No Shoe Left Behind

I wear flip flops a lot and they are perfect shoes for heading to climbing because I don't have to get out of one pair of shoes to get into climbing shoes. Ditto for flip flops and swimming/yoga .

As I headed from the climbing gym on Monday to yoga class, an unidentified belt got really noisy, the battery light popped on, the temperature gauge rose and I pulled over and the car dumped antifreeze on the ground.

I put my climbing gear in the trunk and was happy to discover my tennis shoes since I had to walk about 30 minutes to a pay phone.

I got my car towed pretty fast and I was happy for several reasons including the fact that it was 100 degrees the next day; 100 degrees and climbing shoes do not mix.

Ah, the joys of car ownership:

Ignition Coil One (blows in Feb.)

Ignition Coil Two (blows in August)

Water Pump (blows in August even though it was replaced when timing belt was replaced two years ago)...

When I called roadside assistance, they wanted to know if I/the car was in a safe place. Thanks for asking...

In honor of Flick Friday, here are a few movies that I recently enjoyed.







Hope that you're enjoying Friday and that you're in a safe space.

Sexxi Drea or Best of the Blogger Stats

Every now and then, the Blogger stats make me laugh. A sampling of recent searches that brought people to my blog:

wild drea

bully t shirt

drea hard

i'm to tense when swimming front crawl

blogspot old lady sexy

black boulderers

sexxi drea

i'm a tart t-shirt

"peed on jessica"

how can i motivate myself to get rid of my clutter

*Indeed, how can I motivate myself to get rid of clutter?

These shoes are toast. The toe box has a little window and the rand is coming apart. I climbed in them for almost two years and I've gotten my money's worth. They smell and they're dirty so why can't I part with them?

Hurting A Lot A Bit ... or ... Overheard Everywhere

Don't fight the water; move through it.

Father to son at the pool

Grandma, I'm not Willie. I'm SuperEffenFreakingAwesomeDude.

Child to Grandma who was sitting in the bleachers at the pool

Tell me again why these shoes are supposed to be tight?

Son to Father at rock climbing gym

You can chicken sling it.

Another climber's solution to the lack of bolts on a route at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch.

This wall is just beating me up.

Climber attempting to ascend a 5.11 d route

It should only hurt a little bit. If it hurts a lot a bit then you need different shoes.

One climber to his friend, a newbie.

Would you like coffee? Or tea?

A climber to his friend who was stuck on a route.

No, no, you're not a man. You're 17; there's still a teen in there. You're not a man...

A mother (who is usually in intense mode) to son

Burke: Thanks for not letting me down.

Meghan: Well, we voted by committee and the answer was no.

Burke: I just didn't see the sequence...

I want to practice falling.

A young lady working on lead climbing

One Boulderer To Another or Overheard at the Gym, IV

Note: Most of these exchanges were overheard at the rock climbing gym.

People who rock climb are not into comfort.

Brandi while helping someone select a pair of shoes during Upper Limits' Black Friday sale.

My toes are sound asleep.

Patti's commentary on her toes which were in her new climbing shoes and weighing in at about two sizes smaller than her street shoes. Brandi, LOL, helped her select the shoes.

Marrying you is one of the smartest things that I've done...Marrying you is probably the smartest thing that I've done.

Mike to Patti

This hurts. Boy Scout who was trying to put on his rock climbing shoes.

It's supposed to hurt. Another Boy Scout

Like, I can't even get my foot in the shoe...Boy Scout

Over Here-ah? Young boy who was trying to get input from his father about where to place his foot.

Boy: I want to come down.

Father: Don't look down; just keep going.

I'm afraid of heights, a little shorty halfway up Slabtastic, a 5.6 route

His father tried to convince him to continue with his ascent.

It's okay. It's all right. Don't worry about it. You can just climb. It's okay...

A young man repeated this refrain to his friend who did not pass her belay test. He reassured her for quite a while.

Shorty (hesitant about continuing upward): I haven't been here in a while...

Mother: I'm here. I gotcha.

How do I get my fat ass off the floor?, One boulderer to another...

Boulderers will often start a route in a seated position. That's Ryan getting ready to start a route.

Overheard At The Gym, II

If you turn that equation (photosynthesis) around, it's combustion. Chris (one of my climbing partners)

Stuck Climber: I don't know what to do.

Belayer: Keep going up.

Less blood in the feet, more blood in the hands. A climber that I was sitting next to; we sighed after taking our rock climbing shoes off.

I have a lot of vacation time but not a lot of money. (new, gray-eyed) Mike's assessment on the beauty and cheapness of climbing outdoors.

After I got caught blatantly reading the back of someone's t-shirt with tea etiquette quotes.

My friends and I went camping and someone brought The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde. We took turns reading in a British accent; it was so much fun.

Belayer: What are you doing?

Climber (on a 5.10 route): I don't know.

Climber: Oh, sh@t. Take!

Lead Climber: I hate falling.

Belayer: Then don't fall; keep on climbing.

Voilà.... F#%@.... Voilà.... Nice... (Two climbers who talk, primarily, in French but like to drop bombs in English.)

Anatomy of A Rock Climbing Shoe

Since I've been regularly rock climbing, I decided it was time to invest in some gear. I headed to REI to try on some shoes but they didn't have a huge selection in the store. The ones I tried on were tight and uncomfortable except for the La Sportiva Mythos, which could be mine for $130 dollars but I wasn't expecting to drop that much on shoes.

I headed online but didn't want to order from anyone who didn't have a friendly return policy especially since all of the shoes that I tried on in the store felt so different.

There are many varying opinions about what to look for in rock climbing shoes depending on your skill level etc.

Rock Climbing Shoes Review

Best Rock Climbing Shoes For Beginners

Over at Vegan Fitness, there's a discussion regarding the best shoes for vegans which include the Evolv and 5.10 brands.

This diagram that I found at Cheap Rock Climbing Shoes was cool. All I know is that I don't ever want a tight toe box.



I decided to go with La Sportiva since I found them comfortable and, yes, comfort is everything to me.

I first settled on The Mojo:



Then, I decided that a slip-on shoe would be better. Check out the curve on this shoe.

I'm hoping that the shape will allow the shoes to mold beautifully to those tiny holds.

Now that I have my La Sportiva Katanas, this article on rock shoe care will also be helpful.