Baby Steps

There's always something to be done. Whether it's dishes, cleaning, something once a year, or something once a day, it's always something. When can you think when there was a time that you had nothing to do? Okay, maybe when you're driving in a car or on an airplane. But that's only temporary. You probably start thinking about the things you need to do whenever you get to wherever it is you're going. I know whenever I sit down to read a book, my mind starts to wander. I know my busyness level by how many times I have to re-read a paragraph because I've been sidetracked by my own thoughts. Sometimes I even take a notepad or my planner with me to read so I can jot down all the random thoughts that come up. It's my way of channeling my ADD.

So I'm breaking it down to the ol' "Baby Steps" plan. If you're not sure what I'm talking about or are a fan of Bill Murray, click on the title of this post. I'm taking one day at a time and trying to knock off one or two of the important things that will jump from today's "To Do" list to tomorrow's and then the next day's until it gets done. Today, we got a copy of the car key made for Rebs. It's leopard spotted--yeow! And I (hopefully, if all goes well) ordered a couch online. Check, and check.

Just two things to tick off the list. Why do I do this? Because it allows me to ease up on myself and live more in the moment. That's the pitfall, really. If I get too focused on the lists then I forget about right now. I forget to live and enjoy right now. So, a little work can equal a little play. Gotta keep things balanced. And... I got a load of trad climbing gear in the mail so now we can go climbing wherever, without limitations! Ah, the job of doing something I can fully focus on and be wrapped up in and not consider it work in the least. The End.

New Car! Meet Powder.

We bought a new car last Friday afternoon. Then took it climbing that evening. It goes about 130... kilometers per hour on a good downhill on the highway. No, not miles. That would be a little crazy. 130km is about 80 miles per hour. That's pretty good for a car whose tires are all the same size as a donut spare. They're no more than 2 feet in diameter. On the uphills, we would start to lose a little momentum, but that's okay considering it was Rebs, myself, Jen, and Jenna, and all our climbing gear. And we get half-priced tolls, which is great because most highways in Korea are toll roads.

It's been 2 and a half years since we had a car and it feels really good. It's very freeing at the moment. We don't have to worry about a taxi driver taking us the long way to work and almost getting in a wreck along the way. Words can't describe how much more convenient it makes our lives.

This week has been a little hectic because Rebs got sick Saturday night and still hasn't fully recovered. It started as the flu and developed into tonsillitis by the time she got to the doctor on Tuesday. One thing about Korea is they typically don't take sick days. You apparently have to be "having diarrhea, vomiting, fainting, or hospitalized" to get out of work. A fever and lack of voice just don't cut it. But by showing her face at work, they realized how sick she was even though she didn't meet the "sick" criteria. so they collaborated and sent her home.

She's been on antibiotics the past couple of days and even though she sounds like she's been a chain smoker for 20 years, she says she's feeling better. On top of it all, mid-terms are coming up for our university students, so we have to turn them in by friday to have copies made and such. Yeah, so this week's been busy... again. But tomorrow starts another 3-day weekend and the weather has been AMAZING!!! 60+ degree days with minimal wind. There are cherry blossom trees throughout the city and they all bloom with tiny pink/white flowers at the same time. So it's really beautiful.

Okay, that's a good note. Now I can be finished.

Sharmania!

This week has been really crazy for us, otherwise I would have posted it sooner. We went to Seonunsan last weekend. It's probably the best place to do hard sport climbing in Korea and climbing legend Chris Sharma was there. I shook his hand and talked about climbing shoes for a bit. I have to say, I was a little intimidated which doesn't happen very easily. I like to think that everyone's equal on this planet. But one can't help feeling like certain people are larger than life and this man fit into that category for me.

He showed up under the radar and I didn't even know he was there until I looked over behind me on the opposite wall of where Rebs was climbing and saw a man climbing something that I would likely climb as a project, but he was doing it as a warmup. I noticed his hair was a medium brown instead of thick and black like a Korean's. Then I noticed the crowd of about 20-30 people standing around watching and video taping with professional cameras. I put the pieces together to realize that this WAS Chris. Wow, I thought. He's about 30 feet from me. "Hey Rebs, look behind you," I said. She turned from the warm-up climb she'd been focusing on to see him and then looked gleefully down at me and whispered, "Is that HIM?!?" She hurried and finished her climb and then we went over to sneak a peek, feeling very voyeurish. His climbing was very fluid and relaxed on what looked like really small holds and moderately overhung.

When he finished, people clapped even though it wasn't that difficult of a climb. Then his girlfriend/fellow sponsored climber Deila did it, also with ease. They clapped for her too, but not as many people watched. Then, for the next 15 minutes, people talked with them and took pictures. Koreans are very big on picture taking. After a bit, Chris went off to rest a bit. His girlfriend was sitting by herself, so I figured this was the opportunity to go introduce ourselves to Deila. I wanted to actually talk to them without feeling just like a fan getting an autograph. If any, this was the time.

So while I introduced myself and got the story of their tour of Asia, Rebs stood about 15 feet away behind a tree, straining to hear our conversation. Deila kind of had her back turned so she couldn't see Rebs, but she was in full view of me. So finally, I said loudly, "That's my wife over there, Rebs. Rebs come meet Deila." She sheepishly obeyed and we had a good conversation, but I still laugh about how giddy she was around this girl we'd never even seen before.

Later in the day, I tried to joke with Chris to tell him he was next as we watched a really strong 14-year-old attempt this 5.13+ (read: really hard and completely beyond my ability). He was like, "Uh, that's okay." I couldn't tell if he didn't get that I was joking, or if he was like who is this weird guy that's trying to be my buddy, or like I've never heard that one before. So I slowly backed away, caught speechless by his response.
But eventually, another guy I'd been talking to started a conversation with him again and I was able to join in. Deila, whom we'd given an apple for her upset stomach (all the new food), motioned toward me and said something in Spanish. So Chris struck up a conversation with me, which I thought was really cool. Okay, enough rambling about a conversation that doesn't really have a point.

The point I think I want to make is that I don't really look up to Chris Sharma because of his ability or what he's accomplished, though he has done some amazing stuff that no one has repeated in the sport of climbing. I look up to him because of his attitude amidst all the fame and strength. I see those things as traps almost. The more powerful you are or the more influence you have, the more susceptible you are to the pride that goes with it. To me, Chris seemed more the opposite--humble. That, and the fact that he does what he loves in life as a profession. There are few people in this world who are able to do that.