New Gear!

I'm so excited! Sara let me purchase some new gear. I found a product that gets great reviews and the cost was so good I just couldn't pass it up. I got eight new Durango cams which are a copy of the Trango© Flexcam®. And because I bought them on sale, and they were having a special they gave me an extra cam for free! So I got nine new cams for climbing.

Having the new cams will fill out the remainder of our rack and we should be able to safely climb and build anchors and all the important stuff. Now I just have to find a way to stay focused until the weekend.

We are taking the first week of April to climb with a group of great kids from the climbing team. These kids can out climb us any time. It is still going to be fun though. We are doing a few days at Smith, and a few days at Vantage, and I'm hoping (fingers are crossed) that we'll get a day out at Leavenworth.

Yeah...climbing outdoors and new gear.

Get in Line!

I am an "old man" driver. I put my cruise control on and sit in the right lane. When there is another driver who is even slower than me, I check my left, change lanes, speed up to pass quickly, and then move back to the right lane and sit on my cruise control. So what is up with these @$$ holes who pass on the left going one mile faster than the guy on the right? Really? Are they worried they are going to get a speeding ticket? Then get in line! One mile an hour more won't get you there significantly faster. Put your damn cruise control on and relax already.

These people retard the flow of the freeway. If some guy wants to go 100 in the 60 zone, get out of the way. Quit controlling traffic, you're causing a hazard for everyone else. You are! If an incident occurs more people will get caught up in it because both lanes of traffic (or more) will be involved.

Sure you'll be speeding -- that is the point anyway right? Since just about 99.9% of all drivers are going at the limit you must not care about going a bit faster? Otherwise you'd be in the right lane with your cruise control on...

End Rant.

My Chocolate Addiction

I have been attempting to quit chocolate. I know that seems crazy, but I find it exceptionally difficult to do -- I have a chocolate bar stuck to my whiteboard with a label that says "Just say no ..."

My office buys bags of chocolates from Costco that I have requested many times that we don't get. I'm actually surprised that they (those controlling the funds) don't use that as an excuse to save money. Seriously, every time they do an order they spend $40+ on bags of chocolates. And don't get me going on all the soda that they buy too.

The other day I was in a meeting and there was a big jar filled with mini chocolates (42 calories) and I reached in and had the little mini chocolate in my mouth before I realized -- I am on a chocolate diet! I found it difficult to not eat another. So I did.

Now, I wouldn't compare this to being an alcoholic as that has an aspect of diminished returns. The more you drink the less your brain works correctly, you endanger your health, and potentially the health of others. Chocolate -- well if you eat it in large quantities you may have some serious health issues as well, but driving wouldn't be a problem. Anyway, I definitely know what it is like to not have the self control when you are surrounded by your vice.

The good news? I've lost three pounds in the last couple months.