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Posts Tagged ‘Craig’

Karin thanks her sherpa guru

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

kansi

I’m home! God bless drinkable waters and the plentiful air at sea level! Life at 18,500 feet sure aint easy, but wow is it beautiful. I’ve been home for 24-hours now and I still can’t believe that I stood at the base of Mount Everest and looked up to see the highest point in the world. What a way to turn 30.

I didn’t get sick, my brain did not swell from the altitude and I was not robbed by armed bandits. But man, was it harder than I thought it was going to be. 12 days of straight hiking, sometimes for 10 hours a day, is a real kick in the pants. It feels like you are slowly running a marathon uphill with a backpack on. In reality, you are walking really slow because you’re gasping for breath, but it feels like you’re sprinting while your quads are crying and your knees remind you that you’re not 15 anymore.

But then you look up and you see the most beautiful mountains on planet earth and the pain slowly fades away. And we had much more than mountains to see. We met incredible people who invited us into their homes, let us pray in their monasteries, and fed us for next to nothing.

The sherpa families who live in the hills near Everest exist in a region with no roads, no cars, very little electricity and a lot of beauty. Many make their living as porters or guides for treks, as our guide Kansi did. Kansi has climbed to 27,230 feet and lost his older brother in an avalanche on Mount Everest. He promised his mother he would never climb it from the Nepal side, as that is how his brother died, but told us that if he had another chance to go up, he would as it pays well and he has to support his family.

Without Kansi, I don’t know if I would have made it to 18,500 feet. It certainly would have taken me a week longer and I probably would have cried every five minutes. But Kansi told us all about the region when we hiked and taught us that when you’re up there, marching from sun up to sundown is just a way of life. Porters do the same routes with 220 pounds on their backs.

Would I do it again? I don’t know. But I’m thrilled I did it once. It tested and pushed my every limit, and I hope I came out better for it in the end.

oj;j;j

A monk crossing our path on our second day of hiking.

: A porter on one of the many scaaaary suspension bridges.

Roscoe, our amazing porter, with a little girl in Tengboche.

: This is the morning we climbed to 18,500 feet, higher than Everest base camp. I was so bitter about starting our hike at 4 am, but when I saw this sunrise, it made it all okay.

: Me at the top of the world! Or almost. Mt. Everest is the tallest mountain in the trio behind me.

lhlhl

Lakes right off the foot of Everest.

khkhkjh

I love this picture because it looks like I took it from an airplane, but really we just hiked above the clouds.

prayer flags

Prayer flags blowing in the wind, which are all over the Everest region.

Here I am with our wonderful guide Kansi!

Here I am with our wonderful guide Kansi!

Tags: Asian Trekking, Craig, kathmandu, Mount Everest, Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal, periche, suspension bridge, tangboche
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Karin thanks the store that lets her be a hoarder

Sunday, July 25th, 2010

Containerstore

Do you know that show on A&E? It’s called “Hoarders” and it’s all about extreme hoarders and how they let hoarding ruin their lives. They literally can’t throw away a Kleenex and sleep happily in their growing piles of sentimental trash. Well, I thought about these people and that show the other day when Craig declared his thoughts about my sentimentality. Here’s how the conversation went down:

Me: Do you think I’m a hoarder?

Craig: Borderline. (Please know this was said veeeeery seriously)

Me: Borderline! My boyfriend thinks I’m a borderline hoarder! (This phrase is repeated in a falsetto five hundred times) Borderline hoarder!!!!!

Craig: It’s not a bad thing. You’re just veeeeery sentimental.

Now this is true. I am very sentimental. I have the sweater I wore when I had my first kiss packed up in a trunk underneath the sweater I wore on my first date with my very first love, etc. etc. From all the clothes in there, it seems I like to have makeout milestones during the winter months.

While I don’t have piles of trash/memories all over my house. There are a lot of things I can’t get myself to throw away. Here is a brief list:

1) Any item of clothing that I attach sentiment to.

2) Cards, letters, emails, even some receipts from special occasions

3) Every photo ever taken

4) All schoolwork, even spelling tests from third grade.

5) Books, text books, informational pamphlets

And I guess the list does go on. But I usually get away with it. The reason I can get away with being a borderline hoarder is because I am a very, very organized hoarder. Sure I can’t throw away any letter, note, parking violation that I have ever received, but they all have a home! And that’s thanks to the Container Store. When you contain your trash/memories in pretty floral stackable boxes, no one is the wiser! Except one pesky eagle-eyed Nebraskan.

My house! Just kidding. But I do respect this person's very organized hoarding. That's the only way you can get away with it.

My house! Just kidding. But I do respect this person's very organized hoarding. That's the only way you can get away with it.

Tags: borderline hoarder, can't throw away, Container Store, Craig, hoarder, old teeshirts, very organized
Posted in Just Livin', Shopping | 1 Comment »

Karin thanks her adventurer in crime

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Craig

Today at 6 p.m., Craig and I leave on our very long journey to Nepal. First we have to fly to London, then New Delhi (where we spend two nights), before we make it to Katmandu. A day there and we are on another plane to the Himalayas and Lukla airport. That makes eight plane rides in two and a half weeks. Youch. But I think I would take 15 if need be to see Everest. And even better, we are going to hike the sucker. Well, a small part of the sucker anyway.

Two people told me yesterday that they saw a TV show called “World’s scariest airports.” My friend Lauren called me and said, “guess what number one is? Starts with an L ends with an ukla!” That’s right, Lukla, where we land to go hiking was rated the number one scariest airport on earth. But everyone needs a little adventure in her life, right! And on this adventure, I am glad to have Craig there. He has never been to Asia and I’m really excited to see him enjoy the wonders of traveling.

On another note, for many of you wonderful readers who have blogs, you know that you can back post your blogs and have them publish when you wish. Stacey and I actually never do this. We really take our “thank you a day” to mean one note a day and write our thanks on the day of publication 99.9 percent of the time.

But now I am faced with a hurdle called Mount Everest and no Wi-Fi. As much as it hurt me to do, I have had to back post my thank yous for when I am in Nepal. I am going to be camping on Everest for most of my trip, and as you can imagine, there is a lack of internet there.

In Nepal, I will still thank everyday, but it will have to be in my journal written by the light of a really ugly headlamp. When I get back to Washington, I will thank the heck out of all the amazing people I am sure to meet and blab all about Nepal. Everest here I come!

I can't wait to set foot on Mount Everest. Even if that foot is covered in leeches.

I can't wait to set foot on Mount Everest. Even if that foot is covered in leeches.

Tags: adventure travel, adventurecation, British Airways, camping, Craig, exotic locales, Himalayas, kathmandu, leech, monsoon, mt. everest, Nepal, New Delhi, Travel
Posted in Boyfriend, Just Livin', Travel | 2 Comments »

Karin thanks the man in the leopard skivvies

Monday, June 28th, 2010

craigundies

On Saturday during the drive to West Virginia, Craig and I got into a very deep meaningful conversation about men’s underwear. That’s how we roll on the weekends – we discuss the meaning of life, nuclear disarmament and the intricacies of undies.

I can be rather picky when it comes to what’s going on in the underwear department, both for myself and for Craig. For him I like ‘em tight. Solid colored boxer briefs so snug I can barely take them off. Yes, he may have to sacrifice breathing or walking like a normal human being, but isn’t it worth it?

As we glided towards the Maryland/West Virginia border, Craig started laughing like a crazed country boy, remembering a story from his Leigh, Nebraska days. ”Are you sure you want to hear this,” he kept asking while cackling down the highway? “Are you really sure?” At this point I was frothing at the mouth, ready to drown myself in the Shenandoah River if he didn’t start talking.

“Well, when I was 15, 16 I used to wear leopard print briefs. You know, to impress the ladies. All the guys did!” All the guys did? Impress the ladies? My oh my what is going on under those overalls in small town America? “You mean Michelle?” I asked referring to his high school girlfriend. “And by all the guys, you mean the whole Leigh High School football team was roaming around in leopard print?” Craig laughed still zooming down the highway. “Well, Chad had a pair! So did Mark, but we called him Boog. And he was a bigger guy too.” By this point I’m laughing so hard I think I might asphyxiate myself from the hysterics. But Craig just keeps going. “This one night when I was 15, I got so drunk that I ended up on my front lawn in nothing but those leopards. And I could barely walk. I think I was crawling.”

As I reflect back on all the underwear I have owned in my life, I just don’t think I have anything to match the ridiculousness of Craig’s leopard briefs. But there is always next weekend.

erererere

This is kind of what I imagine Craig looked like in that underwear. Man oh man I wish he had pictures.

Tags: briefs, Craig, front lawn, Leigh, leopard underwear, maryland, meaning of life, Nebraska, nuclear disarmament, on all fours, road trip, Shenandoah river, ugly underwear, West Virginia
Posted in Beauty, Boyfriend, Just Plain Wrong, Sex | No Comments »

Karin thanks the man who teaches morals with squishy animals

Monday, June 21st, 2010

pooh

This weekend was all about catching up on life, drinking chardonnay and enjoying the great outdoors. Craig has been in Louisiana for the past week and came back a little stressed about the day in day out stuff that he was forced to neglect during his trip. While he probably just needed someone to listen and maybe a little help organizing, I chose to give him long speeches about the importance of letting the river take you where it does. “Don’t try to go over the rock,” I suggested to him, “go around the rock like the knowing stream. We must let life lead us and not fight against it.” And where did I get all this sage advice? From the “Tao of Pooh” of course.

I first read the “Tao of Pooh” when I was a very impressionable 14-year-old and it kind of rocked my world. The only religion I had been exposed to at that age was Catholicism and a few Bat Mitzvahs and Taoism via Winnie the Pooh seemed like a moral code I could get behind.

Instead of “have no fun and don’t get arrested,” the book touted the importance of recognizing your nature and sticking to it, going with the flow and the importance of respecting our planet. I’m not sure if those are the tenants of Taoism, but the simplicity of the book and the laissez faire moral code that it put forward, struck a chord with me that keeps on ringing. And I like to spread my Taoist/Winnie the Pooh wisdom when Craig is suffering and wants to scream because I keep bowing to him and telling him to listen to the wind.

lerwerwe

lerwerwe

Tags: Benjamin Hoff, catholicism, chardonnay, Craig, louisiana, morality, Nepal, The tao of pooh
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Karin and her broken legs thank her hero

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

craig_marathon_2 P.A.I.N. The Charlottesville marathon equals the biggest ass kick of my entire life. We’re talking 26.2 miles of brutal hills. I think there was only six miles of straightaway in the whole course. People had casually mentioned that it was a hilly race, but I had no idea by hilly they meant akin to sprinting along mountains while the runners around you curse the fools who designed the course. Another major issue was that there was absolutely no one cheering you on during the race. I think I saw about five spectators during 26 miles. Luckily one of those spectators was Craig.

While I finished the race and had a pretty strong first half, I was really really dying by the end of my second half. I was super nauseous from all the water I drank because of the heat and my legs were crying from all the hills. When Craig saw me for the third time at mile 20 and asked how I was doing, I all but started to cry and told him I was pretty ready to just stop right there, collapse on the hill and puke on myself. But instead of calling me weak or letting me quit, he asked if it would help if he ran next to me. Of course I said yes, because I knew it would help and he could save me from throwing myself off a bridge, which I was close to doing at that point. So in jeans and a sweatshirt and carrying my huge heavy camera, he jogged next to me for the last six miles of the race. Honestly, it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done and it saved my marathon from becoming a mess of blood, sweat, and tears.

I love to run. And I didn’t even mind training for 16 weeks in winter. But I think this is the last hillfest marathon I do. I want a flat city with a lot of drunk lunatics cheering me on every couple feet. When this marathon ended, I proceeded to puke in the plants at the Omni Shoreham and pass out on Craig’s thigh. It wasn’t pretty. But if it had not been for Craig and his amazing unwavering support, I would have done that before I had crossed the finish line. What a gem.

Here I am at mile 13 still able to stand up straight. Next time I decide to run a marathon in the mountains, please remind me that people who design courses like that are Satan's handmaidens.

Here I am at mile 13 still able to stand up straight. Next time I decide to run a marathon in the mountains, please remind me that people who design courses like that are Satan's handmaidens.

Tags: 26.2 miles, Charlottesville marathon, Craig, hills, sore legs
Posted in Boyfriend, Exercise, Travel | 2 Comments »

Karin thanks the artist’s dream material

Sunday, April 11th, 2010

electrical tape

If I wasn’t a badly paid writer, I would be a starving artist. Not that I’m that great at art (hence the starving part), but I really love to draw and paint and make a big old mess. A few years back I took a six month screen printing class and became totally obsessed with the clean lines of the art form. I even set up a screen printing studio in my basement and made everyone I know an Andy Warholesque print of their faces.

Then one day I was trying to screen print a drawing of train tracks and the lines just weren’t coming out straight enough. I wanted the thing to look hot of the presses of Stalingrad. Red, black and white with lines so straight they make a razor blade look crooked. Nothing was working. So I drove to the art store to see what sort of precision tool I could find to satiate my need for clean crisp lines.

The answer was not at the art store, but the hardware store. Electrical tape! I ended up making a four foot tall painting with electrical tape and was absolutely drooling at the precise cuts you could do with an X-Acto knife. I love Cold War propaganda art (the aesthetics, not the message), and my electrical tape feast was looking very much like something that would be embraced by the Red Army.

I haven’t done a project with the wonderful substance in a while, but today I spent the sunny day on my porch making an electrical tape telephone pole painting for Craig. Here’s hoping he has a love for art that could also be used to rewire the television. The essence of romance!

My first piece of electrical tape art now hangs in my living room. It's a cheerful railroad track to nowhere!

My first piece of electrical tape art now hangs in my living room. It's a cheerful railroad track to nowhere!

I have no idea what this propaganda poster says, probably something a tad psycho, but I do know that nothing says art-tastic to me like red, black and white clean crisp lines. And what better to make that than electrical tape!

I have no idea what this propaganda poster says, probably something a tad psycho, but I do know that nothing says art-tastic to me like red, black and white clean crisp lines. And what better to make that than electrical tape!

Tags: Craig, electrical tape, propaganda poster, red army, soviet propaganda art, stalingrad
Posted in Boyfriend | 1 Comment »

Karin thanks DC’s ode to scary punishments

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

crimeandpunsihment

Craig and I both took Monday off to spend a little time playing tourist. A perfect spring activity considering our city is overrun with them right now anyway. On our agenda after eating seven pounds of frozen yogurt and oohing and aahing at pink trees, was a visit to the Spy Museum. I have never been before and was more than ready to put on my best incognito getup and practice my Russian accent. I once offered up my services as a spy to the nation of Belgium, but they were having none of it. Considering I have dual citizenship, but sound completely American, I thought I would be perfect for the job! Maybe after a visit to the spy museum the Belgian government would reconsider.

Sadly it was not to be. When Craig and I walked into the museum, there were so many children I was pretty sure I contracted mumps, measles, the flu, and lice all at the same time. I couldn’t handle it. How was I supposed to learn the tips for a perfect mailbox drop surrounded by rugrats?

We moved on to creepier pastures. As the Museum of Crime and Punishment is fittingly a block away, we decided to go there instead to hone our skills. In my opinion, every child in America should pass through their gates. A very law abiding generation would be made. After eyeing some medieval forms of torture and some live footage of solitary confinement, I will certainly be walking in between the lines for a while. Luckily, it wasn’t all just scare and gloom, there were also some fantastic interactive displays, like the one where I got to shoot a real gun at a movie screen and kill some bandits who were after me. Please note that I got a direct kill and all Craig did was wound the bastard. This from a Nebraskan.

So maybe I’m not spy material after this weekend, but if the Secret Service is looking for another sharp shooter for that White House roof, I’m pretty sure I’m their gal.

I'm in the lineup! There are some really quality interactive exhibits in crime land. I think I make a really convincing criminal.

I'm in the lineup! There are some really quality interactive exhibits in crime land. I think I make quite the convincing criminal.

Craig playing cop on the Harley they provide for children and grown men in the museum. Craig even set off this really loud siren and basically made children cry.

Craig playing cop on the Harley they provide for children and grown men in the museum. Craig even set off this really loud siren and basically made children cry.

Tags: cherry blossoms, Craig, Museum of Crime and Punishment, Spy Museum
Posted in Boyfriend | 1 Comment »

Karin thanks the jail bars that saved her possessions

Monday, April 5th, 2010

window bars

I actually had a great Easter Sunday. Lots of good people watching in church, the excuse to wear an enormous Easter hat, nice family time, a nap in a hammock, and the best weather ever. There was just one small little snag…a group of one-eyed bandits tried to break into my house last night. Okay maybe they had two peepers, but still, they definitely tried to break into my basement. They broke the rain covering off my basement window and tried to kick out the metal bars I have on all my basement windows. My parents put those on when I moved in and I always thought they were a tad extreme for a very safe neighborhood in Washington DC, but I sure am singing a different tune now! I am tempted to put bars on every single window of my house and maybe a bank vault door on my bedroom.

Sadly, when the burglars decided my basement was too hard to break into, they went to my neighbors house and broke into their basement. They took laptops and cameras, even someone’s packed suitcase that they had brought for the Easter weekend. And the worst part was this all happened when the folks that live there were upstairs.

I spent a good part of Easter Sunday tying Craig to my staircase, as he is now never allowed to leave my side, and going through my house with my mom who thinks I should probably just board up all my windows and carry a stun gun.

I feel really really lucky that no one broke into my house. The police who arrived on the scene next door said there has been a string of burglaries in my neighborhood and the house across the street has been robbed three times in two weeks! Needless to say, I will be sleeping with one eye open and a large ax for a while. And I’m super thankful to those amazing steel bars that allowed me to have an Easter Sunday with my family rather than crying at the police station.

These simple bars saved me from getting robbed! Of course, the burglars would have been real disappointed with my basement unless they were hoping to get scrapbooks or the collected works of Graham Greene.

These simple bars saved me from getting robbed! Of course, the burglars would have been real disappointed with my basement unless they were hoping to get scrapbooks or the collected works of Graham Greene.

Tags: burglar, Craig, Easter Sunday, Grisham Window Guard, police station, sleeping with an ax, stun gun
Posted in Books, Boyfriend, Family | No Comments »

Karin thanks the naked yoga manual

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

playbook

One of the stocking stuffers I bought Craig for Christmas was Nerve.com’s Position of the Day Playbook. Sure, it was kind of a gag, but on days when you have a lot of time and have taken a morning yoga class, it’s a rather amusing guide to knockin’ boots. Some of the positions even the members of Cirque de Soleil would find challenging (one of them requires you to levitate), and others call for a few too many props (the “for whom the bell tolls” is perfect if you’re stuck in Notre Dame’s bell tower.) But many are just a good take on a classic and the book even tells you how many calories you’re going to burn.

This really combines three of my favorite things – books, shedding calories, and sex. The playbook also warns you about hazards – marks of the neck, premature death – as well as equipment needed, like Advil and a police uniform. They really go the distance for you.

Tonight’s position only has me burning 96 calories, which means I may have to add in an impromptu dance move or do some situps, but after a perfect relaxing weekend, it seems only appropriate to end with a “bang.”

Who needs the missionary position when you can make yourself a human pretzel!

Who needs the missionary position when you can make yourself a human pretzel!

I think even ninjas and rubber band-like human beings would have trouble with this move, but it's always worth a good college try.

I think even ninjas and rubber band-like human beings would have trouble with this move, but it's always worth a good college try.

Tags: burning calories, Christmas, Cirque de Soleil, Craig, knockin' boots, morning sex, nerve.com, position of the day playbook
Posted in Books, Boyfriend, Just Plain Wrong, Sex | 1 Comment »