Friday, September 13, 2002
Off to Owen's River Gorge for two days. Classic sport climbing. Hot sun. Eastern Sierra Nevada. I need be away from the world for a while. Find the clarity of focus that climbing seems to bring. Well, you have clarity if you can control the whole "oh my God I could fall and die" thing that tends to infect your brain when you are standing on some dime sized edge, 90 feet off the ground, your hands groping for some little nugget of a hold just positive enough to keep you pasted to the rock instead of whistling through the air. Yeah. I'm looking forward to it.
Jim Parisi
On a more positive note, I did see a guy with a mullet driving an El Camino sporting a bumper sticker that read, "Dip me in honey and throw me to the lesbians." Even today I still find that funny.
Jim Parisi
Right now it's 12:30 in the morning. I just walked in the door of my home. I have not slept in 24 hours. I spent my last night in BC sleepless, distraught and alone. I missed my first flight out this morning. I ran into traffic and subsequently missed my second. I missed all my meetings as a result. The next flight didn't leave until almost 6 PM. It arrived too late to make my connecting flight. I then had to fly into LAX. Share a shuttle to my house. I spent six hours in Vancouver International Airport today. One hour at SFO. One hour at LAX. It took 12 hours to get home. I lost my paper ticket which cost me $100. I lost the notepad with all the records of all the meetings I have been to in the last two months. I'm exhausted. I suppose that's a good thing, cause I'm too tired to feel anything else. I'm supposed to get back on a plane tomorrow. Several actually. At this point, it's anyone's guess. On the upside, it's my birthday next week. Wanna come tp OC and get me drunk? Here's a good idea. How about we start about a week early? I'm going to bed.
Jim Parisi
Wednesday, September 11, 2002
It's been a year.
Early this morning, my friend Rieko called me and thanked me again for helping her get out of New York City one year ago today.
Rieko, you are very welcome.
It's been a year, and despite the change, despite the fear and the violence, despite the turmoil, the hate, and the grief, the world hasn't stopped turning. I woke up this morning a blessed man. I woke up a free man. I woke up next to a woman who loves me. I woke up to another beautiful day. A day that hasn't yet been violated by someone's blinding hatred. A day that wasn't shattered when someone placed ideology ahead of their humanity. I woke up and I went about my business. I woke up happy and grateful I had the opportunity to do just that.
Jim Parisi
Tuesday, September 10, 2002
Mmmm....traffic cones. So soft. So deep. So Sexy. So...orange. There really is no end to the variety of man's perversion.
Jim Parisi
By the way, for any of you who have not been to British Columbia, here is a good equation for you to remember. The weight of the gear bag you haul to the province for a weekend outdoor pursuit like, say, rock climbing, is directly proportional to the probability it will rain. The whole goddam weekend.
A corollary: The more work you have to do indoors improves the likelihood it will be sunny and gorgeous outside, subsequently causing you to sit, furiously typing away on your computer, bitching about the weather on your blog, too bitter to do any of your actual work.
Jim Parisi
I have one of those nifty Palm Pilot/cell phone combinations from Sprint. It's a neat little gadget that keeps me in touch with damn near everyone -whether they like it or not. I have about 600 phone numbers in it - well, I *HAD* about 600 phone numbers in it. The phone lost it's brain the other day when I replaced the battery, and I had to erase the memory. Unfortunately, I don't remember my password for the thing, so I can't sync it with my computer to download those numbers. This is frustrating because I like to work away from my desk, and this little wonder of technology allows me to do just that. On the other hand I suddenly feel so unfettered. Free. I didn't want to talk to those 600 people anyway. They can call me if they really need to. For a guy in technology sales, that isn't a career healthy attitude. I better figure out how to get those numbers back in there.
Jim Parisi
Monday, September 09, 2002
Why hasn't anyone marketed a razor specifically for men who shave their heads? I mean really - it's a whole segment that is being missed, and never has the look been more popular. The Gillette Orb. Or new Schick Cue Ball. I think there is money to be made here. Comes complete with SPF 30 scalp cleanser and a shammy polishing cloth.
Jim Parisi
Sorry for the digital silence the last few days. I have been in BC with Karli and have not had a chance to log on and post some updates. It's been raining the last three days. It's definitely wet. And it's definitely the Pacific Northwest. I don't know how much climbing Karli will get to do until next summer. We've been having fun without the ropes, harnesses, uncomfortable shoes, exotic, metallic gear - wait a minute. Kidding, Mom. Kidding. I bought myself a new pair of jeans the other day. Those very trendy low rider variety. I have the waist to pull that kind of thing off. They look pretty hot. And you know, the chicks - they dig me. But here's a warning to anyone thinking of getting lowriders: Unless you are just planning on walking or standing around looking cool like the guys in the ads, it's virtually impossible to avoid the inevitable plumbers crack.
Jim Parisi
