livendive

And "Goin' Home", for those who haven't read it: "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Here's one Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Sweet! I've actually posted a few of Rossi's stories here. And I think some O'Connell stories too. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Awesome!!

I can't control everyone, so I can only promise that I will not personally die in 2006. I'm usually pretty good at keeping my promises. If I break the promise, well I guess that'll be punishment enough in itself. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I am so going to laugh at you if that clip doesn't make the video. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

And a couple "clean" pictures. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

At least JD was extremely drunk! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

One more Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Here are a couple Gia and I took along the Kootenai river on the way home. Pictures don't do it justice, but that's all anyone's gonna see that doesn't visit the area themselves. Edit to add: and yes, the socks are back on. Bite me Slappie. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I recently wrote: Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

In Washington: The misdemeanor version is punishable by up to a $1000 fine and 90 days in prison. Note this one could be applicable to someone who left their dog in a hot closed car without adequate precautions. The maximum penalties for the felony version are a $10,000 fine and 5 years in prison...per violation. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Any god who would condemn me to eternal damnation because I wouldn't worship him isn't someone I'd want to spend eternity with anyhow. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Members of the Iraqi Army were allowed to return to their homes, we figured it would be better in rebuilding the nation. Absolutely. That's the way modern warfare works. We fight, someone wins. The victors go about effecting the changes they wanted and the vanquished return to their lives and wait to see what the changes will be. But the fact that they fought to preserve their previous way of life has not, to my knowledge, been considered evidence of any crime. As a result, I would not consider the fact that someone fought with the Taliban in their attempt to repel an invading army to mean they are automatically guilty of a crime. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Since when is fighting on the side of a defending force a crime? Have we imprisoned every surviving Iraqi who fought against us during the first month of our invasion of Iraq? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Sorry, what does this have to do with protecting the environment? Let's say you're trying to regulate the use and disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a class of chemical known to bioaccumulate and have negative health effects on wildlife and humans. The lion's share of PCB use has been in the electrical industry, especially as a dielectric fluid in capacitors and transformers. So, we want to regulate the stuff...let's cover it with something called the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Let's make a rule that we will no longer manufacture or import PCBs (there are viable alternatives), the use of PCBs in currently operating equipment must be phased out over some timeframe, the waste PCBs must be properly disposed of (and the equipment they were in properly rinsed), and the inventory of PCBs under a company's control must be tracked to verify that all of these things are happening. A report can be written each year summarizing the inventory that can be submitted to EPA. But wait...there are laboratories and researchers trying to come up with better methods of treating PCB contaminated sites. They need standards to spike their sample matrices with known quantities of specific isomers so they can do before/after treatment comparisons. This requires the manufacture and new use of PCBs. We just banned the manufacture/import of PCBs and said that the use of PCBs must be phased out. Additionally, the proper rinsing/re-use of glassware might be different than it is for say a 3-ton transformer. It would be prohibitively expensive to require a smear analysis of every vial used in a laboratory, but maybe not so much in those transformers. (rule just changed to "may not manufacture PCBs except in cases a, b, and c, with controls d, e, and f. May not use PCBs in new processes except in cases g, h, and i, with controls j, k, and l" etc) Then there's the military...they've been using PCBs in all sorts of pieces of equipment abroad. They're phasing such use out just like everyone else, but they need to bring the waste home to dispose of it, and some judge somewhere has decided that bringing this stuff into the US from Japan constitutes importing, a banned activity. (rules just changed to "may not import PCBs except in instances a, b, and c") And there's the greenpeace type whacko's protesting outside the military base to not let this stuff into the US. Forget the fact that they can't even spell polychlorinated biphenyls, or that it's OUR waste, by god they don't want it coming into the US. (rules just changed to "cannot import PCBs without controls x, y, and z") And then there's the disposal facilities. PCBs were in common use specifically because of their chemical and thermal stability. Thermal decomposition products include dioxins and furans (other nasties). So, if incineration is the preferred method of destruction (it is), we need to REALLY incinerate. The ash, after all, is going to go into landfills, and we don't want to be making the next generation of contaminated environments. So let's go with a really high destruction efficience (99.9999%) and require sampling and periodic demonstration that the facilities permitted to dispose of PCBs meet this standard. But wait, that laboratory previously mentioned is also destroying PCBs, right? Just in an experimental manner rather than operational (we hope). Should that disposal be subjected to the same requirements? And then we get "Speedy Building Maintenance Services", a company owned by Joe Speedy and consisting of 9 full-time employees and a part-time clerk. Joe and his employees hadn't even heard of PCBs until we informed them that they were breaking the law by throwing out those spent fluorescent lamp ballasts (containing PCBs in the potting compound as well as in the capacitor). Is it reasonable for us to require them to meet the same requirements as GE? Not really, so let's make a simplified version of the regs that applies only to small-scale companies that deal with PCBs only as found in capacitors, lamp ballasts, and small transformers. and on, and on, and on. I'm mostly playing devil's advocate here. I do agree with you that the regulations need a serious overhaul and one goal of that overhaul should be to reduce the volume of regulations by a sizable margin, maybe 80%?. For this example, incorporation of PCB disposal into the hazardous waste regulations (codified under RCRA as opposed to TSCA, and desparately in need of their own abridgement) would make sense. It wouldn't get at manufacture/use, but it'd be a start. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Yeah, the convertible is a couple hundred pounds heavier and the coupe does outperform it a bit. Still, I'm kind of set on a convertible. I like the Boxster, but it's a bit too rough for long drives. The SLK's are on the opposite side of the spectrum...luxurious, but very heavy & mushy feeling. I know the Z4 would be a better comparison to these, but everybody and their brother has one of those and I'd rather have a car that you don't see on the road everyday. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

So you're saying you think we need someone who would improve our environmental regulations. Having been in the business of complying with those regulations for the last 12 years, I'd agree. That said, I've also been involved in the writing of environmental regs, and it's tougher than it seems on the surface. There are so many interests who want so many different things that trying to appease all of them is painstakingly difficult. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Yeah, BJ Worth and Chris Needels showed up like half an hour before the ESPN crew and then left Thursday morning. Q on the other hand...that fucker was there skydiving, partying, and having fun. You know, like a regular jumper.

What do wrong and unconstitutional have to do with each other? Many people think gay marriage is wrong, however at this time it is not unconstitutional. While I'd agree that this appointment was not unconstitutional, I'm leaning towards thinking it was "wrong". Appointing Bolton to the UN is like tapping someone who hates environmental regulations to run the EPA. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Congrats Sean, and thanks for the jump...it was a hoot! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

My worst corked bottles were an 83 Margaux and an 89 Lynch-Bages...on the same night. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

What a novel concept. Maybe I'll try that sometime. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

:14:1 7 tandems 4 RW jumps (9-way, 14-way, 16-way, 30-way) 2 "other" jumps (Monkeycndo's 100th & a 2 way with Gia) 1 birdman (started with Gia on rodeo but she didn't last the requisite 8 seconds) A case of beer owed for my first inverted kiss pass (me on my back, Gia on her belly). Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I can't tell you from experience, as I don't own one, but I can tell you that I plan on buying a reasonably new (01-03) M3 convertible next year. They're just a nice combination of fun & luxury with a fair amount of practicality thrown in too. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)