Blue Skies, Perfect Temps, and Velcro Friction.

Yeah, right. Quite the opposite. More like, "Can't even see the sky because we're engulfed in a cloud, its 70 degrees in December, and its 398% humidity." Lovely, to say the least. Near perfect climbing conditions... if you're a fuckin Gorilla in the Congo.

Hold up... it wasn't ALL bad. In fact, Christmas day was actually near perfect. Ines and I decided to stop at LRC since it was closer than HP40, so we could get more climbing in. We warmed up, and I headed back to Cleopatra to try and get my revenge. Stuck the hard move with NO problem. Then fell a move later. Again. Again. Again. Finally stick the "last" of the hard moves. Fall off the top. Apparently it isn't over, huh? Little break.... send. My first "real" V8 took WAY more skin than I had anticipated, but I'm glad to have donated. Now I'm just gonna stand near that problem and spew beta whenever I can.

Then came the rains.

We met up with Joe "this shit is wack, yo" Kinder and his better half, Colette, and Ryan Johnson to head up to Dayton Pockets, in hopes that the roof would hold some dry rock. A little damp... but we had a fun day despite the conditions.

Ryan crushing, and me doing my patented "Super Speed Kung Fu Spot".

Me, coppin a feel on Colette. Joe's too busy with the camera to notice...

Me workin out the moves on "Sand Blasting Skin".

After we worked our abs into submission, and after much deliberation, weather checking, and calzones the size of footballs, Joe, Colette, Ines and I headed for Rocktown.

This is what we awoke to:

Natalie and the Pimp Van, engulfed in a cloud.

No go on the rock scaling. I'm back home in Cincy. Gonna chill with Katy for a couple of days... then make another assault on Rocktown. Weather looks good and I'm gunnin for a problem called "The Vagina"... what could be better?

Ice.

I had quite a bit of time to think today. 5 and a half hours, to be exact. Just as I was leaving work, all of nature conspired against me, and coated all of Cincinnati and the surrounding area in just enough ice to make driving seem impossible. And it seems, it WAS impossible for the people who had to go the same routes I did... because every way I went there was a roadblocking accident or 3. Should have taken an hour... took over 5. Not very productive.

No matter. Natalie (my Element) and I were just fine. In fact, she's been nothing but great. I had no intention of buying an Element, but on my way to car shop, my friend Justin said "You don't want a Hyundai... you want a Honda". Apparently I did, because I bought her an hour later. Anyway, this isn't about Natalie. I'll dedicate a blog to her later.

Like I said... time to think.

Heres what I thought about:

My new Sierra Designs BTU jacket. Warm. Hot. I look damn good in it.

Christmas with Katy. This isn't my favorite time of year, but she makes it all worth it. We had an immense amount of fun shopping, wrapping, and taking photos.
Bouldering... or more importantly, bouldering on good ole Southern Sandstone. Photo by Anna Hayes.

I leave in 28 hours for Horsepens, to start on my V9 projects. Shit, I don't even have a clue what V9 is going to feel like. Probably something akin to spending 5 and a half hours driving home on the ice...

Southern Sandstone and Sweet Potato Pie

My tips aren't shredded. Instead, they're just worn through. Raw. I love it. However, I've not remotely reached the level of dedication my friend "Badash" Hamilton did at the Triple Crown in LRC last weekend (where, incidentally, she took 2nd in womens advanced... go Ash!) Badash showin off the dedication it takes. Photo by Dan Brayack.

I've been here at LRC for a couple of days now, losin skin with a great crew of people. Ana Hayes, Catherine West, Shannon Lamb, Keenan Connor, and some other psyched climbers. I've been tourin the classic 5's, 6's, and 7's. Bouldering is hard. Fuckin hard. I'm not so good at it, but I will be. Winter will bring me power.... bet on it. Just to throw my hat over the fence... the goals for the winter are "The Orb", "The Vagina", and a V9... not sure which. I'll be coppin feels on all the good ones I run across to find the right one. If you don't hear about them on here by March... talk shit about me. I would about you...

I'm currently sitting in a nice warm apartment, with about 11 people and 3 dogs, eating the most amazing sweet potato pie you could imagine, courtesy of Jesse Cherry and Brian Tuteur. They've not only graciously opened their home to us, but cooked us crabcakes, potato and veggie stew, and sweet, sweet, sweet potato pie.

Jesse is a particular inspiration to watch climb. 11 months ago she took a bad fall at TWall, breaking her pelvis in 3 places, fracturing a vertabrae, and breaking a wrist. Today she hiked her most recent project, "Super Mario", a great V4. (This, after working 2 full time jobs the day before, getting home at 7am and sleeping only about 5 hours.) I've never seen someone so excited. She had to pause for a few minutes on the topout so as not to shake herself off with excitement. I had decided my day was over, but riding on the wave of her excitement, went on to do a V5 and flash a V6. Thanks Jesse! Next time I want to whine about something...anything... I'll think twice.

One more day here till Xmas. More to come later...

808's and Heartbreak

I've been procrastinating on writing a new blog. Instead, I've been reading what everyone else does from day to day. Since most of my favorite bloggers have been absent the past few days, I've given in, sat down, and now here I am, typing aimlessly.


Actually, I almost have a reason. I've been listening to Kanye's new masterpiece, "808's and Heartbreak". Genius. Its where Andre 3000 left off with "The Love Below", and a wonderful throwback to Stevie Wonder, only more melancholy, and much more modern. If you aren't bumpin it right now, then well, you should be.

Thing is, I can't get sad. I'm trying to use it to channel unsettling memories, so I can get the full "heartbreak" experience. The memories are all there, from the death of my brother, to the "what ifs" left over from the amazing woman in Canada. I'm just at a place in my life where I see how those things have shaped me, and in realizing this, they are no longer "sad" memories.


I'm climbing better than ever. Work is surviving the economic disaster mostly intact. Kaitlynn keeps growing up, and just handily won her first ABS comp. Music has been strangely satisfying lately. I have no complaints. I almost wish I'd heard this album 2 years ago so that I could really connect with and appreciate it.


Damn.

Just when the best collection of melancholy melodies that hiphop could produce hits the shelves, I'm all good.


Figures...