Got a nice little package at work today. You don’t want to need one of these, but if you need one- then you better have one handy.
Wants and Needs
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Monthly Archives: April 2012
Acting
Last year, a group of people raised a bunch of money for me to benefit from. I didn’t ask them to, or know that I would benefit from their work when they raised the money. They took action because they believed that what they were doing was worthwhile, and that one day I would want to thank them. They were right.
I’ve been attending weekend-long seminars called the New Leaders Council (NLC) since January. I’ve written about these seminars before (here, and here), and this past weekend was again spent inside rather than out, and once again, it was worth it. I came to Missoula with big talk about “community” and “local action,” yet my action was small. Talk << Action.
NLC has been about getting connected, and connecting is the first essential piece of acting in the community. I’ve met local leaders, built business and personal relationships, and gotten to know this community on a level that in some ways is much deeper than my involvement with “community” in Portland. Attending the seminars has made me more aware of social justice issues that haven’t been on my radar, and put me in touch with a compassionate, engaged, and intellectually stimulating people that I probably wouldn’t normally get to know via the adventure circles I usually travel in. I leave each conference feeling more alive, and more aware of what needs doing, and I’ve found that invaluable.
NLC is free if you are selected to participate, and that comes with the responsibility of raising money for next years conferences. It costs ~$500 per person to put on in Missoula. We’re having a fundraising event in Missoula this weekend and it should be a very good time- please stop by the Stensrud Building (314 N. 1st St.) between 6-8pm for live music and refreshments. If you can join me in making a donation so that someone next year has this opportunity, that would be rad (click here and select “Missoula Chapter”). If you can’t (and I understand that you can’t), I’ll ask you to consider what you might do to make yourself more alive and connected to your community.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Howard Thurman)
Rattler
Beyond the somber tone of my last post, I’ve also been getting out for plenty of climbing and other outdoor fun. The past two weekends I’ve gotten a primo introduction to the rock climbing goods at Rattler Gulch, about 50 minutes east of town. Very grateful for fun and motivated partners on both weekends, I’ll let the photos tell the rest:
Always pushing ahead- Steve gets chewed up by "Puppy Teeth", 12a.
Jamie gets on it with grit and grin.
The climbing is mostly solid limestone with funky little pockets and sharp edges- and reminds me a lot of many pitches at Smith Rock.
Yours truly sticking the crux on the 11b I fell off last weekend.
Jess steps up her game and gets down to business on a 10b.
Proof that if you go for it, it’s probably going to be good! Get out and love the spring.
Don't forget to look back after you top out, the views are not to be missed.
Thermodynamics
I got a letter yesterday, and while the content was important, I noticed something different about the envelope:
Freedom, forever? I am very afraid not.
It was the way the American flag and the words below it were crossed out. We in America (‘merica!) seem to care so much about our freedom, but what “freedom” is really about is energy- the energy to put food on our tables, to stay warm, and also to have fun. In essence- the energy to live. Yet, when people talk about freedom in America, they rarely talk about energy, and when I think about our energy situation, it makes me think freedom is surely on the way out.
Some people who even like to talk about things like “sustainability” generally don’t get the picture about how much energy matters. “Sustainability” is all the rage in the building design community, it’s even (slowly) taking hold here in western Montana- but it tends to result in wheatgrass fiber wall paneling and bamboo floors rather than energy conservation.
Sustainability is not about your wall finish, riding your bike to work, or your office-wide recycling program. A fair look in the mirror: sustainability is also not about my patagonia clothes, my used Jetta TDI, or the fact that I don’t have kids to provide for. Sustainability is about thermodynamics, plain and simple. Thermo-what? Thermodynamics- the science of energy. It’s an abstraction, it can seem hard to understand, and it is such an essential part of our everyday life. These things are all great, and in some small ways, parts of the solution- but really its going to take a lot more.
Buildings are an amazing opportunity- everyone uses them, they all have utility bills, and almost all of them could benefit from design and/or retrofit work that would make a significant difference in energy consumption. If your utility bill isn’t zero (seriously!), then it needs work. Am I an elitist? Does it matter? It doesn’t matter if we have 40 years of oil and coal left or 400 years. We aren’t living right and each of us needs to play a part of changing that. What do you want to know about energy? How can we make energy consumption more visible? What does a real plan for “freedom” look like? I look forward to your thoughts in the comments.
“Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or a politician.” (Miklos S Dora, paraphrasing Kenneth Boulding)
Packing
I’m packing my things this morning. Last weekend, my housemate and landlord informed me that she needed to live alone, and that I was welcome to take the time to find a place I would be happy living in. I’m grateful for having had this place to land, and feel confident that I can find something that works just as well, if not better, for my needs. I swear Craigslist has mystical powers in that regard.
Packing in a way feels good. My heart opens to adventure, my life feels smaller and more compact again, and I have the opportunity to strip away the unnecessary. I don’t know yet where I will land, my criteria includes cool people and good energy, which doesn’t seem hard to find in this town.
The south hills are full of really awful McMansions, but I can't argue with the view...
I got fired up yesterday, clear skies and a new freehub on my bike reminded me that I didn’t ride 1,000km across Colombia last year because I dislike spending time in the saddle. Maybe I don’t really own skinny tires any more (I sold my old roadbike for cash to travel with), but that doesn’t mean I can’t get out and race the touring bike I have. My legs were fresh and excited to spin. Cycling is an adventure from the moment you leave your house until the moment you get back- and has all of my favorite elements: being outside, hard physical effort, and seeing the world on a human powered level. I rode Pattee Canyon until I hit snow, then bombed down to find the next steepest climb over the South Hills, and then again despite a headwind- dug deep for a third climb on the next road west.
Roads around town are NOT yet all clear.
It felt good to get out and spin, but the frigid wind was a reminder that it is only very early spring here, and I’ve got lots of work to do to find the best places to ride. And I really miss my titanium road bike. We’ll see what the summer brings.
Don’t Suck Today
Don’t suck today- it’s been a common mantra lately, even though life is very full, I’m still battling the “routine”. Low writing motivation, plenty of time at the office (or on the construction site), and relatively few adventures have kept me away from my writing, from training, and from some of the bigger things I care about. That’s not the general idea for this space, but life happens.
The tail end of one a coal train that I happened to catch from the bike bridge. Life keeps rolling forwards.
A few links that have managed to catch my attention:
Big company invests in “small” people (thanks Kurt)
Reminding me of the Scotland love (thanks Nate)
Things are not always as they appear (don’t remember where I saw this). A strong reminder about living on your own terms.
I’ve also been working really hard on my cello playing lately, gearing up for two events that will garner more space here soon. One- I’m campaigning for Kimberly Dudik for Montana House District 99, please come to her kickoff party on April 11 at the Burns Street Food Co-op. I’ll be playing cello from 5.30-8.00pm. Also, I’ll be playing some at the NLC Fundraiser at the Stensrud House on April 27th- more details to follow shortly.
The daily reminder- do what you have to do, support what you want to see in the world, keep chasing your dreams, don’t suck today.
Adventures? Yes…
… I am still having them, but my motivation to write about them has been low. Sometimes we all need a break from blogging. A summary of adventures, in rough chronological order over the last two weeks:
Country swing dancing at the local cowboy bar. Gotta give them credit, the band (County Line) was ripping.
Cowboys just love to dance.
Plenty of hiking and trail running on a few of the local trails now open for the season, including my first trip up Mt. Jumbo.
Mt. Jumbo is finally open for hiking!
Lots of contracting work. Crawlspaces, gas piping, big power tools, the works. Feels good to start to figure some of it out.
It is strangely gratifying to put a 6" hole in the side of someone's house...
This is how you prevent a gas leak, before you turn on the gas...
A little rock climbing on a day of unlikely weather. I was glad to get into Kootenai canyon and start identifying a few projects for the season. Steve is a beast.
The rope hangs, after two whippers on the crux...
And today, a little backcountry skiing at Lolo Pass with a new partner. Many thanks to Jake for hiking a lot, never complaining, and making some good looking turns. Glad we could make the most of a “variable” day!
The weather couldn't make up its mind on Lolo Pass today...
Today was not a powder day, but might have been everything else.
stickthefeeling 