The Myth & The Majesty

There are certain aspects of working at a camp that are ... markedly different than my previous office jobs. For example, today I was left alone with the camp while my coworkers were out and about. I love alone-in-camp days. They're quiet. Peaceful. Easy to get things done because you can justifiably walk away from the phone. (Ahem.) And okay, maybe I also enjoy big empty buildings while I blare OK Go and clean. Or if I'm feeling intellectual, an episode of the "What's The Point" podcast. To each her own. Anyway, this morning I was feeling fantastic -- a big step after spending most of the weekend generally miserable, holed up with a fever and a hacking cough. (Yes, you're welcome. Be glad I wasn't in public.) Which was good news since I also had a rather large to-do list and, again, an entire camp to watch. Woot. My day began with ... emails to answer. Not so exciting or different. But then I had a fully amusing breakfast with our two current g

Made a quick stop at home to check the weather ... and got distracted by today's xkcd , which very well may have made my year. So here it is! (Click through the link for the full size. It doesn't really fit here.)

Denver gave me a cold. I always enjoy visiting the land of the rugged yuppie, and I almost always come back with something. A new outlook on the weeks ahead. Perspective on friendships. An irritating song stuck in my head. This time, after an impromptu weekend trip that involved a concert, multiple dinners, Shorty's bouldering gym, some fascinating new acquaintances, and a couple of energetic hours of Capture the Flag, I came back with ... a cold. Other things, too, of course. But this is the one that's lingering and the reason I keep trying to avoid coming into contact with too many people. "But Ashley," you ask, "doesn't your job require you to talk to people? Maybe even a lot?" Why yes, hypothetical you, it does. Hence the problem this morning. Wish me luck. More importantly, wish our guests luck. (I promise to avoid contact with food to the best of my ability.) Also ... DayQuil. Sigh.

I have written about hiking Harney Peak many times. Seriously. Maybe too often . Heck, I've even used it as an example for other things . So why am I doing it again? Maybe I should start sitting elsewhere, though... I have a goal for this year -- a trek up once a month at a minimum -- and that goal has been questioned more than once. Reasonably, I might add. Why would someone go over the same trail so many times? Why pick the same destination over and over when there are so many other options out there? ... It's not an easy goal to defend, as it turns out. I'm lucky enough to have sampled trails throughout the Hills, but this is one section I've done repeatedly. Over the course of two(ish) decades, I've been up something like 35 times. And over those trips -- from different trailheads with different routes -- I've gotten to the point of being friendly with the area, especially the main trail from Sylvan Lake. There's something strangely sa

Things I Can Still Manage When I'm Really Tired 1. Working for a few more hours. (After all ... that's my state of mind for most of July.) 2. Driving for awhile longer, especially if I'm in unfamiliar territory. 3. Carrying on conversation. 4. Providing tech support. 5. Listening intently to a podcast or audiobook. Things I Can't Manage When I'm Really Tired 1. Sitting on my couch. I will take a nap. 2. Blogging effectively. This is not an exhaustive list.

So ... happy Valentine's Day? Look, I'm one of those annoyingly happy single people. Generally speaking, I don't get too worked up over holidays, including the one day of the year dedicated to sappy couples and husbands who forgot till the day before. In fact, I found a way to look forward to Valentine's Day as a single human: I get myself a present every year. It's a great excuse, and I have impeccable taste. That being said, there are always moments. This year, with my 32nd birthday looming (seriously, how did that happen?) I gave some consideration to online dating. I may be quite happy single, but I also lack a standard social life or the general means to get out and meet people. It's a weird catch and makes something internet-based much more attractive and logical. Note: It hasn't happened yet. It might. But not yet. You see, a week-ish ago I was reminded of one of the audiobooks I had languishing on my phone , lonely and quiet. I acquired

These were all in reach of my couch when I decided I needed a visual aid. I have a minor ... we'll call it media collection problem. In this season of giving up questionable habits, I took a look around to see what I should consider. No one wants me to give up coffee (least of all me). I'm not going to give up Facebook when it's also my primary means of communication with several of my camp deans. I could do what I did in college; I gave up Walmart once for Lent and it ended up lasting three years. [Side note: At the time, it was also a budget thing. I had a tendency to go into Walmart and buy a bunch of junk I didn't need. When I gave it up, I also learned to budget.] When I looked around, though, I was presented with my own special hoarding habit. Clearly, books have always been an issue for me. Acquiring them isn't necessarily an issue -- I mean, they're books! -- but I need to read what I have. Besides books, there's my overstuffed DVR with

Did you know that even if a 4-year-old dislocates his or her elbow, anesthesia is necessary to put it back into place? My mother learned this the hard way a couple weeks ago when she hit a patch of ice on a sidewalk and went down. Hard. After a few hours (about 8 -- ew), she was casted and sent home, and now has been downgraded to a Bionic Woman brace that allows for a little movement and mostly covers the somewhat terrifying bruises that resulted from said fall. She was incredibly fortunate; nothing broke, cracked or chipped and she is recovering quickly. Perhaps my answer to this -- to hike Harney alone a few days later despite a fair bit of trail covered in snowpack and ice -- wasn't the best, but it was a good reminder that you can get hurt in the most benign places. May as well enjoy your free time anyway. [Side note: I also learned that I can spell "anesthesia" without spellcheck, which feels like more an accomplishment than it really is.] I tell you this s