catbirdseat

I was watching one of his commercials the other day. He seemed like such a warm and caring guy. I'm thinking about all the Americans watching this ad who are going to fall for the lie. It absolutely amazes me how the exterior belies the truth of the man. Americans are pretty dumb when it comes to falling for false fronts. But after they have been burned a few times more and more of them will come around.

Rantisi is the perfect definition for the word "monster".

I expect that Microsoft will never pay up its $600 million fine by the EU. They'll use similar tactics. They figure it's much cheaper to pay the lawyers. Even at 3% interest, they are earning $21 million a year, assuming no inflation. So they pay the lawyers a couple million a year. It's a good deal and good business.

This is one of the best Freudian slips I have seen in a long time.

"We all have a need to decorate Mother Nature because it belongs to all us," Chilean-born Danish artist Marco Evaristti said Thursday. "This is my iceberg; it belongs to me." Discuss Red Iceberg

I just love 'em. The thing about tricams is know where NOT to use them and how to recognize situations where they are superior to cams. Then you'll like them. There are situations where tricams will work great when nothing else will. I carry the #s 0.5, 1 and 2.

Alex, I know about that one. Some people call it the "hidden crack". I agree with you that the Alien is "Psycho Pro" at best. It's a good place to put one's foot. Greg, if I came out in support for hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet, you'd find a way to disagree with me. Now if I came out in support of gun rights...

When executing the step across, it is best not to dwell on the possible consequences of a fall. <<Insert Yoda quote here>>.

Wow.

Will, you will never fill Fairweather's shoes, try as you might.

The crack I was referring to that would take an Alien is just below and to the right of mvs' arm pit in this photo. At the very top of the photo is a flake with a slot facing down in which one can place cam of about 2 inches. Obviously, you would want a double shoulder length runner on it.

Ken, I don't get why people think the first pitch is hard. It is very easy if you know how to stem. Only the exit move is hard. The two moves onto the roof are hard because all you have are a couple of tiny side pulls for your hands and you have to move your feet twice on tiny edges until you can reach the big jug.

Last year there was a small horizontal crack on the face of the roof that is the start of the second pitch. This crack could take a small Alien or TCU to protect the step across. I noticed that as of last weekend the rock was broken away at the bottom of the crack so it will no longer take a cam. Someone must have fallen on it. Modern technology had taken away some of the scariness, but now the route is back the way it was before.

When I went in May 1999 we used Smith Butte Snow Park and went up via Aiken Lava Beds.

One night, as a couple lay down for bed, the husband gently tapped his wife on the shoulder and started rubbing her arm. His wife turned over and said, "I'm sorry honey, I've got a gynecologist appointment tomorrow and I want to stay fresh." Her husband, rejected, turned over and tried to sleep. A few minutes later, he rolled back over and tapped his wife again. This time he whispered in her ear, "Do you have a dentist appointment tomorrow too?"

What was the name of that guy who skied Hood six times in one day?

Last year on the descent from Champagne on Snow Creek Wall, we were standing under a burnt tree that was "raining ticks". We found three ticks between us in the space of five minutes.

Erik, this isn't the Post Like Wirlwind thread.

Damn, up until this point, my morning was going really well.

Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman who plotted the bombing of the World Trade center in 1993 was a blind old man too. We threw his ass in prison where he rots to this day. Isreal would have been better off had they kidnapped Yassin. Of course, easier said than done.

Mmmmm Crisco. I was looking through that book for a recipe that didn't use shortning. I couldn't find one so I finally said, to heck with it, you only live once.

Temperatures can vary tremendously on Rainier. You would be best off getting a current weather forecast before you leave and choose your gear based on that. If you get temperatures for Longmire (2760) or Paradise at 5,500 ft, you can figure that the summit will be approximately 30-40 degrees F colder than that. High Camp will be about 20-30 degrees colder.

Right on, Mark! Congratulations.

Well? Did you shake his hand and get his autograph?