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.

Emily Gentholts was born 7 years and 1 day after me. She was from Bozeman, and going to college in Minnesota. She was in Bozeman for the summer doing research and playing Ultimate. She died last Sunday in a car wreck coming back from an Ultimate Tournament in Salt Lake City. You can read her obituary from today’s paper here I had played Ulimate with her a handful of times and talked some at an Ultimate Party a couple weeks ago. She struck me as being extremely pleasant and thoughtful. The type of person who was usually smiling with positive things to say. The Wednesday before she died we were playing Ultimate on a typical pleasant Bozeman evening and I was complimenting her attire of grey sweatpants rolled up above her knees with tube socks.

The tournament in Salt Lake City was a tournament I was seriously thinking about going to. There was a car full of Bozeman Ultimate Players behind the car Emily was riding in who were the first on the scene. Apparently an animal was involved, and Emily was sleeping in the back seat without a seat belt on. Thankfully the driver of that car is very much ok. The driver of the other car was 8-months pregnant,she deIivered her baby by c-section that night. Last I heard she was in the hospital in critical condition. I was told the impact literally split the car Emily was riding in the backseat of in half.

In case you forgot, cars are dangerous. I had not really been giving that a lot of thought recently but this has certainly brought it to my attention. Please be careful.

It seems like I’ve known more people to die in this past year than the rest of my life combined. Most of them did not have the chance to grow old. Grandma, Eben’s friend Wade ( I did not know him but I do know he was way too young), my friend Joe’s father, who was also Kezia’s uncle, passed away a few months ago at 52, and now Emily. It is very easy to forget that people don’t live forever. I wish people would be nicer to each other sometimes. I don’t understand why that is so difficult.

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.

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.

Here are a couple of pictures from Vegas. I didn’t actually take that many. I wanted to really get some good shots of the lights but that didn’t happen. The city certainly does better at night when the dark takes over and the multitude of lights brings your eye away from the typical big city grunge. There is a pyramid there with a giant spotlight shooting up from the top of it that you can see when you are about 70 miles outside of town.

The area outside of Vegas is quite splendid. I really am fond of the southwest. Where we actually played was about 15 minutes from our hotel and had some very nice hills surrounding it. They seem painted with lines of red and tan. Almost like they are made out of sand, very fragile looking. That picture of the sunset is untouched by the way. Thats really what it looked like. I might almost use the term “reality”.

Back in Bozeman. Things are calming down as I catch up. Vegas was quite interesting.

Some highlights:

• Our team (the Rum Runners) went 6-2 over Friday-Sunday
• Got stuck in an elevator with 22 other people for an hour and a half (more will come on this)
• Saw some standard Vegas sights, the fountains at the Bellagio hotel, an audio-anamatronic Zeus and friends pop out of a fountain inside Ceasar’s Palace
• Lost 2 dollars gambling
• Enjoyed 80 degree weather for a 3 days
• Spent 3 hours driving the final 80 miles home, (arriving at 3 am), on a snow-covered interstate
• General marveling at the train-wreck of civilization that is Las Vegas

And much more!

Right now I’m trying to stay on top of my game so I can go to Bridger tomorrow, because it has snowed about 4 feet there in the month of February, including about 3 in the last week. So there is a lot of freshy pow-pow out there waiting for me.

I just decided just recently that I’m going to Las Vegas this weekend. There is an Ultimate Tournament (flat plastic discs) there and MSU is taking a team. Mapquest says its 850 miles from Bozeman. We’re leaving Thursday morning. It will be an interesting drive, through Utah and Nevada, basically all new ground for me, which is exciting and one of the main reasons why I’m going. I’ve been through Utah a couple times but have not traveled this route exactly. I believe I’ll be the first Sulock in Vegas. (At least in our immediate family).

I go to Vegas with a mixture of excitement and fear for what I’ll encounter there, other than some warmer weather. At the very least it will be a learning experience. Right now I associate Vegas with lights, buffets, and gambling (although not necessarily in that order). I have gotten a little ahead as far as school is concerned, but the beginning of next week will still be challenging. You can’t miss four days around here without paying the consequences. But I will deal with that Monday.
Hopefully when I come back I’ll have some interesting pictures and some insight into one of Elvis’ favorite cities. I hope everyone is doing well.

p.s. I’m glad that the Tar Heels managed to pull out that win against Coach K and the rest of his cronies.

I had been waiting to try to write much on here until I got it to look exactly how I want it.

I don’t know if its ever going to look exactly how I want it, but this template looks pretty reasonable so maybe we’ll go with this for the time being. Also Mom has already posted comments, so I must keep the fan(s) pleased.

On that note, today myself and 4 fellow math graduate students ventured into the wilds of Montana at our local ski resort, Bridger Bowl. (whose website is available at www.bridgerbowl.com (highlights are video of the day and the snow report)) This place is pretty amazing. Its quite large (1500 acres…that is 10 times bigger than Sugar Mountain NC), quite uncrowded, quite close, and since I have a season’s pass relatively cheap.

I need to bring a camera out there. Today would have been a good day as it was relatively sunny. From the top of the lifts looking out you can see about 4 different mountain ranges, its pretty neat, I feel quite lucky.

I’ve gone there everyday since I’ve been in Montana. I’m hoping I’ll get tired of this before school starts, although thats unlikely. It is seriously not crowded so far. The weekend was free from lift lines, and the weekdays so far have been downright desolate.

Well this is my first “real” post. I hope everyone that has actually read this far has found that bit of prose not too boring, and possibly even enjoyable. Wish you could all be out here with me.

A continual work in progress. Thoughts will be minimized to avoid waste.