Nataly

This is not so true for women... There is plenty of practically new "used" gear for sale... Because girls are girls and they like shopping, and they are quick to get fully kitted out, and then 2 weeks down the road they decide 2-wheels are not for them... Or they break up with their biker boyfriend and no longer have any use for the (very expensive) brand-new gear... Or they bought 2 of everything (because they came in different colours) and at some point they realise some of it wasn't quite what they really, truly wanted (too small, not pink enough, et cetera)... It's unfortunate to paint women as flakey impulsive shoppers, but it certainly seems to be a pattern that keeps repeating itself... So there is a decent selection of used gear for ladies on e-bay/craig's list, et cetera. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

cc = cubic centimeters Put simply, it is the size of the engine, and gives a relatively good idea of power (ie: low cc = small engine size = less power). Just like your skydiving gear, the reality is not quite so straightforward and there are other factors to consider, but for your purposes, just know that bigger pretty much means more power. Bigger also means heavier (although again, things like gyros mean that a 500cc bike is paradoxically more "stable" than a 125cc). Here is a site that nicely explains cc's without getting into the more complicated stuff: http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/motorcycle-ccs.php As for getting a scooter... I have to disagree with pretty much everyone who says they are no good because they lack power and good brakes... If you plan to use a scooter for short journeys (ie: inter-city commuting only), they are much more appropriate than a motorcycle, in my opinion. They are designed to be easy, practical and wizzy. They are NOT designed to go fast or get you out of a pickle, but you should not get INTO a high-speed pickle as long as you put-put into town (as opposed to the highway). If you wanted something for longer distances or for going on interstates, THEN a motorcylce is without a doubt the more appropriate ride. If you are going to stick to smaller inter-city riding, I would not recommend a 125 cc bike over a 125 cc scooter... You have all the inconvenience of something small (low power, for a start), with all the "hassle" of changing gears (especially if you can't wizz between traffic, which apparently you can't in the US - consider all that starting-stopping... Like a stick-shift vs automatic car...), not having storage space (usually), et cetera. Personally, if you have no desire to ever get to a bigger bike or to ride on bigger roads, I don't see the point in getting a motorcycle. I LOVED my Ninja 250R - I think it's the perfect starter bike. But it is a bike and in traffic and in the city, my boyfriend's 125 cc scooter is hands-down the more appropriate/practical vehicle. You'd be hard-pressed to get a biker to admit it, but it's true. My boyfriend has a KYMCO Agility 125 cc (http://www.kymcousa.com/showroom/scooters/agility125/index.html). Good, reliable and practical scooter. Over here they are affordable but don't depreciate too quickly. He has a topcase in the back for more storage (helmet, groceries, et cetera). Just know that a topcase is attractive for thieves so unless you are leaving something temporarily in there (ie: helmet, when you're doing groceries), it's not a bad idea to leave it empty and unlocked when the scooter is parked for any length of time. I have an R6 (big-ish bike) and I sometimes borrow his scooter for small runs to the store or when I have a couple of bags to take with me. Vespas are also good. Even people who know virtually nothing about scooters have likely heard of Vespa, and there is a reason why they are so popular (it's not just because they are affordable). Go to a scooter store. Ask questions. See if you can't try some different ones - even just to sit on them. (Speaking of seats... Most scooters have a considerably lower seat than a motorcycle... If you are short, this does make a difference and would make motorcycles all the more challenging - though not impossible.) Take a course - even if you don't have to. Being on 2 wheels makes you infinitely more vulnerable/invisible to other drivers - being safe means avoiding lots of idiots on the road (even if you do everything correctly, you always have to anticipate that the other guy could at any moment do something stupid/wrong that would kill you). Riding a moped/scooter/motorcycle will totally change the way you view other drivers and driving all-together. It is practical, for sure. It's also dangerous. Very dangerous. But you know that Good luck

Eh??! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Pull a Milli Vanilli & win the contest! I don't look like my voice would go so low...!!! (Lead singer is a man!!) Also, it is not a contest... It's just our end-of-year concert for friends and family (I'm taking singing lessons). "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I agree, and I did contact the band and they said I was welcome to use their music and sing along (it's for a very small, very local concert in which I will be singing) but that they did not have an instrumental recording without the lead singer. I just sent them a second email asking if I could pay them to record an instrumental version for me... In the meantime, it would still be useful to find a half-way decent way to take out the singer for me just to practice... It doesn't need to sound perfect, just not horrible... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

This makes sense because I split the tracks, inverted and BOOM - the vocals are gone, but so is the base and drums... The result doesn't sound very good "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Does anyone know how to take out the vocals from a song to turn it into a karaoke version?? I have tried many different ways but I keep loosing the base or the drums (or both)... This is the song I would like without the singer: http://youtu.be/C67Xtingeqk Tips and tricks would be much appreciated. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thanks for the links guys

I don't need to learn anything for that - I can already make lots of annoying sounds!!! I *love* this thing!! Got it yesterday and played until my fingers hurt (I think 4 hours or so)!! Learned most of the basic chords (it's different than on the guitar) and even "Somewhere Over The Rainbow"... It's my sister's fault... She got one and became totally obsessed and watching her progress via facebook made me want one so bad! And now I know how she got hooked "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Well, hours of fun for me - maybe not so much fun for my neighbours!!!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

38. Not very current. But I think if we are all honest, we will find that most skydivers fall within a risky range. Most skydivers don't get much canopy training, don't actively try to progress under canopy or regularly dedicate a skydive to flying their parachute... It's a wonder there aren't more accidents "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

^^^THIS^^^ But hey... It says a lot about you that you cared enough to stick your neck out... Unfortunately, some people do not want or think they need any help. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I always get so annoyed when cage-drivers say bikers ride like morons... Because sooooo many cage drivers drive like morons as well... They just don't realise that switching lanes (without looking) and entering traffic (without looking) and talking/texting (instead of looking at the road) is every bit as deadly as riding fast... Except that most bikers who ride too fast end up killing only themselves and most car drivers who don't pay attention end up killing others (bikers, cyclists, pedestrians, and even other car drivers/passengers)... The fact is that no one should ride/drive like a lunatic on public roads. Unfortunately, part of the excitement for these idiots is the danger - going on a race track would not be the same thing. But at those speeds, they are playing with their lives and others' as well. Stupid, stupid, stupid. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

I'm sorry to hear about his reaction but from my own experience with confronting my dad I can't say I'm surprised... Denial is a powerful thing - rest assured if he really didn't have a problem he would have no reason to be so offended/angry by what you said. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

It's a toss up between this and drawing a cartoon of my boss and posting it on the whiteboard for everyone to see. To be fair, the cartoon *was* funny and I never would have done it if I didn't have the world's coolest boss!! "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Speaking of parting shots... I was working at the head offices of Blockbuster UK at a time when they were starting to go bust... A bunch of people got made "redundant" and one person at director level gave a very awkward speech at his leaving party... Told everyone he was fucking glad to be taking an early paid-for retirement, complete with a leaving bonus big enough for him to buy an Aston Martin and go globe-trotting around the world with his wife... He actually said this in front of a bunch of other people who got fuck all as severence pay... (No, he was not being sarcastic - he really did get an Aston Martin and really was given enough money to travel around the world a couple of times...) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Thank you so much for sharing that... Was there something in particular that triggered your realisation?? Was it a slow realisation or one of those "aha moments?" Sorry to ask, but sometimes it feels so hopeless to watch a train-wreck destroying everything in its path. Sometimes you wish you knew how to stop the (inevitable?) crash... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

My father is a functioning alcoholic. His father (my grandfather) died at 45 of alcoholism - he was non-functioning, losing his job all the time, et cetera. His brother (my late-uncle) shot himself in the head on Xmas eve when he was in his early twenties because of a drug addiction. And because my dad got to a high position, in a job that was very high-profile and very challenging, he kids himself that he doesn't have a problem. To him, his father, a total fuck-up, was an alcoholic, but he, a highly educated/successful/respected person, is not. Even though he drinks himself stupid almost every day. My mother, I am sorry to say, is an enabler. In a last-ditch effort to get him to clue in, I had a big talk with him when my parents spent Christmas with me last year. I have since had almost no communication with either of my parents, in the hope that this will send a strong message to both my parents that until he gets help I want nothing to do with either of them (yes, I have told them very clearly this is the number one reason why I will not communicate with them). My hope is that it will hurt my mom enough that it will hurt him as well, and that he will eventually realise what he is doing to all of us (never mind what it is doing to him). But no. Somehow, I am the evil/selfish brat who is throwing my teddy in the corner. My guess: he will realise when he is dead that he had a problem. (ie: never) "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

"There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

+1 on renting a trailer from Pip and Judy. Or buying/bringing a tent. Or asking around - there are people who have a spare couch or trailer or van with a mattress. I have tried all options other than a hotel at ZHills - an absolutely fantastic place, you won't want to leave, whatever you choose

To agree with you would be the equivalent of saying "I told him so." Which I did. But that doesn't make anyone feel any better about the situation... Even if they had come away with just the 4-year-old spaghetti, they still did a lot of damage to the car itself. And again - it was broad daylight in a very busy/populated area. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

What were all the valuables doing in the car? I'm not sure about where you live, but to me that's simply an invitation to have the car get busted into. All these items were small, in a bag, in the trunk (so not visible/inviting). Except the CDs and radio/stereo... Again, not great CDs and a crap stereo, but having a crap stereo is better than not having one. The car was locked up, and parked on a road that has traffic 24/7. They would have acted in broad daylight because he'd just come back from skiing in the morning and decided to temporarily leave the small stuff in the car. They tore off the rear-view mirror. They tried prying open every door and left the passenger-side door open. My guess: the car is old and seemed easier to break into than a newer car. I don't think they were after anything in particular - just grab anything and see what they get. His car is really dirty/messy (empty bags of crisps, paper on the floor, crumbs everywhere, half-eaten sandwiches... )... They got lucky with the contents of his back-pack, but there was nothing inviting the thieves except that the car would be "easy" to break into. They also took a box of "emergency spaghetti" that had been in the glove box for years... I hope they eat it. I also agree with Lisa: the thieves are to blame, not the victims. "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

Did they ever find the car/culprit? "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss

So they tore off the rear-view mirror, messed up the car a bit, took a SUUNTO AMBIT, which is like a fancy sport/GPS 007-type watch, some ski gear, his waterproof camera, et cetera, et cetera. We were about to head off for a quick break but now he doesn't feel much like a holiday... It's been a bummer of a month for us... "There is no problem so bad you can't make it worse." - Chris Hadfield « Sors le martinet et flagelle toi indigne contrôleuse de gestion. » - my boss