wartload

Pretty common sight where I live. Usually enjoy seeing them, but not when one's trying to get to my kids' ducks or chickens. (Wouldn't dream of hurting them...they usually fly away when we open the window).

What's even worse, perhaps, is that flies often find the dead mouse bodies inside your walls and lay their larvae ... then you have rotten mouse stench AND flies. Saw an add the other day for a new disposable trap. It's round. You "wind up" the top & bottom parts to set it. When a mousie goes into it and springs it, the top unwinds snapped shut, closing in the mousie and (I presume) killing it. Then you don't have to look at a dead Mickey clone -- just drop the trap into the trash.

Grit poseur. That may be the funniest thing I've ever seen posted!

GRITS LECTURE 101: "Grits" are not properly the name of a food. It's a miller's measurement, like flour or meal, of how thoroughly a grain is ground. You could technically have wheat, oats, or barley "grits," but that's not what is traditional in the South. Most Southern grits are ground yellow or white corn. Traditionally, hominy (corn kernels soaked in a lye solution to remove the outer hull layer, then washed and dried) was used, but now the hulls are more likely to be removed mechanically. To a real Southerner, there are some basic truths about grits. They include: -- Grits are more than a food. They are an internal transfusion of culture, home, hearth, childhood memories, momma and daddy, kith & kin (not to be confused with the yankees' "kissin' kin"). They primarily feed the soul, only secondarily nourishing the body. -- Nothing with the word "instant" on the package is fit for consumption by someone from the South. If it must be eaten, perhaps out of politeness to the yankee host who served it to you, you must quietly ask R.E. Lee's forgiveness at the earliest convenient moment. -- Stuff that comes out of a package with a Quaker guy's picture on it is appropriate to eat only if nothing else is available. Even then, it's best to pour the contents into some other container first, lest you begin to think that a Quaker guy from PA, or a company in Akron, had anything to do with the origin of this nearly-perfect food source. -- Things that one can properly put onto, or in, grits include: salt, pepper, butter, sausage, egg (yolks runny), hot sauce, shrimp, a fork or spoon. -- Things that one should NEVER put into grits include: catsup (ketchup...whatever), anything sugary, and/or milk.

The whole freakin' country is pretty much a DZ.

Continuous vibes being sent your way.

Maybe you impressed someone at the club. Are you sure you remember everything that you did there that night??

It may be a SMIDGE over-priced (gee, I wonder why?) but I still like it. I agree fully. It's a very good wine, but you pay about $12 for the wine and $7 for the name.

Beautiful!! Is that a Continental 220 engine?

Dan - Everyone has different likes and dislikes. The first time that we went to Jamaica, everyone that we knew insisted that we go where they liked to go -- one of those all-inclusive resorts where you stay on the premises and do their activities. I was absolutely miserable! It was like kiddie camp for adults. We were supposed to "earn points" for participating in different things while we were there. I got one point--for going to the meeting where they explained how they do things. After one day of waiting in lines to get cold food, warm beer, crappy service, worn-out equipment, and anything else that we wanted to get, I did what they told us NOT to do ... ran out the front door and found a local driver who negotiated to take us where we wanted to go for $50 a day. That was sooo much better! We had the guy meet us at 11 am in front of the place every day after that. We went to soccer games played by local teams, saw great beaches, went shopping, saw the mountains, and got as funny-faced as we wanted to get. The guy looked out for us, and we looked out for him. The next time we go there we'll probably find some other couples to go with us, rent a villa that has on-site maid and cook, and save money. F*** the damned resorts!

Yeah WENDY!! I agree with you entirely (having a spot of it as I post this). Well under $20, too!

Get on a plane and leave?? I spent two years in the Toledo area, so my first question would be, "Which days are NOT weathered out?" Thank God it's so flat, because I ended up flying 100' off the ground a lot, just to be able to get into the air. I really liked most of the people that I met there, but JEEEEZZZIZZZZ the weather SUCKED! Talk about depression from lack of sunlight (and salt water, and steamed oysters, and a real beach, and WARM WEATHER)!!! Just thinking of you going into a winter ... I'd seriously think of moving.

Do you guys live on "Admiral's Lane" ... the road that runs from Orange to C-ville? You know ... in one of those farms that has a sign that says something like, "Meadow Muffin, Adm. Farquahr Fatass, USN (Ret.)"

Another good inexpensive Zinfandel is Ravenswood. Wines to avoid (my opinion) are almost anything made in in Chile by Concha Y Toro.

Negotiate with a cab to rent a car for half a day at a time...then tell the driver what you want to do, see, enjoy. The guy will probably work in some stops at businesses owned by folks who give him kickbacks, but even they can be fun.

I recently had a California Zin (blend?) called Dancing Bull. It was inexpensive and was a good middle ground for my wife and I. I prefer dry, and she likes sweet. This one had a definite taste of grape, but without being sweet or "fruity" tasting. It didn't have the acid or bitter finish that many of the less expensive Zins have. As for temperature, I like mine at room temp (about 70 in my house) or slightly cooler. I keep my stored wine close to the concrete floor in my basement, so it's usually about 65-68 degrees when I open it.

The "old joke" might have come out of the re-telling of a true story. This happened in the late 70s, so there's time for it to have circulated. I've posted (other places) a couple of things that I personally experienced, and one that a friend experienced in his early career. They were quickly greeted with, "That's an URBAN LEGEND!" The fact is, a good story gets re-told...and often takes on new characteristics in the re-telling.

This one was going around a DZ many years ago. Didnt' know the fellow in question, but he may be on here. Anyway ... The jump pilot was here from France, building time and living at the DZ. He got to know one of the local girls well enough through contact at the DZ to get the feeling that he was going to get lucky with her when he took her out the first time. He borrowed a car for the date, but went to the local pharmacy earlier in the day to purchase the necessary protection. Unfortunately for him, the condoms were kept out of sight and behind the counter of the pharmacy. Even more unfortunate, his English had several limitations-including knowing how to ask for condoms. To make matters even worse, the pharmacist on duty was a female. Not being able to communicate to the pharmacist what "zee roobers" meant, he tried to explain it in terms of what they were to be used for. He said that he had a date that night and that he needed the things to use for making sex. That got the message across. He got his condoms and went out of the pharmacy totally embarassed ... ... but not as embarassed as he was when he went to pick up his date that night and her mom answered the door ... still wearing her white jacket from the pharmacy!

What the F ... He earned it!

and more

Yep. Every now and then some self-impressed publicity seeking schmuck does something like that and makes life rough on everyone else. It's not a new thing ... http://www.ousterhout.net/zoom/1977zoom.html

Sounds to me like it calls for a case of BEER!!! (Ok ... maybe A&W will do, given the circumstances. Congratulations!) ==== Wartload - clean and sober for 8.5 hours.

I wondered how long it would take for someone to pick up on that!

It depends on how you look at it. What constitutes "skydiving"? Note that, in 1935, the two teenagers were talking about making "delayed jumps." That's obviously freefall of some amount.

First, I AM retarded. You say that like it's a bad thing! Second, it's a wonderful picture and she's a drop-dead gorgeous woman. Third, the image of her and the background don't pixelate at the same rate. Fourth, when you enlarge the image there's a pixelation "halo" around the edges of her image (as well as around the text). Yep, it's a real photo, but it's been doctored.