Opposable Thumbs (i got one!)

Opposable thumbs= primates.
evolution... it is a theory, but so is gravity.
And it makes a lot of sense.

one of the coolest classes i ever took was evolutionary psychology. it had 3 professors: a psychologist, a literature professor, and a primatologist.

we would learn about different psychological attributes in humans and then examine them on an evolutionary basis: from something as simple as social aggression and politics to things like why women pursue the blonde bombshell look.

I really loved when the primatologist lectured- he always brought in great videos and pictures to show us how similar we are to primates, especially to bonobos and chimps. There are viscious primates too, like baboons (they move like lions)

here's something sweet -- self awareness in primates and humans:



if you're interested in evolutionary psychology, check out the book Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters. It's entertaining, well researched and fascinating. A good plane read, couch read, or desk read.


and now- something adorable:


if it comes down to being a chimp or a chump, i think i'd like to be a chimp.

dm stith

he only has one album out- heavy ghost. but he's fantastic. and he opened for sufjan on this last tour.

beautiful.



maybe i should become a waitress again so i can buy cd's.

thank you divine comedy

its the last day of the semester! then its finals week... and i'm finding that perhaps the best thing about BYU is BYU divine comedy:



or it could be the amount of RMs that wear the hats they got on their missions to school.

or it could be the nerds.

or it could be the gardeners.

but its probably divine comedy:




enjoy!

The Power of Play

i know i just posted some videos about climbing. but this video is more than just about climbing:



I was looking for a good strong woman climber to study, and i found one. But this video shows me more than that. It shows me how we can connect through cultures by recreation. This is something we discuss in my Leisure in Contemporary Society class. There are many organizations that are sponsoring this sort of thing, bringing happiness and joy to places where children and people are suffering through recreation.
A pretty mainstream group is called "Right to Play International" -and here is there website- www.righttoplay.com
They go to many different countries around the world and implement play and sports organizations. This helps bring joy and meaning to the children there, children who have been through hard things (like civil wars and genocide). Play gives these children hope and allows them to be children. I recommend looking at Right to Play's videos.
There are many studies that talk about how play and leisure benefits the very basic parts of life.

There is also this book:
This is an amazing book that i recommend to anyone. It talks about the growing national, cultural, and human problem that the author, Richard Louv, identifies as Nature-Deficit Disorder. In this books many of societies problems are discussed, and the roots of these problems all lead back to the fact the we, as a culture and a people, do not have enough play time and that our children are suffering. He even discusses a study that put children with ADD and ADHD outside (in an area where they could run free and see green plants) for 45 minutes a day. The results show exactly the same effect as any ADD drug such as aderoll or ritalyn. Louv suggests that in most cases, outside time could be used as a direct remedy for hyperactivity.

Well, Duh. But i guess we need to hear it.
Further than that, play gives impoverished children (and adults) a reason to get up and be happy. This novel talks about the effects of putting at risk youth in adventure programs; the confidence and ability it fosters. After these programs, some kids change their life paths, pursuing education and healthy careers. But even if they don't, they have felt triumphant and strong.

Kids need chaos to form emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Play provides the chaos.


The more and more I learn about this field, the more I know its the right thing to do. So pick up Last Child in the Woods and look for some research on the power of play. It makes a difference.

to climb like a monkey.....

to climb like a monkey............
to yell like a human......

chris sharma is the herald guru of climbers in the west-- the best of the best

but don't forget the monkey king.... that is pure technique


technique and yelling
plus upper body strength





technique technique technique
and being pumped. and not giving up or letting frustration get in the way.
its a good lesson.



just some videos for the day

"Hunker down, wait it out a bit. It's going to be that significant."

The storm of all storms is coming though Utah today.
Its a blizzard. For really, a full blown blizzard. They said it would hit sometime around 5pm, but more and more reports say its ahead of schedule. And even though this apocalyptic article urges the general population to take cover, i am tempted.not to go out wearing only leggings, but to go out.

On Sunday, Clark and I hiked up to Diamond Fork hot springs. It was gorgeous, almost no one was there, and it was SNOWING. Not a blizzard, like the currently impending doom, but heavily/blinding snow. And we were hiking through the middle of it, it was silent and peaceful. and i saw a beetle ( i like beetles)
then this:


of course, i didn't take this picture, and there was a good 5 inches of snow. And steam. Nothing as gorgeous as the steam and snow, so this picture does little justice. We got in the hot pots and soaked for a good 2 hours. It was a bit chilly at first, but we found the cold source and plugged it up. Some friends met us up there after an hour or so, but we were already on the way out. It had started snowing harder, and Clark and I were debating on staying until the snow let up. it didnt.

Last time i went to these hot pots in winter, my hands were too cold to button my coat up or tie my boots. I started crying and panicking because i felt so helpless... clark ended up tying my shoes for me. I was amazed at how fast i became helpless. But this time i wasn't helpless. I got dry(ish) and dressed and shoes tied, with enough time to pick up trash and throw my mitten in the river.
But we moved out. The snow was even heavier than before. Far more blinding. We could barely recognize the trail, all the footsteps had already been filled and covered with snow. My eyelashes froze together multiple times, and my coat was wet. It really wasn't that dangerous (except for maybe 2 parts where the trail is really hairy), but it was lovely.

And then hot chocolate and soup was lovely, curling up on the couch and watching arrested development.

So... with this impending blizzard doom, i plan on heading home, getting some soup, cleaning my room and covering cold leak areas of the house (like our windows or random holes in the basement), packing for idaho (we leave tomorrow!), finding a sled, thermal up, put some hot chocolate in a thermos, and walking to the foothills to watch the impending doom. Then maybe sledding through the impending doom.

'Glen Merrill, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Salt Lake, said, "This will far surpass anything that we've seen, probably for the last several years."'

i love the seasons
happy thanksgivings

What some people be doin these days.

"Light Going Out," by D. Kent Watson and Eric Haven

This is a song by a friend i knew indirectly from high school. He is currently going to school at University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, and undeniably kicking butt. His music is quite genius. Iwas able to work with him on a project, and i am grateful for the experience. He taught me about using digital music programs, as well as the the kindness and friendship generated in musical exchange. He is humble, and funny; his ideas are fresh. And he pushes collaboration over state lines, sending music back and forth between musicians separated by long-distance until a song is finished.

The volume and quality of music he is able to produce is simply impressive.

He is also an art student, and here is one of his art projects.
This is how it's described:

"The camera in the room takes a still frame shot and uses it as a reference image. When there is movement in the room it compares that change with the reference image and determines there is a body. This is body tracking. Than Max/Jitter finds the coordinates of the movements. Depending where the person is in the room triggers different video clips. This gives the appearance that the person in the video is following the person in the room"

his work is fabulous. i'm a fan.

:) go kent

sarah blasko

I am really liking sarah blasko, for her voice and her honesty and sheer beauty.



oh my <3

more? okay.

hey dudes

Its been awhile.
I'm not going to India, because I decided that I want to be debt-free whenever I leave the country. I don't want to travel with debt, and I don't want to come back to debt.

I am going camping in southern utah and climbing the prophecy wall this weekend.

Happy Spring!

hs