jfin is here…

Still alive, just busy.

Moving my blogging efforts over to Fifteen Minutes, with a few other Wellie and ex-Wellie types.

Thanks for reading… :)

.. THE DEEPEST SNOW IN THE WORLD! And it’s starting to fall again… *happy me*. Last Saturday was the first day of the season for us at Mount Baker, and this Saturday was the second. A good start, with stashes of pow to be had on both days. I love that place, it’s like no other mountain I’ve been to… bring on the La Nina weather patterns. :) Must get around to doing snow safety courses and buying the gear one of these days, the back-country out there looks to have some unbelievable riding.

Watched a good movie the other day .. In The Name Of The Father. Last time I’d seen it was in 6th Form (?) History. About the Guildford Four, who were falsely charged with an IRA-linked bombing in London in the 70’s and imprisoned for 20 years until their convictions were overturned in the late 90’s. Irish history is fascinating … has motivated me to find a copy of Michael Collins to watch, that’s a good one as well.

Went to an NBA game. Sonics vs Clippers. Neither team is doing very well this season so it wasn’t the best of games, but still entertaining.

Work is busy but not too busy. In some of my outside-of-work time I’m working through the Chronicles of Narnia again .. up to The Horse And His Boy now. Heading into another white Christmas, and remembering the reason for the season. Christmas carols are where it’s at. Oh, and this Johnny Cash cover…

Listening to : Ex Nihilo - Redemption (Mars Hill band cover of Johnny Cash’s original .. good song, ..get it here)

Thursday was Thanksgiving, spent with Hillary’s family … lots of good food and good company.

Friday was the post-Thanksgiving hike, up to Snow Lake on Snoqualmie Pass.  Beautiful and white.  Pics here.  Jeff and I are sure that snow running is the next big Winter Olympic sport.  (While you’re at YouTube, check out Masons Life of Chair Dancing.  I’m fortunate enough to have seen this man perform live.)

Saturday was spent in Seattle - shopping, people-watching, loving the city vibe, and soaking up the Christmas atmosphere.

Sunday - church, chilling, and setting up for the week ahead.  Stole the Narnia series from Hill, and got through “The Magicians Nephew” for starters.

It’s Monday now, and I’m taking a brief break from work.  On the bus on the way in this morning I was reading Psalm 37 - “The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”  Remember that song from Sunday School?

Apparently we’ve got some storms coming through over the next week .. hopefully the mountains will be getting the first real snow-fall of winter.  Right .. back to it, I suppose.

Listening to: The Greencards - Like A Melody

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WcU4t6zRAKg

It’s been towed out of the environment?

Hilarious.

… I entered some random music-associated competition.  I think it was a coloring-in competition.  I won a harmonica.  It was awesome.  And that was the only thing I have won in my whole life.  Except for the time Coca-Cola seemed to have shipped a pellet full of Coke bottles with ‘one free Coke’ under the lid to the school tuck shop.  But that doesn’t really count.  Oh, and $200 out of the pokies in Vegas.  I lost that again soon after.

We went to the Mount Baker Film Festival in Bellingham on Thursday night … $6.50 to sit in a theatre packed with 1500 raucous skiers and snowboarders and watch 1.5 hours worth of fever-inducing deep pow segments shot at Baker from a range of different ski/board movies.  Entered a competition without really thinking and got the call on Friday to say that I had won a snowboard .. Arbor Crossbow 162.  Sweet.  Thanks to the kind folks at Fairhaven Bike and Mountain Sports. :)

Bring on the winter…

Went to see Into the Wild last Friday night. It’s the movie adaptation of the book by John Krakauer (same guy who wrote Into Thin Air).

“Freshly graduated from college with a promising future ahead, 22 year-old Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) instead walked out his privileged life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way transformed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher McCandless a heroic adventurer or a naive idealist, a rebellious 1990s Thoreau or another lost American son, a fearless risk-taker or a tragic figure who wrestled with the precious balance between man and nature?”

Fantastic movie. Some great wilderness / outdoors shots and full of a range of uplifting, desperate, happy, introspective, sad, and thought-provoking moments. I was struck by (among other things) how it showed the effect of single-mindedness combined with a failure to forgive on both an individual and family.

“Happiness is only real when shared.”

It was also a reminder for me of the tension between working a “corporate” job, doing the friends / church / city-living thing, and the enjoyment and peace I get out of being out in the wilderness. Sometimes I think I’m erring on the slightly cautious side at this point in life, but then “the wild” isn’t the only thing we have that is beautiful or brings challenge. That said, anyone for a trip out to the Pickets next summer? I love the look of those jagged mountain peaks. :)

Go see it, if you get a chance. And the soundtrack (Eddie Vedder solo album) is well worth a purchase / listen.

Listening to: Eddie Vedder - Society

That was one frustrating game to watch. The All Blacks should have been all over the French .. in fact, they were - except for when it mattered. The rolling phases of pick-and-go play was great to watch. Some good running with the ball. But just couldn’t get all the way.

Where was the drop-goal attempt in the last two minutes? You know, when they were set right in front of the sticks, not when the kicker (McDonald?  McAlister?)  was back in his own half. Sure, Carter and Evans were both off the field but come on.

Of course we’ll ignore the forward pass that was part of the winning French try. Can’t really ignore the tidy defense, and how they took their opportunities - unlike the ABs.

Gah. And now they’ll talk about it for another four years. The joys of being a New Zealander…

Listening to: Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name Of

Summer is out, autumn is in, and winter is on the way.

It’s been a little while since I did this blog thing.. Hill had some holidays, so we both enjoyed being in the same city for four weeks. I went to Chicago for a few days of work-related training (crossing timezones while flying domestic .. hmmm). Wedding planning. Hiking. Climbing. Church. Working. And just generally living, I guess…

One trip, two weekends ago, was a 16-mile round trip to the Tuck and Robin Lakes up in the Cascades. About three hours drive east from Seattle to the trailhead (near Salmon La Sac). Beautiful alpine lakes, surrounded by granite, green, fall colors, and even some snow. Good solid climb to get there, too. Photos here.

Looking forward to having Mum and Dad visit in two weeks time.

Hales Ales in Fremont, Seattle, make a fantastic jerk chicken salad. Brings tears to the eyes. You should try it sometime.  Along with their Cream Stout, of course.

Listening to: Minus The Bear - Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!

Spent our long Labor Weekend (employer is good enough to give me the Friday off as well) driving up to Skaha - in Penticton, British Columbia.  Had a good two days of climbing with crew from Mars Hill Outdoors.  Highlights of the weekend included riding to the crags in an RV, camping in tents on gravel, crazy neighbors, and Sunday night dance music.  I would love to say this photo was me, but it’s not… Miles thought this was one of the best sport routes he’s ever climbed though.

The drive up alongside the Columbia in Eastern Washington, and then through the Oakanagen in BC was very scenic.  Green, fertile, valleys with orchards everywhere contrasted with dry brown hills as a backdrop.  I think we’ll be back up that way.

Some photos, mainly of the climbing, here.

Two weekends ago we shot up to Canada - met up with Mike and Kirsty in Vancouver, then cruised up to Whistler and Squamish for two days.

Spent the Saturday at Whistler, riding a plush full-suspension downhill rig in their mountain bike park.  Amazing how much punishment the bike can take .. and wearing all the gear (full-face helmet, elbow guards, and shin guards) definitely helps the confidence.  Took a little time to get in to the vibe, but by the end of the day I felt like I was hitting the smaller tables and step-ups at pretty good pace.  Quite a buzz, really.

Sunday was an aborted-attempt at bouldering in Squamish - raining - before a nice relaxed drive back to Seattle area.

A few photos from Mike here.

Listening to: Death Cab for Cutie - Someday You Will Be Loved