The Myth & The Majesty

... I'm thinking about as the month ends: 1. Anyone have any great halibut recipes? 2. Pumpkin spice latte is not a valid season. I realize this will be almost as polarizing a statement as declaring my allegiance to one of our illustrious Presidential candidates. (No.) 3. I've almost got all the parts and pieces for my first all-grain batch of beer. I'm nervous. 4. Is anyone else getting excited about Christmas yet? I am. I suspect strongly that it's because Christmas means the election is over. (And therefore the campaign calls. My phone hasn't stopped ringing since the first debate.) 5. All the same, the weather can continue to not suck for awhile longer. Oh, good. 6. Mia Sorella sent me my name in elvish and I have to admit ... it looks really cool. 7. THIS . [Language warning. Starting with the title.]

When nothing else works out, xkcd to the rescue.

1. ... ... ... [*crickets*] Perhaps I need to take a different approach to this. When I settled in to watch last night (well, "settled" is putting it strongly), I thought, "Hey, this is something you should write about. You know, like every other blogger out there." But the truth of the matter is ... I don't want to disseminate the answers that were given. Partially because very few actual answers were given -- but also because let's face it, there are plenty of opinion pieces out there. I don't need to add to that noise. That got me to thinking, though. I did have some observations. 1. I am not a Republican. 2. I am not a Democrat. At least, I'm certainly not a party-line person for either crowd. The viewpoints I heard last night didn't win me over for either side. Given that ours is a stalwart two-party system at the moment, I find my lack of identity (and representation) incredibly frustrating. None of t

1. ineffable (adj): too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words. Also, a word I need to work into my vocabulary more often. 2. My Patronus is a sparrow. Small, perhaps, but the fact that mine flies made me very happy. (Yes. I am aware that this is all fiction. Extended fiction, even. Leave me alone.) 3. Every year, I manage to forget that September's weather is unpredictable and ridiculous. And every year, I'm at least a little caught off guard by it. I can't figure that one out. 4. It can make for some pretty hiking, though. 5. At some point I came full circle on my five-year-old self and it once again became an accomplishment to wear matching socks. 6. Being put on hold is only as fun as the chosen hold music. ... So usually not much fun at all. 7. I am more excited about this than I can explain. Well, okay, some of it is Chris Pratt-related. Denzel Washington. Peter Sarsgaard. And yes, I know, it's gotta be pretty dang viole

Well, September is in the books. I managed to hit the top of Harney/Black Elk at possibly the most ideal time. I'd stalled all morning, not leaving my house until about the time I usually prefer to summit. Overcast skies had slowed me down considerably and on the drive to Sylvan I nearly turned around -- the whole of the summit was in a cloud. But hey. If the entire year passed with twelve climbs in nearly perfect weather, that would take some of the fun out of it, right? Onward! As it happened, the clouds cleared not long before I reached the tower ... and wouldn't you know it, I ended up with a pretty fantastic view after all. Nine months down, three to go. 

There are few weekends more satisfying than long weekends post-summer. This one was no exception. There was kayaking (on some surprisingly rough but fun waters). I did not have my phone out when there were whitecaps. That would be dumb. And there was a brewery stop. And Kindling. There was some cheering on of Shorty at the Dakota 5-0, He is crazy. Some hiking with a fabulous bunch of ladies. Some good coffee. Not pictured: more Kindling. But most of all, there was sleep. After a couple of weeks of feeling too run down to function properly (thank you, summer), this weekend was an opportunity to get caught up on everything. The hiking, the kayaking -- but especially the sleep. And oh my goodness, did it feel good. Now, once again, we're off to the races -- but the winter races are all about distance and endurance, not about sprinting and dodging obstacles. I like not-summer.

Part of the reason I read Wait But Why is that the author, Tim Urban, likes to approach technical topics in a holistic fashion -- or rather, often from six directions at once. Then he starts from the most basic facts and builds. One of the other reasons I read it is that when he's faced with a non-technical topic, he takes a logical standpoint and breaks it down similarly, although specifically for his viewpoint. As it happens, his viewpoint is often similar to mine. Not identical, but relatable. Which is why I'll send you here: The Marriage Decision This is altogether a strange topic for me, both as a very comfortably single human and as someone working in a place where that's not entirely normal. And while I can understand how such a decision can come easily to others, I find the idea alone pretty scary for some of the very reasons he discusses. [It's all about that grey area thing...] So. Go read. It's a little long and I should probably give you a la

My eighth climb this year to the tallest peak in South Dakota was uneventful -- gorgeous weather, not a lot of foot traffic, and my second-best time for the year. However, five days before I climbed said peak, the US Board on Geographic Names officially announced that Harney Peak would now be known as Black Elk Peak. Won't stop me from taking the same picture each month... William Harney was a Civil War general and participant in the Plains Indian Wars. And he was ... Well, not the nicest guy. - In 1834, he was accused of whipping a female slave (Hannah) to death and he fled the county. As was generally the case for male slaveowners in Missouri at the time, he was eventually acquitted, but the record is there.  [I find that I had to use the phrase "as was generally the case" absolutely obnoxious. Seriously, how did it escape notice for so long that human ownership was not a good idea? I hope at some point someone looked around at the world and thought, "I