Else what's a heaven for?

Eventually I made it to Atlantic City. This is my third visit, but my first time at the bus station, which is pretty neat. I had never noticed before that the city is one big mall, but then my long-suffering fiance whisked me back to the rental so I could change for dinner. It was my second time hanging out with his AC cousin and she is a nervous hostess, but extremely kind, like everyone in her family, and we had a lovely evening.

Tuesday we went to the beach. Jon's been going since he was a child and his son had already spent a week there, so they were dialed in, picking up beach toys, chairs, and umbrella at his ex-in-law's. I'd never been bodyboarding before and loved it: now I see why my siblings like surfing. I also read a hundred pages of my book and didn't get sunburned. At lunchtime, the hoagie shop delivered to the beach and there was a man with an ice cream cart who periodically came by. So civilized! Dinner was with Jon's aunt and uncle, who took us to a charming seafood joint that really hit the spot. What I like best about his aunt is that she so clearly loved her sister so much and tells me stories about Jon's mom: I'd always assumed his sense of humor came from his father, but learning that his mother liked corny jokes made everything make sense.

Wednesday was rainy, so bike-riding/learning plans were cancelled. Instead we visited Lucy the Elephant, which was mostly interesting as a relic of what used to pass for wholesome public entertainment. We stopped at Jagielkys Candy for host gifts and played Scrabble for the first time. (Jon trounced me.) We stopped at Cracker Barrel for dinner, where both Lucky and I were forbidden to shop.

When I was Lucky's age, I went through a phase where I was obsessed with Benjamin Franklin, so when my parents asked me where I wanted to go on vacation, I begged them to take me to Philadelphia. My mother claims they've taken me to all the tourist places in Philly, but that's a total lie. I even spent 3.5 weeks there - allegedly studying math, but also with my first Internet connection, where I discovered newsgroups, free porn, and Disney MOOs - but I'd never been to Franklin's house until my fiance took me. It was awesome. The museum about his life was great. We visited the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and Lucky got trading cards for answering questions. He also got an earful from his libertarian father and I, bc this is the same kid who thinks everyone is a Democrat. He wanted to visit the Mint, so we did: also recommended. At this point, everyone was a bit hungry and Lucky was intrigued by the idea of a "tavern", so we went to Red Owl Dinner for happy hour-dinner.

Friday was another family day. Lunch was across the street from our hotel with the man who turned Jon into the nerd I love so much. D- is an interesting guy and I have a lot in common with him, from loving libraries to the outdoors. I hope we get to visit him regularly. We drove out to Jon's father and step-mother's house and had froyo with them. I hadn't realized froyo by the oz was a thing everywhere, and thoroughly enjoyed it, even if mine was suboptimally chosen. I also liked that we got to see them and it wasn't a formal affair.

Afterward we stopped by REI, which didn't have anything on sale that I needed (although I should buy another pair of the only outdoors pants that fit me). I was hoping to check out the tents but they had to be set up: they only had scale models on display. I believe we decided the REI Half Dome 4 is the tent we should get to go camping with Lucky; the salesman recommend the Arete 2 for our winter backpacking. From there we drove to Allentown. Going to Red Lobster as one of the adults in the family is pretty awesome: I optimized our ordering so we had exactly enough food for minimal cost AND I got a pina colada. Math + alcohol = awesome.

I had been wishing for a water park ever since Lucky's spring break: Dorney Park wasn't quite what I had in mind. ( This description makes it sound Soviet ) I didn't know that Lucky is so scared of heights he can't handle walking up to a water slide and he couldn't communicate this until he melted down at the top of the first one. Combined with all of the above, the day was pretty much spoiled, so after the second or third time we got caught in the rain, we drove home. Well, Jon drove home: I was asleep before we left the parking lot and suddenly we were in Manhattan. Jon dropped me off at my place, bc I was losing it after a week of oversocializing.

I rejoined them on Sunday night, when Jon cooked one of his fabulous London broils. We spent Labor Day at the Queens Hall of Science. I'm glad Jon renewed his premium membership, bc that place is great. They have a camera that guesses your ancestry based on your skin color and demos with liquid nitrogen. Lucky declared he wanted to know more about flight, so we watched the sub-par demo and the 3D movie, which dovetailed nicely with my Museum of Flight visit. I loved watching Jon in the Science of Sport exhibit and I can't wait until our next visit, so we can visit the hall of science games. The next morning, Lucky's nanny picked him up at Jon's place, Jon went to work, and I went home to rest from my vacations.

* I'm annoyed at how difficult OverDrive makes it to download the library's audiobooks onto my iPhone. I'm more okay with this however than The Teaching Company, which sells very expensive lectures that I have bought, that I can't download to either of my iDevices bc my computers need to be synced. I pay a lot less for Audible's books, and I don't think The Teaching Company is pirated any less because they make it hard for users.

* Audible kinda sucks too though. Bookmarks have never seemed particularly useful with audiobooks, but they are extra unhelpful if they get deleted every time you have to re-download the book. Which happens a lot with some bug that affects their app when you are close to the storage limits of your iDevice.

* Not only is my new makeup case a lot lower quality than I'd expected - the hinges feel like they won't hold up under daily use - but then I found it for 60% less on Amazon. I wish I'd spent 5mins on Amazon before I bought it from Sephora bc then I would've found the white box version. Makes me very much less inclined to ever buy anything from their brand again, and not just bc it's made for people who can see colors.

On the other hand, I tried eye shadow primer for the first time yesterday and zomg it's amazing. Apparently eye shadow is supposed to stay on your eyes! for hours!

* I walked a mile to EMS yesterday in my Appalachian Mountain Club shirt, carrying my American Alpine Club water bottle, looking for quickdraws. The idiot clerk told me they didn't carry the 6-pack of Posiwires, even though the website thought they did. Went to the website, reserved it, and trekked back to the store where they cheerfully handed them over. I don't have time for this shit.

* Why is it basically impossible to find running shorts that cover my ass? And the ones that do still don't have pockets for my Gu and iPod. Grr. I have holes in the mesh pockets of one of my current running shorts and I need more than one pair to train for a marathon. Grr.

[Poll #1863563]

The former sounds like anthropology more than history and the latter didn't get good reviews bc it's case studies. I have no idea why I had such crap taste in audiobooks in 2008.

If it's not LJ & the Russians, it's my computer not being able to handle 2 browsers AND McAfee dagnabbit. If I weren't leaving town Thurs night, I'd've bought a new computer already.

Fri was my manager's last day at work for 18 days¹, so things were frantic, even without my leaving an hour early. I left a half hour later than I wanted, which was a half hour later than Evil English recommended - but luckily I found an empty cab that just came back to duty and traffic was only moderate. I couldn't believe how uncrowded the airport was and how fast I got through security: where were all the weekend travelers? It's like a chunk of NYC/the Northeast just went away - I assume they're not all on extended vacations bc the market is so bad. I guess we'll see in the fall.

GMac is a very silly man and ( spews beta ) He'd been scouting our route for the past two days and since it's supposed to be the best alpine climb in the Northeast, he assumed if we couldn't get an alpine start, he decided we should take it easy the next morning and plan to be after the crowd had died down. Which is of course why we got to Whitney Gilman and found no one signed in. ( not a good start ) Ever since Grand Teton - not to mention the Red Rocks epic - I've been nervous about alpine climbs and I was afraid that this would happen. GMac has two decades of mountaineering experience, mostly in the Cascades, and has never hiked with me; he's also the best climbing buddy I have right now, so I particularly didn't want to disappoint him.

The real problem with Whitney Gilman is that it's what climbers call committing: ( described ) Apparently when we were off route in the boulder field, GMac had considered going to our second choice, an easier, less committing climb to our right, but decided he wanted me to bag the classic, he said with a kiss to my forehead. ARGH. Bc when we got to the base of Whitney Gilman, he decided he didn't like the looks of the weather - we'd hiked in under a hot sun, but when we got there, there were grey clouds and a single raindrop fell on his head. He said less (but still a little) about being worried that it took us 1.5 hours to get to the base; frankly, I think he was also worried about making the 5.7 crux at the very end of the climb, as he hasn't been out climbing as much as he wants. Anyhow, we ate our PB&J on a rock and then started walking down.

Alpine descents are the worst part of climbing, imho, even on the best of days and I'm still having trouble with my knee + ankle, so he had to wait for me often. Finally he offered to take the rope. In the club, the rule is, the leaders takes the rack, the seconds take the rope. However, weighting him and lightening me might make the walk out more copacetic, so I reluctantly ceded the rope. The pace got better and I was about to ask him how his ankle was doing - he'd twisted it a month ago in his AMGA single pitch instructor course, but seemed fully recovered - when with a yell, he was on his back on the ground. When I asked if he was all right, he said no, but he's always sarcastic... When I got to him, I was horrified to see his leg sandwiched between a rock and a stump, but apparently the offending boulder was the one he'd been standing on, which tumbled down the hill. He immediately popped four Motrin, I took the rope (and all his draws, so maybe a quarter of the rack), and he stumbled down the hill.

It's weird to me how the dynamic change, how my body responded. ( I'm better in emergencies ) I posted a picture on FB of his ankle when we got to the parking lot again, bc I've been twisting my ankle for 27 years and I've never seen such big lump in my life. On the other hand, he says that's the most epic thing that's ever happened to him on a climb.²

We went for a swim in the lake next to the parking lot. I thought it was freezing, but then, I think 79F is cold. We drove back to the room for showers and an Ace bandage. He iced his foot and we chatted with our Harley driving neighbors at the Econolodge. Dinner was mediocre steaks slathered in blue cheese at Gordie's and then we hopped in the jacuzzi before bed.

When I woke up, I asked GMac, "What time were we getting up again?" "Half an hour ago, but it's been raining since 4:30." He'd suggested we could go cragging - he could at least belay me, he kept saying.³⁴ Climbing in the rain sucks though. I think it says something about what a sweetheart he is that he was so worried that I'd had a bad time that he was willing to sit around belaying me and giving me beta, whereas I felt terrible that my weakness meant he'd been injured and was now unable to climb for who knows how long.⁵ Instead we went shopping, wherein GMac discovered I lose all track of time when contemplating gear. ( what I bought )

It was GMac's right ankle that was injured, so I drove 2/3rds of the way home. We hit moderate traffic, which seemed to upset him a lot, even though we hit the road just before noon. I did okay, with only one exclamation from him and a few grumbles when I'd ask him if I could switch lanes. He found it amusing to read to me from Cosmo as I drove; eventually I asked him a random question about his career, which led him to tell me about working for NASA in the early eighties, radio hijinks with the Russians in Sudan, and testifying in a patent litigation case. Maybe it's that this was my fourth weekend in a row to climb or maybe it's just bc he's had an interesting life, but I'd call this a pretty decent weekend.

( Footnotes )

Apparently some people check weather forecasts before a weekend of outdoors fun, but I'm not that smaht. As a result, this weekend's trip to NH had four paying clients: two n00bs, the leader's gf, and I. d'oh!

( Sat ice climbing ) On the plus side, there was hot apple cider and chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies when we got back to the inn.



This was my third attempt on Mt. Washington and the stars aligned perfectly for my climb. The n00bs needed to gas up, so I had hot water for my thermos and Nalgene. The first hour =was= more hilly than I remember and I dropped back about halfway through, which worried me bc Igor had given me and the n00bs a long speech about how it's dangerous to go too slow bc you get cold and if we couldn't keep up, he'd turn us back. I can keep going =forever= though, so when the n00bs stopped to mess with their layers, I just kept going. One of the n00bs dropped out and then when we got to the entrance to the woods where we put on crampons, NRod decided she was too sweaty to continue. With the forecast for -15F to -20F at the summit, your water/sweat/hydration levels have to be perfect, lest you freeze something. Net-net, I ended up with Igor as my personal guide.

The more I climb, the more I think the most important asset is cope. ( Read more... ) I never imagined that climbing the World's Worst Weather(TM) would make me like mountaineering again, but it did. Musta been all the maple butter I ate.

Top 5 things I like about my Incredible

1. my shiny red case, which is ironic considering I wasn't going to get it but LBro talked (practically forced) me into it
   
2. the font in the web browser
   
3. Twitter is completely different when you have access all day long, as is access to LJ responses

My biggest complaint about the Incredible is that the interface is just similar enough to my iPod to make my head hurt. To turn on the Incredible, I press the button at the top; to turn on my iPod, I press the button on the front. Everything on the iPod seems to work off the front button. When typing, the key to switch to the numbers & symbols keyboard is on opposite sides for the two devices, etc. and ARGH.

I've had it for 3 weeks now, which means if I'm going to change it, I need to do it this week. I briefly thought about getting a MiFi and exchanging my smartphone for a dumbphone, bc then I could just use the dumbphone for talking to people (ick) and texting, and then use the MiFi for Internet-everywhere, even canceling my DSL. Except then I'd be carrying 3 devices (dumbphone, iPod Touch, MiFi) and I'm not sure I have enough brain capacity to remember 3 devices, my keys, my metro card, my wallet, AND my work ID every day, y'know?

My at-home DSL, according to speedtest.net, is 2.8Mbps/0.66Mbps, in case that matters.

I don't think there's much point in getting a different Verizon smartphone, since the dude at CostCo commented all Droids have the same interface.

My mother says to suck it up and it's good for my brain to have to deal with 2 interfaces. My mother also doesn't spend all day thinking.

Tell me LJ-genie, what should I do?

Sent my application for this summer's climbing class. I'm amused that they specifically ask, "Have you ever had frostbite or any other form of cold weather injury?" and "Specifically, have you ever dislocated a shoulder?" but leave a small text box for your mountaineering resume. I haven't done all that much, but I still had three paragraphs to write! Now comes the hard part - addressing the envelope and putting a stamp on it and putting it in a mailbox.

I budgeted almost as much for new gear as for instruction. I know this is a long shot, but does anyone have an altimeter they'd (dis)recommend? I read reviews in Outside magazine, various message boards, and the guide service itself. I'm leaning towards the Suunto Vector, as a good compromise of price and performance: I'm not particularly convinced the step up is better, although maybe I'll call the manufacturer.

Part of the reason I'm working on it this week is that I really really need a new heart rate monitor - the old one ran out of battery after 2 years and getting the battery replaced costs nearly as much as a new one. Unfortunately, considering how much abuse it gets, going up stairs and hiking and climbing and swimming etc., I'm coming to the conclusion I should have a separate one from my altimeter, even though I find the hrm is very useful for pacing in the mountains. The Suunto Vector doesn't have that option.

Needing a separate heart rate monitor, I considered the HighGear 'biner altimeter, but it sounds like it's not quite as good as the Vector. (The icthyrabdic one used a watch version on Kili and Rainier but it didn't seem too accurate.) The gear guy at Outside also seems to like watches by St. Moritz and Avocet, but I can't find as much info about them.

Even with just the heart rate monitor, I can't decide if I want to get the same basic one, which provides just average hr, rather than the ones that hook into a computer to show a chart of your heart rates. That would be interesting to see, but argh, more data.

I wish there were nearby stores where I could buy this sort of thing. I also recognize I've probably already spent too much time thinking about this, considering every one of the last five pairs of shoes I bought cost more than the most expensive altimeters I've been considering.

I should probably cancel all my plans for tonight. My mother just called to discuss logistics of meeting up this evening: she kept asking if I wanted to go for drinks with them, just come after work, etc. She's picking up a pile of library books - yes, my book needs are so intense, I borrow from her library as well as mine - and commented, "I have a present for you." She claims she bought me an iPod Touch bc she wanted me to be able to carry more books - maybe she's tired of my overdue fees? - but I think she feels a little guilty about taking back the Wii. But then, I don't understand why she bought me that either. This is the second time I've off-handedly commented, "I want that," and it's magically appeared a few weeks later. Oh, she's also claiming she got a really good price. I understood this trend when she was buying me things like purses and scarves: she wanted me to have/use those things and knew I wouldn't spend my own money on girl-stuff. She's really cute when she's trying to talk about technology: she was explaining why she thought I might like the 64GB better than the 16GB. Have I mentioned lately that I have the bestest mother ever, even if she is interfering with my self-denial fetish?

So yeah, if I were bailing on tonight's plans, I'd be asking what are your favorite apps that'll work on the iPod Touch?

But I'm not, bc I'll be (singing) at Marie's Crisis sometime after 8. You should come too!

Edit: Is it wrong that I'm thinking of naming it Bagoas? I guess Farinelli would be more appropriate.

Late Fri afternoon, Raita called to say she and her boss would be at Bryant Park Grill and my boss had said he'd be there by 5:30. I had to finish my weekly first, and I warned her that I'd be dressed for dinner, but said I'd come when I could. I'm told Petite Fromage's eyes popped when he saw me in this. win! Moreover, there was a long line to get in and my party was near the planters, so I handed Raita my bag and jacket - and vaulted over. I wish the rest of drinks had been as charming, but Raita got started on US politics and apparently she also thinks the Jews should've been given a piece of Germany argh.

Had dinner at Hakata Tonton. The reviews warned that the restaurant is all about the pigs feet, but while there's a lot of pork on the menu, I wouldn't say it's all pigs feet. Julian did a marvelous job of ordering and I had shabu shabu for the first time. The fried rice was great as was the avocado and tofu appetizer. Highly recommended, and not too much food - we shut the place down before heading back to my place for vigorous horizontal activity.

AISOT, my mother turned up an hour early on Sat morning, which had me very grumpy - until my brother handed me my new Wii. Apparently she heard my plaintive "I want a Wii!" over Passover and thought it silly I didn't have one yet. However, Bbro argues that there's no point in using a Wii on a 12" tv and since I'm not even convinced I want a new tv, let alone close to buying one, I should return it. This is my heart breaking, but what do y'all think?

The weekend at Mohonk was nice. There was a yoga and meditation program running, so I went to yoga both mornings. ( It rocked ) Anyhow, in case it was the instructor who was so awesome, I'm thinking about going to their studio in Darien.

After yoga we went on a geology walk, had lunch, rowed on the pond, putted on the green, played platform tennis, and hiked to the tower. ( This is a Stine family weekend after all )

( Baby brothers are annoying ) Kill.

I'm extraordinarily impressed with the food at Mohonk, considering three of our four meals were buffets. I also liked our room much better this time, probably bc we were in the new spa wing, as far as possible from the main thoroughfare. Bc it was raining on Sun, Bbro and I went for massages - mine was merely adequate, although she commented my shoulders were very tight. I'll probably go back to Equinox for another massage sometime soon, as I've been having some shoulder twinges like I used to before the surgery.

We made it back barely in time for me to dress for my date with the fellow from the Museum dance. I have never had a date who made me feel so welcome when I showed up 15mins late and he is fascinating: we talked about how Apple patented the stairs in the store, Iran & Israel, travel (he's been everywhere), and the new Bond chick. However, when he came back from the bathroom, I realized he looks quite a bit like Joe Biden. I also realized the next morning that he has all the markers for boring in bed. oh well.

I think I'm getting better at this ice climbing thing. ( Read more... ) I also got to practice my WFA skills when he hit himself in the face with his axe, by which I mean I cleaned the cut and gave him a band-aid.

I love the Merrill Farm Resort: CTRuss found out that it was an old coaching inn and I adore their oatmeal cookies and fresh-baked muffins for breakfast. YAAY!

This is the same group with whom I was considering going to Elbrus/Mont Blanc: in discussing Sunday's Mt. Washington ascent, my sister has told me that if I ever go on even a day trip with them again, she will question my judgement. ( why )

It was a much more congenial crowd than last time: there were several fairly experienced people and less drinking. I felt like I had more in common with these folks than last year, or my last speed dating outing, quite frankly, and I'm glad to have FB-friended a half dozen. The Wiltonian and I are talking about going back over the long weekend to work with my fave guide on mountaineering skillz, although I think I might be too far ahead of her to get much out of it :( I'd really like to keep in touch with them and might organize a gym climbing night or something.

I've commented more than once that the other reason I like taking mountaineering/climbing/outdoors classes is bc I want to be self-sufficient, such that if my guide gets hit by a rock or if I'm in a Third World country or whatever, I can get myself down safely. This trip was the one that made me thankful for all that I've learned (bc I used most of it) and every anal retentive fret about gear. The company made it one of the best mountaineering trips I've ever been on, which is why I might still go on Igor trips - although I'm going to continue working on my skills.

Also, I SAW A FOX!!!

I've been hoarding Amazon gift certificates and putting off buying audio- and regular books to see what Our Lord Steve came up with this year, but I'm feeling pretty meh about it. I have a Nano, I've been drooling over the Touch's wifi abilities, and a Shuffle would be better for swimming. I don't want a video camera - I have too much to sort with photos, let alone video - and I just didn't see anything compelling about the new Touch, except the price. If I'd known the launch was going to be this disappointing, I might've bought the Touch before my road trip, bc there are many places that offer free wi-fi and few that offer free/any Internet. Maybe for my next trip, although given that I turned down the use of a kindly nerd's Internet in Missoula, maybe not. After all, the ol' second gen Nano is holding up pretty well.

I've also looked at lens replacements. I realized that if I found and bought a wide-angle p&s, I'd probably never shoot with my slr again. I also realized that while the lens had a hard life, it was also a third party lens, and maybe that's why it didn't last as long as I felt it ought. It's not me, it's Sigma. ( anyone have experience with Canon's wide lenses? )

Won't be needing either a new iPod or lens anytime soon though, so I guess I'll order those books instead. Even there, since I'm not going on any expeditions anytime soon, I'm not buying more climbing books (well, except the geology one) and since I haven't heard back from the new climbing dude in a while, maybe not double boots either. Mmm... saving money...