Recycled

prolly crossed the line when it became a dogpile I hope it gets cleaned up and reposted, though. There's some good info on how a younger out-of-area person can break into climbing.

The years have gone by fast. 1968 was a wild year. I remember reading about the offensive, as I has just started reading and the newspaper opened a whole new world to me as a small fry. It's interesting to look back at this and think about how the public's perception of Vietnam changed in just a few months. It was a real mind bender for a lot of people. At least nobody's pushing the domino theory in Iraq.

I'm betting she's not a troll, just someone who needs to get her head together to make it happen and is better than most at making excuses. Now I'm just waiting to be proved wrong. Fess up, Dru?

The name "Darasius" kept bugging me, since I thought it was a classical literary reference I should know. So, I googled it expecting to find the lit reference. No luck, but looky here: http://darasius.blogspot.com/ Hmmmm? BTW, it's amazing how fast CC.com threads rise to the top of Google searches. Why?

Man are you a piece of work. Along with the spray in this tread, you've gotten a lot of really good advice. If you sounded like a reasonable person, and got your ass up here next Summer, you probably would have had various no-strings-attached offers to include you in scrambles and advanced hikes to gain skills. The offers would have been made in good faith by people with a passion for the mountains and willing to take the time to mentor a fellow enthusiast. Gender and looks would have been irrelevant - people would have helped you out. [Not to say that you wouldn't also have had other offers - that's the nature of climbers and CC.com in particular] Now that your attitude and self-imposed limitations are clear, nobody would want to put up with you. Except for sex - which seems to be your worst fear in the first place. Better ditch your avatar, adjust your attitude and start over in a few months in the "partners wanted" section.

I posted it because I have observed this in life, including friends and neighbors, not to whine. It was also interesting to me that it varies country and cultural perspectives. Expectations, perhaps? It seems to me that things get very tough once you start dealing with supporting ageing/dying parents with disabilities, kids entering demanding years (when they're not always so cute anymore), demanding work and other life stresses all at once. I look back at being in my 20s and 30s and not realizing just how good we had it. But, then again, the time for "retirement", more play time and fewer responsibities is getting closer by the hour.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080129/hl_nm/depression_age_dc Seems on the mark to me at 46.

Hey, I have a bright idea. Let's wait for inflation to save us. Maybe we can have an inflation rate of, say, 8-10%. Then y'all be paying off those ARM converted to fixed rate loans with cheaper money. Yeah, that's it! I'll bet it's never been done before.

Troll or not, I'll throw in my 2 cents in case it's useful to someone else. It seems like the cart is definately before the horse here. My suggestion would be to: (1) spend next summer in the PNW working (if you need to) and getting some mountain time. Don't worry about "climbing" per se. Getting out on a few multiday hiking/scrambling trips will tell you pretty quickly if you're cut out for trad climbing and will cost next to nothing. If you have an inaccurate mental image of "climbing," a few days of devils club, slide alder, flies and no shower will straighen you out pretty quickly. Hell, just try doing sweaty work for a few days without a shower or a change of clothes and your half way to being a climber. Scrambling will give you a lot of the benefits of climbing (views, some exposure, wilderness experience) without the expense of gear or the competent training to use it. (2) If you like it, get your ass up here and find a school near some mountains. (3) Get involved in the outdoor program at the school and take advantage of low cost rental gear and training, as well as linking up with people you feel comfortable with (4) As you skills advance, go for it and do what you can! None of this should cost a lot of money, but you'll have to get the hell out of So Cal if you want to have access to the kind of terrain to build good technical skills. You'll soon find out whether you are in love with the real thing or just the image.

CBS - I'm sorry to hear that and I wish you both the best. I have a bit of a different perspective on this. First, it seems like the writing on the wall is that you need to take the job. Both you and your wife critically need the medical benefits and you probably need to keep in your field lest your technical skills get out of date. You can always move back if conditions change. The bigger decision falls on your wife. You didn't mention a timeframe for "terminal," but it seems to me that she has to decide between: (A) staying in a Seattle comfort zone with friends and doctors she knows, but without you being there in any significant way; or (B) moving with you to CA even if it's difficult. I know from my perspective, if I needed care, my decision would be to follow my spouse without reservation, even if it's out of my comfort zone. It's tough to change doctors, particular when under care for a serious disease, but who knows, another doctor might even click better and in any event, her Seattle doctors are probably only a call or e-mail away. Same with her friends - plane tickets are cheap and true friends will understand and visit her as well as being a call away. The bottom line for me would be the daily emotional and physical support of being with my spouse and I would value that far above doctors/friends. I'm obviously not her, but my point is that that particular decision is really hers. You choice seems far more constrained and directed by events. A tough spot, for sure.

It doesn't stimulate anything. They are desparately trying to boost consumer confidence. I don't believe people are so easily fooled, but maybe they are...

Short layover and lots of flights. Go to the Hawaiian Air website and you'll see the schedule.

We've gone to Kauai every 2-3 years for about 20 years. It's a great place to take young kids - lots of good beaches and beginning->advanced snorkeling. If you go in Winter, try to get lodging towards Poipu. You'll spend less time driving to beaches (assuming that's your thing), plus you can still take day trips up North in either direction. If you go in Summer, the Hanalei/Princeville area may be better. The reason it changes seasonally is that the prevailing winds shift around and make various beaches better in different seasons. I've noticed that Craigslist seems to have some good deals on lodging. That seems to be where a lot of last minute cancellations show up, often at a steep discount. Stay away from the Hostels on Kauai. I've stayed in the one on the beach in Kapaa, and it was an interesting experience. I wouldn't stay there with a kid. We're heading to Poipu in March and we're counting the days. PM me if you have specific questions.

I'm not so sure I would have held fire. The USS Cole incident is still fresh in the mind of Naval commanders. In US waters, there is a 500 yard exclusionary zone around Navy vessels and you enter it at your peril. I've been about 500 yards away from a ferry in my inflatable a couple years ago and I was intercepted very quickly by the USGC. The fact is, any of the several boats could have launched a missle, mine or suicide attack against the convoy. The commander seemed to know at the time that they were Revolutionary Guards and that anything was possible. Of course both sides are spinning away, but I would hate to be in the commander's place. As it was, the Revolutionary Guards got away with a successful provocation and probing exercise that plays well in the Gulf. We look stupid. Next time it might just be the Cole over again and everyone will be asking why they held fire.

Also, remember that Bellingham is not Seattle. Housing, food and most everything are cheaper here than Seattle or Portland. Maybe not as much a difference as in the past, but wages up here still reflect that differential. There are plenty of 'hamsters that would consider $30k + benefits a pretty reasonable gig.

Peter Gabriel > Phil Colins. Hands down.

Sorry, I had to change the post title. It's bugged me all morning. Carry on with the love fest.

Kinda looks like she's peeing on the flag. There otter be a law...

If this were me, I would write a letter to the County Executive, cc: the Sheriff and County Council, highlighting the issues involved. One important facet not already mentioned is that access to your trailhead vehicle is very important for potential self-rescue. It's not just parent/kids that would be endangered under the circumstances, but an injured hiker/climber may need access to their vehicle to get help. Towing vehicles could turn a unpleasant situation into a serious epic or fatality. If there's not an immediate response, step up the heat and send a copy to the local and regional newpapers. You may then be asked to either write a letter to the editor, a guest op or a regular article may be run. In my experience, phone calls don't get the same response and waste a lot of time. One other thought: get in touch with your local SAR organization and see what their stance is. They work under Sheriffs' offices and could probably get the point across directly.

My thought too. You might need a bigger venue for this one - big screen & more seating. There might still be time to get the word out on a potential venue change.

Dahlmer did get death, it was just more conveniently administered than usual. http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/crime/serial-killers/jeffrey-dahmer/

Deal - I love splitting wood. I used to live in the foothills west of Baker, but eventually had to move. It rains twice as much there as in Bellingham and eventually SAD did me in. Couldn't handle it. That and being stranded due to floods really sucked.

Gotta keep the party going. For elected officials it's about making reassuring noises about helping people, getting votes, pumping up the housing starts, keeping your financial supporters happy. For me? I've already sold most of my houses. Now it's time to stock up on ammo, shack up in Archy's cabin, and wait for the "poor to each the rich." Good times, baby.

Banks have traditionally avoided foreclosure when possible as they lose a big chunk of money when they repo and then remarket a less-than-appealing property at a loss, particularly in a falling market. I don't remember the average percentage of bank loss, but it is a bag chunk. I've bought a fair number of fixer/repo houses and have seen the financial damage first hand. By the time the properties were marketed they had been empty for months, sometimes vandalized and always with a lot of deferred maintenance. The note holders were pretty much out of luck. The consolidation and reselling of notes has probably changed this, but I don't know how much. The real problem appears that simply restructing loans won't help a lot of these people. If your income is $2.5k/mo and your payment under a 20/30-year ARM is $3k/mo, then you are screwed. Period. You shouldn't have done it in the first place and no manner of rate fiddling is going to help you short of a massive subsidization from the feds. My fear is that in the bumbling attempt to help those folks, there will be a push for interest-only or negative-amortization loans which just put them in deeper water. It's far better for people to walk away from the house & loan and start over (older and wiser).

This astounds me. You would figure that when making the biggest financial decision of their lives, people would take the effort to become at least marginally financially literate. I also think homeownership is way overrated. It has always been presented as an integral part of the American dream and, as a result, has caused many people to overreach to try to grab that piece of that pie whether it makes sense or not. The combination of easy loans, financial illiteracy and being bound by that dream has screwed a lot of people. Not that they should be bailed out now... I love reading about the schmucks that lied on their loan applications, bought several condos with the intention of flipping, then were fucked when the market slipped. Blanket subprime bailouts that help these assholes really piss me off.