Inside Magazine, Cool Bryan, and Imperial Madres

I have been really taken by Outside magazine. Poring over their articles. Salivating at some of the sweet gear that I could buy and use for motivation to get out there. And of course scoffing at some of people's stupidity, mainly mine.

In a nut shell, I am sold on going Outside. Whether you have the gear, the goals or simply the gumption to step outside when it is cold, I think you should do it.

However, I think it only fair that Outside magazine do a spotlight on me, doing stuff INSIDE. Climbing microscopic cellular summits. Carrying and doing mountains of laundry and me needing the 'Cool Wool' they advertise. Whether you are telemarking or needing to wick the sweat away from Everest-like hypothermic night sweats, it is about survival. The can shoot cut of the edge tech pics of my cells doing battle with disease, occassional infection and just plain workin'.

I have my doubts that they will be impressed that I sat on my couch in the living room, folded a couple loads of laundry, read parts of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, and ultimately blogged after breezing through their mag. But my neighbor, Cool Bryan, made a 15 ft. sculpture; OUTSIDE.

He and some friends quietly made King Kong, with ripped abs, behind my back and I didn't notice until they finished. How is that for some inside vs. outside activity?

You gotta have stealthy neighbors though.

You might have ordinary neighbors that do ordinary things. Wash their cars. Their kids compete in normal sports like football or basketball.

Not mine.

I have exceptional neighbors. Ones that excel beyond what I ever could imagine and are really qualified to be in Outside magazine. I could get you an "in" with them.

When other neighborhood kids are going to Tee Ball, mine are learning how to play bag pipes and getting into prestigious colleges.

"Cool Bryan" went on bike rides with J on his unicycle, strung a rope between two trees in his yard and practiced balancing on that with his unicycle or doing back flips from it. While most citizens run or walk around the green belt, Cool Bryan is Extreme Pogo Sticking with his side kick, Max, while picking up chicks around the Snake River. (all the while getting oustanding grades- you will see where I am going with this in a second.)

They hangglide, snowmachine, fly gliders, Scuba dive and dirt bike along canyons in southern Utah. With their mother.

(I read an article today in WSJ by Amy Chua. She entitled it: 'Chinese mothers are Superior to Western mothers,". Her brazen article is sure to bring her monetary bravado and sell a lot of books. However, for a Yale Law School Professor, I expected more smarts. Ms. Chua, you should come visit Idaho.

Unfortunately, 'Cool Bryan' went back to college, he is majoring in Computers and taking classes that teach him to leap small buildings. But don't don't worry, Amy, he learned to play a musical insturment. Just not the violin.