New Heights

I was very excited when I got a response from my friend Orlando with an invitation to meet up. Orlando suggested we go try a passion of his... rock climbing.
Orlando and I went to school together from middle school through high school. We'd always gotten along and shared some similar interests and friends, but now, 10 years later, we've actually got quite a bit in common.
I had often thought about rock climbing. I had always thought that rock climbing was all about getting as high as you can... on a rock. I've climbed rocky surfaces while hiking and enjoyed it, but todays experience was far beyond what I'd expected. Orlando met me at the high school we both attended. I was there to watch one of my students who was competing in a track meet. We stayed for a while, conversing and catching up about the past 10 years and our lives today. Orlando left our town soon after high school. He has spent the past several years furthering his education, doing volunteer work, and adventuring in several countries around the world. We share a love of exotic foods, different cultures, and traveling. Both of us would enjoy packing a backpack and being dropped 'anywhere but here'. Orlando started Climbing in Hawaii where he lived and went to school, and experienced an earthquake while on the rock. One of those experiences that either endears you to the sport, or keeps you away from it for good. Orlando was hooked. We went to an indoor rock gym today and it was awesome!
Not only was it an incredible physical workout, but an intense physical and mental challenge. It's like solving puzzles that require total focus and complete physical engagement. In a split second, you have to make decisions about which hold to grab, how to hold it, where to place your feet, etc. Orlando mentioned that one of the reasons he loves climbing, is because it's the only time that his mind is truly clear of anything else. I can definitely understand that. I was completely focused on my next move at every point. Orlando is a very good climber, and I hope to eventually be one as well. This was a fantastic experience that I'd like to try to do regularly. Great hanging out with Orlando.




Face to Face #9: 1 friend

Friend count: 13

Cravings

For my most recent meet up, I hung out with my girlfriend Danielle. We've been in school together from elementary school through high school, then met up again years later both working at the same elementary school we attended. It's been one year since we started going out, and we decided to go to one of the first places we went together to grab a bite... well, lots of bites actually. We decided to satisfy two cravings that we share: a love of cupcakes, and a royal delicacy.

We started off grabbing a box of our favorite cupcakes from Sweet Avenue Bake Shop. in Rutherford, NJ. This is a vegan bake shop that specializes in ridiculously delicious specialty cupcakes. I actually brought a small present for the owners, but they weren't there at the time... so, there is another meet up in the works, as I am a fan of theirs on FB. We got a bunch of our favorite "old skool" cupcake, one other, and were on our way to our royal destination. Every good New Jerseyan has at some point given in to the crave for the belly destroying burgers of White Castle. Below is a shot of our feast. Saturday we'll be heading out for a fancy dinner, but it'll take a lot to measure up to instant gratification that the castle brings.

This was one of the first places where we'd hung & pigged out together, so aside from the momentary deliciousness, it holds some sentimental value. The last time I ate White Castle, 5 burgers in to a sack of 10... my stomach decided that it hated me. This time... I am yet to feel the effects of the belly bombers (Win). This is a shot of some of the aftermath.

So this meet up was great, and I'm sure that Danielle and I will be meeting up again.





Face to Face #8: 1 friend

Friend count: 12

Finding

Making friends on Facebook is more difficult, if not more complicated, than doing so in real life.

IS THIS THING ON??

Hello readers and non-readers. Thanks first of all to anybody taking the time to click, scroll and read whatever is up here. I've recently been inspired to ramp things up a bit, and kick up the pacing of the project. Yes, working 5 days a week and grad. school part time makes it tough to schedule things regularly... but I've decided to do the best that I can in spite of that. I'm posting and attempting to set up meet-ups a lot more now. I'm not sure how many of my FB friends peek at this blog, but if they (of YOU) do... I hope you'll consider being a part of this project when it fits into your schedule.

The next meet-ups I'm trying to set up include:
-Rock Climbing
-Bowling
-A Kindergarten Class Mini-Reunion
-Ice Skating
-Gallery Hopping/ Sketching in NYC
-Touring a Baseball Glove Factory

As always, if anyone is up for a meal or coffee and convo, I'd love to set that up as well!

Hopefully I'll have more to report soon!

They DO exist!

I've been getting more into hiking over the past couple of years, and soon hope to add rock climbing to my list of hobbies. I'm sure by the end of this project, there will have been several activities I undertake that some will not have expected. Thanks to funnyordie.com... Enjoy :)

Black Hiker with Blair Underwood from Blair Underwood

Now we're talking!

A buddy of mine from high school just hit me up on Facebook and asked if I was up to go rock climbing, as this is a true passion of his. THIS is the kind of thing I've been hoping for since beginning the blog/project! I have to make the room in my schedule, but will be getting back to him asap, and hopefully hanging from a high, vertical surface sooner than later.

To friend, or not to friend...

These were some thoughts I jotted down a few months back, and am just deciding to post now. I've recently had some conversations about the topic with friends, and have gained some new insight/perspective which makes thinking about it even more interesting. Anyway, I've decided to post the thoughts, because they are part of my thinking that directly involves/impacts this project, and incase someone is actually interested enough in this project or topic to care... here they are. Again, my thoughts may change, and may HAVE changed in certain respects, but this was running through my mind, and I'm curious what other people think.

As I get deeper into this project/experiment, and deeper into Facebook... I'm starting to notice some things.
the obvious thing I'm noticing is that I will always have more "friends". I've debated about and eventually deleted some "friends", because of how ridiculous it seems to me to have people i don't know or don't "really" know as my "Facebook friends." if we are just going to be digital pictures listed alphabetically on each others pages and never talk or hang out... why bother? Maybe it has something to do with me attempting to try to get closer to a giant number of people that i hope that i actually do care about already, and feeling that these other potential 8th degree of separation friends are going to clog the pipeline to face to facebook friendship success. I can't say for sure.

What I didn't expect or think about was that I am also one of those friends for any number of other people that i have an interest in, in some sense. I don't do it often, but at times I'll come across a person that i don't know at all... and think... oh wow... they know so and so? or so and so knows them... somehow??? maybe we can be friends too!!! click click.... friend requested. it happened today, I wont say with who... but i just stopped myself after attempting to add this person and thought... am I a jerk for not accepting other people because I don't know them, then hoping that someone i don't know will accept me?? And I hope I'm not a jerk, at least not for that reason. This is why I think as jerky as i can be for other reasons... this MAY not be one. I don't expect other people to friend me, or to accept my request, if i don't know them... or if i don't know them "well enough." If someone is disappointed or mad that i didn't friend them... I keep thinking... who am I?? Am I that important for some people? My posts are never profound or particularly interesting to anyone that does not know me, or know me well enough to get my humor, at least i strongly believe that to be true. So if you are mad at me for not clicking accept... I am genuinely confused as to why... unless you're just mad that you don't have another plus one on your friend counter... I know those things can become like lava lamps... watching them move up and down. I think from now on I will send a message with requests to people that i don't know at all, because that would definitely make me feel better about and more inclined to accept someone that I didn't know.

New Arena

Another meet up! I know... I'd almost forgotten about it too! As terrible a job as I'm doing of keeping pace with this project (to finish it by the chosen date), I still get really excited and happy each time I do get to meet up face to face with one of my friend (or... 'friends' as the case may be).

The case in this case... is my friend... Case.

I've known OF Caseen since he articulately presented the morning reports in middle school. He is a couple of years behind me, but we were in school together for most our time in school. We also are both Rutgers alum, and ran into each other a few times while there. Now we are both teaching in the same district we attended school. Caseen teaches high school english. He is also very involved with the theatre (performing and directing), and heads up our towns main theatre company. Writing all of this now, and reflecting on our meet up, I realize that we do have many things in common. Case even pointed out that many people in town get the two of us confused quite often. We decided to head to one of the classic Hackensack haunts, The Arena Diner. We had breakfast, and discussed everything from time travel to tube vs. flatscreen tvs, to 80's nostalgia, to budget cuts, to Pee Wee Herman. That's right... Pee Wee Herman. It turns out, not only is Case a director and star of the stage, but he is an author, with an awesome, intriguing and controversial book in the works about... Pee Wee's Playhouse. He told me all about the in's and out's and the process he's going through to get his book finished and published. Honestly... the story of writing the book, may be as interesting of the story inside of the book! He's talking with people who've worked on the show in every capacity, celebrity guests and he is a flashing, beeping red dot on the radar of the man himself! Great stories there too. We also talked about Facebook, and the troubles of denying or adding certain 'friends'. Thanks to Case I'll be taking a close look at the feature that allows one to limit the access other 'friends' have to one's page. As we talked about... there are DEF some instances where this is appropriate. Also discussed, the iPhone as a perfect and essential device. Caseen made a good case (I promise I tried to avoid the pun!) for his love of the technological cultural zeitgeist that is the iPhone. I maintain my slight aversion, but Caseen has made me peek from a different perspective (As long as he doesn't try to sell me on the iPad... we're cool). Good time, good laughs, good food, good... goodness. I'll be following his progress on the book, and definitely will look to speak/hang with Case again.

Face to Face #7: 1 friend

Friend count: 11