dryad

http://slate.msn.com/id/2081432/

I'll be boozing at Vantage later tonight with Wirlwind and his buddy.

I once dated a guy whose nickname for me was "trouble" as in "Hey trouble, what's up?" I really liked that one.

As a junior aspiring telemarker, I have to say that the learning curve sucks, and if you already know how to downhill ski, stick to AT gear and don't bother, unless of course you're a glutton for punishment.

I use the word "chick" all the time. What better word is there? There just isn't any good female equivalent of the word "guy" that is equally casual, age-neutral, and marital status-neutral. "Woman" is too formal. "Lady" is too genteel and doesn't describe me or anyone I know in the least. "Girl" should be reserved for those under age 12. "Gal" sounds too Texan. "Babe" is too objectifying to be used in daily conversation. Did I miss any?

It's really not that hard. Big peanut butter jars work well for this purpose too, and they're lighter than Nalgenes. Not as durable though, of course.

Thanks Minx! I sorta lumped Bosnia in with Yugoslavia. And of course how could I forget Afghanistan! Maybe that one got filed in my head under "Gulf War II".

12/12 Woo hoo! Anyway, let's see if I can come up with the most recent 5 instances of US military involvement: Iraq (Gulf War II), Somalia, Yugoslavia, Colombia (drug war), Iraq (Gulf War I). I'm sure I'm missing some smaller ones in there.

Yeah, I know. Still fun to rant though.

omfg---another real girl on cc.com...could it be??!!?? Yeah, we're everywhere... go figure, with women making up >50% of the population and all.

You go, Allison! It's really great to hear someone say something against the rampant, pointless, and really LAME homophobia on this site. Folks, if you don't have anything interesting or useful to contribute, then STFU instead of wasting bandwidth with your same old weak tired gay jokes.

Neil Gaiman I'd recommend his books to anybody. Great stuff.

Man, if this was any more of a troll, it would be living under a bridge! The "what is a real climb" topic is a dead horse, so please stop beating it.

Best show: Afro Celt Sound System and Peter Gabriel at WOMAD 2 years ago. Afro Celt with their back-flipping percussionists and crazy fiddler guy.

Agreed - irritating song and extra-special catchy to make it even worse. I once had that POS stuck in my head for a week! Thanks for bringing back bad memories!

I know this sounds really dorky, but "Blockhead" at Exit 38 will always have a special place in my heart because it was my first ever successful 5.9. Nothing like your first. *sigh*

My friend Mike is looking for a housemate to share his 1900 sq ft house on Education Hill in Redmond. Real close to downtown Redmond, Samm River Trail, Marymoor Park, 520, etc. Deal includes the master bedroom with own bathroom and a garage bay. Share common areas, deck, big backyard, TV, fridge, washer/dryer, weight bench, etc etc. Plenty of storage space for your gear. Pets welcome, even encouraged (if they're friendly). He's asking $600/month + 1/2 utilities, but that's negotiable. Email michpa@hotmail.com.

Yeah, that was one hell of an fun climb. Woo hoo!

Last I checked, Beyond Fleece doesn't sell Gore-Tex jackets, only fleece and soft shells.

Just goes to show, what you post on cc.com might come back to haunt you.

Hey ClimbingGirl (and other climbing girls too) - drop me a line. We can ditch the bullshitting disbelieving guys and have a cc.com girls' day out at Exit 38 or something.

There was talk of having a pizza gathering for the minors tonight. Is this happening? I'm running low on food in my fridge and can certainly go for some pizza.

For what it's worth, according to Cascade Alpine Guides, you get the best reception on Rainier with Verizon.

Awww, thanks Distel. You're so sweet!