Musings on Dance, Food, Geek Stuff
I recently took my 10 year old cat Mole Negro in for a visit to his vet for his annual check-up. Apparently he’s in good health for his age, about at his target weight, and no real issues she could find. But she did mention that there was some plaque buildup on some of his…
This morning I finally topped a difficult V4+ boulder route at my gym, after three weeks of effort. I wanted to share some of my process for beating this route, and videos showing my progress over the last 9-10 sessions. Just getting through the first set of holds was a big challenge for me. Finally,…
About a year ago I added rock climbing to my regular workout regime. After going on a few sessions with my co-worker Jeff, I bit the bullet last September and signed up for a regular membership at my local climbing gym Planet Granite. That was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long…
I just remembered today that I had been outdoor rock climbing once, several years ago. And it was kind of a disaster. I was in my late twenties living in New York City. One summer, I had met a lovely woman at a Quaker gathering who took a shine to me. She invited me over…
I’m so excited to see the documentary Free Solo in a couple of weeks, the story of how legendary climber Alex Honnold ascended Yosemite’s El Capitan with no rope, no harness, just his chalk bag and balls of steel. In the meanwhile, this 360 video showing a bit of Alex free soloing El Cap will…
I’ve been bouldering for about a year, and feel like I’m making decent progress and more importantly having a really fun time. Today was my first time participating in a bouldering competition at my gym, Planet Granite. Bloc Party is an annual contest that invites all boulderers, from beginners to advanced, to compete in a…
One thing I forgot to report on from my trip to an Indian casino a couple of weekends ago. I did the impossible: I stuck to my low carb diet at a casino buffet. It actually was pretty easy. I just loaded up on the things that I like and that are good for…
Had a surprisingly good climbing day today. Without really intending to, I managed to scend my first V4 problem! I also made some good progress on this V5.
As a newbie climber, I can fall into the trap of continually comparing myself to other, more experienced climbers. From this perspective, other climbers are the competition, and their successes make me look like a worse climber in comparison. I’d see someone scend a hard route and think, “I will never be that good.” Not…
I haven’t done a health update in awhile. I’m happy to report that being on sabbatical has not meant that I’ve become a lazy sloth. In fact, I’ve been probably more active than when I was working. After gaining a bunch of weight from my Asia trip a month ago, I am now back to…