skydiver30960

A damn good reason to drink yourself into a stupor. And we have a winner! Can't sleep? Have another beer! I miss the WFFC as well. Interestingly enough, it'd be tougher for me to get there now that I'm on the other side of the country. But I'm sure I'd still be up for the roadtrip if the convention ever comes back! Elvisio "only my liver is happy the convention is gone" Rodriguez

I am living in an apartment that is currently more sparsely furnished than my first apartment out of school. In addition to my one chair and mattress on the floor, I do NOT have a TV. Netflix streaming (watched on my laptop) has been my only source of entertainment for four months. Needless to say, it's found a warm place in my heart. For those wanting an alternative: do they have Redbox in your area? $1/night. Pretty sweet gig. The only problem is each "box" (hee hee) is stocked differently because people are always picking out and dropping off movies, so you have to pick from what's available. But where I live now there are two separate Redboxes within a block of my house, so if I don't find what I like in one I walk across the street to the other. Elvisio "boob tube junkie" Rodriguez

I'm not on FB. Any further updates? Elvisio "hopin' for the best" Rodriguez

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately she already bought her (their) tickets. But, thanks for chipping in! It'll help the next person who searches for info on this topic. Elvisio "at least it's two more weeks allergy free" Rodriguez

You forget the units aren't necessarily "adding" heat, they're just "moving" heat from inside to outside. So, while there's heat outside, there is cooler air inside. Sooner or later, though, the heat of the residence re-equilibrates, so there is no net heat change when you look at the world as a whole. EXCEPT: that damn entropy. There is no perfect machine, and despite the fact that Newton told us energy cannot be made or destroyed (don't get me started) we know that some of the electrical energy, when used by the machine (the A/C unit) is lost as waste heat through friction. So, in fact, running an A/C unit does generate a net positive heat gain, even though we use it to cool an area down. Now: are all the a/c units in the world putting out so much waste heat that they're somehow competing with the sun as a heat source? Negative ghostrider, the pattern is tiny. Elvisio "my past life in engineering haunts me" Rodriguez

Refer to my sig line for the first post: I need to find a shady Chinese restaurant that can, uh, "take these cats off our hands." And... I also now want steak. And I'm at work until 0800 tomorrow. Dangit. Final word on the move: It looks like Continental is the winner. They will let her move both cats in one flight, one as checked baggage and one as carry-on. She's determined to carry-on the fat, loud, yowling one: I think it's a bad call but hey, I won't be on the plane. [RANT] It's $125 to carry on a cat! WTF? Every bozo in the plane can haul their insanely oversized bag on the plane for free and eat up all the carry-on space so I have to gate check my single, normal sized backpack but it's $125 for a cat in a box not much bigger than my backpack? Does the cat get a better meal than we do? Is the movie translated into cat so they can watch? Is there a "kitty first class" section I've been missing? It's $250 to check a cat as baggage! I almost, ALMOST understand the reason for charging such a fee: during the layover, regardless of whether or not you change planes, they go out and take the animal out of the baggage area and put them in an air-conditioned room and (supposedly) give them water. Then, before the flight leaves, they put the animal back on the plane. Since it's an extra $400 to haul the cats, we had to wait an extra two weeks for HER ticket to be affordable enough to keep the total price at least somewhat reasonable, she won't be in Tucson until the 28th. That means her two you-know-whats are keeping me from getting any of her you-know-what for another two weeks. or or maybe [/RANT] Thank you for listening. Elvisio "Cockblocked by pussies. Whoever heard of such a thing?" Rodriguez

Voted how old I am... wonder if I should have voted how old I behave. Or, could have voted how old I feel when the alarm goes off at 0500. I'm sure there's some degree of interconnectivity in the three, though. Elvisio "overthinking it" Rodriguez

Anybody have an invite for Google+ they can send me? Elvisio "so many smileys apply to this post, I lost count" Rodriguez

I like the idea that someone used the term "Luddite" above. Yeah, I guess that's how I am. Not in all things, interestingly enough: just a few things, FB being one of them. Random question to all FB users: how do you turn down a friend request without feeling like an asshole? I understand why I would want to do so: as others have said above, if I do go FB then it's going to be a pared down, streamlined experience: no notifications, no tagging, and a limited number of friends. But what happens when you turn down that request from someone who bleeds Facebook and they take it the wrong way? See? Too much damn drama, and I haven't even signed up yet. Elvisio "need to stress less" Rodriguez

Actually, they'll buy it and bring it out to their local DZ and complain that you want them to go all the way through AFF before you'll let them use the gear to do downwind 270's. Elvisio "" Rodriguez

Don't even get me started about my wife's cats. The icon is not nearly enough to express my emotions towards these animals. But, I deeply love my wife, and she deeply loves her cats. So, me and the cats are forced into a detente-like existence. Quite possibly the only good thing about being alone in Tucson for four months living in the world's most sparsely furnished apartment is that I haven't had to live with them. It has been halcyon for both me and my allergies. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Sometime this month, my wife will be coming out to join me in Tucson (actually, this part is good). Soon after, our furniture will follow (also good). Unfortunately, the cats must also follow. She called the airline today and got some bad news: anytime the weather is going to be over 85 degrees at any point in the journey, they won't let you ship animals in the baggage compartment. They're worried about the animals overheating. With a layover in Dallas and Tucson as a destination, it's a forgone conclusion it'll be over 85. So, they have to travel in the passenger compartment. BUT, they will only let each person bring one pet, so she can't bring both cats on the same flight. One idea is for her to fly round-trip, dropping off one cat and then a few days later going back for the other one. This seems like a hassle to me, but interestingly enough ticket prices are (relatively) low at the moment, so it's a possibility. Thanks to google: http://petsonboardtransport.com/ http://www.petmovers.com/?gclid=CIO-7tGT-KkCFYaD5Qod11bbaw These websites SCREAM expensive. I'll request quotes but I'm betting the wife making the extra round-trip would be the cheaper solution. So, anybody have any experience with this kind of thing? Thanks; Elvisio "need a good Chinese food restaurant in Tucson" Rodriguez

I have heretofore managed to live my life without a Facebook account. In some ways, I'm proud of that fact. I like that I'm not anchored to my Facebook page 24/7 like many of my friends and coworkers. I also feel like I've held out for so long that I've achieved something; what, I have no idea; just accomplished something. But, I'm feeling more and more disconnected, especially now that I'm 2240 miles away from my old friends and family. It would be an easy way to keep up with everyone. Waddaya think? Elvisio "another quality Bonfire thread bought to you by:" Rodriguez

Do you really have to ask? I was taught "if you have to ask the answer is YES." Pay up! Elvisio "worth a shot" Rodriguez

That someone could make something so beautiful makes me feel like such a goob. I can, uh, well, I can.... uh, nevermind. Elvisio "wow" Rodriguez

I can't believe you guys are knocking the website. You could stay entertained (or lost) for hours on that site. ETA: PLUS, the best-looking tandem instructor EVER to jump at Orange is highlighted on the front page of the site. That is, you would know he's the best-looking tandem instructor ever to jump at Orange if his face wasn't so perfectly hidden by the student's head. Elvisio "cold hannys? " Rodriguez

Your post reminded me to post it to the Utah forum of Jeepforum.com. I included the original info from this thread as well as a link to your thread. Elvisio "99 TJ for me" Rodriguez

Vibes going out to you, I know that feeling of overwhelming stress. Just remember that although it may not seem like it will end, that it WILL end and eventually you'll be stronger for it. Elvisio "hang in there" Rodriguez

I second this. My father taught me how to maintain and repair my car growing up (I consider myself lucky) and it's not that difficult. Get your hands on a service manual and lean on your mechanic friend (or on-line forums) for supplemental support, if you need to. That being said, changing the oil and filter in my Mazda3 is a bitch ... but I know how to do it, if I need to. X3. Man, if I could get my wife interested in working on my Jeep... wow, where's the "all hot and bothered" emoticon?! But I will guarantee you there are MULTIPLE websites out there about your very car. People who drive and work on your car everyday who hang out on forums just like this one and talk about it. I got started on JeepForum.com when I bought my new-to-me-Jeep. I have since become a JeepForum addict. Working on your vehicle can be very rewarding, and in my case has definitely gotten a bit out of control, but it doesn't have to. Just take a little time to learn about what you drive. This makes sense to me: consider how much of the total time of your week is spent in freefall or under canopy, and compare that to how much time you spend on this site learning about skydiving or socializing with other skydivers. Now, think about how much time you spend in your car and how important our vehicles are to us, and compare that to how little time we spend learning about them. I'm not saying you need to learn how to rebuild the transmission in your vehicle or anything. But, find the resource online and get to know it so that next time something goes wrong you can pose a question there and be armed with intelligence before you get the work done. Note: don't be afraid of being a nOOb in these forums: much like our skydiving-specific forums here, the "technical" (don't let that word scare you) forums on automobile sites are notoriously flame-free. Elvisio "give it a shot, increased my pride of ownership by 10,000 percent" Rodriguez

Oh that's good too! C'mon now, no crying over spilled milk. Elvisio "I wanna play too!" Rodriguez

So far, I have led a blessed life, and I use that term honestly. I don't have many huge regrets. Although, I am relatively young and AM married at the moment, so I imagine the greatest regrets of my life are yet to come! But, one bit of advice I never got that I sure wish I had gotten was: "If you are a person with no automotive skills, DO NOT under any circumstances attempt to fix up a 1972 Chevy recreational vehicle." I'm more solvent than I was then, but at the time that P.O.S. nearly bankrupted me. Now I'm sinking way to much money into my Jeep, but at least that runs well! Elvisio "rock crawling and sky crawling" Rodriguez

That is simply... AWESOME! It's not often stuff I read online honestly makes me laugh out loud... And to the Bytch: I read the thread title (correctly, I guess I'm not as much of a perv as I used to be) and I KNEW it had to be written by you even before my eyes moved over to the "author" column... Elvisio "keep healing, girl, and get back on the ice" Rodriguez

Those dudes had HUGE balls going to the moon and back in a vehicle that had less computing power than my coffee maker... Elvisio "and I still get pissed if my coffee isn't right" Rodriguez

Got it here, from somebody's sig line, honestly don't remember whose. It's served me well in skydiving, but even more importantly (perish the thought!) it's served me INCREDIBLY well in the world of EMS and nursing: "If you have time to panic, you have time to be doing something more productive. " ...and when it comes to EMS and nursing I always add, "and if there isn't time to panic, well, just start compressions." Elvisio "thank you to whoever it was" Rodriguez

I had a coworker (a nurse I was doing clinical time with, actually) who got suckered into something similar. She decided she wanted to buy some kind of weird feral cat that some jokester was selling from Australia. So first off, what the hell is she thinking that she can get away buying what apparently is some kind of wild animal from another continent? THEN, I find out why she's really nervous: she spends the entire shift click-click-clicking away on the computer while I do her job for her (cuz that's what clinical time is about, doncha know) and towards the end of the shift I find out that she's already paid for this cat and now the seller is nowhere to be found. I asked her how she paid and she said "Western Union." I was speechless. How I restrained myself from the facepalm is something I will forever wonder. Really a bright nurse and nice lady, but apparently there are enough fish that get caught on the scammer's hooks. Elvisio "just had to get that off my chest" Rodriguez

The answer, unfortunately, is "it depends." One metro fire department in my area is very "paramilitary." Their training program is probably eight weeks long, and you stay in barracks style arrangements, go to multiple PT sessions a day, and generally get your ass handed to you in a Perris-island-like haze-fest. I expect this type of experience is pretty common with most "big city" departments; I know of three big cities I've lived near that have this type of arrangement. For the more rural and small- to medium-sized cities, you will find less focus on physical ability. In the region I was most recently volunteering, PAID personnel had to complete a "physical agility test" prior to hire. It was designed to simulate the skills a firefighter would use on a fireground and included tasks like: 1.) Wearing a total of 75 pounds of weight vest, climb a stair climber at a set rate for 4 minutes. (This would simulate a long climb up stairs or long walk to the fire scene from your engine carrying a high-rise pack) (Candidates then doffed 25 pounds of vest, indicating they'd put down their high-rise pack. The remaining 50 pounds of vest stayed on the rest of the test, to simulate the weight of their gear and SCBA.) 2.) Dragging a hose line a certain distance; 3.) Carrying tools such as a ladder, gas can, and chainsaw (simulating getting tools ready to use) 4.) Using a sledge hammer on a "roof simulator" (to simulate breeching a roof) 5.) Navigating a "maze" of a short (30') tunnel with engineered pinch points (simulating searching for a victim) 6.) Dragging a (damn heavy) dummy a prescribed distance (simulating moving the victim you find after the above search) 7.) Using a pike pole to push and pull overhead steel rings and plates several times in fast succession (simulating pulling ceiling to check for extension and overhaul) ETA: Grimmie posted his link as I was typing. Almost the same thing we did. And it was all to be completed (other than the timed portion on the treadmill) withing a certain time. Actually, it wasn't that hard. If you could finish the treadmill part, you could pretty much coast through the rest. Most of us competed not to see if we could complete it but how much time we had left at the end of the exercise. Most of the agencies I've volunteered with or heard of stress fitness at hire or start of volunteering, and unfortunately don't require periodic re-tests. IMO this is unfortunate. An agency doesn't want to wash out a career officer with 15 years experience for any reason, but if he can't get himself safely up and down a ladder, well... Now, for VOLUNTEERING, you may find the requirements are little to none, especially in areas that are hurting for volunteers. Is this good or bad? Meh, I dunno. Having lower requirements for volunteers lets people get involved to the level they're interested, but also allows people to get used to being out of shape in the fire service. Somebody doesn't seem out of shape until you put them in highly insulating clothes, an SCBA, and make them really haul ass on a fire scene for a while. After a while of that, even the most fit of us is sucking air. My suggestion for a volunteer would be what I would recommend for everybody: keep your self in shape and always work to improve your physical condition. Work on getting your weight down if that's a problem for you, spend a little time in the gym just to be sure your muscles can handle the work, get some cardio under your belt, watch what you eat, and STAY HYDRATED. Many fire departments (paid and volunteer) will have exercise facilities of some kind right at the station to help you stay in shape. Something like 25% of firefighter line of duty deaths are due to heart attacks at or immediately following a fire scene. I take that both as an indicator that our firefighters are not as fit as they could be, and an indicator of just how stressful a real fire scene can be. SO, should you volunteer? DEFINITELY. It's a blast, something that I deeply enjoyed. I'm planning to get back into it as soon as I can figure out how to transfer my Virginia certs to Arizona, or get a new Arizona certification. It's a great way to get involved in the community, to make a difference, and to meet some really great guys and gals. How to get started: walk in and say hi. Things really do vary from area to area, so the best bet is to find out what the situation is where you live. Meet the guys at your local department and ask them about volunteering. They'll let you know everything you need to know about how to get started. Sorry to be so wordy. Please PM me if you if I confused you or you want more info. Elvisio "holy long post, batman" Rodriguez