FlyingJ

I have no problem with this kind of thing as long as it's advertised for what it is. I have tons of musician friends in NYC and when I lived there went to my share of "rent" parties for friends who had a rough time booking gigs that month, etc. It's one of my favorite venues to hear live music. Small setting with other friends, just hanging out, etc. Saying no can be extremely hard. Telling someone no because you don't like what they are offering even harder. That said, if this person is really having such a hard time "making it" that they can't fill a suburban "house" party than maybe it's time for the musician version of the bowling speech. Killing threads since 2004.

To go along with the other thread... So what books have you read that you would like to see made into a movie? The Alienist by Caleb Carr is my favorite book of all time. I read it several times a year and each time pick up a little something more. It peaked my interest in historical fiction and really got me into reading about Theodore Roosevelt and that time in NYC and our Country's history. The amount of fact that Carr works into a fictional story is just unbelievable to me. I dread the thought of it being turned into a bad movie, but I dream of it being well done. There has been news off and on for quite awhile about the rights being sold and the potential for it going into production. Don't know where it stands now. I'm pretty sure that I'll refuse to see it if anyone but Michael Clarke Duncan is chosen to play Cyrus. Killing threads since 2004.

No kidding. I ended up throwing myself backwards off an ATV several times upon realizing that my face was just inches from colliding with one of these monsters. Spiders don't bother me, but catching one in the face going 20mph down a trail is a rude awakening. They can bite and it gives you a bit of a welt but it's not harmful, just annoying. I've had worse mosquito bites. If you'd rather not kill it, usually just destroying their web will make them move. Might take doing it a time or two, but we found after clearing them from a trail they would usually move elsewhere. Can only imagine it gets annoying constantly rebuilding! Killing threads since 2004.

Alright, I know it's not SEC, but holy crap! Miami/FSU...what a game!!! Killing threads since 2004.

Probably tomorrow. Still a couple games that could make a difference in the standings today. Cincinnati at Rutgers on right now, and Cincinnati will likely find their way moving up quite a bit. Miami and FSU tonight. Killing threads since 2004.

Killing threads since 2004.

Both. Rarely both at the same time, but certainly depends on the topic. Killing threads since 2004.

Unfortunately I missed most of that game. The residents of my lovely town chilled out most of the day, but everyone decided to call 911 at once just as the Bama game came on! Killing threads since 2004.

Not the best start for Georgia, but as one of the few ranked teams playing against another ranked opponent I'm not too bummed. I hated to lose to a Big 12 team, but it could have been worse, we could have lost to BYU!!! Killing threads since 2004.

Have to give Kelly credit for posting this a few years ago, but it's that time of year again and thought it would be an appropriate start to the season!!! HOW MANY SEC STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB? At VANDERBILT: it takes two, one to change the bulb and one more to explain how they did it every bit as good as the bulbs changed at Harvard. At GEORGIA: it takes two, one to change the bulb and one to phone an engineer at Georgia Tech for instructions. At FLORIDA: it takes four, one to screw in the bulb and three to figure out how to get stoned off the old one. At ALABAMA: it takes five, one to change it, two to reminisce about how The Bear would have done it, and one to throw the old bulb at an NCAA investigator and one to throw the other old bulb at Fulmer. At OLE MISS: it takes six, one to change it, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion. At LSU: it takes seven, and each one gets credit for five semester hours. At KENTUCKY: it takes eight, one to screw it in and seven to discuss how much brighter it seems to shine during basketball season. At TENNESSEE: it takes ten, two to figure out how to screw it in, two to buy an orange lampshade, and six to phone a radio call-in show and talk about how much they hate Alabama. At MISSISSIPPI STATE: it takes fifteen, one to screw in the bulb, two to buy the Skoal, and twelve to yell, "GO TO HELL, OLE MISS". At AUBURN: it takes one hundred, one to change it, forty-nine to talk about how they did it better than at Bama, and fifty to get drunk and roll Toomer's Corner when finished. At SOUTH CAROLINA: it takes 80,000, one to screw it in and 79,999 to discuss how this finally will be the year that they have a decent football team. At ARKANSAS: None. There is no electricity in Arkansas. Planning for the Fall Football Season Planning for the fall football season in the South is radically different than up North. For those who are planning a football trip to the South, here are some helpful hints. Women's Accessories NORTH: ChapStick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket. SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary - that's what dates are for. Stadium Size NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people. SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people. Fathers NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath. SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference. Campus Decor NORTH: Statues of founding fathers. SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners. Homecoming Queen NORTH: Also a physics major. SOUTH: Also Miss America. Heroes NORTH: Rudy Giuliani SOUTH: Bear Bryant, Archie, Eli and Peyton Manning, Bo Jackson Getting Tickets NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and purchase tickets. SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus and put name on waiting list for tickets. Monday Classes After a Saturday Game NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have to prepare for classes on Monday. SOUTH: Teachers cancel Monday classes because they don't want to see the few hung over students that might actually make it to class. Parking NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking. SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday. Game Day NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV. SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never broadcast from their campus. Tailgating NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down. SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance by "Dave Matthews' Band," who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon. Getting to the Stadium NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in. SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it becomes the state's third largest city. Concessions NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda. SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon. The Smell in the Air After the First Score NORTH: Nothing changes. SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon. Commentary (Male) NORTH: "Nice play." SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch - tackle him and break his legs." Commentary (Female) NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport." SOUTH: "Dammit, you slow sumbitch tackle him and break his legs." Announcers NORTH: Neutral and paid. SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team. After the Game NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends. SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week's game. Nothing else in the universe comes even halfway close to the glories ofSouthern football! Killing threads since 2004.

I've had the opportunity to be around a variety of home schooled kids, both as a kid myself and later in life as well. Most of them were educated well beyond what their public/private school peers were for the same age, and a couple even started college up to two years early. That's all great, except that inversely, all but a few of them were YEARS behind their peers socially. They were perfectly comfortable interacting in a more intellectual setting, especially the ones whose home schooled education had been focused in a certain area, but put them out in the real world and they were lost. I lived in the dorm my freshman year in college with three people that had been home schooled up to that point. It's no surprise to see people away from home for the first time branch out, get their party on, etc, but two of the three took it to a whole new level and had dropped/failed out and were living back at home before the year was over. The other one was 17 years old and never left the dorm room except to go to class. I'm all for home schooling as an option, as long as parents work hard to make sure that socialization with peers is just as important a part of growing up as book learning. Killing threads since 2004.

Man, screw that. How about call law enforcement with a dog and have them check it. Sure would hate to be that guy saying "but it's not mine, I didn't know it was there" when you just got stopped for failure to use a turn signal. That's some scary ass shit. Personally I don't think I'd be going anywhere in that car until I know for sure what is or isn't in there. Killing threads since 2004.

I've had really great free and private places to hunt the last two years (that's as long as I've been hunting). This year my friends that provided access to those areas have moved and I no longer have the hook up without doing the public lands thing. It's not the end of the world, but it's a heck of a lot more hassle than just doing my own thing and doing it alone or with a buddy and not having to deal with a gaggle of other hunters. I think duck hunting this year is going to be horrible unless we have a tropical storm stall over top of us in the next month. Right now even the largest duck ponds down here in coastal Texas are bone dry. Killing threads since 2004.

Actually, I have known several doctors that had to go several months without a paycheck to just keep the doors of their clinic open. And I've known doctors that had to sell their practice to keep the doors open. Yikes. I guess I was really only thinking of docs operating via big mainstream hospitals w/ a pretty much guaranteed patient load. Not thinking about the small independent practice type. Killing threads since 2004.

Much easier and faster to put the used TP in a ziplock and carry to the next trash can, imho. In my experience I'm typically two to three weeks without a trash can, and I'm a pretty regular guy. Even attempting to keep it at just a few squares of paper per poop that's a heck of a lot of paper to be packing around. Certainly safer to pack it out if feasible, but if not, be careful!!! Killing threads since 2004.

I wouldn't say that the doctors, etc. are left with nothing as they are still taking home their paycheck. The problem is that the cost of doing business in general is that much higher because the medical community must factor in the amount of service they will have to write off. With less instance of catastrophic injury resulting in unpaid bills we would likely see less cost across the board. My dad put it as bluntly to me as possible a number of years ago. I was paying for an individual insurance policy that I took out before I was willing to start AFF. I jumped for about a year before I couldn't afford it any more and when I was no longer jumping I considered canceling the policy. He told me that if I couldn't afford it he would pay for it, because him paying $100 or so a month for an insurance policy for me was far cheaper than him losing his house to pay my medical bills after a catastrophic car wreck. You might think the choice is up to you, but what will your loved ones do when you are in a coma and the bills start coming to them? Killing threads since 2004.

I'm far from being an expert, and even a pretty good jaunt from being knowledgeable about the topic, but it seems it really doesn't matter whether one "fully accepts the consequences of one's actions." They might be willing to pay $20 a month for the rest of their life, but the health care industry can't sustain itself with everyone paying $20 a month. Those that can pay (whether it be cash or via insurance) are going to pay the sky high prices that the medical community has to charge to be able to accept the $20 a month from the other people. Might it be possible that if more people paid all, all people would pay less? I work for a 911 ambulance service that does an obscenely large number of "medicare taxi" calls. We could make a serious push in the community to slow down the calling of 911 for non-emergency transports, but the problem is we have so many people in the county without insurance who can't pay an ambulance bill that the medicare calls are a HUGE percentage of our income and no matter how much we hate them, we couldn't survive without them. It's a vicious circle! Killing threads since 2004.

Please, please don't burn down the woods! I go with the burn it approach too, though more often then not when I'm in need of a wilderness deuce it's because I'm on a fire somewhere, so setting one isn't much of a problem. There was a guy in Oregon a handful of years ago that started a 3,000 acre wildfire trying to burn his paper. If you decide to do so, make sure to dig a deep enough hole to avoid embers being blown, and use your body like a wind break. The guy in Oregon has not yet and never will live that down. The fire was named the Deuce fire. Killing threads since 2004.

Got word a while ago from some friends working out there now that two firefighters died today after rolling their vehicle over the side of a mountain road. Be extra safe out there for those travelling. It's natural to want to get out and close so you can see the action, but please avoid putting yourself and others at risk by being out and about in unsafe conditions. Killing threads since 2004.

This whole topic reminded me of last summer. I was detailed to some fires in west Texas and had gotten a hold of some bad food. Needless to say, I spent more than my fair share of time finding a place to go squat. During our debrief that evening someone commented that "Jason spent so much time with his pants around his ankles he's got sunburn on his knees!". It took us about 20 minutes to recover. Everyone should give it a try at least once. There is no feeling like dropping a big one with a slight breeze across the backside. Killing threads since 2004.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l72/EvilEagle_15/101_0803.jpg Click the URL button below the text box, paste your link, then hit the /URL button below the text box. Killing threads since 2004.

My knees don't take too well to the typical squat, so I try to find something to rest a cheek on. Makes for a MUCH more comfortable experience, plus you can get your legs out in front of you to make sure you don't drop one of the kids down the leg of your pants bunched up beneath you. If you are on a hill, I HIGHLY suggest making sure you have something substantial to hold on to. Last time I tried we were cutting firelines on the side of a hill that fire had gone through the summer before. I searched for as long as I could for a substantial handhold to support my weight while I squatted and eventually had to settle for a less than perfect little tree. It held pretty well for a minute or two, but then right in the middle of gettin' it done it snapped. I had just enough time to think "jump!" before launching myself backwards so I didn't land in it and proceeded to tumble 15 feet down the hill with my pants around my ankles. A couple other guys on the crew witnessed it and are probably still laughing. I will say though, my quick thinking allowed me to launch myself over the mess. Boy that would have been a shitty day! Killing threads since 2004.

I have AFLAC as does almost everyone I work with. My company brought a rep in to make it available to us, and does payroll deduction, but it was explained to us that we were signing up as individuals. Because we were joining as part of a group we received a significant discount, but anyone (in Texas anyway) could call the same rep and sign up for the same coverage regardless of employment. I have had no claims, however two of my co-workers have and have been extremely impressed with how quickly the AFLAC reps handled their claims (talking money in hand within days). AFLAC is in no way supposed to take the place of full medical insurance, but it can certainly help out. Killing threads since 2004.

This photo would make a perfect The Far Side comic. Killing threads since 2004.

I'll be up at 4am too. It's rough, but gotta be out in the surf at sun up if I want to go home with some keepers in my cooler! Redfish and trout for dinner tomorrow night! Killing threads since 2004.