DREAMS, FEARS AND REALITY

I keep thinking about OOS Assis. At night especially, while waiting for a good sleep, I keep picturing myself at the last hard move, the slap to the arete, feeling and feeling that move again and again. Usually, these images are mixed with the memories of the failed attempts. I keep feeling also my hand not catching the arete, and I think "What if I hadn't caught it, that day?". Well, obviously I'd been disappointed and I'd have gotten back on the problem until success. It's so strange. The memory of a failure that's not possible anymore, because I have actually done the problem, keeps me awake at night. This really gives me the idea of the achievement.

I don't know. I was thinking, lately: well I almost did OOS Assis in late november. I trained three months to just do one move more? What would it have meant if I'd done it before training? Well, these questions will remain unanswered. What I really understand now is the effort this problem took from me. Could it be the overall most difficult thing I've ever done? Well, it could, because of many reasons: the setting and the rarity of good conditions there; the 15+ moves; the span between the holds and, finally the technical difficulty.

Suffice to say that doing OOS Assis gave me so much confidence about the roof direct. After trying it ten days ago, and sticking the move that seemed impossible four times in a row at the end of the day, everything changed perspective.

This does not mean that I will soon do the roof direct (I will, by the way), it just tells me that I have to keep the faith and the path.

NOT MUCH, BUT STILL SOMETHING

Sunday I went to touch some sandstone. The weather was far from good, with grey skies covering a pale sun, but it wasn't too cold, and that was good because I wasn't feeling physically fine. As often happens, when temps rise after some proper cold, I get some kind of flu or cold. I wanted to try "Il Signore degli Anelli" but on sunday it really was beyond me: I have to be at full power for that, and I clearly wasn't. Next time.
Some of you may remember an entry of a few months ago (november the 2nd, 2008), about the strange grading policy they have, in the very same place where I have been on sunday. Some of you may remember that, that day I discovere that idiotic behaviour while trying a hard problem, a traverse with a very strange and hard move, a match on a vertical crimp with very bad feet.
Anyway, the problem and its grade can't bother me less right now, because yesterday I basically warmed up onto it, and after sussing out the moves I delivered it right in front of its first ascender house, with "YYFY YOU BASTARD" carved into its poor, crumbly rock with my own fingers.
Then, my life as a teacher: this morning I got to school with absolutely no voice; having to do four hours of teaching that was not a small problem, and I was especially worried about the two hours of the conversation class. I managed to do the job, but wasn't very satisfied at the end of the lesson. Luckily, when I came out of the class, Danielle, whos secretary desk is right in front of the class, so that she always hears my lessons, told me: "Hey, you're brilliant even with no voice!"
YYFY my friends.

UGG!!!

We are having a very cold winter so far, and we live in one of the most famous towns in the world for art and culture. These two things, apparently not related, bring to our attention two very important aspects of modern life: how to keep yourself warm, and the presence of tourists.

As many of you may have noticed, these two things are common in female tourists: most women nowadays wear big, fluffy boots called "UGG" to keep their small feet warm, then they go around the world into them boots.

Well, my ladies, I would like to give you a few tips about wearing "UGG": the word is very similar to "HUGGS" and this is fine, I want to hug you all, but the world is also dangerously similar to "UGLY". The "UGG" boots are ugly, and deserve to stay in this world for only one reason, that I will explain.

"UGG" boots have to be worn with loose pants, so that said pants can be pulled off with the boots staying on, enabling the lady to be loved naked but with the boots on.

This is the only reason that will allow "UGG" boots to remain on Planet Earth: to be worn by a completely naked girl, in a perfect Playboy Special Christmas Issue centerfold stereotype.

And, as you all know, nothing is sexier than a sexy stereotype.

Now go and reveal this truth. Amen.