Flying Out

I'm sure there will be delays. Even if there aren't, according to my recently printed e-ticket I'm still looking at a 9 hrs 39 mins worth of traveling.

Now this does include a lovely 3 hour layover in what I thought I originally thought to be Chicago. I'm fairly sure I'd have about as much luck getting off the ground in Siberia then O'Hare in the winter. The good news is that I'm now flying through Houston instead, so there might be hope for me yet.

I figure it could always be worse, I have been stuck in the Anchorage airport for 13 straight hours......


This doesn't change the fact that I'll be getting into AZ sometime around 11:30pm.

To counteract this however, I plan on participating in the tried and true American tradition of getting blitzed in the airport before flying home to deal with relatives. The added bonus is that I might even be able to catch some of the Suns/Spurs game that afternoon while waiting.

Then I will most likely people watch and do my best to figure out the answer to a question I've been asking myself. I understand the need for rolling luggage due to the size and weight of large pieces.....but why the hell do so many people in D.C. have rolling briefcases. Its a f#@*$n briefcase!!!!


If it's only large enough to hold your laptop and some papers, then pick it the F up instead of rolling over my feet on the Metro, banging it into my knee, then getting it stuck in a revolving door. You look like a douche and you're not a granite supply salesman....so it should be light enough to carry like a normal human being!

No wonder I have so much trouble turning new people onto rock climbing when they are hesitant to hoist their 3 1/2 pound bag off of the ground..........

The Sushi & Suns False Dichotomy

After work last night, I went to happy hour with some co-workers for beer and dollar sushi night at a local Alexandria dive. I love sushi, but rarely get to enjoy it. Maybe twice a month at this point and I wish it was more because it brings me so much happiness.

Living in D.C. now I'm now only able to watch the Suns play about this often as well, but it brings me so much joy. I yell at steve to at least pretend to play defense, tell Leandro (before he turns the ball over again) to stop dribbling and let Grant play "point forward", and laugh at T.P. every time he thinks he's coaching with a defensive mindset.

The false dichotomy is this: the Suns have a new look and personnel.... but are the same old team that can score at will without ever committing to locking a team down with defense.

Nothing is better then staying up till 1:30am in the morning on a work night to watch "B. Roy" drop 52 on your team while they blow late game leads.


Get used to this sight Suns fans. Western conference guards (Parker, Manu, CP3, Roy, Deron, etc) have always and will continue to have huge games against us.

On the plus side, I now own suns throwback jerseys of Barkley, KJ, Elliot Perry, and lookin to find a decent Majerle jersey that doesn't cost 150 bones.....

On the EXTRA plus side, I still love my team and am a long way off from killing myself D.C. style like some poor schmuck did this past week.

Desert Climbing Choices

I'm headed home to Arizona in a week. It's been raining here in D.C. on and off for too long. Even though it's cold enough to snow, it won't. It's making the rock wet.

When I do land in the valley of the (J)sun(rich) stroke, I'm torn between three crag choices not in the state itself (although no place beats shirtless and slightly buzzed bouldering then AZ)


West: J-tree. It's gonna be cold there, hopefully not like last year when I went (34 deg)

East: Hueco. Even though I might still be able to get out there without permits, it's a drive, and I'm gonna just be angry as hell if I can only spend half a day instead of a whole day climbing since I didn't have the time to reserve a permit.

North: Vegas/Red Rocks via Flagstaff: At the moment my preferred option. It's my old stomping grounds, and though it's gonna be too cold and wet to boulder I can still wipe the ever-collecting dust off my snowboard, drink with my recently bar-legal younger brother, then a short drive over "the dam" to Red Rocks.

I only have a 3 day window, but I'm just so damn lucky to be in the desert southwest during the winter. Even though it's an abbreviated time that I have to climb, these choices are tough.

....But it's a great problem to have.

Inauguration Day is Looming

Look I may be painting with broad strokes, but there is no way in hell I'm heading into the district for the inauguration. If you live in the area you've heard the numbers by now.


Anywhere between 2 million to 4 million folks. They recently dropped it down to about half of the original 4-5 million due to the metro, busses, and 95, 66, and 270 that will certainly become parking lots. Not quite the 400,00 that attended "pretzel-prez's" ceremony back in 2005.

Couple this with....

• 8,000 cops,
• 10,000 charter busses,
  
• 29,000 already full hotel rooms,
• 7,500 active duty U.S. military personnel
• 4,000 National Guard personnel

.....and maybe the most frightening number

• 5,000 porta-potties

At least local government is looking to extend bar hours to stay open till 4am.

You thought the black Friday trampling of that poor guy at a Wal-Mart was bad....then keep your anticipation buttons charged. Someone/a few people are going to die. I don't wish it to happen obviously, but it's going to.

As much as I want to be part this moment in American history, and I may be painting with broad strokes here, but this sounds like a cold D.C. winter cluster$%*# that I want to have no part of.

Although......this is a damn fine looking man.

Christmas Season

The Charlie Brown Christmas Special was on T.V. this weekend and it's starting to feel like that time of the year is upon us in D.C.

We had our business holiday dinner this past friday and I had too much wine before realizing that I'm sitting next to the former Governor of Maine, the chairman of the Jane Goodall Institute, and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (daughter of Bobby Kennedy/niece of JFK). This past week was spent working/following Miss America 2008 around and a dinner listening to President Bush speak has left me weary.....but those experiences will require another blog all together.


With the holiday season in full force (which seems to begin earlier and earlier each year and will eventually just start around June I figure) our office decorated the place with tacky ornaments hanging from the lights. I think our apartment has a little plastic tree somewhere in storage which I'll eventually break out.

Even as jewish kid I only celebrated christmas in our house........ every year. My parents liked trees which is why we had one in our house. I would play the charlie brown christmas songs on the piano and we would decorate the hell out of one cactus in the front yard.

Rather then be a "Scrooge" out here in D.C. where it isn't quite as warm as Phoenix and their Zoo Lights....I figure I'll just decorate our apartment like this guy...........

......or take the Seinfeld route and attempt the "feats of strength"....



Better yet, buy yourself a true blue Festivus Pole!!!! Sometimes I'm just so damn proud to be an American, it's swelling up right now.