TriGirl

Scott Weiland started it Dec 3. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

I've heard more about Harry's. Lots of good reviews, but one friend said every now and then he gets a really bad blade. He uses it to shave his head, so he's had some pretty nasty gashes taken from his scalp from the occasional bad blade. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

On the other hand, I really appreciated judging at Collegiates in pleasant weather! (Last year in Eloy we all froze.) I know the competitors appreciated it, too! See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

I believe that there is an error in Source 1. It says: "Prior to 1984, neither federal civil service workers nor Members of Congress paid taxes to Social Security, nor were they eligible for Social Security benefits. Members of Congress and other federal employees were instead covered by a separate pension plan called the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)." According to a discussion I had with a member of US Senator Mark Hatfield's staff back around '78-'79, members of the congress could opt for the CSRS system or the Social Security System but not both. Normal fed employees were not able to choose; and could not pay into Social Security additionally if they wanted to. Jerry Baumchen 30-yrs on CSRS - Now happily collecting the goodies Well done you! (On collecting what you've earned)

So, according to this nut job, illegals are taking skilled-labor jobs AND welfare? That's pretty impressive. Then again, he thinks that construction and blue-collar jobs are places to "freeload." Yeah, okay. There's a real go-getter there. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Now I want to see, "Meet Your Second Husband." Okay, one of those "wives" dies, but at least the first wife of the novelist should be able to afford a pretty hot cabana boy on the alimony he'll have to shell out (especially with the movie option)! See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

All of these replies have been about the "what if" injury/death scenario. Perhaps your relatives are talking about money? Or time? From what I've seen and heard, small kids make great packing weights. Older kids make great packers. So, you can still spend your weekends together as a family at the DZ. "Hours of fun for the whole family!" See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

No one in the private sector is guaranteed a pension. Why should government employees receive them? I must admit this one throws me. I cannot imagine a career military person being denied a pension. On the other hand, why should a congressman or senator receive a pension after only one term in office? "After only one term in office" is only eligible for any type of pension of that one term is a senate term. The member must have served at least five years, and cannot pull any funds until at least age 62. Any earlier receipt of pensions are only for members who have served longer terms. Members and staff pay 1.3% of their salaries to fund this account, as well as 6.2% of the first $90,000 into Social Security (the same as the rest of us pay SS). For five years of service, at age 62, that member would be eligible to receive only 8.5% of his or her base salary, averaged for the highest three years' salary received. To make the math easy, if that member served only five years, and the highest three years of salary averaged $150,000, at age 62 that former member of congress could receive $12,750/year (before taxes) for the rest of his or her life. Is that more than most Americans can hope to get out of five years in one job? At this point, probably. But let's be realistic about what kind of pensions and benefits are available to members of congress (and other federal employees -- there are many more elements in Source 1), and who pays for what. Source 1 Source 2, with other references See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

You have what I consider a tough job. I worked with two former defense attorneys. Both gave up their positions in favor of work less stressful. Adequate defense is necessary in our system to make it work. When the bad guy is found guilty it is the defense attorney's responsibility to make certain the conviction cannot be overturned on appeal. To fulfill your duties and responsibilities you have to get close to some really bad guys. Third party professional distance is often hard to maintain. And yet, Item 29 on your list would deny him a pension upon retirement. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Six boogie t-shirts See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Libby? See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Perhaps this guy? See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Agree with NWFlyer -- the flavor is more of the spices used than of actual pumpkin (although IMO you should be able to taste pumpkin as well). As for texture -- I like mine pretty firm, like a nice flan. Incidentally, the "pumpkin spice" that is so popular for every type of food or treat around this time of year is not spiced pumpkin (i.e. pumpkin flavor and with spices), but the spices that go into a pumpkin pie filling. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Hugs. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Anyone hear any results yet? Votes were due yesterday. Nothing yet on USPA's website, either. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Just know we're all going to want PICS! (or it didn't happen ) Seriously, if you have a good underwater camera, please consider sharing some of your adventure when you get back. Hope you have a great time! See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

I don't know, Bill -- those last few sound suspect. Kind of like the "Axis of Countries that End in 'Guay'." They were Paraguay, Uruguay and Chadguay (they needed three). See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

You're on to something. Obama did mention campaigning in all 57 states. 60, actually. There's the State of Confusion, State of Fear, Solid State, State the Obvious... ...state of mind, state of affairs, state of the union... See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

What terrorist was that? If you're talking about the loser who shot up the recruiting office, then drove across town to attack the NOSC in July, then let's get that story straight. He was an alcoholic and drug addict. He was also drunk at the time of the rampage. Not a terrorist, just a loser and a copy-cat. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

It's not racy, it's hackneyed and lazy. Wanna be really risque in your marketing? Make a dick joke. Aspercream had one a couple years back that lasted on TV only about a month. Tagline was, "you bet your sweet Aspercream!" See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

One angle I think has been overlooked so far is simply sex for the enjoyment of sex. People in a relationship should have an agreement for sexual behavior with each other and other people (none, some, together, whatever). But let's not forget that plenty of people have sex totally outside relationships, and without the intent of (and often carefully guarding against) procreation. Isn't it funny how the big scandals over societally unacceptable sexual behavior usually involve those who have had to or are trying to repress those thoughts and behaviors? Example: the "socially conservative" loudmouth man who puts down same-sex couples, caught picking up guys in public places. Or the people raised in ultra-religious families or communities, so insistent that anything sexual outside the marriage bed is evil -- are the ones frequenting strip clubs, hiring prostitutes, soliciting for or caught having affairs. Denying the natural desires of your physical being -- oppressing them to the point of negligence -- just sets the stage for them to surface with more strength and with less ability to be understood/controlled. I am NOT saying we should all just give in to all desires all the time. However, they certainly should be acknowledged, understood and accepted, so as to be better enjoyed and better balanced with the other things important in life. To some, that means never entering a monogamous relationship in the first place. To others, that might mean "going solo" until they're married. Most certainly, it should mean only engaging in consensual physical encounters with anyone else, and not hurting anyone (I don't think I have to name those infractions here). Ultimately, we need to remove the stigma of human sexuality. Only then can we understand ourselves, and incorporate it responsibly into the rest of our lives. Just the 2 cents from an amateur humanist. :) See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Shawiiiiiiiiiiing!! I wonder if they sang Bohemian Rhapsody? Stairway to Heaven See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

I have the same question. Congrats!! +1 So happy for you, but yeah, that was fast!! Best of luck.

I almost forgot, It's Daylight Saving Time (not Savings). It happened at darn near the same time, slackers. Actually, we're currently on Standard Time. DST ended over the weekend. So now, when people are arranging meetings and giving the start time, they'll be correct when they write CST. I am one of those annoying grammar people -- well, at least to my Marines. Of course, I do run the public affairs department, and my Marines are reporters. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!

Trivia question: what did "P" stand for? (what was Coltrane's middle name?) Penelope [buzzer] nope. (ETA: I'll give it another day for others to offer their answers before providing it) Pervert (Purvis actually) as a kid I thought that was close enough ding ding ding ding!!! (well, the Purvis part anyway!) And how do we know this? Because he had a girlfriend who got pissed at him and started yelling & throwing things. And said all three names, one at a time, with increasing annoyance. So, looks like the Mayberry paradigm overflowed with the actor to his next character! He was only really happy when he was single. See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump!