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

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

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

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

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

Do you understand the words that are comin' out of my mouf???

I learned that there is a new category of music I have yet to have exposure to, Screamo. I also learned that Screamo is not Emo music. Screamo’s are very sensitive to being called Emo, so be careful if you’re talking to one. Apparently Screamo, is heavy metal music where the lead vocals are screamed at the top of their lungs.

Emo, if you don’t know, is the answer to heavy metal music for those that want to express their angst without all the anger. It’s usually filled with solemn voices, lonely rifts and songs filled with depression and sorrow. Screamo has, apparently, the same type of lyrics but are, instead, screamed to a background of crunching guitars and squealing metal rifts. It can be difficult at times to tell them apart.

Be careful! Their appearance is similar. You can’t tell an Emo kid and a Screamo kid apart just by looking at them. You’ll have to get close to them and listen carefully to their conversations for the subtle differneces. I don’t think that either is dangerous, so you’ll be safe either way, but who knows what would happen if you called a Screamo, Emo or an Emo, Screamo. Depending on what position they hold in the group, any number of things can happen. Drummers might sit down on your chest and beat the top of your head with their fingertips, guitarists may throw picks at you like ninja stars, and if you happen to be talking with a vocalist, you might want to keep some breath mints handy. The odds of anything they say to be understood is slim. But with the mints at least it won’t all be bad. My advice is to offer one at the beginning of the conversation, just in case.

Approach with caution and handle with care until the proper breed is determined. It can be a very volatile situation until you have sorted out which is which. Good luck and happy hunting…

If you need some help determining what Screamo is, just checkout this link for an example.

Song of the day...Bring The End by 7 Horns 7 Eyes

Due to technical difficulties

Some recent events have enabled my household to get free HBO and Showtime over the next 6 months. It has been going on about a week now and I've already noticed a weird phenomenon. I consider myself a movie buff and connoisseur to an extent. But the crap I watch, just because it’s on, is unbelievable! I noticed it the other day when my roommate emailed me, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is on. Do you want me to record it for you?" That was funny, I have to admit. But then realized that what we call the "Blue Crush/2Fast 2Furious Syndrome" was starting.

You see, about a year ago we were privy to a month or so of free HBO. During that month, we both admitted to watching Blue Crush and 2Fast 2Furious, not just once, but multiple times. If you have never seen those movies, both are like watching someone get kicked in the groin. You know its going to make you cringe, but you just can’t look away. And so the syndrome begins. I have already seen Batman Begins at least 3 times. I watched Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure twice in the same day! Granted, both are great movies in their own right, but geezy chreezy, there HAS to be something else on!

Over the next 6 months, I know this phenomenon will grow and there will be some really crappy movies that will be memorized and watched until I actually begin to wonder if getting kicked in the balls is such a bad thing. I've been able to not watch The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants so far, thankfully. I can't say the same thing for my roommate.

Pray for us...we're going to need it.

Song of the day...Friend of the Devil by The Grateful Dead

Because punk rock is too hard to sing

Climbing competitions start up again around October in my area. That gives me about 4 months to get into shape and hone my skills to the next level. I think I’ll keep working on my beer belly and watching my free HBO and Showtime for the next month or so, then tackle the training I need to do to get up to the next level. Although I should tell you that it is extremely hard for me not to engage in some kind of activity on a regular basis. I just got done telling you that I'm going to be watching TV and drinking beer for the next 30 days, but I failed to mention that I am also training for a half marathon in October as well. Should probably also mention that I am in pretty good shape now. I run about 5 miles a week, climb 2-3 days a week and play some mean NBA Ballers on PS2 with my buddy the narcissist from time to time. For me to get in “competition shape,” I need to lose about 6 lbs. I think I can do that over the next 4 months. It’s not really the poundage loss I'm going after, it’s the fat percentage. Right now I'm about 14.5% and Id like to be just under 10% come October. Hopefully, I will gain enough muscle that I wont have lost much weight at all. I’ll keep you (who the hell are you anyway?) posted on my progress.

If you don't know much about climbing there are three general types of climbing. The first and easiest is called “Top-Rope.” This means that the rope runs to the top of the route and back down. The potential of a “fall” here is minimal at best. As the climber ascends, the belayer takes up the slack in the rope. Therefore, if the climber “falls,” he may fall, at worst, about a foot. Top-ropers are limited in the height they can climb, to the length of their rope

The second two types of climbing are equally as hard in my opinion. Each has its own strengths and difficulties. If you are going to continue to use a rope, you will naturally progress into “lead climbing.” In this type of climbing, the entire length of rope is on the ground to begin. As the climber ascends the belayer feeds rope upward and the climber secures the rope through a series of protection devices. A fall on lead can result in quite a distance sometimes. This type of climbing requires a lot of mental concentration and endurance to be able to either place your own protection, or clip into a carabiner, while in some precarious positions. Lead climbers can climb any height, since the lead climber can anchor himself in at some point and assumes the belayer duty, while the person on the ground climbs up and begins the next “pitch.”

The third type is my favorite and the one in which I compete most frequently. It’s called bouldering. In bouldering, there isn’t a rope at all. Typically this style of climbing is very strenuous and technical, but doesn’t involve great heights. Generally about 15-20 feet is as high as you get. Although, there are problems involving greater heights, called “highball” problems. After a pretty serious ankle injury last year, I stay away from those for now. This type of climbing involves putting as many powerful and strength oriented moves into a relatively short distance. Sometimes the moves involve a small (or in some instances, great) leaps from one hold to another. If you ever get the opportunity to watch some kind of bouldering, I highly recommend it.

I will still lead and top rope from time to time, but bouldering is where I am focused for competition. Currently I can flash V4, and send up to V6 on good gravity days. For competition in October, my goal is to be able to flash V5 and send at least V7 on occasion. It’s going to be tough, but I think it will all work out.

Ill keep you posted on my training regimen when I get it all worked out. For now, it consists of pizza and beer and a lot of HBO.

Song of the day…Faithless Street by Whiskeytown.

Use your brain...

I realized today that a majority of people in the world are retarded. Not in a Special Olympics sort of way, but in a, "are you really that stupid?" sort of way. I've had a hunch about this worldly retardation for a long while, but today it was confirmed. A co-worker printed an email they were writing and handed it to me to proof read. (Retard moment#1) Every sentence seemed to have at least one spelling mistake. Not the simple mistakes either, like typing in when you mean on. The stupid ones, like spelling chuckle, chukkel or supposedly, supposubly. (Retard moment#2). I appeased them and corrected the printout and set it at the edge of my desk for them to pick up. (I'm not walking a printed e-mail anywhere) They came and looked at my corrections and said, "I didn’t want you to correct my spelling. I just wanted you to tell me if it made sense. Spell check will correct my spelling." (Retard moment #3) It was at that point I realized the devastation the invention of spell check has caused. Nobody uses their brain anymore. People have come to depend on their mistakes being fixed for them instead of learning from them. Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but if you would rather depend on spell check to correct your mistakes rather than just learning how to spell a word, you need help.

For the record...'yah' is actually 'yeah' , 'alls', isn’t a word and its definitely not the plural of all - and if you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, walk to the back of the short bus and strap on that helmet, it's gonna be a long ride.

Song of the day...Wish by Nine Inch Nails

Sometimes I wonder....

1. Why does it take women so long to get out of the car after you've reached your destination?

2. Is there such thing as pre-historic wind?

3. How do you hit your hands on the back of the sink when washing them?

4. Is there a role Johnny Depp can't play brilliantly?

5. Why is Green Day still popular?

6. Who came up with the Tanuki?

7. Why do I know what the Tanuki is?

8. Why didnt I think of that?

9. Why are there two contradicting terms on U.S. Currency? (Novus Ordo Seclorum & E. Pluribus Unum)

10. Am I the only one who wonders this crap?

Song of the day... Release by Pearl Jam

Freedom

It’s dark out. Without even opening my eyes I can tell that much. Any other day the darkness would be unwelcome. Not today. Today it means freedom. I slowly crawl from the dark and narrow space I’ve been confined to for the last 8 or so hours and begin preparing myself for what lies ahead. I know today wont be easy. I managed to sleep most of the night despite the cold night air and the lack of proper sleeping arrangements. I rub my eyes and try to take in my surroundings. As far as I can see, in all directions… dirt, cacti, mountains and a seemingly endless sky. The thought runs through my mind briefly, “I wonder if anyone could hear me scream right now?” I tell myself not to think about such things and begin to prepare for the day. The sun will be up shortly, I need to get going. I clean up my temporary home and begin walking. “Keep moving,” I tell myself. “It won’t be long now. Just keep walking.”

This is my third day out here. I’m tired. The first two days it was pretty easy to keep going. Now after two cooler than normal nights and warmer than normal days, my body is bruised, my hands and feet hurt, I long for shower and an indoor place to sleep and am getting wicked hungry. I keep telling myself I can endure another day of this. A week if I had to. I was quick to leave where I came from and didn’t bring much with me. I knew I would meet up with someone in a day or two. I was sure of it. I was able to grab a few things before I left. My inventory consists of, an extra pair of shoes that are too small, but have been a Godsend many times, a large piece of covered foam I’ve been able to wear as a backpack while I walk and sleep on at night, a small bag with a drawstring that carries a toothbrush, a bottle of water, a few strips of beef jerky, a light jacket to protect me from the wind during the day and a small blanket to keep me covered at night. I knew I needed to travel light or I would never make it.

The sun starts spilling over the mountain to my left. As desolate as this place is, and as tired as I am, I can’t help but notice its beauty. I have never seen such colors before. The light dances across the desert and all at once this barren field comes alive with beauty. Each of the last two mornings has amazed me with the spectacular spectacle of the sunrise. It makes this trek a little more bearable. I stop and stare at the ever changing landscape as the morning light hits my face. The warmth is welcomed for the moment. It won’t belong before I will want to escape from it.

“Just keep walking. It can’t be much farther.” I have to keep motivated or I’ll never make it. I just need to reach that large rock over there and I can rest for a while. It seems like a million miles away. I take a sip of the water I have left. It feels like silk against my dry lips. I’ve rationed what I have left to get me as far as I can go. It would be deadly to drink it all now. I’ll save what’s left of the jerky until I can rest. I tuck the water between my foam pad backpack and my neck. It’s still cold from last night and a great cooling system for my body. I daydream of sitting on the beach with an ice cold beer for a moment. I can almost taste it. “The rock is getting closer, don’t lose your pace now.” I come back to reality and concentrate on my walking. The rock that seemed so large from so far away, is becoming more monstrous the closer I get. It looks as if God was playing Jenga and didn’t clean up after it toppled. The rocks seemed precariously perched, yet incredibly stable. I’ve seen others like it on my two day trek, but this one seems particularly terrific. There is a large middle section that is perfectly stacked, one on top of the other. All around are piles of rocks that lean against and support this enormous tower. I hope I can find a small place to sit and rest for a while.

The sun has been up for an hour or so now. The warmth I welcomed, I know wish would go away. The rock I’ve been admiring is now about 100 steps away. I cant wait to find a nice cold rock to lie on and get out of this sun for a bit. I walk around and find a small alcove where the sun hadn’t touched yet. As I crawl down into it I find an empty beer bottle. “At least someone else has been here before.” Yesterday I found a Wheat Thins box. It has been a great motivator. I lay as far down into the alcove as I can and lay the foam pad along the ledge above me to keep the sun out as it moves. “I’ve made it.” I take a bite of the jerky and another sip of water and close my eyes to rest.

I awake sometime later to the sound of footsteps on the loose gravel outside. I don’t want to make a noise. They sound like they are getting closer. Or is it my imagination. I see a shadow around the pad, but the sun is still pretty low. I can’t make out what it is, but it IS getting closer. Two days across this desert without seeing anything else alive. I am hoping it’s friendly and scared to death its not. The footsteps stop, right on the other side of my foam shield. Then, a knock. “Dude, are you in there?” I throw the pad to the side and crawl out. “Holy shit, dude! You scared the crap outta me! Thank God you made it. I was worried I was going to be out here forever on my own!” My climbing partner had shown up right on time. We arranged to meet here three days ago. We walk together to his truck and I suck down what feels like a gallon of water that he has brought with him. He has been there for a while already. “I saw you sleeping about 30 minutes ago and by the dirt on your face I could tell you needed a good nap, so I let you sleep. I’ve got the ropes and gear ready to go. Drink up and grab a donut on the front seat. Just let me know when you are ready to climb this monster.” He knows what a man wants after two days hiking through the desert. I devour the donut and drink a ton of water he brought for me and I feel like a hundred bucks all over again. He throws me the hat and sunglasses I asked him to bring, I give him a brief nod, slip on my climbing shoes and my chalk bag and let him know I’m ready. We walk together to the base of the large rock, rope connected between us and protective gear strewn about. I watch as he starts climbing up this amazing rock formation and can’t help but think to myself, “There is no place I would rather be than right here, in the middle of nowhere.”

Okay, I'll talk to you later...

There is something that I dont understand about women. Well, there is a lot I dont understand about women. I don't pretend I know anything at all about them really. But something continues to happen between my girlfriend and I that drives me nuts. We will be talking to each other on the phone, and suddenly she will say, "Okay, I'll talk to you later." totally out of the blue. My first response is always, "What? You're done talking to me?"....Wait, let me clarify this situation a bit further before I go on, so I don't come off as a complete A-hole. First, we are both talking on cell phones. Usually she is in her car driving somewhere and on the headset deal. I could be anywhere, home, car, office, outside, literally anywhere. At least once during these conversations there will be the typical cell phone exchange of, "Hello? Can you hear me now?" by either one or both of us. And every conversation began by her asking if I was busy, and me saying no. If I am in the middle of something, I will tell her so and we will talk later.... Okay, now that I have thrown these little variables into the mix I'll continue.... On the surface this isnt a big deal. Maybe she is just finished telling me what she wanted to tell me. That's totally fine with me. But that's not it. I was able to get out of her once, that its because she thinks I'm not listening to her. (Heres where I start going nuts.) If you think that I am not listening to you, tell me you think Im not listening to you! Dont just say, "Okay, I'll see you later" and get upset. What the hell is that!! Chances are (and have always been so) that either 1) the cell phone has been cutting out and I havent said anything, because it hasnt been consistent enough to make a big deal out of it. or 2) while your driving the mic on the headset is swinging around because your changing lanes or something and I can't hear everything your saying or 3) you are talking about something that I dont understand and I'm doing my best to hear everything you are saying so I can retort, but Im usually a sentance or two behind in understanding everything.

I am very upfront and honest with my girlfriend. I dont tell her one thing and mean another. I tell her when I am upset. I tell her when I am busy and cant talk and I tell her when Im not busy and can talk. All I am asking for is for her to get a little clarification and find out if what she is feeling is real or not. Dont assume something and get your feelings hurt because of it.

I will never understand it....

Song of the day... Close Edge by Mos Def

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die

Today I was randomly flipping through this blogging community we have here and a post caught my eye. The post was about how some people give Christianity a bad name. This thought caught my eye and stayed with me all day. The scariest part of it all was that I agreed with the statement and I am a Christian.

I have been a Christian my whole life. I grew up in the church. My father was a pastor and there wasn’t a week that went by I wasn’t in church on Sunday. As a kid this was something that my family did and so I did to. I didn’t know any different. I wasn’t just going through the motions though. I had a real faith in Him. But I never really challenged these beliefs.

During and after high school I went through some challenging times that really tested what I believed. I held on to the faith I had but I let go of some of the “rules” Christians have. (I’ll explain the quotes later.) I challenged a lot of what I had grown up just believing because it was said in church. These challenges shaped the rest of my life.

The reason this post affected me the way it did is because I have felt this way for a long time. It’s nice to know that some non-Christians feel the same way. I look at it as another challenge to shape my life. I look at it as a goal to not be one of those people that gives Christianity a bad name.

My experiences have taught me that what God wants is for us, as Christians, to be the examples of His love. He has only given us 10 “rules.” (Bet you thought I would never get here.) Look up the Ten Commandments and tell me which one of these “rules” would change the way you live your life. The only reason that I put quotes on this is because these aren’t things that prohibit your life in any sort of way. I’d love to hear the reason anyone thinks breaking one of these “rules” will make your life better. I bet that most anyone will contend that they are abiding by these rules without being a Christian.

Back to the topic at hand… It is my opinion, as the author did not state this as fact, that what she was implying was that these people that give Christianity a bad name are the people that are condemning others and intolerant of others points of view. What I consider to be a typical closed-minded Christian. This type of “bully evangelism” totally turns me off. I would never want someone to be scared into their beliefs by someone who tells them stories of fire and brimstone if they don’t believe in God. Gimme a freaking break! In all of my experiences I truly believe that God wants us to experience a relationship with Him through faith, not religion.

I could go off on a rant about relationship vs. religion but I will save that for another time.

I will try to wrap this up. I guess the whole point of this is to challenge the thinking of a lot of Christians in the world. Take a good look a Jesus Christ’s life and example to us. Look really hard. It is clearly laid out that he hung out with the people of the world that didn’t believe in Him or his teachings. He was frequently around the people society cast out. The sexual deviants, the drunks and addicts, the prostitutes and people most Christians of today wouldn’t be caught dead near. God asked us to be “like Christ.” If you are challenged by one statement in this collection of random thoughts, let it be this, Take a good hard look at who Christ was while He was on this earth and try to emulate that in your own life. Give it your best shot and don’t give Christianity a bad name.

Song of the day…Come and Listen by David Crowder Band

You are how old???

I am new to my thirties and not bothered by it all so far. I have always been told, "Just wait until you hit thirty." It's here... I dont see what the big deal is. I have a beautiful girlfriend and we have been dating over a year. I am a rock climber and am climbing harder and better than I ever have, and I have never felt better about where I am at in life. What's so bad about being thirty? Screw thirty. Don't tell me that just because I'm not in my twenties anymore that I have to act different or do life differently than I have for the past 29 years. I am still me and still like and dislike the same things. Being in my thirties isnt going to change who I am. Granted I can feel the toll the years have taken on my body. That much I can tell you is true. I do not recover as fast as I used to after a hard days climb. My fingers and shoulders hurt for a day or two after a night at the climbing gym. But as long as I am getting stronger and better, the pain is worth it. But no matter what the years on earth has done to my body, it has only sharpened my mind. If I can keep that up, I dont see myself slowing down one bit.

Okay, enough for today. Im gonna go watch the latest Lost episode I recorded tonight. I will leave you (whomever you are) with the song of the day.... Tom Trauberts Blues by Tom Waits.

Introduction

Kind of an interesting relationship we have here. I dont even know you and yet I feel compelled to tell you whats on my mind. I haven't yet figured out exactly how much I want to share, but we'll see how it turns out. Today we'll keep it short. I'll tell you I've just begun my thirties and have made some observations of life that dont always conform to the norm. No matter who's norm you are talking about, even my own.

It's an interesting feeling starting a coversation with no one....