smells like tony robbins

i have been working outside all day long. i am working on a project for jackson, and it is slow going. the weather today was very conducive to spending 8 hours out of doors; and then, a huge cold front blew through around 1, or so, and immediately dropped the temperature 20 degrees. the best part of the front was the 20- 25 mph wind bursts. i love a change in the weather. i prefer 95 degree sunny days, but a change is wonderfully refreshing- if i get my hot days back pretty soon.

well, i finished what i could do today and came in to clean up. after showering i decided to laze on the couch for a bit and watch tv. perfect timing. i turned on the history channel in time to catch the concluding segment of a show about george mallory and andrew irvine. if you aren't familiar with their story, i'll leave that discovery to you. i think you will be interested in their tale, as i find it fascinating. a teaser- on june 6, 1924 , the two of them left their summit camp on mt. everest with every intention of reaching the top of the world. early in the afternoon they were spotted -well on their way -by a fellow member of their team. after this sighting, neither of the pair were ever seen again - until 1999. the above picture is of the two of them moments away from their final climb.

in 1999, a pbs/nova expedition planned and executed a climb of everest with the sole purpose of determining the fate of mallory and irvine and ascertaining the likelihood of their successfully summitting mt. everest. while traversing the north face of the mountain, conrad anker spotted what appeared to be a human leg sticking out of a rock slide. after the whole team was gathered at the site, they discovered that the body mummified there in the ice was , indeed, george mallory. the spot where he was found is usually completely under snow; but due to a period of unusually sparse snowfall, mallory's remains were revealed long enough to testify. they covered his body with stones and allowed him to remain as he fell - face down on the mountain. no evidence of andrew irvine was discovered.

the story of george mallory is allegorical. he was a renowned climber -one of england's finest - but felt he had not yet attained the level of success he desired. he felt that he was lacking; as yet, unfulfilled. at the time of this final attempt at everest he was 38 years old, and felt that his opportunity for immortality was quickly escaping his reach. in a last grasp -perhaps- for glory, he reached beyond the previously known limits of his talent. unfortunately for mallory (successful , or not ,) he lost his life in the attempt. this makes his quest no less valid, in my mind. many of us lose our lives in the search for the greatness within; some figuratively, some literally. the pursuit of self-determined success is the search for truth in each of us. what do you seek?

mallory's camera was never located, and no evidence -one way or the other - was found to determine irvine's and his success at reaching the summit of everest 30 years before sir edmund hillary. i like to think they made it.