RobBob

quote: vi·chys·soise (vsh-swäz, vsh-) n. A thick creamy potato soup flavored with leeks and onions, usually served cold. I'm still trying to figure out what DFA meant by this. Scott, you're all right. If I laugh at cougar jokes, or jab at your 'teryx, it's all in fun and not personal, and I bet that's the way it is with 90% of the folks here. You've supplied a laugh and that's a good thing. Don't let the bastards get you down, be yourself, take the pokes with a grain of salt. You continue to give this board a lot to talk about.

Trask, I need to make a fashion statement, and that might be the ticket.

I went the way of thin, form-fitting jacket, and am still contemplating the soft shell decision. This fleece will be dual-use, for climbing/scrambling attire, and for a reasonably-presentable jacket for everyday use. I have had good luck using a fleece zip jacket for this dual use for a year at a time. 2001's model now has battery acid holes on sleeve, and pilled like a bastard. It was no-name. I left the 2001-2002 model in an Avis rentacar; it was an REI mid-weight, which was nicer than the no-name. As I think I said before, the mid-weight in combo with the heavy Goretex XCR shell has been a heavier combo than I've wanted. I hope the lighter-wt fleece and softshell will be a better combo. Thanks for the advice.

Dru, How's that Hello Kitty endorsement package shaping up?

Kingair on approach...odds tremendously favor pilot error. DFA, you and Barbra are nuts.

Damn, ChucK, how come you were able to say what I was trying to say, so much better than me? What you said!

Oh well, I see many posts added since I made my post, including Anna's, which addresses my concern about recklessness. Maybe I was wrong. I dunno. But I do believe in introspection when you scare the hell out of yourself. Not a knee-jerk "get back on the horse" response. Listen to those who say they were trying to get through to you but you weren't listening. Is it possible, even a little bit, that they were doing so but you chose to hear what what you heard and not to hear what you didn't want to hear? I say this not to criticise, but with humility, as one who has had to do just that myself in the past.

Dr. Flash, If you were more Twight-like, you would eschew zippers altogether, since they add weight. You would wriggle into your action suit, beer-gutless and buffed, and proceed to the gym in a zen-like state.

Who in hell is doing to meet DFA in a parking lot at 11pm on Saturday night? What are they paying him for? I really must start reading these threads.

I think the thing that makes this thread so interesting (besides trask playing nice-guy)is it shows how different personalities see the situation differently, communicate differently, and even take offense at others' communications because they perceive them as off-the-wall. Norman, I think the criticisms were harshly communicated, and I think it's unfortunate if Anna has taken it personally. But on the other hand, I understand the point that if you believe you know a lot about flying, for instance, and you've just soloed for the first time, maybe your self-confidence and drive is notched up a tad too high for technically demanding pastimes where life hangs in the balance. When I board an airplane, I look into the cockpit and hope that the person in the left seat scores middle-of-the-road on emotional intensity, and mid- to high-range on intuition...but not too extreme. And I pray to God that it's not Kerouac's Dean Moriority at the helm!

Off, I guess I'm mumbling to the gods, hoping that Bush will do it himself. I think he's capable of it, but doesn't realize to what degree he's allowing Rumsfeld to wield power in a way that usurps his authority. Don't get me wrong, I think Rumsfeld was a good choice for Defense, and handled Afganistan well. But just like Patton, or Don Regan, or 'Alexander the Haig,' he has a history of power-grabbing and mischief-making when there's a lull. Bush needs to draw him up short ASAP. Then Bush needs to articulate an overarching middle east policy that everyone can understand and expect the US to follow.

As a Bush supporter and voter, I continue to be disappointed by Bush's lack of control of Rumsfeld. Rumsfeld is a high-ranking version of a Patton. Every once in awhile you've got to rare back and jerk his choke-chain until he gasps for breath, just to remind the sumbitch that you're the boss, not him. Bush isn't doing it. I see this weekend that pundits are starting to notice this, finally. It's the reason we are coming off so jerky in our Iraq policy, etc. There's CIA intel, then there's Rumsfeld's own concocted mini-CIA, and it's intel to support his machinations. Nancy Reagan controlled Don Regan. Who's going to control (or fire) Rumsfeld?

That's a brave one, trask. Maybe we have the reserves, maybe we don't...it'd be political suicide for Bush. And this strategy practically implies an eventual active war against Islamists in general.

DFA, Only if his arrow is longer than his crossbow.

Hey ChucK, I just saw it today too. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it was worth reading...charicature opinions are offered, insults are traded, feelings are hurt, but there are some important and worthwhile points made by several parties.

Whoever Chips and Tyrone are, I think that their exaggerated stances have a kernal of honesty in them. Here we have already heard Anna express that she didn't hear warnings in the past...only positives from peers. Others suggest she wasn't listening. She also appears to want to get feedback that makes her feel better, if I read the beginning post correctly. I'm fanning the flames here, but her BBS personality appears to be as gung-ho and reckless as the Kerouac characters her post-script refers to. It's an interesting thread.

[ 11-04-2002, 08:40 AM: Message edited by: RobBob ]

Hey Off, I'm just trying to figure out which avatar is trask's: Chips or Tyrone? I am convinced he's playing out his very own good-guy/bad-guy on this thread. Shameless horndog...reminds me of that scene in Dumb and Dumber..."So you're sayin' there's a chance!"

PAGETOP!

quote: I am praying for all of you that involve yourselves in premartial sex. Premartial sex...is that the kind before you march off to battle?

I dunno. Ask the lawgoddess with 2 boyfriends.

Not to spoil the fun, but you'll be sued (probably successfully) if someone injures themselves on it...

Got my ugly, bulky Vector on eBay for $120. Think I'll keep it, since all it takes is one trip to one of those over-12,000 peaks to wish you had one.

Only some of us need to hunt. It's more than the act of hunting. Being a hunter is a state of mind.

This is a better type of soft-shell than that: