FlyingJ

Most places I've lived that's true, you only need to take the written test to get a permit, essentially letting you get out on the road with zero practical experience. A couple people have mentioned taking a class. Check out the link below and look at the Basic Rider Course. http://www.msf-usa.org The course is usually two days, they provide the bike, etc. and all you have to do is show up wearing what they tell you to. You'll gain a lot of info in a very short period and leave with a lot of basic knowledge that can help you in making decisions about buying a bike (or whether or not you even want to ride a bike). Last I heard, the course costs around $190 most places. Assuming you pass the course, it also counts as the practical (driving) part of getting your motorcycle license. You just go and take the written test and are good to go. Lots of people just hop on a bike and start riding and lots do it with no problem whatsoever. With what you are putting at risk though, seems worth it to me. Edit: ps...usually gets you a discount on insurance too! Killing threads since 2004.

Go Dawgs! Haven't run into any other Georgia fans since I've lived in Texas. Killing threads since 2004.

Was supposed to leave tomorrow for a few days of hiking and mountain biking in West Texas. Went kayak fishing today, and due to lack of communication ended up with one single kayak for two people. Made it work for a while but capsized at one point and in the process sliced my knee wide open on some oyster reef. Because of an unpredicted incoming storm we pulled out of the water about a mile from where we parked and had to walk back to the truck on a dirt/gravel road in 30mph wind getting sandblasted the whole way (and filling my knee full of garbage. Overall a blast of a day, though I could have done without having to patch up my knee. Maybe I'll try West Texas again in a few weeks. Killing threads since 2004.

I have a friend that works for himself doing grant writing/fundraising consulting and occasionally fills in his schedule researching and editing company profiles for the American Directory of Company Histories. It's rather time consuming for the $150-200 you might get for a completed and accepted profile, but is certainly a legit option. Killing threads since 2004.

Wow, sounds like Jersey City is really stepping it up a notch. I spent a lot of time kayaking out of lower Manhattan and paddling over to NJ to grab dinner or brunch. Tons of construction the whole time I was there, sounds like it's worked out! Killing threads since 2004.

There is a difference! You'll pay out your ass to have the orthodontist do it! Killing threads since 2004.

It's tough to compare how you with your experience might/should act compared to a lay responder in the same situation. For damn sure if you, with your level of experience, land next to someone that's been busted up you'll be able to do a heck of a lot more than your average lay responder. I doubt you'll argue that getting advanced care there as soon as possible is the best possible scenario, right? In your case you are bringing some of that advanced care with you whereas the best bet for your average person who's taken a few years of CPR is probably to land somewhere they can be sure to be safe and get that advanced care on the way. Killing threads since 2004.

hehe...as a kid (5th grade, mid-80s) I used to have a vest with speakers in the breasts with a plug to attach a walkman. I kept two tapes in the pockets: Run DMC, My Adidas and Beach Boys, Endless Summer. Man did I get around town on my ten-speed just blaring away! And here you go... http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/355/C8605/ Edit: added link. Killing threads since 2004.

The fear of disease transmission is one of the more highlighted reasons compression only CPR has started becoming more popular, the idea being that something is better than nothing. Compressions alone will at least keep the O2 in their system pumping and often a person will have enough in the system to keep feeding their brain if BLS/ALS isn't too far removed. Killing threads since 2004.

Can't say I've caught one in the eye, but as a kid (probably 5 or 6 yrs. old) my mom was smoking in the front seat of the ole' station wagon and ashed out the window and I, sitting directly behind her with my window open, caught it right in my mouth. I was never sure whether it actually went out the window and back in, or just shot straight back inside the car. Either way, it sucked! Killing threads since 2004.

Yikes! I never even liked putting them in my own eyes! I wonder if something like Tecnu (meant to clean the urushiol from poison ivy) would help with something like this? http://www.teclabsinc.com/products.cfm?id=1F5604C8-9D05-4675-56129F6D83DF2417§ion=1 Killing threads since 2004.

If you like historical fiction, one of my favorites is The Alienist by Caleb Carr. About a serial killer in NYC during the late 1800s, at time when Theodore Roosevelt was police commissioner. Reading that book years ago also sparked my interest in Roosevelt and another of my favorite books is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. An amazing biography taking you through the life of Roosevelt from birth through finding out he would become president. Much more like a novel than a dry bio. Both have pretty good follow-up books as well. Killing threads since 2004.

While I do find it humorous when the same person that says it's too hot for leathers during the summer uses a different reason to not wear them on a sunny 65 degree day, I disagree that temp is nothing more than an excuse. If you decide not to wear them that's fine, just own it, no excuses. I have very well ventilated mesh leathers. However, when I choose to wear them while it's 95 degrees and 100% humidity in South Texas I know I'm going to get where I'm going soaking wet, regardless of how much airflow they allow. It sucks, and I deal with it about 75% of the time. I understand the potential consequences of not wearing them and about 25% of the time make an educated decision to not wear them, typically when I want to get where I'm going without being soaked through with sweat. If I refused to ever get on my bike without my leathers on than there would be a fair amount of time that my leathers kept me 100% safe because I wouldn't be on my bike at all. I'm often conflicted with the decision to ride sans leathers, but the added risk is occasionally worth it to me. Killing threads since 2004.

No kidding. Seems like the $50 for a locksmith (at least that's what it cost my buddy a couple months ago) seems like a lot less to deal with than an insurance claim. Might be different if they want to charge a lot more. Edit - AAA then! You should have 2 or 3 locksmith calls as part of your coverage. Of course you might have to wait a few hours! Killing threads since 2004.

Exactly what I was going to suggest! There isn't a whole lot to look forward to in Victoria, TX, but one thing the town does have going on is some tasty Mexican and Tex Mex. My friend that works for the health department always gets on my case for my affinity with the taco wagon I stop at on my way to work, but come on, you can't beat it! Killing threads since 2004.

I worked with an aunt that has MS to set up her computer with speech recognition software as she began losing use of her hands/arms. It was a fairly early version of Dragon Naturally Speaking. She worked very hard and put in a lot of time "training" the software (through reading scripts they supplied, etc.) and it worked really well for her. She used it more for navigating and composing basic email, etc. so if there was an occasional misspelling, etc. it wasn't the end of the world. I found the Dragon product to be fairly intuitive and easy to get up and running. Killing threads since 2004.

Agreed, though I learned in the 90s. There was a big media push to let people know about this law a couple years back. Don't remember if it was Florida or Texas as I moved right about the time it was happening, but I recall lots of radio and TV ads. My only experience with it is here in Texas. I've known two or three people that got pulled over for it, but they were all leaving a local dance hall at the end of an evening and the move over law was being used as a way to check for folks that had been drinking. None of the people I knew had been drinking and they were all let go but reminded of the law. I don't know the exact details and it doesn't seem to be stated in the Illinois documents, but I recall hearing that your options were either move over or slow down to something like 20 or 25mph under the posted speed limit. Killing threads since 2004.

Not to mention, for those folks that need larger vehicles for work, etc. might see 17mpg as a step up! Killing threads since 2004.

http://www.acc.af.mil/...t/AFD-080605-058.pdf This report says the procedures were followed and eventually moisture was being removed, but incorrect baseline data was already in the mix so even though the moisture in question might have been negated prior to take-off, the bad data was already on board. That's the way I (as a total layman) read the report anyway. Edit: Forgot to add - looks like the procedural error was more about the order in which tasks were accomplished. Collected calibration data before mitigating the moisture problems, so it didn't really make a difference when the moisture eventually was taken care of. Killing threads since 2004.

Amtrak has train service on the east coast. I think they call it their Silver or Palmetto line, something like that. I only ever took it for very short trips on local trains, don't know what types of stops it makes. Not sure how tickets work, but it would be nice to start the train ride and have the ability to hop off and rent a car to do some site seeing on the way if weather cooperates. I know it goes through NY, Washington, DC and eventually hits Charlotte, NC, Jacksonville and ends in Miami but I really don't know where it goes in between. Killing threads since 2004.

If you don't visit Speaker's Corner, check out the same thread over there that's been going for a little while with answers to some of the questions being asked. Killing threads since 2004.

Craigslist is very active in Gainesville and was the best option for apartment finding when I lived there. Killing threads since 2004.

No doubt if it were firing straight up they'd get the altitude. Seems like the shot out much more horizontally though. Who knows. Way beyond any knowledge I have of this kind of stuff, just curious. Killing threads since 2004.

Articles and reports say that the pilots were fine, but curious if anyone has seen a report that mentions what kind of landing they had following ejection. From the trajectory on their way out of the cockpit it hardly looked like they'd get enough altitude to inflate their canopies. Killing threads since 2004.

Last time it happened to me I spent most of my down time working on learning Spanish. Did lots of studying online and because I didn't know anyone that spoke it fluently posted a note on Craigslist for a native spanish speaker that was willing to chat a few times a week so I could try out what I was learning. Worked great and I learned a hell of a lot in a hurry. Then I neglected to keep using it and have since lost just about everything I learned. Trying again now, though I'm hoping to leave the busted ankle out of the mix. Killing threads since 2004.