Zenister

I wandered into one of those when i was in Col Springs..its HUGE, not quite as big as the massive REI in seattle but still HUGE... i did think it was a bit pricey for the things i was looking at (snowboarding and climbing gear) but i didnt tell the cute sales chickie that, she might not have given me her number.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

true, true. gotta go thru all the flavors before you repeat though ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

WASHINGTON, DC—Preparing for a showdown with Iraq, President Bush deployed more than 15,000 very special U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf Tuesday. Bush said the objective of the mission, named Operation Great Job!, is twofold: to force Saddam Hussein to comply with U.N. weapons inspectors currently in the country, and to provide America's very special forces with a positive, rewarding, esteem-building experience. "With Operation Great Job!, we send the message loud and clear to Saddam Hussein that his longtime defiance of the U.N. and international law will not be tolerated," Bush said. "We also send the equally important message to our own troops that what's important is not whether you defeat the enemy, but that you try your best and have fun." ---------------- http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/extern/1086379.jpg Above: Sgt. Tommy Dolber, who loves baseball and rollerskating, leads a group of very special forces in maneuvers near the Iraq-Kuwait border. ---------------- Added Bush: "Hooray, U.S. troops!" At a Pentagon press conference, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld expressed confidence that the mission will be successful. "I have full faith that our troops will do a terrific job in Iraq," Rumsfeld said. "But even if they make a few mistakes, we'll still be very, very proud of them." Rumsfeld stressed that the safety of America's special forces is his number-one priority. To reduce the risk of injuries, he has urged all U.S. troops to tie their shoelaces "nice and tight." "Whenever you're in a combat situation, there's inevitably going to be some running involved," Rumsfeld said, "and the last thing we want is for any of our soldiers to trip and fall." Morale is said to be high among the very special forces, who were flown Monday from Sheppard Air Force Base to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a squadron of specially modified C-130 "short planes." Upon arriving, the troops were given a thorough mission debriefing by Gen. James Herzog and a butterscotch-pudding snack cup. Each soldier was then issued an AR-15 rifle, three clips of NATO 5.56mm rounds, a combat helmet with a velcro safety-strap, and a fanny pack with his name written on it in black magic marker. ------------------ http://image1ex.villagephotos.com/extern/1086380.jpg Above: A C-130 "short plane" transports a battalion of very special forces to the Gulf. ------------------ "We are going to win the war," said Pvt. Richie Ammaker of Hagerstown, MD, eating his snack cup with a Capri-Sun juice-pak. "I love to clap and sing along to the music!" "Col. Gene [Diering] says that if we take out the communications tower in Al Basrah, we can have a pizza party," Pvt. Josh Paretsky of Midland, TX, said. "Pizza party! Pizza party! Pizza party!" "You're pretty," Paretsky added. "Will you marry me?" Gen. Thomas Merritt, who is overseeing Operation Great Job!, said the troops are thoroughly prepared for what lies ahead. "We have gone over maneuvers and protocol in exhaustive detail, and we have all marked down our special targets in our special notebooks, "Merritt said. "The soldiers know they are not to wander off from the group. They know they are to use inside voices when in enemy territory. And they know they are to go to the bathroom prior to all ground assaults. This group is ready." Merritt went on to note that, despite the very special nature of the mission, strict military discipline will be enforced, including mandatory quiet-room "time-outs" for any soldiers who begin "acting out" or displaying inappropriate behavior in combat situations. According to Secretary of State Colin Powell, the length of the mission depends upon the performance of the troops. "Hopefully, all will go well, and our very special forces will be back home within a week," Powell said. "But if there are setbacks, such as soldiers losing their keys, having trouble staying on task, or forgetting to take their pills, it could take longer." Regardless of the outcome on the field of battle, Powell said America's fighting forces will emerge as "big winners." "These soldiers will have the chance to strike a blow for global democracy and make lots of new friends in the process, so how could they possibly lose?" asked Powell, who noted that every soldier who participates in Operation Great Job! will receive a shiny medal. "This is truly going to be a very special invasion." --------------------------- you know i always had faith in the US Armys ability to use the right weapon for the job. edit to make the links clicky.. the really funny thing, is i got this from another board i lurk at alot, and people are already starting to flame Bush over the qoutes ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

Umm depends darlin' it just depends.... might one suggest alternating evening rasslin' locations? The same ole same ole tends to get dull… ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

mmmm fresh tomatoes.. is there anything better?? my pizza just arrived ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

belly?!?! ...oh doh..wishful thinking.. belly is cool ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

please! ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

i eat a lot (too much perhaps) of turkey anyway..did the ham thing for lunch with a few of my new co-workers families.. probably going to disappear up to Mt. Baker to see some my 'real' family and then up into canada to chase snow... anyone else feel closer to their "friends' instead of their biological family. I mean i love them to death, but they are SUCH different people from the family i chose..and who chose me. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

Pizza on they way, CSI on the tube and a SnowCap in my hand... let the post whoring begin! who else has no life? ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

cool..pm me next year sometime and maybe we'll meet up for some snow fun, or i'll see you at Kapowsin.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

so ask her which backdrop she prefers.. of course once her eyes roll back its moot point ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

nah i'd jsut rather watch the stars spin than the ceiling tiles...:D ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

i made it from Olympia to Bellingham in 2 hours last weekend..then another 45 min or so up the mountain..of course in the winter it will be an hour and a half, up the mountain. of course i've got lots of friends at Baker (including an ex-fiancee that i'm still great friends with so i've got extra incentive to drive) were actually talking about heading to Blackcomb on Sat for a bit of snowplay.. i'm moving up here in Jan (right after the Xmas boogie) well have to link up for a trip ( althoughi havent stood on skis in 15 years) do you jump at Kapowsin? I went out to watch a couple of weeks ago, but been to busy with work and my rig is in Eloy..:( ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

I'll be camping. since i'm trying to make 100 jumps during the Xmas boogie i need every penny i can spare. personally i also think more fun will be had outside around the campfires than over in the hotel, but B2 did get a great deal for the less outdoorsy types ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

yeah but Baker has better snowboard runs than Crystal, and hopefully more snow.. funny thing is this fall everyone was expecting another record snowfall year...not unless it really dumps soon :( ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

Tommy does make some suprisingly good stuff, but they really really like it too (very expensive comparitivly) i know a couple of schools that wear it too, but they get it thru proforms, so get something like 40-60% off.. this year my clothing is all Ride gear..lots of friendly features,( extra pockets large zippers, good pow skirts etc..) i hate click ins..they are geat when you begin the day, but once they get compacted with snow its more of a pain than it worth IMO..and they do feel different..the pair i used 2 seasons ago always felt like my heels were floating, since the attachment point was under my arch... always remember boot fit is THE most important factor... grrr do i pray for clear skies so i can jump at Kapowisn all winter, or pray for snow so i can play at Baker every week end? decisions, decisions.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

yes and with any luck will continue to be able to jump until i'm to old to do anything but drool on myself... Skydive AZ rocks!! ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

oh how i miss shampoo Mohican. unfortunatly the army ran him off and he has yet to return :( ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

during which the lovely and talented TangoMonkey will be teaching us to be far more graceful in the air.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

my mother has had maybe 4 glasses of wine that i can recall, my father drinks very, very rarely (there was a bottle of gentleman jack that lasted at least 8 years and i think i drank more of it than he when i was home on occasion.) i can only recall seeing him drunk once. that said they let me drink rather young. We were stationed in germany for 9 years, and i think the fact that it was never 'taboo' kept me from ever really going way over the edge..i even tried to crawl into a bottle (proverbally) while going thru some tough times and discovered it just wasnt me.. so while i enjoy the occasional drink it isnt really a requirement for me.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

i'm doing the tent thing (even if i have to REALLY stake it down) but i'll probably try and bribe someone to let me use a shower on occasion so i dont have to drive back to PHX so often (and dont get pushed out of the plane early...) going to have to make monthly flight into PHX after i move up here, the weather rocks right now, but everyone is amazed and it wont last.. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

yeowzzah...blue skies here yesterday and today... but alas no rig, and i'm saving cash to pay for Xmas.. but i cant wait to see Rainer in freefall... ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

exactly..and you know someone would, fairly regularly i imagine ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

rotfcmeo... i can just hear Sam calling that one at manifest, imagine the disruption in the packing area as everyone fell over... ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

just started fencing again..after nearly 8 years off. they have a great salle in Seattle, several national champions currently train there so of course i jump back in and attempt some of the training routines i did in college (when i was competing nationally) oow ow ow ow ow my legs feel like they are about to collapse every time i walk upstairs. ____________________________________ Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.