Welcome to a Wild World with Mushrooms

Guys, mushrooms are weird.

But, like, weird in a cool way.

Mushrooms are neither plant nor animal. They belong to a different living organism kingdom known as fungi (like that gross itchy thing growing on athlete's feet). Some are small, like the tiny Mycena subcyanocephala, while some are really freaking big, like the world's largest living organism Armillaria ostoyae. Yes, you read that right. The world's largest organism is a mushroom in Oregon. You can insert a joke about Oregonians and their recreational activities here. 

Some mushrooms are edible and some are happy to eat you...after you die that is. Some are used by trees as a network for communication known as a "woodwide web" (a pun I can't take credit for, but am happy to use. There are even some mushrooms that apparently eat plastic. 

With such a wide variety of mushroom species with unique looks, uses, flavors, and hallucinogenic properties, I think it's safe to say that mushrooms are really cool and really weird.

Growing up, I was never a big mushroom fan. I thought they looked like aliens and had a slimy texture (like what I thought aliens might taste like). I would often turn my nose up at dishes that blatantly had mushrooms in them. 

That was, until I went to Japan at 11 and was told that I would have to get used to eating them (or as the rule went: two bites before I could say "no thank you"). This is when I learned to love enoki mushrooms. At first I thought they were noodles and enjoyed the way they'd get stuck in my teeth. I quickly learned otherwise and would ask for them all the time - alone with the more well known shitake mushrooms.

However, it still took a while for me to really enjoy the culinary options that came with mushrooms. This was mainly due to the fact that I can't stand portabella mushrooms and they were everywhere (along with the button variety which I find marginally more appealing). 

That is until I started going to farmer's markets with people who cultivated mushrooms. Suddenly, I had my whole world opened to new mushroom flavors. My current favorites are king oyster and maitake (otherwise known as hen-of-the-woods). Both have distinct flavors that require different cooking styles. King oyster can be used as a substitute for a lot of seafood, but especially scallops. Maitake have a stronger flavor that I prefer to roast in the oven. 

Also fun fact about oyster mushrooms: they might not be strictly vegan or vegetarian friendly as they will consume live worms while growing. This is similar to the grey area that figs (require the death of a wasp to grow) and honey (no bees die from the production or cultivation of honey if done properly) fall into.

But those are just a few of the many culinary mushrooms humans are able to eat. 

However, there are even more mushrooms that will instead cause agonizing death and a few look like the yummy kind of mushroom. 

You know those red and white mushroom's Mario and Luigi use to upgrade their bodies? They're deadly in real life. 

Since the 2020 pandemic, mushroom foraging has become a popular hobby. This is good for getting people outside and looking for their own food. This is bad because people are over picking mushrooms that are needed in the environment. Nature is a delicate balance...one that humans are constantly messing up in the modern era. Also, with the onset of AI book writing, there are a number of badly written mushroom foraging guides for sale on Amazon that have (at best) misleading information and (at worst) seriously bad you, will die if you eat that information. Be wary of AI written work in general, but this is just criminally bad.

There are also the getting high kind of mushrooms that will take you on a hallucinogenic trip...or might be useful for therapy for people suffering from severe PTSD and depression under the right circumstances (and government approval). I first learned more about this in a Netflix 2019 documentary called Fantastic Fungi, which was truly fascinating. It was also where I learned that if you're going to do mushrooms, maybe don't be in the woods while a thunderstorm is going on - you might climb a tree. 

Most recently, mushrooms have been popping up more and more in the horror genre. From the video game, turned TV adaptation The Last of Us to the seriously creepy novel "Mexican Gothic". Mushrooms are everywhere (literally and figuratively) and since we don't know a whole lot about every single species, they make for a great horror story. Especially since there exists and actual mushroom known as the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis that turns ants into zombies.

You're welcome for that fun fact.

Well, I'm off to make my dinner of roasted mushrooms. Hopefully, you still have an appetite. What are some of your favorite mushrooms - either to eat or stair at, doesn't matter. Until next week. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Welcome to a Character Tragedy

Have you ever read a book and wanted to smack the main character upside the head?

I have - very recently in fact. It was tough to get through some parts of the book, but I persisted (mostly out of a sense of completion pride). I’m glad I did because, though I found the main character frustrating, I was interested to see how her story would end.

I’m not going to spoil the book for you guys (though I doubt most of you will read it). I picked it up because I liked some of the other author’s work - as eccentric as it is - and the cover art was very 1970s pulp. It was in the horror section and claimed to be a gothic tale - one of my favorite sub-genres. It was advertised as a feminist retelling of a grisly fairy tale.

The book : Bluebeard’s Castle.

The author: Anna Biller.

My first introduction to Anna Biller was a YouTuber’s review of her movie “The Love Witch”. It’s a movie I greatly enjoy for its aesthetic. The plot is also interesting as it focuses on a witch looking for her ideal man. There’s some magic and murder and tons of camp. I recommend it for people who like campy movies and a healthy dose of 1970s influence. Sadly they couldn’t edit out all the modern cars.

Bluebeard’s Castle is still very clearly an Anna Biller creation, and the camp is still there. The difference are the characters. Judith is not Elaine and Gavin is definitely not Griff. Actually, Gavin doesn’t feel like a character for most of the book. He’s more of a paper thin dreamy wish fulfillment that suddenly turns into a nightmare.

It’s very clear early on that Judith is easy to manipulate when given the opportunity to live out a fantasy. She rejects the more interesting and complex (actually developed) character of Tony early on because he is too safe and boring. Honestly, Tony is the best character in this book, aside from the cats.

Gavin love bombs Judith into running away with him to Paris. They then get married in about a month and buy a castle together. Oh, and did I mention that Judith writes gothic historical romance fiction? I’d almost call her a self insert for Biller except that I’ve seen her interviews and she’s a lovely person. 

Judith is insufferable and frustrating. She claims to be a feminist - and on surface level she kind of is - but it’s a white woman’s feminism. She still gets jealous and takes it out on the wrong people. She thinks that her problems can be solved by loving a (really quite terrible) man enough. She refuses to listen to people who actually care about her well-being (see my note about Tony). The woman needs therapy and doesn’t consider it once in the whole story. There are so many mommy issues.

I could go through all her faults (oh my god the alcohol abuse), but that’s not the point of this post. I’m also probably making the book sound terrible with my descriptions. It’s not a bad book. Heck, I even liked it.

Not that I’m putting it in my top ten anytime soon, but the book does suck you in and you hope for the best, even though you’ll know it’ll end for the worst.

I still don’t want to spoil the book for the (very) few of you interested in checking it out. However, near the end of the book we finally get a few points of view changes that add more context. One is from Gavin, and we do see that he is a real character, not a product of Judith’s imagination. The second is from an omnipotent narrator which wraps up the story in a neat little bow and drives home the message. Honestly, I think this book could have used more of this type of narration - not a lot - but enough to break up some of Judith’s inner thoughts. And boy does she have thoughts - chapters upon chapters of thoughts. Biller could have benefited from a few writer’s group critiques to tighten up the story.

The third and final point of view shift is to a character in one of Judith’s books. The character is in a similar situation to Judith and based off the fairytale Bluebeard. However, this character’s fate is different than Judith’s. It is the final wish of the tragic author after the last one turned out so wrong.

I may have just spoiled the ending…oh well.

Somewhere in the universe Judith exists in, there is a monkey paw that curled its finger anytime Judith truly wanted something. Maybe Biller is planning on having some of these characters show up again and she’ll do a retelling of The Monkey’s Paw. 

Did I enjoy the book? Not really. Am I satisfied with its ending? Yes. Do I recommend it? Maybe…I’m not really sure.

I still really like “The Love Witch”, but Bluebeard’s Castle is an entirely different story. Elaine would have had her fun with Gavin. Griff would have been too boring for Judith.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Love Letter Events

This weekend marked the beginning of a big event. This event so big and monumental that it might bring people together to celebrate the past and potential future.

I am of course talking about the theatrical release of “Deadpool and Wolverine”…

…and the Paris Olympics.

Let me explain…or at least gush.

I’ve been in a funk the past little while and a doctor’s visit hasn’t helped much. So, Friday night, I got home from my evening walk and realized that the Paris Opening Ceremonies were going on. I missed maybe the first half hour (which is fine, I can look up what I missed). I thought the big performance was over and I could watch the barges (an experiment this year with mixed results) with the athletes make their way through Paris.

And then I saw the parkour Assassin’s Creed* cosplayer carrying the Olympic torch and realized that the performance was still going on throughout the parade of athletes. Lady Gaga then took stage right on the river and performed admirably as it started to rain. 

All of the performers did an amazing job. They weren’t able to do a full dress rehearsal on stage due to the secrecy around the performances, which is an amazing achievement, but then they turned it up by 1000x because it poured. And those performers didn’t bat an eye (well I’m assuming they didn’t), they kept it up and put on a great show dedicated to the history and culture of Paris.

The choreographer and director clearly wanted to write a love letter to Paris and France and they succeeded. 

My personal favorite was the transition from Les Mis to the screaming beheaded body of Marie Antoinette  which heralded the start of a heavy metal opera mashup that I was not expecting. It was fabulously camp with just a hint of tasteful gore.

I also really liked the love story section in the library that ends with an implied threesome. It just was nowhere near as amazing as an entire building with shrieking beheaded Marie Antoinettes. 

Surprisingly, the Paris Opening Ceremonies paired well with “Deadpool and Wolverine”as a double feature. (Technically, I watched them on two separate days, but it’s my life so I’m counting it.)

I’m going to do my best here to NOT spoil “Deadpool and Wolverine”, but I can’t help you if you read past this sentence.

You have been warned!

“Deadpool and Wolverine” is a love letter to the 20th Century Fox era of Marvel comic book hero movies. It accepts that that era of movies is over, but it goes out with a bang. It is a fans dream gift wrapped in references, cameos, and so many Deadpools.

Yes, there are other references. The Avengers get a shout out and there are some questions that are left unanswered (if you know, you know). Also, I loved the montage of Wade trying to find a certain someone for very noble reasons and messing it up.

Do you need knowledge about everything Marvel to understand the movie?

No.

But knowing that certain things that happened in other movies helps. The ending of “Logan” (2017) might be required background knowledge, but it’s not necessary. Wade in all of his Deadpool-ness knows that the audience may not have seen everything Marvel in the past 30 odd years (oh man…when did that movie come out?). He’s also aware that some people have, and read all the comics, and can quote every cartoon that popped up on Saturday morning, and all the video games…you get the picture. 

Wade is good at balancing the wink, wink nudge, nudge with the “I have no idea what’s going on”. He’s like the commentators at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies trying to explain everything we’re seeing. They might not know everything, but they know more than the average viewer and might also admit when they too are confused.

Is it a perfect movie?

No.

There were a couple of cameos I was hoping for that didn’t happen and there were a few things that were left open that I didn’t think needed to be. Plus not enough of Wade’s main team.

But it is a solid mood lifter and I’d watch Deadpool fight with Wolverine against the TVA any day (if you know, you know). I also liked that Deadpool and handle the ridiculous, mix it with the dramatic, and spit out God’s Perfect Idiot. 

Definitely stick around for the credits. You can tell that the film makers grew up with the 20th Century Fox movies and wanted to give them one final send off. It was a total throw back for me.

So go watch “Deadpool and Wolverine” if you want and check out the Paris Opening Ceremonies performances if you feel like it. I’m not going to tell you what to do.

But if you do watch both or one or the other, please let me know what you thought. Because…

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

*I don’t actually know if they were cosplaying Assassins Creed, that’s just what it looked like to me.

Welcome to Assateague Beach

There isn’t anything better than going to the beach on a sunny summer day. 

Unless you happen to be in the path of five galloping wild horses being herded away from beachgoers. Then you might feel time slow down while you debate the best way to get out of these beautiful yet massive animals’ way. My response was to freeze and hope the horses chose to not go into the waves.

Assateague Island is part of the National Parks as a National Seashore. It’s one of the barrier islands on the east coast of the United States - especially it runs from Ocean City, Maryland to Chincoteague, Virginia. The island is divided by the Maryland State Park, the Maryland side National Seashore, and the Virginia side National Seashore.

It is also most famous for its wild horses. 

About 300 horses live on the island. Most are allowed to roam freely (on the Maryland side), while the Virginia side horses, or ponies as they are sometimes called, are behind fences as they are “owned” by the Chincoteague fire department. Last year, in April, I went to both ends of the island for the first time and wrote a post (which you can view here).

This year, my sibling decided to come visit me and go on a bit of an adventure. We stayed at a historic and supposedly haunted hotel in Berlin, Maryland - “the coolest small town in America”. The movie “Runaway Bride” had been filmed there and we stayed in the room Richard Greer had stayed in (sadly 1999 Richard Greer was not included). Another movie, “Tuck Everlasting” had also been filmed near the town. There’s a mermaid museum in town that I would call quaint and the book store is run by a woman who used to be an undertaker…and wrote about her experience as one. Ocean City, Maryland (not to be confused with the far superior one in New Jersey), is about 20 minutes away. 

We did not see or experience any ghosts on the trip.

Unfortunately, it rained most of the trip. So we explored the town and enjoyed the different restaurants. Though today was nice and sunny (and I got a bit crispy). Which is why we ended up going to Assateague Beach. 

Sure, Ocean City is also close by, but if you want something a little nicer, so to Assateague.

Plus you have the horses. They are really cool. Just don’t get too close as they will bite, charge, and stomp on anyone who gets too close. I saw a lot more horses (and babies) this trip than back in April last year.

The beach is very nice and decently guarded. There’s a long sandbar, so the water doesn’t drop off too quickly. Surfing is allowed, but I’ve never tried it and the east coast just doesn’t seem like the place to surf. The horses hang around the parking lot, so you’ll need to dodge the horse poo, but the actual beaches are very clean of human and animal debris. You can even bring your dog.

It was foggy when we arrived at 9:30am. The tide was coming in and you could hardly see ten feet out. The water was cold, but refreshing once the sun broke through the haze. Other than the horses, I saw deer, different birds, a horseshoe crab, and a mermaid purse (which are shark, ray, or skate eggs - depending on the species).

My sibling and I would have been happy to spend all day on the beach, but sadly we did have to drive the three hours home. 

Oh and the horses did in fact turn away from where I was standing. They ran along the water edge until they were safely away from people. It was really cool, but a bit nerve wracking to see and experience.

I’m happy to recommend Assateague beach to anyone who wants a unique beach and wildlife experience. Just stay at least 40 feet away from the horses. They bite.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a message. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Two Grumpy Old Men

Please note: this blog post contains spoilers for the movie "Up" (2009). If you haven't seen the movie, go watch it. I bet you'll be crying within ten minutes.

Have y'all seen the movie "Grumpy Old Men" (1993)?

I did a long time ago with my parents. It was on TV, though I think we did have it on VHS (if you know what that is, you know what that is). I thought the name was funny and I remember enjoying it. I think it was the first movie I saw with Jack Lemon in it (I love him in "Some Like It Hot").

Grumpy old people bickering is a funny trope in movies and TV shows. It's usually between two people who have known each other way too long and know each other way too well. They're usually friends, though sometimes siblings or a married couple, or their relationship has descended into frenemies. It's comedy gold when well written.

I hope to some day have a person like that in my twilight years. 

Some notable works of media with grumpy old people arguing with each other include "The Princess Bride" (Miracle Max and his wife), "Mary Poppins" (the bankers), Disc World Books featuring Granny Weatherwax and her gaggle of companions, and, of course, Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets.

Maybe Sesame Street will one day do an episode where they show Bert and Ernie as grumpy old people...or Zoe and Elmo. Honestly, I would pay to see a grumpy old Elmo arguing with an equally elderly Zoe about Rocco.\

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to watch two grumpy old guys on a big screen outside my apartment complex. 

No, these aren't the two grumpy old guys you're thinking of.

I'm talking about the movie "Up". 

My apartment complex was hosting a resident appreciation day, which included turning part of our parking lot into a mini campsite with theater space complete with popcorn machine and s'more makers. The movie they opted for, likely trying to stick with the theme and draw a larger audience, was "Up".

And "Up" has some amazing characters from Russel and Doug to Kevin and Alpha to, of course, Carl Frederickson (voiced by Ed Asner) and Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer - I think he had a lot of fun with his last decade of roles he chose). 

Carl Frederickson is the quint essential grumpy old man. One of my favorite scenes is when the house is flying through the air and Russel knocks on the door, begging to be let inside. Mr. Frederickson just says "no" and slams the door shut before opening it again and ushering Russel inside the flying house. I laugh every time and it is peak grumpy old man. 

Some might argue that Muntz isn't a grumpy old man, he's just a crazy old man. However, I'd argue that if I'd been stuck in an isolated location looking for a mythical "monster" with a bunch of talking dogs for decades, I'd be a bit grumpy along with the crazy. 

The ending showdown between Muntz and Mr. Frederickson is hilarious because of their physical comedy and snipping one liners. I'd almost feel bad for Muntz, except that he was a crazy murderous loner who was relentlessly hunting Kevin (who's a girl by the way). Mr. Frederickson saves the day and ensures that Russel gets his helping the elderly badge, gives Doug a loving home, and gets Kevin back to her babies. He also becomes just a little less grumpy.

"Up" is a family friendly grumpy old people movie and I love it.

Kevin might be my favorite character...

It's also a movie I can only watch every once in a while. I cry every time within the first ten minutes and then again when Mr. Frederickson find's Ellie's Adventure Book. I was also bawling my eyes out when the credits rolled - not because of a sad scene, but because I'd recently experienced a loss of a loved one. "Up" just hits me right in the feels. I love the story and it's one of the movies I watch (like "Coco") when I need an uplifting movie that will also make me cry (it's a rare combo, but the need does sometimes strike me).

It was certainly a better Thursday night watch than what was happening on CNN.

Have you guys seen "Up"? What movies do you guys like with grumpy old people bickering away? Are there any movies you guys love, but find hard to watch because they also make you feel feelings you might not have felt in a long time?

Let me know in the comments. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Everest 1996

It's the hottest week of the year in my area and I want to write about a place known for being inhospitable because of it's height and cold.

Why?

Well, it starts back a few months ago...on YouTube.

I've had a lot going on for the past nine months and things have only recently started to settle down - not by much, but started. When I'm in a melancholy mood, I often find myself listening to YouTube videos and documentaries (sometimes really old ones uploaded onto YouTube) about tragic events. For about a month, this included the 1996 Everest disaster.

If you are unfamiliar with the events that took place high on Mount Everest on the 10th and 11th of May, 1996, I've linked the Wiki page here. On the dates in question, multiple teams were racing to the top of the world's highest peak. Two of these teams were lead by experienced mountaineers Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. In total, eight people died trying to descend the mountain after a surprise weather event trapped the majority of the climbers in an area known as the "death zone". 

The "death zone" is an area on mountains taller than 8000 meters (26,000 ft) above sea level. At this altitude the pressure of oxygen in the atmosphere is too low to sustain human life. As soon as a person enters the "death zone", they are already starting to die and are on a limited time to leave the area before their body stops working entirely. Often climbers carry supplemental oxygen in tanks with them to mitigate the effects of oxygen deprivation. 

But if the oxygen tanks run out or there's an accident, no one is coming to help you down the mountain from the "death zone". 

Most climbers on Mount Everest who die, do so on the descent and within the "death zone". Some say that it's easy to reach the "ceiling of the world", it's getting back down that's no guaranteed. 

After dozens upon dozens of videos of the specific 1996 disaster I learned that one of the biggest sources of information was Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. It's a fairly well known nonfiction account of journalist and author Jon Krakauer's actual experience on Mount Everest during the disaster. Spoilers, he lives. 

Krakauer's account is very well known...and heavily criticized. 

My own takeaway reading Into Thin Air was that Krakauer was deeply traumatized by the events that took place, was struggling with a severe case of survivor's guilt, and was using the writing process as a way to process what he lived through. It's really well written, hard to put down, and incredibly interesting. I didn't feel that Krakauer was trying to villainize one person on the mountain, nor did I think he cast blame on anyone.

At least not in the book.

Apparently, Krakauer was a lot more vocal outside of his book and with his first publication in Outside Magazine right after the disaster occurred in his criticism of Anatoli Boukreev, a world famous Russian climber who was one of the guides on Scott Fischer's team. Krakauer was a client on Rob Hall's team. Both Hall and Fisher were in a bit of a competition with each other to get as many clients as possible on Everest's peak to showcase their amazing guiding services.

Boukreev is an extremely important part of the 1996 story. Without his courageous efforts (and there is no denying that what he did was courageous), more people would have likely died. On May 10th, Bougkreev climbed up and down Everest faster than anyone else. Though he was a guide, his understanding of his role was to ensure that clients had all the equipment necessary to summit and return by themselves. He was insistent that Scott Fischer approved of his plan and methods to return to Camp IV (the last camp and relatively safe haven before the race to the summit through the "death zone") before everyone else in case there was an emergency and he needed to return with more oxygen or provide rescue support.

Part his reasoning for not staying with clients is that he climbed without supplemental oxygen. He claimed that by acclimatizing himself and not using supplemental oxygen, he'd be able to better react if all oxygen supplies were completely used up. It's a controversial method and argument, and one that I don't have much of an opinion on as I am not knowledgeable enough on the subject.

Krakauer's (likely) misplaced anger towards Boukreev, inspired the Russian to cowrite his own take on what happened those fateful days in May. His account, The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest and cowritten with G. Weston DeWalt, is a much more technical account of what happened. Boukreev and DeWalt provide insight into the mountain climbing sport and industry that Krakauer's account lacks. Though not as smoothly written, The Climb is a must read for anyone interested in the tragedy and mountaineering as a whole.

Sadly, Boukreev passed away while climbing another 8000 meter mountain, Annapurna, shortly after his book's release in 1997. Boukreev continues to be an icon of the mountaineering community and was awarded the David A. Sowles Memorial Award by the American Alpine Club for his role in rescuing climbers during the 1996 disaster. However, he is still a controversial figure for his role and some of the questions Krakauer raises are valid.

Naturally, I had to read both books.

But there was one more story I wanted to check out before I went on my book ordering spree. That was the miraculous story of Beck Weathers who, despite all odds, survived a night in the "death zone". 

Beck Weathers was thought dead multiple times on Mount Everest. He was an experienced climber who ran into some trouble with his eyesight, becoming blind in the high altitudes after having corrective eye surgery - something doctors didn't know would happen until his experience. He waited for Rob Hall to retrieve him on the descent, but Hall never came. Weathers had to be guided down the mountain when the storm struck. He along with several other climbers huddled in a group, trying to stay warm until either help arrived, the storm ended, or the sun rose. During the night, he started suffering hallucinations and ended up separating from the group. He doesn't remember falling unconscious, but evidently he did.

The miracle was that he woke up.

Having been left again, this time because others thought he was past the point of being saved, he staggered his way into Camp IV. He was placed in a tent and again left alone because everyone thought he would be dead soon. 

Weathers didn't die.

He was discovered to still be alive in Camp IV and carefully brought down to an area on the mountain known as the Western Cwm (Cwm, pronounced koom, is Welsh for valley) near Camp II. Here he, along with another climber, "Makalu" Gau Ming-Ho, were airlifted (it was the highest helicopter rescue at that point) to safety. He lost his hands, nose, and toes.

Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest is Weathers's account of his survival on Mount Everest, even when most people thought he was past the point of saving. The smartest thing Weathers did his book was to discuss the events of 1996 in the first forth. The rest of his book was dedicated to his background, how he got into mountain climbing, how his wife and friends helped save him, and his mental health and marriage problems. It's a very interesting look at a person's life and how it changed because of the disaster.

The 2015 movie "Everest" is primarily based on Weathers's account.

I couldn't not read what happened to Weathers. He defied the odds in multiple ways. I'm glad his story included his background, marriage issues, and struggles with mental health both before and after his trip to provide an insight into the clients who want to climb these tall mountains. It's not a book for everyone. It's more of a biography than a true account of what happened in 1996. 

If you haven't already concluded, I ordered all three books and read them in the same order presented above. Krakauer's Into Thin Air is the best written of the three (him being an award winning journalist probably helps). However, the story isn't complete with just his work. If you only have the option to read one, go with Krakauer's, but you'll miss a lot if you don't read Boukreev's.

Weathers wasn't the only other person on the mountain or who survived the the descent that day to write a book. Lene Gammelgaard (client for Scott Fischer), Lou Kasischke (client for Rob Hall), David Breashears (documentarian and climber on Mount Everest in 1996), Ed Viesturs (experienced climber on Mount Everest in 1996), and Michael Groom (guide for Rob Hall) all have books that discuss what happened in 1996.

There were multiple reasons why the events of the 10th and 11th of May were so deadly. The storm is the biggest factor. Without the storm, more people who have survived - full stop. However, some blame should be laid at the feet of Hall and Fischer. Both men were experienced climbers who should have followed their normally strict rules. For reasons only known to both, neither stuck to the turn around time of 1:00PM - the latest time anyone could summit without risking a more dangerous descent in the dark. Fischer was less experienced in the commercial guiding and seemed to have not provided enough instructions for his guides. Additionally, it was fairly clear that he was falling ill and, with everyone knowing he was an incredibly gifted and experienced climber, no one talked him into turning around.

We will never know the whys of the actions committed by Hall and Fischer. Both men tragically died in 1996. Fischer was the only member of his expedition to pass away. Four members of Hall's team died on the mountain. The other three fatalities were from an Indo-Tibetan Border Police team on the opposite side of the mountain.

In total, 12 people died on Everest in 1996. Most of the fatalities are mentioned in all three books. It is currently the third deadliest season of Mount Everest - the first two deadliest season were in 2014 and 2015.

I don't know why I became fixated on this one disaster. My blog post doesn't even scratch the surface of the events that occurred and the stories that are told. There's so much I don't understand and never will. I can watch every documentary, read every book, and listen to people analyze the events over and over and still I wouldn't be able to understand it all. Some things just aren't understandable.

Maybe it's because I just lived through a personal tragedy that I'm still trying to process.

Now, after reading all of this, you might be wondering if I would ever climb Mount Everest. The answer is a solid no. 

The odds just aren't in my favor to make that kind of a climb. It would take a lot more time, money, and energy than I have to even attempt. Additionally, I have little to no interest in seeing any more dead bodies, especially not ones frozen to a mountain that are used as landmarks. Everest is also very crowded and polluted, which is causing problems for the people who live closest to the mountain.

I don't plan on climbing any mountains higher than 8000 meters.

Though I am willing to try Kilimanjaro.

But what about you guys? Would you want to climb up to the highest peak of the world? Would you want to be higher than every other living being? Do you think you'd survive?

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to a Chicago Work Trip

For how much of my life I spent going to Michigan, one might have expected that I had (at some point) taken a side trip to Illinois to see one of the most famous cities on the Great Lakes. After all, it’s not that far from the Mitten State and both my parents often traveled there for one reason or another.

So it might surprise some of you, that this was my first trip to Chicago.

It also might surprise some of you, that I loved it.

Technically, my trip to the Windy City was a work trip. During the first weekend of June, the Chicago convention center is turned into basically Disneyland for Oncologist (minus the rides). I was there working at an information booth in the East Building pretty much all day. I got there at 6:30AM CT and didn’t leave until approximately 6:30PM CT, except for one day where I had a couple of receptions.

That meant that I only had a couple of hours each evening to explore the city.

And I did not waste them.

My hotel was close to Navy Pier, the River Walk, and Millenium Park. I had a great view of the Navy Pier and Lake Michigan from my room. Since it’s summer, the sun stayed up lake enough for me to enjoy the sunsets. It only rained one day.

Truthfully, I barely got a taste of Chicago.

I didn’t have an opportunity to go to any museums, see the aquarium, or take that famous river architecture cruise that everyone at work jokes about (there are multiple types). However, I made it a priority to enjoy my time, see some of the sites, and try the great food famous offerings.

From my understanding, Chicago is famous for three things: the prohibition mob, the unique architecture, and the food. 

I decided to focus on the food and ended up trying my first authentic deep dish pizza (apparently I did right to get it at the Giordano’s on the Navy Pier), my first Chicago hot dog (Detroit Coney dogs are still better, but it was worth the try), and spent an evening at The Dearborn (one of the chef’s is a guy who beat Bobby Flay on Food Network).

In my quest to try all this food, I also took the opportunity to enjoy the local street art, which included the architecture. I caught a glimpse of The Bean (yes, I know that’s not it’s real name; no, I will not call it the proper name because the artist is a massive d*ck). The Blue Cross Blue Shield building had lights lit up that said #ENDALZ (end Alzheimer). The river walk has tons of art displays - some of which are actually play areas for kids. I especially loved the play area in the park behind Millenium park. Each play area was incredibly sensory stimulating, physically challenging (I only walked over a shaky bridge because I’m well over the age of 12, but my inner child was so happy), and incredibly well taken care of. I wish we had more of them in other cities.

Navy Pier was my first stop. That evening, I had the longest amount of time to go out and explore and I could easily see the famous pier from my hotel. Though I didn’t go up to the area with the rides, I did enjoy walking around the area. There’s a combination of indoor and outdoor spaces available to walk around with a Children’s Museum, hotel, shops, and restaurants to go with the ride area. It reminded me a lot of boardwalks along the New Jersey coast, specifically the piers in Wildwood and Ocean City. The only thing that threw me off was the smell. Instead of the salty sea air, it was the scent of city mixed with fresh water of the second largest Great Lake. It wasn’t a bad smell, just different.

There’s still a lot I need to explore in Chicago, so I know I’ll be back (especially since my sister also loves the city and wants to visit during the Christmas markets). I really want to see the art museum and aquarium, and I have to take a ghost tour. I’d also like to see a comedy show or a recording for NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”. And apparently that architecture cruise is well worth the money.

So there’s only one question that remains.

Is Chicago deep dish pizza better than the famous New York slice?

No, they are both great for different reasons. The truly best slice of pizza (at least in the United States) is Jersey Shore Boardwalk pizza. It’s the oregano, trust me.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.