) Thirst
2.) A Christmas Carol
3.) Pandorum
5. ) Saw VI (didn't actually see it, but I can't believe these are actually still getting made)
Biggest Disappointment
Invictus
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Belated New Year's Wrap-Up Part 1
So it's been awhile, but I don't have to tell you that. Anyway, for those that don't already know, I went down to Arkansas again for New Years this year. My friend Sarah flew into St. Louis from Denver and rode down with me on Tuesday, Dec. 29th. We ended up getting there pretty late that night, and everyone was all moved into our cabin at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. This year featured a lot of people that I didn't know, so I got to meet a lot of new people that night when I arrived. Luckily, everyone there was really cool. It was great seeing some old friends too! Unfortunately, it snowed throughout the night on Tuesday so we woke up to snow covered boulders and cold temps on Wednesday morning. After some really strong coffee and a solid breakfast, we went out to do some climbing. As you can imagine, all of the boulders were wet and snowy on top, making full sends pretty much impossible, but we all put in some really good work on the bottoms of a few overhanging roof problems. Here are a few pics of me on a V6 called Fraziac. I worked it pretty good for two days, but never could link all of the moves...hopefully next trip (the brown, orange and blue crashpad that my friend Emily is on is the new one I got for Christmas!)
So after a bit of climbing, Wayne ran back to the cabins, grabbed a broom and spent about an hour going around to different boulders sweeping the snow off the tops to help them dry for the next day...which helped immensely! Wednesday night though, we went to "the barn" (really shouldn't be in quotes, because it really is a barn), but they have some awesome stuff in there. The upstairs has a basketball court, a slackline, an indoor bouldering wall, and a speleo box (a plywood cave for simulating spelunking). I also had my slackline, so we set up mine next to the one there and did a bunch of slacking on Wednesday night. It was nice because I hadn't slacked in quite a while. it took awhile took get everything back, but I was happy to be back at it. We then played barefoot 3-on-3 basketball....and let me tell you...I am OUT OF SHAPE! It was pretty pathetic actually...panting and wheezing and holding the stitch in my side...and that was the first 5 minutes! Needless to say, the next day I woke up with my legs sore as all get out. A night of slacklining and basketball will definitely bring the hurt on.
It's past my bedtime now, so I'm gonna have to stop there for now. I'll hopefully not be so lazy and get part 2 up by Monday night. I hope everyone is well....talk to you soon!
So after a bit of climbing, Wayne ran back to the cabins, grabbed a broom and spent about an hour going around to different boulders sweeping the snow off the tops to help them dry for the next day...which helped immensely! Wednesday night though, we went to "the barn" (really shouldn't be in quotes, because it really is a barn), but they have some awesome stuff in there. The upstairs has a basketball court, a slackline, an indoor bouldering wall, and a speleo box (a plywood cave for simulating spelunking). I also had my slackline, so we set up mine next to the one there and did a bunch of slacking on Wednesday night. It was nice because I hadn't slacked in quite a while. it took awhile took get everything back, but I was happy to be back at it. We then played barefoot 3-on-3 basketball....and let me tell you...I am OUT OF SHAPE! It was pretty pathetic actually...panting and wheezing and holding the stitch in my side...and that was the first 5 minutes! Needless to say, the next day I woke up with my legs sore as all get out. A night of slacklining and basketball will definitely bring the hurt on.
It's past my bedtime now, so I'm gonna have to stop there for now. I'll hopefully not be so lazy and get part 2 up by Monday night. I hope everyone is well....talk to you soon!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Arkansas Wrap-Up
So I just had a pretty great weekend. In case you missed something, I went down to Arkansas this past weekend with my friend Andrew to do some bouldering.
Here is my pre-trip tick-list with outcomes:
V7
Razor's Edge - gave it 3 tries, got to the crux on the first go, but didn't know the beta to finish. New guidebook down-graded this to V5.
Miho - didn't try
Leatherface - looked at, but it's just a bit beyond me at the moment...maybe in a couple months i'll be strong enough for it.
Orb Weaver - didn't try
Undertow Direct - didn't try, but definitely next time
V6
Pier Pressure - didn't try
V5
Even Dirtier - put in some really good work, almost there, but it is pretty friction dependent. I'm sure i'll send next time when it's cold.
Momento - see 'Even Dirtier' comment
Slopadon Milosevic - didn't try
V4
*War Bonnet - Sent after a bit of work...then found out it was up-graded to a V5, my first of the grade!
Alabama Ahead - just one or two moves away...will definitely go next time...probably first try.
Moondye (stand start) - tried 3 times, each one progressively worse...another friction dependent problem.
V3
*The Crescent - got it! fun problem with interesting beta
Sloping Joe - didn't try
These weren't on my tick-list, but I did them anyway:
V4
*Chainsaw - Flashed it!
*A Little More John Wayne - Didn't think I was strong enough for this one...but I guess so!
*Le Beak - Awesome looking rock
V3
*Rings of Uranus - a classic arete
*Privileged Planet - A fun roof problem
Check out this video I put together of some of my climbs (you might want to just copy and paste the link because it opens in this window, not a new one):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlwPe1xZr0M&feature=related
This is another one with Wayne and Andrew climbing some stuff too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ne4fPLKPI
I'd give a better wrap-up, but I've had this much of the post written for a week without posting it, so I should probably get it up sometime....
Here is my pre-trip tick-list with outcomes:
V7
Razor's Edge - gave it 3 tries, got to the crux on the first go, but didn't know the beta to finish. New guidebook down-graded this to V5.
Miho - didn't try
Leatherface - looked at, but it's just a bit beyond me at the moment...maybe in a couple months i'll be strong enough for it.
Orb Weaver - didn't try
Undertow Direct - didn't try, but definitely next time
V6
Pier Pressure - didn't try
V5
Even Dirtier - put in some really good work, almost there, but it is pretty friction dependent. I'm sure i'll send next time when it's cold.
Momento - see 'Even Dirtier' comment
Slopadon Milosevic - didn't try
V4
*War Bonnet - Sent after a bit of work...then found out it was up-graded to a V5, my first of the grade!
Alabama Ahead - just one or two moves away...will definitely go next time...probably first try.
Moondye (stand start) - tried 3 times, each one progressively worse...another friction dependent problem.
V3
*The Crescent - got it! fun problem with interesting beta
Sloping Joe - didn't try
These weren't on my tick-list, but I did them anyway:
V4
*Chainsaw - Flashed it!
*A Little More John Wayne - Didn't think I was strong enough for this one...but I guess so!
*Le Beak - Awesome looking rock
V3
*Rings of Uranus - a classic arete
*Privileged Planet - A fun roof problem
Check out this video I put together of some of my climbs (you might want to just copy and paste the link because it opens in this window, not a new one):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlwPe1xZr0M&feature=related
This is another one with Wayne and Andrew climbing some stuff too:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ne4fPLKPI
I'd give a better wrap-up, but I've had this much of the post written for a week without posting it, so I should probably get it up sometime....
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch!
So this past Saturday, Andrew and I went to Pere Marquette State Park in search of rocks. PM is in Illinois right along the Mississippi. This was my third trip to the park, all in the hope of finding some quality boulders to climb on. The first time we went we found a couple of good boulders, but that was about it. The next time we just went to those and worked on the same stuff. This time, I was determined to find some new boulders...but alas, we ended up going for the same old stuff. It worked out pretty well though. We only had a few hours because we both had to work that night, and we ended up finding two new climbable lines on the boulders we already new about. The first one was a pretty tough traverse (mostly sideways movement) problem. After cleaning all the holds and giving them a health amount of chalk, we started to project the climb and work out the moves. It took about an hour just to figure out the sequence, but I finally figured out some beta that would work. Unfortunately, the middle of the problem has two REALLY tough moves in it (the problem will probably end up being V5 when it actually gets climbed), so I had to put that on hold and move on to the next boulder. This boulder is a really cool looking face, slightly overhanging and 12-15 feet high. It is right on the trail, so we get a lot of curious passer-by, but they usually just walk by with confused looks and talking about our "portable couches", AKA crashpads. Anyway, there was one problem that I had climbed the last time I was there, but never gave a grade, so I climbed it again and figured it was about a V1 or V2. Next we worked a problem that went up the tallest part of the face. It had some really cool moves on it, and when I finally sent it, I decided to call Just the Face is probably in the V4 range (but maybe less).
Andrew climbing Top Out the Tree (V0) last winter. This is another problem we established at the second boulder I described above.
On a side note: the night before, Ben and I went to Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3-D IMAX (against my will). Unfortunately, my initial feeling that this movie would be bad was spot on. It looked great, but it's definitely not a movie for the kids, nor is it enjoyable for adults. Trust me, don't see it.
The reason I allowed Ben to drag me to the movie is because he decided we were going to start a film podcast based on the Academy Awards (for those that don't know, a podcast is kind of like a radio show, but not live and it can be downloaded on the internet through iTunes). Ben, Nicole and I recorded our first one this past Sunday and I think it went pretty well. Anyway, I'll get you some more info on that when we get it up on the internet. I could use your help though: we asked for people to write in with their favorite disaster movies for a discussion in next week's podcast, so if you have one, leave it as a comment and a quick reason why it is your favorite. Disaster movie can mean: natural disasters, epidemics, aliens/monsters/zombies taking over the world, etc... anything that threatens life on planet earth. Thanks for your help!
The goal I set for myself last year at HCR was to have one V7 climbed by the end of the year, as well as a handful of V6s....time is running out....(Keep in mind, last year at HCR I climbed my first and only V6. Other than that, I haven't even done a V5..only V4 and below, but I have faith!)
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch Tick-List:
V7
Razor's Edge
Miho
Leatherface
Orb Weaver
Undertow Direct
V6
Pier Pressure
V5
Even Dirtier
Momento
Slopadon Milosevic
V4
War Bonnet
Alabama Ahead
Moondye (stand start)
V3
The Crescent
Sloping Joe
I'm sure there will be other stuff we will climb, but these are my main targets. I will definitely let you know about my progress upon my return....wish me luck!
Also, I know I keep promising video and pictures, but you'll have to wait just a bit longer. Andrew has video of me climbing Formaldehyde at the Graveyard from a few weeks ago, but hasn't gotten that to me yet. We are also going to be taking a lot of video at HCR, so hopefully I'll have a pretty cool video put together sometime in the next week or two. Sorry I keep boring you with all this talk that you probably don't understand, but hopefully it will be a bit clearer once I get a few videos up!
I hope everyone is well....I'll talk to you next week!
Andrew climbing Top Out the Tree (V0) last winter. This is another problem we established at the second boulder I described above.
On a side note: the night before, Ben and I went to Disney's A Christmas Carol in 3-D IMAX (against my will). Unfortunately, my initial feeling that this movie would be bad was spot on. It looked great, but it's definitely not a movie for the kids, nor is it enjoyable for adults. Trust me, don't see it.
The reason I allowed Ben to drag me to the movie is because he decided we were going to start a film podcast based on the Academy Awards (for those that don't know, a podcast is kind of like a radio show, but not live and it can be downloaded on the internet through iTunes). Ben, Nicole and I recorded our first one this past Sunday and I think it went pretty well. Anyway, I'll get you some more info on that when we get it up on the internet. I could use your help though: we asked for people to write in with their favorite disaster movies for a discussion in next week's podcast, so if you have one, leave it as a comment and a quick reason why it is your favorite. Disaster movie can mean: natural disasters, epidemics, aliens/monsters/zombies taking over the world, etc... anything that threatens life on planet earth. Thanks for your help!
Anywho, in a couple of days I am heading down to Arkansas for a weekend of climbing at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch. Andrew and I are leaving Friday morning (maybe Thursday night) and climbing until dusk on Sunday. I have been to HCR for the past two New Years and have had a ton of fun both times. I have friends that live in that area from the summer I spent in Colorado and now we have an annual gathering to bring in the new year with climbing, friends and merriment. This trip is just a bit of a warm-up for the trip at the end of the year. I've been wanting to get back down there to work on some projects and explore the area a bit more and I want Andrew to check out the high quality climbing as well. Following is a list of the boulder problems I am wanting to check out this weekend. Most of them I have either worked on a bit or have seen other people climb them and would like to project them myself. I'm really setting the bar up high, hoping that I can at least work out the beta for my trip at the end of the year, but who knows....maybe I'll end up ticking off a bunch of these. Wouldn't that be nice?
Kevin Martin sending High Five (V4) last winter at HCR. You can see me in the blue sitting on the boulder behind him. A couple of days later I also sent, making this my first V4.
Kevin Martin sending High Five (V4) last winter at HCR. You can see me in the blue sitting on the boulder behind him. A couple of days later I also sent, making this my first V4.The goal I set for myself last year at HCR was to have one V7 climbed by the end of the year, as well as a handful of V6s....time is running out....(Keep in mind, last year at HCR I climbed my first and only V6. Other than that, I haven't even done a V5..only V4 and below, but I have faith!)
Horseshoe Canyon Ranch Tick-List:
V7
Razor's Edge
Miho
Leatherface
Orb Weaver
Undertow Direct
V6
Pier Pressure
V5
Even Dirtier
Momento
Slopadon Milosevic
V4
War Bonnet
Alabama Ahead
Moondye (stand start)
V3
The Crescent
Sloping Joe
I'm sure there will be other stuff we will climb, but these are my main targets. I will definitely let you know about my progress upon my return....wish me luck!
Also, I know I keep promising video and pictures, but you'll have to wait just a bit longer. Andrew has video of me climbing Formaldehyde at the Graveyard from a few weeks ago, but hasn't gotten that to me yet. We are also going to be taking a lot of video at HCR, so hopefully I'll have a pretty cool video put together sometime in the next week or two. Sorry I keep boring you with all this talk that you probably don't understand, but hopefully it will be a bit clearer once I get a few videos up!
I hope everyone is well....I'll talk to you next week!
Monday, November 2, 2009
Lots of bouldering...and I like it!
So it's taken me a bit longer than I had hoped to get a post up here (go figure), but I've got you covered now! I've been lucky enough to get outside the past three weekends to do some bouldering! The weekend before my last post, Andrew, Adrianne and I went down to Jackson Falls (our normal spot) to do some bouldering. We met our friend Sarah and her boyfriend Ryan the night before at Sarah's family's lake house stayed there. The house is about 1/2 an hour away from J-Falls and has lots of beds and other nice amenities, so I always like it when we are able to crash there. Anyway, we do all of our sport climbing at Jackson Falls and have definitely done some bouldering there before, but at the end of this summer, a guidebook devoted completely to southern Illinois bouldering was released. This book is incredible, and has been a huge help in finding quality bouldering in a bunch of different areas, including Jackson. Anyway, we got to J-Falls and did a little warming up on a couple short problems: Flint (v2) and Tomahawk Traverse (v3) before moving on to Andrew's project: Arete Syndrome (v4/5). Unfortunately, the problem was soaking wet, so we had to put a hold on that. We went around the corner to a problem called Matt's Sloper Problem (v4). We ended up spending a good chunk of time on this one, but I finally figured out how to finish it, and after watching me top it out, Andrew sent it on the next go. After that, we went to check out a problem I was wanting to work on a bit: Fusion (v3). Unfortunately, that one was soaking wet too, so we moved on to the Reefer Madness area (yeah, I know...lots of climbers are also hippies...). Here we did a few different problems including Juicy Fruit (v2), a really fun problem with two easy moves and a REALLY hard top out, Ghetto Life (v2), which I had done before, but repeated (and for some reason I barely finished it and looked like a newb on it), and Wolverine Problem (v4), a one-move-wonder with a long move from a horizontal crack to a pocket. This was all coming after over a month off from climbing and only 2 days at the gym the week leading up to this trip, so the rest of the week following J-Falls, I was sooooooooooooooooooooo sore. Here is a list of things I couldn't do without it hurting: move, laugh, pick up my phone, sit, stand, etc.... It was pretty bad. But the soreness eventually went away and I've now learned my lesson: don't be so lazy! Although I was starting to feel better, I had just gotten home from work the Friday following J-Falls and was taking off my suit jacket and had a shooting pain in my left shoulder. It was really strange and ended up hurting quite a bit for awhile. Just in the past few days has it started to subside.
Anyway, that was the night before taking our trip to The Graveyard. A new area that we found through the new guidebook. This area is about 45 minutes closer than Jackson, but not as big, so it has advantages and disadvantages, but it was nice being somewhere new. I had a really good day, onsighting Eyesockets (v0), flashing The Tomb (v1), Slab of Meat (v1), and Skeleton (V3), sending the classic problem Formaldehyde (v3) on my 2nd try (Andrew has video of my two attempts on this, I just need to get it from him and I'll post it up on here), and red-pointing Hornball (v3), a one-move-wonder, after trying the move about 6 or 7 times. So really, I only ended up being on the rock about 15 times that day, so it ended up being a light, but productive day. This was probably a good thing though considering my messed up shoulder. I actually started noticing the tendinitis in my left elbow coming back a bit that day as well. I'm not sure if it was because of my shoulder or not, but either way, that has been bothering me since then as well. Luckily, I think I can get that to go away with just doing some push-ups every day for awhile. The problem with climbing is you work all these muscles to pull your body in different directions, but you don't really do any pushing, so muscles grow different and can cause tendinitis.
Anyway, that night upon my return, I got all cleaned up and into my lounging clothes when Ben and Nicole came home from watching the Iowa Hawkeyes win. They were really excited and wanting to do something fun, so we decided to go meet a few of my friends at Lumiere Casino. This was my first casino experience since going to Vegas with the family about 10ish years ago. I took out $40 dollars from the ATM upon arrival and said that would be the max. I ended up buying in $20 for a little bit of blackjack AND I WON! I was up and down for awhile, but after a bit, I told myself once I was up $50 I would leave the table. I went up $50 and went and cashed it out, but kept my original $20 in chips. After Ben and Nicole had both lost their money, Ben said he was ready to leave, but that $20 was burning a hole in my pocket, so I sat back down. I proceeded to lose it pretty quickly, but overall, I still ended up making $30! Pretty much the easiest money I've ever made....I think I might go back EVERY night and quit my job. Oh wait...that's where people run into problems right? Anyway, here is a picture to sum up the night...oh yeah, Ben and I suited up for the festivities:
That finally brings us to this past week/weekend. Tuesday night we carved our pumpkins. It was an interesting experience. I hadn't carved a pumpkin since at least high school, so I wasn't very good at at. I think all three of ours turned out pretty well. I ended up sticking to the climbing theme and it ended up looking pretty sweet (I think):
Ben carved the Bears helmet and Nicole carved the Hawkeye logo:
Unfortunately, my actual Halloween turned out to be pretty lame. Ben and Nicole went up to Iowa for the weekend and I had to work at the club on Saturday, so I didn't do anything for the holiday. Andrew and I got up early on Sunday and went to Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri though. E-Rocks has a TON of quality bouldering within 5 minute's walk from the car and it is only 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis. The only problem, though, is that the rock is uber-sharp granite. I'm used to climbing the sandstone rocks of SoIll, so its a rude awakening when we go to E-Rocks. My hands were bleeding by the second climb of the day...but it was a gorgeous day for the beginning of November (about 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky). The bouldering started really well, Onsighting The Finger Crack (V2), The One Way (V1), and Bookstore Blues (V3), while flashing The Right Way (v0), Tennis Shoe Crack (v0), and Scobione (V2), and red-pointing Jump Start Thing (v2) and Vector Days (v3). Unfortunately, this was all within the first 1 1/2 hours of being there. After all the sending, we moved on to some harder problems, including Smoke (v4) which we got some good work in on, but never finished, and a few V5s. Overall it was a good trip, but it is always hard to climb for more than a couple hours at E-rocks just because of the sharpness of the rock. My fingertips are pretty raw today, but it is a bittersweet feeling.
This weekend Andrew and I are planning on going to Pere Marquette State Park. Pere is an area about 40 minutes north of Andrew's house along the Mississippi River that we are trying to find some good stone at. We have been there twice before and only found two climbable boulders, but we are gonna go look for more this weekend. It would be great to have a place to develop ourselves close to home! Anyway, I'll let you know how all that goes.
Sorry about the huge post, but I just needed to get all that down. Don't forget to check the sidebar lists for updates between posts. I keep that pretty up-to-date.
Go Bears! (I missed my first game this past weekend in favor of climbing, but it was the Browns....and I was pissed at them for the horrendous Bengals game)
Anyway, that was the night before taking our trip to The Graveyard. A new area that we found through the new guidebook. This area is about 45 minutes closer than Jackson, but not as big, so it has advantages and disadvantages, but it was nice being somewhere new. I had a really good day, onsighting Eyesockets (v0), flashing The Tomb (v1), Slab of Meat (v1), and Skeleton (V3), sending the classic problem Formaldehyde (v3) on my 2nd try (Andrew has video of my two attempts on this, I just need to get it from him and I'll post it up on here), and red-pointing Hornball (v3), a one-move-wonder, after trying the move about 6 or 7 times. So really, I only ended up being on the rock about 15 times that day, so it ended up being a light, but productive day. This was probably a good thing though considering my messed up shoulder. I actually started noticing the tendinitis in my left elbow coming back a bit that day as well. I'm not sure if it was because of my shoulder or not, but either way, that has been bothering me since then as well. Luckily, I think I can get that to go away with just doing some push-ups every day for awhile. The problem with climbing is you work all these muscles to pull your body in different directions, but you don't really do any pushing, so muscles grow different and can cause tendinitis.
Anyway, that night upon my return, I got all cleaned up and into my lounging clothes when Ben and Nicole came home from watching the Iowa Hawkeyes win. They were really excited and wanting to do something fun, so we decided to go meet a few of my friends at Lumiere Casino. This was my first casino experience since going to Vegas with the family about 10ish years ago. I took out $40 dollars from the ATM upon arrival and said that would be the max. I ended up buying in $20 for a little bit of blackjack AND I WON! I was up and down for awhile, but after a bit, I told myself once I was up $50 I would leave the table. I went up $50 and went and cashed it out, but kept my original $20 in chips. After Ben and Nicole had both lost their money, Ben said he was ready to leave, but that $20 was burning a hole in my pocket, so I sat back down. I proceeded to lose it pretty quickly, but overall, I still ended up making $30! Pretty much the easiest money I've ever made....I think I might go back EVERY night and quit my job. Oh wait...that's where people run into problems right? Anyway, here is a picture to sum up the night...oh yeah, Ben and I suited up for the festivities:
That finally brings us to this past week/weekend. Tuesday night we carved our pumpkins. It was an interesting experience. I hadn't carved a pumpkin since at least high school, so I wasn't very good at at. I think all three of ours turned out pretty well. I ended up sticking to the climbing theme and it ended up looking pretty sweet (I think):
Ben carved the Bears helmet and Nicole carved the Hawkeye logo:
Unfortunately, my actual Halloween turned out to be pretty lame. Ben and Nicole went up to Iowa for the weekend and I had to work at the club on Saturday, so I didn't do anything for the holiday. Andrew and I got up early on Sunday and went to Elephant Rocks State Park in Missouri though. E-Rocks has a TON of quality bouldering within 5 minute's walk from the car and it is only 1 1/2 hours from St. Louis. The only problem, though, is that the rock is uber-sharp granite. I'm used to climbing the sandstone rocks of SoIll, so its a rude awakening when we go to E-Rocks. My hands were bleeding by the second climb of the day...but it was a gorgeous day for the beginning of November (about 65 degrees and not a cloud in the sky). The bouldering started really well, Onsighting The Finger Crack (V2), The One Way (V1), and Bookstore Blues (V3), while flashing The Right Way (v0), Tennis Shoe Crack (v0), and Scobione (V2), and red-pointing Jump Start Thing (v2) and Vector Days (v3). Unfortunately, this was all within the first 1 1/2 hours of being there. After all the sending, we moved on to some harder problems, including Smoke (v4) which we got some good work in on, but never finished, and a few V5s. Overall it was a good trip, but it is always hard to climb for more than a couple hours at E-rocks just because of the sharpness of the rock. My fingertips are pretty raw today, but it is a bittersweet feeling. This weekend Andrew and I are planning on going to Pere Marquette State Park. Pere is an area about 40 minutes north of Andrew's house along the Mississippi River that we are trying to find some good stone at. We have been there twice before and only found two climbable boulders, but we are gonna go look for more this weekend. It would be great to have a place to develop ourselves close to home! Anyway, I'll let you know how all that goes.
Sorry about the huge post, but I just needed to get all that down. Don't forget to check the sidebar lists for updates between posts. I keep that pretty up-to-date.
Go Bears! (I missed my first game this past weekend in favor of climbing, but it was the Browns....and I was pissed at them for the horrendous Bengals game)
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