Veterans Day at Prime Climb - the players: Shake&Splatt, Tony Hawk Pro Skater and a late, surprise arrival of MIA Barbie.  I also saw Li'l Lisa the SOB, but she didn't want to slum it with us and I can't blame her.

I started out on the new 5.? white in the front room.  Tried to use a foot as a hand and wiped out 2 feet off the ground.  Figured out that mistake and cleaned it.  S&S goes immediately for the nemesis white in the back room, flops three times, but gets to the top.  Back in front for the 5.11 polka dot project (I hate this friggin climb, but have to get it out of spite).  Copious amounts of flopping on the stupid green brain move - still getting no further.  After like half an hour, I finally give up.  It's S&S's turn to flop.  Hits the 5.8+ yellow on the same rope, which I've seen him get up before, but its a high gravity day, and he gets stuck in two spots.  Am I up again?  OK - on to the very ugly 5.10 d+++ lousy red djjj climb for more work.  Halfway up, I see Barbie wandering around looking for helicopter parts, but finding nothing, not even a bikerag card on the ground.  I yell down "Barbie, meet Splatt, Splatt - Barbie."  Everyone at PC looks at me like I'm nuts (am I?).  Finally up to the top, back down to the ground and now it's Barbie's turn.  After a few days of climbing volcanoes and dodging earthquakes in Sicily, Barbie doesn't miss a step, flashing the 5.7+ neon green in the front room.  S&S picks out a nice slightly overhanging red 5.8+ next to the breast wall, flops once but gets the rest quite easily.  If only he had listened to Barbie yelling to use that right foot, he'd have cleaned it.  Oh well.  I try to get the 5.11 blue/white in front, but one of the Ken's was on it (being belayed by the other Ken - two on one rope for Barbie!)  I guess I have to do that lousy red one again, dammit.  Getting better, but still not clean.  Barbie's next on the purple 5.8+ next to the breast wall, and cleans that one too.  S&S starting to think he's a ringer.  S&S up next on the nemesis white ... again.  Didn't get enough abuse last time, I guess.  One less flop this time, sweating, kicking, swearing all the way up.  Barbie suggests the problem might be defective chalk (excuse # ??) and S&S agrees.  More yokels on the rope I want, so I torture myself on the red 5.10 some more.  Barbie on the 5.9 beige in front, using the white hold ("we saw that") and the red hold ("we saw that too") to get up.  Finally, S&S gets to the breast wall yellow.  Barbie and I both telling him to make sure to use his right foot - the other right foot.  S&S ignores us and instead flops while using his left.  Well, I've had enough.

After calling Fishbulb to tell her that I won't be home early as I had previously promised, we're off to Smokey Bar for food.  Since Focker isn't here, I order the Grilled Chicken Platter, because I discovered that the sandwich is just too messy (and I don't want to get called Tony Hawk by a no-neck, jar-head 45 year old "I played high school football" guy on the way back from washing my hands in the bathroom ... again) - S&S agrees, but Barbie won't listen to reason, opting for the sandwich.  He makes a mess out of it (that must be how the holds at the gym got "slipperied up") but luckily the blondse that S&S is staring at in the corner doesn't notice.  She's too interested in pointing out to her gas-pumping date that S&S is staring at her.  So now you have the real story.

Rating: two very slippery a-cup slopers just far enough apart that you have to let go of the first before you can reach the next.  Hope your chalk didn't get recalled by the manufacturer - you're going to need it.