knotzen

But that's true of many, many things in Western society. Just about everything we do or buy is fluff compared to the struggle to survive that millions face every day.

I'm reading a book, "Fatal Mountaineer," about Willi Unsoeld, and the author, a non-climber journalist, keeps referring to the "uselessness" of climbing and mountaineering. On one hand, I can agree that climbing is useless to general society--it doesn't solve any of the world's problems. OTOH, climbing does a lot for/to the individual climbing--obviously. It tones your body and mind in a way possibly particular to climbing. Climbing isn't any more useless than the Tour de France or any other sport, really. Also, stories about climbing also are inspirational to armchair climbers, so you could say climbing contributes culturally, as do other sports. If I didn't climb, I doubt I'd be pursuing a Ph.D in cellular biology and finding a cure for cancer. It's not distracting me from higher pursuits. This also brings to mind my grandfather's question, when I told him I was going climbing: "What do you do when you get to the top, just come down?" He doesn't get that the going up is what it's all about. Thoughts? (Notice this is not in the Spray forum, eh.)

Wow, that is so...beautiful, and moving. It almost makes me...cry.

Cool pix!

Oh yeah, nothing.

OMG.

OK, I'm through with this trashy sexual innuendo stuff. How about those Mariners? What was this thread about, anyway?

That's what I figgered.

Yeah, not really relevant, but the headline's funny.

Hey, don't make me be explicit here...

Hey, *I'm* a trashy blonde! But you're on the wrong team, so you're safe. I won't hit on you. (At least, not in that sense. )

Oh, entirely. Although, if they had the right package... (I'm a UPS trainee).

Um, I didn't look that closely. See, I'm not *actually* into trashy blondes.

Come to think of it...and his date did have buck teeth...

I saw a guy in Kirkland wearing a t-shirt that said, "Sleeps well with others." He was with this trashy-looking blonde.

Didn't you hear? The thong market has bottomed out.

<snicker>

Yeah, and Mrs. Olyclimber is quite the bouncy little woman.

Where, o where, are you tonight? Why did you leave me here all alone? I searched the world over, and thought I found true love, but you found another, and pbzzzt--you wuz gone.

Oh, I thought she said George W.