jfields

Either that or you are mesmerized by the difference in speed of the people's mouths and what they are saying, like in old Godzilla movies.

You need a demonstration of "the Naked Chef's" cooking technique? I'm available and we could schedule it for the WFFC.

You get one song per inch, so you'd better hope you get a one-hit wonder, like the Macarena, on your first try.

http://www.justinwilson.com/ http://www.imdb.com/Name?Wilson,+Justin+(III) Yup. He was good too.

I'm flying in from the East coast, so I can't bring much, but I'll pitch in on some stuff while I'm there. That is, assuming I'm not too busy setting the all-time world-record Justin-way skydive.

Alton Brown rules! The Iron Chef is funny, but totally nothing I'd eat. Emeril is overrated and he uses too much damned salt. Jamie Oliver's old show was better than his new one. The "Follow that Food" and "Unwrapped" shows don't help you cook anything, but they are fun to watch and make you hungry.

That like Spank the Monkey?

I couldn't get them all in, so I just picked some of the highlights. However, I had to preemptively clarify Martha's absence and my loathing of her.

Brian, I'm right with you on that one. I have all Yahoo and Hotmail automatically quarantined. Then during my regular mail routine, I check for anything that is actually worthwhile. It usually isn't much. [rant] PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Get a real e-mail service, folks. The freebie ones are so clogged with crap that you are a hair away from getting all your mail blocked along with the spammers that share the servers with you. When I finally get fed up and completely block all incoming mail from Yahoo and HotMail, don't come crying to me. I'll ignore it and consider my deed a good one for my users. If you are an admin, close any open relays on your servers. You don't need them, and you are likely to get on an RBL. If you inadvertently get lumped in with one and your IP gets blocked, complain to your ISP and try to get them booted. [/rant]

Which one do you like the best? Before anyone tells me I forgot Martha Stewart, I didn't. She is evil, so I intentionally omitted that foul creature from the poll.

Yeah, I know it is based more on ratings and ad dollars than talent. The six main characters on Friends collectively make $6 Million per episode. That is ridiculous also, but the network has found that those salaries are still within the profit model. The few shows I like to watch have nearly non-existant acting budgets. It isn't a big item on the History and Discovery Channels. There is some paid to the chefs on the Food Network, but nothing like the major networks. And Alton Brown is the man!

Honestly, I didn't think you (collectively) would want that particular business. Does it help you if I call up and say, "I found xyz flight on abc airline, with the 'Internet Special' rate of $###. Please book it for me"? If you aren't getting any kickback from the airline, I'm not sure where your profit comes in. That isn't even taking into account that by the time I pick up the phone to call, I could generally already have the tickets ordered. Maybe I'm missing something, but between the fare-comparison websites and low-fare carriers like Southwest, can you really get me a better deal on an airfare-only reservation? Thanks! I agree. We both love to travel. Although we are now hauling a porta-crib.

Someone is jealous.

FrogLady, I understand many of the reasons the travel agencies are hurting, and consolidating. I'm glad you survived that shakeout. In talking about high-end travel, I didn't mean that a agency wouldn't help on an inexpensive trip. But I do think that the real value to the customer comes in when things get complicated and when you need the perspective of someone that has been where you are going, particularly overseas. It also all depends on the traveler. I'm more of a do-it-yourself person. I arranged my honeymoon, which was somewhat convoluted. 4 weeks - 7 countries - 13 cities Iceland England Scotland Wales Holland Belgium France A combination of very divergent accommodations, from dirt cheap to very elegant. Planes, eur-rail passes, busses, tours, etc. Our album: http://www.jennandjustin.com/photos-family-honeymoon1.asp Corny or not, that is a great reason to be a travel agent.

Wendy, Depending on what you use to read e-mail, and your e-mail account setup, there are things you can do that help tremendously. I use a number of block lists that keep the majority of spam out of my e-mail box, even though I do tons of stuff on the Internet and have my e-mail address online. I also have some active filtering that looks for lots of common spam and keeps it out of my inbox. Post up the details of your access (type of access and ISP, not names or addresses), and some of us geeks will recommend compatible utilities and products if we can.

Are the dz.com rules that the Slip & Slide cannot be used while wearing clothing?

I generally don't use travel agents. I often plan my own itineraries and book my own flights online. The place where a good travel agent can come in handy is when you are going someplace really foriegn to you. A good travel agent has a lot of travel in their own background, and a wide network of friends in the industry whose opinions they trust. They steer you clear of traps you might not otherwise know about, and give you the heads-up on cool things you'd miss on your own. That said, I think really high quality travel agents are becoming pretty rare. Most places seem to be little more than catalog salespeople and internet comparison shoppers that offer you nothing you can't do yourself and then charge you for it. The few remaining excellent agents cater to those who are willing to pay for the level of service they provide. To the folks that have enough money, I'm sure it is well worth it, but I don't count myself among that group. Just my $.02, of course.

Kevin, On this particular issue, I think you and I are much closer than I am to others that take up the pro-gun case. You are willing to see merit in both sides, even if you don't totally agree and come to the same conclusions. You strike me as being a little to the right of center (on this one issue), where I'm a little to the left. It will be fun to talk about it over beers and *potato* guns at Cross Keys some day.

Agreed. Also agreed. I'm not saying it is perfect. Very little is, aside from boobies (which I haven't seen mentioned in this thread yet.) The next question is what to do about it? Some people take the side that if it isn't perfect, we should just bitch and complain. (Not directed at you at all.) They conclude that if the system isn't perfect, and doesn't cater to them, the obvious conclusion is that the situation is hopeless and they should just be unlawful to further subvert the system. The other option is to suck it up and work to improve the system. A lot of the whiners are unwilling to step up to that task, because it requires too much work. It is far easier to sit back and criticize, or to sit in a recliner talking about how useless our democracy has become. That is great. Me too. And you are willing to be rational in discussion about the issues. Even if we disagree (which we do on some issues), I totally respect that. It is the people that don't vote and don't really think that drive me nuts. Just because they have the right to free speech doesn't mean they are saying anything worthwhile.

Mike, Do you need a lesson on the democratic process? Even though I'm a little rusty since taking classes on it, I'll be happy to explain if you'd like. Or I could lend you the School House Rock dvd I bought for my daughter. I think some of it is covered there. [/snide sarcasm] How did Janet Reno get her position? Who put her in that position of authority? How did those people get *their* authority? The answer to the last question is by voting. Don't like how things go? Vote for the people that you think will represent you as you want. That is the beauty of the system.

I'll just say we agree on that.

SpeedRacer, You are right. Not to mention the fact that this "faceless, evil, overbearing, rights-sucking monolithic" government is elected by the people. If people don't like the government, they can vote in a new one. Locally, regionally and nationally. Yet some of the people in the thread whining are the same ones that can't be bothered to vote. Wah, wah, wah.

I'm sure you are among that list, whether you are willing to accept it or not. I don't believe you prefer anarchy.

Kevin, I agree with you that the unenforceable laws need to get changed, to either make them enforceable, or to remove them from the books. I don't smoke (anything), yet I'd be okay with marijuana being legalized. It isn't safe, but neither is alcohol, or skydiving for that matter. The question is where to draw the line. At some point, an individual with so much freedom is too likely to infringe on the rights of others. Going with the drug theme, I'm okay with alcohol and marijuana being legal. Cocaine, PCP and heroin? Not really. The same with firearms. Responsible owners with rifles and handguns are okay. Grenades, tanks and NBC weapons? Nope. As with most everything, there is a very large range of grey between the black and white. It is up to us cooperatively, through our democracy, to establish where we think the lines should be drawn, and with what penalty for violation. The beauty of the system is that we all get to decide. Nothing will please everyone, but the gradually shifting body of our laws should satisfy most of us, most of the time. I'm fine with that.

I prefer a one-handed grip, right hand, fingers under, thumb over.