Do you eat rocks?

Here are some strictly hypothetical questions for you:

What if rocks tasted good and had nutritional value? Would you eat them? Would you grind them into powder and pour them on your cereal?

Some rocks of course, are edible, and nutritional, but the taste leaves something to be desired (that something is probably real food). However, the rocks that you can eat do not by any means taste good, and if they are eaten whole, they'll be the last thing you ever eat (teeth are nice to have, but rocks and teeth don't get along as well as they should).

Whether you think eating rocks is a bad idea, good idea, or something you are currently doing while reading this, you have at one point or another eaten rocks in your life. The denials have started. But really, you have. Every time you have a beach picnic. Every time you eat near dust, and whenever you have a vitamin, or vitamin enhanced orange juice or cereal. The first two seem obvious, but the second two not so much. The fact is, zinc, calcium, copper, iron, etc. all come from rocks, and get into our food. With good and bad results. The Romans liked rocks with lead in them, and even made pipes out of the stuff. 

So be careful when eating rocks. You can't avoid eating them, so just be careful. And eating them is sometimes just as rewarding as throwing them.

Shaun Barrowes

Hey, for all you music lovers out there, I have a free download for you. It comes from a very talented jazz/pop/rock musician named Shaun Barrowes. He has a very unique sound and is an exciting performer. He is a great pianist, composer, and singer. I've had the privilege of attending several of his concerts, interviewing him on three occasions for my podcast show, and know him to be a great human being. Here is the song:

Download. When I Take Your Hand

Rock my Twittering socks sicko

Two phrases that I see on facebook statuses that are stupid and make no sense: 'Twittering' and 'Rock my socks'.

Let's start with twittering. Twittering is something I am pretty sure only birds or fairies do. So if you're not a bird or a fairy, you probably shouldn't be twittering. Maybe you haven't seen this status on facebook, but I have a few podcaster friends who put it up all the time. But, it's not as if twittering serves any purpose. This is how it's generally written: "Ho Chi Min is twittering: I left my iron on my shirt and now it's burnt." That's stupid. I really do not know what else to say about it.


Now for 'Rock my socks.' First off, I don't want to send the wrong message. I like rocks, and I do like a nice new pair of socks. However, there has yet to be any event in my life that has 'rocked my socks.' It sounds like it would have to be some erotic foot fantasy involving high voltage AC/DC and cotton tube sock love. And, unfortunately I have not yet had the pleasure. There are so many other phrases that make sense and are better. Let's use them like: Blow my mind (among other things), or, instead of twittering, Joe is deliberating, or is not a bird and therefore cannot twitter, but if he were it would sound quite mannish and funny. Food for thought.

Bouldering at Twin Lakes

How many times in your life have you been out-witted by a rock? If it's more than one you might suffer from serious mental issues. Or, you could be me (which is not really a distinction). As I live the high life here in the Sierra Nevadas at my family's cabin we have good times doing crazy things. One such thing was bouldering.

This morning. It looked like an easy enough rock, covered in a sweet and supple layer of lichen and with a few decent grips. My brothers and I had brought a camera, music and a crash pad along with chalk and shoes. My brother Freddy* was the first to try. After the rock ripped up his hands, and the crash pad was covered with lichen and iron wood twigs, he conquered the granite beast. However, I was not so successful. After chalking up and scrambling for grips, yelling things at the rock and surrounding vicinity that would not be appropriate for children under 17, I left in disgust and anguish. I was outsmarted by a rock.


*Name changed