Vertical Edition: 08/01/2010

So apparently it has been over a month since I have written. I cannot believe that! With this said there has been a lot going on. I finished the summer coursework for the MAT program on Aug 3rd, flew home Aug 4, came back Aug 7 with my good buddy Jon Mixell, Matt came to CO Aug 11, Jon left the 12th, Matt left the 15th, I started teaching in my school Aug 17, and during all this I finished the second chapter of my masters research paper. Holy crap. I suppose this entry is going to put you all on the fast track to the details of all these endeavors.

I am currently sitting and having coffee (big shock) thinking about how stupid our dog is. He wakes us up at ungodly hours (when the sun hasn't already) because he wants something. Something could include food, poop or just attention. Then when Jenny or I get up, he just lays at our feet and goes back to sleep. What a donkey! What is the purpose of these shenanigans? Either way here I am.

The last class in the coursework for the MAT program was "teaching through the arts." During this time Jenny was in Grand Junction for work so my good buddy Nick stepped in as my significant other for those 10 days. We cooked dinner together and went on many romantic dates. I am partially kidding. Anyway, those of you that know me know very well that the arts have always been a strong point of mine...Ok that was a lie. I have always been really bad at anything regarding art. I remember drawing a dog in middle school and having people ask me if it was a tick. Hence, why I do not participate in these sorts of activities. Without going into too much detail I do not think the prof liked me very much and it was a stressful class. When I finished on the 3rd I came home to relax before flying out on the 4th. Jenny and I were lucky enough to be on the same flight even though we booked at such different times. Home was great. We were able to get a lot done in the 2 days we were there. We were able to visit with some good friends, eat at a few nostalgically missed restaurants, climb at an old gym that I love, and visit with family of course. Jenny and I felt pretty lucky that it worked out the way it did and we were able to go together and spend some time there even it was it short lived.

On the 7th we packed up early to head back to the wonderland that is Colorado, the Centennial State. With so much awesome stuff in Colorado couldn't they come up with something more interesting or badass than "The Centennial State?" Just my thoughts. We got back at 7:23 am and went to Snooze for breakfast, or course. It was great having Jon here and he seemed to enjoy it as well. Prior to coming Jon had done a little bit of climbing but not much. It seems this trip changed him into a climber. We got him out to a few different areas and he did really well. It was really impressive how fast and well he picked it up. It was a pretty relaxed trip which was really nice. We climbed most days. We went to the Springs for a day because I had a meeting with my cooperating teaching (also Kevin). We spent a day at Waterworld, a monstrous waterpark North of the city, with Jenny, Nick and my other buddy Justin, and spent time on the roof at night which is always a treat.

When Matt got here we went up towards boulder to Mount Sanita and Climbed for the day. Jon took off the next morning wicked early and Matt and I headed West right after dropping him off. Our plan was to climb James Peak via the ridgeline. The trail route seemed quite boring the last time I went. Now remember last time I didn't get to summit because Sharma started to have a tiny brain aneurism at about 12,000 feet. The first part is just a hike up to St. Mary's Lake then the climb of St. Mary's Glacier. We made good time and made it to the Jamaica Flats quickly. While we were crossing the flats I recalled just why I remembered them being so awe inspiring. It is just this alpine meadow surrounded by rolling valleys and beautiful mountains. From this point it was probably another 2 or 3 miles to summit. As soon as we were out of the flats we began climbing pretty steeply. Still hiking but with the occasional use of hands to stabilize. We made good time and summited in just under 3 hours. The summit view was stunningly beautiful. To the South/West you can see Grays and Torreys Peaks. To the South/East you see Mt. Evans. To the North/East you can see Long's Peak. These, all fourteeners, tower above many other smaller mountains that add to the view. The terrain in every direction is rugged with no sign of life, aside from the occasional mountain chipmunk waiting to scare the shit out of Matt or I. They just sit under rocks until you are right near them and then dart out. As we were on the summit I start looking around at the clouds to the West. We had checked weather that morning and storms were supposed to roll in at 2, it was 11, plenty of time to descend prior to it arriving. We start to head down and notice the storm is moving significantly faster than the weather idiots anticipated. My guess was within a half hour it was going to be above us. We start descending significantly faster. At this point we can see the rain coming down in sheets somewhere in the 20 or so mile away ballpark. We are literally running down the mountain at this point. Keep in mind the protocol for getting caught in a storm with lighting is 1, get off the ridgeline, 2, take off your pack, and sit on top of it while hugging your legs until the storm passes. This sounds terrible and I have been lucky to never of had to do it. As we reach the base of the mountain we start getting rained on. The storm was right in front of us, but seemed to be moving South/East, the same direction we were heading. The storm had changed course to the direction we were going but was moving far faster than we were able. We missed it. Realistically with the course it took, we could have floundered down the mountain at a snail's pace however better safe than sorry. Damn weather men, and women to be pc, and damn unpredictable mountain weather. We hiked out and headed back to Denver.

Since Matt and I require a meal every 90 minutes we needed to stop for food on the way home. I have been driving by a place in Idaho Springs for years and have always wanted to stop. It says "Colorado Style Pizza" on the building and I have always wanted to know what that was, or is. We stopped and found out that it is AWESOME! Apparently Colorado style pizza is a really thick crust, but a thin bottom crust. It was so good! Also, at this place, Beaujo's Pizza, you order your pizza by how many pounds you want it to be. You can get 1 pound, 2 pounds, 3 pounds, 5 pounds or 14 POUNDS. Matt and I obviously inquired about this infamous 14 pound pizza. Our waitress told us that in the 35 years only 10 couples had done it. Oh yea, you could work in teams. 2 person per 14 pounds pizza. 7 pounds of pizza per person. Wowzer. Our waitress also said it is about 3 feet in diameter and 7 inches thick. 7 inches thick! Yuck! Matt and I shamefully ordered our 2 pound pizza and didn't finish it. We could have though! I promise!

During the next couple days we tubed in tire tubes down boulder canyon, climbed at the garden, Sanita and Morrison where Matt finished his project!! So stoked for him. I am still being manhandled and treated like a wimpy prisoner by both of my projects. Thank you for that Helicopter and The Slapper. Obviously it was great to have him here and it was hard to see him go. When he left it was back to business. 2 days to finish chapter 2 of the MR paper. I had been working on it and felt pretty good about it however the next 48 hours were literally spent staring at the computer screen to finish. If anyone would like to read it let me know and I'll send it. It is about incorporating public speaking skills into elementary education since public speaking is America's number 1 fear, IN FRONT OF DEATH! That means that if a person had to attend a funeral, they would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy. Yikes.

Now to the final component in this little catch up session. I started in my school on the 17th. I love the guy I am working with, who's name is Kevin Michael Coughlin. That is shockingly simliiar to Kevin Michael Cady. His favorite band is Metallica. I think we will continue to get along quite well. The school I am in is a great place with great people however it is in a terrible part of the springs. It has the highest free or reduced lunch percentage in Colorado, 97 percent. We don't bother to count who brings their lunch because no one does, or can. It is quite different from any school I have ever been in. As I was looking over emergency procedures I noticed 2 that caught my eye. Bomb threat and lockdown. Bomb threat is self explanatory (and disturbing) but I inquired as to when exactly we may go into lockdown (no one in or out and all doors locked). Kevin was gracious enough to inform me that a couple years ago a policeman was shot and killed less than a block from the school and when the swat team came they chased him across our playground. Thus, lockdown mode. Ah, good. Other interesting experiences include, last year a kid was stabbed with scissors on the first day by other child, 3rd grader. One kid in our class told us that his father had informed him that faggot meant a gay man, great, and actually this school year is off to a "good start" because "there have only been a couple fights, but nothing serious." : / We really do have great kids but the environment in which they are in is just terrible. It is pretty eye opening to see it. Either way I am happy to be there and really like our class. It is a place to really make a difference and have a positive effect on someone.

Yesterday was Jenny and my 2 year anniversary. Crazy to think about it already being 2 years! Even crazier to think that the night we met I karokeed Miley Cyrus in a non karaoke bar. Either I did something very right in the following months, or she has very low standards. The verdict is still out.

Hope this gets everyone up to speed and I apologize for the length of this entry. One last thing. While Matt and Jon were here we filmed a lot of climbing and I have made a dvd. If I can figure out how to upload it to the site I will. Here are some pictures and I hope everyone's lives are great!