Some more scans. Jeremiah Geronimo Gentry. No matter how hard you may try, you'll never be as cool as this guy. Balloon and Reflection in Pagosa Springs, September 2001. B-24 Liberator wreck on Arizona's Mount Humphreys, Fall 2003. My Grandfather, Dr. Richard Beal. He's in Ensenada, Mexico in December, 2001 They took the whole family down there to help them celebrate their anniversary. My Aunt Dee and my sister Noelle at our old house in Germantown. Fall 2000?
I've spent some time scanning many, many old pictures of mine from back in the day. I never got a digital camera until 2004, so I'm scanning a lot of old stuff before they start fading. A goat overlooking Chicago Basin in the early morning. I took this in the summer of 2000 during my trip to Chicago basin in Colorado's San Juans with the Hansons. One of the more foolish things I've ever done. I went camping with some NAU intervarsity people and jumped off this dam in the Verde Valley. 50 feet up and about 10-15 feet of jagged rocks to clear at the bottom. No margin for error. A Bahamian dolphin in the spring of 2002. I think this was one of the better shots I got on that trip. Other than this, I didn't too many good shots from the Bahamas.
A reader of this blog pointed out that Barack Obama doesn't exactly belong under the Generation X label that I've applied to him. Instead, he more aptly fits into the mold of "Generation Jones." Having never heard this term used, I grew extremely distressed about potential gaps in my education or a potentially outdated one. Could my mental paradigm of socio-economic, demographic, and cultural trends be growing increasingly outmoded? Help! I'm not even thirty yet and I'm already irrelevant! Turns out there's no real cause for alarm. A quick search in wikipedia tells me that Generation Jones is demographically part of the Baby Boomers, but culturally more often identify with the distinctive attributes of Generation X.
Barack Obama may be demographically part of the whole baby boom "arc," but generationally, he wasn't really a part of it. As the whole conversation about Weather Underground radical William Ayers aptly illustrates, Obama was eight years old while Ayers plotted his late 60's war protest bombings. Unfortunately for young Barack, he missed out on the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War protests. Too bad for him that all the exciting events of the 1960's that characterized the Baby Boomers, (like Woodstock!) took place after Obama's early bedtime on school nights. The most classic illustration of baby boomers shows hippies in the late 1960's protesting the Vietnam War and fighting for Civil Rights. Through their sheer overwhelming demographic might, their mood in many ways reflects the mood of America as a whole. Their heroes: MLK, JFK, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and John Lennon perhaps.
By contrast, Generation X grew up in the 1980's, a much smaller generation demographically and is more known for resenting the cultural, political and economic dominance of their boomer progenitors. They grew up with the reputation of apathetic slackers, playing Atari and Nintendo. Time Magazine aptly summed them up as "influenced and changed by the social problems they see as their inheritance: racial strife, homelessness, AIDS, fractured families and federal deficits." Their Heroes: Steve Jobs, Kurt Cobain, and...well... nobody else I can think of. Social commentators have beaten these generational differences to death, so I won't go into more of that. Still, I'm reassured that I wasn't too far off to identify Barack Obama as a member of Generation-X. And despite the video of talking heads provided to me by my reader, I would posit that Barack Obama, and at least the cultural aspects of Gen-Jones, had more in common with Generation-X than their Boomer forebears. Dark and angry punk rockers like the Sex Pistols, perhaps an icon of the Gen-Jonesers, certainly had more in common with Nirvana than they ever did with The Beatles. I would also posit that Obama's background as the son of a single mother working as a community organizer in Chicago's housing projects perfectly exemplifies the issues GenXers struggle with. So I would argue that Obama at least, culturally leans more toward Generation X. But perhaps its harder to say with the rest of the Gen-Jonesers
More importantly as a Gen-Xer, Barack Obama placed greater emphasis on more postmodern political themes like consensus building, organizational action, compromise, unity, and transformational leadership, contrasting sharply with the poll-driven politics and 60's style activism political schools characteristic of his baby-boomer predecessors, especially the Clintons. Rarely did Obama change his message and rarely did he ever change his positions on major issues, at least when compared to his opponents. More importantly, Obama's primary support base consisted of young, recently activated voters and highly motivated volunteers through which he branched into and swallowed up the larger Democratic Party.
During the presidential campaign, their operational styles characterized their generational differences as well. Barack Obama focused on building a grass roots support network through a keen understanding of internet and communications technology. Obama's team skillfully utilized these tools to effectively communicate a powerful message specifically designed to appeal to the often dismissed and often ignored Generation-X. So while John McCain and Hillary Clinton wrote off millions of voters as apathetic slackers, Barack Obama and his team were busy completely reconstructing the political landscape. Obama's recognition of the potential of the youth vote and keen understanding into tapping its potential amounts to a paradigm shift in American politics that probably only happens once in a generation. Ironically, his team flawlessly executed this goal with the ruthless cutthroat precision indicative of Generation-X's distinctively merciless modusoperandi in the corporate world. His two most formidable opponents were boomers: Hillary Clinton & John McCain (He fought in Vietnam and I would argue that despite his age he would fit in with baby boomers). Both engaged in the more traditional campaign strategies of activating conventional party bases and blocs of supporters, reacting to polls, and experimenting with different messages. And while Obama couldn't have been successful without these activities as well, his success stemmed from his uniquely generational outlook and understanding of the young voters he brought to his campaign in a unique way.
I suspect these generational differences were also a factor in McCain's choosing of Sarah Palin. At 44 she would also qualify as a member of Generation Jones or Generation X. And while the pundits all debate her effect on his campaign, positive or negative, I would speculate that McCain selected her at least in part to bring younger voters into his camp. Her effect though, was undoubtedly to energize the conservative base, so time and history will tell what the McCain team's true motives were. And despite the interesting remarks made about her on Fox News, people will probably speculate whether she might be a major party leader in the future.
Anyways, what can we speculate about these generational differences and their effects on politics? Besides the Joneser Barack Obama, who might be some future, more distinctively Generation X leaders for this country?
Anyways, enough social history. Somebody help me think of more Generation X heroes! How about film-maker Kevin Smith? Marilyn Manson perhaps, or is he too late?
Also, who agrees with me that Generation Jones has more in common with Generation X than the Baby Boomers? Or am I simply seeing this through my own tinted perspective?
Many of you now know I've accepted an ESL teaching job in Korea. I will certainly be telling all of you more about this in the coming days, but to sum things up I will say that: 1. I am getting excited and think this will be a wonderful opportunity. 2. I'm concerned about getting certain things together for my visa application.
For those of you looking for details, I'll be going to a town called Changwon. I'll also be working in a job somewhat similar to what I did in Japan.
I've seen pictures of the area, which is a fairly large city on the coast of South Korea. Like much of Korea, the city is surrounded by beautiful rugged mountains. I hope to post pictures of the area soon.
My Dad recently returned from a two and a half week rafting trip down the Grand Canyon. He went with our longtime family friend Jerry Driesens. I'm getting quite eager to hear his stories when he returns from Arizona. But for the moment, I'm just going to have to be satisfied with the picture albums and videos he's posted on his blog.
A before shot. An After shot. A video of Jerry Driesens running the epic mother of all river rapids: Lava Falls.
Jerry Driesens has been a longtime family friend from Pagosa Springs, Colorado. He's also struggled with cancer most of his adult life and as I understand, will be resuming treatment following the trip. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I ask all my readers to keep this wonderful, generous and all around cool guy in their prayers.
As I understand it, this marks my father's third River Rafting trip down the Grand Canyon.
Here are two photographs taken of me that I actually like and still appreciate. When I was 16, I attended the "Rocky Mountain Challenge," a Christian-based Wilderness Skills Program closely modeled after Outward Bound. The Program is run by Eagle Lake Camp, a Navigator's Program based in Pike National Forest just outside Colorado Springs.
Both photographs were taken by a friend on the program, whose name I've long since forgotten. I always appreciated him sending me these photographs though, and I've never forgotten about his generosity. The picture of me in the rain was actually taken in Lost Creek Wilderness on the Colorado Trail. Go figure. The other one shows my long hair and depicts me somewhere on the Western slopes of Pike's Peak. Some Links that might be of interest. Eagle Lake Camp
I suppose I couldn't let this election pass without making a note about it. Friends and regular readers should undoubtedly infer that I'm quite pleased with the outcome of this election. While I still harbor a few misgivings about his vapid, often hollow rhetoric, I think he is the first American president in a long time to have a realistic sense of where America really is and where America is really heading. And while I'm not completely abandoning my cynical and pessimistic forecasts for the future of this country (or lack thereof), I think his election represents a real opportunity.
Why do I think he might be good for the job? His ethnicity and wildly successful courting of a diverse electorate suggest that he has a real sense of the many parts that comprise the whole of this country. While Obama sought votes, support, and volunteers from all classes, segments and aspects of American society, McCain only ever seemed to seek the support of Joe the Plumber, or whatever was considered the "real America." But it was Obama who recognized that, while honest hardworking plumbers in the Mid-West are an important part of this country, America is far more than that. Barak Obama showed that any politician who fails to recognize this new reality does so at his own peril.
But beyond being the first African American president, he is the first president in many other, and I think more important ways. He is of mixed ethnicity, and will have unique insights into both cultures, something I believe has made him the brilliant and formidable communicator he is today. Growing up in Indonesia for a time, he is the first president to spend a significant portion of his life as a minority in another country and culture. I think this early experience gives him unique perspectives and empathy that made him such a powerful, charismatic figure. These will serve him well as a president. He's gone from Kansas to Indonesia, and from the housing projects of Chicago to the halls in Harvard. As a historian I can't recall a single president with such a diverse medley of life experiences.
Too often I find the leaders of this country (especially our most recent commander in chief) come from the most narrow, insulated, well-bred, societal elite . Living their lives out in the marbled halls of gated communities, exclusive private schools and colleges, country clubs, and the corporate boardrooms they dominate, the good ole' boy network lacks not only the perpsective required to lead intelligently, but often harbors serious conflicts of interest. One is often reminded of the first president Bush as he related his story of walking into a supermarket in the early 1990's and being astounded at the laser bar-code scanners. How can someone who hadn't shopped for groceries for years possibly have the perspective and vantage of society as a whole, much less share their interests? And while our new president elect undeniably runs in the elite circles of the wonkish, upper-middle class intelligentsia, I think Obama can be different from the rest, and can relate to the needs of everyone. How else could he have run such a successful campaign?
Besides being the first to President to bridge so many of societies gaps, Obama is also the first Gen-X president, and carries none of the serious intellectual impedimenta that I believe plague so many of America's leaders, especially as it relates to foreign relations. Repeatedly attacking Obama for his willingness to talk to Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela "without preconditions," proved in my mind that the old war veteran just doesn't get it . Such uncompromising rhetoric confirmed that McCain clings to an outdated, romantic vision of America as a superpower acting as some kind of great force for democracy and freedom in the world. I think Obama recognizes that America no longer has the diplomatic strength to impose its unbridled will anywhere it chooses. Bush's refusal to talk to Iran has gotten us nothing but a country much closer to nuclear arms. McCain doesn't seem to get that, even if the US and its European allies stonewall and impose sanctions on Iran, Russia and China will not, ultimately neutering any threats we make against Iran.
Barack Obama's Gen-X perspective also gave him the wisdom and foresight to know that invading Iraq was a bad idea from the start and would only serve to solidify America's image as the global monster it truly is. While McCain and his Washington counterparts authorized the invasion on dubious intelligence, with delusions of "protecting Americans" and "spreading democracy" Obama recognized that despite Americans' perceptions of itself (especially among older generations), the rest of the world does not share that image. The USA has overthrown governments in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Chile, Iran, Grenada, Afghanistan and Iraq to name just a few of the dozens of military interventions the United States has participated in since the end of World War II. Many of these were democratically elected governments. And this doesn't include the scores of other dictators and oppressors the US supported around the world for a variety of reasons. Obama knows that to win the war of ideas, we have to live out those ideals ourselves.
Unlike McCain, Generation X understands that the United States can no longer violently implement its foreign policy objectives. With the balance of global economic power shifting to Russia, China, and Southwest Asia, any long term solution to protect United States security and interests must require engaging enemies diplomatically, and not simply refusing to talk and/or murdering them. I think Obama, along with most people his age, recognize this reality. Perhaps this was something he picked up on during his time in Indonesia, where the evil, US-backed dictator Suharto killed over a million people??
I think Obama also recognizes the complete and utter failure, both morally and intellectually, of Reagan's trickle-down economics. Facts show that, despite their wildly unbelievable claims of "fiscal responsibility," during the Reagan, Bush, and Bush II years, the federal deficit grew more than during all other presidencies combined. And not only as a sum dollar total, but also as a percentage of GDP as well. There are also no economic studies that show a higher tax rate stifles economic growth. Europe is proof of this. I think Obama knows that tax cuts for the super rich are nothing but that: tax cuts for super rich people. When Clinton raised taxes on wealthy people, everyone howled that it would kill economic growth. But just the opposite happened. All that money the government was borrowing was instantly freed up and infused the economy with hundreds of billions of dollars in investment capital. Someone should probably explain to Senator McCain that the best solution to the current credit crisis might be to raise taxes, and not lower them.
But while I think Obama has the better mindset and understanding to lead, I have yet to join in the euphoria of many of my friends. In my estimation, I'm not convinced anyone can be very successful. Powerful corporations, trade associations, and large blocks of special interests know exactly how to promote their own agendas in Washington. I have yet to see the spirit of compromise, consensus, and co-operation required to solve the United State's formidable problems. When JFK said, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," he understood that people have to work together, compromise and put aside their egos, and sometimes, their personal interests for the greater good of their communities. Obama has been good about fostering this spirit within his own campaign and organization, as evidenced by my friends who volunteered a lot of their own time and money to put him in office. Whether he can foster this attitude in Washington DC, where he will undoubtedly anger and disappoint people, step on toes, and be forced to bring many people with many competing goals together and make them agree to solutions has yet to be seen.
Until this fundamental attitude adjustment get solved, it probably won't matter how talented, smart, good looking, or eloquent Barack Obama might be. If the American people as a whole can't put aside their petty differences for the good of the country, I don't see any of Washington's problems getting solved.
If people don't work together and take an interest in the course of their country, the next president will inevitably succumb to the pressure of moneyed interests and morph into just another puppet dancing to the will of corporate America. If people don't come together in unity, eight years from now will simply bring us millions more people who will be uninsured and bankrupt and without access to medical care, whose swelling market costs will swallow up everything. If we don't come together, America will still be forcefully asserting its interests around the world through military might, spawning a new generation of angry terrorists bent on our destruction. And we will still be financing a huge, towering fiscal deficit, borne on the backs of the great export economies of the Far East.
So its time for Americans to stop placing their hope in the next American president, change their thinking and start working together as a team for the betterment of their own country. Barack Obama probably understands the need for this change. But he won't be able to accomplish much unless enough of everyone else does as well.
These were taken near Silverton, Colorado on a short, labor day road trip in the Autumn of 2001. I took this shot only hours before my old car broke down. I was unable to repair it for several months. Despite the car troubles that ultimately ruined this trip, I had a wonderful time at this excursion. There was a balloon festival in Pagosa Springs that weekend that I witnessed.
My mother was complaining to me the other day about McCain's unfair treatment in the press, claiming everything from Saturday Night Live to Cable News and the local paper were all being horribly unfair to the old Senator from Arizona in the days up to the election.
I immediately inferred that my mom hasn't been watching enough FOX News lately. But while I found some of her specific complaints and citations to be unwarrantable, I did have to concede that the most of what I see and have seen, both in the news and the media at large seems to be favoring Obama in one way or another. The first explanation I would offer is that Obama's campaign has brilliantly managed their message and communication, both to the press and the public at large.
Still, there is the undeniable general media bias that does tilt somewhat to the left. But as this op-ed piece written by journalists suggests, there are numerous other factors at play.
And while I think the article probably downplays the liberal bias, a lot of what the article says probably has real merit. He makes a good case especially for the sources that leak information. He also explains the axiom of making an artificial bias simply for the sake of appearing unbiased. Despite the media's bias towards Obama and by publishing something favorable about him, you can only do so much to write something favorable about the other guy, especially when it is completely unwarranted. The same is probably plaguing president Bush right now. There are only so many ways a reporter can be "fair and balanced" about an epic fail.
Adding my two cents, repeated reports that McCain is constantly limiting the press' access to him probably isn't helping him. Few would deny that during (and even after) his 2000 bid in the primaries, the press loved McCain for his "straight talk" and for his constantly talking to the press on his campaign bus.
Moreover, the news media, as much as they might feign to be otherwise, is simply a cog of the larger entertainment industry. As such, it sells drama, which the McCain campaign has given us in abundance when compared to the Obama camp. Obama and his team seem to be running a really tight ship with almost nothing leaking to the press. They're controlling the message they give out and they're good at communicating that message to the press on the terms they dictate. But as you can see, reports are surfacing inside the McCain camp of Palin "going rogue" along with other rumored tidbits of internal conflict and friction. As the authors of this article point out, this wouldn't be happening were journalists' sources not leaking information.
A break from my normal routine of weightlifting and job hunting, I had the chance to see Michelle Obama at a rally today! Yes, my favorite candidate for first lady held a campaign rally this afternoon at Dakota Ridge High School, not 10 minutes from the house!
As I was lifting weights at the YMCA, I arrived kind of late, and the gym was full. Boo-hoo! Everyone was lined up the street. Then the line started moving and we all started walking to the other side of the High School. In hushed silence, the crowd was led to... a brick wall with speakers outside! Boo hoo! On the speakers I could hear Mark Udall, the Colorado Senate candidate giving a speech inside. Oh well, I thought.
But then, who should come out? Michelle Obama! She said she wanted to greet the overflow crowd and made some remarks for about five minutes. Definitely very positive and encouraging, and she unsurprisingly stuck to most of the usual Obama talking points that everyone's heard over the past weeks.
She then went around shaking hands, and I managed to lean in and shake her hand. Not everyday you get to shake hands with the projected first lady! She also mentioned that this was her "last campaign rally," and that she was overwhelmed by all the support she's recieved from the people of Colorado. As you can see from the pictures, she looks as good in person as she does on camera. Not bad! (for a girl anyways). Lots of enthusiastic voters! I only wish my dad could've been here, but alas, he was stuck in Arizona coming off of his rafting trip and couldn't make it.
An incomplete tick list of some different books I wanna read. This is in no particular order, just some books I've heard about and would like to read.
1. Ruby Payn- Understanding Poverty. This one was recommended to me by former colleague and friend Jeff Wallick. Should satisfy my interest in sociology and economics.
4. Noam Chomsky- Hegemony or Survival. Always nice to curl up by the fire with some hot apple cider for a little Chomsky, as he skewers the worst of American foreign policy.
5. Barack Obama- The Audacity of Hope. Our new president's second book about changing American Politics. Hopefully he'll have some more concrete specifics than his stylish, yet sometimes empty rhetoric. Nevertheless, Obama is an interesting character, whatever your political persuasions.
This list is of course incomplete, and I may edit it from time to time. Still, if you're looking to buy me a birthday present, this wouldn't be a bad page to bookmark.
I've hardly watched TV at all since my junior year of college and that's probably a good thing. TV rots your brains! I dunno about that, but the consumerism it fosters is probably no small factor in the credit bubble responsible for current economic ills. If I have watched TV since then it was on DVD's or through the internet.
I'm compiling this list of several of my favorite TV series, along with a few of my comments on them. They are in no particular order or ranking. Don't try arguing with me about them either. If your favorite show isn't on this list, it doesn't deserve to be on any list. You know it and I know it.
1.Star Trek: The Next Generation Perhaps I was never devoted to any television series as much as I was with The Next Generation. And I would argue that this was the best of all the Star Trek Series out there. All the actors and performances were top notch. Some of sci-fi TV's greatest writing also took place for this show.
2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine While not as good as TNG, I do feel that DS9 got treated unfairly. Looking back at the series today, I can say with certainty that it was way ahead of its time and very innovative in many ways. It was also the victim of several things wrong with Trek in general, mainly its limits on characters without flaws. Trek characters always try to do the right thing which leads to limitations for writers and the themes they can explore. As much as the writers tried to break free from this restriction on this show, they never quite did. Nevertheless, the cast was comprised of many talented actors who threw themselves into many strong characters. While not very recognized, I felt the writing was good as well.
3. Star Trek: Voyager This series had much potential as far as Trek goes, but unfortunately writers continued returning to the same old things from TNG. It also drowned under the sheer overpowering weight of its "techno-babble," a problem that crept up in DS9 but got completely out of control on Starship Voyager.
4. Dexter America's favorite serial killer. Some wonderful performances and a lot of black humor make this series about a forensic blood splatter expert at Miami-Dade Police all the more hilarious as he is the most wanted serial killer in town. I watched the first season in Kuwait during one week while I was sick in bed.
5. Charlie Jade Certainly the Darkest TV series I've ever seen. Charlie Jade is a sort of detective sci-fi noir about a P.I. who gets stuck in a parallel universe. While the series has many flaws, it is a very original premise. Its supreme darkness, originality, boldness, and ill mannered humor also get points in my book.
6. Nip/Tuck Watch shallow, narcissistic plastic surgeons deal with suprisingly insightful themes about beauty, sincerity and ideals, and flawed value systems.
7. Lost Watch a bunch of castaways crash land on a Pacific Island and their improbable, preposterous connections to one another. Despite the good performances I couldn't manage to watch more than the first season of this on DVDs
8. Millenium A critically celebrated spin Off of the X-Files and also one of the darkest TV series ever created about a man who profiles serial killers. Unfortunately it wasn't as commercially successful but remains one of my all time favorites. There are rumors Chris Carter may produce a film based on actor Lance Henriksen's Frank Black character.
9. X-Files Another program I was faithfully devoted to in middle school. I can actually claim I watched this series long before it became the popular phenomenon and spun off into two movies.
10. Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica Originally a shortlived hack TV series that shamelessly ripped off Star Wars in the late 1970's. The newer Sci Fi Channel version is far superior in every respect. Heck it even made science fiction cool again.
I hadn't heard that my favorite band was now on a "permanent hiatus." Its too bad too, because I think they're really talented and I like their messages. So here's my tribute to System of a Down.
I always suspected most cable news channels couldn't be trusted, and I take pride in my cynicism and dissilusion with humanity, but even I give news sources the benefit of the doubt too often. This guy gives us all proof. Imagine: WWE Wrestling is actually more accurate and more reliable than the CNN News source millions of people trust. Of course in this context, its only natural that WWE would want to be more accurate and reliable as it clearly serves their interests to do so. Still, shame on CNN. They don't even deserve a link on this post.
Early Saturday morning, I climbed the Third Flatiron with my father. While its only 800 feet high or so, it feels much higher because the first pitch is a lateral traverse at a 40 degree angle out over a face that's already 2-300 feet up. So you just take the first step out and you already feel like you're 300 feet off the deck! Climbing doesn't get much better than that! Leaving at 5:30 AM, we were sure we'd beat all the lazy CU college students to the face of the climb, but one group was there before us. Fortunately they were moving slowly and we were able to pass them up after 150 feet or so. After that, several parties started to arrive, and we saw 2 or three groups and their neon ropes snaking up the granite slab. We reached the top first, but it wasn't long before 2 other parties arrived shortly thereafter. Despite the clouds and diffused sunlight, we had some excellent views of Boulder, Denver, and the other Flatiron slabs lining the Front Range above Boulder. See pictures below. Here you can see my father coming down the first of three rappels. The rappels proved to be a bit awkward, but is tons of fun because the entire upper portion of the Third Flatiron slab is overhanging towards the west. So you can spin around floating through space. You can also read my father's account here.
Here is the complete collection of all my posts on the Colorado Trail. While some might think this obsessive, I consider this one of the most important episodes in my life, despite my own negative outcome. Since leaving the country four years ago, I missed the natural landscape of the Western United States, and particularly Colorado's spectacular Rocky Mountains. This journey proved to be a fantastic opportunity to see some of the best Colorado offers.
Went climbing today with an old family friend, Leon Henkleman. We went to the South West end of Buffalo Creek and messed around on some crags over there. After ascending one easy 5th class pitch to the top of a bowl shaped enclave, we found 4 or 5 bolted routes going up another granite face. So instead of finishing to the top, we climbed our way up several of these pitches. The area also wasn't far from where the Colorado Trail goes through Buffalo Creek. The whole area near the South Platte river is literally teeming with big rocks to climb. There are literally dozens of areas around here, most of which are composed of the distinctive Pikes Peak Granite poking out of most of the central front range in jagged, rugged cliffs.
It was nice for me to get back to climbing. I hadn't really done any since my first year in Japan. There I had gone out to some cliffs with a very old-school mountaineering/ski buddy named Tokuichiro Sato. Being almost three years ago, I surprised myself by leading a route I thought I'd never get up. One of the routes there was at least 5.9, I thought. A better judge of things, Leon declared it a hard 5.9 or about even a 5.10a-b. I don't appear to have forgotten any of the vast knowledge I of the sport I learned in college either. I still seem to have decent technique and haven't forgotten how to belay. Not bad for a guy who hasn't picked up a rope in 3 years except to put it in a storage box.
Picture Note: Because I forgot to bring my camera, you'll have to be content with a shot of my foot and rope dangling off something else in Eldorado Canyon!
Jeremiah Geronimo Gentry. No matter how hard you may try, you'll never be as cool as this guy.
Balloon and Reflection in Pagosa Springs, September 2001.
B-24 Liberator wreck on Arizona's Mount Humphreys, Fall 2003.
My Grandfather, Dr. Richard Beal. He's in Ensenada, Mexico in December, 2001 They took the whole family down there to help them celebrate their anniversary.
My Aunt Dee and my sister Noelle at our old house in Germantown. Fall 2000?
A goat overlooking Chicago Basin in the early morning. I took this in the summer of 2000 during my trip to Chicago basin in Colorado's San Juans with the Hansons.
One of the more foolish things I've ever done. I went camping with some NAU intervarsity people and jumped off this dam in the Verde Valley. 50 feet up and about 10-15 feet of jagged rocks to clear at the bottom. No margin for error.
A Bahamian dolphin in the spring of 2002. I think this was one of the better shots I got on that trip. Other than this, I didn't too many good shots from the Bahamas.
A reader of this blog pointed out that Barack Obama doesn't exactly belong under the Generation X label that I've applied to him. Instead, he more aptly fits into the mold of "Generation Jones." Having never heard this term used, I grew extremely distressed about potential gaps in my education or a potentially outdated one. Could my mental paradigm of socio-economic, demographic, and cultural trends be growing increasingly outmoded? Help! I'm not even thirty yet and I'm already irrelevant!
Turns out there's no real cause for alarm. A quick search in wikipedia tells me that Generation Jones is demographically part of the Baby Boomers, but culturally more often identify with the distinctive attributes of Generation X.
An After shot.
A video of Jerry Driesens running the epic mother of all river rapids: Lava Falls.
These were taken near Silverton, Colorado on a short, labor day road trip in the Autumn of 2001. I took this shot only hours before my old car broke down. I was unable to repair it for several months. Despite the car troubles that ultimately ruined this trip, I had a wonderful time at this excursion. There was a balloon festival in Pagosa Springs that weekend that I witnessed.
A break from my normal routine of weightlifting and job hunting, I had the chance to see Michelle Obama at a rally today! Yes, my favorite candidate for first lady held a campaign rally this afternoon at Dakota Ridge High School, not 10 minutes from the house!
Lots of enthusiastic voters! I only wish my dad could've been here, but alas, he was stuck in Arizona coming off of his rafting trip and couldn't make it.
I've hardly watched TV at all since my junior year of college and that's probably a good thing. TV rots your brains! I dunno about that, but the consumerism it fosters is probably no small factor in the credit bubble responsible for current economic ills. If I have watched TV since then it was on DVD's or through the internet.
While not as good as TNG, I do feel that DS9 got treated unfairly. Looking back at the series today, I can say with certainty that it was way ahead of its time and very innovative in many ways. It was also the victim of several things wrong with Trek in general, mainly its limits on characters without flaws. Trek characters always try to do the right thing which leads to limitations for writers and the themes they can explore. As much as the writers tried to break free from this restriction on this show, they never quite did. Nevertheless, the cast was comprised of many talented actors who threw themselves into many strong characters. While not very recognized, I felt the writing was good as well. 
Certainly the Darkest TV series I've ever seen. Charlie Jade is a sort of detective sci-fi noir about a P.I. who gets stuck in a parallel universe. While the series has many flaws, it is a very original premise. Its supreme darkness, originality, boldness, and ill mannered humor also get points in my book.
A critically celebrated spin Off of the X-Files and also one of the darkest TV series ever created about a man who profiles serial killers. Unfortunately it wasn't as commercially successful but remains one of my all time favorites. There are rumors Chris Carter may produce a film based on actor Lance Henriksen's Frank Black character.
Leaving at 5:30 AM, we were sure we'd beat all the lazy CU college students to the face of the climb, but one group was there before us. Fortunately they were moving slowly and we were able to pass them up after 150 feet or so. After that, several parties started to arrive, and we saw 2 or three groups and their neon ropes snaking up the granite slab.
We reached the top first, but it wasn't long before 2 other parties arrived shortly thereafter. Despite the clouds and diffused sunlight, we had some excellent views of Boulder, Denver, and the other Flatiron slabs lining the Front Range above Boulder. See pictures below.
Here you can see my father coming down the first of three rappels. The rappels proved to be a bit awkward, but is tons of fun because the entire upper portion of the Third Flatiron slab is overhanging towards the west. So you can spin around floating through space. You can also read my father's account here.
Went climbing today with an old family friend, Leon Henkleman. We went to the South West end of Buffalo Creek and messed around on some crags over there. After ascending one easy 5th class pitch to the top of a bowl shaped enclave, we found 4 or 5 bolted routes going up another granite face. So instead of finishing to the top, we climbed our way up several of these pitches. The area also wasn't far from where the Colorado Trail goes through Buffalo Creek. The whole area near the South Platte river is literally teeming with big rocks to climb. There are literally dozens of areas around here, most of which are composed of the distinctive Pikes Peak Granite poking out of most of the central front range in jagged, rugged cliffs.
