Have you heard about Huckberry? If you haven't, here it is. It's not like the "deal" sites that promise quality products at a fraction of the price. It's just cool stuff at decent prices. Always. They have a knack for finding really cool things that guys like without being pretentious about how if you don't have this particular item, you won't be "cool". No, they just find something they like and let you decide if you like it too.
If you have a guy in your life that is hard to shop for, I guarantee he will like practically anything on this website. It's great for finding the perfect groomsman gifts and for that guy in your life who has an eclectic style.
I highly recommend you check it out!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Monday, March 04, 2013
It's been a while
Wow, I totally forgot about this place. Maybe it's time to dust the cobwebs off this place and get back to writing a bit more here. I've been thinking about starting a blog of my own again soon and then I remembered that I could use this one!
Reading back to some of the old posts here I can definitely tell you that my life has changed considerably since I stopped posting. You can read about all of that over at JoshandAngelica.blogspot.com. I definitely have more to share and will continue to post more as soon as I can get some writing done. Feel free to check back in shortly... I'm sure I can come up with a few things to say time and again!
Reading back to some of the old posts here I can definitely tell you that my life has changed considerably since I stopped posting. You can read about all of that over at JoshandAngelica.blogspot.com. I definitely have more to share and will continue to post more as soon as I can get some writing done. Feel free to check back in shortly... I'm sure I can come up with a few things to say time and again!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Bishop - For all seasons
I just got back from a three day bouldering trip to Bishop, CA. The last time I was in Bishop was with my family about 20 years ago. Back then I though Bishop was a big town. Boy did I remember incorrectly. You can drive through the whole town in about 5 minutes and not know it was an actual town. The worst part about being there 20 years ago, was that I didnt know such great climbing was so close by!
My brother in-law and I left about 3 am on Saturday morning and arrived about 8:30 at the Pleasant Valley campground. We paid our dues and set off to find an area called "The Sad Boulders." They arent so easy to find (That may be why they are called The Sads). We played around in an area that we thought was The Sads for about 2 hours, then moved on to see what else was around. After talking to another climber in the area we found out that we were about a mile off. He gave us directions and we found what we were looking for. A crevasse in the ground that opened up to some of the most amazing boulders I have seen. So much bouldering is such a small area! After hanging out for about an hour checking it out it was getting late and we went into town for some firewood to get the rest of our camp together for the night. In town we ran into Natasha Barnes (yeah, Im name dropping) who told us that we "missed 80MPH winds last night, but tonight is supposed to be great!" We went back into camp to have dinner and go to bed. We crashed about 6pm, as neither of us had more than about 3 hours sleep the night before.
The next day we ventured to a place called The Happy Boulders. This place was even more awesome than The Sads! We took down a couple of V0's and attempted a couple of V2's before running further up the trail to The Happy Boulder itself (shown below). On the left arete was a slopey, heel-hooky V0, that was pretty fun, but short. On the right arete was a crimpy, overhanging, heel-hooky V2 that was the best route of the weekend. By that time we were both pretty tired, so neither finished it, but came close. The top out was about 18 feet off the deck so with just a small crash pad and one sane spotter, (another guy we met had some serious crazy eye going on. Looney Tunes, I tell ya.) it was kind of sketchy to throw for a small left pinch off a touchy heel-hook only to throw for a slopey right hand and slight mantle to finish the problem. Definately worth going back for though. We took off after going after that one a few times and finished the night back at the camp.
On Monday, we drove down to The Buttermilks on the other side of town. This place was great too. Although it made us realize that three straight days, climbing on volcanic rock and sleeping on the ground makes you pretty tired and your finger tips mighty sore. Besides that, most of the routes at The Buttermilks are highball problems that top out about 22 feet up with bushes and rocks to land on. One spotter and a small crashpad are little comfort. We attempted a few routes, but ended up just scrambling around and watching other climbers do their thing. We ended the night back at the camp to get some sleep and get ready for our departure in the morning.
We went to bed about 8:30 to be awoken about 9 or so by two bears in our camp. It was disconcerting to say the least. We decided at that point that when the bears left, so would we. We packed up in nothing flat and hit the road.
Such an awesome trip and will definately go back. Cant wait to climb outside more often.
Song of the day - Walking Spanish by Tom Waits
My brother in-law and I left about 3 am on Saturday morning and arrived about 8:30 at the Pleasant Valley campground. We paid our dues and set off to find an area called "The Sad Boulders." They arent so easy to find (That may be why they are called The Sads). We played around in an area that we thought was The Sads for about 2 hours, then moved on to see what else was around. After talking to another climber in the area we found out that we were about a mile off. He gave us directions and we found what we were looking for. A crevasse in the ground that opened up to some of the most amazing boulders I have seen. So much bouldering is such a small area! After hanging out for about an hour checking it out it was getting late and we went into town for some firewood to get the rest of our camp together for the night. In town we ran into Natasha Barnes (yeah, Im name dropping) who told us that we "missed 80MPH winds last night, but tonight is supposed to be great!" We went back into camp to have dinner and go to bed. We crashed about 6pm, as neither of us had more than about 3 hours sleep the night before.
The next day we ventured to a place called The Happy Boulders. This place was even more awesome than The Sads! We took down a couple of V0's and attempted a couple of V2's before running further up the trail to The Happy Boulder itself (shown below). On the left arete was a slopey, heel-hooky V0, that was pretty fun, but short. On the right arete was a crimpy, overhanging, heel-hooky V2 that was the best route of the weekend. By that time we were both pretty tired, so neither finished it, but came close. The top out was about 18 feet off the deck so with just a small crash pad and one sane spotter, (another guy we met had some serious crazy eye going on. Looney Tunes, I tell ya.) it was kind of sketchy to throw for a small left pinch off a touchy heel-hook only to throw for a slopey right hand and slight mantle to finish the problem. Definately worth going back for though. We took off after going after that one a few times and finished the night back at the camp.
On Monday, we drove down to The Buttermilks on the other side of town. This place was great too. Although it made us realize that three straight days, climbing on volcanic rock and sleeping on the ground makes you pretty tired and your finger tips mighty sore. Besides that, most of the routes at The Buttermilks are highball problems that top out about 22 feet up with bushes and rocks to land on. One spotter and a small crashpad are little comfort. We attempted a few routes, but ended up just scrambling around and watching other climbers do their thing. We ended the night back at the camp to get some sleep and get ready for our departure in the morning.
We went to bed about 8:30 to be awoken about 9 or so by two bears in our camp. It was disconcerting to say the least. We decided at that point that when the bears left, so would we. We packed up in nothing flat and hit the road.
Such an awesome trip and will definately go back. Cant wait to climb outside more often.
Song of the day - Walking Spanish by Tom Waits
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Emotional Weather Report
Tonight my brother in law invited me to go to a record release party for a singer/songwriter he likes. I have heard a few songs and didnt hate it, so I went along. Plus I needed to be around some real people for a change. Being without a job kind of limits the number of people you interact with on a daily basis. Anyway, the performer was Adam Watts, who I knew of because he produced a number of albums for Jeremy Camp along with a guy I went to High School with. Once again, I digress. He was better than expected and I really enjoyed listening. During one of his songs, something he said (I dont remember what it was) suddenly triggered something in my head and I had to get up and write it down. I wasnt really sure what it meant at first, but I had to get it down because I knew I needed to remember it.
You divided me
in the third degree
I wrote it down and went back to listening to Adam and his band. A few minutes later I got hit again.
But in the end I knew
the only thing to do
was be true
to the only thing I knew...
me
I realized then that I was writing about my recent breakup with my girlfriend. It wasnt a bad breakup but it was a hard break up. The hardest one I have ever gone through. I have my moments both good and bad, but I am confident I made the right decision in the end. The whole thing was kind of odd becuase it's not really like me to write like that. Something struck me in the middle of the song and I am glad it did. Who knows if the inspiration will continue, but I am glad the little bit did.
Song of the day... Warm Beer and Cold Women by Tom Waits
You divided me
in the third degree
I wrote it down and went back to listening to Adam and his band. A few minutes later I got hit again.
But in the end I knew
the only thing to do
was be true
to the only thing I knew...
me
I realized then that I was writing about my recent breakup with my girlfriend. It wasnt a bad breakup but it was a hard break up. The hardest one I have ever gone through. I have my moments both good and bad, but I am confident I made the right decision in the end. The whole thing was kind of odd becuase it's not really like me to write like that. Something struck me in the middle of the song and I am glad it did. Who knows if the inspiration will continue, but I am glad the little bit did.
Song of the day... Warm Beer and Cold Women by Tom Waits
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Honesty is the key ingredient
In response to TheNarcissist....
I dont think its eHarmony's intention to bypass the "getting to know you" stage of the relationship. It's intention is to pair up those that have the same values and interests based on the answers to the personality profile. It's pretty obvious that you can sway the results to make you appear better than you are, but you have to be dishonest, with yourself, intentionally or otherwise. The intention is to pair up people who are ready for a serious and real relationship based on honesty. If you arent honest from the beginning, just like a relationship that begins on a barstool or in a club, the odds are higher your relationship will fail.
As someone who has used the site, I never felt as if I bypassed any experiences I have had with other relationships that didnt come from the site. I didnt skip any part of the relationship. There still was the getting to know you phase. It just started at a different place. Instead of the typical "she was wicked hot and liked the same music as I, so I asked her out. Turns out she's as dumb as a bag of hammers and thought Neil Armstrong was Lance's dad! Yeah, I nailed her, but I wont call her again. The blue honda on the corner over there is her car, she's stalking me right now." There was the, "She really likes being outdoors and we are going to go climbing on saturday with her brother and sister. She is really smart and has a lot of the same wants I do in life." If both of you are looking for a real relationship, and your not just trolling, then the site can help you find someone like you. It doesnt let you troll for "hot chicks/dudes." It lets you decide, based on the others profile and then answers to varied degrees of deeper personal questions, if you want to get to know the other person more. It still takes work to make the relationship work, but it starts the relationship off in a place where you can begin to take off that mask sooner than your normally would. I didnt feel like I knew my girlfriend before I met her, but I did feel like we could be friends instantly instead of wondering that for the first few weeks of dating.
The sites functionality works if you are honest with yourself and so is the other person. If you arent honest with yourself, you wont find a real relationship. You might find a good sex buddy, but if thats all you want, there are cheaper ways to get that. Your leaving too much to chance with the Harm, to find that nymphomaniac stripper who loves to be bent over the beef jerky display at the am/pm during her lunch break and wont make you call her unless your hard and ready to go. Just go to Yahoo! personals for that, her name is Sharon, I saw her ad yesterday.
Not to dis TheNarcissist. He has valid points. I agree some of the statements in the commercials are ridiculous. I just think he is misinterpreting the intention of the service. The intention is to allow you to see that person across the room and begin talking to them without inhibition and start out with (supposed) honesty. It's about seeing the (supposed) true colors of the other person without as much risk of finding out they hate the thing you are most passionate about after a month of doing it everyday with you. There isnt anything but honesty that will make a relationship succeed or fail. The Harm tries to push you toward the honest and emotional side of the relationship rather than the masked and surface level beginnings that a lot of people are tired of when they first meet someone. It's up to the individual to decide how they want to begin, and continue, their relationship.
Song of the day... Doesnt Anybody Stay Together Anymore by Phil Collins
I dont think its eHarmony's intention to bypass the "getting to know you" stage of the relationship. It's intention is to pair up those that have the same values and interests based on the answers to the personality profile. It's pretty obvious that you can sway the results to make you appear better than you are, but you have to be dishonest, with yourself, intentionally or otherwise. The intention is to pair up people who are ready for a serious and real relationship based on honesty. If you arent honest from the beginning, just like a relationship that begins on a barstool or in a club, the odds are higher your relationship will fail.
As someone who has used the site, I never felt as if I bypassed any experiences I have had with other relationships that didnt come from the site. I didnt skip any part of the relationship. There still was the getting to know you phase. It just started at a different place. Instead of the typical "she was wicked hot and liked the same music as I, so I asked her out. Turns out she's as dumb as a bag of hammers and thought Neil Armstrong was Lance's dad! Yeah, I nailed her, but I wont call her again. The blue honda on the corner over there is her car, she's stalking me right now." There was the, "She really likes being outdoors and we are going to go climbing on saturday with her brother and sister. She is really smart and has a lot of the same wants I do in life." If both of you are looking for a real relationship, and your not just trolling, then the site can help you find someone like you. It doesnt let you troll for "hot chicks/dudes." It lets you decide, based on the others profile and then answers to varied degrees of deeper personal questions, if you want to get to know the other person more. It still takes work to make the relationship work, but it starts the relationship off in a place where you can begin to take off that mask sooner than your normally would. I didnt feel like I knew my girlfriend before I met her, but I did feel like we could be friends instantly instead of wondering that for the first few weeks of dating.
The sites functionality works if you are honest with yourself and so is the other person. If you arent honest with yourself, you wont find a real relationship. You might find a good sex buddy, but if thats all you want, there are cheaper ways to get that. Your leaving too much to chance with the Harm, to find that nymphomaniac stripper who loves to be bent over the beef jerky display at the am/pm during her lunch break and wont make you call her unless your hard and ready to go. Just go to Yahoo! personals for that, her name is Sharon, I saw her ad yesterday.
Not to dis TheNarcissist. He has valid points. I agree some of the statements in the commercials are ridiculous. I just think he is misinterpreting the intention of the service. The intention is to allow you to see that person across the room and begin talking to them without inhibition and start out with (supposed) honesty. It's about seeing the (supposed) true colors of the other person without as much risk of finding out they hate the thing you are most passionate about after a month of doing it everyday with you. There isnt anything but honesty that will make a relationship succeed or fail. The Harm tries to push you toward the honest and emotional side of the relationship rather than the masked and surface level beginnings that a lot of people are tired of when they first meet someone. It's up to the individual to decide how they want to begin, and continue, their relationship.
Song of the day... Doesnt Anybody Stay Together Anymore by Phil Collins
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Im hungry. Lets get a taco
So training has sucked the last few weeks. I pulled the A2 pully in my right ring finger. For those that dont know, thats the tendon that allows the knuckle nearest to the fingernail to bend. It doesnt really hurt unless I crimp down on something. Then it hurts pretty good. With that injury I have stayed away from the gym for the last few weeks. It sucks. I miss it badly. Hopefully I will be back before too long and getting stronger for climbing season.
In addition to that I have decided that I am going to open my own climbing gym. I have been working on my business plan for the last couple of weeks and am finally to the point where I am looking for a facility. It's pretty exciting for me, and scary at the same time. I am really relying on God to tell me what His plan is for all of this. I have decided to fast for 40 days and really listen to what God is telling me. Today is day11. It has actually gotten easier each day. I am fasting from sun up to sun down, so I dont starve to death. And I allow myself liquid during the day so I dont dehydrate.
Over the last 11 days I have lost about 7 pounds which is good because I was pushing 160 at the end of my binge month. Thats the heaviest I have ever been! I am going to start working on my cardio a bit in the evenings before sun down so I can have dinner afterward.
I am eating healthier though. I havent had fast food all month and I have been cooking my own meals so even though I only eat after sun down, its a good meal. I need to start exercising more though, I feel like a lump, which isnt good.
What a crappy post...Song of the day...Can't Change Me by Chris Cornell
In addition to that I have decided that I am going to open my own climbing gym. I have been working on my business plan for the last couple of weeks and am finally to the point where I am looking for a facility. It's pretty exciting for me, and scary at the same time. I am really relying on God to tell me what His plan is for all of this. I have decided to fast for 40 days and really listen to what God is telling me. Today is day11. It has actually gotten easier each day. I am fasting from sun up to sun down, so I dont starve to death. And I allow myself liquid during the day so I dont dehydrate.
Over the last 11 days I have lost about 7 pounds which is good because I was pushing 160 at the end of my binge month. Thats the heaviest I have ever been! I am going to start working on my cardio a bit in the evenings before sun down so I can have dinner afterward.
I am eating healthier though. I havent had fast food all month and I have been cooking my own meals so even though I only eat after sun down, its a good meal. I need to start exercising more though, I feel like a lump, which isnt good.
What a crappy post...Song of the day...Can't Change Me by Chris Cornell
Friday, June 23, 2006
My day as Dr. John Dorian
I recently got into an argument with my girlfriend. I won't go into particulars, but I will say it got me pretty upset. I stewed about it for a full day and spent half of the day continuing to argue with her in my head and going over the whole argument again and again in detail, the other half. My inner monologue can be very destructive at times and very therapeutic at others.
During the argument I was convinced I didn’t do anything out of line and she was blowing things out of proportion for what seemed the 5,238 time. As I argued with her in my head the next day, I grew even more convinced that I was right and I'm not the one who should change. She just doesn’t understand me the way I thought she did and is never going to.
About halfway through the day, for some reason I decided to take a look at things from her perspective. Sure, some things were misunderstood, but others, when looked at from the other side, were very valid points. This change in perspective made me realize that she doesn’t always blow things out of proportion, and sometimes I do. It made me realized I haven’t been making strides in the relationship that she has. It made me realize that she isn’t as hard to understand as I thought. I get it! I just need to take a look at the context in which she views the situation. When I look at things she is upset about from my perspective, of course she's a wackjob! How can I be wrong? But when I can flip it around and see what she is seeing and understand why she see's it that way, I know she's so upset because she loves me and she knows bringing it up will only make me a better person, even though I may not think so right away.
I have known, since I began to claim to know things, that men and women view similar things in very different ways. I don’t think I have ever applied this logic to my own situation though. It's amazing what your inner monologue will teach you, if you just let yourself listen. It's even more amazing what someone else can teach you, if you just let yourself see their side.
Song of the day...I'm No Superman by Lazlo Bane
During the argument I was convinced I didn’t do anything out of line and she was blowing things out of proportion for what seemed the 5,238 time. As I argued with her in my head the next day, I grew even more convinced that I was right and I'm not the one who should change. She just doesn’t understand me the way I thought she did and is never going to.
About halfway through the day, for some reason I decided to take a look at things from her perspective. Sure, some things were misunderstood, but others, when looked at from the other side, were very valid points. This change in perspective made me realize that she doesn’t always blow things out of proportion, and sometimes I do. It made me realized I haven’t been making strides in the relationship that she has. It made me realize that she isn’t as hard to understand as I thought. I get it! I just need to take a look at the context in which she views the situation. When I look at things she is upset about from my perspective, of course she's a wackjob! How can I be wrong? But when I can flip it around and see what she is seeing and understand why she see's it that way, I know she's so upset because she loves me and she knows bringing it up will only make me a better person, even though I may not think so right away.
I have known, since I began to claim to know things, that men and women view similar things in very different ways. I don’t think I have ever applied this logic to my own situation though. It's amazing what your inner monologue will teach you, if you just let yourself listen. It's even more amazing what someone else can teach you, if you just let yourself see their side.
Song of the day...I'm No Superman by Lazlo Bane
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