Summer's end

I did indeed survive my trip to the mountains. There are some pictures posted below of our trip to Southern Colorado. It was a great time of hiking and fishing, though I didn't actually catch any fish. We camped at eleven thousand five hundred feet and made it up to twelve thousand on a crazy hike that ended with us setting up camp in the dark and exhausted to the point of nauseousness. Fun times. Anyway, it was beautiful country and my dad and I got along almost the whole time, so I consider it a successful trip.

The week after getting back I spent enjoying the company of some wonderful Portlanders, Jon and Lynette. And their being around was cause for being around several other folks that I hadn't seen in quite a while. It was nice because it has seemed like June and July were fairly unsocial months for me. And so to return to a number of lunches and dinners and sand volleyball games and grill outs left me a little worn out, but I was delighted to spend time with such great friends.

I've spent the past few weeks watching the Olympics. One night I had to tell myself that as fascinating as badminton is, I don't need to be watching it after midnight when I should be at work in eight hours. I know that Phelps, the gymnastics events and Usain Bolt are the big stories, but I've been trying, and failing, to get my fix of distance running. I saw the women's marathon, but missed the ten-k's, and the steeplechases. I was hoping that Famiglietti would pull off a miracle in the men's steeplechase, but to no avail. Now I can only hope that Ryan Hall pulls off the upset in the men's marathon, even though I'll be cheering much harder for Brain Sell. And with watching all of this running, I have been anticipating a return to running myself. Soon I think, soon.

With the end of summer I am getting ready for school once again. I have hope that this will be a very good year, academically, socially, spiritually, etc. And perhaps I will have time for earning a bare amount of cash to live off of. And I'll just go ahead and enhance my schedule by staying single this semester. Probably. Anyway, this fall I'm taking the following classes: anatomy, biomechanics, worksite health promotion, and management of health-fitness programs and facilities. It should be quite the interesting class load. Alright, the Olympics beckon, you have my love.