Is it in you? Dunno....never looked...

Remember when you were a child and you saw your first mohawk? I was that guy this weekend. Some friends and I went to Moab, Utah for the weekend and I decided it would be fun to field test the mohawk for a while. After five days with a hawk, the conclusion was reached that I don't want to be one of those guys. Having a mohawk automatically lumps you in to a group of people. People who don't make great choices. People who are trying to break out of societies norms. I don't want to be that person. I already have enough trouble slipping into the norms as it is. So I am back to the basic buzz cut I have been sporting for the last ten years. Those are my thoughts.

The Community of Free

The internet gives us access. It gives us access to the stupid. It gives us access to the brilliant. It also allows people to share those things that they think are important. To share those projects that they put hours of their life into, simply because they love it. I would like to share some of those with you. This is a webzine a friend of mine runs that deals with the world of art. Be it music or movie or movement or sculpture, it is covered in this zine.

As you probably know, I am addicted to climbing. I love it. The community of climbers has started a magazine that they put out for free that I feel you should all visit. At least watch the videos and be impressed by the climbers. It can be found here.

Lets all support those groups who go to so much effort to give us great information, software...anything for free. Support their hard work!

Here are a few websites I recommend:

Free software at Sourceforge.

Office productivity suite.

Free and effective antivirus.


Photo editor...a good one.

There is so much more out there. Support them if you can, spread the word if you can't.

I am 7 joy units

The art of rock climbing fills my soul with satisfied contentment. The act of rock climbing with friends fills my left over soul space with joy.

Gummi Bears and Sour Worms

Once again, I am listing things that make me happy. Some people might wonder why I take time to do this. If you are one of those people, try it. Then you will understand.

1) Babies. Brand new babies are wonderful reminders of what we are trying so hard to become. No, we aren't all trying to be babies. We are all trying to be as pure and loving as babies. Also, we are trying to identify all unknown objects by sticking them in our mouths.

2) Gummi anything. In particular, the worms and bears. I love them. They are little translucent blobs of tasty happiness. They can dance for you, you can make movies out of them...You can eat them. You can stick them to windows and make stained glass...they are perfect foods.

3) Whenever people I know and like get married to other people I know and like. I would say weddings in general, but we have all experienced those weddings where we don't approve of one or the other participant. But those unions that seem to be perfect are moments totally isolated from the minor irritations of life. Moments totally focused on two peoples entrance into a whole new realm of happiness. Cool...

4) My new Zune. Excuse me...my old, once broken, once repaired Zune. Regardless, it is being kind to me. It seems to have gay days now and then where it only plays fruity dance pop, but, generally it has good taste.

5) I have discovered that the key to happiness is waking up early and going to bed early. I only hope I can discover the secret of doing this during school....

6) Chicken. 'Nuff said.

7) There is nothing more surprisingly refreshing than a helpful and friendly customer service representative. These people are often cranky and unkind. So the cheerful ones can't help but lift spirits.

8) Friends who put up with your weird moods. Friends who don't make dirty jokes. Friends who get your jokes. Friends who buy you lunch. Friends who laugh when you act stupid. Friends who dance when y ou sing jibberish songs. Friends who inspire you to be less wicked.

9) Even numbers.

I'm sorry, what? I wasn't listening

It is time once again to tip my brain stew over the table of my blog and see what thoughts spill out.

I like my job. Mostly because I like the guys I work with. They are all really cool dudes. And they are nice to me, and treat me like a cool dude as well, which makes me happy inside. The other day, I was talking to one of them, Chris, and as I listened a thought came to my head. This thought was more of a question. Let me put forth some background first:

There is a difference between hearing a person talk and listening to them. Most people hear. In fact, it takes a real prick to not even hear a person talk. But listening...that is a whole other story. Real listening is more of an activity. It requires the listeners mental focus. The difference is well summarized in the movie Fight Club with the sentence, "they actually listen to you. They don't just wait their turn to talk." When you listen to a person talk, you say to them, "You are important enough for me to actively give you my attention. I care enough about this conversation to engage my mind in the discussion." When a person is being sincerely listened to, they feel the profundity of this compliment. Consciously or not, they can feel it.

Those definitions being proposed, my question is this: Is listening always appropriate? I have previously discussed conversation and established that there are two types. Conversations that matter, and those that are more trivial. It seems obvious to say that simply hearing enough of a trivial conversation to participate normally is sufficient. But, while there are two types of conversation, there is only one kind of person. All people are important. Whether or not I like a person does not change his or her worth. So, some conversations are not of equal value, but shouldn't I always give a person the same respect? Should I devalue the person with an insulting secondary attention focus simply because he or she is speaking trivially?

Here is my opinion. I feel like listening is always appropriate. A person is always important. Even when its is just one of those girls you run into occasionally who can't seem to talk about anything but her dog, she still matters. Listening to her prattle about her dog, or grandchild affirms her worth as a human being. This is always appropriate. Also, in the process of actively listening to a person speak you take in a lot more than simply their words. You perceive all of their non verbal communications. As you apply your mind to all of this information, you come to understand more of the person you are speaking to. And this is of great value to you, as the listener. I maintain, as did Emerson that "every man is in some way my better, and in that, I learn of him." How could we ever want to pass up a chance to learn and grow as a person?

Thus, I will always endeavor to give my full attention to anyone who is speaking to me. I will encourage them to talk, and I will listen. I expect to be much quieter in the future...

Its a 12a...and the last three holds are cruel jokes

There is a 12a* top rope route at The Quarry climbing gym. I have climbed it three or four times. I can get all the way to the last four moves with relative ease. Sometimes I fall off here, sometimes I don't. BUT....the last three holds are cruel jokes. You see that wheel on your mouse? Look at it from the side. See how far it sticks out? That is what I am trying to grab onto. I am trying to find a way so stick my fingers on there so they will support my weight. It hurts. Both my pride and my fingers. Argh!!









*12a is a rating of difficulty. The ratings begin at 4, and go to 10, where they divide into 10a-d and so on. To put in in perspective, all of you would find a 7 or 8 to be absolutely the end of your ability to climb.