skydiver30960

Wow, was I young then. I'm guessing 1999 or so... Elvisio "many more gray hairs now" Rodriguez

WRT this specific example, I'd say no: you're helping the raffle-ers (not our local member Raffler) recoup the money they put into the baskets. BUT, usually "Am I an Asshole" is a question that falls into the category of "If you are asking, then the answer is probably YES." Other examples: Am I too drunk to drive? Is this a waste of money? Am I going to regret this hookup in the morning? Do I really need to make more skydives? Elvisio "been there, done that, and yes I did regret that hookup in the morning" Rodriguez

Anybody here currently live or used to live on a small tropical island? I ask because my wife and I are seriously considering implementing "The Plan." That's what we call it, capitalized and all. We have been saving up for a house, but now have enough for a downpayment but are pretty sure we don't want to put down roots where we are. So, now that we have the down-payment saved up we're saving up to implement The Plan. The Plan is to save up an additional amount (ballpark $25,000 or so) above and beyond the "house fund." My wife and I both expect her job to peter out (do I dare use such a term in the Bonfire?) in a year or so. When it does, The Plan calls for us to sell or store everything we have, move to a tropical island, and do whatever we need to do short of whoring (well, maybe if it's a GREAT island...) or murder to make enough money to stay. Dig ditches, wash dishes, pack parachutes (j/k), whatever we would need to do until we could get "real" jobs on the island. We would stay as long as the money lasted. If we could make it work we could stay a long time (years). If the money ran out we would say "ok, we gave it a try, call it a long vacation" and come back to the States and STILL have a full down-payment on a house when we came back to the real world. Waddaya think? Workable? Or the rantings of an overworked and immature pair of minds? Where would you go? Anybody have any experience or know somebody who has done something similar? Right now we're thinking about the US Virgin Islands because citizenship and my licenses (RN and Paramedic) would be easier to transfer than to a foreign nation or island. There are websites that include fourms for island dwellers. They're full of "real world" information about problems with hurricanes, crappy internet access, mosquitoes the size of small aircraft, and how EVERYTHING is three times as expensive as it is stateside, but they admit that (to them at least) it's worth it. Anybody who can help us make this happen will have a place to crash when they need to get away! Elvisio "listening to Jimmy Buffett as I type this" Rodriguez

Being a Fire/EMS volunteer, I would expect a call to 911 would first tap the local resources, i.e. local Fire, EMS, and SAR teams. Being local to such areas (mountains or desert, for example) they will be trained in rescue in such environments. Examples: I've responded as a volunteer to brush and mountain fires on National Park property until the Park Service could mobilize nearby hotshot crews, and the county fire department owns and maintains a beefed-up ATV designed for patient transport. If you got injured in a National or State Park you would also have access to the resources and manpower of the park rangers. The local emergency services officers would probably have access to National Guard resources (i.e. Blackhawks) if they were deemed necessary, but I've never seen an incident here go that far. My guess would be that services you listed would probably start by looking close to you for resources they could mobilize before bringing their own resources from long distances. You may get more input from folks living near the Rockies or the Northwest... EDIT TO ADD: when you buy into services like these (I belong to the Diver's Alert Network for SCUBA diving, it's similar) I think that you aren't buying access to the resources, you're buying the insurance so that you won't have to pay for them. Using DAN as an example, if you're injured on a dive in a remote location and are NOT a member they will still do everything they can to facilitate your rescue, they just won't foot the bill afterword. So, it's not that you get access to resources you wouldn't get otherwise, it's the $$$. Elvisio "those were long damn walks to fight a fire" Rodriguez

I got a stomach bug. You got a free plane. Ah, the balance of the world. Elvisio "you suck " Rodriguez

With apologies, both poems are from memory: In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row That mark our place, while in the sky The larks still bravely singing fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead, short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow Loved, and were loved, And now we lie in Flanders fields. Take up the quarrel with the foe! To you from failing hands we throw The torch, be yours to hold it high; If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. --Lt. John Alexander McCrae This poem is important to me, for personal reasons. I spent some time in the Virginia Tech library researching Lt. McCrae; I was able to find a copy of this poem's original publication in Punch magazine. also, I came across a book of his writings. Pasted into the front cover of this book was a response to his poem. It appeared to be from newsprint, but had no title or periodical listed. All it gave was an author, Maud Oliver [sic]. Someone, who apparently liked IFF as much as I did, cut and pasted that response into the book of Lt. McCrae's work so long ago, and it waited there for whoever chanced to find it. While I've always loved In Flanders Fields, and there have been several responses to IFF written, the enigmatic way that I found this one has it very dear to my heart: A Response to In Flanders Fields Yes! Ye may sleep, ye Canadian brave, For Freedom's flag forever waves Where once the Hun with iron tread Trampled the living and the dead. You heard the call from distant land And caught the torch from falling hand. You held it high, you carried on, 'Til victory at last was won. True, you no more see sunset glow, Nor feel the breeze of morn ablow, Nor hear the skylark's lilting note Rise up to heaven from golden throat. But in our homes, beyond your ken You still shall guide the hearts of men. Though crucified and torture wrung, Your deeds shall live on every tongue. Sleep softly then, in Flanders Bed 'Neath coverlet of poppy red. The wind shall softly o'er you sigh, The birds sing soothing lullaby. --Maud Oliver Thank you to all who serve, in any capacity. Elvisio "thanks for listening" Rodriuguez

I wear scrub tops to work, not dress shirts. More importantly, I know where my scrub tops have been, so it's a no go on the shirt thing. Bring on the naughty nightwear! Elvisio "hmm... might have to drop a hint to the wifey tonight" Rodriguez

...from the sound of that engine I would have guessed that they just could have wound up the rubber band again and kept flying. Elvisio "my lawnmower sounds like it has more HP" Rodriguez

Thanks for the replies, pretty much what I figured. Elvisio "oh well" Rodriguez

Staples and similar stores sell sheets of adhesive backed paper, basically blank sticker paper. You print whatever you want like you normally would, but now you have a sticker. Here's my question: anyone ever used this stuff in an outdoor application, such as on outdoor windows or for bumper stickers? I'm interested in finding out how these papers and inks hold up to weather and UV rays. Thanks! Elvisio "cheap Jeep art in the making" Rodriguez

LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of jumps out of this one. It'll always have a warm place in my heart. Elvisio "turbines ARE nice, though" Rodriguez

Icarus Canopies. That one always gave me a wry grin. Of all the people you would NOT want to name a skydiving canopy company after... Elvisio "hope MY wings don't melt" Rodriguez

Dude, be careful. When you push down that hard, you stimulate your vagus nerve, causing bradycardia. Your blood pressure drops, and that's why you passed out. Happens to older folks all the time. Problem for them is, their hearts are so worn out that when they get really bradycardic, instead of speeding back up they just stop. This is why a disproportionate number of cardiac arrests occur on the toilet. In EMS we call it the "terminal turd." My advice: more water and more fiber, less life-threatnening heart dysrhythmias. Elvisio "beats the alternative" Rodriguez

HOLY CRAP! A full body MRI? How long did that take? AND, how much did that cost? I'm surprised they didn't just pan-scan you on the CT, that's what they usually do with trauma cases in my hosptial anymore. Elvisio "my head and my wallet hurt just thinking about it" Rodriguez

I work this weekend Saturday and Sunday too No jumpy for me Elvisio "I just made myself sad" Rodriguez

A nurse I used to work with is a RAVING DMB fan. She got front-row tickets once and it was funny listening to a fifty-something raving about how wonderful it was to spend the whole concert getting hit by beads of sweat from the band. And she wasn't kidding. Elvisio "nice lady, though" Rodriguez

I have a buddy over in Afghanistan, and I was going to send him a care package. A LOT of the things that are listed in an email from him about stuff the guys and gals over there with him are jonesing for are food products like peanut butter and jelly, crackers, dip, and whatnot. No problem, but... The customs form I need to fill out says I have to declare if the package contains food products, plants, etc. and that it would be subject to quarantine. Hell, the little box I have to check on the form SAYS "quarantine." What's the deal? Will that hold up the package for a long time? How do you all handle it? Lying seems like a bad idea. Elvisio "ex-renegade now a weenie sheep who doesn't often break the law" Rodriguez

I have the original droid. I seem to have a real problem with butt-dialing people. Does anyone else have this problem? Elvisio "sorry, haven't been around, been busy" Rodriguez

Aw Jeez, c'mon, I'm trying to be a nice guy here! But when you leave comments like that around, someone is bound to drag them into the gutter. As in: so, if you're falling asleep while doing THAT, you need to spice up your sex life. Or: If you're doing THAT at work, well, where the hell do you work? Elvisio "and the list goes on" Rodriguez

Good: nice moves. Bad: Red Bull is a virus. Elvisio "ugh" Rodriguez

Sell it on Ebay, buy an unsigned board, use THAT to surf, and pocket the rest. Elvisio "I have spoken" Rodriguez

Take a picture of a button on a fur coat. Elvisio "needless to say, the ladies were not impressed" Rodriguez

Yep, file this under "things I learned from Miami Vice" Elvisio "at least they're smaller than a briefcase now" Rodriguez

If it's true that pets truly do resemble their owners, this pet would belong to Bill Booth. Elvisio "don't fear the Foamy" Rodriguez

Thank You San Dimas High! Elvisio "needless childhood movie reference" Rodriguez