An Exercise In Futility

I like to think that V is a smart kid and is progressing quicker than most kids. Of course, as his dad i am probably biased and ideally i should be graphing his development against a chart of standard milestones, rather than just generalizing. Anyhow, this morning he opened his favorite book, ‘Hop on Pop’, by Dr Seuss, which we’d just been reading, and he turned to the ‘HIM JIM’ page, and said “H’m J’m”. Whee! Duplo is a different issue; he is like Godzilla or something, and fanatically destroys anything i build or try to build. He has not figured out that he can stick the blocks together, only that he can bust them apart… and fling them into the air… with excitement.

Had an excellent, excellent night tonight. Completed a 5.11 (b/c) with one hangdog, beta-flashed a 5.11, almost finished (one hold remained) a 3rd 5.11, then almost finished (2 holds remained) a 5.11+ (c/d)! After all that, i climbed a 5.9+ and 5.9 back to back, twice, with no breaks.. which equates to about 100ft of climb.. i had to give up 1 hold from the top of the 4th ascent due to being really worn out. I feel that 5.12 is just around the corner. whee!

I took a week long hiatus from climbing when we went to the Okanagan, but since coming back i’ve been pleased with having maintained my skill level. It may have helped that before we went away, i had done quite a lot of bouldering, and was completing V3 climbs without too much difficulty, and almost completing some V5s. So, the past two sessions i have begun with about 30 minutes of bouldering to warm up, then climbed a variety of 5.10 grades, plus at couple of 5.11- (a/b). I can feel 5.12 just around the corner, which is good since a lot of people have been bugging me to get my lead card.

I hate complainers, but in reality i think i just hate people who complain about stuff they are too lazy to do something about. This stance allows me to do some of my own complaining — about BC Drivers. We recently got back from a few days in the Okanagan; it was excellent, the weather was nice, the scenery was grand, we sampled lots of wine and brought back some of our best picks. Unfortunately we were frequently hampered by people who drive too slow on the highway. I have nothing against people who drive no faster than the speed limit (after all that is the only way to guarantee no speeding tickets), but people who drive below the limit just piss me off. Since the trip we have taken a few other drives on the highway and i have been frustrated by the same problem. If the sign says 90, go 90!. 80 is unacceptable. There is the combinatory issue of passing these people if there is a dual carriegway — suddenly you’re in the fast lane, going the speed limit, and you’re pissing off the people who want to speed. It’s a lose lose situation. Yes, i have considered that many drivers don’t consider any of these things, but i expect that is part of the reason for the problem. Then there are the drivers who drive slow, and only speed up as you try to pass them. Or the ones who refuse to use their cruise control, and drive at inconsistent speeds, making it hard for others to use their cruise control. Also, something else i cannot figure out, is the people who drive slow in the 90 zones, but then get into a 60 zone and speed! Where is the logic in that? It makes my head want to explode, just thinking about it. Stay tuned for my BC traffic flow improvement website, complete with suggestions for computer controlled anti-car howitzers to take out infractors.