Helen's Loom

I've just finished reading Lionel Terray's autobiography, Conquistadors of the Useless. What a fascinating man and -sadly short- life! One new angle on mountaineering that I do get from this book is a sense of the desire and urgency for certain -mostly European- countries (more so than individuals) to "bag" the unclimbed (highest, then most difficult) summits of our planet. Most of Terray's accomplishments were achieved after (and during) WWII, and understandably at that time the French in particular had a need to create French heroes; the media assisted in this creation once the hard work was done by Terray and his companions. What I wonder, though, is if the general French public did see them as heroes, rather than as just crazed super-athletes. Terray appears to have been aware of that opinion (look at the title of the book!). I do understand that Europe values its alpinistes more than the U.S. does, but still...if I could go back in time, I would like to be in France, if not the Alps, in the 1950s to see for myself if the name "Terray," "Lachenal," or "Rebuffat" meant to the average French person what it means to me: supreme embodiments of stamina, bravery, patience, and even humility. It seems so much less senseless than relying on a war to create heroes...

This is brought into stark relief, when I consider that my main understanding of national pride is from my innate (or just familial) respect for the military, and from the fact that ever since 9/11, I fight to hold back tears whenever I see a flag or try to sing our anthem at a baseball game.

posted by arah @ 10:01 AM  

A most entertaining movie: The Royal Tenenbaums.

A most delicious Saturday dinner: pork tenderloin with shallots & apples at Cafe Barbette.

A most refreshing (and sweaty) Sunday morning Hike: 2.5 hours at Afton State Park.

A most yummy Sunday homecooked dinner: pan-seared Copper River sockeye salmon with spinach, mushrooms.

A little yoga, a little swimming, a little reading. Lots of time with my beau.

Now I gotta go back to work?

posted by arah @ 9:46 AM  

I just finished reading Annapurna: A Woman's Place. What a most excellent read! It is about the 1978 all-women's expedition to Annapurna, which yielded the first women's summit and first American summit on that 26,795-foot peak in Nepal. While it is a wonderful story of triumph (four people summited; all team members, aside from hired Sherpa, were women; to name a few successes) and tragedy (two did not return), what I most enjoyed was the way it revealed the teamwork, leadership, planning, and patience that is needed for such an endeavor. What an amazing group of women. In the epilogue -where Arlene Blum checks in with the remaining members 20 years later- I read that each of them has gone on to make equally or more impressive achievements, both within and outside of mountaineering, since Annapurna. I hope my life goes as well and honorably.

Could I ever be a member of such an expedition? I think I would be physically and mentally capable and willing. Do I have the drive to make it happen? Not sure; I am ever the generalist and/or can tire of a sport or hobby very easily, though some I've stuck with for long periods (rugby: 11 years and counting, now, as I coach). Expeditions are usually quite expensive, and require a few months away from whatever work one can do to earn money to go. Though that amount of time away from "work" is probably quite healthy...could I arrange for it, financially? And could I arrange to be away so long from personal commitments, emotionally? Do I believe in climbing enough to commit that kind of time and risk to it? I know that I enjoy being in mountains and I derive pleasure from the work it takes to get up (and down) them. I do know that when I have experienced profound peace, it has been on a mountain, and that after my knee surgery the reason I was so dedicated to my rehab was because I wanted to ski again. Does everyone who gets the opportunity to be on a high mountain feel so exhilarated, perhaps just because they have been permitted to stand there and enjoy the view? Or, is it just me and other mountain-lovers, we are special, we need to do what we feel driven toward....and thus perhaps I should direct more of my energies toward getting there as much as possible? Or living nearer to bigger hills? Or ???

Ama dablam? Or even "just" Denali, at some soon point? Well, for now, I look toward Mt. Adams, Rainier basecamp, and the Grand in a month. Perhaps I will be inspired in a certain direction when there; opportunity can knock whenever, right? Must take risks...

posted by arah @ 3:55 PM  

I am in a yoga class that is full of Valkyries. No...not women that play for that other women's rugby club in town. Real Valkyries. Big, strong, growing (well, some have growing bellies, but I would think that most are growing mentally by practicing yoga long enough to be in a mid-level class), women. So, I fit in, though each time I go to that class, it seems like there is one more of them, and if two of them didn't vaguely remind me of rugby players I have seen before, I wouldn't feel so ...surrounded... by Valkyries. Perhaps it's the teacher that seems to draw them? Julie is great...very deliberate in her instructions, a bit of a micro-manager (well, if anyone should be allowed to be a micro-manager, it is a yoga teacher, I would think), very strong yet not one of those annoyingly wiry yogis, and she really knows her stuff. I diggit. We did 1.5 hours of mostly stretching last night...which was very good for this (lately) overworked bod.

Okay. I need to amend that word choice; my handsomely nerdy and geeky beau reminded me that Valkyries were, well, choosers of the heroes to be slain and taken to Valhalla. At any rate, the yoga studio was full of Large And In-Charge Women.

posted by arah @ 9:07 AM  

Last night's drive home felt refreshingly different, after a 1.5-hour training hike -with a pack full of climbing gear- at Fort Snelling. I saw tons of bergamot and tall bellflower. Maybe it was the bug dope, affecting my perception of a usually unpleasant drive...couldn't've been the fresh air or exercise....

posted by arah @ 11:12 AM  

Mmmmmm: hard climbs, homegrown veggies, Wisconsin cheese, and favorite people. What a great Saturday!

posted by arah @ 8:53 AM  

Food for thought: "...a businessman holds up a cardboard sign saying, "I want to know why homelessness is still a problem after we spent $200 million last year." Hold them accountable! Not that the real motives are all that genuine or commendable, though. Dirty. At least you can still see the problem there, I suppose.

Meanwhile, (on a slightly less important note, yes) why are Minneapolis streets and sidewalks so goldurn FILTHY these days? When I left for St. Paul seven years ago, there wasn't this much litter! Gee, thanks, Sharon. Hope RT does better.

posted by arah @ 4:28 PM  

Yawn.

Very yummy smoothie: take 1/2 cup lemon yogurt and 1.5 cups diced honeydew, blend it. Then add 1 cup frozen green grapes, 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, and a dash of lemon juice, blend it again, then enjoy. Ahhhh. I will drink the rest of it tonight.

posted by arah @ 11:30 AM  

In the past two days I've read about two possible solutions for bringing the internet to those who have none (though my eyes and back could probably survive with less internet). Today's story was a new service provided by China's postal service, to print and deliver emails to non-wired recipients. Given the fact that it's in China, there's a pretty obvious political issue at hand, but perhaps it would at least be easier to market if it were automated? Ah, but to protect the privacy? Hmmm.

Yesterday's offering was a bit more odd, and unwieldy: the Computer on Wheels program brings downloaded pages to rural Indians via a laptop and a motorbike. Seems pretty limiting, but at least a bit speedier than the good old, hugely revolutionary printing press...

posted by arah @ 10:03 AM  

Ack. I'm still recovering (?) from a relaxing vacation out in Yachats. More to come. Photos, too!

posted by arah @ 4:11 PM  

Donkeys and Elephants and...paint, OH MY! This rules. It's as wonderfully local and clever as our Snoopy's were. Hopefully it won't go on (Charlie the next year) and on (then Lucy this year), and on... that pattern is getting old. But I hope they do Woodstock next year. Heh heh.

posted by arah @ 10:44 AM  

AN EXERCISE:
In a Perfect Magical World, I would have been living in the south of France for 2 years now.

In a Perfect Yet Difficult To Pull Off Because I'm Too Nice World, I (I mean we, Stu!) would leave tomorrow, go to Central Oregon, and return here only to visit the Lamppas, Smiths, Mormans, and a few select others now and then.

In a Perfect Feasible World, I have a 8 week plan. The temperature here would need to drop to 70, firstly. During the first two weeks I would xxxx my current xxx on the xxxing spot, then give my 60 day notice to vacate my apartment. In the first 2-3 weeks, I would complete my damn online portfolio update, do the 2-3 pro bono jobs I've been putting off forever, and then buy a new Epson printer and do two personal print projects that would give me a nice handful of "non returnable samples" to send to my List Of Places I'd Like To Ply My Trade. All the while, getting in plenty of yoga and hiking and climbing and cooking. Then I would send out samples to the proprietors on said list. For the next 3 weeks, I would fly to Boulder and Maine and Vancouver and New York to hike, climb, and visit friends. For the last 2 weeks I would hopefully go to a new xxx here or ??? and move into a cheaper apartment...with da man!

posted by arah @ 5:10 PM  

It is interesting that there is concern in the UK that British grade schools focus on teaching critical historial skills at the apparent expense of a broad survey (and memorization) of historical facts. As the writer attests, here in the U.S., we do more of the reverse. If we are as lucky as I was, we at least get the opportunity to learn the critical skills in college and from a dedicated high school teacher or two. Would we benefit from learning those skills at an earlier age? Should children question sources (this might make things even more challenging for Mom...)? Or is the rote memorization a good/ appropriate skill to learn when you're younger, so that you have it in your toolset when you do more in-depth study later in life? It agree with that, though it forced us to accept and trust the sources from which we memorized your facts, which is a dangerous assumption, we later learn. I'm still astounded that Malcolm X, and sufficient information on The Korean Conflict (among many other things), was omitted from my 10th- and 12th-grade American History books.

Besides, in spite of any amount of formal history education...there is always more to read (and more to question), so why criticize schools for not teaching kids "everything"?

posted by arah @ 9:39 AM