sunny sunny

Tonight, I'm in San Diego as I have been for the past two nights. I've been hanging out with D.C. expats. I call them expats because well, California really does seem like a world away from D.C. and its drive and ambition to change the planet and the universe. We cooked a monster Bengali meal last night, sauteed kale, brown basmati rice, chicken and butternut squash curry, and a tangy tomato stew. We had pretty ambitious plans to hike and climb out in the desert, but the heat wave destroyed our plans. While my lady-friend had just completed a 50K in three digit heat at altitude and was recovering, I pretended to recover from my week+ in D.C. The feeling that I needed to buy a bar of ice cream at every convenience store I passed and wolf it down in my car parked in a garage. Before I left, I got the good 'ole clean bill of health. I was amazed. And terribly relieved. I could finally travel and not cancel another flight out West. So my ultra-running friend and I, defeated by heat, had nice beach walks, pool time and the only real athletic thing we tried to do was tread water. She decided we are really bad at motivating at each other and like me is jobless. Today at REI I saw Yahtzee ... I suggested we buy it, stay home, and play it all day. She smiled at me ... "we're going to have to make up a really good story to explain to people." It's occurred to me a few times that not having the stress and pressure of a job, or school, makes me a pretty unmotivated climber. I'm not stressed at all ... thus I don't feel the need to torture myself in a crossfit work out, pound asphalt and sweat and breath heavy, and scare myself silly on a rock climb ... all to replace the stress of work or school. Interesting. I'm sure I'll be motivated tomorrow when we look up at the beautiful granite faces in Tahquitz/Suicide Rocks, in between Los Angeles and Palm Springs and we find ourselves on the sharp ends of the rope.