i need a kamera

for the past month i've been unable to climb due to a back issue. by back issue, of course, i mean that i've had lower back pain that was so bad that, were it not for my extremely high pain threshold, i would be bed ridden. seriously. the 25 minute drive to work had me on the verge of tears many a morning, and not just because i want a new job.

anyhoo. thanks to the wonderful chiropractor that i stumbled across i was able to chalk up again on tuesday. i'm still taking it easy, but i'm on the rock. that brings us to last nite. bwe had a little date nite that i would rank in the top 10 of our date nites, ever. the only thing that could've been better was if i'd remembered to get the camera out to take her picture...

she picked me up at work and we headed to the frist center to see the pulitzer prize photography exhibit: capture the moment. this is all i have to say about the exhibit: go see it, but be prepared. as a human race, we've been very bad to each other in the past 60 years, and photographers have done a very good job of capturing that. it was the most difficult exhibit i've ever seen, and there were pictures that i couldn't even look at. still, go see it.

we needed to hit the mental reset button, so we stopped off at qdoba on west end for a veggie taco and then headed to the climbing gym. i was really apprehensive about climbing with the wife. not because i didn't think she could do it, but because i was afraid of overcoaching, or talking too much or barking out orders or getting frustrated or being the "guy using a sport to dominate the girl emotionally" guy. i mean, climbing is special to me, as is the wife, and i want both to be able to coexist peacefully. i wanted climbing, especially her first time on the wall, to be something that was positive, like it is for me. our relationship is such that i told her all of this and after a very brief "aww shucks" moment we headed inside to sign her up and get her climbing.

visibly apprehensive and nervous, bwe went through her belay lesson; threading the rope, using her brake hand, learning the motions, trying to keep it all straight. i walked off to talk to some friends, just to make sure that i stayed out of it and didn't make her nervous or self conscious(she's not one for being watched...she was a nervous wreck before our 60 person wedding, and not just because she was sticking herself with me.).

once i ascertained that she was wrapping it up, i strolled over for the real test: belaying me while i climbed. this was a test for both of us for obvious reasons: neither one of us wanted me to fall, but if i did, we sure as shit didn't want me hitting the ground. i took it slowly, since she was still getting coached and i wanted to make sure that she could keep up the slack (again, the falling thing). all the way up and all the way down without a problem...

now for the fun part, getting her on the wall. after taking my chalk bag and clipping in, up she went. she was still nervous, but took to the wall like a frickin' mountain goat. up she went, without a slip or hesitation. well, until she got to the top. it took her a few trips up and down to get used to trusting the rope, but she was starting to get the hang of it by the end of the nite. i probably had more issues climbing than she did, but climbing with a brand new belayer is a bit nerve wracking the first time: does she have me? what if i fall? will she freak out and let go of the rope? how badly will this hurt? i'm sure i'll get past it...

we did routes; she never fell. we did bouldering problems; she topped out on her first attempt (that means she solved the "problem"). we went all over the gym and, with each route she ticked off, her confidence grew and her smile widened. as the gym closed and we got ready to leave she said, "i'm gonna need my own shoes," instead of the rentals she'd used all nite. in climber talk that means she's hooked.

i had a handful of worries as we walked into the gym; all of them proved to be baseless. i was concerned that she would hate it. i was concerned that we'd argue. i thought this might be something that we couldn't do together. turns out i was wrong. and in being wrong i discovered something about my wife:

she might not trust the rope, but she trusts me. and that's the coolest thing in the world to be wrong about.