FlyingJ

It's that time of year again. The hummingbirds are here and on any given day there are 10 to 30 of them stuck out in the ambulance bay, unwilling to come down from the ceiling in order to duck out through the door and avoid certain death. We've tried a number of fixes. We removed the red garage door string handle things that supposedly attracts them. Unfortunately our ambulances all have significant amounts of red, so little chance of that stopping them. We've hung hummingbird feeders near the doors trying to attract them down. That only attracted more birds into the bay. We've tried turning the lights out which is supposed to make them land as they don't like flying in the dark. Some of them have landed, but take off as soon as approached, and others never landed on the ground, instead choosing on top of the ambulances or on steel girders, etc. (Edit to add: Not to mention...finding something the size of a hummingbird inside a 5 bay garage in the pitch black with just a flashlight isn't as easy as it sounds!) So, anyone out there have another suggestion? Unfortunately leaving the doors closed is not an option. We are in South Texas and we work out in the bay (it's a 5 bay ambulance garage) all day long. If we close the doors we'll have medics dying, not hummingbirds. I've googled away (as have others in the past) and have tried just about everything we've found. Any other tips are appreciated! They are pretty cool birds. It sucks to show up on any given morning over a month long period and see 10 or 20 dead on the ground. Help me out here! Killing threads since 2004.

Thanks for posting. That video is the perfect example of how a bunch of idiots can impact the opinion outsiders have of an activity quite unfairly to people that do it in a far more respectable manner. I've been out with several people that hunt with dogs, all of whom ran far more professional operations than that. Each dog was trained for a specific task, it was quick and a very clean kill. No hog tying, etc. and the pig was almost always dispatched within about 30 seconds of the dogs getting to it (which is about as quickly as the humans could catch up). Somebody is bound to get killed (or bit by their own untrained freakin dog) in a mess like that! I decided after observing a few times that hunting with dogs isn't for me, but I hate that people see a video like that and form an opinion about anyone that might hunt in that fashion when these guys are providing a HORRIBLE example. Killing threads since 2004.

I am indeed still on unlimited. On 3G it worked extremely well. 30 seconds at most to buffer, usually faster and then I watched a couple 30 minute tv episodes without a hiccup. I tried it earlier on Edge. It took FOREVER to buffer, but once it did load it worked fairly well. There were a few hiccups in the playback, but it eventually caught up. I don't believe I'll make using it on Edge a regular thing. Thankfully most of the time we spend sitting outside of hospitals waiting for calls is in 3G if not wifi service. For a while we were able to stream netflix on our toughbook laptops, but the company got wise on folks downloading stuff and put an end to that pretty quickly. They likely wouldn't have cared about the media player if some numbnuts hadn't been downloading some other stuff that didn't belong on a company computer! Freakin idiots! Killing threads since 2004.

If you can get your hands on a 30-40lb pig(let) they are pretty delicious. One of the awsome results of working to eradicate feral hogs from conservation land is that all hogs are to be shot on site, regardless of size. They breed so quickly that even just a couple little ones getting away means a whole pile more in just a matter of months. I've had just as many that were poorly smoked as done correctly, but if you can figure it out it is worth the effort! Killing threads since 2004.

The Netflix application on iphone is finally available, allowing you to stream your instant viewing content directly on the phone. I tried it out this afternoon and it worked great with 3G service. Haven't tried it yet on the Edge network which is all we get where I live. I've been waiting forever for this! At my part time job we are forced to post around town at hospitals waiting for transfer calls. Now it will go from being dreadful to being great! I can finally catch up on my list of movies. Killing threads since 2004.

Well that's promising. I just found a retailer in town listed on the Virgin Mobile site that supposedly sells broadband2go products. I have my doubts being that I live in a town of 7,000 and have to drive 30 miles to do pretty much anything but fish, but we'll see in the morning! Killing threads since 2004.

Do you have netflix by any chance? I am most interested in knowing how Netflix streaming does. I'm guessing if YouTube bogs down that Netflix would be horrible. I've just about ruled it out now that I had someone with sprint come over to test reception at my home. Apparently my apartment is near impervious to all cell reception and not just AT&T as I had hoped. I'm still curious though if anyone out there has tried it with Netflix. Killing threads since 2004.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Killing threads since 2004.

So, anyone try the Virgin Mobile MiFi cellular wifi device? Appears to be similar to existing devices that offer "3G" internet except that for $40 a month you get unlimited data. Billing is also month to month with no contract with the ability to pay some months and not others if for some reason you don't need the service. The device allows up to 5 wireless connections, but no wired connections. It charges very slowly by USB or quickly by wall or 12v adapter. There are some cons, but they appear to be on par with all similar devices. I'm interested in hearing from anyone tha has given it a try. The cost seems high considering the device is fee with other services, but I believe the lack of contract makes up for that. Edit to add: http://www.virginmobileusa.com/mobile-broadband/broadband2go.html Killing threads since 2004.

Bwahaha! I loved this from the comment section: ----------------------------------- Captain H. Not to defend Yonni Barrios' past actions, but the man has been a hero in the current crisis. When he does make it out, they should not trouble him with their squabbles. They must put aside their differences and prepare to make a Yonni Barrios sandwich. Killing threads since 2004.

Nope, you had it right. Lee (SkinnyShrek on here) and husband to Brandy (GoofyJumper on here) are both jumpers and Lee is the one that was murdered by an employee several years back. The only scum involved is the one now en route to paying for his crime. Lee was a self proclaimed fat bastard, bloody cunt, smelly ogre, etc and one of the most sincere and giving people many people here have ever met. He loved raising hell, in person and online, and was one of few people I've ever known that could get away with saying literally just about anything to anyone. It's worth a read through his blue skies thread to read some of the stories about him. Killing threads since 2004.

One of the highlights of my life was being responsible for locating, protecting and hatching out turtle nests as an AmeriCorps member with Florida state parks back in 2005. We lost all but two nests that summer to hurricanes, but the two that made it were very successful and it was quite a feeling. I can only imagine the excitement for you! Killing threads since 2004.

Wow Brandy...I was just telling some friends about y'all this weekend when they showed up with Newcastle and it made me think of times spent at the Farm. I think about Lee all the time, specifically what J had to say about him a couple years back. I copied and saved it at the time and have had in my facebook quotes ever since: "One of the great things Lee did for me was to validate the idea that life is too short to waste time on being sensitive about stuff. That man was very good at making you look at your sensitivities and realizing that putting your emotional bank account in the red was just so much bull and a waste of time that could be better used on getting the fun out of life." Killing threads since 2004.

Very true! What makes it most difficult is having once performed at a pretty impressive level feeling adequate with anything less. Someday when I own a home I will own a piano and I'm sure will put more effort into it. For now, it is too frustrating to suck so I just avoid it all together! Killing threads since 2004.

In what has become nothing but a past life I got my degree in trombone performance from a conservatory. I found out the hard way how much different reality is when the limits of natural talent are reached and you actually have to start working at it in order to continue improving. I was blessed with a significant amount of natural ability that I never truly appreciated, and it really bit me in the ass 3/4 of the way through a degree program when I realized that I really didn't enjoy it once it became work rather than something that was just easy and fun. I dropped it like a hot rock immediately after finishing my degree. I have never missed the trombone for a minute, but I do regret not keeping up on the piano. I only ever had the secondary classes that were part of my curriculum, but I was halfway decent and think about it every time I'm near a piano and wish I could still sit down and play something more than just garbage. Killing threads since 2004.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qOCs9EW8Xk&feature=related Killing threads since 2004.

Not rock, but I've always loved it... Harry Connick, Jr. - You Didn't Know Me When I rode a roller coaster, from Coney Island to Key West...I held on with one finger, so the other ten could rest... Killing threads since 2004.

Thanks to both of you. I did end up finding that page via Sapphire's Georgia link. Much appreciated! Killing threads since 2004.

Thanks...I hadn't found that FBI link at the bottom of the page yet. I'll look a little more closely in the morning. I just work in EMS. In my experience it has typically been an employer taking on getting a background check. In this case, Georgia would be granting me reciprocity for my EMT certification just based on my currency with Texas, so it's up to me to cover the cost of that background info. Killing threads since 2004.

Ha! I wish... I'm finding that the $9.40 an hour I make here in South Texas is way better than what places I've looked in Florida and Georgia pay. Sure the overtime from a 24/48 schedule adds up to more than a $9.40/hr salary with a 40 hour work week, but shit, the hours add up too! I'm realizing I have it really good where I am, but being half a country away from my family is taking a toll. Killing threads since 2004.

When I got hired here in Texas the local dispatch pulled the record as part of the hiring process. I'm considering a move to get back closer to family in the southeast and am applying for certs in those states so I don't get hung up when the time comes. Florida hasn't asked for anything like that (though I have to take the NREMT exam again even though I'm current). Georgia is nothing more than sending the documents and paying a fee. The fact they want a background check is a pain, but far less a pain than having to go take the test again. I had no problem with the test the first time around and am not concerned about doing it again; going through the motions to sit for it is just a pain in the ass. Killing threads since 2004.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=ncic&FORM=HPNTDF If you have access to NCIC and want to run a report...great! But otherwise, I'm still trying to narrow the piles and piles of "background check" links down to one that people have used before and not been screwed by. Too many of them look sketchy, and I've run into a few that I was told were flat out scams and only get you very basic info. I'm not worried about paying for the report, just don't want to pay for a report that isn't going to meet my needs. Killing threads since 2004.

I need a national criminal record history in order to apply for reciprocity of my EMT cert with a couple other states. I've found a pile of options online. Anyone have a suggestion for a reputable site you have used and been happy with? Thanks! Jason Killing threads since 2004.

My favorite (and only, actually) butt plug story... Wildfire on a state park in Florida. Fire was right up near a little conservative resort community on a park boundary. We traced the origin of the fire back to a large pile of cigarettes at the edge of a small (probably 20x20 ft) clearing in a thickly forested area. Inside the clearing was a leather webbed hammock of sorts, attached to trees at the top and staked to the ground at the bottom, with restraints in all four corners. In the middle of the clearing was a standard white plastic patio chair with a HUGE butt plug bolted to the seat. All fires are given a name for record purposes, and that one is on the books as the "Friction Fire." Killing threads since 2004.

And the dead funny thing is that anyone that has it probably couldn't say it in one go - cuz they haven't go the breath I asked the MD I work for to say this out loud and she said it the same as I did. No one can say this without slaughtering it... I know that there are at least 15 years worth of 5th grade classes that can not only say but spell this word. We had an awesome 5th grade teacher where I grew up that went above and beyond int he vocabulary area, coming up with her own program, etc. Each month had some obscenely long word like this one that everyone had to learn in addition to the regular list that was years ahead of the 5th grade level. I was more prepared immediately following 5th grade for high school english/grammar/vocab than I was after an additional 3 years of mindless instruction in middle school. Killing threads since 2004.