I used the word ’spelt’ in my last journal entry. Upon seeing my mother’s comment asking if spelt was a type of grain, I questioned whether ’spelt’ was a real word at all.

According to Dictionary.com ’spelt’ is, in fact, an acceptable past tense conjugation of the verb ‘to spell’ meaning ‘To constitute the letters of a word.’ However, “spelled” sounds like the better choice.

Upon further investigation I discovered the reason for my confusion. ‘Spelt’ is actually the British past tense of ‘to spell’ while ’spelled’ is the American past tense. So, as surprising as it may seem, I was incorrect.

And to answer my mother’s question: Yes, spelt is also a hearty wheat grown in Europe.

Kurt, Chris Baumann, jesse, and I went rock climbing this weekend. Kurt hadn’t been in awhile, and it was Chris’ first time. Kurt was all power. Huge giant leaping grabs and overly elaborate diving catches. Chris, being basketball tall and Ally McBeal thin, did an extremely good job and finished two 5.8’s.

Kurt and I also put up a dart board and reminisced* about the days when we had the dart board mounted on the 2nd floor porch of the man barn and would throw darts from the street through the barn door in an attempt to hit the board. We had a good time. The only way it could have been better is if Jon Abad had been there.

*i spelt this word properly on my first try

yesterday Jesse and I tried to put up a fingerboard. Fingerboards are strange little devices that mimic rock formations so that you can strengthen your fingers for rock climbing. We wanted to put it in the foyer. Here’s a simple “how to” for putting up fingerboards.

Step 1:Find studs in wall by drilling 47 holes wherever you think there might be a stud.

Step 2: Get frustrated and buy a stud finder
Step 3: Use stud finder to find actual studs
Step 4: Discover that there aren’t actually any studs because it’s an I-Beam
Step 5: Cut backing plate out of wood that stretches across jousts along top and bottom of I-Beam
Step 6: Mount fingerboard to backing plate
Step 7: Realize your screws aren’t long enough to mount the backing plate and postpone the project ’till later

Other than that, the weekend was a success.

TOPSITE UPDATE: Jon Abad and I are doing GREAT (#3 and #4). But, It seems that it resets every weekend. So, make it your Monday Ritual to click on the topsite button and vote again. Jon Abad and Mike D will rule this wptopsite even if we have to cheat tell everyone we know!