catbirdseat

Thread drift? Fugeddaboudit. Unemployment is too depressing to talk about for long.

Ain't she a beauty?

I'm no longer in a seat period. I'm outdoors hiking or climbing or whatever.

Trumpet AND Trombone? It is unusual for brass players to double on instruments with large and small mouthpieces. My son is dabbling in it. My teacher used to tell me don't, it will mess up your chops.

Biotech/ Pharmaceuticals- most of my experience is small molecules though

I play trombone in two bands already, a concert band on Mondays and a jazz band on Thursdays. I'll have more time to practice now.

I just got laid off from my job. Boom. No warning. I am now available for mid-week climbing.

Note to self: in future, avoid the use of phrase "junk tree".

Paresthesia. That's what I had. Although I don't think it was from wearing Prana pants . The hip belt on my big pack won't stay at my waist. It rides down and presses on a nerve somewhere. This results in a tingling sensation above my left knee which feels like the leg is going "to sleep". I had been all worried about a possible back injury. Had my spine x-rayed and MRI images taken. There was nothing wrong with my back. Has anyone else experience anything similar (whether from Prana pants or whatever)?

Nice tan, Trask. What have you got in your hand? You taking hits off an aerosol can or what?

Trask, we'd all know you because you'd be the guy dressed in his birthday suit.

I say make them more fuel efficient. Why not use more aluminum in the construction of SUV's? It would make them lighter and less prone to tipping over. And it would put our local boys back to work at the aluminum smelters here in WA.

Flying Pig, Everett No Smoking, Great beer, Kinda expensive http://www.nwbrewpage.com/wabpubs/FlyPig.html

Throw 'em in the freezer when they turn black until you have enough and then make banana nut bread. Yum!

That article definately had an agenda. An opinion piece really. I think that climbers have legitimate reasons to own an SUV. They need the ground clearance for the shitty roads, 4-wheel drive for snow, room to carry a lot of people and gear. Hell, I've got a 4x4 pickup myself. But, the majority of people who own them are just wanna be posers. They want to LOOK outdoorsy, without actually having to be outdoors. I'd bet 99% of the SUV's have never been driven off pavement.

"Five pounds isn't enough to get any panties in a bunch" Happens every year and I always lose it and I always complain. Bitch, bitch, bitch.

No, Trask, please tell us. Put it in a pair of breasts?

Look Trask, those trees could kill you. Plus they are tearing up the foundation of your house. Get 'em out of there, but be careful. Hire AlpineK. I am sure he does good work.

Whatever keeps my wife happy, so I can go climbing.

Trask, if it's your property you don't need permits, unless your trees have been designated Heritage Trees, which I doubt. When I bought my house, the first thing I did was hire a tree service (or arborist, if you will) to take out a huge hemlock and doug fir that shaded my entire back yard so that only moss would grow. I was also worried they might blow over in a storm and destroy my house, as they were to the south where storm winds come from. I now have a beautiful garden with 6 kinds of berries and 10 kinds of fruits and everyone on the block compliments us on how our yard looks.

Listen, I'm not defending what the judge did. It was wrong. Period. It wasn't his land. He didn't have permission. I have a dozen fruit trees on my property which I prune and care for myself. I chip and compost all the cuttings and leaves myself. We have a difference in opinion on trees. Some people and I'm not saying you, but some people, think that any tree is sancrosanct and should not be cut down for any reason. For example, there is a row of street trees near my office that have torn up the sidewalk and curb. The owner asked the city for permission to cut them down so he can replace the sidewalk and was granted a permit. He promised to plant new trees on the other side of the sidewalk. Public notices were posted. A week later, someone came along and tore down the notices. A statement saying that to them it doesn't matter how much property damage is done by the tree, how much cost, they don't want to see them cut down. It's easy to think that way when someone else bears the cost. I live on a hill. My house would have views of the Olympic and the Cascades were it not for the fact that all my neighbors have allowed naturally seeded hemlocks and doug firs to grow to a height of 50-100 ft on their properties. There isn't anything I can do about it. Too bad though. If they were gone the value of every house on the block would double. Unlike the judge, I have no plans to sneak onto their property in the night to cut them down.

I knew I shouldn't have gone to my folks house over the holidays. My mom was constantly feeding us and I must have put on 5 pounds. Gotta hit the gym and do some running. Anyone else gain over the holidays?

AlpineK, you sound like an unemployed landscaper to me. You sure get excited easily. I like bigleaf maples fine out in the forest. They just don't have any business growing in the big city and I certainly wouldn't want any growing around my house. They drop limbs that kill people, they knock out power lines. Their leaves block storm drains and their roots grow into sewers and tear up sidewalks. There are many other trees that are more suitable in an urban setting. That's all I'm saying.

Everyone should read J_B's article on SUVs. http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=14839 I thought it was interesting. I have noted myself that many SUV drivers are assholes. This confirms it scientifically. However the biggest assholes of all are BMW drivers.

His honor probably enhanced the value of his home by $100,000 by improving the view. He'll have to cough up at least that amount to the city, I'll wager. It's not as though he gets off scott free. Those trees were just junk trees- big leaf maple. They likely sprouted there naturally. My understanding is that the trees grow so fast and are so invasive with their roots that many communities have ordinances against planting them. All the radio commentators are ranting at the prosecuting attorney for not pressing criminal charges. No one seems to understand the law. This is a CIVIL matter. It was a property crime and the judge will pay for it with his pocketbook- big time. To bring felony charges you have to show malice against a particular person or persons and that was not the case here.