Welcome, May!

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The past few weeks have been stressful. Training new employees, dealing with difficult customers, not sleeping well, not exercising (I’ve gained 20 pounds in the last two years), getting through family drama (two life-threatening events in the same day, 2000 miles apart: my dad’s heart attack in NM and a 9 year grandchild starting the rest of his life with Type 1 Diabetes) . . .  My CrossFit lifestyle withered into oblivion when I lost my job at the University in 2020, as Covid got going. Deep depression brought me to a standstill as I took a few months to try to reset. Since then, my physical status has been on steady decline. Now my daily schedule looks something like this: Work 3-11 pm (on a good day), Go to bed at 4 am, get up between 10:30 am and noon, get booted up and go back to work. If I get one day off a week I’m fortunate. At least I don’t have to work all night for now. That was the worst.  So I haven’t had time or energy to do much, even read, much less write. And since my

"Valley Uprising" (2014)

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"Valley Uprising" is a gripping documentary focusing on the history, evolution and impact of the climbing community in the Yosemite Valley. Starting in the 1950's, about the time when the American Dream began to feel palpable for people safe at home, a handful of young men set out to pursue another kind of dream in places where safety is a stranger. According to one climber, insanity may have indeed been a contributing factor, but the truth remains: if the laws of gravity are to be broken, others must be broken, too. 

The documentary is not exhaustive in highlighting every contributing climber, but their influence unmistakable. The film does not intend to demonstrate or discuss details of climbing but chooses to introduce three major eras, approaches, personalities of few climbers and the rewards gained by these unique adventurers. If you know the name "North Face" and "Clif Bar," then you will appreciate this film.


"Because in the end, you won't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that  . . . mountain!" (Jack Kerouac)

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