FlyingJ

Don't remember what I was doing the last time I posted here, but now I work for The Nature Conservancy setting fires for a living. Spend about 6 months a year working in prescribed fire, 2 to 3 months a year fighting wildfire and the rest of the time in the shop maintaining equipment. It's been three and a half years since I last went to a job that felt like work. Feels darn good. Oddly enough, I got fussed at a lot as a kid for always playing with fire. Killing threads since 2004.

Consider your renter's or homeowner's insurance if you have it. My renter's policy covers accidental damage to property, whether physically in my home or not, and it doesn't expire after two years. Might not need the extra warranty if you already have coverage. Killing threads since 2004.

I have exactly that. I have an excel spreadsheet (password protected of course!) in which I keep shorthand versions of all of my various passwords. I use different single letter abbreviations, numbers and symbols that represent full passwords. When I have to change passwords I keep them inline with my shorthand and I can always look them up if need be, but don't risk a file filled with full passwords falling into the wrong hands. My list would just look like mumbo jumbo to anyone other than me. I'm sure it could bite me in the ass if somehow someone figured out what the shorthand means, but honestly, if someone figured it out they would probably deserve to get whatever they could out of me. Killing threads since 2004.

Thoughts on the winner? I had a short term roommate that watched this show constantly, reruns and all, while he was living in my place but I hadn't seen it for about a month. Was kind of surprised to see who was left and kind of surprised with who he picked in the end. Killing threads since 2004.

I had it done in January and love it. I've had some problems with dry eye brought on by the fact that I work full time around fire, but I use eye drops religiously and the doc says the dryness is just an annoyance at this point, no harm being done. I passed up the opportunity to do it in 1999 and regretted it up until the point I had it done in January. It's been a long time since I heard anything about insurance covering Lasik though, so I'm not sure where the insurance comes into play in your decision. Killing threads since 2004.

I'm usually only able to find the Black at one big grocery store around here, otherwise no dice. Thankfully they usually keep a reasonably good supply. There are one or two places around here that keep it behind the bar, so hopefully that spreads. Killing threads since 2004.

I'm a fan of the former seasonal that is now the Shiner Black Lager. I like most of the Shiner options, but not much of an Amber fan. I'm just happy that the Black Lager will be sticking around for a while. Killing threads since 2004.

Mmmm...I might just have to pull some ground out of the freezer and cook up some venison chili this weekend.

I'm happy with the Flip4Mac plug-in. Killing threads since 2004.

I was the same way until my computer at work died and I had to use a co-worker's machine for a day. I had made fun of him for a year for using the "fruity" keyboard but by the end of that day I had requested one of my own for my new computer. It's been 6 years now. I recently bought a laptop and it's not horrible using it, but I definitely feel the "crunch" in my wrists. Nowhere near as bad as using a normal desktop keyboard though. Killing threads since 2004.

Haven't tried it with coffee, but with other similarly "baked on" stuff denture cleaner worked great. Fill with water, add a couple denture tablets and let them do their thing. Might take a couple treatments if it is really thick on there. Killing threads since 2004.

S-212 - wildland fire chainsaws is a great class to take if you see it offered. Even though you'd need more experience running a saw to serve as a sawyer on a crew hiring folks like to see the training. Would help being comfortable swamping/working around saws in creation of helispots, etc. Definitely one of the core classes that's good to take as early as possible. I know it's being offered at the Texas Interagency training in May, held in Lufkin, TX. http://www.tamu.edu/ticc/training.htm Have fun, and be safe! Killing threads since 2004.

To steal a line from the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman... When you begin living by the three cardinal rules: -never pass up a bathroom -never waste a hard-on -never trust a fart Killing threads since 2004.

That's another thing that has taken some getting used to in Texas. I could probably call any of 5 or 6 friends to come over and do that very same thing. Killing threads since 2004.

I concur! I moved to Southeast Texas about a year and a half ago. My fairly small town leaves a little (ok, a lot) to be desired, but the one thing I certainly have no complaint about is the quality of the good folks down here. My only people related concern is that the distribution of mid-20 to mid-30 year old single women could be a bit (ok, a lot) better.

I had similar experiences with a couple different companies about 10 years ago and ever since make some pretty good notes any time I'm dealing with something like this, even (and especially) when it is going well. I've found you get folk's attention a LOT faster when you can fax them a list of every conversation you've had, who you had it with, etc. It's a bit tedious and takes some time, but it has paid of big time when I needed that information. With that type of documentation I was able to get a computer manufacturer to give me a full cash refund, including shipping, on a 6 year old computer. I only had minor problems with the computer but their customer service was so horrible that when I finally got the number to send my documentation, along with notice of a BBB investigation, to the president of the company I received a call the next morning letting me know of the refund. You might not think it is worth keeping good records when everything is going well, but you'll thankful when the shit hits the fan later. Killing threads since 2004.

While there is no doubt a constant cycle of change, I think a lot of it might have to do with the length of time one has been reading the forums. What was once all fresh, new and exciting becomes, for the most part, completely predictable. You get to a point where on any given thread you pretty much know who is going to chime in and what they are going to say. It's not just something that happens in the forums. It's a human nature thing. You get a new group together - everyone is happy and bonding and getting to know new people and then WHAM!, people actually get to know each other, clicks start, disagreements begin, etc. The more time you spend with a group the better you get to know (for better or worse) the other folks and with that history behind you your outlook often becomes a little more critical comparing the present to the past. While someone who has been around the forums for a while sees the same people always reacting the same way and picking the same arguments, someone just being introduced probably sees a bunch of people that like to joke around and give each other a hard time. In time they will see the cycle and a whole new batch will arrive. As for specific individuals playing a large role in the atmosphere of the forum...I think that too is cyclical. The folks that you mentioned were fairly "high profile" posters (or whatever you want to call them) during your early stages in the forums and people that you became very close to. People starting to read and post after those folks have left us will have a whole different group of people that they look at the same way. I do get a slightly different vibe from the forums now than I did when I posted regularly several years ago, but at the same time I have lost many of the personal connections I had with people on the site and now feel like more of a voyeur looking on than an active participant. I still check back once in a while though, to check up on friends and with interest in eventually getting back into the sport one day. I never know quite what to expect though each time I return. edit: for grammar Killing threads since 2004.

Hi Brandy, Unfortunately I can't offer much Peace Corps info other than I looked into it pretty thoroughly and saw lots of amazing programs I would love to have gotten involved with. It turned out that it really wasn't quite the best option for me at the time I looked but I still have it on the back burner to look into in the future. If Peace Corps doesn't seem possible, also consider AmeriCorps. If you look around you can find some AmeriCorps programs in the US doing very similar work to that you might do elsewhere in the world. My two years with AmeriCorps were pretty rewarding, giving me the ability to spend a good chunk of that time providing disaster relief throughout Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana. I've seen a lot of AmeriCorps programs around the country that really just cater to kids that don't know what to do with themselves, but if you look deep there are some really rewarding programs out there. I was upset that my interest in Peace Corps didn't work out when I wanted it to, but in the end it felt pretty good being able to work with people that needed help here at home. jason Killing threads since 2004.

I actually pass by Spaceland fairly freqently as I spend time working up near Texas City once in a while. It's a frustrating pass by when I don't have the money to jump, but I might have to start stopping once in a while. Killing threads since 2004.

Where are you in Cincinnati? I went to school at the university there. There were some pretty nice things about the city, but I did get out of there within a day of graduation. My mom still tells the story of having the house across the street from my first apartment being raided as a crack house while she was helping me move in. Killing threads since 2004.

Hi all, Aside from a few posts after learning of lost friends I've pretty much been gone from dz.com for the last few years. I've been in Victoria, TX for about a year now and just curious if any jumpers live down this way. I'm not quite in the position to get back into jumping yet, but I hope for that to happen within the next year. Anyone, give me a shout if you are down this way! jason. Killing threads since 2004.

Leather holds up real well, and many of the top end boots truly meant for fire are stitched and laced with kevlar/nomex (fire resistant) materials. Standing in any flame for more than a bit is going to get hot regardless, but the steel toes retain a lot of radiant heat even when working in "warm" areas. Lots of boots still have a hardened toe box as an available option, just not steel. Killing threads since 2004.

You can't go wrong with Nick's or White's. I love my White's to death, though I damn near thought I was going to die breaking them in. It was a long process for me, but it is well worth it now. I have a wide foot too, EEE, and having something fit specifically to me was a dream come true. Look into where The Nature Conservancy has offices or preserves near you. They are usually always looking for extra hands on fire and are usually cool with having volunteers come out on prescribed fire. Have fun and welcome to a pretty freakin' cool world! Killing threads since 2004.

Yeah, I had the entire set in an album (I got something like 1000 packs as a gift)... I'm sure it would be worth a lot now... Unfortunately, at some point I decided to decorate my bunk bed with them. Edit: Now I am truly sad... I just looked on ebay. $1000 for only 48 packs? Holy crap! I'm going to have to call my parents and see if they still have the 3 or 4 unopened boxes of them in the attic we came across a few years back! Killing threads since 2004.

Ok, last reply from me tonight, I swear, but one more thing to add... If you are looking to get out on a few assignments don't just wait for the western season to get hot and heavy. Florida and the southeast in general start blowing up in March and burn hot through May or so as does Texas. I spent the end of March and most of April bouncing around the Southeast on fires that provided lots of up close and personal experience. If you are in Florida contact your local Division of Forestry district office and find out about getting on state emergency hire lists in addition to the fed lists. Killing threads since 2004.