I'm home from two weeks of the most amazing adventures I've ever experienced. Brent met me at the airport on Sunday night, and I'm just now unpacking and starting to write about my trip to Mexico's volcanoes. We were busy getting reaquainted.

More details to come later, but in short I accomplished all four of my goals; 1. climb higher than the summit of Mt. Rainier, 2. climb above 5000 meters, 3. summit Itzta, 4. summit Orizaba. There were a few hazzards, discomforts, and indignities, but all were overcome for a succussful expedition. Carpe Diem!!
posted by Rob Bourke at 11/6/2001 01:12:00 PM

There are a mere 22 hours before I leave home and begin my journey to El Pico de Orizaba. I'm finishing the gear packing now. Brent will arrive for dinner in an hour or so. After a nice relaxing evening with Brent, we'll drift off to sleep and the next thing I know, it'll be time to go to Mexico.

I'm excited, and yet a bit reserved about the adventure. That's how I usually feel just before a trip like this, be it climbing or going to sea. I'm a bit aprehensive of the dangers I'm about to face, but they're manageable. What bothers me more, is a nagging sense of loss. I'm giving up my home, my way of life, and moreover my boyfriend, friends, and family for 10 ten days. Letting go of home is a melancholy time for me.

Not to worry, I know quite well how my brain works. The mixed feelings will pass when I egress from the car at the airport tomorrow morning. At that point, the climb begins and I will focus on efficiently getting from the Monterey airport to the summit of two high strato-volanoes in Mexico, and safely back to the Monterey airport according to schedule. After Brent kisses me good-bye at the sidewalk, it will be all high adventure and fun. I won't have any regrets or misgivings about home, because home will no longer be part of my world. On an adventure, I usually experience a sort of temporary amnesia about home which allows me to focus on successfully accomplishing my journey and enjoying the process.

Travel, exploration, learning, adventure. These are the things I live for! While I'm away, I will think of all of you at home only occasionally, and in the context of a coming reward for a job well done. It isn't until I return safely to Monterey that I'll be able to fully appreciate your love support and feel the full emotional impact of home. Thank you all for keeping a light on for me.
posted by Rob Bourke at 10/25/2001 07:58:08 PM

I had a great weekend in Lake Tahoe. I rode up in a borrowed ski tour van with six of my friends. Two others drove up in a car a little later, and our friend Julie, who moved away from Monterey last year met us there too. It was great to see Julie again, she rocks and I miss her.

We stayed up talking and drinking until 3:00 a.m. on Friday night. On Saturday Walt and I went for a hike up Heavenly ski area. We started at 6,000 ft. and five and a half hours later were on the top at 10,000. It was dark when we got back down to the parking lot.

I called the condo when we got back to the car to say we had made it and would be back at the party soon. When we got there, Scotty had a big rum and coke ready for me, which I took out the to Jacuzzi for a nice soak. There was a sign there that said "ABSOLUTELY NO GLASS CONTAINERS OR ALCOHOL ALLOWED!" I had both. I'm such a rebel. *rolls eyes*

We made spaghetti for dinner, and drank more rum, wine, vodka, and beer. Our entertainment was the first Austin Powers movie, and a Warren Miller movie showing lots of good snow boarding and skiing stunts set to cool music. I have no idea when I went to bed on Saturday.

Sunday we had a late start. I took a beer (in a glass bottle) out to the Jacuzzi and sat around for a while. Later, we had to clean out the condo, which was by then completely trashed, and drive back down to Monterey. I was tired, but Brent pounced me when I got back into my apartment and kept me up for a few more hours.
posted by Rob Bourke at 10/22/2001 03:27:52 PM

My journal is competeing with itself. I've got my main pages, this blogger page, and a livejournal going. Is anybody getting confused? Which one do you like best? Please tell me! It doesn't make much sense for me to attempt to keep three different journals going at the same time.
posted by Rob Bourke at 10/15/2001 01:24:49 PM

This weekend in Monterey was spectacular, and I missed most of it. I think I ate a bad piece of sushi on Saturday night. In the early pre-dawn hours of Sunday I woke to terrible nausea and body aches. I was miserable all day, trying to sleep so I wouldn't have to feel the pain, but hurting too much to sleep. It wasn't until around 10:00 p.m. that my immune system started to get ahead of the toxins in my body and I began to feel a little better. Thank goodness Brent stayed around all day to take care of me. All I wanted to do was die.
posted by Rob Bourke at 10/1/2001 11:55:46 AM

Enterprise!

We watched the new Star Trek series pilot last night. It's actually pretty good. Back in the day, I was a Star Trek fan. No, I never saw the original in prime time, I'm not that old. But I did get to see The Next Generation series while it was happening, and it was pretty good. Then two things happened to break my Star Trek loyalty; Voyager and Babylon 5. The former sucked and the latter rocked.

I was, overall, pretty happy with the new show "Enterprise". I certainly liked it way better than Voyager. It remains to be seen whether or not the new series has a story arc that spans five years, the way B5 did, or if it will be more typical ST with each episode building on the previous, but with no direct links or a complete five-year story already written.

The new captain, Scott Baccula, over reacted to situations in a few places, but that was the writers' fault, not his. He looked pretty darn good in his underwear, which I assume was, in fact, his fault and not CGI. This is definitely the sexiest ST ever.

Well, OK, I suppose there was 7of 9 if you are into enormous breasts, but I just found her body suit annoying. What I want to know is if you sleep with someone like her, where the hell are you supposed to rest your head?
posted by Rob Bourke at 9/28/2001 02:56:54 PM

Sheesh, I'm busy today. I need more time. I need the day to be longer.

Of course, for that to happen, the Earth would have to be bigger, you know, to make room for more than just 24 of the one hour time zones. But, if the Earth were bigger, then we'd all be heavier because the increase in mass of the Earth would cause our gravitational acceleration to increase. The last thing I want to be is heavier.

Nope, the only thing for it is to get Congress to change Pi. Remember? Pi? It's the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its radius? Yes, that Pi. Then, we could have more hours in the day (related to circumference) without increasing gravity (related to radius). It's perfect!
posted by Rob Bourke at 9/25/2001 04:15:09 PM

It rained yesterday evening!! It hasn't rained here in more than four months. It was a welcome change. And, not only was there rain, but lightning and thunder too. The lightning started shortly after Brent and I got back to my apartment following dinner. We put out all the lights so we could watch it light up the dusky sky. (Lightning only happens about once or twice a year at most here.) Did you know that lightning can be very romantic? It's a damn good thing we had all the lights out, because the windows were all open and, well ... nuff said.

This morning dawned bright and clear. It was wonderful to see the sunshine on the hills above the bay. The normal summer gloom and fog is heaviest in the mornings. It's probably been July since the sun came up in a clear blue sky. The pure magnificence of the morning made it a little easier to untangle myself from Brent and get up to start the new day.
posted by Rob Bourke at 9/25/2001 09:47:41 AM