Far Out Son of Lung...

Buildering

Last night it rained. I've seen it rain cats and dogs before, but this was bigger. This... this was much bigger. The rain was coming down so hard it sounded like a team of zombies was trying to break into my apartment so they could eat my brains and make a decorative lamp out of my skull and rib cage. I'm thinking that it was raining so hard, it was probably raining yaks.

When I was in college I cleaned my dorm room. Well, it was right at the end of the year, you know before you move out you have to clean your room, and I think it was the first time I'd ever cleaned my room that year. As such, there was a lot of dust under the bed. Hair, dust, fuzz, lint it was all there in abundance. A once friend of mine, a guy who called himseld Merik, commented that while other people had dust bunnies under their beds, I instead had dust yaks. I thought that was pretty witty, and I've made referneces to it ever since.

But I digress. Before it started raining I decided to go climb around on a rock wall a few steps outside of my apartment building. The wall is only about 6 or 7 feet tall, 40 feet long and is made of really gnurled, natural rock looking/feeling bricks. There's a ton of stuff to hold on to and a done of places to put one's feet. It is a rather simple traverse so I had to think of ways to make it more difficult.

For example, I would only allow myself to crimp or grip the stone at a 90 degree angle to the ground, or I would only allow myself to match feet before moving to another hold. I wouldn't use the top edge of the wall for it gave too much surface area, but I could use the top edges of the lower bricks... things like this, simple games and things, will hopefully help me improve my gripping strength and my posture on the rock.

Another game to play was keeping my body, my butt specifically, as close to the wall as possible by turning my hips to the side as I traversed. I tried finger stacking, edging, crimping and anything else I could think of, before it started raining. I think this might be a good way to pass some time. It is the first time I'd tried it, but it was fun. I can see how it'd get dull over time but as a little practice piece for giggles, it ain't so bad. Better still, it's free.

It does, however, remind me that I might need a new pair of shoes. The shoes I currently climb in are perfectly good in terms of wear, but I think they are a bit tight. I have quite bit of feel in them, quite a bit of power in my toes... but both of my big toe nails are bruised heavily and look like they've seen better days. Mostly, I guess, because the have. The challenge then become what to buy.

Do I go for another general shoe or do I go for something more specific? There are so many brands to choose from and so many different uses for which they are specified... the search will begin, and hopefully end, without too much confusion. I do love the research portion of this process, I just don't like the part where I have to choose one pair!

posted by GreSam @ 14:41