Identity Crisis

If you ever feel you're having some kind of identity crisis. Don't worry...this guy is having a harder time.

Launch Abort Static Fire

So I've had a few conversations with many of you about this Launch Abort System I've been doing at work for the past few years. This week we had a big milestone event where we tested the first prototype. Here are a couple of videos/articles from the event that explain pretty well what we've been up to.

Cheers

This is a video from Fox News (copy and paste into your url...the quick link isn't working)

http://www.myfoxutah.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=7914213&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

The Standard Examiner

http://www.standard.net/live/news/149105

Reflections of 29....29....29

Today I was on CNN.com and read through the "Young People that Rock" section. This is a group of people that do amazing things for the bettering of humanity by the age of 30. Each has a profile, some strength, some weakness, but all are powerful.

"ZOW...that's only a year away", I said to myself sitting in a fluorescent lamp office space.

Does any one have any good ideas? Or maybe, has anyone done anything really impressive that I could 'borrow' and make it on CNN?

Renaissance Pioneer

So I’ve recently moved to the downtown Salt Lake area. I live only a block or so away from Pioneer Park. Despite the name, the park is not full of pioneers but homeless people. I suppose pioneers in a non-traditional sense.

After church today I swung by the supermarket to do some stealthy Sabbath breaking. As I walked up to the market, one of these renaissance pioneers was staring me down in my suit. I was perplexed. As I came closer he looked me in the eye and said, “You’re shoes don’t match”. I jokingly mocked that they don’t match each other. He wipped his head back, rolled his eyes, and explained my shoes clash with my suit color. I bought both the suit and the shoes in Italy. I suppose I had thought that was what made them match.

“Well, what do you recommend?”

“Black…duh!!”

I gave him a dollar for his wisdom and wrote this haiku.

Renaissance pioneer;
Life torn and brittle
Out fashions engineer.

Ragnar Relay - Wasatch Back Race

Last weekend Adam T. Neville organized a group of 12 to run the Wasatch Back Relay Race from Logan to Park City through the mountains covering about 180 miles. We finished in about 28 hours and pained with ailment. It was great. Likely planning on it again next year...come and get it if you're interested....ZOW!

Cody Nicklaus Miskin Graduates

Big day in the Miskin family this weekend. Cody, my brother of 17 tender years, graduates from High School. I flew out to Santa Rosa for the event. It was great to see him jazzed for the event.
We also had Peggy's annual fundraiser for breast cancer event, great golf games, and a Giants game where the Giants took the Padres in extra innings. Good times!

Escalante over Memorial Day 08

Over the memorial day weekend a big crew from Logan and Salt Lake went to Escalante to backpack and hike around Coyote Gulch, Calf Creek Falls, and some slots. Here's the video...it was epic!



I couldn't extract Sarah's singing from video; so here it is in video.

Kauai 07

Adam, Cameron, and I bummed around Hawaii last year for 10 days or so. Good times.

An unexpected visitor

Walked out to work in the yard and found this dead deer between my bedroom window and the AC unit in the backyard. Between dry heaving and hoisting, Adam and Mark pulled it out while Andrea's filming, Jocelyn offering some moral support and I'm sandbagging and dry heaving in the background....ZOW!

Ancient Arts

After a restful night sleep in a washed out river bottom we rose to an overcast sky glooming over Fisher Towers. After muddling through racks of cams and stoppers for 40 minutes and watching doctors poach our early attempt, we made the 20 minute stroll through red sand to stand at her feet .


Here's the climb, Ancient Arts (5.10d). There's a person in the middle to give perspective.
We simul-climbed the first pitch over mud clauds and Dr. Seuss-ian Hoodoos.
Chase cruised up the second pitch with ease stemming across a body width chimney. I was pleasantly surprised to be showered by mud debris.

I led the third pitch which became a little thin (this is the 10d part), nothing that can't be solved by cheating a bit with a little help from a strategically placed quickdraw.

Then the fourth pitch is the grandmaster mother of all exposure. Chase led it with confident ease and I pleaded with the almighty for avoidance of a high mountain rescue from the belay station. This leads to the top out on the corkscrew, gorgeous and scary....so scary.

Water Testing

Just testing the water