Beeline, You Might Drive Three Days...

Driving down to Arizona last week reminded me just why I love road trips, baseball, good music, and National Parks. In fact, having now seen Saguaro & the Grand Canyon for the first time (Havasupai doesn't count), I will have seen 8 U.S. National Parks for my first time by September.

Adam & Spencer make for very willing and capable road trippers, and the trip was a pleasure.

The Cincinnati Reds & the Colorado Rockies are lookin' good this year...

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goodyear

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saguaro

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grand canyon

... and the writing in the salt says,

"we ride out to the stars"...

Luna, They're Coming Down Now, and It Was Always on the Cards...

Lloyd invited me to NYC for a week over St. Patty's Day. Not for the Irish drinking & dancing--neither for the parade--but for what I believed was an exorbitant effort on the company's high supreme board of directors effort to intimidate "the little guy/employee". It can't be interpreted any other way, when one steps off the Hudson ferry at Paulus Hook and looks up at the big ol' 30 H starring back down.

So, did I get intimidated? Did I get sloshed on St. Patty's Day? No, neither. I did what any other rational visitor to New York City would do... I booked a PATH ticket to Newark, New Jersey. Jana, Dave, Melissa and I watched and cheered as the NJ Devils kicked the proverbial dust out of Sid Crosby, a Canadian, and the Pittsburgh Pens. It was the highlight of the week.

Did I only spend my per diem only on the essentials? No! Naturally, no! I treated my two very good friends studying at Columbia, Jordan (acquainted through BYU) and Jake (former district leader), to steaks and ribs at the Havana Central on the upper West Side.

Do I now return home, ranting and raving about how "amazing" NYC is? ... and how everyone should go visit there, and if you haven't, you must "certainly" be some uncultured waste of organic space? "Certainly", I do not. New York is fun... I enjoyed every minute. But it's a true city, not a tourist destination. I suggest everyone go there sometime, but when you've got an appropriate justification (such as if Lloyd's got you covered).

Thanks, Lloyd, ol' buddy. I had a wonderful time...

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Luna, the doors are open

and you will have to start taking sides

Luna, the doors are open

you could not burn faster if you tried

Looking Over Your Shoulder and Setting Sail...

It's the first of March... the day I am due to give notice to the "ol' Blue & Gray".

The P.of G.P. tells that he was nearly sacrificed to idols in Ur. He covenanted to be glorified in the "stars and sand"--because of his righteousness, and despite his age and lack of children. Yet Abraham, "the father of nations", was commanded to sacrifice Isaac.

Wohlan, so führ uns allzugleich, zum Teil am Leiden, und am Reich.

Late Saturday night, while making the long drive from Capitol Hill to Alpine, and in a smaller measure, I sympathized.

Respectfully, I submit no acceptance, pay no deposit, and take no thought towards becoming a Hoya again. It will be Wahoowa, the Old Dominion.

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saratoga

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bear canyon

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Mit eitler Rede wird hier nichts geschafft,
Die Stunde dringt, dem Mann muß Hülfe werden.
Sprich, Fährmann, willst du fahren?

Distant Silhouette Somehow, We Shared a Cigarette Somewhere... Addict Till It Falls, Falls, Falls.

You know, there's nothing quite like a pistachio. I ate plenty of them Saturday, while stuck on a cold, rocky ledge above the Zion Canyon floor--up 185 feet, having only 165 feet of rope...

From Brian falling through the ice on rappel #1, to Toby's white-knuckled stunt on rappel #8, Brian dubbed the day's course as "epic". Whatever one calls it, one must appreciate it as a adrenaline-filled escape, a chance to realize one's exhilarating abilities and physical limits, and a breathtaking experience at every turn and drop.

Constantly focused on each backward step, and with thoughts of, "is my harness on tight?", or, "is that worn carabiner going to snap?", exhaustion had set-in as I weakly and slowly spun down rappel #9, and made the ensuing boulder jump to the Emerald Pools' trail. I turned back from the Grotto to view Zion Canyon--the sun had just set but the silver cottonwoods hadn't yet lost their shimmer. The pack was heavy, and the future is light, and despite not yet having my ideal dealt hand, I recognize a real satisfaction in my life. All the while, I happened to forget the fact that I had some very good news Friday, some very good news...

"HOYA, HOYA SAXA" For the dear old Blue and Gray!

On the Road, Under a Sky... Coast to Coast.

Junktown nothing, got to keep it coming

Hipshake gunning, kick start, and I'm running

"Back East", "Out West". It involved four nights in four different states and in each of the four time zones. Let's all hope for good news this Thursday.

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BYU v. Utah, it's my annual tradition to go for a long drive to cool down before the big game.

... and George is still running...

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Unto the Utmost Bound of the Everlasting Hills...

November 2001, and the "seven sisters" shone brightly, on a cold Harras Bahnsteig below.

"Careful, there's a Mormon around here somewhere", she said--in a dark, drunk basement in Trier. One didn't mind, being singled out--one had already differentiated oneself among the Georgetown students. "Oh, you're the one", said the program director, auf dem Domplatz...

"Beep: verified, verified", alerted the headset for the last time. Fidelity provided the series 7 & 63, but it wasn't a long-term solution; it was time to end the academic deferment and return to the Y.

It's something not seen, but true. An anchor, as it were.

Late-night cards, the "sun-eyed", and a cliché on the Lungarno Corsini... individual events met without hesitation. Finally I encounter the long-foreseen option: a weekend, or fifteen minutes, it was my decision to make. Decisions are best met under counsel, I was once advised. But especially at that time, that I may be inspired.

But the Old Testament mentions the term only twice. Maybe, it's "trust" or "hope", which makes one "sure" and "steadfast"

Lehman crashed: "Tom, I want you to manage the class actions", informed Craig. Finding the way to Goldman was fortunate, but I am making the best of the experience; now a career and a life is clear. All but one piece is in place...

"Please join us in San Francisco on the sixth", they requested--in a late email received on Friday. One feels anxious, being interviewed--one would hope that the personal essays and professional recommendations would've satisfied the "Hoyas". "Oh, you're up next", the assistant dean may say, at Embarcadero. I only have twelve months...

Saturday night, and shoulders sighed once seeing the Pleiades, at their familiar location above.

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Leide und Meide...