Deuce

Americans have a very short sense of history. Our nation has been around less time than a whole bunch of buildings in London. That works for and against us. Since we are generally looking forward, we get a lot of stuff done. And so while Americans in general don't recall the IRA bombing era, and certainly most don't understand the buzz-bomb and V-2 attacks, and what those times meant in terms of a true national understanding of terrorism. When one of your neighbors (not you in particular, Bill) gets burglarized and you have never had your house burglarized, you feel bad for them. When your house gets burglarized too, your sense of empathy and determination to get something done is completely different (most folks). We can parse the talking heads all day long. I think the general feeling here is that this is an awful thing that has happened and we must pull together even more to eliminate this threat. This is a different shared experience. It's not a pleasant one, but shared experiences bring people closer. Really, who cares what some guy reads off of a teleprompter?

I think the ignorance of that statement has more to do with the established history of the British being terrorized by the IRA and then the asshats from Libya who blew up that 747. Here in the US the coverage of our citizens over there being interviewed made me really proud of my British friends and their casual bravery. Lot's of Americans were quoted as saying "everybody was very calm and organized. Everybody, regular Londoners, not just the cops. Everybody seemed to know to move away from the blast and people were talking about getting clear of 'secondary explosions'" (a particularly heinous practice the IRA was big on, whereby the first explosion attracts a crowd and then a second blast takes out the cops, paramedics, firefighters, and spectators. Please consider that "knowing what something is like" by having experienced it, is often not condescending. I was on the front lines of the Oakland Hills firestorm and I pulled bodies out of the collapsed Cypres structure after the Loma Prieta earthquake here in San Francisco. I spent a lot of my law enforcement career working for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, so I know a little about evacuating people from underground tunnels when stuff is on fire. I even took a couple of british cops through a portion of the trans-bay tube where we discussed how much havoc an asshat with a bomb could cause, being that most of the downtown San Francisco train stations are below the water table. And now, many years later, it has happened. I'm off the job now, but if it were to happen to us, and I was tipping a beer with that old friend, he would tip his glass to me and say "see what I mean?" and I'd say "No shit. That was something you had to live through to understand" So, combat and disaster really can't be learned except through experience, and no disrespect or dishonor is often meant by an expression that we share an experience that really cannot be described except by experiencing it. Perhaps if the offending party had said, "Shame, now they know what it's like to be attacked by Al Quaida" it might have been better. But again, every tourist over there who was interviewed was simply awed by how calm and prepared everybody was, and how polite the cops were, which embarassed me a little. I suppose out own citizens expect the cops to be rude. Here's a picture of the hat the transport cop sent me after I showed him the underside of San Francisco. I don't recall his name right now, but I hope he's OK. And the rest of you.

I could just see Clay if that becomes the future of dating. "No. Really! It's a breathalyzer!"

OK, they make one, but it's like $800 bucks. Right down there next to "Preview Post" and "Check Spelling" would be a "BAC (blood alcohol content) button that would change the "Post Message" button from red to green, allowing the poster, who would have to be legally drunk, to post. In California we just have "Drunk" for drunk driving .08 BAC. In some creative jurisdictions they have a different standard for "kinda drunk" and have both "driving under the influence" and "driving while intoxicated". I always thought that was kinda cute, like "mildly pregnant". BillVon! And inexpensive USB breathalyzer and Sangiro-San, "Drunk" forum. Lots of beer and cigarette pop-up ads in that one. Big money. Yeah, I know lots of us post loaded, I want to know exactly how loaded. See the guy in this picture? He's finding out which chick is drunk enough that he has a chance with her.

Get to skyfest! I'd love to, but I'm running out of days off here at work Walk into your bosses office unannounced when he has a majority shareholder in there and climb on his desk and crap on his blotter. You'd be surprised by how nobody in the room will have anything to say. As you wipe yourself on the drapes ask for another week of vacation. It's worked every time for me. -You know I care about you.

Ah, Shanonnonnononoonaananananan, my lovely, my computer won't let me watch whatever wierd video you want to hypnotize me with. I'm really familiar with the homoerotic British thing though, and Ben and I both laughed rather uproariously when after straining Titanically to break a bolt loose on the port rear wheel we both crashed back onto the garage floor. It's very funny unless somebody suggests a shower and rub down. I offered some very caustic degreaser. It was quite funny though. I worry about Ben, though. Later, at an appropriate Irish pub, he ordered Stella. Poofter. I had Guiness and Gareth had Bass if I remember correctly. (We represented the international symbol for hammered that night, eh?)

Holmes, my brother paid like $3500 for that Rover. I don't know about the motor, but the running gear is worth that much.

I can fix it! You are loaded 1:1 on an elliptical parachute. Your Pilot has a good affirmative flare when you flare it right. Let's talk about what's going wrong, and even if it's consistent. -I have no desire to teach people to swoop, and I don't necessarily think that swoopers are the best resource for the rest of us that just want to skim some grass and slide to a nice giggling stop after a spectacular freefall. One of the things my students find most usefull is knowing where the 12 foot place is to start the flare. You know where it is? It's on that balcony overlooking the hotties at the pool when you are on vacation. That distance, from the first floor balcony (second for my Euro buddies) that overlooks the pool or the beach. Visualize that. That's where you start. Now, if you stab down right there you will surge up, probably, and you better just hold those toggles all the way down there and PLF. But that second-story balcony is the beginning of really good landings. When you get there, pull your toggles to get affirmative control of the canopy and then just practice timing until you have a full flare just a moment after your feet start skimming the grass or that brown talcum powder they have at Perris. The distance to the ground where you start your flare is completely unrelated to how fast you are moving over the ground. If you got last year's dropzone.com video you have me doing about 50mph over the grass as I screw up (on a Guiness World Record scale) and do a downwinder unintentionally. The pace of the flare does not change. The flare is how you slow down how fast you are approaching the ground vertically. It's just hard to disregard the horizontal speed, and you may just be too smart to block it out like I do. OK? Flaring is about decellerating your vertical momentem. You can be going downwind or crosswind, but you are using the flare to slow down your contact with the planet. Ideally it's into the wind and you look like a rock star, but even if you don't get it quite right you get the slowing down as you approach the planet part right regardless of the crosswind. Into the wind. Second story pool hotties. Flare a little to make sure it's working, and then finish out so that you are out of flare when you are out of forward speed. You rock. Remember. You rock.

Dude, we used a cheater bar too. I hate to admit it, but the standard issue articulation on a Rover is exteme. Really extreme. When you jack up the wheel to take it off (not the axle) chock the frame and then drop the axle the damn rotor just about touches the ground. My Dakota is WAAAAAAY faster and I like it way better, but that Rover is a capable wheeler.

Earlier on somebody said they had gotten a text from him.

You guys all know my thoughts are with you. You British founded the school of tough, and once things settle down there's a whole bunch of terrorists that will horribly realize they made a terrible misjudgement regarding your national resolve. Praying for all of you. Knowing you will persevere. JP

Ben has the Sawzall and I have the 1/2'' air hammer. Replacing the rear shocks, already finished the fronts. Had the cut the port side shock out, rusted completely through. Much noise and smoke. Great fun.

There are prettier men, but none with a cooler accent than BigBen, and nobody with a more killer set of tools to cut the rusted stuff off the bottom of your Rover than me. Ha!

Don't be a wuss. The pizza exists only for your pleasure, whether or not it's what the pizza wanted, fold and eat. That's probably why round pizza is better. It's proves it's density by first showing prowess at being a spinner.

You fold it in half with the gooey stuff on the inside and call it a calzone. You just pick it up and eat it. When anybody gives you any shit about it, kick their ass.

Out of all the available options, the cut in laterals are probably your best bet. On a larger first rig, they make a HUGE difference in how comfortable the rig is to wear. Get the cut in laterals, and probably an RSL for that first one, at least.

Well, duh. You're from Holland. It's really not that vierd. (Hi Mac!)

Oh. I'm laughing so hard. Thanks.

there's been quite a bit of talk about you and holes lately... dont ya think? Don't make me come down there..... EEEEEEEETE!

I started by gettin out of the hole in the side of the plane.

I like #1 better, and you won't be sorry you went Wings. Tell them Deuce sent you! (Ankie is an Angel, and Henri is an alchemist!)

Ummm. The need is clear. The window of opportunity is currently closed.

Dude up and leaves us The shows up like it's nothing You're not in Iraq?

I AM RICK JAMES,BITCH! Get me a goddamn sammich! You see my pimp hand?!

X X L Retard A short bus motherfucker Where's his damn helmet?