"SA" Starbucks Anonymous

Addicted is not the word. Dependency is not even close. Obsession and infatuation were passed a long time ago. I'm at the stage now where I need professional help. I'm thinking of a therapist. Do they have Frappuccino therapists?

Luckily I'm only drinking 3-4 a week now. It used to be 1 a day. That's $21 a week in coffee. Summertime brings out the worst in me. It's hot and I want to drink them all day. The cool vanilla milky caffeine induced goodness is best on hot days.

"Super" Cooper in Barcelona

I've been emailing Cooper over the past couple of days. This guy is amazing. His energy is infectious. His travels have lead him all over the world and now he has relocated to Barcelona, Spain. He told me he is filming a bunch for Big Up Productions and recently filmed a well known climber on his hardest route. I would tell you the details but I don't know if I'm allowed.

So he's living in Spain, surfing in the South of France, and pretty much filming all over the world. Check the link to his blog to the right of this post. http://www.zaration.com/

We all miss your company and laughter. Stay safe and enjoy your amazing life!! Hope to see you this year. Cheers!

Is there a doctor in the house?

Sunday Tommy wrecked his 4 wheeler. More like he wrecked his body. I don't know the condition of his 4 wheeler. Here are a list of his injuries:

• Broken right scapula
• Broken left wrist
• Broken right collar bone
• Collapsed right lung (15% collapsed)

So now what? Well he left the hospital today and goes back for surgery on his wrist Thursday.

So I asked him today on the phone, "Are you going to sell your 4 wheeler?" and he quickly answered "No". A man on a mission. He just wrecked it 2 months ago and got away with pretty bad bruises. Get back on that horse Tommy! We all hope you feel better.

Andrew Traylor is out of the hospital...kinda

Andrew text messaged me today. He was leaving the hospital and heading home to rest and heal. I can only imagine how happy he was to leave. He told me his left leg looked like a scene from Leatherface. He also said he would need to be on antibiotics through an iv for the next 7 weeks. Well lets hope this will do the trick. If you know him give him a call or better yet stop by and see him at his house. I'm sure he would greatly apprecaite it.

"Use the Force Luke"

I've been putting alot of hours behind the wheel recently. Probably more miles on dirt and rock then pavement. My Cherokee has kinda officially left the street. I still maintain registration and insurance but soon that too will end. I have a street car now, a Kia Sportage. A hand me down that does pretty well on gas. Back on topic... It's fun to be able to get home from work, jump in the Cherokbeast and put in a couple of hours in the seat. It takes a long time to become so familiar with your vehicle that it becomes an extension of your body. You feel the long arm suspension drop into holes as if you were stretching your legs. You can feel the tires grip on rock as you make forward progression on a hard obstacle. All of these connections make you a better driver capable of predicting the outcome of many situations. I've been reluctant to go at times when I knew the ride may be harder than I wanted it to be. But yet I went and learned so much from confronting fears. Although alot of the time I had nothing to fear. I have made so much progress and I attribute that to a couple of things. Proper instruction is the first. Needless to say I am a control freak and during stressful moments "proper instruction" becomes difficult for the instructor. Secondly my analytical mind classifies each moment and uses it to predict future outcomes. Simply put, pay attention.


So what does all this mean? I am definitely improving each time I go out. Putting this Jeep in major off camber situations, climbing over piles of rocks, trekking through the occasional mud hole, falling off in ruts, driving up and down steep hills, more than I ever had.

Kimbo Slice Internet Ownag3

I can't wait until October 4th when Kimbo fights Ken Shamrock. Not necessarily because I like Shamrock, but more importantly because I think Kimbo Slice is a joke. Lets forget about every fight youtube has with him beating on some fat idiot with no technique. Allow me to bring up the Sean Gannon fight in which Kimbo definitely lost. Sean Gannon was then offered a fight in the UFC and lost by TKO in the first round to Branden Hinkle. Who the hell is Branden Hinkle and who the hell is Sean Gannon? Nobody in the MMA world. Kimbo decisively lost to Gannon and thus lost tons of my respect for him as a MMA fighter.

So now here we are..Kimbo has 2 professional fights with Elite XC and has won both. Recently to James "The Colossus " Thompson, at which event Ken Shamrock called him out. I don't know how this fight will end. My guess is Shamrock will try and take this to the ground immediately and work some of his heel hook magic. There are definitely holes in Kimbo's ground game. We all know he can stand and punch, but what about being on his back? No one has ever seen him fight off his back!

It seems now-a-days it's cliche to call out Kimbo. Not only Shamrock but mostly notably Brett "The Grim" Rogers, who has said everything just short of calling his mother a "whore". At 6'5" 265lbs and a knockout slugger, Rogers will have to wait his turn. Jeff Monson has also had his opportunity to call out Kimbo. But that will never happen.

Dana White from the MMA giant UFC said it best. "Sean Gannon beat him in a street fight. Everyone saw what happened to Sean Gannon when he fought a guy that no one ever heard of (a decisive TKO loss to Branden Lee Hinkle in the UFC). Gannon was in the hospital for three weeks. That’s what would happen to Kimbo Slice if he fought in the UFC. He would get hurt bad – real bad.”

Until Kimbo fights a true MMA competitor he "may" continue to win. Not some 44 year old semi-retired Shamrock, not some fat ex-boxer Ray Mercer, not some clumsy dumb-ass debt collector James Thompson. But some real action. Who does Kimbo need to fight to become bonafide in the MMA world? Well he still needs to get through Antonio Silva, the Heavyweight Champion of Elite XC. That fight may no happen for another year or longer so that Elite XC can build the suspense on their biggest draw. Until then everyone needs to stop boosting his ego. He is not the best, won't be the best and in my opinion will be out of the spotlight before I get done typing th....

Andrew Traylor

Man Down! Man Down! Our local rock crusher is down once again and has been hospitalized. It appears as if the wound he suffered from a motorcycle accident is not healing correctly and the plate inside his leg is now visible. Gross! He will be getting a skin graft from his butt later this week to repair the hole. Gross! Anywho..here is his location so that you all can go see him.

UAB North Pavilion

Main Entrance off 6th Ave.

8th Floor Room 8212

Good Luck Andrew! We are all praying for you!!

Shout out!

A simple shout out to all my friends that I hope to see alot this bouldering season. No particular order and if I left you out I'm sorry.

Sarah J.
Jeffrey the Outlaw
Adam H. the LEGEND
Benito Sanchez
Mike N.
Cooper R.
Chris L.
JJ the VooDoo Child
Angie
Josh S.
Jeremy W.
Jay W.
Becky W.
Andrew T. the Beast
Amie T.
Brian C.
Dave C. aka Gravy
James L.
Lee P.
Raja R. aka Roger

Top Five Fighters (in the past 20 years)

While I'm on topic here is a list of my top 5 fighters:

1-Mike Tyson. Professional Boxer. In his hay-day would knock ANYBODY out. Period. The Best Ever.

2-Fedor Emelianenko. MMA. Current Pride Fighting Heavy Weight Champion. Russian Samba Specialist. #1 in the world right now.

3-Urijah Faber. MMA. Current WEC Featherweight Champion. 20-1.

4-BJ Penn. MMA. Current UFC Lightweight Champion. Black Belt Brazilian Jits. #1 in the world.

5-Evan Tanner. MMA. Self taught. Ruthless knees and elbows. Warrior spirit.

Honorable mentions to:

Nick Diaz. MMA. Gracie Brazilian Jits Black belt.

Takanori Gomi. MMA. Current Lightweight Champion Pride Fighting. #2 in the world.

Evan Tanner 1971-2008

A major tragedy has happened in the MMA world. Evan Tanner, former UFC Middleweight Champion, has been found dead deep in the desert east of San Diego. Many of you know of my love for fighting, the art of fighting, and just the pleasure of punching someone in the face. This blog is not about me though so I'm not even gonna try to explain that last one.

Evan wore many hats during his brief life. A baker, cable tv installer, ditch digger, slaughter house worker, an MMA champion and a million more. He was 37 when he was found dead 2 miles from his campsite on September 8. He went deep into the desert when his motorcycle ran out of gas 100 miles from any town. 112 degree heat took its toll on his body and he collapsed until he was found by a helicopter.

This guy lead his life the way he wanted to. He was well respected and liked in and out of the fighting community. He thought of himself as a poet, a philosopher. He was a humble man until he stepped in the ring. This is one of the first major losses MMA has had in the recent past. RIP Evan Tanner. 1971-2008.

Notable fights:
Phil Baroni I & II
David Terrell
Robbie Lawler
Rich Franklin

I personally have seen ever one of these fights and will always consider Evan to be one of the greatest "self taught" fighters ever.

Weird Websites

Okay, I do not understand this. But then again I have a friend who will remain nameless that used to collect notes she found on the ground. (cough cough) Hi Sarah.
http://www.streetmattress.com/sm.php

Just in case your feeling down today.
http://www.yourethemannowdog.com/

Discrimination Prevention
http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/

Freaky web stuff
http://cmart.design.ru/

T to the Tom.. G to the Green

If you like Tom Green I highly suggest going to his site and checking out my favorite episode of him rapping the part of Chuck D from Public Enemy doing the song "Bring the Noise". He freaking KILLS it!! He is still funny as hell and can apparently can rap as well. No rhyme intended.

Don't call it a comeback..

From http://www.lancearmstrong.com/

Yes, the rumors are true in fact. Lance will be making a historic comeback to professional cycling in 2009. To see a video clip of Lance and his official statement go to www.livestrong.com/lance2009.

What does this have to do with me? Lance is a definate hero of mine. Born 9-18-1971 he is only 5 days older than me. He is a cancer survivor and a 7 time Tour de France winner. (Not that I share the last two with him)

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lance_Armstrong

Physical attributes
Armstrong has a VO2 max of 83.8 mL/kg/min, much higher than the average person (40-50), but not as high as that of some other elite cyclists, such as Miguel Indurain (88.0, although reports exist that Indurain tested at 92-94) or Greg LeMond (92.5). His heart is 30 percent larger than average; however, an enlarged heart is a common trait for many other athletes. He has a resting heart rate of 32-34 beats per minute (bpm) with a maximum heart rate of 201 bpm.

Yo Quiero Taco Bell!

It's coming!! The blog you have all been waiting for. The blog guaranteed to tickle the funny bone and bend you over in gut wrenching laughter. Hollywood Ben has finally arrived and is now live and in your face over the interweb. Give him a couple days to get it started then your gonna get served! Aptly titled..U jellos of ma live mang? The spanish speaking bato is located at http://mytacoeater.blogspot.com Go check it out, but don't hold me responsible for pissing your pants!

The Thief, The Liar, and The Manipulator

Michelle, my cousin who stole all this cha ching, is under the impression that all she has is an "overspending problem". She thinks that she is going to just pay the money back and get a slap on the wrist. My father has left all future decisions to my mother because this is all her side of the family. So now that everyone knows within the family, it's time to let the future unfold. My prediction is that my mother, if given the case, will not prosecute. The SS has told my parents that it is now a federal case. When the SS approached my cousin Michelle they told her it was up to my parents. Or maybe that's what Michelle wanted my parents to believe. Either way she's screwed. No one's going to trust her and she will spend the next 20 years paying back the money, whether or not it's after jail time. I'm fed up but have to remain cool for my other's sake.

Time to dust off my drum throne..

According to the box Rock Band Stage Kit is an “Interactive Light and Smoke Stage Show” to accompany your Rock Band jam sessions. Rumor has it that the light show is even synchronized to the music. Now all I need is a proper stage.

Your a Crazy Bitch!!!

9/12/2008 12:51pm.... The crazy bitch otherwise known as my cousin Michelle McClure has FINALLY called and told my mother that she stole all this money from them. Over $100,000.00. She said she did it all and that her husband knew nothing. The Secret Service approached her and she completely confessed. If you ask me, since your on my blog (you are asking me) she deserves to be thrown in jail. More details later.....

2008-2009 Bouldering Season

The bouldering seasons begins soon. As Jesse Jackson would say.. "With the season anticipation comes expectation and performance evaluation. Celebration will only follow concentration and proper navigation. The season's validation depends on my restoration of prior dedication."

This will prove to be my hardest pre-season of record. I need to get quite a bit of flexibility back and my core strength will need to improve. I'll turn 37 this month and I'm starting to feel it in the morning. In fact just getting in and out of my Jeep has been wearing on my back. So its back to the chiropractor, no pun intended.

Greatest Singers of All Time?

Q Magazine, a UK publication, which considers itself the "Modern Guide to Music and More.." recently came out with a list of the top 100 singers of all time. I disagree on many of the top ten entries.

Top 10:
1. Elvis Presley-From his debut release 'That's All Right' onwards, Presley put sex into rock and roll. Country, gospel and blues, he took them all in his stride

2. Aretha Franklin-Said to have a four-octave range, soul star Franklin showed her prowess and power on hits such as 'Respect' and 'I Say a Little Prayer'

3. Frank Sinatra-Renowned for his perfect delivery and phrasing on classics 'My Way' and 'I've Got You Under My Skin'

4. Otis Redding-Fine versions of songs like 'Satisfaction', but loved for '(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay'

5. John Lennon-Not technically brilliant, but expressive. 'Imagine' is regularly voted one of the all-time great songs

6. Marvin Gaye-Shot dead by his father in 1984, the Motown star was said to have 'the voice of an angel trapped in a man'

7. Kurt Cobain-Not exactly a beautiful voice but his anguished cries on Nirvana hits such as 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' launched a rock revolution in the early 1990s

8. Robert Plant-As singer with Led Zeppelin, Plant and his feminine high register touched millions with 'Stairway to Heaven' and 'Immigrant Song'

9. Mick Jagger-Jagger's wicked rasp introduced Britons to rhythm and blues and is still going strong after more than 40 years

10. Jeff Buckley-Was barely known during his lifetime, but his only completed studio album is now a classic, especially his version of 'Hallelujah'

What about Bowie? Axle Rose? Freddie Mercury? Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston? In my opinion Kurt Cobain shouldn't make this list. Where's Billy Joel?