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Top Ten Lists

TOP TEN MOVIES FROM LONG AGO (In no particular order)

1. Poltergeist - I still think about that meat cruising across the table and the creepy tree.

2. Close Encounters of the Third Kind - I climbed Devil's Tower but no aliens. And mashed potatoes won't ever be the same.

3. Tremors - Kevin Bacon in his element. One of the best "guy" movies ever.

4. Better off Dead - This almost goes without saying. Best movie ever made? Perhaps. I think you could put just about all of Cusack's movies on this list (Say Anything, The Sure Thing, True Colors, High Fidelity, Gross Point Blank, etc.), the exception being the one with Julia Roberts.

5. Sixteen Candles/Pretty In Pink - Molly had it, you can't deny it. She was the definition of cool and nobody could have played it better. She WAS the 80's.

6. Dead Poets Society - Sigh, if only I could inspire my students to stand up on their desks and yell "Oh Captain, My Captain".

7. The Name of the Rose - freaky monks and some great work by Sean Connery. Under the radar, but a good one.

8. Cliffhanger - Oh come on, you know that opening scene made you pee your pants. And I want one of those bolt guns Stallone had... do they make those?! (no)

9. The Thing (the one with Kurt Russell) - If you have not seen this movie, go get it now and then turn off the lights and open the windows and let your house get really cold and then watch it. Awesome flick!

10. Romancing the Stone - The slide down the cliff, the alligator, the cool Jeep flying off the ramp over the river, the romance, the ending... great date movie.

Feel free to post up your favorite in my guestbook!

TOP TEN ROCK CLIMBS (big walls not included)

1. Regular Route on Fairview Dome, Tuolumne - 5.9

2. Petite Grepon, RMNP - 5.8

3. Cathedral Peak SE Buttress, Tuolumne - 5.6

4. Surrealistic Pillar, Lover's Leap - 5.7, 5.10b (both)

5. Left Ski Track, Tahquitz - 5.6

6. El Matador, Devil's Tower - 5.11a

7. Bear Creek Spire, Sierra - 5.9

8. Coffin Nail to Traitor Horn finish, Tahquitz - 5.8

9. Igor Unchained, Needles - 5.9+

10. Bishop's Terrace, Yosemite - 5.8+



HONORABLE MENTIONS



11. Kern Lieback, Kernville - 5.5

12. Tollhouse Traverse, Tollhouse Rock - 5.5

13. Tree Route, Dome Rock - 5.6

14. Tree Route, Sespe Gorge - 5.5

15. The Tempest, Miller's Crossing - 5.10c

16. Dark Shadows, Red Rocks NV - 5.8+

17. The Eye, Joshua Tree - 5.3 (yeah right)

18. West Country, Tuolumne - 5.7

19. Great White Book, Tuolumne - 5.6

20. West Crack, Tuolumne - 5.8+

21. Mt. Whitney East Face - 5.7

TOP TEN BOOKS (In random order)

1. Fahrenheit 451 - Written in the '50's, Bradbury's commentary about a futuristic society that worships TV, craves voilence, is emotionally desensitized, lowers the bar, and censors its citizens is really a prophet's work. To have that much insight about society, when TV was only in 5% of American households, is genius. Give this guy an award. NOTE: My advanced students read it and then go 1 week without TV. Nothing but awesome results. If you haven't read it, you should.

2. The End of the Road - Written by the Motel 6 spokesman, Tom Bodett. This charming book centers around a fictitious small town in Alaska called... The End of the Road. Quirky characters interact (probably the fuel for the once popular TV show Northern Exposure) so well that you'd swear they were real. Each chapter is a story in itself, great for those with short attention spans, or with low memory.

3. Winterdance - Did you ever read the teen novel Hatchet? Well, the same author, Gary Paulsen, has written another gem. But this one is non-fiction and details his own experience in the Iditarod dog sled race. This one had me laughing out loud. You'll never look at dogs the same again.

4. A Working Stiff's Manifesto: A Memoir of Thirty Jobs I Quit, Nine That Fired Me, and Three I Can't Remember - by Iain Levison. To say that he is a slacker would be an understatement. But he sure can write. About a single guy who takes on odd jobs to make ends meet. He doesn't care about the work, so long as he can make some money. One fiasco leads to the next. If you weren't bankrolled by your parents, and have a slice of blue collar on ya, you're gonna relate on some level. Very funny stuff.

5. Lord of the Rings - by Tolkien. THE fantasy series. Everything else is imitation.

6. The Bible - by many inspired authors. The most popular book of all time, for good reason. Even if you don't believe in God, you can't be a full functioning adult without general knowledge of the key characters. Let's face it, if you don't know the story of the Garden of Eden, Moses and the Exodus, the life of Jesus Christ... you're a dweeb.

7. Wild At Heart - If you have a son, you must read this book if you want to raise him right. The best book I've read on the subject. A Christian's take on raising your son to be a man who is Wild at Heart.

8. Finishing Strong - by Steve Farrar. Another Christian author. The subject is about finishing strong in your walk with God, how to be a better father, and husband. Even if you aren't a believer, if you want to be a better person, this will help you on your way.

9. The Littel Prince - By Saint Exupery. Go below the surface and you'll see that below the sands of the desert, you'll find a well. An allegorical tale about a little prince who will teach you more about this world than

10. From High and Hollow Places - By Tom Slater. Two copies in existence. Ask me and I may loan it to you. A dozen or so stories about surfing, kayaking, and climbing. Some fiction, some non-fiction.



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