We made it back yesterday afternoon from Yosemite (and just in time as a couple large storms are rolling through the area!). It was a great trip as can be seen by the following pictures:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4

Enjoy!
--B--

Well...
Hope everyone else had a good christmas. I know I sure did. I got TONS of great They Might Be Giants stuff, a couple fun toys, and a "Gir Riding the Pig Shower Curtain". Did I mention the Eyor mug? It's way kewl!

Nywase, we are getting ready to head off into the "wild blue" on our trip to Yosemite. Everyone wish us luck in getting snowed in!!

We will be picking up Richard tonight at the airport and then driving back on Sunday. Should be a fun vacation!

So nywase, merry platipus to all, and to all a good night!
--B--

Here they are!

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairie -- Performed by Brent, John, and Mike. We wanted to do a laid back jazz version of this -- in the loose style of Vince Guraldi (think Charlie Brown music). I think it turned out decent!

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer -- Performed by Brent & John. Rudolph meets grung -- need I say more?

Deck the Halls -- Performed by Brent & Karen. Techno -- it lends itself so well to christmas music -- I've been told that this just makes people want to get up and dance.

Silent Night -- Performed by me!! Solo piano arrangment -- 3 against 2 is just so much fun to play with!

Extra Treat -- Here are a couple songs off of what will soon be coming out...
Prelude & Fugue in C Maj by Bach -- Solo Piano Classical Arrangement

Prelude in C Maj (Ave Maria) by Bach -- Electronic Dance Mix by Brent and Karen

All have been encoded in Ogg Vorbis so you will need a compatable player to listen to them. What is this Ogg stuff? Read more here.

Enjoy!
--B--

For the past 8 years I have handed out a Christmas CD to friends and family. Each year I handed out more and more of them until last year I handed out 75 copies!!

Each CD included christmas related tunes -- both traditional and original compositions. If you listen to them in order you can really hear how technology has changed -- allowing me to do more and more each year.

For me to complete a christmas cd any where close to "on time" for the holiday, I have to have arrangements mostly completed in the spring with all recording finished and ready for final masters during the summer.

This year I was contemplating what to do and decided that there wasn't going to be any christmas music on the cd this year. I wanted to do an "alternative" arrangements of classical tunes this year. Only I'm a picky bastard and while I had about four finished, the other 5 I was working on were not up to my standards for being finished.

Long story short?
No Christmas CD this year!

I've been complained at already (several times) by family members for not getting one completed. This often makes me sit there and just not want to do any more music for peoples at all -- keep it all to myself. But I will probably get a CD out in the spring.

To make up for it I am going to include the couple christmas songs that I did complete this year on this website. Look for them this afternoon. I might even give you a taste of what is yet to come on the "Claxxical" CD!

Apologies to everyone who is waiting in a-a-a-a-anticipationnnnnnnnn...
--B--

I completed my first V5 last night. Everyone says it's an easy V5 -- but still -- it's a V5! It was deffinately (easily) the hardest bouldering problem that I've done. I worked it for several days -- but finally got the moves down and got myself up the climb!

w00p!!
Now on to other harder climbs...

--B--

Okay -- spending most (all) of the dat @ ATG today. In fact my day is almost done -- I'm just waiting on two machines to restart and then a couple defrags to go and I'm outsa here. However I realized that I needed a list of stuph to take on the trip so we donut forget anything so here it is... (I'm pulling items from misc. packing lists online...)

Clothing:
Long Underwear Tops & Bottoms (2 pair)
Underwears (normal-like) (2 pair)
Long Sleeve Shirts (2 to 3 pair)
Short Sleeve Shirts (2 to 3 pair)
Wool or Fleece Sweaters (2 pair)
Wool Socks (3 to 4 pair)
Other Socks (3 to 4 pair)
Winter Gloves &or Glove Liners
Long Pants (3 to 4 pair)
Swimming Shorts
Ski Bibs
Hat (warm one)
Rain Gear

Other Gear
Pocket Knife (2)
Flash Lights (3)
First Aid Kit (2)
Compass (Do I even own one?)
Matches/Lighers (2)
Duct Tape (Never Know!)
Toilet Paper (In Zip-Lock Baggy -- never know!)
Toiletries
Digital Camera
Laptop (?)
Water Bottles (All that we gots!)
Pillows
Daypack & Fanny Pack
Sunglasses
Sun Screen
Extra Batteries

Food Related:
Tuperware Bowls
Spoons, Forks
Ziploc Bags (Never know)

Okay -- it wasn't easy. But it wasn't super hard. Someone pointed out a V4 that I had not seen before and I decided, for a lack of other interesting bouldering problems, to attempt it tonight. Got on it after a quick warmup (A couple V0's up and down, a V1, and then a V3 cause Dan wanted to see how I did it). Quickly found the crux move and sat down to think about it for a bit. I decided I had done the hands correctly -- just needed to work out the feet (they cut out from under me).

Got up, made it one move farther and my feet cut again. Tried it a couple more times and then decided to think it through again. Dan and Candice worked it with me so I was able to see what did and didn't work (Dan is about the same "build" as me so he's a great climber to watch). I got up there and made one more move but fell again after not being able to see below the lip (it was on an overhang) and I couldn't see where to put my feet.

I ate a Tigers Bar, climbed a V2, climbed the "unrated" V3 (it's not rated yet but a couple better climbers then me have said it's a hard V3 -- possibly easy V4) for Dan (got it first try *yah*!). Decided to give it one more shot and it sent like it was easy or something. I just used my feet. And actually really used 'em. Amazing how much easier it makes things when you use 'em!

So I finished the evening up with an attempt at the "Bunny" up and down -- made it onto the finishing wall and fell... so close! So I decided to do it up once more and then it was ten -- time to jet.

All in all a good evening of climbing -- again.
Think I'll go Sunday, Monday, and depending on when I get off work, maybe Tuesday (they close at 4pm being that it's christmas eve and all). Then several days off to let my body "heal"

w00p!
--B--

These people believe that the name of the movie/book, Lord of the Rings: Two Towers should be renamed to be more respectfull to those events that happened over a year ago on September 11th. Give me a freakin' break.

*sigh*
Build day today... oh yay.

--B--

aka I killed the Rabbit!

"Energizer Bunny" -- it's a boldering route at Vertex. It was originally rated a V1 -- then got bumped to a V1+ -- then to a V1++. Why? It's long. Super long. And V1 moves all the way. Without going above 15 feet, the number of moves is the same number as one of the 30ft walls.

So my original goal was to get to the top. I did that on my fifth or sixth try. It's just stamina -- the moves were all fairly simple. But the majority (minus three moves at the beginning and two moves at the end) is all overhanging. So my next goal was to get to the top and then back down to the beginning.

Going down is always harder. A lot more concentration and strength is required for downward movement (at least controlled downward movement). So tonight I get on it -- I hadn't tried it in a couple of weeks as it was missing decent feet at the bottom (this wasn't a problem going up but coming down it was a problem). So last night I got on it and fell at the lowest point (it's really a roof thats about 4 feet off the ground at that point - then it goes back around and ends).

Tonight I got on it -- not expecting to get all the way down. I got to the top and decided to work my way down. As I was working my way down I saw someone else coming up -- so I had to hang out for a couple seconds until they fell and then I continued on my downward path. One big move at the roof and then I was around the corner. On I went and was breathing hard. I was having to really concentrate on putting my feet on holds and making them stay. Past my previous far point -- on the last roof-like section -- over to the ending wall... only three moves left ... trying to not listen to everyone there telling me that I was almost done ... crappy ending feet with a long strech ... move ... move ... right hand on the starting hold -- feet over .... left hand on the starting hold -- stick it -- stick it ... collapse on the ground.

I have now done "the bunny" up and down. Thats quite an accomplishment as I know of only two other people who have attempted it (and only one that completed it).

yay!

I also did the V3 (still not rated...) that I did last night...

All in all it was a good evening of climbs. But I'm gonna be REALLY sore tomorrow.

L8tz all!
--B--

It's been a while since I've only climbed for an hour. Normally I'm there for two (or slightly more). However tonight I was limited to an hour -- not that this was a bad thing.

I got to the gym with Missy and did a couple quick warmup climbs. A couple quick laps on a V0- (it says all feet but doing it track up, track down, screw-ons up, and screw-ons down make a good warmup) -- a V0, a V0+, and then I hopped on a V1+.

Then Dan, I think his name's Dan -- I can't ever remember names ... Nywase, he's normally there on Tuesday's and Thursday's with Candace. But he was there tonight... they had set a couple new bouldering routes on the steep overhang section... and he was working on an unrated climb -- someone else there said it was probably around V3ish. He was getting about two moves into the climb and falling -- it's one of those wierd technical/strength climbs.

I hopped on and stuck the move he was falling on but couldn't quite hit the next move. Big throws on overhangs just don't get along well together. At least not for me. However I hopped on it a couple more times and was always able to get through an ugly hand match but not quite able to get to the next hold.

I sat down for a bit -- drank some water, looked at the new climbs on the slab wall -- and decided to give it one more try -- not expecting to make it. This was probably try number 4 or 5 (when you are bouldering you loose track really quick-like). So I hopped on it -- got to the same point and my foot slipped off. I decided not to give up and put my foot back on -- only instead of outside of the foot on the hold, the inside of the foot on the hold. I did the throw move and stuck it!! I was so ecstatic that I almost didn't know what to do from there! It was like -- I've looked at this one move and not the rest of the climb -- oh crap!

But I moved my feet out, stuck the next hold, swung like a monkey, moved feet up, and stuck the move to the top of the climb!! I was so happy!!! Yay!!! w00p!!! Joy of joys!!!

Or something like that.

It was almost time to go so I decided to try Energizer Bunny up and down. Since they had reset the big overhang section there wasn't much for feet there -- at least nothing that was sticking it's ugly fake-rock-head out at me. I made it to the end and started back. On the way down I just wasn't thinking very clearly and at the bottom section where it gets real low my feet just slipped off the holds they were on and I ended up on my knees. Oh well -- next time!! At least now I know that there are enough feet at the beginning to be attempting it up and down again.

All in all? A very good one hour of climbing. In fact I'm hoping that I won't be sore tomorrow -- it was that much work in those few short climbs.

Our double secret probation project is nearly finished -- not quite ready for unveiling yet -- but soon!

Oh yah -- and I need to get a picture of missy driving her rental vehicle (her car is in the body shop). What'd they give her? A bimbo box! Every one take a moment (long or short -- doesn't matter) to laugh in her general direction. HAH!!

Climb tomorrow. Build Wednesday. Climb thursday. Friday!! Go to see Toad on Saturday (and Gretchen and Chris cause I'm not sticking around for Counting Crows). Climb Sunday -- then it's almost Christmas!! w00p!

--B--

Bow Down
Bow Down
Before the Power of Santa!
Or be Crushed
Be Crushed
Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
HIS JOLLY BOOTS OF DOOM!!!!

Bow Down
Bow Down
Before the Power of Santa!
Or be Crushed
Be Crushed
Byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
HIS JOLLY BOOTS OF DOOM!!!!

Climbing @ Fort Ross

Forrest Ranch Thanksgiving

Christmas Tree

Lurk, zOrg, and Missy!

Another build day is upon us.

I forgot to mention last time that I also listen to several musicals depending upon my build "mood" -- these include (currently):
BatBoy
Starmites
Kiss Me, Kate - Original Broadway Cast
Li'l Abner - Original Broadway Cast
Lexx - Brigadoom (TV Show that did a musical)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - New Broadway Cast

I didn't get pictures uploaded last night. Jason and I are working an a double secret project and I was swamped trying to get my first part of it done last night. Hopefully it will turn into something "real" and you will all get to see it!

Anywase, off to the build...
*jams to Glen Burtnick off the Bill&Ted's Excellent Adventure st*

L8tz!
--B--

Do you see any simularities between these two pictures??

We went and saw Curly perform tonight -- she did a great job!! It was a very good arrangement of Feliz Navidad.

Other'n'that, I have quite a few pictures to upload -- but I just don't feel like doing it tonight.

So look tomorrow.
Lots of new bouldering routes at Vertex today -- lots of V0's and V1+'s -- also climbed a new V2 and new V3 -- after dropping from the V3 I tweaked my ancle and decided to cut it short tonight.

Anywase, look for more tomorrow!
--B--