sobo

Definitely a good idea for anyone who never has. And a refresher is a good idea if you have, and it's been a while.

Were his eyes bugging out of his head in mesmerization? My wife and I had a phrase for when that would happen to Nicholas when he was tiny: Information Overload

Just for you, Honey chil' :kisss: been wanting to use the "kiss" graemlin ever since the upgrade...

How are you so sure? Heisenberg told her it wasn't.

I could post a picture of meself. That oughta put you in stitches...

fatherly

The man is deceased. We got pinged to drive up tonight and start looking for his body tomorrow morning. He is apparently in the Edith Creek Basin area, just below Pan Point. My sincerest condolences to his family and friends. Please be careful out there, people.

What Jim said. A heavy crockery-type bowl with vertical sides works best if you're going to have a bowl in there anyway. Oh, and buy pet insurance... a lot of it...

Hey man, don't laugh... Around my house, "imperial command" is affectionately referred to as Air Traffic Control. I can't get outta town without a flight plan and departure clearance from ATC before every trip. Plus when I start my drive back home, I need to request approach instructions before entering the airspace, then confirm landing instructions before lining up on the final approach glidepath. Once I start my taxi to the hangar, I'm all good...

Put a big rock in his pack. Hilarious post, Matt! Take chucK's concept one step further: Make it lotsa beer instead of a big rock. And don't delude yourself for even one second to think that ice isn't a critically important addition...

priceless!

I celebrate Christmas because I don’t have a choice. My company recognizes it and they are closed. I used to spend every Christmas climbing on that day. Now I have a family and its all about the children. Christmas has nothing to do with religion in my book. It is just a way for Nordstrom’s to sell lots of expensive clothing…..and greeting cards. I don't believe it... I find myself agreeing with The Bone on this one. My wife and I consider ourselves agnostic. That being said, we took our kids to a universalist/unitarian church (because it was the most we could stand) for a few weeks last winter/spring when my eldest started asking questions about God (which he learned about from the Mormon neighbors). But anyway... my employer, too, is closed for Christmas. I, too, used to spend every Christmas vacation fucking like minks, boozing, partying, and climbing. But I have kids now. Like The Bone said, Christmas, for all its foibles, is not about religion in my book. It's about the kids. And a way for retailers the world over to make a buck on everyone. So is President's Day... and Valentine's Day... and Memorial Day... and Independence Day... and... well you get the idea. And to echo JosephH's comment... You guys think Christmas is commercialized here in this country? You should see it in southern Vietnam!! We were literally fucking astounded at the display and pageantry that was trotted out for this holiday. Couldn't fuckin' believe it. China wasn't nearly as bad as Vietnam was in this regard. To echo crackers's comment, Happy Ramahanukwanzmas! It's all just so much shit.

Wow, from all the crap you guys have put up with, I gotta consider myself pretty damn lucky. All my old roomie did was eat all my food and rip humongous, tear-jerkin' farts in the can.

Ooooooooooooooooh, I gotta git me a few of d'em! Xspecially since I already did d'em all... Now, where did I put my Speedy Stitcher...

A lot of people complain that kids make you old before your time... I'm finding that I'm having to keep pretty young to stay one step ahead of the little blighters!

Ditto here for our kids for about the first year. Nicholas was just over a year old when we took him to Virginia to meet his grandparents. The little cutie broke my father down and got his first swig of Pepsi. My wife and I were livid. Thanks, Dad... Elaina, on the other hand, just started pawing through the cabinetry until she found something sufficiently intoxicating. My wife's homemade ginger snaps, IIRC...

Do get a hold of me next time you're through. We could do your frosty beverages "live."

Proof positive that there's a place for everyone in the world...

Know just how ya feel, man. My wife did the same with our Nicholas, and our Elaina. Cooked the stuff up, ran it through the blender, froze it into ice cube trays, thawed it out and mixed it into shit and fed it to 'em. They ate it up. Now that they're 5 and 3 years old, respectively, we can't get them to eat that stuff to save their damned lives! This kinda shit kills me: Cage-free organic eggs, $2.40/dozen. Organic milk, $3.16/half gallon... WTF??? That's twice as expensive as frikk'n gasoline!

Thing is, it really does look like a rosary. And I would know, but that was a long time ago... Goes back to that "Catholic Girls" comment in a Zappa-related thread a coupla weeks ago...

I'm curious, Couloir. What do you do for a living?

Stop, ya lug. Ya killin' me!

IMHO, more than anything else, gene and Bug have hit the highlight. Learn something about avalanche awareness and terrain traps - before you go! A lousy sleeping bag, a tempermental stove, or shitty clothing choices will certainly make for one long miserable night out, but you will in all probability survive to make it back to your car and laugh about it over a few brews with your buds at the bar. But not paying attention to weather cycles, avalanche loading patterns, and terrain traps will kill you quicker than shit. Just plain dead. If you need more proof, see this thread and this one, too.

Is *that* why my butt hurts today?

Nice trip and pics, tvash. Especially like the "lichen hatching from rime egg" and "rime forest" shots. I'm a sucker for macros... BTW W_C, the "Cheney-Tvash Grimace" side-by-side is priceless.