Spring Break 2011. Hike-Climb-Bike in Utah. Awesome.

Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine apathia divine athambia divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all doubt all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds hockey of all sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounces per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and then the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but not so fast I resume the skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard (mêlée, final vociferations) tennis..the stones…so calm…Cunard…unfinished…

samuel beckett
waiting for godot

On Saturday we drove to the coast. About an hour and a half drive from Portland.

In a little house. in a little village, not far away from Thunderbolt City, lived a whistle fixer named Lunchbox Louie. He had a wife named Bigfoot the Chipmunk and a little son named King Waffle. Every day Lunchbox Louie would kiss Bigfoot the Chimpmunk and King Waffle, and walk to his shop in Thunderbolt City…

Allow me to share one of the best things I’ve found on ye olde interweb in a long time. The following Garfield comic strips without Garfield are shamelessly stolen from This website

Described as

Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life?

I just learned how to do this tonight. These aren’t perfect by any means but I think they are fun.

Hope it is a good one!

While WordPress makes putting up a site like this not too bad for average Joe’s like myself, there are some subtleties that escape me every now and then. Like ,why does it open a picture when you go to comment on the post below? I have no idea, but it certainly does (as Davy so kindly pointed out to me yesterday). Whoops.

Therefore, if the urge strikes you to comment on those fabulous photos of Bozeman that appeared in the post before this, consider using this post to do so. Thank you and goodbye.

I found this website, www.summitpost.org that is a networking site for people who go like to play outside.

I made a picture gallery there here.

Its kind of nice because I know people are looking at these pictures and hopefully enjoying them. There are a lot of amazing pictures other people have taken from all over the world as well.

Mom and Dad have been out west for a week now. We spent 3 nights at Coulter Bay in the Tetons with Kezia joining us for the first night. Then it was taking the scenic route through Yellowstone on the way back and since then Bozeman. On Wednesday we are going to drive up to Glacier for a couple of nights.

Mom and Dad are in Anaconda outside of Butte playing a the Old Works golf course which Dad first mentioned to me a number of months ago. The weather seems to be cooperating so I hope they are having a good time. It wasquite chilly at the Tetons and in Yellowstone. Mom and especially Dad would probably use a term along the lines of “Artic”. The 2nd night we were there it started snowing and we woke up with some snow scattered on the grounds and the moutains with a fresh dusting.

I warn you that the last picture is 3.3 megabytes. It is a panoramic of the Tetons I took with about 9 pictures stiched together.

http://michaelsulock.com/wp-content/uploads/Teton.jpg I don’t know why WordPress is being such a pain with with this picture but if you copy the address above and paste it into your browser you’ll get to the giant panorama.

I was reading this article about the spring-loaded rock climbing protection piece known as a”cam”, and apparently this fellow, Ray Jardine, invented the modern version of something that has totally revolutionized climbing since then. Inventing the cam is something along the same magnitude with inventing the bicycle. It was really that ground-breakingof an accomplishment.

So I was impressed by this, and followed the link at the bottom of the rather limited Wikipedia article on Ray to his “Adventure Homepage”, www.rayjardine.com This guy is completely ridiculous. What he has accomplished in terms of seeking adventure, (which I don’t see as the ultimate goal of life by any means) is almost totally unprecedented. For example, taking 3 years to sail around the world or building your own kayaks which you then use to kayak 960 uninhabited miles in 38 days. He sells different kits for making your own homemade tents, sewing your own backpacks, your own hats, and more. He in a scientist, an engineer, and an inventor as well as a world-class explorer and adventurer. I think that is a really impressive diachotomy of books smarts and brave curiosity.

If you look out his webpage, in a column on the right side, you’ll see accounts of a lot of the things he’s done. I’m just putting this up because I feel like he is an interesting person and wanted to share some things I was looking at and thinking about. Ray reminds me of Uncle Sandy!

Love, Michael

Yes, its hard to believe folks but I am now 27 years young. (well, technically not until tomorrow but when you read this it’ll be true. Its akin to post-dating a check). A good age that is for sure. Its too bad I have schoolwork to do and can’t spend it at Bridger or something, but its not the end of the world.

I have to finish a take-home exam, meet my professor at 11, give out a couple of make-up quizzes at 12:30, and then proctor our first Stat 216 exam at 6. Not that much that has to get done really. So it should be a good day.

I rewarded myself with a new 250 GB external hard-drive (120 bucks from tigerdirect.com) and a new pair of clogs (I had a pair a long time ago that Davy managed to confiscate and wore out). So right now my computer is bleeping as it backs up 18 GB of photos from my harddrive and I’m wearing my wonderful, new-smelling shoes. As soon as I finish typing this I’m going to go to bed because its after 11 o’clock and that is past my bedtime.

Aren’t Friday’s the best? They are especially nice when you had 2 tests that week. One thing about a test is that you don’t necessarily know how you’ll do before you take it, but you do know that at least it will be over.

I had a pretty tough test today in Stat 424. Which is a math stat class. Its pretty interesting but it is a whole new type of material that takes a little bit to get used to. We have a take-home portion of it thats due next week that’ll be the other half of the grade. I felt like if I had a little more time the in-class part would’ve gone better, but that just means that I’ll need to have the material straight that much more for next time.

Also, Modest Mouse is going to play a concert in Bozeman the Saturday at the end of our spring break. NONE of the bands I’m familiar with ever come to this town. Some do stop by Missoula, which is a little larger and a few hours to the west. That’s the town that inspired me to come to school here actually. Modest Mouse is a band I tried to see about 3 years ago in Minneapolis but the show sold out before I was able to get tickets. So this is exciting. One of the things I miss about Asheville is the fairly regular supply of music they have coming through there.

Unlike Davy, there are no ziplines or gorillas in my possible future. I do think I’ll go down to Yellowstone tomorrow. Bridger can be a little hectic on the weekends and finding some peace will be nice. Thanks for reading about my little slice of the universe out here. Hope that whoever you are and and whatever you’re doing things are working out for you.

Michael