Itchy fingers & rip-off prices

I'm just after rolling out of bed, and all I can think of is climbing. Man, that route yesterday is after getting me super-psyched for routes again. I think I was starting to struggle with just the wall/gym back home for motivation (unsurprisingly) so yesterday was a fresh start. Bring it on, I can't wait.
It's great to see the motivation levels over here. Everyone seems real keen to work hard. Of course, it helps when you've tons more rock than Ireland. Mill Creek has over 2,500 routes which means there's probably more here than all of Ireland. Sniff sniff.........

Personally, yesterday was a bit of a shock as I normally just shut down when it's cold. I'm not kidding, it's crazy, so to be out trying a super-hard route (without a warm-up but that was daft) in -5degrees temps without worrying too much about the cold was great. O.k., so I felt like I was going to puke about halfway up as my hands & feet (they never did in the end) warmed up , but it sure didn't stop me pulling back on after the pump had dissipated :)



On another note, I'm bitching about Irish prices. I just went to buy a lens for my camera. I'd been told that prices were more expensive back home in Europe, but when you find that to buy a lens off Amazon in the US will cost you $550, and about $1000 in Europe, I feel like I deserve a rant! Damn it to hell! Anyway, after now learning how to use my camera a bit more, I'm pretty keen to start making the most of it. And after using some professional lens while on my visit to the States (thanks B), I've now seen what a good lens can help with. I'll hopefully get to post more on this in the near future if I have any interesting pointers.
So, now off to find a camera shop in Salt Lake City to see if they're as cheap as Amazon or B&H (I don't have time to ship them......).