The Guide. . . . . . . .

Just recently we finished watching the Guide, a bollywood movie based on the novel by R.K. Narayan.  As usual in my perspective the movie failed to present the book properly.  Which is not uncommon in movies anymore.  The book I thought was very intriguing, and very. . . . . philosophical, in its own way.  The movie on the other hand was rather bland and lacked in the detail that the book displayed without going to in-depth.  And the traditional musical-bollywood film type really detracted from the plot and story line of the book.  The ending didn't real bother me, and really gave the movie the finality that the book really needed.  However the rest of the movie was rather lacking in the real point of the book.  And it focused more on the part of Nalini (Rosie) instead of the perspective of Raju, which is really what the book is all about.  And which also really displays the morals and teaches the lesson of the plot.  The book as I said earlier was excellent, however, I felt that the movie was a very poor representation of a fine novel.

Resolutions......

Well, after a much needed break for Thanksgiving its back at it with the resolutions.  I had some opportunity to work out, and did a little climbing over break, but the majority of it was spent moving my fork from the plate to my mouth, and sleeping.
But since returning to campus I have returned to my regular workout routine, and now at practice we have been adding in additional exercises.  Tuesday we did Ab Ripper X, a section lasting 15 minutes from the P90X series. Can you say killer?  I was beat, and glad that I wasn't doing much climbing after that.  I hope to get the movie off my coach so I can keep doing them over Christmas break and also on my own time in my room.  I also created my own pull-up bar, using some steel pipe and my jobs metal shop's pipe bender I was able to create something very similar to this, but without the cost.
Sleeping has been fairing well enough, but the other night I was up late and thus, my attentiveness in class the following morning was rather.... lacking.  But I have been able to get more sleep now that I have been back and settled now for a couple days.  Hopefully I will be able to get enough sleep to remain attentive and intelligent during finals.
Well I haven't been around to leverage my money at school.  But now that I am back I have been able to start up my candy selling business along with sodas.  I have also returned with some of my mothers product, slumped glass bottles.  Made into dishes and cheese trays.  They are pretty cool, I have absolute, absolute citron, smirnoff, svedka, rolling rock beer, and a grey goose bottle left.  They make great Christmas presents, and are very appealing to students since most of them are alcohol bottles, with the label still on.  They are about $10 each, and they really don't cost us anything to make them but time, and electricity, since we get all the bottles for free from local recycling centers and bars.

Poetry Reading.. . . . . .

Just recently our campus had the pleasure of hosting three rather well talented poets, from the great old city of New York.  They provided a very introspective view on life from their standpoints and from their lives.
This showed me some of the problems of the world as seen through the eyes of another person, a person with a different outlook on life, and other experience.
This brought some new perspective to some of the other students in my class, as they had either never left this region, a rather well sheltered area, or had never been to the same places as the poets.  It brought into perspective the views of other religions, sexual orientations, and races.  Something that this area doesn't see a lot of.
This gave me a new outlook on the local community and how more diversified it could be.  It is a well sheltered region and besides the tourists, doesn't see much of otherworldly problems affecting it.  It would do with a more diversified community.

Small Farm Rising . . . . . . . . . .

The other night a friend from across the hall and I decided to go and take advantage of some free cheese (Which we both love) and the screening of a movie about some local farms.  The movie really showed what it takes to establish a small farm in a world filled with one stop shops.  It showed the hardships and difficulty in establishing a business in this economy as well.
I am glad to know that some of the food that we eat in the cafeteria comes from local farmers, so that some of my money for a meal plan is being pushed into the local economy. It also gave me a new outlook on some of the sustainability courses and majors from other students.  I really felt that this course gave us a standard as students to live up to, one of hard work and determination.  My friend and I both thought of this as a very informative and entertaining film, packed with what it really takes to start out on your own in that kind of business.

Team Everest. . . . .

Tonight myself and a neighbor from down the hall decided to go and watch the newest film being shown by the school office of student activities.  The movie was Team Everest: A Himilayan Expedition. This film was about a team of disabled Americans traveling to the base camp of Everest.  Which is a challenge in and of itself for a person of normal capabilities.
This event really showed to me what it is that challenges people, and what it takes for them to do things.  I also came to understand their personal determination towards achieving a goal under their own personal strength.
During the program I was able to sit and discuss with other students what it was like to undergo such a challenging task, as even a fully capable person.  We also were able to just see and understand together what it is to have determination and an understanding of needing to fulfill your personal goals.
I realized how inaccesable the surrounding high peaks region is to those who are handicapped, limiting on the sights they can see.  They will never be able to see what it is that brings the true beauty to this region.

welllllll. . . . . . . . .

So this blog post is supposed to be about whatever we want, so this one is about a current project of my own that I have started.  I found recently on the backpacker web site a competition for anyone out there that would like to go as a gear tester to the Salt Lake City Outdoor Retailer Trade Show.  You would get an all expense paid trip to go and hang out with all of the outdoor gear manufacturers and retailers.
The only thing is that you have to be able to go around and ask retailers about new products for the upcoming year, and blog about interviews along with posting videos.
The only requirements are to pitch why you should be selected in a 3 minute long video and a 100 word essay (blog style) about your favorite piece of gear and what makes it your favorite.
They are only taking two men and two women.  Over break I will be taking some time to get this done before the December 15th deadline.
The great thing is that I would only be missing two days of classes for it, and it would be a great experience for opening my outdoor retail store.  This is the largest outdoor industry trade show in the world. This would be one of the funnest and informative thing I could do for my future career.  It would be an awesome experience for me in so as to improve my public relations and public speaking.  Plus, who wouldn't want to spend a weekend playing with the newest in outdoor gear, and the people designing them?

Goal Log. . . . . .

Well my resolutions are more than well on their way.  I have found a new way to get my workout.  I found a company that makes a portable hang board, a tool used to workout and strengthen forearm and grip strength.  I plan on taking my current pull up bar, similar to the design they use, and modify it so as to be similar to this one. Then I will be able to continue working out after break and at an even more climbing specific manner.

I have since last update been changing my sleeping patterns into a more effective way, especially since my hair has grown over an inch since I buzzed it off.  I have been going to bed at no later than 11 pm during the week.  And waking up at roughly 7, 715 in the mornings after at least 8 hours of sleep. I then shower (hence the hair) dress and eat a bagel before heading to class early.  Its very regimented and perfect for maintaining a good nights rest for me to maintain alertness in classes throughout the day.  

I have come upon my next and better resolution.  With an assignment given to me in Introduction to Entrepreneurship I have decided that I will find the simplest ways to gain income.  We were given a no interest loan of $1 and told to leverage our dollar to achieve as much money as we could.  So far I have been able to make over $60 and have inventory of roughly $40.  I hope to continue this business and leverage and invest as much of my money to a positive outcome.  

What makes a person who they are?

Well, there can be many ways to look at this topic. Some would say it can be said a person is defined by their actions, or by where they are from, or by what they do.  But I don't believe that there is any true one way in which you can define who a person is.  You can take as many identity tests, personality quizzes as you would like, but it will tell you nothing.  The one major way to define somebody would be to define them by their actions.  As they say, actions speak louder than words.

You can only really find out who a person is by seeing how they react to certain situations, putting them in places where they are pushed just outside of their comfort zones.  That is where you can see what a persons character is like.  You can see how they handle themselves when presented with something unknown to them. The next test is to put them in a situation that tests their moral compass, not just a simple wallet on the ground.  But something deep, to see how a person reacts to things that may have multiple answers.

Then you have a basis on which to not judge, but define someone, you have seen how they react when outside of their normal realm.  That is where you really find out what kind a person they are.  Otherwise you are presented with what the person wants you to see, I can take any test you give me and manipulate the answers to make you see whatever I want you to see, putting up the ideal front can be very easy.

Raju does this someways in The Guide.  He is able to make himself appear to be anything he wants to be, either a highly educated tourist guide, telling lies with such candor that anyone would believe him but the experts, and then when in their company he is a humble guide, only taking them where they wish and listening humbly. And he can do all that in a days work.

He is also defined by what he does in his personal life,  he is obsessed with having material things. Something that he was somewhat denied as a child, so now he wants only the best, no matter how much the cost, or how much trouble having them gets him in.

He is also very greedy, something he gained from always trying to get the most out of his clients when guiding, he will only receive the most for Nalini's performances.  He will only see her happy around him.  He wants her to smile, but only when it is him making her.  He has gone to far in his life, twice in a row, and now has found out that it is not what people really want in their life.

Rosie regretted his forcefulness in their original relationship, and now that they are in a pseudo-relationship he has made their life to complicated, and it has made her feel unhappy once more with her decision.

And because of his actions, he has suffered the most extreme consequences.  He has caused all his problems, but then, he does them once more.  As the villages swami he begins anew his conceit and lies,  his fakery to those around him.  And he once again gets himself in a pickle.

But this time, he is trying to improve the wellness of others by his actions and not his own.  He has finally realized what was his real fatality in his previous ways, and is almost reborn, trying to improve the lives of those around him with his experience of wrongdoing.

And so we can see both sides of Raju, his initial stages of greed, thievery, and conceit.  And then his regression from prison to unknowingly improving the lives of the entire village by giving inspiration, and a person who seems clean and pure, when he is really the opposite.  But this is what makes Raju who he is.  You can either see him as who he is to begin with, or who he is reborn as after jail, his pilgrimage of sorts into the realm of Swamihood.

Goal Log

Well, our resolutions have been getting thinner and thinner, I have yet to find a replacement for my eating healthier.  But I have been able to keep up with my other two.

So far I have been able to keep up with my physical fitness rather well.  Increasing the number of reps per exercise and also adding more diversity and overall number of exercises.  I have increased the amount of time I workout as well.  When I first started working out, fresh I was able to eek out a mere 15 pull-ups, now I can do roughly 20-22 fresh.  As well with my push-ups,  increasing the initial number by quite a large margin.  I have been adding exercises from builtlean.com.

I have been able to improve my sleeping habits by perfecting my morning routine, so as to maximize time before class.  And also by going to bed no later then midnight (except weekends) to insure a minimum of 7.5 hours of sleep a night.  Which is the perfect number so as to be able to still remain alert and attentive in class all day.

Literature from Another Culture

Well, recently in class we have been delving into the novel The Guide by R. K. Narayan, an Indian novel that so far, with my interest in Buddhism, I have found extremely interesting.  I have been flipping the leaves over constantly, continuing to read past what is required because of its insnaring plot.  I have been able to relate this book to another that I read in high school, and one that I can almost assuredly state, is required reading of American high school students, To Kill a Mockingbird.  That novel, when I was first introduced to it, seemed to be of little interest to me, and one that I would read, but would most likely only be reading it because it's required.

But that was not so with that novel, or with this one. Once I got past the first few pages, I have become enraptured with the simplicity of the novel, yet how simple and direct the writing style is.  I have nearly finished the novel, and we have not been slated to finish it until another week.  This was the same way with To Kill a Mockingbird, I started and finished the novel in a little under two days.

So far I have learned how simplistic an Indian community is, and how devoted they can be to a person or ritual, belief is something deeply rooted in their society. As is a diligence in ones duties. This novel, and the authors style shows how there is little need for details in ones life, and in a novel.  He shows the simplicity that is India's somewhat laid-back living.  It really shows to me how here in America we have become obsessed with the minute details and descriptions, needing everything to be complex and difficult, even when it need not be.  It puts the difference in religion and social norms in perspective and shows just how different two nations can be.

Goal Log

Well, I have been able to improve my goal work since my last post.  I have gotten over my arm and leg injuries, and have since been cranking out some of the hardest bouldering problems I have ever climbed, going further and harder than I thought was possible.  I have also been working out on my normal schedule.  Doing even more specific exercises in relation to climbing.  Hopefully I will be able to find a way to install my climbing hang board for use in my dorm room.

I have also somewhat been able to get back on my track of eating healthier, but its a dying cause.  The food in the cafeteria has little to no help in offering healthy, somewhat palatable choices, and the variety is lack ing.  I have all but given up on this in realization of the fact that I can eat almost anything and have no real side affects.  Hopefully I can find something that can replace this resolution since this one isn't working out very well.

My sleeping hasn't been hindered. and I have been finding it easier and easier to fall asleep at night, even with the commotion of my roommates playing xbox into the wee hours of the night.  I have been able to remain alert and attentive in class, and my sleep has been able to stay at a constant rate of at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, and on the weekends sometimes in excess of 10 hours, which has helped extremely.

My challenges

Well, so far I haven't had very many hurdles I couldn't leap.  But one of the biggest things that I have had problems with has been making sure I get my homework done, and study for tests and quizzes.
During high school I found little to no challenge in my class work, and easily achieved A's in every class.  But having so much time on my hands, and more challenging courses in subjects I have no experience in has really pushed me to my limits.  With the amount of time I have, I seem to be compounding my already horrific procrastination problem.

So far I have been able to get my work done, but at the cost of early morning work and study sessions, after long nights working.  It hasn't helped the fact that my body necessitates a minimum of 8 hours of sleep to function properly.
Therefore, I have established an effective system, and an equally effective determination, to improve my academic standing.  I have a small steno-pad I carry with me to every class, to keep assignments and due dates, and reminders of when quizzes and tests are.  I also have a dry-erase board above my desk that I keep a timeline and reminders of all assignments.  So far this system has helped me improve my memory, and my completion of assignments on time.

Goal Log

Well, it's been several days since I last posted here about my goals.  And well, thats quite similar to my progress.  I have been getting better with my eating, refraining from unhealthy foods, but I have found that the best way to rid myself of my frequent and constant headaches and migraines is to consume at least one glass of caffeinated beverage a day, so at lunch now I have been splurging and drinking soda, rather than water.  But otherwise I have been eating healthier, and as a matter of fact, I have been eating less and less, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. But that has yet to show itself.
Sleeping has been on and off, depending on my classwork, and whether or not I am tired, or even feel like going to bed yet.  But I have been improving on the quantity of rest I get during the day and at night as well.

The workout part has not seen any activity, at least not in its previous capacity.  I have been having problems with my shoulders, which has also not been helping my sleep, causing me to wake up in the thralls of pain at any hour of the night.  But I did recently push my lower half to the limit with a 16 mile hike on Saturday.  I hiked over four High Peaks, Upper and Lower Wolfjaw, Armstrong, and Gothics, all while carrying a full pack, having intended on only hiking 10 miles Saturday, and finishing the rest Sunday after a night in the backcountry.  But that seemed lazy when I reached my shelter by 3pm, instead of my suspected 5 or 6.  It was a good hike, and quite taxing, but extremely enjoyable.

My song . . . . . . . . . . . .

Well over the past few classes we've been individually sharing a song that fits our mood, or is our favorite song.  After much deliberation, and a lot of thinking I finally settled on a song I heard back in 2009 when I was participating at Philmont Scout Ranch, in New Mexico.  This song is sung by one of the members of the Tobasco Donkeys, a band formed of staff working there.  Since then I have worked there, and it has added even more meaning to my life. Well here it is. . . . . . . .

My Resolutions. . . . . . . . . . . .

So, we've had a nice break over the Columbus day holiday. But that didn't prohibit my resolutions. Well, not entirely......

I have been keeping up with my eating healthy, trying to minimize the amount of cookies and cupcakes my mom gave me to one or two each a day.  But I really need to find a way to eat healthier on the schools food, which is quite hard when nearly everything is fried....... But I have gained weight, muscular, because I can tell I lost fat and my muscular endurance and strength has increased.

But on the that note, I will have to cut back for a week or two on my exercise.  I pulled a muscle in my left shoulder climbing and also tore a muscle in my hip area, which limits my movement and exercising.  I'll only be cutting back momentarily until they have recovered though. Then it's back at it full speed.

My sleeping has improved, but my not sleeping in class has not... which is somewhat depressing.  I hoped that by increasing the quality and quantity of sleep I would be able to stay awake in class more often, but it seems that that is not the case. Which is really going to hurt my grade.

The Happy Planet Index. . . . . . . .

As a requirement for my class we had to take the Happy Planet Index, a test that measures your overall happiness based on several different factors.  These included Life Expectancy, Ecological Footprint, and Well-Being.  I took the test relatively quickly and painlessly.
My results came out as above average, 66.9, the average being 46-53.7, but still well below the "target" of 83.  With that score you are living a good life without harming the world.  Fairly impossible nowadays anyway, if you ask me.
LIfe Expectancy:
My life expectancy score was 92.7, above the average for my gender of 85.9.  Showing that I am eating well, not smoking or drinking, and getting plenty of exercise. Plus having the right jeans on when I took the test couldn't of hurt anything either....... ;) They suggested that I improve my expectancy by giving up my car (kinda hard when you live 7 hrs away...), avoid living alone (I have two roommates?) and shrugging off stress.
Ecological Footprint:
This area for me is something that I hope to change in the future but currently there isn't much I can do to minimize my impact. But here's what they say;  My footprint is 3.98 global hectares, or 1.88 planets (how can I use more than one planet?).  I'm using between one and a half to two times my share of the planet's resources.  I travel a lot for work and vacation, and flying once adds .77 global hectares to your overall impact. Something thats hard going to be hard to stop when I go to school in New York, live in Pennsylvania, and work in New Mexico. They suggest that I take longer vacations (work is 10-12 weeks during the summer....) or travel by train(I'm a broke college student.......and that's expensive). But looking at the average of 4.06, I'd say I'm safe doing what I do now.
Well-Being:
The Well-Being category is separated into three categories; life satisfaction, feeling good?, and doing well?.      In the life satisfaction category I scored an 8, higher than the average of 7.11, but lower than Switzerland and Denmark, the highest scoring countries.
In feeling good? I scored a 22, much higher than the average 18.7, but i have hedonic well-being and my levels could change from week to week.
Doing well? has three categories that are necessary for a person to have psychological happiness: Connection to Others, Freedom to be Yourself, and Self-Esteem and making a Difference.
Connecting to others put me lower than average, only 5, not 5.56.
Freedom to be Yourself graded me as a 5.53, higher than the average of 5.03.
And Self-Esteem and making a Difference had me much higher than average with a score of 6.33, the average only being 4.78.
This last category they gave no advice for since it is very person to person dependent.

The entire final "grade" on this seemed very vague, so I'm not quite sure how to interpret this besides the fact that I am normally happier than you average person (my mommy always said I was different.....).  So overall this hasn't made me want to change anything in my life or how I do things, I am very satisfied with my life as it is........

The Resolutions, update 2.0. . . . . . . . . . .

Well, so far so good.  The weeks have been passing quickly and the days even more so.   I have been frequently sore from my workouts and have been keeping up with them very regularly.  I have noticed only a slight improvement in my overall condition and hope to see a large one by the end of the semester.

I have been getting excellent amounts of rest, and maybe on the weekends to much.... but  I haven't been falling asleep in class as regularly and hopefully my grades will show that.  In the near future I plan on sticking to my set sleeping time more strictly, but with hoppin' parties in my dorm, it can be quite difficult. But I have been thankfully able to get roughly eight hours of sleep a night recently.

My eating healthier has been the hardest resolution to keep, but I've been striving. The hardest part of this challenge is the decreasing quality of food in the schools dinning hall.  The food is either extremely greasy or just looks plain unedible and rather horrible in taste.  I have been purchasing healthier foods from the local Aldi's but, as a broke college student with an already existing food plan, it is rather pointless to purchase vast quantities of food when I have already paid for it..........

Flow..........

We are currently reading and analyzing a book about called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience  by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (don't ask me to pronounce that, I don't know either....).  So far it has been fairly informative but to me somewhat redundant and merely restating what is common sense and practice.  But it does put it in a more scientific context.  It also evaluates different ways for people to engage in flow.

Flow to me is something that you realize in hindsight,  something that while you are engaged in flow you should not be thinking about being in flow, and flow should be nowhere in your current range of thought.  And so this book kind of gets me out of flow more than it teaches me to be in flow.  Especially as a person who is as engaged in the natural world as I am. During the majority of this previous summer I have come to understand and realize that I was immersed in a constant state of flow.  My summer job is as a Ranger at the Philmont Scout Ranch, the largest youth camp in the world.  And with over 23,000 participants, the largest season yet, you'd think it would get hectic.  But throughout the summer, no matter what challenge occurred I had was ready mentally and physically.  I was in a constant state of flow allowing me to make decisions smoothly and efficiently for the groups I was leading.

And even in the past few weeks I have incurred many a moment of flow, from slack lining outside my dorm, to climbing practice and even class work.  Floating on Saint Regis in my kayak, and enjoying the sun rise and set through the fog on the lake with Mount Saint Regis standing erect and picturesque in the background. I always seem to be able to find flow in whatever it may be I am doing...it is always there..........

The Resolutions, update 1.5..............

So in the past week I have really gotten into this whole resolution thing, updating my sleeping area, so I can sleep no matter what, and researching many different ways to improve my workout, and give it a little more structure.

So here's what I have done so far in regimenting my workout, hopefully I will be able to do all of this, if not I will by the end of the semester.

Workout Regime

Sunday - Thursday

1 Hr.

Rotations: 3

Push-ups - five sets of 20 (Reg., triangle, plyometric, offsets)

Pull - ups - five sets of 10 (Wide, Parallel, Regular, Parallel, Wide)

Frenchies - 10 reps

90 degrees to elbows - five sets of 20

Bicycle Supline - 30 at 3 reps

Plank Lock-offs - 5 second holds, 3 positions, 10 times.

Total:

310 push-ups

180 pull-ups

That's it for now, I will eventually be editing and adding/subtracting things as I get in better shape.  (Big props to Marc Perry from built lean.com for much of the inspiration) I hope to get a TRX suspension trainer sometime to add to my workout.

The only real thing I've been having problems with is my eating......I'm very much a compulsive eater, like today for instance, they had strawberry shortcake, and strawberries just so happen to be my weakness.......so i had to indulge in a large portion. and I eat constantly and never seem to be filling my appetite. So we'll give it some more work, now that I have everything else figured out.......
      

Beginning the Resolutions......

Well it's not exactly New Years right now, but now is as good a time as ever to start on a resolution.  In the past couple of days I have already been keeping to my resolutions. With only a few minor faults, but give me some slack, it's only week one.
In getting in better shape I have started a three day a week workout program.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday(if I'm around to do it...) I workout for a half an hour before showering and hitting the sack.  It's entirely body weight workouts, pushups, bicycle supine, planks, leg raisers, inverted pushups, 6 inches, dead hangs, and a several variations of palms away pull ups. So far I've been keeping up with it, it helps with one of my other resolutions of sleeping by waisting any energy I have before I go to bed, and i do it consistently, helping set a specific routine.  It is combined with my climbing practice, every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, from 8:30 til 10:30.  So a great weekly workout that will hopefully improve my overall muscularity.
For sleeping better I have been getting more sleep but sometimes its not the best sleep.  While climbing at Rumney, NH this past weekend I slept on a picnic table in my sleeping bag for two nights, after staying up late, and then getting up early. But during the school week, I have been getting good amounts of sleep, showering the night before to save some time before 8 am classes, and going to bed at 10 Mon.,Weds., and around 11 on practice nights. I have also not been doing any stressful activities immediately before going to bed, and have been eliminating caffeine and soda almost completely from my diet.  especially after lunch. I have been able to remain attentive and awake during classes, despite a horrible head cold.  So, besides this past weekend, I have been doing fairly well in keeping this resolution.
 Eating healthy and smart has to be one of the hardest for me, as a person with  a very fast metabolism, I know I can eat anything, and everything and it will have no effect on me. Which is a very bad thing for a person like me with a severe sweet tooth.  Even today, I ate 4 peanut butter cookies while getting hot cocoa before class. And this past weekend I indulged in a large extreme chocolate shake from ben and jerry's, and  a double whopper from BK. Which in and of itself, with a medium fry and sprite, was over 1000 calories, and 1050 mg of sodium, talk about artery clogger.  But I have been trying, I swear, but those cookies are so tempting, and I'm still hungry.................................

My "Resolutions"..............

I choose three fairly specific goals, or resolutions to maintain this semester and hopefully for the rest of my life. One of my goals (because there is no first, second, or third in goals, they are simultaneous) was to Eat smart, eat healthier. I choose this resolution because as a college student, and one with a fast metabolism, I am always snacking. Munching on candy, tasty cakes, pudding, cookies, pretty much anything I can get my hands on. And that isn't really the best way too eat. But I don't want to stop eating completely, because with my metabolism I would be so hungry, miserable, and lose a lot of weight, fast. So I just want to eat right, eat healthy, not just what's available.
 Another one of my resolutions is to get better/more sleep. Staying up late studying, or hanging out is very easy to do without realizing, but without proper sleep I have a feeling that my grades will plummet, fast. So I hope to get to bed earlier and get into a habit of changing what I do before I go to bed to optimize my sleep. I got some help with that here. Pretty simple, lets hope it works.
 The final goal is to Work out more often, to improve my overall physique, and to improve my climbing. Right now I'm a pretty small guy, being six foot and 130 lbs. isn't the strongest build. So I hope that in combination with my climbing team practices and my personal body weight exercises in my dorm I will be able to get in a little bit better shape than I am, and improve my overall strength and endurance. Here's a link to the Nicros Holds Companies Training Section, where I've been getting a lot of the ideas for my workout sessions.  well we started some of these goals already, so lets get back to them, I'll keep you updated....................

The Adirondacks, my other home away from home..........

So, i'm finally getting settled here in the Daks, a place that i find very enjoyable, with small tight knit communities, who are still willing to welcome in the outsiders. It's a very relaxing place, and with classes ending at noon for me, when I'm not doing assignments and studying, i plan on exploring much of this vast wilderness surrounding us.  It is such a grand place, everyone looking out for each other and making sure they enjoy the astounding country in the process.  If my future careers don't take me to other wild places, i would very much enjoy living in this area.  From the abundance of local outdoor recreation locations to the lively downtowns of the nearby cities, this place can take you wherever you would want to go.......

Adirondack Rustic Furniture Fair.......

So this weekend was a beautiful one, perfect weather for the Adirondack Canoe Classic, 90 miler race. And a great time to wander around the Rustic Furniture Fair in Blue Mountain Lake and at the Adirondack Museum.  Down in town vendors set up selling hand made pieces and raw materials, while up inside the official event, craftsman displayed their intricately created masterpieces of furniture and art.  Gorgeous works of art, hewn from board and log. This event brought people from all over the Adirondack Park, many of the locals turned out to show support for their friends and family.
This event really let me see how this college is connected to the community.  While there I ran into one of my Professors, the owner of Bookman Furniture, and got to take a closer look at some of his work, and he even described the process and business, in detail to me.  And I look forward to going next year, very awe-inspiring.  I would recommend it to anyone interested in attending. My roommate and I also stopped by his stepfathers stand, selling wholesale hardwood lumber.  He explained to me about some of the finer points of unique hardwood furniture, and me and my roomy got some time to hang out and chat together while admiring the fine furniture.
Here's a link to my Picasa Slideshow, got all the pictures I took while at the festival. Hope you enjoy, mostly my taste, but some fantastic pieces anyway........
My Picasa Web Album......

Timex WS4 Watch Review........

The Timex Wide Screen Four Function Watch is quite a fashion statement along with being packed full of functions.  It's large screen layout allows for users to interact with many of the different functions at once. Whether it be the altimeter, barometer, thermometer, compass, 100 hour chronograph, 24 hour count down timer, or multi day alarm you can easily access it on the wide screen display.  Coming in many fashionable and flashy colors, this watch can fit your personality. The weather update is fairly accurate, so long as you keep your watch calibrated to the environment your in.  As with the rest of the functions, the altimeter however i have found to be consistently 300 feet off, usually lower than your actual elevation.  But for durability, good locks, and overall function this watch is great.  The screws on the plastic strap fall out, but are just there for esthetics anyway.  The watch has very little breathability, and builds up quite a bit of dead skin on the underside of the strap.  It does leave a pretty wicked tan line though.  Over all, a good watch, but excessive unless you plan on using all of the functions, especially for the price.
My Rating:
Style: 5 Stars
Function: 3 Stars
Price: 3 Stars

Arc'teryx Beta Sl Hardshell Review.........

The Ar'teryx Beta Sl Hardshell is made with GORE-TEX® PacLite®  material, the lightest of the GORE-TEX® product line.  Weighing in at a mere 11.1 oz (Mens Medium) this hardshell is a weight saving hikers dream.   The high collar and Drop Hood, are perfect for backpacking, not big enough to fit a helmet under but roomy enough that your not claustrophobic.  The die cut cuff closure, waterproof zippers, and elastic hem keep cool breezes and rain out. But without any ventilation, besides the main zipper, this jacket can cause quite a bit  of condensation and heat problems, but for emergency rain gear, and less humid environs this jacket is superb. Working throughout a rather pathetic monsoon season in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of New Mexico this jacket was perfect.  Keeping me dry and warm when the weather turned sour and the temperatures dropped.  Even when hiking through extreme deluge, i was dry and comfortable. And as a multipurpose jacket when peak bagging Wheeler Peak, and Mount Baldy, it worked great to keep me warm on the exposed upper faces. As a lightweight, gram counting hiker this is exactly the jacket you'll want, there are many other options out there that may be better, but if you want the durability and quality of  an Arc'teryx jacket this is what you want.  A little on the pricy side but it will outlast much of the competition and still be able to take quite a bit of abuse.

Mountain Hardwear Mens Mountain Tech Jacket Review.......

The Mountain Hardwear Mountain Tech Jacket is one of those jackets that i would recommend everyone should have.  As a windbreaker it's superb; a soft-shell, outstanding; an insulating fleece, fantastic.  This jacket has become my go to jacket for nearly every occasion.  Falls in the Adirondacks can vary greatly, from misty mountain cool days, to blazing heat; it has it all.  So having a jacket that can handle anything from a mildly breezy lakeshore day, to a miserably drizzly day is wonderful.  Walking to breakfast in the morning i have no need to worry about chilly lake breezes, and walking between classes on drizzly days i know i will stay warm and dry. And all this without overheating at all, with excellent ventilation from the long and yet protected pit zips, i can stay cool and dry.  And the high collar and elastic cuffs keep out chilling breezes and rain. The large hand warmer pockets can handle anything from pens and a phone to a small water bottle or a paperback.  Overall this jacket is an excellent addition to anyones closet, both stylish and extremely functional.

Osprey Exos 46 Backpack Review........

The Exos 46 backpack by osprey is part of their super-light line, stripped down to the bare essentials, meant for fast packing and ultralight adventures. As a weekend or three day outing bag it excels, having just enough room for all of your gear but not oversized, light enough nut with enough support so as to not make your shoulders be on fire by the end of the day.  I have used this pack for winter summit hikes in the White Mountains, specifically Mount Washington, were the external tie in loops made carrying snowshoes easy, and the bag easily gobbled up crampons, extra layers, lunch, and 3 liters of water.  As a general hiking pack it fits perfectly for the weekend warrior and ultralight hiker. On three day trips as a Ranger for Philmont Scout Ranch it was all i needed to take out crews. Capable of holding my Hubba, Prolite, Sleeping bag, Pound cake, icing, food, stove, rain gear, and required ranger equipment without a problem.  On personal extended 4 to 5 day ultra light jaunts it excelled, dropping the brain and synching everything down it made hiking extremely enjoyable.  Full packing over Baldy Mt. (12,441ft) was especially fun, cruising past daypack toting crews.  However nice of a pack it is it still has some things that could be changed.  The hip belt is a little scarce in the padding, understandable for an ultralight pack, but still extremely uncomfortable for loads over 35 lbs.  But even after toting 50 lbs of water and bear patrol gear up the Tooth of Time (9003ft) in a quick hour long haul, i was surprised to find that my hips weren't to rubbed raw and the next day hiking out was just as enjoyable as before.  A wonderful pack to add to anyone's quiver of packs (we all know we have one) as a weekend and extended ultralight pack.

Gear Reviews.......

Well i am considered quite the gear head when it comes to outdoor equipment (which may be why i like outdoor retail so much....) so i thought that since i always wanted to do some online gear reviews i might as well do it right here on this blog, keep it all together, easier for me.  So let's get started!

Back to the beginning..........

Well since my personal blurb doesn't do me much justice i thought i'd start off with a little explanation of exactly who this dharma bum behind the scenes really is.....I'm an outdoorsy guy, spending as much time as i can out and about in the wilds, seeing what's over the next horizon, and so forth, i like to slackline (you tube it if you haven't got a clue), hike, backpack, climb (ice and rock), kayak, mountaineering, and other things like that.  I work as a Ranger at the worlds largest youth summer camp,Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico. Right now my life is devoted to school work all the time (when I'm not asleep) and climbing, slacklining, and working out when I'm not (hopefully squeezing in some personal reading in there sometime). And since now that you kind of know me, and you've already gotten your first impression i would also like to add that i am an Eagle Scout, hate adding that, people look at you different when you say that............

A festival of Hobo's and going to the farm with a fork............

Well Labor day weekend is officially over and it was a good one, besides the weather.  Saturday in Saranac Lake there was a Farm to fork farmers market and festival, with some delicious unique food, and entertainment. Took a nice drive up White Face, was a little lacking in view, until the wind picked up and blew the clouds away, awesome view of the High Peaks region, and all around.  Sunday was kind of slow until noon, when Hobofest 2011 began, a huge free concert, with tons of bands and good friendship, at the Depo in Saranac Lake it was a great time, with lots of fun going until late.

First Assignment.......

So for our first class assignment we were required to find three blogs that interest you, and then evaluate them.


The New Dharma Bums:
An older couple blogging about what they are doing now that they're retires, hiking, gardening, and just enjoying the little things......


prAna:
One of my favorite outdoor product companies blogs, updating you on what their sponsor athletes are up to, posting videos and news on upcoming events.

Appalachia and Beyond:
A blog about backpacking gear and hikes in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee, also having a gear giveaway.

Getting Along......

Well it's day two, and a Friday! Labor day weekend is already upon us, and this weekend I plan on getting out and about, including attending HoboFest in Saranac Lake.  Sounds like a pretty hoppin party! No hiking or anything this weekend, being as the park is closed because of mean old Irene.  But the Climbing gym opens tonight, 6-9, and I need to finish and tweak some routes I was working on setting. Well it's off to Ethics class now, so have a good day!

Nirvana.....

"Finding Nirvana is like locating Silence."
Jack Kerouac

In the beginning.......

So, I've never blogged before, and this will be an interesting experience. Hopefully it will allow me to get to know more about myself and other people. In this blog I'll be doing some required classwork, but hopefully, as time allows, I'll be adding posts about what I've discovered about myself and my view on the world. It's pretty turbulent times and right now I'm trying to see through the haze, what comes next, who knows, hopefully the haze will clear........