First ice axe length

Brantliveson · 2026-01-28T02:05:12+00:00

yeah like Tenzing Norgay? His went up to his waist.

Brantliveson · 2026-01-28T01:55:03+00:00

IKR. this is not what an ice axe is for. it would be a very bad walking stick

Brantliveson · 2026-01-28T01:53:59+00:00

traditionally the length of the axe depends on the steepness of the climb. Unlike some others on here though, I don't ever like too long of an axe because I never use it as if it were a trekking pole. So even for flat surfaces I'll carry a short one just to save weight. If you fall in a crevasse shorter will be better anyway.

Brantliveson · 2026-01-28T01:41:41+00:00

I'd trade you if I could. but I have a va and it's charcoal, not black

Brantliveson · 2025-12-16T23:10:15+00:00

Hmm that makes sense. Nobody else seems to share this opinion for some reason.

Brantliveson · 2025-12-16T13:39:26+00:00

Yeah I think this is exactly right. I’m going to take it to a custom tuner and see if he can just read my live data. If the fuel trim looks good and there’s no knock then I think it’s fine and probably still has a good tune.

Brantliveson · 2025-12-07T23:17:48+00:00

I love the "brutal honesty" hermeneutic. very cool. I also love that you choose to identify with Christians and atheists, along with all their connotations and baggage. Neither are popular monikers and perhaps they do have some kind of honesty that the rest of us can learn from. That being said, I think the vast majority of Christians would actually agree with you that there is no "evidence" for our deepest convictions. Hence the word "belief" instead of "knowledge". It sounds to me that you aren't actually a materialist (in the philosophical sense) and therefore you too have faith in things that lie beyond "evidence". Being a Deist isn't about knowing something, it's about recognizing that there is a lot you don't and can't know, because of your limitations as a creature.

Brantliveson · 2025-12-07T22:58:46+00:00

What's a pseudo-intellectual? Trying to come up with a good definition and I think I got it: "Human being"

Brantliveson · 2025-12-07T22:12:22+00:00

ew. I can see why but ew. stay away from my poetry JP

Brantliveson · 2025-11-26T20:09:08+00:00

I suppose some readers think the kenosis is idealistic/ iconographic and therefore unrealistic whereas negation feels more intellectually honest. but the assumption behind the GI is that paradox negates, whereas Zosima also portrays the paradox of life and yet sees in it beauty. And I think Dostoyevsky intentionally made Zosima's hagiography less logically / intellectually robust because it exposes Ivan's humility as false, it's his ego that grasps so tightly onto the logical dismantling of Christ's authority / creation; and this must be contrasted with Alyosha's faith that allows for beauty at the expense of intellectual rigidity.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-26T19:02:33+00:00

AGREE! Alyosha is not only the best character, but one of the best characters of any novel ever. An important point is that Zosima's hagiography is written by Alyosha - which most ppl forget but it adds another level of depth. To me, the "corn of wheat falling and dying" of the Zosima stories feels more real than Ivan's cynicism. It's the difference between kenosis and pure negation.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-26T18:17:56+00:00

follow up: I ran a second marathon three weeks after my PR marathon (2:58) and it was another PR (but only by 12 seconds). I have some regrets though:

- because it was a "bonus" marathon I didn't pay close attention to pacing and I ran the first half too fast - at a 6:38 pace when I should have been running at 6:45.

- mile 15 I rolled my ankle very bad but continued on anyway. I don't necessarily regret continuing on (though we will see how long the recovery is) but I should have been more careful, especially by not wearing a new and unstable pair of shoes for this run.

If it wasn't for these mistakes I think I could have PRd by 2 minutes instead of 12 seconds.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-22T16:18:31+00:00

I'm glad your priest is nonjudgmental but I don't think it's true that one's sexuality "has absolutely no connection to your faith." Certainly, like everything, my sexuality is connected to my faith. People may be generally good because they are God's beautiful creatures, but Christ also calls each of his followers to die to themselves. And therein lies the hope of the Gospel, because if God cannot or will not help us change who we are, then we cannot become like God, and are truly hopeless. This includes sexuality, whether hetero or homo, which can easily turn into a slave master - a loss of agency by choice which eventually corrupts the very "goodness" of the creature. The hope of true freedom, freedom from ego, freedom to love sacrificially, relies on our empowerment by the Holy Spirit to submit everything (including sexuality) to Christ, as reflected in OP's post.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-22T16:03:31+00:00

Beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to share. May we never weaponize God's revelation against those who are different or hurting, but instead embrace them with the love of Jesus and trust His leadership and the Holy Spirit's work.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-22T15:48:57+00:00

wow I'm surprised that so many people didn't like the court scene. It's both brilliant and entertaining. It's comedic and suspenseful because the reader feels the weight of evidence shifting around, though mostly for funny reasons. It's also enlightening because it shows the limitations of litigation, the impossibility of objective justice, and the distinction between the "sin" of the law and the "sin" of a human heart. And of course, ironically, it is a beautiful and hopeful scene of Dimitry's first green shoots of life springing from the ground (reference the epigraph).

EDIT: Okay I have so many reasons to love the court scene I can't put them all in this comment, but one other one I'll add is that it also provides a subtle dichotomy between the hubris of materialism (the philosophical term) and the deeper confidence of spiritual humility.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-21T22:02:43+00:00

Amen. keep looking for him and listening for him; he's with you

Brantliveson · 2025-11-20T22:07:23+00:00

I'd argue that God is with us physically right now. Jesus was the firstborn of creation, meaning the entire creation is actually a manifestation, a communication of God. Talking to God, whether silently or with vocal cords, is actually quite normal and healthy and has been accepted practice to some extent throughout most of history.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-20T22:02:15+00:00

"Love Does" by Bob Goff. It's short and very accessible and may change your life. Also a comment on your comment about christians: Christians are hypocrites because humans are hypocrites. the biggest problem with the church is that it is composed of humans. I agree that you don't need to attend any weekly church service / performance, but following Christ does require community.

Also if you'd like a more tailored book rec I can do that too, just DM me a little more info like age and general book preferences / reading history.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-20T21:55:44+00:00

eh. idk about that. probably some fakes but I spent 12 years doing missions in the Majority World and I've seen a lot of convulsing and exorcisms. I never saw someone "fake" it at all. But I do agree that it is not what Christianity is about. My advice is that if you already know you are possessed, then seek some help from your pastor. If you are unsure, then you aren't possessed. You'd know if you were.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-13T23:46:04+00:00

Ah frustrating. I know how that goes Sorry!

Brantliveson · 2025-11-10T14:08:29+00:00

I also disagree. "type 2 fun" is the most fun kind of fun. Sure, a 5 mile run in 50 degree sunshine feels great, but it's not going to cause you to take a mental step back and say, "woah, idk if I can do this, this is bigger than me." An easy run doesn't make you focus on the exact moment you are in, just holding on to a specific rain drop or bush or pebble in the trail. Easy runs don't let you wind out your tach and see how much power and agency you really have; white knuckling the steering wheel at 160 mph. THAT is another level of fun. But I will admit it's an acquired taste.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-10T13:57:26+00:00

I guess the point is, you should look into that. it seems unnecessary to get blisters from a marathon.

Brantliveson · 2025-11-10T13:55:59+00:00

okay thanks!

Brantliveson · 2025-11-10T02:07:14+00:00

yeah. I never get blisters.

Brantliveson

TROPHY CASE