#18 A Hobby

            One of my many hobbies is rock climbing. I would love to spend more of my time doing it like I used to. In the post on passion I talked a bit about rock climbing but let’s see if I can expound some more on it.  Why do I choose rock climbing, well I consider myself an athlete so I enjoy the challenge of it both physically and mentally. It’s a challenge mentally for two different reasons. One because each climb is like a puzzle, it’s not painted out for you where the holds are. You have to find them in the sequence that works for you. The second reason is because you need mental endurance. You need to stay focused and determined to finish routes when you’re tired. The enjoyment of the physical challenge comes from the tiredness you feel in your arms at the end of the day. Barely being able to grab anything because your forearms are so worn out and being able to look back at what you were able to finish… what an awesome feeling.

            One of the most rewarding things about rock climbing for me is being able to stand, or hang, on top of a cliff or spire and behold the vast expanse of the world below. Knowing that I took the more challenging route, or in some cases only route, to that view. One of my favorite climbs I’ve done was in Moab, Utah. The climb was called Kor-Ingals on the Castleton Tower (one of those tall rock spires out in the desert). From the start of the climb it’s just over 400 feet to the top split up into four sections. The third of which being the most difficult because at the beginning the corner you’ve been climbing in separates and creates a 3 foot gap with no holds on either face. So for at least 20 feet you have to do what’s called a “lie back”. Grabbing the edge of the wall on the gap side you put your feet against the other wall spanning the gap and sort of walk your way up. It is a very tiring technique and I was so happy to reach the top of that section. Then when we reached the top I had a 360 degree view of the desert below and way off in the distance, snow capped mountains. So, so beautiful.

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A little rant about Colin Clark

           So this past weekend in the MLS (Major League Soccer for those who don’t know) the Houston Dynamo played the Seattle Sounders in Seattle. Almost 8 minutes into the game something quite unfortunate happened. After not being tossed the ball by the ball boy like he wanted Colin Clark of the Dynamo cursed at the boy calling him a “F***ing Fagot.” How ridiculous and pathetic is that? A grown man and professional athlete, who should be used to not getting the best treatment during away games, decides to insult and curse at a kid probably not more than 14 years old. Colin Clark will forever be an A-hole for his behavior but what I am more upset about is the media coverage of it.

            Out of all the articles I read and discussions I heard about this only one mentioned that Clark used the four letter F word along with the homosexual slur. Every reporter was so concerned with the possibility that he might have offended the homosexual community that they totally forgot about the ball boy and the expletive thrown his way. I may be going out on a limb here but I’d be willing to bet that the vast majority of reporters that wrote about this incident aren’t even homosexual. It seems to me that they’re only covering half the issue to try and impress people or gain cred by letting everyone know how PC (politically correct) they are. Give me a break! Should he have said it? No. Could it be offensive to homosexuals? Yes but if you’re not homosexual why the hell do you care? Sure it was wrong of him and it really demonstrates his character but I’m more concerned that he felt he could and somehow needed to say those things to the ball boy.

            Another thing that has bothered me is all the people that have posted comments on these articles condemning Clark for being ignorant or insensitive to homosexuals. Again I’m willing to bet that most of those people aren’t homosexual either. How is it that as a society we have become more worried about PC and less worried about the treatment of our youth? It’s almost as if discrimination is more important to people that child abuse.

Oh let’s make sure we hammer this guy because he may or may not have offended a group of people and… oh what’s that? What’s that you’re saying? He verbally abused a kid? Well that’s not as important.

Can someone please explain to me why society has developed this fear of offending the masses when, as in this case, the only person it was meant to offend the ball boy? If the ball boy was homosexual things would be a little different but not by much. There's no way Clark knew whether or not this kid is and there's no reason for us to know. We are developing into an overly sensitive society where people are more worried about what others think than just living their lives. Even if I was homosexual I wouldn’t let what Colin Clark said offend me. If he wants to be an A-hole, fine. I don’t really care. What I would be and am more concerned about is how he treated the KID.

I guess in the end all I’m saying is Clark is a first class douchebag and should be suspended and fined for how he treated the kid and we, as a society, need to grow up a little.

#16 Stereotypes

                One of my favorite stereotypes is that women are bad drivers. Unfortunately it’s one that is proven right almost every day. Occasionally I am surprised by a woman that can drive competently and safely but not too often. I find myself a little on edge every time I get into a car with a girl not knowing how it’s going to work out. After a ride or two it’s easily discerned what kind of driver they are. I hear the arguments all the time that women are actually better drivers because they are better at multitasking, but is sitting behind the wheel really a good time to multitask? Way to often do I see women doing their makeup or doing their hair while driving. I know it takes them all but eternity to get ready for… well anything but honestly could they not do it behind the wheel? For all our sakes!  Now I know I’m probably going to catch a lot of crap for writing about this with comments that men are bad drivers as well which can be true. Men can be just as bad but that’s not the stereotype now is it?

                Are stereotypes ever warranted? That’s a tough one because stereotypes can often be construed as racism. For instance I have a friend that is a waiter and he hates serving Hispanics because they almost never tip and when they do it’s very little. So given his wages and that he has to tip out kitchen and bar staff he has the potential to lose money while at work. Now it may sound like a racist thing but my friend is not racist. Insurance companies use stereotypes all the time when calculating your rates.

                In my opinion stereotypes are ok and sometimes needed but when used out of anger or hate is where I draw the line.

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#13 Validate

           Everyone needs to see the short film called “Validation.” Set on one man who, while validating parking tickets also validates the customers with simple compliments. He is able to make even the grumpiest or most unhappy people to smile. He goes on to do great things with his positive and complimentary persona. Then one day while having to renew his driver’s license he meets the woman of his dreams. There is just one problem however; no matter how hard he tries he can’t get her to smile. Whether or not he succeeds and all the different things he tries I will leave to you to watch and find out for yourself.

 The film sends a strong message on what a difference just one person with a kind word can make in the lives of others. Filmed in black and white and simple settings I feel the directors wanted it to be about the message and not fancy cinematography or special effects. The acting was a bit cheesy which adds a bit of humor to the film. Overall I agree with the underlying message that compliments aren’t hard to give and that in giving them we are making others happy as well as ourselves. 

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#12 A Book

               My father is a firefighter and it is also a profession that I would like to have so true firefighting stories have always gripped me. There was a book I read quite a few years ago that I had borrowed from my father and it has always stuck with me called “To Sleep with the Angels” by David Cowan and John Kuenster. The book is about the tragedy at the Catholic elementary school in Chicago named Our Lady of the Angels School. In December of 1958 a fire tore through the school taking the lives of 92 children and 3 nuns. Written as a narrative with firsthand accounts from children, nuns, firefighters, and people from the community with a bit of a detective feel this book was difficult to put down. One thing I really liked about this story is the many tales of ordinary men and women, just people you would see at the grocery store or working on cars, putting their safety and lives on the line to try and save those in the school. They are prime examples of true heroes, not like today where that title is thrown around far too liberally.

                I feel that everyone should read this book if for nothing else its tales of heroism. This tragedy also helped develop better fire codes for schools. Unfortunately sometimes it takes a tragedy to make people look more carefully at safety. I will admit that is was hard to read at some points with how descriptive some accounts were.  

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