Hilarious... Well, I'm sitting here and I just picked up a book (to put back on the shelf), but thought I'd leaf through it to find some stuff for my "joining ropes" class... 

Anyway, somehow, I turned right to a page that was showing anchor bolts, specifically 3/8" anchor bolts, which I was just using (to install racks into concrete) and researching earlier today.

I ended up reading the chapter, and discovered that the 3/8" Powers Power Bolt Expansion Bolt is basically the minimum standard for climbing anchor bolts.

Its funny because, that is exactly what I was using and researching today... that,  and 5/8" bolts... I now know what the 3/8" feels like in your hand... and finally made sense of this particular chapter... 

Years ago, I would have read it and not really thought much about it.

Then, while flipping further back through the pages, I saw the subheading of Active Protection and Passive Protection... 

I've always wondered what people meant when they said those two terms...

Well, sure enough, I looked up from the pages and saw some old chocks hanging on a pegboard in front of me (what you see in the picture for this post).  

Funny, once again, because from what I gather, "Passive Protection," is like chocks, nuts, hexes, etc... 

So, I'm guessing (without reading the full chapter), that "Active Protection" would be like Cams... 

Actually, I just read most of the chapter and learned a lot of history and facts about all this "protection."

According to page 117, in the second paragraph... It says, that passive placement is like a wedged nut, while active placement is like a camming action; a mechanical action.

Very interesting, to say the least...

Now, if these last few weeks have taught me anything... Even when people try their best to say what they mean... It comes out flipped and backwards... Almost meaning the complete opposite of what they were trying to say.

Ex. Instead of saying "throwing bales of hay," I heard someone say, "throwing hales of baye..."  It took me a second because I don't know what a hale is, and the only "baye," I know, is my baby...

Then, at the gas station, the person in front of me said, "screw it, I'll get a powerball..."  Then she said, "you don't play, if you can't win..."

Pretty sure, she meant something like, "you can't win, if you don't play..."

It was funny, because hearing her say it that way, I was thinking, "yeah... well your chances of winning are pretty low... so, you probably shouldn't be playing in the first place..."  Haha.

Anway, this ramble is getting pretty long.

I had a goal to learn what "passive" and "active" protection meant, so I could use them in a sentence, but pretty sure when the time comes, I'll probably mix up the words anway.