recent fun
I was ringing up a lady at the Mountain High counter and the phone rang. Hello, I said.
"Shouldn't you be working harder!?" the other voice said.
"What?" Which dork is this, I thought.
"Shouldn't you be working harder!?" the other voice said again. I knew who it was.
"Hooks!!"
"Hey buttface." Yeah, it was definitely Alex Hooks. Our old manager who we love to pieces even though he ditched us for a road trip.
I asked him what he was doing.
"Well that sounds fun. You've just been climbing a lot....You're in where?.......What are you doing in
Utah!?....You're in a
sand storm!?"
By now the lady trying to buy a spork is looking at me like I'm a fruitcake. I told her sorry but she would have to wait because my old manager needed help with his sand storm.
"Alex, hey, yeah, I'm with a customer so I can't check the weather right now but....three days?! Hah! Dude...Yeah hang in there buddy, I'll get somebody."
So Alex was caught in a sandstorm. In Utah. But I think he's out now and we're happy for him. But we still miss him, especially when Pandora plays Nappy Dreads.
Surprise attack on his last day, doh!
In other news, the mail brought me a new picture of the missionary I support in India. It's been four years since his last one, and he looks the same, except for the beard and a little Indian lady standing next to him all smiley. I'm not surprised he got married because he's very hansom. Anyway, congratulations to Sachin and Ashawini!
Labels: friends, india, omoshiroi, work
update
Sorry! There's nothing worse than a lazy updater, so I will take this time to update you with all kinds of fancy details.
Well, as of right now my hand feels like it's on fire. I was helping put together a tricky Camelback display at work. The cool part is that Michael actually hammered one of the components to fit the other. The gnarly part is that the chunky part of my hand got in the way when we put the two pieces together, and there was literally a piece of my hand still between the metal parts. Even after I pulled the rest of my hand away.
Okay, I just made it sound a lot worse than it was. But seriously! It was gross. Blood. I was just like, "Uhhh...", Mike was all, "Oh...my...." and Gray was foraging around for the first aid kit, which he found.
So that's my life. Working, mostly at Mountain High. For instance, tonight we had a clinic for Big Agnes and Granite Gear, which wouldn't have been worth it except for the shwag. There have been a lot of changes at the shop. We lost our fearless leader, Alex With A Unidread, to a knee-jerk trip out West. Bry-con is our new manager, The Duke is assistant managing, and I'm a key holder. As impressed as you may be with me right now, the only difference is that I can lock (and unlock) the door. Honestly this job is the best thing I could've done to prepare for the backpacking trip.
Oh yeah! I'm going backpacking through Europe with Jeanette. We have tickets to Dublin. Leaving in May. Indefinite stay. Will come back when the money runs out. Hopefully will make it through Italy. We will be taking our climbing shoes.
And on that note, The Duke has been taking this gym rat for some outdoor climbing. He helped me do my first lead climb at Sandrock. On the most recent trip I attempted my second lead climb on a 5.10b. I can't lie here, man. It was stokage. Lead climbing is fun. Besides
mind over matter, my main motto for outdoor climbing is
if you don't try, you'll never know. It's surprising what you can do when you stop thinking about how you can't do it.
Labels: climbing, life, work, xtreme fun
coworkers
Some coworkers
which make for such a boring time.
Labels: work
MHO top ten
Mountain High top ten list, as of last month:
10. Hickyesque.
9. Listening to Legends of Rodeo and Elliot over the speakers, thanks to Bo's vintage Takehold Records collection.
8. Using my Japanese skills with our one Nihonjin customer.
7. The way The Duke thinks I'm a dirty hippie and calls me shortstack.
6. "I'm going to slap you in the faceneck." "...What's masochism?" "I think you're going to have to look that one up on your own buddy."
5. Bryson, half asleep, zoned out, mouth hanging open, stirring his coffee with a coat hanger. "Fo sho, fo sho..."
4. "...Now my stomach hairs are all...conscious of themselves...self conscious..."
3. Any time anyone makes fun of Quiggle, but only out of love.
2. Alex wearing a neon sack liner like a moomoo - Mark deciding he looked like dragon larvae.
1. "I assume those ski pants aren't for the kid in your arms?" "Oh no, he's only six months old!" "Well yeah because I was going to say that's an amazing skiing baby."
Although I am obviously sorely outnumbered in a man's world, it's actually pretty fun despite the ridiculous amounts of testosterone flying around everywhere.
Labels: omoshiroi, work
muh
I'm actually not forgetting to post. I really want to. There's just nothing to take pictures of, or really talk about. It's freaking me out a little bit. My friend's not here.
The new job at Mountain High is
great. Definitely still rookie of the year. You've really got to know your stuff. I didn't know there was so much to long underwear and camping stoves. Camping stoves!! Those things are just crazy. They actually hold entire seminars about camping stoves. Meanwhile, I just play with luna sticks and listen to the guys sell their little hearts out. Then sometimes me and The Duke take turns picking on each other. You guys don't know who The Duke is yet, but maybe I can bootleg a picture from my phone. I'm pretty sure he'd never pose for one.
Labels: work
