Mt. Washington

Oh yeah by the way, I forgot to mention we climbed Mt. Washington a few weeks back.  My laziness as a blogger coupled with the inability to post due to lack of internet has postponed this message, but yes in short – we summited Mt. Washington.

The trip was ridiculous, as in we left Friday night, drove 13 hours to the outfitter, picked up our boots, immediately changed and then began to climb.  Around 4 in the afternoon we stopped to set up camp and make dinner.  I was in my sleeping bag by 6 and asleep by 7.  Following a wake-up call at 5am, we started climbing/hiking (the terrain wasn’t much of a challenge) at 6 and hit the summit just before 10.  After an hour of gorging food and celebrating at the top, we turned around and headed back down.  Along the way, we stopped numerous times to let other climbers pass us, occasionally hitting a bottleneck, but our high spirits weren’t tainted from the delay.  After arriving back at camp, we packed the remainder of our gear and headed back down to the visitors center.  A quick change,  a return of boots to the outfitter, and a nice dinner (coupled with a few celebratory beers), and we were back on the road.  It was 7pm and we had a 15 hour drive ahead of us.  Needless to say, we were all incredibly tired by the end of the trip, but all in all it was well worth it.  I’ve been bitten by the mountaineering bug, and I don’t see a cure anytime in the near future.

Phoenix

I’ve been listening to Phoenix a lot lately.  Not really sure why, but I’m digging the mellow sound they provide.  I’m sure there is a handful of cliche` remarks that can be made about stereotyped indie music but whatever, I like what I hear.

Chick Flicks and Redbox

Lately, I’ve been watching a horrid amount of chick flicks. Ive scoured through my DVD collection, however I just don’t have any desire to watch the same movies for the 50th or 60th time. Thankfully, there is a Redbox just down the street from me at work, so I can conveniently pick up and drop off a movie anytime. For those unaware, Redbox is a DVD rental vending machine. Many are situated near grocery stores and offer the latest movie titles for only $1. Not a bad deal all things considered.

The selection though, didn’t spark my interest much, so I relied on checking IMDB with my phone to catch the ratings and seeif there were any movies I’m missing out on. This process ended with me renting Twilight, The Notebook, and The Proposal. Yes, at the time I was aptly aware they all fell into the category of less than manly, but at 10:00pm on a Tuesday evening, I honestly didn’t care. I just wanted to be entertained by something.

Pizza, Snow, Climbing, & Beer

I gave up on the list of things that I was writing about.  Besides, I don’t think people really care to know how much I like Big Mama’s burritos.  And anyway, I’d rather talk about my newest obsession… Papa Murphy’s Pizza.  Oh my god, the things I could say about my newfound infatuation.  Last night (and while I was in Knoxville for the New Year), I had the chicken, bacon, cheese stuffed pizza.  Seriously, for $12.99, it’s an awesome deal.  Being the fatty fat fat fat eater that I am, I was only able to wolf down two medium size pieces.  Even this morning, after eating two more healthy-sized portions, I still have half a large left.  Oh, and did I mention it tastes amazing too?  Well, it does – and you should go out right now and get some.

In other news, being from the east side of Cleveland, I’m used to lake effect snow and freezing temperatures (i.e. scraping the ice off my car every time I go to use it, even after a quick run to the drug store).  Columbus on the other hand, isn’t exactly used to this type of weather and the recent snows that have accumulated are throwing everyone into a panic.  Growing up, it was expected to see at least 1-2ft. at one time.  Here, they are scared of anything beyond 4 inches.  Thank god this isn’t porn.  I understand that the city isn’t as equipped as Cleveland to handle plowing the roads when said snow levels increase, however it’s the public themselves who choose to drive like idiots when the roads are not in ideal conditions.

I’m so ready for the Mt. Washington trip.  Technically, it’s only seven days away.  I’ve got all the gear and clothing (provided Patagonia finally mails me my R1 Hoody) and I have already done the shakedown.  I still need to rent crampons, but that shouldn’t be a big issue.  I’m just ready to go play in the freezing cold!

On the way back from Knoxville, I stopped at Kroger and picked up some Yingling beer.  For those outside the great state of Ohio, Yingling is not served, nor distributed in any of the bordering states of Pennsylvania, which means that if you live in Ohio, you have to drive to KY to get Yingling.  Two 12 packs and $23 later, I was (and continue to be) a happy little boy with my beer.  Thank you, Kentucky, for your contribution in keeping me from being sober.

Movie Tuesday

I got home from work this evening and wasn’t ready to tackle the undertakings of homely chores, so instead I made myself some hot chocolate and sat down for a movie night. After a browse through the movie collection, I went with A League of Their Own. A baseball classic (everyone knows the story so I won’t go into details) with a host of stars involved. Madonna has a few great lines and Tom Hanks does a superb job as Jimmy Dugan, the Rockford Peach manager. I don’t think I need to go into my rant about how much I love Tommy, but he’s pretty much awesome in everything he does. It’s a perfect movie to half-heartedly watch on a Tuesday night :)

Post-Holiday Bloggage

Things at work have been crazy, and when I haven’t been at work I’ve been traveling to visit friends and family. This being the case, the blog writing has suffered. Nonetheless, I’m back at it again, continuing my rant of things from earlier posts. Today’s rant: I am disappointed in those who I thought were my friends when I bartended.

I spent two years in Athens managing a bar and tending at another. One of the bars I worked at was primarily visited by college students, and I generated a tidy little sum for the bar by bringing friends in, but moreover, meeting new friends. Yes, of course I took care of my friends that I made and met with the occasional free/extremely discounted shot, beer, or drink, however I never went overboard in the process. I always made sure I made the bar money while still gave my friends a premium price. The bar did quite well the years I managed. After I left, attendance took a dive and the bar hasn’t been the same since.

Since I left, I’ve been to Athens a number of times. I’ve guest bartended at the other, local watering hole where I used to work. While in town for the weekend, I have always called old patrons, friends, etc. to hang out and catch up. Usually though, I don’t get a response or a poor excuse. It really does surprise me, not only for the fact that I saved those so-called “friends” a very large sum of money, but because I indeed thought they were my friends. Apparently though, that’s not the case. It really is a disappointing feeling and has taught me a life-lesson in who your friends really are.

Wasted Dollar Bills

I went to a bachelor party this past weekend. As with most bachelor parties, the traditional visit to the gentlemen’s club was on the agenda. I’ve never been a big fan of strip clubs (not to be confused with not being a fan of women), mostly because I can’t buy into the fantasy. Looks alone don’t do it for me, and if I’m goin to be attracted to something, it has to be way more plausible than a stage show.

Maybe I’m looking into it too much. Granted, I had a fun time with the boys, but what entertained me and what I took away from the night wasn’t the girls, but the funny moments between us guys. And no, none of us took our clothes off either.

Lack of Blogification

This whole, “I still do t have Internet and I don’t foresee myself justifiably giving into Insight’s overpriced packaging anytime soon,” has taken a hit on my blogging capabilities and therefore I’m probably appearing even less I teresting than I already am. Or maybe, I’m just not able to communicate how unexciting my life is as well as before.

Either way, I’m going to make an honest attempt to post at least one or two times a week, making use of the WordPress iPhone App, all the while givig my thumbs some excercise (with all the texting I do though, I doubt they’ll need it).

So here you are, welcome to today’s first mobile blogging session.

(applause)

I spent the last two days in Athens for a bachelor party. Nothing all that exciting on that front, but some future notable topics to discuss:

1. I am not a fan of strip clubs.
2. I am disappointed in those who I thought were my friends when I bartended.
3. Big Mama’s Burrito’s is one of the things I really do still miss about Athens.
4. Christmas music.
5. How I need a George Foreman grill.

Mt. Washington: First Trip of 2010

Monday night I went to my first OSU Mountaineers meeting on campus. I had heard about the group, which is comprised of OSU students and other members of the community which are interested in outdoor pursuits, however I had no interaction with them up to that point. I was interested to learn more about their organization, as well.. let’s face it, I’m always looking for other people to play in the woods with.

The meeting discussed their upcoming mountaineering trip to Mt. Washington, an adventure that’s been on my list since I began working in the industry and learning about mountaineering. Finally, here was my chance. I immediately joined in with the group and had my name on the list.

As with every trip, the proper gear makes the difference. I have a good amount of clothing and equipment for backpacking (even winter), but not what is required for the extreme conditions of mountaineering. I had researched things before attending the Mountaineers meeting, but set deadline of January gave me an excuse a reason to bite the bullet and start making the purchases. Before Thanksgiving, I bought a bunch of gear online from Mountain Hardwear. I still have some more items in the list before my first draft of gear is complete, but this should get me started, especially with what I already have in my arsenal.

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Sub-Zero Hooded Jacket
Waterproof, Windproof, 650-filled goose down.

(So excited for this one)

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Windstopper Flex Balaclava
Windproof, with nose cover.

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Ascent Stretch Gatiers
Not sure if these are going to work as they aren’t technically waterproof, but we’ll see. If they don’t work, I’ll sell them off and trade up.

Onza Glove
Waterproof breathable, sized up for a liner.

Another one I’m not sure of as I didn’t see it in person, but it should do the job, at least for this trip.

I still need to pick up a Patagonia R1 Hoody and some Smartwool baselayers/socks, but those will come after the holiday.

Mobile Blogging

I had an incident withy 3GS a month back and Apple was kind enough to replace it for free (mind you, this is free iPhone #4). Since then though, I’ve been much more restrictive on choosing Apps to download. This morning though, I gave in and downloaded the WordPress app. Now I can blog on the go again. Which, more accurately means I can blog at home since I still can’t justify the $50 a month for Internet.