livendive

After being screwed by AT&T, I switched to US Cellular. My current $80/mo. plan has two phones/phone numbers sharing 800 anytime minutes (plus unlimited local night and weekend calls on one of the phones). I pay no roaming in 10 western states, nationwide long-distance is free as long as I'm in one of those 10 states, and the coverage is much more extensive than the strictly digital services such as Sprint. (I get analog coverage when driving between digital areas i.e. out in the boonies...this was necessary for me). All in all, I'm very happy with it. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

A friend and I once spent an entire shift trying to do something that would on the surface sound simple...hook two hoses together via a swagelock fitting. After 8 hours (16 man-hours) of going backwards, we went home, and the next shift had about 9 man-hours worth of work to do just to get back to the point we started at. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

So if the government started spending two billion a year giving out chocolate bars to convicted sex offenders under the premise that chocolate makes people happy and happy people don't commit rape, would I have to propose an alternate therapy solution for reforming sex offenders before I could say the chocolate idea is stupid. There is substantial benefit to questioning and/or discrediting theories, even in the absence of better theories. Additionally, most politicians couldn't possibly move "down" to my level, rather they'd have to climb several floors. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Well, for everyone betting that there will be a tragedy, someone else would have to bet there won't. One can't sell short without a buyer. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Well THAT didn't last long. See http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/29/terrorist.market.ap/index.html At least they only threw $600,000 at it before realizing it was a stupid idea. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Man you guys are fast! I edited it to make it clicky less than a minute after posting it, and got two replies making it clicky in the same span! Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/07/29/terrorist.market.ap/index.html As cynical as I am regarding matters of politics these days, this one still surprized me. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

TWO HUNDRED AND SEVENTY BOB??! Why the hell have you been giving me a hard time when I peak at 215?? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

People are gonna get mad at you if you keep encouraging me! OK, probably not as cute, given Gracie's now nearly 8 months old, but here's a picture I took 10 minutes ago.

LOL...thanks! That was the day we brought Gracie home, and Ally was all "What the hell is this thing??!" So Gracie went marching into Ally's bed and said "You gotta problem with me?" Here's a picture of Gracie the day we first saw her...when she was not quite 5 weeks old.

arggh! That cherry eye is a sore spot for me right now (it doesn't appear to hurt Gracie). [rant] Our dog vet (i.e. MY vet) admitted that she hadn't done the tucking/suturing procedure yet (as opposed to removal), but was willing to give it a shot for like $600 as long as we understood it was her first try. We declined, as bulldogs are pretty stinkin' expensive (we got a friend deal from the breeder, the rest of her litter went for $2000 apiece). She then graciously recommended an opthamologist who it turned out wanted $800. Understand both of these prices are WAY out of line for this procedure...typical is $100-$200 per eye. So we found a bulldog vet in Seattle who would do it for $125/eye and 100% guarantee his work. He came highly recommended by several bulldog owners, but a few others recommended I check with a breeder in a neighboring city, who told me his vet for the last 20 years was within 5 miles of my house. I call there, they have two vets, one who simply does removal, the other does the suture procedure. I specify a few times I want the suture procedure, as removal can lead to dry-eye, a life-long problem. The estimate is $225, and it's close, so we do it. Walking out the door the following week, we're surprized by the $500 tab...and 12 days later it popped back out. Upon complaint, it turns out they gave us the vet who had previously done nothing but removals, but who wanted to give the suturing procedure a try...without telling us Gracie would be her first. grrr... She says she's sorry, and if we bring her back in, she'll redo it for just the cost of anesthesia. Well long story short...ok, not so short, we had her do it again this week...and it cost us $300 to get out the door after paying for a urinalysis, suture kit, catheter kit, etc, etc, etc. We're now $800 into it (the price of a freaking dog opthamologist) and 3 days later, her eye looks like shit. I'm still too pissed off to go in and complain rationally, hopefully by next week I'll be able to go in and talk to them in a reasonable manner. Problem is the only refund they're likely to give is a credit to our account, and as far as I'm concerned we're done with those people and thus will never get to actually use the credit. [/rant] Was that WAY too long a response to a joke?

and mine... "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Here's a picture: "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Right on Tami! Be careful with that shoulder, mine kept dislocating and I ended up having 3 surgeries on it in the last 2.5 years (last one was in February). What are you jumping for a main? If it's something squirrelly, you might want to swap it out for something bigger/more stable in case you have to steer with 1 hand. I'm in a position where a dislocation pretty much means a reserve ride. Long time no see, but it sounds like you're having fun. Blue skies, Dave Todak "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

There's some unwelcome advice. Blues, Dave TWS#2 "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Hmm...established DZ's (to the best of my memory): Richland Skysports (Richland, WA) Skydive Yakima (Yakima, WA) Vista Skydiving (Kennewick, WA) Skydive Toledo (Toledo, WA) Kapowsin (Kapowsin, WA) Snake River Skydiving (Star, ID) Silvertip Skydivers (Missoula, MT) Skydive Lost Prairie (Marion, MT) Eugene Skydivers (Cresswell, OR) Wright Brothers Skydiving (Cresswell, OR) Cline Falls Skydiving (Redmond, OR) Skydive Eagle Creek (Eagle Creek, OR) The Parachute Center (Lodi, CA) Skydance Skydiving (Davis, CA) Perris Valley Skydiving (Perris, CA) Front Range Skydiving (Calhan, CO) Mile-Hi Skydiving (Longmont, CO) Las Vegas Gravity Zone (Jean, NV) Skydive Arizona (Eloy, AZ) I've jumped into too many non-dropzone areas to remember, much less list (e.g. demo's, non-DZ boogies, parties, etc) Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Economic Left/Right: -2.75 Libertarian/Authoritarian: -5.03 Pretty close to your scores. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Perhaps an ill-disguised attempt to reduce our ability to combat a tyrannical government? I mean really, none of the bans that are in place deter crime in the least, but they do tip the odds in favor of the military/police should an uprising occur. Given the right to keep and bear arms is for the security of a free state, shouldn't the arms we're allowed to bear match up reasonably against the weapons of potential opponents? Obviously the average citizen can't afford an Abrams, but what's the legal justification given for banning the ownership of a few LAWs? Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Since 1990, only six countries have executed people for crimes they committed as children: Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, and the United States. The U.S. has executed more children than any of the other countries, despite the fact that every major international human rights treaty expressly prohibits execution for crimes committed before the age of 18. Does "etc" include not telling anyone who we've got or allowing the Red Cross access to them? Continuing to hold them after we've toppled their government and replaced it with another? Are you referring to the U.S. citizens of Japanese descent that we put into "relocation" camps solely because of their heritage? Yeah, there's a great testament to our respect for human rights. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I understand that, I just worded my post very poorly. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Isn't a large reason we're starting to square off with N. Korea because they're pissed that we pulled our aid and want to use nukes as a hammer to get more? Not that I think we should concede, I mean, we make a deal - we'll help you if you do x for us. If you don't do x, we won't give you anymore help. Seems fair enough to me. Hell, maybe we should ramp down our aid worldwide until the recipients realize that handouts should be appreciated in deeds, not just words. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Here's one thing: "In order to reduce further losses of USPA general operating funds due to skyrocketing third-party liability insurance premiums, the Board of Directors raised the exhibition insurance costs to demonstration jumpers by 50% effective August 15, 2003. This will help offset the growing subsidy of the exhibition insurance premiums by membership dues. While the number of claims for demonstration jumps tend to be small, the dollar amounts of these claims substantially exceed those made by the individual members at drop zones. This action is intended to be a short-term, stopgap measure while alternative third-party insurance options can be examined." That means 50% more than the rates listed in the attachment to this post. This action follows close on the heels of them raising individual membership dues, and simultaneous with a current effort in which they're calling non-GM dropzones on the weekends and offering to waive the set-up fee ($100-$200 depending on size of dz) if they'll join the GM program. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

From Dilbert: Wally: "I don't understand how the new reorganization will help us 'focus on our core business'" Wally: "Did our core business change? Or are you saying that every reorg prior to this was a misdirected failure?" Boss: "Wally, when a car gets a flat tire, what do you do?" Wally: "Well, if I'm you, I rotate the tires and drive home." Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

I absolutely disagree. Scare the hell out of them. If they still show up, cool. They're making a jump while being informed of the risks. If they don't show up because we made them realize skydiving can be deadly (and they were too stupid to realize that on their own), even better. Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)

Yes, but those would have been "No" to specific motions, not "No" to anything the BOD submits AFTER the Term/Cycle/Petition motions. Jim is saying that by not helping establish a quorum, he was saying to the BOD "no you can't have a blank check with my signature at the bottom" Blues, Dave "I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew)