Climbing

One activity I continue to love to do more and more is the sport of climbing.

 

There are many physicists at Fermilab who love this sport and many more who are willing to give it a try. I think there is something to the challenge the sport represents that gives itself to the physics community. Maybe it is the problem solving of working through a route, or the community of cool and laid back people, or the love of self inflicted pain :-)

Luckily for those of us who spend our lives at Fermilab one of the best indoor climbing gyms I’ve ever been to is located very nearby. Vertical Endeavors in Warrenville offers a TON of top rope, sport lead, auto-belay, and bouldering. It is a great gym to train at, as well as having a laid back atmosphere for the very beginner climber.

One thing I would love to share with the world is the awesome experiences I’ve had traveling around the world in pursuit of climbing with great friends (some from the neighborhood). Additionally I think this will provide insight into how a person of science not only can break the mold of the ‘typical weakling’ scientist but how we also think about working through a problem be it climbing or science.

The same old song and dance...

If you've wondered here or have been sent here by someone you know, then you might be asking yourself "What is this blog about?"


Of course every blog has some statement about what it is and why you should read it. So I won't waste too much time explaining myself here, except to elaborate on the title of this blog.


In 2005, after 1 year in graduate school, I happened to stumble in with a crowd of the most creative, fun loving, and intelligent people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. We formed a loose confederation of alliances and all decided to move in next to each other in a little neighborhood of run down apartments near campus. This group quickly began to grow attracting more and more people and expanding to more and more buildings. 


Within a year we basically had only friends living on this small block and began to enjoy life and fun times entertaining ourselves through our college years. However, the spirit of this neighborhood is what came to define this group as being unique from everything else I’ve seen amongst friends. 


Everyone there began to see the idea of community and looking out for your neighbor as the way to increase their enjoyment in their life. The idea of giving to each other and contributing to the whole over just looking out for yourself began to be the normal. Quicker than I would have expected a small family of 20 some people was born where we looked to each other for fun and adventure while looking out for one another and providing fun and support to each other.


The experience was truly life changing and I’m sure many stories to follow in this blog will make this experience more clear and why it was so life changing. The point is now I and many of these people have moved away from our neighborhood and we carry this spirit of community and giving with us to the four corners of the world. I happen to take this to a little lab known as Fermilab in Batavia, Il. 


Here I work on one of the most complicated experiments ever conceived of by man exploring the world of the sub-atomic. Meanwhile, I continue to seek out a fun and active lifestyle while continuing to give back to the community as a whole. 

So, I figured blogging about the neighborhood, Fermilab, and my active life and research might be one small way to express the sense of sharing and life instilled by my friends and family.

I hope whomever you are you enjoy this random blog which I’m sure will cover a range of topics and ideas!