JGowans

If you now think that a Forester and a circumcursion are in the same ball park, you need to take your head out of your ass and stick your thumb back in. They're in two totally separate ballparks (actually, the circumcursion isn't in the ballpark, it takes up the whole soccer field!) So, let me get this straight. Ursa and Josh weren't talking about SUVs per say. They were merely referring to specific models of SUVs. Is that the party line now? So, earlier when Ursa branded all SUV owners as having 2" cocks and threatened to sue me should my SUV Land Rover crash into him, he really meant a Navigator. Is that what you're saying now? You dug yourself in a big fucking hole spouting your holier than though mantra against the owners of SUVs and now that you're contemplating buying one, you're saying, "Well, it's ok to own certain models but not others." Whatever.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is not a marketing company. Why can't you just fucking admit you're wrong and I'm right?

It's even on Subaru's site. If it's bogus, why don't you call up Subaru and tell THEM they're talking shite.

Fact is, IT IS CLASSIFIED AS A SMALL UTILITY VEHICLE...not a car. I own an SUV by the way so it's not me who argues against them. It was Ursa Eagle complaining about the size of them..not gas consumption. So, before you get your fucking knickers in a twist, it's not me who's complaining about them on one hand and buying one on the other. I own one and am fucking proud to. The Forrester is probably bigger than 90% of the "cars" on the road and therefore an added hazard (if you follow Ursa_Eagle et al's line of reasoning). So, you can all fuck off for that matter. My post isn't idiotic. It's fucking fact and to claim otherwise is fucking idiotic...wanker!

Hold the fuck up and stop the press. Aren't you the very wankstain that bitched and bitched about how stupid SUVs were and how those driving them had 2" cocks? At what point does a car stop being a car and become an SUV? I'd reckon that a Forrester is pretty fucking close. It's a lot bigger than most fucking cars which is what you whined about for fucking umpteen pages and at one point threatened to sue me should I crash into you. You're so fucking hypocritical! You can claim it's a car or a fucking crossover but it's semantics. It's classified as a Small Sports Utility Vehicle compared to vehicles such as the Ford Escape, Jeep Wrangler, and Rav4. Fuck off you wanker!!!

Hey Jason, That was some helpful info there. Thanks a lot. /j

I knew it was Gaelic but alas I'm not from the highlands & islands...only about 2% of the population speak the language these days. It's enjoying a bit of a resurgence but it's a bloody shame what has happened to our language. I'm from Dundee in the North-East. Are you Scottish as well?

Serious! You just need to pass the basic class. Yeah, but that's a volunteer position with a volunteer organization. Not exactly something I can put on my resume really although it would be a way to figure out if I enjoy teaching I suppose.

Funny

I have a Scotland flag on my right shoulder. Had it since I first came to the Seattle 4 years ago and still like it a lot. I got it done at Slave To The Needle in Ballard. The yellow & red paint they used turned out awesome. Not very creative I suppose but tatoos are all about personal expression and some folks get stuff that means something to them while others go for creativity. Yours is pretty cool. What does text say?

So, I got a good link regarding the Canadian version of the AMGA who in partnership with the University College of the Cariboo offer a pretty comprehensive course. I also heard some tidbits from friends of guides and climbers who think that guiding would prevent them from doing what they want to do and hence detract from the pleasure they currently derive from climbing. All good stuff. Thanks. Anybody actually done any guiding? Have ideas on logical next steps?...

I used to have a girlfriend who got 2 months off each summer and a week here and there. Not to mention the various learning days they had when there were no kids in school. That's pretty massive compared to most folks 2 or 3 weeks vacation in the corporate world. I know very few teachers who don't fill that two months with either the state-required professional development or a summer job to augment the table scraps tossed to them by the legislature. And those "learning days" aren't vacation days, they're work days. "Summers off" is a myth. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you mate, but I know of a fair amount of teachers who use the time to travel during those 2 months. Also, the URL you supplied makes some pretty broad generalizations about the private sector. One such example is the assumption that most folks in the private sector work only 7.5 hours per day. I already stated earlier that I think teachers are undervalued and underappreciated. I'm not about to trade barbs with you regarding how they spend their free time. Here's to teachers.

I used to have a girlfriend who got 2 months off each summer and a week here and there. Not to mention the various learning days they had when there were no kids in school. That's pretty massive compared to most folks 2 or 3 weeks vacation in the corporate world.

I alwys knew sparying on cc.com was valuable and would come in handy some day.

Yes, you're absolutely right mate. That's why I was curious about tagging along with an outfit in a low-key role and just learn that way as well as the obvious adage of there being no substitute for experience.

"Undervalued" as in "shitty pay". Better sell that Land Rover if you're looking to be a guide, unless Dad's gonna help you out. Necro, I don't have parents so there's no financial crutch amigo. I'm on my own here. By undervalued, I mean that teachers aren't empowered to make decisions nor truly teach anymore. The learning experience for kids these days has definitely receded in my opinion, and teachers are caught in a never ending bind of how to effectively educate with very little support. That's what I meant by undervalued

I think guide, and while rock instructor would I think be interesting too, I'm light years away from being able to legitimately function as a rock instructor.

Yes, I am talking about personal fulfillment. Teaching is definitely a worthy occupation but one that in my opinion is altogether undervalued in this day and age. Moreover, aside from the massive vacation time, I don't think I'd gain the freedom that I'm looking for. Hmmm.

That's actually a really good point. I wonder why they don't have such a stipulation in place? Then again, wouldn't that be akin to truckers having to spend 80 hours a year fixing potholes?

Obviously that's a detraction but in one shape or another, we deal with assholes on a daily basis. If I could do it outside in an atmosphere that I love, then it might only be half as bad as in a stuffy office. I have heard this complaint before too though, and it'd be interesting to hear how some guides deal with that...

Are you talking about Rainier there Rob? I thought you only needed to be licensed for Rainier? I certainly haven't thought to the degree of being a licensed independent outfit, but would rather like to test the water so to speak by tagging along as an equipment mgr. or something with a more established firm part-time for example. More to the point though, do you and the others have an opinion as to how rewarding such a job might be?

I think I've been seeing a lot of weird sayings recently that are now being feverishly proliferated in the media. As American As Apple Pie is one that springs to mind. In the 9 years that I've been in the U.S. I've never heard such a statement until the last few weeks. It's normally used in the context of "A dissenting voice is as patriotic and American as apple pie..." Is this new? Also, what are some of the other sayings that are being bandied around just now?

I've been entertaining the idea recently (not too seriously) of changing out the corporate life for that of a mountain guide. I am by no means an accomplished climber, but am curious nonetheless. What would it take to be a guide? Anybody here work as a guide? Do they ever make any money (I know it's not much if any)? What is it like to do it day in day out? I know about the AMGA certification process and it seems like it'd take about 50 years to complete...

I fucking lap that shit up...pain that is. Ask CatBird. I just got done doing my best Rocky impersonation sprinting up the hills of downtown Seattle. I didn't raise my hands up at the end of each rep. though cos there was a lot of traffic and I didn't want the burds thinking I'm a spaz or nothing. Also, my cousin was Olympic silver medalist and world champion in the early '90s. She ran for 9 months with a broken knee cap. She's definitely the toughest person I ever met in my life. Probably weighed no more than 110lbs but just pure steel.

Not sure what the weather is like, but I'm off work for a couple of days and up for pretty much anything. Anyone? Catbird?