Welp -- went climbing with Jason tonight. It was fun. Started out bouldering a couple V0's and then worked up to a V2- and worked a bit on a V1+ that I've been having problems with.

Glanced over at the V3 I had completed and decided that I would wait for another day to climb it again. I went on and asked Brian (one of the guys who works there) about what the requirements for one of the climbs was. It said "rails are on" and I wasn't sure if it was for feet only or for hands as well. It was for hands and that made a much easier climb.

However one of the rails had broken so that made it closer to a 5.10d (it was marked a 5.10c). At least thats what I was told. I hoofed it up the climb with much less effort then I had last time I had tried (not knowing that the rails were on). There were a couple of tricky moves close to the top but I made it up.

Jason cimbed a couple -- flashing a 5.8 (very good for him!!) and making it most of the way up another 5.8. To warm back up I climbed the 5.8 he hadn't completed and then moved on to a 5.11a.

Again I got some tips from Brian (they call it "beta" in the climbing world -- when you get tips on how to climb something before starting on it). This one had some wierd smearing moves right at the beginning with a nice lunge to a sloaper ending the smear moves. It was quite difficult to stick but I managed to get it eventually (two or three times). I made it several moves on and then hit another hard spot faltering for a shorter time.

Upwards again I went and made it to the next to last hold where again I was faced with a big move to a sloper. In fact it was sloper holds most of the way up -- thats what made it so difficult. So that next to last move took me a couple more tries. In fact I was pretty wasted by the so it took several trys to even get back to the same point I had been at. But at last I stuck it. Then it was just the last move to the top. Another big move but the sloper I had a hard time sticking was an upside down pocket. Okay -- so it was like a two finger edge -- but it felt like a pocket after all the other slopers! Flipped my hand upside down and cranked on it and *bang* was at the top.

It just kicked ass!
Followed that up by a nice relaxing break letting Jason climb while I belayed him and then a traverse during which I made it one wall farther then I normally make it. All in all a successfull evening.

So thats all thats new here right now. Don't know whats going on this weekend but probably a relaxing evening tomorrow and not doin' much of anything during the weekend days. Maybe get out on some real rock?? Maybe just hang low and sleep in!

L8tz all!
--B--

Calif State Law Snippet

So I've been wondering exactly what the law says in terms of slary employees and the like. This document pretty much somes it up. I particulary like sections:
510, 512, 515.5 (part b in particular), and 550-553

There you have it. I would need to check with a lawyer but I am pretty sure that with the way the law is written that I would be gettin' some back pay, nobody can demand that I work a 7 day week, and the list goes on.

Thanks to rnt for finding the info!!!

Now -- what to do with the information?
--B--

Okay...
I've had this idea for some time now. About a great educational related website. Something that would expand childrens knowledge on oh so many levels. An idea that would expand my knowledge and enhance the web (at least I think it would).

So ... my idea ...
A website. An educational type of website. It's rather difficult to explain so let me just jump in and try.
Have someone (me) live in a National Park for a year. Have a website to document the experience. Have a questions section so that kids can write in and ask questions about the national park. Then get the answers from "experts" in the field that the question was asked (ie: What made Half Dome?" -- get it answered by a geologist). Have a daily blog type of entry (or three times a day or something like that). Digital photographics uploaded daily. Set up some sort of time-lapsed photography from one or more locations where you can see how the seasons turn. You can interview park rangers, guests at the national park, people who live near by, etc.

It can be such an amazing site. Only -- I don't know how to get it off the ground. It would be nice to make enuff money to live on during this time -- have some sort of decent Internet connection, fud, lodging, etc. I just can't figure out how anyone would make any money off of it -- except maybe like sponsors. And you could sell some sort of merchandise. I've pondered emailing companies like National Geographic and Microsoft and such but I'm worried that they would take my idea and run with it themselves -- and I would love to be the guy who goes and actually does the whole thing.

So -- how do I get this idea from my mind to fruition? How do I get sponsors? How do I write it up so that I can make it interesting to companies when they wouldn't make much cash back on it?

Questions -- I have tons. Answers? I have none. Just a burning idea whose time (I think) has come.

Please feel free to comment all you want!
Thanks,
Brent

Why oh why do I have to go in to work tomorrow? Oh yah -- to make money. Or something like that.

Anyhwase, the weekend was rather relaxing. Went and got some slacks yesterday and a dress shirt that actually fit. My sholders have gotten a bit wider then they were when I was 18 (the last time I bought dress shirts or pants for that matter). Why do I need them? I'll leave that for you to figure out on your own.

I finally went climbing tonight. Haven't climbed much in the past two weeks since I cut my finger. I worked mostly on feet climbs and one armed climbs the past two weeks. So tonight I finally went and did some real climbs (using both arms/hands). It was kewl! I did a lot better then I thought I would. First I climbed all the new V0's in the bouldering room that they had just reset. It was kewl. So then I moved on to a V1 without any problems. And then figured I'd start a project climb -- a V2.

I worked on it a couple times but it had this ucky sloper hold right in the middle that I kept trashing myself on. So I asked for a tip and was told to keep my weight low. Slopers are done through friction -- friction on your hands is caused by weight on your hands -- weight on your hands means body low. Once I got the tip I went off and sure enuff, that was the trick. So I started that climb from the beginning and got it! So I went on to another V2 that I had been working on for some time -- I could do all the moves, just not all together. I got that one so I went on to yet another V2. And yup -- I got that one first try! I was on fire!

I pretty much called it quits after that. Did a couple of other V1's and some minor traversing but that was about it for me. Looking forward to climbing tomorrow!!

Guess thats about it -- L8tz all!
--B--