tigra

I traveled all around Europe on a EuroRail pass. It was great! And although that was a long time ago, I would still reccommend it. The European trains are a lot more comfortable than the typical Amtrak train, even without paying extra for a sleeper or a "first class" car, and most countries have their own version of a super fast train- in France I think its a TGV? I'm kind of jealous- I hope you do the European thing and visit a couple of different countries! Do yourself a favor and take at least two weeks, preferably three! Its kind of a once in a lifetime trip and you should make the most of it.

A stone is about 20 pounds, right? The number is a little easier to look at as long as you don't do the math!

I actually think spring or early fall are the best times to go to Europe. Italy can get awfully hot in the summer. My girlfriends went last October, however, and it was cold, but I don't think that's typical. When I was in Europe it was almost 20 years ago, and I found most of Italy to be hot and dirty! But I was young and broke and we saw 3 cities in 3 days- not exactly ideal travel conditions. (Plus it was August!) I've always wanted to give it another chance, but I wouldn't go back in the summer. What about the Netherlands? Amsterdam? Great weather in the summertime, very clean and friendly, and you won't have any problems finding people who speak English. England/Ireland/ Scotland? If you don't mind it being cold and rainy most of the time, they're fine. Great affordable theatre in London too!

I don't want to post actual numbers either, since a *good* weight for me is so far off those government height and weight charts. (Too "fat" to be a stewardess back in the day when I was a size 8 with a flat tummy!) We could do a weekly "Fat Bastard" check in and post our progress, but if we don't want to say our actual weight, a simple "lost 2 pounds" "my jeans are baggy" or "I'm not allowed in the base without lead anymore!" should do it, right?

It would be easy to find a deal for Mexico that time of year, but Andrea said she didn't really want a beach vacation!

Will you be spending a couple of weeks? Personally, I don't think Europe is worth it for less than 2 weeks since you literally lose a day or more each way for travel between the time difference and length of the flight(s). That said, look at a couple of different airlines and more than one destination. It might be cheaper to fly into Switzerland even if you want to go to Germany or France- enough of a difference to make it worthwhile to rent a car or take a train where you really want to go. (just tossing that out there- I haven't priced it out.....) Just as an example, when I went to Europe many years ago, I got a good deal flying Iceland air into Luxenburg with a short stop in Rekjavik. From Luxenburg, I took a small plane into Paris and if I remember correctly, it was a lot cheaper to go that way than flying directly into Paris. Keep reading the travel section of your local paper- you'll find some place that intrigues you!

I sold a rig on consignment through my DZ's gear store, but it was sold to someone in another state through the classifieds here. It was a nice rig in good shape, but wouldn't have sold all that easily locally for a number of reasons. It worked out well for me and it was worth the small consignment fee I paid since they (actually Betzilla) handled all the details including shipping it out of state for a trial run and inspection. I think the buyer had some additional comfort purchasing through a DZ gear store and being able to see and try it out before finalizing the sale.

Then there is the Chicago doctor who left relative safety and went towards the beach as everyone else was running away. He wanted to take pictures!

They did. Its not the same Cabrini Green it once was, but still not a great area for "Suburban White Folks" to be wandering around in. (Sorry Val!) That part of Chicago is very much "block to block" with $500K townhomes just steps away from the old Cabrini Green. I'm not sure about the Robert Taylor homes, but I read an article that said the city was about halfway done and right on schedule with their low income housing plan.

Those standard height and weight charts are BS! At 5'4" I would be SKINNY at 130. I'm hoping to get to the 140 range. I remember many years ago I looked into becoming a flight attendent. I was 23 and in the best shape of my life but according to the height and weight charts the airline was using, I was too fat! That was a long time ago and those charts still haven't been realistically adjusted! I lost a lot of weight last year just by cutting back on the carbs. (No flames please, I KNOW what works for me!) The past few months, I've been eating "freely" again and I've put on about 5 (when I still wanted to lose 20-25 more!). Plus, I'm getting the afternoon slumps, upset stomachs and heartburn. When I cut back on the carbs, all that goes away, I have much more energy and I feel better! Seems like a no brainer really, but those carbs are hard to resist! Cookies, brownies, fries, fresh baked bread....... So, its back to a pretty strict low carb lifestyle, AND back to the gym for me! (been slacking there was well.....) No choice really, because I gave away all my "fat clothes" and can't afford to buy any more!

Great criteria. I think my list meets all of it!

Would that be Cowboy? Can someone please let us know what happened? Jeff, if this is the person I think it is, he had many friends in the sport who would be honored to participate in an ash dive, but it would seem that he distanced himself from his skydiving family over the past few years. bsbd Steve. May you find peace where ever you are.

Roger Nelson Jerry Bird Jerry Lenherr Ron "Ronco" Nowak Billy Weber Jennifer Martin Kim Meijer To name just a few! All of them have taken the time to help me out when I needed it AND reaffirmed my belief that skydiving is supposed to be fun!

Yum! Back to cocoa- I'm a huge fan of Oaxacan hot chocolate. The chocolate is a little grainy but when you mix it with the hot milk, the flavor is just amazing! maura

Right, but the flipside to this is the interest is tax deductable, and they are really only borrowing from themselves. Provided they didn't get raped with closing costs and prepayment penalties AND they can keep from getting into debt with their credit cards again, that's not a bad use of their home's equity. One tax deductable payment vs. several which aren't. Also keep in mind MOST people can't or don't borrow 100% of the value of their home, more like 90%

I agree with that. If you ever watch Animal Precinct or Animal Cops, that's one test they put the dogs through to see if they are suitable for adoption. It seems so cruel since these animals have already been starved and abused- just makes me want to cry to see a dog "fail" the test because he's protecting his food and know that as a result, he'll be put to sleep because they just don't have the time or resources to re-socialize him and let him heal! According to Animal Cops, in Michigan, Pit Bulls without owners are autumatically put down without even trying to socialize them or test their temperament for adoption. That's sad to me as well!

In my area, condos aren't half the price of single family homes, they are close to the same price. My friend has a 1 bedroom condo 4 blocks from my 3 bedroom house. She bought a year before me and paid a little bit less-maybe 20K, which isn't a lot over 30 years. Her real estate taxes are about the same and she's got a monthly assessment and an association that tells her she's not allowed to have a Christmas tree or a dog that weighs more than 30 pounds. Just by virtue of buying a house instead of a condo, (our credit and income are pretty similar) I had more mortgage options available to me than she did. I keep telling her she'd be better off with a house! I do agree its very easy (too easy) to buy more house than you can comfortably afford. My jump numbers have definitely slowed down since I became a homeowner! But a condo wasn't the answer for me!

Its very fashionable to hate the French these days.

I guess I'm cranky today but since when is it OK to question someone's ability to do their job properly because you don't like their politics? I've got to be really annoyed to stand up for John! (no offense John!)

Oh PUHLEEZE! Since when does "Doesn't like Bush" (which describes at least 49% of the voting population in the US) become "extreme and biased"? Speaking out against what we think is wrong is a basic freedom in this country yet you want to hang labels on someone who does just that. I'm not a leftist, not even particularly liberal. I just believe in basic common sense and fairness, qualites I think our current administration is severely lacking. I am so sick of Bush supporters trying to hang some label on me! Furthermore, you're going to see a lot more political diversity and tolerence on most college campuses than you will in most work places! Whatever......

Thank you Rosa, If he's safe and here in the states, I hope he's got the good sense to get in touch soon! He's sort of a "free spirit" and I have no idea where he is. I just know he likes to spend his winters on the beaches of Thailand, so I'm worried, but its out of my hands for now! All I can do is wait. I'm sorry for your loss and I hope your boyfriend's friend is OK, too! maura

I've seen her! She used to work the Madison street ramp when I still lived on the north side. There is another woman who used to ask for TRAIN fare to Naperville or Aurora (not spare change or just a dollar) for her and her daughter because her wallet was stolen. Well dressed, with a child in tow. I saw her so many times with the same line, I wanted to tell her she needed to keep better track of her wallet!

I worry about how they can possibly identify everyone! I have a brother who doesn't keep in close contact. He doesn't have a permanent address or phone number. I do have an email address for him, but it takes him a good 6 months to respond to my emails. I do know he loves Thailand and usually spends his winters there if he gets enough work on the fishing boats or as a massage therapist the rest of the year. I called the state department today and left his name and my number to call if they find him among the dead or the living. All I can do is wait and hopefully we'll hear from him first, not them. Kind of sad that I'm hoping my brother was down on his luck and had no money to go to Thailand this year!

I've been suckered with hard luck stories before but MOST of the time, these people are just scamming for money. I once gave a guy a couple of bucks for gas, he claimed his car broke down on the expressway, yadda yadda yadda. I was at a gas station close to the expressway so it sounded like a reasonable story, he was offering to pay me back with discount coupons from his uncle's restaurant which I refused. (wasn't about to give him my address.....) A couple of months later, the same guy approached me in a grocery store parking lot near the gas station with a similar story and I said, "DUDE! Don't you remember? You already scammed money off me! Ran out of gas your uncle owns a restaurant, blah blah blah?" This guy wasn't even embarrassed! I've worked in downtown Chicago on and off for more about 15 years, so maybe I'm a little jaded, but I seen the same scam artists over and over again using the same or similar lines. I STILL get suckered every once in a while, though!

Everyone is different, and it also kind of depends what kind of hardware is removed. (Plates, screws, rods or pins?) I had my "temp" screws out 5 months after I broke my ankle (should have really been done a little earlier- I walked on them for 3 months!) and begged my doc to take out two others that really hurt and were affecting my walking. It was day surgery, I left the hospital on crutches (no cast, just a surgical dressing) but was walking without them a day and a half later. I think if he hadn't removed the screws from my tibia, I would have been walking right away. Of course, other people's experiences are different! I still have a plate and screws in my fibula, and part of me really wants it out, but I'm not sure its bothering me enough to justify another surgery. Unlike some people, its NOT visible, nor are the screw heads but I do feel it sometimes.