Bleh

I am still quite the pitiful blogger.

Well, I have been doing pretty well with NaNo. I have around 26,000 words right now, and I need to get to 30,000 by the end of the day to catch up. I was doing so well! And then the website messed up and my graph was off, and I've been busy and tired. But I'm more than halfway there! That's exciting, at least.

Let's see, in other news...
I have been bouldering at the Loft this week and last. Fun stuff. I love it. Mainly I love getting to work my arm and back muscles a lot, since I don't do that a lot with ballet. But I've seen improvement after the three days I've gone. Yesterday, I did one route that started as a slight incline, and ended up on the ceiling. I did it twice before my arms got too tired and my brain dysfunctional enough to do it a third. I'll do it again on Monday, if I can get up there after handbells before it closes.

Thanksgiving break is almost here (Praise the Lord!). Leaving Tuesday afternoon. SO glad to be going home to rest (ha ha, probably not). There's always so much going on, but I'm happy to be going back. I do miss my family.

On Sunday, the Outdoors Club is taking a group of us to the YMCA to work on kayak techniques. Namely, ROLLING! Yay! It's been a couple of months since I rolled, so I hope I can still do it. It's so much fun if you can do it, but it is exhausting, and rather scary as well. You are underwater, depending on the strength of your arms and hips to get your kayak right-side-up. And if you are on the river, then you are also worried about smacking your head on a rock that you can't see because your eyes are closed in the frigid water.

Of Carabiners and Exhaustion

I promised myself I would blog more often, so I'm trying. However, it is 10:30, and after a long day of school and rehearsal for the upcoming choral concert, I cannot think or write clearly. Thankfully, I have an arsenal of writing from creative writing during the fall semester. This is for the rock-climbing fanatics out there.

Climb Away


Spiders!
My muscles freeze
Refuse to move.
That smells wafts towards me from
The crevice I am about to
Squeeze my fingers into.
Wait. My nails
Scratch the face, bringing pain
And the awful sound.
Gravity pulls against me,
Ropes begging me to climb.
My arms and legs burn
From the position I squat on
The vertical face. Toes
Protest from the jammed cracks.
Warily I eye the potential hold.
Wearily I hold my position.
No spiders. Choose another crack.

The pitted rock is not comfortable
Under calloused hands. Fingers tremble.
I rest one arm
And then the other.
No change. Knuckles are frozen
Into place by exhaustion.
I dip my hand
Into the bag at my hip
And tighten the chalky hold.

Sweat drips down my undershirt
Chilly despite my warmth.
I fight the urge to wipe
My forehead. Hair is plastered to
My cheeks, the back of my neck.
Arms wobbling, I shove my toes
Into a hole. My legs burn
But I straighten.
Fingers find awkward holds—
Anything to keep from falling.
The rope holds me, wiggles in
Anticipation of the next move.
I sniff back liquid, inhaling the
Fragrance of sweat.
A carabiner jingles,
Anxious to be back in
The backpack, with his
Brothers.
I lunge for its twin,
My lips press a greeting on
The cold metal.
I settle back in the harness.
Every muscle groans with
Relief. But I’ve got the
Best seat right here.