crwmike

My own choice is 'The Terror of Tinytown' http://imdb.com/title/tt0030845/ Michael

Believe what you want, bro ...they don't work. http://www.shakedown.com/mythdrug1.htm In addition to that, many labs now test for those who are 'trying to beat the test' (under the theory that if they find these substances, you're trying to hide drug use) and they now test for additives, adulterants, etc. Edited for spelling Michael

NOT TRUE For a urine test (almost all are), it varies by your gender (body fat actually) and how much you smoke. The more body fat you have, the longer THC metabolites are detectable in your urine. For a 'hair test', many months to a year or more. For frequent smokers, to absolutely, positively test clean on a urine test ...6 weeks. Don't waste your money on Golden Seal and other products ...they DO NOT WORK! Drink lots of water (10-15, 10 oz glasses/day) in the weeks before your test and do not give an early morning pee sample as it is higher in metabolites. If al else fails: [/url]www.4cleanp.com[url] Michael

I disagree. This is skydiving, not mom dealing with argumentative kids. The tendency of some moderators at dz.com to sweep anything ...unpleasant under the rug degrades what skydiving life has always been about. Just my $.02 ...before being swept under the rug Michael

I worked my way through college in various jobs wither as a waiter or short order cook. I tip well for good service. My frequent "come on you cheap bastards, cough up some money, our server worked his/her ass off for us" are well known with the CRWDogs. Having said that, I won't tip a cent for shit service or attitude. If my waitron serves attitude along with the food, I'll leave a dime ...just so they won't think I forgot. Greet me with a smile and o your job well and I'll tip accordingly. If the place is a madhouse, I can see that and will understand that you are doing your best under the circumstances. In summary, tips are earned, not something I owe you. Michael Yeah. Seeeee...that might be true if you tipped BEFORE you sat down to eat. You know, just last night I discussed with another waitress how I couldn't understand the inconsistent tips I received. I left the restaurant with 12% of my sales in tips. And I gave the same service to everyone, I was friendly, I was attentive, the food was delivered hot and as ordered. I wish you cheap blokes who don't want to tip servers what they deserve would just let me know before you sit down so I can adjust my service accordingly. Oh, and here's a few things I'd like to suggest. (Of course, I realize the original post was a joke...I mean this in a similar fashion) Even though your conversation is very important to you, I could care less about how Aunt Martha got married for the sixth time last week. Please acknowledge my presence at the table when I ask what you'd like to eat. If you aren't ready, fine, but don't make me stand there for a minute and a half while you ignore me. I know there are a lot of words on the menu, but if you hate pico de gallo and your meal comes out with it because that's how it's made and you never read that it came that way, don't blame me for it. I'll be more than happy to fix it, but I am not at fault because hooked on phonics didn't work for you. If your bring your children with you, and yes, they're cute and andorable, please keep them from running around the restaurant like it's a nursery, lower their voices (and yours!) to a dull roar, and try to minimize their destruction. I know it's fun for them to pass the time by emptying the sugar caddies, but it's not as fun for me to pick it all back up when you've left. I'm not asking you to clean the floor, after all kids are messy little things, but maybe you could remember that the crushed up saltines, crayons, napkins, and sugar packets don't get picked up by themselves. Yes, this is a restaurant and, yes, we'll do our best to accomodate your dietary wishes, but is it really necessary to do so many substitutions that your meal isn't even similar to what the restaurant puts together? Also, if you want steak cooked well done, that takes time. I know people live in a world of fast cars and have an "I want it NOW" attitude, but meat can only cook so fast to the desired browness you request. Time does not move faster in a restaurant. I know you THINK you ordered your food an hour ago, but the truth is, it was ten minutes. Remember, if YOU experience a time warp, than WE ALL experience one, too. You're not alone. I know how long it's taking to get your food and I'm bitching at the cooks to step it up for you, but I can't complain if the food takes its normal cooking time. And neither should you. Please remember that I don't expect you to suck down three diet cokes before I even take your order. While I don't mind hooking a thirsty brother up, do a girl a favor and sip a little. Your table is not the only table being served by me. I know you need extra salsa and extra dressing and a lemon and another fork and a few more napkins and another damn refill, but would it kill you to ask for more than one thing at a time? I can multi-task. Try me. I know your money is precious to you. My money, my time, my attention is precious to me. For a whole $2.13 an hour, I get the pleasure of being your beck and call girl. Try to remember that the good server you neglect to tip today becomes the bad server that ignores your needs tomorrow.

Perhaps a note of apology for making their neighborhood look crappy. Michael

What I don't understand is what exactly is broken with the present system ...what exactly are you tryiing to fix? Michael

First impressions are frequently correct ;) Michael

Two weeks!?!?! Jeez, who did your surgery, Torquemada? Michael

Had the vas done on a Friday morning, went jumping Sunday. Kind of like mildly straining a groin muscle, no real pain, you just don't feel like breaking into a run for a few days. Michael

Dumb fucker isn't wearing a helmet! Michael

The driver's license thing is just PR to promote awareness. It has no bearing on anything that happens in the organ harvesting sequece of events. If you want to be an organ donor, make a 'living will' and most importantly, express your wishes to family members as it takes the permission of the next of kin (better yet, have them sign the living will with you!). In reality, if you have ONE family member object, the process usually stops. I recently had the sister of a brain death patient who adamantly refused to have life support withdrawn or even to consent to a DNR (Do Not Resusitate) because that would stop his disability checks. Another harsh reality: organ donation teams don't move till they have good paying customers lined up for a few of the more profitable organs. They harvest the rest and good work is done with them. There are plenty of organs available right now but the money just isn't there. I have worked with hundreds of patients declared brain dead over the years and duly reported them. TWO were followed up on and harvested cause they had paying customers waiting. Do you think livers were immediately available for Mickey Mantle and Larry Hagman just because they were lucky? They were paying customers. Having said that, the 'leftover' organs can and do save lives. BSBD, Michael

Of course you are right ...but it's not where the smart money goes ;) It's not so much about numbers but about time. It's like working a patient in the Trauma room. When the shit hits the fan, I want old, experienced dogs there evaluating and making decisions to keep this person alive. The noobs (including your 400 jump wonder) know the rules and have skills. What they do not know are the countless exceptions to the rules. Having said that, this is a forum where opinion is everything (hey, it's a bonfire!). I think anyone is entitled to say what they choose ...and be able to take the responses without copping an attitude. BSBD, Michael

Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep. I am the essence of clear blue sky; I am the yearning to climb very high. I am the breeze you feel as you spot; I am the rapture of building a blot. I am the rustle of a canopy in flight; I am the flicker of camp fire light. When you pass through the door into open air, I know you are smiling, I'm the wind in your hair. Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there; I did not die. -Allen Roulston Goodbye brother ...Blue Skies. Michael

Not a particularly good subject title, dude. Michael

What makes you think he's dead? Michael

Doctor of Osteopathy or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. D.O's prefer the latter as it reinforces their legitimacy in medicine :) Michael

I've never encountered a DO who pays any attention whatsoever to OMM. Of course, my associations with them are hospital based as opposed to family practice. Money is probably the great equalizer here. Not only is is tough reimbursement, it is time consuming. In short (sadly) there ain't no money in it, so it gets play in the academic setting (hey, it's your historical reason for existence ;) and dropped by the vast majority soon after (except for the ones who teach, apparently). Problem with chiropractors is there is a lot of stuff that is just plain NUTS in the evolution of the trade. They can do good but they ain't doctors in my book. A good number of them today are pretty much in line with the 'snake oil' salesmen of the last century. If they claim to do anything other than manipulating the body to ease musculoskeletal discomfort ....TURN AND RUN (HOBBLE?) OUT THE DOOR. The history of chiro/osteopath split is bordering on the incredible, with many colorful players. Once that was pretty much accomplished, with the osteos more or less abandoning the cultist and spiritualist origins of chiro (the founder, D.D. Palmer claims he got the idea from communing with a dead physician), they filed an antitrust suit with the AMA being found guily of supressing trade, then it was overturned, went back tro trial ...yada, yada, yada. Compromises were reached and DO's were granted full, legal status as physicians. In my hospital based experience, I can't tell the difference between the two and many times have no idea which is which. It's a rare MD or DO that takes the time to know patients and treat the whole person. http://www.ncahf.org/articles/c-d/chiro.html Michael

DO's aren't specialists in sports medicine ...they're just DO's and as far as legal practice are eqivalent to MD's (it was all part of a political agreement some years back). Despite their initial training, my experience is that DO's practice of medicine is exactly the same as MD's so choosing one over the other based on the historical basis of the school is not a good method. Michael

You know, I've spent the last 20+ years as an RN. My first two years were spent on a terminal cancer unit and the rest in ER/Trauma/ICU. I've talked with several hundred dying people over the years and you know what? In talking about life (theirs, mostly) I never heard ANYONE express that they should have worked harder, spent more time at the office or done more yard work. The regrets I heard were paths not taken. Paths to love, adventure, foolishness and fun! A most illustrative example was a man (sorry I don't remember his name) dying of mutiple myeloma (a mot painful way to die). He was in his early nineties and a retired merchant marine. I asked him, "If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would it be?" Without a seconds hesitation, he replied: "When I was 17 I asked (let's call her Mary) to a community dance and I was stunned when she said yes. We went to the dance and held eachother as we danced. After the dance, we walked back to her house in the moonlight, holding hands. We stood on her porch sayng goodnight and I wanted to lean forward and kiss her goodnight and I was too scared to do it. If I could do one thing over in my life, I would have kissed her" Do it now, I said. Close you eyes and travel back to that momemt ...standing in the moonlight on her porch. Lean forward and kiss her. In just a few seconds, a sweet smile replace the pain lines on his face. I held his hand as he drifted off to sleep. He never woke up. I believe his last moments were filled with the sweetness of a goodnight kiss. Life is short, folks. Do you really want to be laying on a stretcher in the hospital, talking to an old nurse like me and feeling you wasted your life being a good worker drone. Michael

I jumped a racer for several years (all CRW). Always had a good, neat reserve pack and never had a problem. Then, fuking NippleBoy snagged his end cell on my pop two on two successive jumps. Pop Top was nice and snug and not inviting attack :( I was able, with considerable difficulty and much swearing, able to clear it but the potential concerned me greatly. I picked up an OLD Infinity and am still using it. Gave the racer away. Michael

One of many traditions dying in the modern business environment of skydiving. Michael

In which case I should have about half the balls you have by the end of the year. I put in about 20 jumps in the last month. Maybe I need to start packing faster so I can get on more loads. :-) I'm debt-free now (after years of not-so debt-free living) and all the reason I stick w/ the steady gig is to provide a better life for the not-yet-met wife and the not-yet-born kids. Sometimes I think it's sad that I think "providing" has to mean money, but I guess that's just me. Envious of those who've 'cutaway'. -C. Ahhh, building a nest so that your not-yet-met-ex-wife will have a nice house to fuck her new boyfriend in. Why don't you just get it over with now ... find some woman you really hate and buy her a house and get on with skydiving. Michael

Yeah, we wasted a shit load of time with students back then didn't we? All that time getting to know people, introducing them around, partying with them ...no damn profit in it. Given a choice of one or the other, I'll take the slow ride. Remember the beginning, Michael

Registered Nurse with 20+ years ER/Trauma/ICU. If you fucked up your high performance landing, I'd be pretty useful to have around.