When I come to work on Monday, I will officially be an Assistant Director of Admissions instead of just a plain old rep. Yay!
Now if I could just get my Mac to turn on so I can finish my current project...hmmm....
"So take this broken offering and make me whole,
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Set my feet upon the road that leads me home,
let me walk as one fixed upon the goal,
even though I've got a thousand miles to go..."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Monday, June 26, 2006
Rocks, roots and ridiculous hills
That pretty much sums up my ride at the Pinckney State Recreation Area's Potowatami Trail this past weekend. It was brutal; fifteen miles felt like fifty and I was wrecked for the rest of the day. But I did it and I'll probably do it again, once I forget how much it sucked.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
DeYoung Family Vacation
It's the first hour of my first day back to work after a nice long vacation, and I'm already wasting time on the Internet! Well, I just thought I should update before things get crazy around here, OK?
I took last Friday off to go down to SL and spend some time with my dad, since I would be missing Father's Day. We went mountain biking in the morning, then he spent the early afternoon working on his boat while I napped in the hammock, beneath the most beautiful maple tree ever. Eventually, we made it out to the lake, just in time for my dad to be a hero once again.
***Exciting story***
So there we are, floating in the middle of the lake, enjoying the sunshine and contemplating a swim, when we notice a SeaDoo boat with steam coming out of its stern. It wasn't getting any lighter, so we sped over to see what was going on. There are two women and one man in the boat, and two little girls and another man floating on a raft-type thing. The boat driver starts flagging us down (Mistake #1: He had done no signaling prior to seeing us heading his way) and tells us there is a fire on the boat. So Dad tells the two women, both of whom are wearing life jackets to get in the water and swim to the platform at the back of our boat. One women has no problem with this; the other starts panicking, saying she can't swim. "You've got a life jacket on. You'll be fine," says my dad, and one doesn't argue with that stern of a tone. So she bails into the water, doesn't even get her hair wet, and starts freaking out. "I can't breathe! I can't do this!" Then, once the other women has hauled her to the platform: "I can't get up! I'm not strong enough!" Having none of this, my dad unceremoniously hauls her up by one arm.
While all this was happening, Dad had given the man our fire extinguisher (Mistake #2: It's illegal, not to mention stupid, to not have a fire extinguisher on board) but he couldn't figure out how to use it. So with the women in the boat and the smoke getting thicker and blacker, we got the man in the boat as well. Then we picked up the little girls and the other man, and sped off across the lake. No one wanted to stick around long enough to find out whether this boat was going to blow up, because by this time, flames were coming out of the engine compartment.
I called 911 on the way to the family's house and got the fire department out there. Once everyone was safely ashore, we ran back over and picked up three firemen in our boat. They had Dad drive really close to the burning boat - which was totally engulfed in flames and thick, balck smoke - so they could attack in with their fire extinguishers. The boat drifted closer and closer to shore, until it rested against the bank and a fire truck could put out the flames from the road.
By the way, I said my dad was a hero once again. A number of years ago, he jumped from a moving ski boat onto a runaway JetSki to keep it from crashing into shore. He's going to become a legend out there.
***Back to the vacation update***
Saturday was Mitch's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary bash up near Cadillac. We got there around 10:30 am to help with set-up, and then spent the rest of the day keeping the food stocked and getting introduced as "Carla's youngest son, Mitch, and his wife, Laurie." A ton of people attended and his grandparents really enjoyed it. The rest of the family kept saying, "This enver would've gone off without the DeYoung kids," because Mitch and his siblings (plus us married-ins) were the only grandkids busting their butts before, during and after.
We spent Saturday night camped out in the grands' front yard, trying to beat the heat with our well-ventilated tent. Oh, and we had to go to the bathroom in the trees because his grandma locked us all out at 11 pm. Haha. Hope none of the neighbors were driving by as I bared my bottom!
Sunday morning, we skipped out on "the big breakfast" (translation: a mishmash of leftovers from the part, plus eggs) in favor of Bob Evans and the chance to beat the rain to TC for some mountain biking. No luck there, but we did get to visit Adrienne in her new place and take a much-needed shower. Eventually we met Christa, Brian, Minda, Derek and the kiddos at the cottage we were renting for the week, but it was so rainy we couldn't do anything but sit around inside. We did go grocery shopping and make pizzas for dinner, and it dried up enough for a campfire in the evening. The three couples played Nertz well into the night (that night and every night) and I think, by the end of the trip, we had each won once.
On Monday we went to the beach in TC to kill some time before Jeff and Carla got up there. It was really hot but the water in the bay was too cold for swimming. In the afternoon, Mitch and I took Minda and Derek wine tasting on the Leelanau Peninsula. More campfire, more Nertz, more sleep.
Tuesday we went canoeing with Minda, Derek, Christa and Brian. This was the most fun canoe trip I've been on in a long time! It wasn't too long and the water was warm so splashing was actually fun! We laughed so much and I got some fun photos with my new digital camera. (Old camera got sand in it and it was going to cost just about as much to fix it as to replace it, so we upgraded.) After canoeing, we met Jeff, Carla and the kids at the beach, where we relaxed for a bit before heading to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. We didn't walk all the way to Lake Michigan because the others would be waiting too long, but we did enough to make my thighs a bit sore.
Wednesday was our last day, and we didn't do much in the morning but ride about four miles of mountain biking trail reminscient of Cadillac. (Translation: Hilly) When we got sick of sitting around, we kidnapped Minda and Derek for more wine tasting - this time on Old Mission Point - and eventually met the rest of the gang back at the Dunes for the scenic drive. We got back home around 9 pm and spent the evening fighting the idea of going back to work.
Wow, it's taken me the whole day to get around to finishing this, but here you go. I'll post photos on my Yahoo site soon...though I'm not sure anyone is particularly interested in seeing family vacation photos! Look at that, time to pack up and go home!
I took last Friday off to go down to SL and spend some time with my dad, since I would be missing Father's Day. We went mountain biking in the morning, then he spent the early afternoon working on his boat while I napped in the hammock, beneath the most beautiful maple tree ever. Eventually, we made it out to the lake, just in time for my dad to be a hero once again.
***Exciting story***
So there we are, floating in the middle of the lake, enjoying the sunshine and contemplating a swim, when we notice a SeaDoo boat with steam coming out of its stern. It wasn't getting any lighter, so we sped over to see what was going on. There are two women and one man in the boat, and two little girls and another man floating on a raft-type thing. The boat driver starts flagging us down (Mistake #1: He had done no signaling prior to seeing us heading his way) and tells us there is a fire on the boat. So Dad tells the two women, both of whom are wearing life jackets to get in the water and swim to the platform at the back of our boat. One women has no problem with this; the other starts panicking, saying she can't swim. "You've got a life jacket on. You'll be fine," says my dad, and one doesn't argue with that stern of a tone. So she bails into the water, doesn't even get her hair wet, and starts freaking out. "I can't breathe! I can't do this!" Then, once the other women has hauled her to the platform: "I can't get up! I'm not strong enough!" Having none of this, my dad unceremoniously hauls her up by one arm.
While all this was happening, Dad had given the man our fire extinguisher (Mistake #2: It's illegal, not to mention stupid, to not have a fire extinguisher on board) but he couldn't figure out how to use it. So with the women in the boat and the smoke getting thicker and blacker, we got the man in the boat as well. Then we picked up the little girls and the other man, and sped off across the lake. No one wanted to stick around long enough to find out whether this boat was going to blow up, because by this time, flames were coming out of the engine compartment.
I called 911 on the way to the family's house and got the fire department out there. Once everyone was safely ashore, we ran back over and picked up three firemen in our boat. They had Dad drive really close to the burning boat - which was totally engulfed in flames and thick, balck smoke - so they could attack in with their fire extinguishers. The boat drifted closer and closer to shore, until it rested against the bank and a fire truck could put out the flames from the road.
By the way, I said my dad was a hero once again. A number of years ago, he jumped from a moving ski boat onto a runaway JetSki to keep it from crashing into shore. He's going to become a legend out there.
***Back to the vacation update***
Saturday was Mitch's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary bash up near Cadillac. We got there around 10:30 am to help with set-up, and then spent the rest of the day keeping the food stocked and getting introduced as "Carla's youngest son, Mitch, and his wife, Laurie." A ton of people attended and his grandparents really enjoyed it. The rest of the family kept saying, "This enver would've gone off without the DeYoung kids," because Mitch and his siblings (plus us married-ins) were the only grandkids busting their butts before, during and after.
We spent Saturday night camped out in the grands' front yard, trying to beat the heat with our well-ventilated tent. Oh, and we had to go to the bathroom in the trees because his grandma locked us all out at 11 pm. Haha. Hope none of the neighbors were driving by as I bared my bottom!
Sunday morning, we skipped out on "the big breakfast" (translation: a mishmash of leftovers from the part, plus eggs) in favor of Bob Evans and the chance to beat the rain to TC for some mountain biking. No luck there, but we did get to visit Adrienne in her new place and take a much-needed shower. Eventually we met Christa, Brian, Minda, Derek and the kiddos at the cottage we were renting for the week, but it was so rainy we couldn't do anything but sit around inside. We did go grocery shopping and make pizzas for dinner, and it dried up enough for a campfire in the evening. The three couples played Nertz well into the night (that night and every night) and I think, by the end of the trip, we had each won once.
On Monday we went to the beach in TC to kill some time before Jeff and Carla got up there. It was really hot but the water in the bay was too cold for swimming. In the afternoon, Mitch and I took Minda and Derek wine tasting on the Leelanau Peninsula. More campfire, more Nertz, more sleep.
Tuesday we went canoeing with Minda, Derek, Christa and Brian. This was the most fun canoe trip I've been on in a long time! It wasn't too long and the water was warm so splashing was actually fun! We laughed so much and I got some fun photos with my new digital camera. (Old camera got sand in it and it was going to cost just about as much to fix it as to replace it, so we upgraded.) After canoeing, we met Jeff, Carla and the kids at the beach, where we relaxed for a bit before heading to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. We didn't walk all the way to Lake Michigan because the others would be waiting too long, but we did enough to make my thighs a bit sore.
Wednesday was our last day, and we didn't do much in the morning but ride about four miles of mountain biking trail reminscient of Cadillac. (Translation: Hilly) When we got sick of sitting around, we kidnapped Minda and Derek for more wine tasting - this time on Old Mission Point - and eventually met the rest of the gang back at the Dunes for the scenic drive. We got back home around 9 pm and spent the evening fighting the idea of going back to work.
Wow, it's taken me the whole day to get around to finishing this, but here you go. I'll post photos on my Yahoo site soon...though I'm not sure anyone is particularly interested in seeing family vacation photos! Look at that, time to pack up and go home!
Thursday, June 15, 2006
What's eating me.
It makes me so terribly sad (and a little mad) when people don't take care of their bodies. I'm not saying everyone needs to be super-model thin or have six-pack abs, but people who are seriously overweight should think twice about loading their grocery cart up with Twinkies and Coke and pork rinds.
It's not an aesthetic thing: it's a health thing. If someone is eating healthy and being active, it doesn't matter what her body looks like. She is taking care of this amazing vessel God has given her for her time on Earth. If someone is just shoveling crap into his mouth and spending his days doing nothing, he's not respecting a gift from God and I think that's pretty wrong.
It's not an aesthetic thing: it's a health thing. If someone is eating healthy and being active, it doesn't matter what her body looks like. She is taking care of this amazing vessel God has given her for her time on Earth. If someone is just shoveling crap into his mouth and spending his days doing nothing, he's not respecting a gift from God and I think that's pretty wrong.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Helmet Law
This weekend, Bobby and I were discussing the Michigan motorcycle helmet law and whether or not we thought it should be removed. Then this morning, all the radio stations are talking about it, too, because the quarterback for the Pittsburg Steelers got in a bad motorcycle accident and was not wearing a helmet. I took all this as an indication that I should post about it.
First, let me say I think it's absolutely stupid not to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, just as I think it is ridiculous not to wear a seatbelt in a car. However, is it the government's place to make laws protecting us from ourselves? I understand protecting others by setting speed limits, etc., but when an action is not (a) morally wrong or (b) a danger to others, I believe I should have the personal freedom to make a choice.
Now, one could argue that not wearing a helmet on a motocycle is a danger to others because a rider's death or serious injury is probably going to be very harmful to his or her family - emotionally, financially, whatever. But one could make that same argument against pretty much anything we do; any risks we take, including walking across the street, could potentially have the same negative effects on those we love, should something unfortunate occur. So I'm going to throw that argument out, because it is easily taken too far to be reasonable.
I'm in favor of removing the Michigan helmet law, but I would strongly encourage riders to make the personal choice to continue to wear helmets. When Mitch gets his bike someday, I know he won't be going anywhere without one. Let's all take responsibility for our own choices and not let the government decide these things for us.
First, let me say I think it's absolutely stupid not to wear a helmet on a motorcycle, just as I think it is ridiculous not to wear a seatbelt in a car. However, is it the government's place to make laws protecting us from ourselves? I understand protecting others by setting speed limits, etc., but when an action is not (a) morally wrong or (b) a danger to others, I believe I should have the personal freedom to make a choice.
Now, one could argue that not wearing a helmet on a motocycle is a danger to others because a rider's death or serious injury is probably going to be very harmful to his or her family - emotionally, financially, whatever. But one could make that same argument against pretty much anything we do; any risks we take, including walking across the street, could potentially have the same negative effects on those we love, should something unfortunate occur. So I'm going to throw that argument out, because it is easily taken too far to be reasonable.
I'm in favor of removing the Michigan helmet law, but I would strongly encourage riders to make the personal choice to continue to wear helmets. When Mitch gets his bike someday, I know he won't be going anywhere without one. Let's all take responsibility for our own choices and not let the government decide these things for us.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Rugby and rum
OK, so the whole weekend wasn't made up of smashing each other's faces into the sand, then getting smashed, but it was a big part of it. Anyone here ever played any pick-up rugby games? If you were at Jon's this weekend, you did. Man oh man, it was rough. Real tackles, confusion over the rules...what a great time!
Team Jager made another appearance, complete with a twelve-minute voicemail from Bobby and Ray to Liz, encouraging her to come up the second night. I believe they told her she could drink for free since she was a teacher and they didn't pay teachers that much. Everyone had a good time and though some people claim to have heard a big of heaving in the bathroom, no one will own up to getting sick.
Mitch, Bobby, Kristy and I went mountain biking, too. The Cadillac trails kick my bottom because of all the hills, but they are good for me. Bobby got lost and had to stop at some old lady's house and ask for directions. Mitch rode half the trail looking for him. Silly boys.
This entry feels very choppy. Oh well. Big plans coming up for us - I'm spending Friday with my dad for Father's Day, then there's Mitch's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary bash on Saturday, followed by four days in the TC area with my in-laws. It should be a fun time, especially because Mitch and I will be breaking in his new two-person MSR tent. Monday through Wednesday we could probably snag some floor space in the cottage his parents rented in Lake Ann, but why would we do that if we could peacefully slumber under the stars?
And I found a couple of new places to mountain bike near TC. I don't know how good any of them will be compared to the VASA trail, but it'll be worth a shot. We are so easily amused.
On Wednesday we are hashing out recruiting territories in the office. I'm ambivalent about where I end up. Anywhere would be closer to home than the North, so I won't mind giving that up. I do like all the people I met up there, though. OK, we're having a meeting soon, so I should sign off.
Team Jager made another appearance, complete with a twelve-minute voicemail from Bobby and Ray to Liz, encouraging her to come up the second night. I believe they told her she could drink for free since she was a teacher and they didn't pay teachers that much. Everyone had a good time and though some people claim to have heard a big of heaving in the bathroom, no one will own up to getting sick.
Mitch, Bobby, Kristy and I went mountain biking, too. The Cadillac trails kick my bottom because of all the hills, but they are good for me. Bobby got lost and had to stop at some old lady's house and ask for directions. Mitch rode half the trail looking for him. Silly boys.
This entry feels very choppy. Oh well. Big plans coming up for us - I'm spending Friday with my dad for Father's Day, then there's Mitch's grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary bash on Saturday, followed by four days in the TC area with my in-laws. It should be a fun time, especially because Mitch and I will be breaking in his new two-person MSR tent. Monday through Wednesday we could probably snag some floor space in the cottage his parents rented in Lake Ann, but why would we do that if we could peacefully slumber under the stars?
And I found a couple of new places to mountain bike near TC. I don't know how good any of them will be compared to the VASA trail, but it'll be worth a shot. We are so easily amused.
On Wednesday we are hashing out recruiting territories in the office. I'm ambivalent about where I end up. Anywhere would be closer to home than the North, so I won't mind giving that up. I do like all the people I met up there, though. OK, we're having a meeting soon, so I should sign off.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Volleyball
Last night was our second set of volleyball games in the Mt. Pleasant summer beach league. I was too frustrated to post after our first one, but this one went much better. We split, beating one team and losing to the other, but I think we played better together than last week. We tried something new: with all eight players present, we split into two separate teams and each team played a whole game, without any substitutions. There was never a need for a third game, because we either won both or lost both, but had a third game been necessary as a rubber match, we agreed to field the best players that evening for the final game.
I like this format. We plan to mix it up and play different people together, while keeping our teams relatively even. When not on the court, we generally peppered around to stay warm, practiced hits, or even played a friendly game of twos. I think we can perform well in this league if we can shut down this one tall dude - a member of the team to whom we lost last night. He spikes often, but not hard, and he's pretty predictable. He is, however, only getting better so we need to stay on our toes.
By the way, our team name is True Scots and everyone on it has a connection to Alma. Mitch, Jon, Matt, Kristy, Gabe, Andrea and I are obviously alumns, and our fourth girl is one of my coworkers in Admissions. Root for us every Wednesday evening!
I like this format. We plan to mix it up and play different people together, while keeping our teams relatively even. When not on the court, we generally peppered around to stay warm, practiced hits, or even played a friendly game of twos. I think we can perform well in this league if we can shut down this one tall dude - a member of the team to whom we lost last night. He spikes often, but not hard, and he's pretty predictable. He is, however, only getting better so we need to stay on our toes.
By the way, our team name is True Scots and everyone on it has a connection to Alma. Mitch, Jon, Matt, Kristy, Gabe, Andrea and I are obviously alumns, and our fourth girl is one of my coworkers in Admissions. Root for us every Wednesday evening!
Monday, June 05, 2006
Eighteen minutes
I am so hungry. Why can't it be five o'clock, when I can go home and have a big glass of milk to tide me over 'til dinner?
OK, I won't complain anymore. It's my own fault: I always know I'll be hungry by the end of the day and I never pack more food.
The weekend was fun - spent some time with the in-laws and my grandparents, and I had my first ever casino experience. Mitch made me lose a dollar. And I saw the saddest sign ever in the parking lot:
"Do not leave children unattended in cars. There is childcare."
Having a sign means people have done that often! It about broke my heart. How could anyone leave their kid in a car while they go and gamble away their college fund? OK, that might be a bit extreme, but anyone who would leave their kids probably has a gambling problem, and they may very well be gambling away college money! Sad.
I wonder if we'll play volleyball tonight. Our team really needs the practice, but I've only heard from people who can't make it. Hmmm. Can't think. Still focused on my empty tummy! Callin' it a day a few minutes early, methinks.
OK, I won't complain anymore. It's my own fault: I always know I'll be hungry by the end of the day and I never pack more food.
The weekend was fun - spent some time with the in-laws and my grandparents, and I had my first ever casino experience. Mitch made me lose a dollar. And I saw the saddest sign ever in the parking lot:
"Do not leave children unattended in cars. There is childcare."
Having a sign means people have done that often! It about broke my heart. How could anyone leave their kid in a car while they go and gamble away their college fund? OK, that might be a bit extreme, but anyone who would leave their kids probably has a gambling problem, and they may very well be gambling away college money! Sad.
I wonder if we'll play volleyball tonight. Our team really needs the practice, but I've only heard from people who can't make it. Hmmm. Can't think. Still focused on my empty tummy! Callin' it a day a few minutes early, methinks.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
24 miles of trail
Some people think long holiday weekends are for relaxing...apparently Mitch and I don't know the meaning of the word!
Friday: Work all day (which meant driving to Boyne Falls and back, then spending some time in the office), bachelorette party all night! Lindsay, a friend from high school, was getting married on Sunday so it was time to celebrate her last weekend of singledom. I met the group at this fun country bar way out in Shelby Township called Coyote Joe's, and though I had to drive home and couldn't join in some of the festivities, it was pretty cool. Actually, I'd love to take all my college friends there (we'd be on the mechanical bull all night!), but it's really far away. After that bar, we went to a place in Rochester called Main Street Billiards, which was also cool. My favorite thing was people-watching...especially this one group of guys who were staked out next to the entrance to the dance floor, overtly checking out every girl that walked by! The evening went 'til about 12:30 am, but then I had an hour drive home. So tired...
Saturday: At 8:30 am, my dad was in my room, waking me up like old times. He said he had a surprise for me and was really excited, so I pushed off the urge to drift back to sleep and dragged myself up. Turns out he bought me a whole new front sprocket for my mountain bike! Last time we were down there, we discovered that my front gears measure 28-38-48 instead of the standard 24-34-44. Smaller front gears would help me climb hills better (I'm horrible at climbing hills), but Mitch and I thought it would cost a lot to get new ones based on the prices we saw at REI. Turns out it wasn't that much at all, and Dad thought I should have them. What a guy!
Since we had to wait for Mitch to finish work and get down to SL before we could bike, I went out to the lake with Mom and Dad to clean up the cottage and get it ready for the annual family Memorial Day party. Mitch got there about 3:30 pm, we put my new sprocket on my bike, and headed out to Island Lake. We planned to ride the nine-mile blue trail, then break off and ride the six-mile yellow trail, but I rode blue a bit too hard to do the second leg. See, there were these guys, and we passed each other about three or four times before I got sick of it and decided to stay ahead of them for the rest of the trail. Turns out I didn't need to ride as hard as I did, because I was finished, packed up and on the road before they returned to the trailhead. Still, I was pretty beat.
Sunday: Mitch went to work with Bobby and Dad had to mow the lawn, so we didn't get out on the trails until 11:30 am, by which time it was over 80 degrees with a heck of a lot of humidity. This time we went out to Brighton Rec, where Bobby and Mitch tackled a tough five-miler called Torn Shirt while Dad and I opted for the longer but easier nine-mile Murray Lake Trail. My legs were pretty tired from the day before, and the heat didn't help, so I kind of felt like crap for most of the ride. Still, it's a fun trail and I look forward to going back in better conditions. Needless to say, I was dripping by the time we got done, and the dive off the dock in my biking clothes was amazingly refreshing.
Lindsay's wedding was late that afternoon, so Mitch and I hurried to grab some lunch at the lake before returning home to get ready. I am proud to say that even in the heat, I still blew my hair dry and straightened it. I had a sexy black dress to wear and didn't want to half-do anything! Anyway, the wedding was nice but we didn't stay long. Mitch didn't really know anyone and the atmosphere was really strained between me and a friend who's suppose to be my best friend but seems to forget I exist many times. We were happy to be home by 10:30 pm, watching Braveheart in the nice, cool basement.
Monday: When 7:30 am rolled around, the last thing I wanted to do was go out biking again! But we had promised ourselves three days on the trails, so up I rolled. Mitch and my dad's friend, Dan, wanted to ride the Potowatami in Pinckney, but that's a pretty long, hard ride, so Dad and I left them to punish themselves while we rode the yellow trail back at Island Lake. Even in the heat, I felt great! I passed more people (two guys and two girls) and, to borrow my dad's words, my tank was not empty after the ride.
For the rest of the day, we lounged around at the lake. I have a bit of a sunburn to show for it, but it was great. Adrienne and Kyle came out, somewhat surprisingly, and it made me feel a bit better about the state of our friendship. We swam, took my cousin and her friend tubing, swam some more, ate great food, swan some more, and just had a great time with family and friends.
And now I'm back at work, but only 'til about 3 pm, when I'll leave for Alpena to present some scholarships to a couple of students. This week promises to be fun, with our first official beach volleyball game tomorrow evening and a great Friday night with Ray and Kristy. They're coming over for dinner and then we're all going to see the new X-Men movie.
Well, I guess I better get something accomplished this morning. I hope everyone out there had as much fun over the holiday weekend as we did!
Friday: Work all day (which meant driving to Boyne Falls and back, then spending some time in the office), bachelorette party all night! Lindsay, a friend from high school, was getting married on Sunday so it was time to celebrate her last weekend of singledom. I met the group at this fun country bar way out in Shelby Township called Coyote Joe's, and though I had to drive home and couldn't join in some of the festivities, it was pretty cool. Actually, I'd love to take all my college friends there (we'd be on the mechanical bull all night!), but it's really far away. After that bar, we went to a place in Rochester called Main Street Billiards, which was also cool. My favorite thing was people-watching...especially this one group of guys who were staked out next to the entrance to the dance floor, overtly checking out every girl that walked by! The evening went 'til about 12:30 am, but then I had an hour drive home. So tired...
Saturday: At 8:30 am, my dad was in my room, waking me up like old times. He said he had a surprise for me and was really excited, so I pushed off the urge to drift back to sleep and dragged myself up. Turns out he bought me a whole new front sprocket for my mountain bike! Last time we were down there, we discovered that my front gears measure 28-38-48 instead of the standard 24-34-44. Smaller front gears would help me climb hills better (I'm horrible at climbing hills), but Mitch and I thought it would cost a lot to get new ones based on the prices we saw at REI. Turns out it wasn't that much at all, and Dad thought I should have them. What a guy!
Since we had to wait for Mitch to finish work and get down to SL before we could bike, I went out to the lake with Mom and Dad to clean up the cottage and get it ready for the annual family Memorial Day party. Mitch got there about 3:30 pm, we put my new sprocket on my bike, and headed out to Island Lake. We planned to ride the nine-mile blue trail, then break off and ride the six-mile yellow trail, but I rode blue a bit too hard to do the second leg. See, there were these guys, and we passed each other about three or four times before I got sick of it and decided to stay ahead of them for the rest of the trail. Turns out I didn't need to ride as hard as I did, because I was finished, packed up and on the road before they returned to the trailhead. Still, I was pretty beat.
Sunday: Mitch went to work with Bobby and Dad had to mow the lawn, so we didn't get out on the trails until 11:30 am, by which time it was over 80 degrees with a heck of a lot of humidity. This time we went out to Brighton Rec, where Bobby and Mitch tackled a tough five-miler called Torn Shirt while Dad and I opted for the longer but easier nine-mile Murray Lake Trail. My legs were pretty tired from the day before, and the heat didn't help, so I kind of felt like crap for most of the ride. Still, it's a fun trail and I look forward to going back in better conditions. Needless to say, I was dripping by the time we got done, and the dive off the dock in my biking clothes was amazingly refreshing.
Lindsay's wedding was late that afternoon, so Mitch and I hurried to grab some lunch at the lake before returning home to get ready. I am proud to say that even in the heat, I still blew my hair dry and straightened it. I had a sexy black dress to wear and didn't want to half-do anything! Anyway, the wedding was nice but we didn't stay long. Mitch didn't really know anyone and the atmosphere was really strained between me and a friend who's suppose to be my best friend but seems to forget I exist many times. We were happy to be home by 10:30 pm, watching Braveheart in the nice, cool basement.
Monday: When 7:30 am rolled around, the last thing I wanted to do was go out biking again! But we had promised ourselves three days on the trails, so up I rolled. Mitch and my dad's friend, Dan, wanted to ride the Potowatami in Pinckney, but that's a pretty long, hard ride, so Dad and I left them to punish themselves while we rode the yellow trail back at Island Lake. Even in the heat, I felt great! I passed more people (two guys and two girls) and, to borrow my dad's words, my tank was not empty after the ride.
For the rest of the day, we lounged around at the lake. I have a bit of a sunburn to show for it, but it was great. Adrienne and Kyle came out, somewhat surprisingly, and it made me feel a bit better about the state of our friendship. We swam, took my cousin and her friend tubing, swam some more, ate great food, swan some more, and just had a great time with family and friends.
And now I'm back at work, but only 'til about 3 pm, when I'll leave for Alpena to present some scholarships to a couple of students. This week promises to be fun, with our first official beach volleyball game tomorrow evening and a great Friday night with Ray and Kristy. They're coming over for dinner and then we're all going to see the new X-Men movie.
Well, I guess I better get something accomplished this morning. I hope everyone out there had as much fun over the holiday weekend as we did!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Dreams
I have three recurring dreams I would like to share with you:
The first is that I can run forever. Sometimes I'm running from danger, but most times I'm just running, all the while thinking I should be getting tired - but I never do.
The second is that I can breathe under water. Usually in this dream I am swimming for whatever reason, and I'm underwater and know I can't make it to the surface in time. I take an experimental breath, and WOW! I can breathe without any trouble at all! That makes for some fun adventures.
The third - and best - is that I can fly. Not like Superman flying...more like I take a few steps, jump, and I get to soar around for a little while before I glide gently back to the ground. Each time I have that dream, I seem to be able to stay airborn for longer and longer. Usually I'm alone in this dream (sometimes people are watching me) but the last time I had it, Mitch was flying with me. In my last flying dream, I also told people that I used to have dreams about flying and couldn't believe it was real this time.
I don't attach any special meaning to these dreams - they are just really fun to have. If I could pick a superpower, it would come out of one of these three dreams, depending on the situation. Does anyone else have recurring dreams and if so, what are they?
The first is that I can run forever. Sometimes I'm running from danger, but most times I'm just running, all the while thinking I should be getting tired - but I never do.
The second is that I can breathe under water. Usually in this dream I am swimming for whatever reason, and I'm underwater and know I can't make it to the surface in time. I take an experimental breath, and WOW! I can breathe without any trouble at all! That makes for some fun adventures.
The third - and best - is that I can fly. Not like Superman flying...more like I take a few steps, jump, and I get to soar around for a little while before I glide gently back to the ground. Each time I have that dream, I seem to be able to stay airborn for longer and longer. Usually I'm alone in this dream (sometimes people are watching me) but the last time I had it, Mitch was flying with me. In my last flying dream, I also told people that I used to have dreams about flying and couldn't believe it was real this time.
I don't attach any special meaning to these dreams - they are just really fun to have. If I could pick a superpower, it would come out of one of these three dreams, depending on the situation. Does anyone else have recurring dreams and if so, what are they?
Friday, May 19, 2006
Bitterness
Around Easter I posted the lyrics to a song called "The Story" by Caedmon's Call. Part of the song goes:
And the bitter man is angry,
Angry man just thinks he's right,
Too right to see mercy
When he's standing in its light.
Those lyrics have stuck with me since the first time I heard that song. I interact with so many bitter people, like coworkers and even some dear friends and family members, and their bitterness truly saddens me. They think there is so much wrong with the world, with their lives, whatever, that they just exude this constant sense of cynicism. They see all that is bad with the world: all the dishonesty, the cruelty, the lack of compassion. They fail to see the generousity, the kindness, and the beauty of our world and of the human race. In their own lives, they experience hardship and decide there cannot possibly be a God because bad things are happening to them and those they love. They can't see the little everyday miracles that can't possibly be explained by chance or coincidence - what sad way to go through life.
We all have our ups and downs, our days when the bad seems to overwhelm the good, but I don't know what to do with these constantly bitter people. All I can do, I guess, is to be visibly hopeful and optimistic, to see the God's grace and show it to others when I can, and to never let negativity weigh me down. They may call me naive for this hope and faith in the inherent goodness of life, but I'd rather live like this than be miserably blinded by bitterness.
And the bitter man is angry,
Angry man just thinks he's right,
Too right to see mercy
When he's standing in its light.
Those lyrics have stuck with me since the first time I heard that song. I interact with so many bitter people, like coworkers and even some dear friends and family members, and their bitterness truly saddens me. They think there is so much wrong with the world, with their lives, whatever, that they just exude this constant sense of cynicism. They see all that is bad with the world: all the dishonesty, the cruelty, the lack of compassion. They fail to see the generousity, the kindness, and the beauty of our world and of the human race. In their own lives, they experience hardship and decide there cannot possibly be a God because bad things are happening to them and those they love. They can't see the little everyday miracles that can't possibly be explained by chance or coincidence - what sad way to go through life.
We all have our ups and downs, our days when the bad seems to overwhelm the good, but I don't know what to do with these constantly bitter people. All I can do, I guess, is to be visibly hopeful and optimistic, to see the God's grace and show it to others when I can, and to never let negativity weigh me down. They may call me naive for this hope and faith in the inherent goodness of life, but I'd rather live like this than be miserably blinded by bitterness.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Finally, photos!
I'm boycotting work right now, and took advantage of it to put up some photos from Dan and Vicky's wedding, finally! Go to my Yahoo site to see them (hint: click the link on the right that says something like "My Photos on Yahoo").
So why am I boycotting work? Because I'm a hardass. Not to put too fine a point on it, but yesterday I really felt like my coworkers were being broke-dicks yesterday. That's Mitch's description, anyway. The situation would take a long time to explain, but suffice to say, I cover for a lot of people and no one was willing to step up and give me a hand, though they had no excuse not to except their own personal comfort. When I asked my boss to bring up this issue at our meeting this morning and described the situation, he agreed, then made a wishy-washy announcement about us all pitching in when our student staff is low.
Personally, I think there are definitely situations where a general announcement should make those to whom it applies feel guilty and uncomfortable. This was one such situation, because the issue has been ongoing. It makes for a stressful working environment and it just makes people bitter. If anything like what happened yesterday occurs again, there's going to be some honest confrontation, and not any more of this biting my tongue.
Onto more pleasant things, a good chunk of our beach volleyball team, the True Scots, got together last night and practiced at the rec center. We did drills and worked on areas of weakness, and I think everyone is more confident in themselves. Our first game is next week, and I have to miss it because of work, but I really look forward to hearing how it goes.
Meeting time in 10 minutes. I don't think it's going to be very fun. Is it Friday yet?
So why am I boycotting work? Because I'm a hardass. Not to put too fine a point on it, but yesterday I really felt like my coworkers were being broke-dicks yesterday. That's Mitch's description, anyway. The situation would take a long time to explain, but suffice to say, I cover for a lot of people and no one was willing to step up and give me a hand, though they had no excuse not to except their own personal comfort. When I asked my boss to bring up this issue at our meeting this morning and described the situation, he agreed, then made a wishy-washy announcement about us all pitching in when our student staff is low.
Personally, I think there are definitely situations where a general announcement should make those to whom it applies feel guilty and uncomfortable. This was one such situation, because the issue has been ongoing. It makes for a stressful working environment and it just makes people bitter. If anything like what happened yesterday occurs again, there's going to be some honest confrontation, and not any more of this biting my tongue.
Onto more pleasant things, a good chunk of our beach volleyball team, the True Scots, got together last night and practiced at the rec center. We did drills and worked on areas of weakness, and I think everyone is more confident in themselves. Our first game is next week, and I have to miss it because of work, but I really look forward to hearing how it goes.
Meeting time in 10 minutes. I don't think it's going to be very fun. Is it Friday yet?
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Michigan Weather
Not that I'm complaining, but I thought it was supposed to rain all week around here. Last night we had a nice enough evening for a bike ride, and this afternoon it's sunny! Glorious.
Last weekend was nice...we spent it at my parents and celebrated Mother's Day by taking my mom to the zoo. We dropped off some flowers for Grandma, too. I know it made my dad sad, but he concentrated mostly on telling us stories of his grandparents and an uncle who are all buried there. This weekend, I'm looking forward to wine tasting and general merriment with Jon and Miriam.
There's really not much to write, I guess. Work is work, and it's a bit depressing because our numbers aren't panning out as expected. Thankfully, no one's pointing fingers or putting an insane amount of pressure on the staff. We just keep chipping away with different strategies, hoping something will stick. So much for the predictability of yield and conversion rates. Obviously even with the strongest of efforts, X number of accepted students won't automatically convert to Y number of deposits, as our consultant would have us believe.
Last weekend was nice...we spent it at my parents and celebrated Mother's Day by taking my mom to the zoo. We dropped off some flowers for Grandma, too. I know it made my dad sad, but he concentrated mostly on telling us stories of his grandparents and an uncle who are all buried there. This weekend, I'm looking forward to wine tasting and general merriment with Jon and Miriam.
There's really not much to write, I guess. Work is work, and it's a bit depressing because our numbers aren't panning out as expected. Thankfully, no one's pointing fingers or putting an insane amount of pressure on the staff. We just keep chipping away with different strategies, hoping something will stick. So much for the predictability of yield and conversion rates. Obviously even with the strongest of efforts, X number of accepted students won't automatically convert to Y number of deposits, as our consultant would have us believe.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Meant for Two
My grandpa eats dinner alone now.
I can see him clearing half the kitchen table
and meticulously preparing his meal
as carefully as he used to pour our milk and cereal
that one spring.
(I imagine he sometimes forgets
and pulls two dinner plates from the cupboard.)
He's sorting through years of accumulated stuff,
unearthing old college papers
letters from his children
yellowed newspaper clippings,
but my grandma's toothbrush still stands by the sink.
Does he ever sit in her armchair
because he can't bear to look over
and see it empty?
I can see him clearing half the kitchen table
and meticulously preparing his meal
as carefully as he used to pour our milk and cereal
that one spring.
(I imagine he sometimes forgets
and pulls two dinner plates from the cupboard.)
He's sorting through years of accumulated stuff,
unearthing old college papers
letters from his children
yellowed newspaper clippings,
but my grandma's toothbrush still stands by the sink.
Does he ever sit in her armchair
because he can't bear to look over
and see it empty?
Thursday, May 11, 2006
New pet peeve
Wow, am I getting tired of hearing people say, "I heart this" and "I heart that." Heart is a noun, not a verb!
I'm going to start responding with other body parts from now on. "I pancreas you, too."
I'm going to start responding with other body parts from now on. "I pancreas you, too."
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Photos
I forgot to mention that photos from the climbing trip are up on my Yahoo site (see the link over there --->) if you want to check them out.
In other news...there is no other news. I need some motivation to study for the GMAT so I can hopefulyl begin graduate school next fall, but that's hard when the weather is so gorgeous that I just want to hop on my bike every single day.
Oh yes, the trip to St. Louis is finalized - we bought plane tickets and everything. Tim and Anna, here we come!
In other news...there is no other news. I need some motivation to study for the GMAT so I can hopefulyl begin graduate school next fall, but that's hard when the weather is so gorgeous that I just want to hop on my bike every single day.
Oh yes, the trip to St. Louis is finalized - we bought plane tickets and everything. Tim and Anna, here we come!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
West Virginia Trip
I'm finally getting around to posting about our awesome climbing trip!
Friday: Departure
Mitch, Gabe and I left Mt. Pleasant around 4 pm - two hours earlier than expected! The drive itself was uneventful, as I slept a good portion of the way. We arrived at our usual camping spot around 2 am and were excited to find that it wasn't raining, so we prepared to set our tent up down by the river. Unfortunately, someone was already camped there and I was reluctant to traipse through their site to find somewhere else, so we resigned ourselves to sleeping in the car. In order to make room for all of us, we stuck the camp stove, a camp chair and the boys' shoes underneath the car and settled in for the night. Within a few moments, Mitch decided it would be more comfortable - due to the incline - to turn the car around. Great idea...CRUNCH! We ran over the campstove! I grabbed my shoes and scampered out of the car to retrieve the sad piece of equipment when a car pulled up to me. This local started asking me all these questions: mainly, were we drinking? No, but the guy was insistent, telling us we'd be better off camping by the river because, "The law's out tonight." Eventually he left, but I was perturbed that Mitch and Gabe just let me talk to this stranger by myself. For the next half hour, laying there in the car, I was convinced every approaching set of headlights was another local coming to bother us. So, since it was humid and stuffy in the car, and since at least Mitch and I weren't going to be able to sleep, we got a hotel. Yay us.
Saturday: Setting up camp
It was raining when we woke up on Saturday morning, so we waited until about noon to go back to the campsite find somewhere to call home for the next week. Luckily, the previous inhabitants had left, so we promptly set up three tents and a nice, big tarp. The river was really low, so we spent lots of time playing on the rocks. Actually, Mitch and Gabe did most of the playing and I plopped myself down on a big, flat boulder to enjoy some peace.
Sunday: The group arrives
Last Saturday night, Brian and Katelyn rolled in and crashed in the tent we set up for them. When we returned from our morning visit to the Visitor's Center, the rest of the group was there. Some were sleeping but most were up and about, excited for a fun day. We took a good-sized group up river to the Hawk's Nest Dam for some bouldering, and after lunch most people went over to The Pinnacle, somewhat of a multi-pitch climb with a 90-foot rappell at the end. Mitch, Brian, Katelyn and I decided to head over to Junkyard and boulder a bit instead, but we all had a great time.
Monday: Summersville
In my opinion, Summersville Lake is the best place to climb in the whole entire New River Gorge area. In one section, there are numerous 5.7s, 8s, 9s and 10s - not to mention a huge, clean lake for swimming and bathing. While the climbing was awesome, the most memorable part of our day was the pirate ship. A few years before, Jon, Jeremy and Ben jumped in the lake and commandeered a floating log as their pirate ship. Determined to resurrect the tradition, they experimented with a few logs close to shore before spotting a huge one floating in the middle of the lake. With our encouragement from shore, they swam out to it, played a bit, and then became convinced the wouldn't be able to bring it back to shore. So a determined contigent, including me, stripped down, braved the chilly water, and brought the pirate ship ashore. Most of you reading this will never see them, but Gabe took some very hilarious photos of the voyage. Let's just say most of the people in the water will never be able to run for public office...
Tuesday: Bubba City (Beer Wall)
Bubba City is also a great place to climb, and we spent all day Tuesday out in the hot sun climbing routes like St. Pauli Girl, a 5.10c and arguably one of the best climbs in the Gorge. I led the same route I did last year, and reminded myself why I don't like ledgey climbs. Everyone had a great time...until we got back to camp and it was pouring rain! Five people were heading out for Spring Term and sports, but the rest of us decided to screw hanging out in the rain and went back into town for dinner at Pies and Pints. It was all-you-can-eat pizza night, and they didn't just have regular pizza; they made pies with gorgonzola, rosemary and grapes, or pesto, or figs, or jalepenos...you get the picture. Mitch, Gabe and Jerry decided an eating contest was in order, and promptly stuffed themselves. Mitch wolfed down 18 pieces and Jerry and Gabe each had 21. Boys.
Wednesday: Endless Wall and night bouldering
Wednesday was dreary, and we were afraid it would be nasty all day, but it dried up enough for us to head to Endless Wall for some slabby climbing. This is one of my favorite types: you don't really have any handholds, but the wall is slightly angled in and the rock is very grippy. So you just find a place for your feet and slowly stand up. Sounds like fun, huh? Anyway, I climbed one route and was lead-belaying for Brian on a second when it started to rain. We gave up on that in a hurry and hiked out, but the rest of the evening was dry enough for night bouldering at the dam. Once it got dark, a bunch of us grabbed our headlamps and tackled some really great problems. This was my crowning achievement for the trip: I topped out a 20-foot boulder on a not-super-easy route. In the dark. Yeah.
Thursday: Bubba City (Sandstonia)
This area was formerly known as Tattoo Wall and has just been recently developed. Actually, the guys went here last year while us girls were at Beer Wall. I'm not sure about this place, though. The guidebook made it look like there were a ton of climbs of all abilities, but I think the routes were rated low. Gabe led a 5.10 that took him 15 feet to the left of his bolt - not safe. Jerry attempted a 5.9 on lead but took a whipper and cracked his shin on a ledge. The only good climb was a 5.7 Brian led at the end of the day, and I was the only one who climbed it after him.
Friday: Bouldering (last day)
The Climbing Club bought a guidebook for bouldering the the Gorge, and while we could have taken a whole day clambering up big rocks, we decided to save it for the last day and spend the morning instead. We went to Bridge Area, which is mostly trad climbing, and found this huge bouldering with a ton of problems. From what we could see, I climbed a couple V-1s and the boys worked on a few V-2s and 3s. It was a ton of fun, and standing on top of the boulder, the last thing I wanted to do was put on a suit and come back to the office.
Once we got back to Michigan, it was a whirl-wind of showering, sleeping, cleaning gear, driving back to Mt. P, and attending Vicky and Dan's wedding on Saturday. What a glorious celebration! They got married in the Alma chapel, with Christine, our on chaplain, performing the ceremony. The reception was a blast and Van Dusen never looked more elegant. Tim and Anna came up for the event and stayed with us, then on Sunday morning we had brunch at the Embers with lots of good friends. Definitely a great end to our vacation week!
Friday: Departure
Mitch, Gabe and I left Mt. Pleasant around 4 pm - two hours earlier than expected! The drive itself was uneventful, as I slept a good portion of the way. We arrived at our usual camping spot around 2 am and were excited to find that it wasn't raining, so we prepared to set our tent up down by the river. Unfortunately, someone was already camped there and I was reluctant to traipse through their site to find somewhere else, so we resigned ourselves to sleeping in the car. In order to make room for all of us, we stuck the camp stove, a camp chair and the boys' shoes underneath the car and settled in for the night. Within a few moments, Mitch decided it would be more comfortable - due to the incline - to turn the car around. Great idea...CRUNCH! We ran over the campstove! I grabbed my shoes and scampered out of the car to retrieve the sad piece of equipment when a car pulled up to me. This local started asking me all these questions: mainly, were we drinking? No, but the guy was insistent, telling us we'd be better off camping by the river because, "The law's out tonight." Eventually he left, but I was perturbed that Mitch and Gabe just let me talk to this stranger by myself. For the next half hour, laying there in the car, I was convinced every approaching set of headlights was another local coming to bother us. So, since it was humid and stuffy in the car, and since at least Mitch and I weren't going to be able to sleep, we got a hotel. Yay us.
Saturday: Setting up camp
It was raining when we woke up on Saturday morning, so we waited until about noon to go back to the campsite find somewhere to call home for the next week. Luckily, the previous inhabitants had left, so we promptly set up three tents and a nice, big tarp. The river was really low, so we spent lots of time playing on the rocks. Actually, Mitch and Gabe did most of the playing and I plopped myself down on a big, flat boulder to enjoy some peace.
Sunday: The group arrives
Last Saturday night, Brian and Katelyn rolled in and crashed in the tent we set up for them. When we returned from our morning visit to the Visitor's Center, the rest of the group was there. Some were sleeping but most were up and about, excited for a fun day. We took a good-sized group up river to the Hawk's Nest Dam for some bouldering, and after lunch most people went over to The Pinnacle, somewhat of a multi-pitch climb with a 90-foot rappell at the end. Mitch, Brian, Katelyn and I decided to head over to Junkyard and boulder a bit instead, but we all had a great time.
Monday: Summersville
In my opinion, Summersville Lake is the best place to climb in the whole entire New River Gorge area. In one section, there are numerous 5.7s, 8s, 9s and 10s - not to mention a huge, clean lake for swimming and bathing. While the climbing was awesome, the most memorable part of our day was the pirate ship. A few years before, Jon, Jeremy and Ben jumped in the lake and commandeered a floating log as their pirate ship. Determined to resurrect the tradition, they experimented with a few logs close to shore before spotting a huge one floating in the middle of the lake. With our encouragement from shore, they swam out to it, played a bit, and then became convinced the wouldn't be able to bring it back to shore. So a determined contigent, including me, stripped down, braved the chilly water, and brought the pirate ship ashore. Most of you reading this will never see them, but Gabe took some very hilarious photos of the voyage. Let's just say most of the people in the water will never be able to run for public office...
Tuesday: Bubba City (Beer Wall)
Bubba City is also a great place to climb, and we spent all day Tuesday out in the hot sun climbing routes like St. Pauli Girl, a 5.10c and arguably one of the best climbs in the Gorge. I led the same route I did last year, and reminded myself why I don't like ledgey climbs. Everyone had a great time...until we got back to camp and it was pouring rain! Five people were heading out for Spring Term and sports, but the rest of us decided to screw hanging out in the rain and went back into town for dinner at Pies and Pints. It was all-you-can-eat pizza night, and they didn't just have regular pizza; they made pies with gorgonzola, rosemary and grapes, or pesto, or figs, or jalepenos...you get the picture. Mitch, Gabe and Jerry decided an eating contest was in order, and promptly stuffed themselves. Mitch wolfed down 18 pieces and Jerry and Gabe each had 21. Boys.
Wednesday: Endless Wall and night bouldering
Wednesday was dreary, and we were afraid it would be nasty all day, but it dried up enough for us to head to Endless Wall for some slabby climbing. This is one of my favorite types: you don't really have any handholds, but the wall is slightly angled in and the rock is very grippy. So you just find a place for your feet and slowly stand up. Sounds like fun, huh? Anyway, I climbed one route and was lead-belaying for Brian on a second when it started to rain. We gave up on that in a hurry and hiked out, but the rest of the evening was dry enough for night bouldering at the dam. Once it got dark, a bunch of us grabbed our headlamps and tackled some really great problems. This was my crowning achievement for the trip: I topped out a 20-foot boulder on a not-super-easy route. In the dark. Yeah.
Thursday: Bubba City (Sandstonia)
This area was formerly known as Tattoo Wall and has just been recently developed. Actually, the guys went here last year while us girls were at Beer Wall. I'm not sure about this place, though. The guidebook made it look like there were a ton of climbs of all abilities, but I think the routes were rated low. Gabe led a 5.10 that took him 15 feet to the left of his bolt - not safe. Jerry attempted a 5.9 on lead but took a whipper and cracked his shin on a ledge. The only good climb was a 5.7 Brian led at the end of the day, and I was the only one who climbed it after him.
Friday: Bouldering (last day)
The Climbing Club bought a guidebook for bouldering the the Gorge, and while we could have taken a whole day clambering up big rocks, we decided to save it for the last day and spend the morning instead. We went to Bridge Area, which is mostly trad climbing, and found this huge bouldering with a ton of problems. From what we could see, I climbed a couple V-1s and the boys worked on a few V-2s and 3s. It was a ton of fun, and standing on top of the boulder, the last thing I wanted to do was put on a suit and come back to the office.
Once we got back to Michigan, it was a whirl-wind of showering, sleeping, cleaning gear, driving back to Mt. P, and attending Vicky and Dan's wedding on Saturday. What a glorious celebration! They got married in the Alma chapel, with Christine, our on chaplain, performing the ceremony. The reception was a blast and Van Dusen never looked more elegant. Tim and Anna came up for the event and stayed with us, then on Sunday morning we had brunch at the Embers with lots of good friends. Definitely a great end to our vacation week!
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Sick Day
I stayed home from work today to try and recover. Last night was really bad, but I feel a bit better today. It's running its course, just like Mitch said: a day and a half of a super sore throat, followed by congestion and eventually a cough. Right now I'm in the congestion phase, with a spurt of coughing every once in awhile.
Maybe this is a blessing in disguise: I'm doing some work from home, but I also put the finishing touches on my packing for WV. I also discovered, to my delight, that I'm able to access one heck of a wireless connection from my living room. We may not be forking over the big bucks to Charter for cable modem if this thing stays consistent!
Did I mention earlier that Jerry is joining Mitch, Gabe and I on this trip? He's coming down with another group on Saturday while we are leaving tomorrow, but he'll only miss a day. Cool, huh?
Maybe this is a blessing in disguise: I'm doing some work from home, but I also put the finishing touches on my packing for WV. I also discovered, to my delight, that I'm able to access one heck of a wireless connection from my living room. We may not be forking over the big bucks to Charter for cable modem if this thing stays consistent!
Did I mention earlier that Jerry is joining Mitch, Gabe and I on this trip? He's coming down with another group on Saturday while we are leaving tomorrow, but he'll only miss a day. Cool, huh?
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I'm Sick
Mitch gave me his sore throat, cold-type bug. If anyone has any medical advice for me, I'd appreciate it. I'm currently self-medicating with a combination of gargled salt water, tea, Robitussen, ibuprofen, Slurpees, cough drops, ecinacea and grapefruit juice.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Three more days!
The days are seriously dragging - at least, until I get home from work and try to cram shopping, packing, spending time with soon-to-be-graduated friends, climbing and working out into the four or so hours until bedtime. Last night we bought all the food, tonight Pete is coming over for dinner, tomorrow we're hoping to climb, Thursday is hardcore packing night, and Friday is departure! I love vacation, and I love the anticipation of vacationing.
Switching topics, I have to say, I really hate condscension. I have an uncle who's very condescending and while I love him, I loathe conversations with him at more than the superficial level. He's a lawyer and he's always angling for ways to make you say what he thinks you should say, or ways he can twist your words to his advantage. At Easter, he was being condescending with regards to religion, and I really wish we hadn't been interrupted by dinner because I think I could have really held my own with him on the subject of whether or not going to church makes you a good person. He seems to hold the view that Christians think going to church is the main mark of being a good person, but I betcha I could show him he's wrong. Also, he seemed surprised that religion even played a role in my life. What does he think, that I wear a cross around my neck for fashion purposes?
Many of you know Mitch and I were struggling to find a church home, and we've definitely succeeded, though summer weekends are definitely going to put a kink in our regular attendance. Be that as it may, I've really come to see Sunday mornings as a time of renewal, of reminding myself about God's role in my life, of providing me with opportunities to learn and question and see things in a new light.
Switching topics, I have to say, I really hate condscension. I have an uncle who's very condescending and while I love him, I loathe conversations with him at more than the superficial level. He's a lawyer and he's always angling for ways to make you say what he thinks you should say, or ways he can twist your words to his advantage. At Easter, he was being condescending with regards to religion, and I really wish we hadn't been interrupted by dinner because I think I could have really held my own with him on the subject of whether or not going to church makes you a good person. He seems to hold the view that Christians think going to church is the main mark of being a good person, but I betcha I could show him he's wrong. Also, he seemed surprised that religion even played a role in my life. What does he think, that I wear a cross around my neck for fashion purposes?
Many of you know Mitch and I were struggling to find a church home, and we've definitely succeeded, though summer weekends are definitely going to put a kink in our regular attendance. Be that as it may, I've really come to see Sunday mornings as a time of renewal, of reminding myself about God's role in my life, of providing me with opportunities to learn and question and see things in a new light.
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