I broke down and bought new climbing shoes on Friday. I’ve had one pair of La Sportiva shoes since I started climbing in the summer of 1995. Of course, the rand has worn out a few times so I’ve had them resoled by Chief Sweet Feet at local climbing gym. I’ve been very happy with the comfort and performance of the shoes, but over the years the leather has deteriorated to the point where layers are splitting off. The shape of my feet tends to limit what shoes will work for me; the toe next to my large toe is fairly long and my heel tends to feel loose in many of the shoes I’ve tried on. So it wasn’t much of a surprise when I walked out of my local REI with a pair of La Sportiva Mythos shoes. Continue reading →

Amidst one of Kaija’s crying spells, I noticed this evening that she sometimes cries as if she’s giving dictation. They sound similar to “Waaaaaa, HUP! Waaaaa, HUP! Waaaaa, HUP!” I can only imagine what she’s trying to say.”I’m hungry. Stop.””I’m hot. Get me out of this fuzzy outfit. Stop.””My diaper’s full. Stop.””I’m bored. Take me outside. Stop.””I’m tired and cranky. Stop.”

I spent yesterday’s lunch period on top of the 5th and Mission Garage in San Francisco watching a demolition crew tear down remnants of the old Emporium building. It was a gorgeous day and quite the site to behold as large machinery tore down floors, walls and I-beams with ease. Several men were spraying water over everything to keep the dust down as debree fell several stories to the ground. Much of the building, which takes up much of the city block, has already been torn down. However, it appears that they plan to keep the large rotunda for the shopping mall that will take it’s place. A Bloomingdale’s is also planned for the site.After finding those pictures, I read the article linked to them. Looks like I’m not the only one who found the spot a great place to watch.UPDATE: (2004.03.03) I’ve added photos of the demolition that I took in mid February.

Kaija’s nearly 2 1/2 months old now and her tear ducts are starting to produce when she cries. It’s been fairly noticable in the past few days, no doubt in part because she’s come down with her first cold. Last weekend was spent around my cousin Don’s kid Forrest. Forrest didn’t act sick when they first arrived at our appartment but by the end of the day it was apparent that he wasn’t feeling very well. A few days later Kaija developed a cough. Then on Sunday her nose started to run and her temperment changed. It appears she’s getting over the worst of it now, though.

I went snowboarding at Northstar this past weekend with a bunch of friends… 12 people packed into a 10-person condo. Having been spoiled with a free a place to stay around South Lake Tahoe for the past few years, I have to say I wasn’t impressed with the drive along I-80. Route 50, though only two lanes wide, rarely had so much traffic that we get in anytime after midnight even in snowy conditions. Friday night was a zoo on I-80. It took us 7 1/2 hours to get from the South Bay to Kings Beach without even stopping for dinner. It was 3 a.m. by the time we got to sleep. All in all, though, the snowboarding was great. Continue reading →