Turkey wings and engagement rings!

I popped the question! The day before Thanksgiving Kim and I were cooking in her kitchen, listening to Christmas music, both of us in our lounging clothes. We were relaxed, doing something we do fairly often. It was then that I realized this moment is exactly what I want for the rest of my life. This wasn't an elaborate date, it was just a perfect moment. I got the ring that I was hiding, came back to the kitchen, dropped to a knee, and asked her to marry me! After some crying and kissing, she finally said yes.

The next day she and I cooked our first Thanksgiving dinner. I usually like to have humorous stories about mishaps, but there weren't any. The biggest mishap was the amount of food we cooked. Our turkey was 21 pounds, and we made enough sides to feed at least ten people. Everything was homemade, except for the greenbean casserole that was the campbell's soup recipe that we all know and some love. We had sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, crescent rolls, and two pumpkin pies. And egg nog of course :-) I love egg nog. Anyway, our turkey was moist and delicious, and I can't wait to make it for family next year.

Kim and I had our hands on every dish, and it was a fun day. Our Thanksgiving was great, and I hope you all had one just as wonderful.

Old habits die hard

So I've been with PetSmart for three months now, and it's going quite well. My boss hasn't fired me yet, the managers above and below me seem to get along with me well, and the employees like me. On my lunch break I go to play with the dogs, and after work I have found a Brittany who adores me and loves to curl up on my lap while I rub her ears. Since I can't have a dog, this is the closest I get!

Yes, life is pretty good, but I still can't escape the fact that I am living in the flatlands of New York. When I go to a ski shop and ask about telemark or backcountry gear they look at me funny and say "Not on Long Island". Sigh.

So today after work I decided to swing by EMS (the east coast version of REI for those not in the know) and decided to put in my application. I can only work part time there, but I kind of want to. I miss talking to people who are gearing up for trips, and sharing their excitement about the next adventure they are going on. I won't lie, I also like the ego boost of being the expert when talking about outdoor gear. :-)

I work at least 45 hours per week at PetSmart, but I wouldn't mind another 15 hours or so of working as a gear guy. As I was walking about the store I had to refrain from jumping in on conversations as customers were asking associates questions. I sure do love getting people out there. I don't even want the gear discount (though I'm sure I would use it on occasion), I just want to hang out and talk gear.

On a separate note, I have been reading Shannon's "Her Dog Blog" and I suggest you read it too if you are into dogs at all. She does a pretty good job of researching products and letting you know what her pup Teton thinks. Check it out.

New Beginnings

I have recently been reading my friend Shannon's blog "Her Dog Blog" (great by the way) and it made me realize that I kind of miss writing on this blog. I do need to edit the title, and I have edited my information. I have spent the last several months coming to terms with the life changes that have occurred. I am now living in Long Island, working for PetSmart as a presentation manager. It's not too bad, and hopefully soon I will be able to be promoted to the next level. Two promotions and I will be a store manager. Not too shabby.

Now, my knee is messed up. For those of you who are in the dark, it turns out it is really bad arthritis. Apparently I need to have knee replacement surgery to fix it, but I am far too young. Since I won't be doing the surgery, I am going to cut back on my activities and just try to enjoy life. I am enjoying being near my girlfriend. She has been so supportive over the past two years, and I love her very much. I am definitely fortunate, she has been a true joy in my life.

Working at PetSmart has really made my desire for a dog rise. I want another Brittany. In fact, every chance I get I am playing with one of the three Brittany's who stay at the Pet Hotel. It is definitely a perk of the job!

Anyway, this is an update, and I hope you all look forward to some more blogs from me.

Do you remember your first time?

I have been out fly fishing several times now, and was always asked the same question when I returned. "Catch anything?" My answer was always no. That all changed on Tuesday. On Eric's recommendation I headed to the Teanaway River just outside of Cle Elum. He told me I should fish the middle fork.

After driving around for about an hour down various pothole filled dirt roads, I finally decided to just park the car and start fishing. I pulled off on the first decent spot I could find, and began wading upstream. The water was never very deep, waist high at the most, but the flow was pretty solid. Often times if it got higher than my knees I found myself on uneven footing and worried that I would be swept downstream a bit. The danger wasn't anything more than a few bumps and bruises, being wet, and hurting my pride, but I still didn't want to face it.

When the river became too much I would wade to the shore and walk on land. As I went, I casted into the spots that seemed probable for trout, trying not to snag my fly on branches or the occasional canyon walls the river formed.

After about an hour and a half of wading upstream, casting with no results, I decided to get out of the river and see if I could find a better spot to fish. After only a few minutes of walking, I came upon a bridge over the water with the sign stating "M ork Teanaway" The "F" in fork was missing due to shotgun shot scouring the sign clean of any dirty letters.

I saw a small path leading to the water, and decided to follow it. I went down and what did I find? THE PERFECT SPOT! There was a strong flow falling over large rounded rocks creating a lot of bubbles. To the left of the bubbles was a deep pool of slower moving water which was leisurely lapping against the undercut cliff. The highly oxygenated water should prove a great spot for fish to breathe easy. The slow moving pool should be a great spot for flies caught in the water to become lunch for a hungry trout.

I slowly and quietly as possible headed up the stream, trying to get to a spot where I could cast above the pool and allow my fly to float over this honey hole. I cast a few times, watching the white feathering float downward leisurely toward me. I stood about fifteen minutes, casting repeatedly, until, finally, a hit!

I was so excited I jerked far too hard, and watched as a brown back rippled the surface and my fly flew past me head. I quickly cast back to the same spot, and again missed the catch. I pulled my fly out of the water again, false casted a few times, and landed it perfectly. As I watched the white feathers float over the pool I told myself not to be too excited. As the fly approached me I pulled the line in, and watched as the brown back broke the surface and my fly disappeared. I resisted the urge to jerk the pole, and waited half a second longer. I smoothly struck, setting the hook. I felt the trout through the sensitive rod, each jerk and tug being transmitted to my hands. I pulled the line in by hand carefully, being sure to let the rod take the pressure so as not to stress the line too much.

I could feel the strong trout running through the water, the line pulling away from me. I carefully pulled the line closer and closer until I could get the trout into the relatively calm water by my legs. He was beautiful, with a proud red stripe running through the black mottled skin. The back was a dark brown leading toward an olive green on the sides. It wasn't the first trout I have landed, but it was the first on fly gear. What an experience it was!

I had to pay much more attention fly fishing. Positioning my fly, controlling the line, and bringing in the slack as I landed the fish were all part of a fulfilling experience. It was completed by the pristine surroundings. The cold clear water, lush foliage, and sounds of nature were not interrupted by car horns, shouts, or sirens. I can't climb now, but I am more than happy to still be outdoors.

Now that I am slowing down, I am seeing more than ever.

A river runs throught it.......and that water is COLD!

Now that I am unable to climb I have found a new diversion. Fly fishing. I took a course while attending SUNY Plattsburgh, and really just learned how to tie flies and got some casting practice in a field.

I need more practice.

I took Eric's advice and went to the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River. First I had to wander and figure out where exactly I should go to fish. After tromping through thick brush I finally made it to the river....and realized it was deep all around me. Far too deep and strong for me to wade into, even if I had waders. After a retreat and a walk down the dirt road, I found a more accessible location.

I wandered down and set up my rod, and tried to cast. Now, I wasn't bad when I practiced over a year ago, but I wasn't all that good either. I figured out a major difference on the river. There are trees here! It only took three casts before I had my fly wrapped around a branch, followed by another branch, and a rock. Yes, a rock. I even got my fly wrapped around the line somehow, becoming a tangled mess.

After an hour of tangles and snags, I finally started to develop a rhythm. I spent the next three hours up to my ankles in some extremely cold water, simply flicking the line back and forth.

Playing the fly across the slower moving portions of the water was enjoyable. I simply tried to imitate the motion of the little water scooters I have seen so many times throughout my life.

I spent a total of four hours on the water, trying to improve my skills. I lost two flies, and caught one stick. I saw one tiny tiny tiny fish try to attack my first fly. It was too small to even really get on the hook.

Despite not having many fish show up, it was a successful day. The rhythm of the line when it was flying through the air brought me to a peaceful place. I was alone on the water, enjoying the sound of the running river, focusing entirely on the movement of my arm, the rod, the line, and the minuscule fly thirty-five feet away from me.

Harsh dose of reality......

I obviously haven't posted on here in quite a while. It's not from boredom, but more from some confusion on my part. I have had to face a harsh dose of reality about a month and a half ago. I was climbing with my buddy and professional guide, Ian. While I was climbing my knee popped several times, and my 6 year old knee injury finally finished itself off.

For those who don't know, I tore my ACL in 2004 while serving in Iraq. (For those wanting to know the real story, I tore it playing soccer, but it WAS in Iraq. The field was full of mortar holes!) I was able to survive for six years based solely on my leg strength, though I did have times when it was quite sore. There were also times when I had to lay off for a week or so. This time, however, it was quite severe.

With this injury, I am unable to climb, and will require surgery. This kills the dream of guiding this summer, and pushes it back a year.

I am also living in a house now, with my friend and co-worker Eric. He and his girlfriend have very generously allowed me to live in their guest room for the summer. I am fortunate that I have such a good friend, and am having fun working on their backyard. I have also begun to shift my focus from climbing to something else.

This injury was a big slap in the face of my dream, and a true dose of reality about the consequence of injury to a mountain guide. With this I have decided that I still want to guide, but that I also want to have a more stable job that I can do full time.

I am now studying for my GRE test so I can apply to a Ph.D. program. There it is. I said it. To the world. It's official now. So there it is everyone.

What I am hoping for now is some feedback from everyone who reads this. Do you want to read more of my writing? Let me know, respond to this posting. If you do I will keep this going, and you will get to hear about my progress from knee surgery, and my march toward grad school. Let me know. I'm looking forward to hearing what you think!

Apologies, trips, and a ZBL update!

So I have been quite remiss in updating my blog, so I apologize to everyone. First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone who has been reading this, I'm extremely flattered! So the last week has been pretty crazy for me, and I'm not even sure why.

Easter Sunday, the day when all good Christians are supposed to recognize the sacrifice that Jesus made, I was out climbing with my Jewish friend. I'm going to hell. Anyway, I got the chance to play guide to him. We went out to Leavenworth to climb R&D, a 5.6 climb on the Yosemite Decimal System.

For those not down with the YDS, it is a numerical system used to rate the difficulty of climbs. Originally 5.9 was considered the hardest climb conceivable. This was back when people climbed in boots and used hemp ropes tied around their waist to climb.

Now a 5.6 is considered an easier climb, approaching moderate. I brought out my buddy, Lucky, to climb. This climb was a 4 pitch climb (4 rope lengths, roughly 500ft long or so total) that I had to onsight (climb without any real knowledge of the moves of the climb). This was great for me, since it is a realistic thing I would do with clients.

I was able to get through all the moves pretty easily, despite the cold snow falling on us off and on all day. Some of the route was wet, all of it was cold cold cold granite. Our fingers were freezing and Lucky had on a very uncomfortable pair of rock shoes. We were on the route for almost 4 hours. At the end he had a big smile on his face, since he got to do the hardest climb he has ever done.

That smile was all I needed to know that I am definitely in the right profession. It was a great day, and he was spent at the end of it. We drove back home without incident, and relaxed over some pizza at his place. He paid. It was a great tip to get as a homeless guide. Oh, and he let me use his shower. AWESOME! It's the little things that get me excited.

I worked the rest of the week, and went climbing with my buddy Ian (an amazing guide) Friday.
We hit up Leavenworth, and got to climb a bunch of harder routes. Again, the snow was falling on us intermittently, and the rock was COLD! Luckily all we had to do was shove our hands into the even colder cracks, wedge the backs of our hands against the sharp granite, and pull up our body weight. Over and over again.

Of course the cold makes the skin a bit more fragile, so I have some stellar cuts and scrapes. It's awesome.

ZBL UPDATE: He was pampered Thursday, getting new rear brakes (to the tune of $335, still cheaper than rent!) and a bath. That's the first bath since leaving Jersey. I'm pretty sure I heard him thank me somewhere in there. He is quite the champ, making both trips to Leavenworth over the past week. He totally deserves some pampering. Also, he has been given the past couple of nights off, as I am couch crashing for a couple of days. Don't worry though, I won't be getting too soft on everyone now though :-)

What happens when the dream becomes a nightmare?

So I am getting closer to the guiding season, and despite all of my workouts in the climbing gym and the gym gym I am not really ready for the mountains. For those who don't hike or climb, you may not know about mountain legs. They are kind of like sea legs, but they need to be much stronger and able to go for hours on end, day after day.

I haven't been able to climb much since we are getting a bunch of late season snow, so I decided to get in some skiing. I went out to Mt. Rainier on Wednesday to skin uphill, and slide back down. For those not familiar, Rainier is the mountain on the title section of this blog. It was a good day, and let me build my mountain legs a bit.

Last night I decided to load up a pack with quite a bit of my gear and hike Mt. Si early before work. As with many plans, I was waylaid. The parking lot for Si is known for car prowlers, and this was my primary concern. I thought that since I was going up at about 4:30am on a Friday morning I would be good to go. I should have been back to my car by around 7am or so. This is far earlier than thieves get up, right?

Wrong.

At 3:30am I woke up to headlights shining in on my car. I watched a car drive around the parking area (which is a secluded area that no one really has any business in besides hiking or stealing) and spin back with headlights right on my car. As they pulled closer I saw that there were three people in the car. I poked my head up above level of the window and they saw me, and immediately pointed their car out of the parking lot and left.

I still don't know what they were doing there. I checked again that my doors were locked and went back to sleep. From this point, however, I would not have a good nights sleep. As I dozed waiting for my alarm to wake me, I dreamed of cars pulling in. One was pointed right at me, but was parked with a note saying that the owner was off climbing, and please don't tow the car. After I sorted out this note, I saw another car driving directly toward me.

I was sleeping in my seat still, but aware of this dream car coming closer. It had its lights directly on me, and the driver got out of his car and came toward me. He opened my passenger door. I still didn't move. Then he tapped me on my shoulder, the shoulder closest to my drivers side door. I could literally feel the tapping, and it wasn't just in my dream. I tried to say something, but I couldn't. Suddenly I sprung awake, trying to shout "WHAT!". It came off my thick cottony tongue as "wht." I looked over, now awake, and SAW SOMEONE SITTING IN MY PASSENGER SEAT!

Now remember that I was still quite sleepy, and it was about 4am at this time. As I tried to swallow my heart back down I realized it was just my pile of clothes in the passenger seat.

I ended up not doing my hike, since it had just been too crazy in that small window of time. I went back to sleep until 6am, and drove back to Seattle. Now I was in a more wilderness area, but it wasn't bears or wolves that made me scared, but people. They are still the most dangerous thing around. The lack of predictability is just too much, and my mind was racing with the possibilities of what could go wrong.

Everything I own is in my car, and it would have been disastrous to have it stolen. For the first time I actually felt vulnerable, and I learned a valuable lesson that will serve me well for the rest of the summer. I am going to make darn sure that every trip I go on will have nothing in my car that could be appealing to someone with less than honorable intentions.

So this time living the dream was kind of tough, but it didn't deter me from pursuing what I want to do. It just showed me that sometimes I need to be more flexible, and that I have to be ready for changing plans.

For those of you who are waiting to hear more about Zbl, he is now sitting at 264,083miles and running strong! I think 400k is not out of the realm of possibility! And if you are wondering, a Honda Accord drivers seat folds almost completely flat to the back seat, and makes a fairly comfortable bed. Give it a try sometime!

Alright everyone, my parting words. Don't let the inevitable nightmares deter you from your dreams. If you look through the haze you'll find those fears might be nothing more than a pile of clothes next to you. Do your laundry!

Birthday Mania!

Sooooooooooo, today is my Dad's Birthday. He is 54. That really isn't that old, though when I was a teenager I would have thought 54 was quite old.

I also thought 30 was a long way away, but two days ago I hit that very age. So here I am, 30, homeless, and pursuing a job meant for guys ten years younger than me. How do I feel about that?

DAMN GOOD! Here I am, still young in my life and realizing what makes me happy. Many people I graduated with have jobs, kids, and the whole life. And they are jealous of me, and what I am going after. I am loving life in my third decade, and am quite sure that I am going after the right thing.

I had a great conversation with my loving girlfriend a week or so ago. We were imagining what we would do if we won the lottery. I realize that for the first time ever that even if I did win I would want to go down the same path. It's a great thing to be that confident about what you are doing in life. Sure the pay isn't that great, but you certainly can't beat the office views.

I am also excited because now I have finished my Level I Avalanche class, and my WFR course. This fall I am going to be taking an American Mountain Guide Association course with one of the most influential people in my climbing career, and a man whom I respect greatly. He really is one of my mentors. How many people get to have this opportunity?

What a great birthday. I am loving my choices, I have the support of my parents, a girlfriend who pushes me to be my best, and I am making definite measurable strides toward my goals. All because I was willing to take a big risk. I hope I can inspire others to take big risks in their life as well. You don't have to live out of your car, but you certainly can push your comfort zone a bit. You never know how good it might be!

Dying and selling out

So tomorrow is the last day of my Wilderness First Responder course. It has been a good time so far. We have had a mixture of lectures and practical exercises, learning and then putting to use the skills we have learned so far. I have learned more about the human body in the last 4 days than I have in the nearly 30 years prior!

Today was a mass casualty exercise. I was a victim. The background scenario is that I had brought out a group of people I met online to practice climbing for a trip we were taking to the Amazon. We weren't climbing rock, however, but trees. I was coaching people from the ground, and had four people in the tree, climbing simultaneously. The person toward the top fell, hitting all the others on the way down, who all fell on me. I was knocked unconscious and couldn't breathe.

Picture this now, four people I met four days ago were instructed to pile up on top of me. Wow. I had a girl laying half on me, and half next to me. She was screaming her lungs out. I had to be dead while someone gave me mouth to mouth. Now at least the mouth to mouth was simulated! It was quite an interesting situation, but as my gf would say, "In the name of learning".

During this simulation, I died.

Which leads me to my next topic. I sold out when I was down here. I have taken the last four days and have actually been living in a hotel room. Luckily for me I had the money saved up from being frugal enough. It's been nice though. The bed is comfy, and I have luxuries like a refrigerator and a stove. I don't even have people walking by and asking me what I'm cooking!

Oh, and I have a shower with just me in it. Pretty nice I must say. I think I might even enjoy a bath before I leave here.

So I did sell out a bit. I was going to live out of my car this week, but I decided that I didn't want to try to figure out a safe place to park in Portland, and I didn't want to subject my classmates to my week long stench. I'm sure they appreciated it, especially since they had to pile up on top of me :-)

All in all it has been a good week, and a good class. Hopefully I am doing well enough so far, and will do well on the final written exam. This really is a big step toward my dream though, and I am glad to be taking it. Check back tomorrow or Thursday to find out how I did. Also, Thursday I turn the big 3-0, so get my thoughts on that.

So all my readers, as always, follow your dreams and do what is right for you. It isn't always easy, but you will know if it's right for you. You won't want to do anything else.

Yoga-cizing

So those of you who know me know that I'm kind of a big dude. For those who don't, I'm 6' tall and about 200lbs. (See picture) Now small guys and gals can do things differently than big guys and gals, and vice versa. That pack on my back? Weighs around 35-40lbs, and feels like there is nothing there. My friend who was on this trip could have carried it, but it would have been a whole lot more for her to lug around.

Now while I am a good person to have around for lugging heavy packs, I am not the person you would look to for grace and flexibility. And that is why I have started yoga.

Imagine this: It's 5:30am, and my phone alarm started to go off. I was tucked into my cozy front seat, head on a pillow and couple of blankets warming me nicely. I knew that I had two options, pull myself out of my surprisingly comfortable drivers seat and go to yoga, or go back to bed.

I decided to go back to bed. This was at 5:30. At 5:47 I made the decision to get my ass moving and do something productive. For those of you who sleep in later, remember that the mornings are now darker after the time jump ahead. I grabbed my gym bag (I have figured out that I need to pack it the night before if I want to actually have underwear) and headed across the street for the class.

Today was my second day of yoga, and I learned from my mistakes already. I grabbed two mats so my poor knees had some padding. We started by sitting cross legged, hands on our knees. Everyone in the class looks serene doing this, just breathing and relaxing. I, however, was sitting with my knees much higher than everyone, hip flexors (misnomer) screaming and reminding me that I am not flexible AT ALL! We did this for about 5 minutes, in which time I had to change position at least 12 times. After this, we began the real workout.

I actually did alright, and was feeling pretty proud of myself. I was only corrected by the teacher a couple of times, and felt like I made it through the much more intense workout better than the easier class of the day before. I left the class still congratulating myself mentally. That was when I overheard a couple of the mid-sixties aged class members complaining that the instructor took it far too easy that day. So much for my ego......

Despite the easier class, I did enjoy it, and will be back. I also went climbing in the gym last night, and I am already seeing the benefits. It's not in the flexibility yet, but in the breathing and control. As I moved through the grades I was able to focus and really breathe, and it helped immensely. Now that is encouraging!

For those looking for a moral, don't be afraid to push yourself and try something new. You never know what the benefits might be. Happy St. Patrick's Day all!

I would rather not be buried by an avalanche

So yesterday and today I took the AIARE Level I avalanche course through Mountain Madness. It was pretty sweet because I got it for the low low price of free. I consider that a success in my career as a climbing bum.

It was a great course, filled with snow, snow, and some yellow snow. I do have enough experience to avoid this yellow snow, because contrary to popular opinion, it is not a lemon snowcone!

I am happy to have taken it, and am just a day away from Level I certification. That combined with my Wilderness First Responder course will make it two valuable certifications in the same month. Not too bad for a slacker living out of his car!

There was a guy in the course who was considering camping out for the night, but was a bit nervous about the cold and being in a tent. He also considered getting a hotel room, or crashing out in his car. As a public service I gave him the tips on how to comfortably spend a night in a car. I think he is going to try it. I'm curious to find out what happens!

So I am going to invite people who may be reading this blog to ask questions or to give suggestions on what you want to read about. We can tailor this to make it more interesting or helpful to you all. Also, it saves you from reading the narcissistic ramblings of me!

ZBL update: over 263,000 miles and running strong! What a champ.

Good night to all. Don't be afraid to push your limits, you don't know what you are capable of until you do.

Proteins, Fats, and Carbohydrates, Oh My!

So to be able to perform in life you need fuel. Your body needs an optimal blend of foods to run efficiently. And just like an expensive car, your body won't run well on sub-par fuel. If I were to eat out at McDonald's or Taco Bell everyday, I would survive. And be obese. To really perform well, I need to eat well.

How is this possible when living out of your car? A few answers to this. I have a healthy addiction to Whole Foods, and have found some wonderful solutions. I love to eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and this is done easily here, since I can buy exactly the amount of food that I need. I have been on a carrot kick recently, and love that I can buy them individually. I also choose to shop in the bulk food section.

Carrots and apples are fine, but what about a hearty meal? Oh yeah, don't forget no refrigerator and no oven. Luckily I have a fine camp stove (MSR Reactor, if you don't have one, get one!) that boils water very quickly. This is great for certain quick and easy meals. I will share a typical day's worth of meals with you now.

For breakfast I am a big fan of the nutritional density of oatmeal. I picked up a big canister of quick cooking whole plain oats. This has (I believe, I'm not a nutritionist) the same healthful benefits of slower cooking whole oats. I can boil up water, then pour it into a bowl of oatmeal, and voila, it is ready in a jiffy. I like to add agave nectar. This is a great addition to any homeless cook kit, since it has a long shelf life, doesn't crystallize, and is tasty. It has the added benefit of having a lower glycemic index than honey, reducing the sugar spike and crash.

Lunch is a delicious bread that I get at a local bakery (gotta support the local family businesses) and combined with freshly ground almond butter at Whole Foods. They actually have a bin of almonds, and all I need to do is press the button and it grinds up the almonds, depositing it into a container for me to use. No added salt, sugar, or other ingredients! With this, I can find a good jelly, or use agave. Often though, the bread has so much flavor it is delicious with just the almond butter. I can supplement this meal with a banana and I am a happy dude.

Dinner is a great one. I love couscous, and have bulk whole wheat couscous. Adding just the right amount of boiled water and letting it sit for a couple of minutes is all you need to do. I never even have to boil it in a pot, just add water in the bowl. Once this is ready, I add a can of tuna (no salt added. keep a can opener in your food bag) and some hot sauce. I recently started adding agave nectar to this, making it a sweet and spicy delicious meal.

I also try to drink a lot of water each day, and will graze between meals on carrots, and most recently, the tiny "cuties" oranges. And to top off a great day you need a great dessert.

Dark Chocolate with Chiles! This delicious treat ends each dinner with a great bit of antioxidants, as well as a spicy and sweet finish. I buy a bar, and make it last about 3 days or so.

So there you have it ladies and gentleman, healthy food without a refrigerator or oven.I know I only gave a one day menu, but there is a lot of creativity to be had. The real trick is buying just enough of what you need. It is pricier than buying bulk amounts of food, but you're already saving money by not paying rent!

One American Dream

I have a friend I met while rock climbing in the desert southwest a couple of years ago, and he is working on a film documentary called "One American Dream". I definitely want to encourage anyone and everyone who might be reading this to check it out. His website is:

http://oneamericandream.com/

There is a trailer of the movie to be made, and it looks pretty darn interesting. Hit it up!

Aspiring to great heights

So for those of you who are climbers, you are probably familiar with the movie "First Ascent". For those of you who are not, it is about climbers trying to climb something for the first time ever. As in no one has ever climbed it before them.

In this film, Timmy Oneil gives a "brief history of first ascents" as he poses as a teacher in a school with some seriously disturbed children of the corn kind of kids. I sure as hell wouldn't want to teach there. As he goes through his explanation, a girl sees a picture and exclaims "he's a hippie!" Timmy responds with "That's right. Some of our best climbers were outlaws, beatniks, and hippies living out of their vans. Maybe someday you can aspire to such great heights, with your personal first ascent."

Now, I haven't made a first ascent yet, but I am already aspiring to those great heights. In conversation with my girlfriend (who is still struggling with the concept of me living in my car) I explained to her that I am actually in a position of respect and envy within the climbing community. I have made the full commitment to climbing, trying to cut out everything that is non-essential to make more time and room for climbing.

I am a failure though. I obviously still have a computer, and I still have bills I racked up in Newark as a normal person. Despite this, however, I am on my way. Part of my reasoning for this lifestyle is that I can save money to buy more climbing gear, pay for gas, and buy supplies to take road trips with.

I am aspiring to great heights, living out of Zbl and just trying to climb as much as I can. In fact, this Friday and Saturday I have plans to chase some decent weather and rock climb. If that falls through, I am going to brave the elements and do an alpine climb. Either way, it should be fun, and it is something that I can do since I don't have to waste $500 a month on rent.

I will keep you all updated on the trips. Tomorrow, look out for a tutorial on how to grocery shop and cook while aspiring to greater heights.

Good night for now. I hope you all go for your own personal first ascent in life. Live the Dream!

Welcome one and all!

So this is my first attempt at blogging, something I thought was a bit ridiculous in the past. Now, however, I find myself with a fair amount of time, since my life is pretty simple. I guess I will start at the beginning.

I was a teacher, and a pretty horrible one. I would stay up all night trying to make lesson plans, which were promptly rejected by my vice-principal. I will admit that living in Newark, NJ didn't help my mental state much either. I had a bit of a mental breakdown, and decided to leave Newark and head to my safe haven, Seattle. Now, of course I had a full time job, a serious girlfriend, and a lease with about 10 more months on it. So I did the only logical thing.

I bailed.

I sold all of my furniture (which was only a couple of months old) for a loss, broke my lease (for a loss), and then packed up everything into my 1997 Honda Accord. I then decided to drive cross country. Now, I am a climber, and I love being on the rock, or in the mountains. So in my drive, I went to Joshua Tree National Park first, which is just a few hours east of San Diego. I climbed for a few days with a friend, then headed north to Seattle.

Now, as rash as my decisions were, I did have the forethought to contact an old employer, a sweet climbing shop called Second Ascent, to see if I could get a job. I am now fortunate enough to work 40 hours a week there.

Once in Seattle, I had put on almost 5,000 miles on my old car, and I am proud to say Zbl is still running strong! It's a good thing, since he is also my home at the moment, and will be until at least October.

It's crazy, but believe it or not, living in my car has been one of the least stressful situations in my life. I have been liberated. Thoreau was right, simplify! Now, I'm not a hippie who wants to get rid of everything and live in the woods. I love being in a city with restaurants, and toilets, and people. I just like being able to get away from it to be alone in the mountains. And then I am ready to return. I do want a house one day, and I do want luxuries like a kitchen and a tv. It's just that for now I am pretty content living this way.

I will be working for a mountain guiding company this summer, only working 20 hrs a week, along with some trips in the mountains with clients. If you need a company to climb with, look up Mountain Madness, we're awesome! With this schedule I will be able to climb several days a week, and still pay my bills. As long as Zbl is running strong, everything will be fine. You will all be able to follow along with the status of him as time goes on. I love this car, and you will also get to know and love him!

So this is my introduction to me, and what I'm doing Homeless in Seattle. In the climbing world I'm a climbing bum, which also means I'm living the dream. I hope to give you some insight into my world, and to let you have an escape into a fun life. I will share it with honesty and hopefully some humor. If nothing else, I will have some great pictures, and some decent stories. Let me know what you think!