sobo

We had a turtle once... for years... Little red-eared slider (type that was popular while Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran) that we rescued from the middle of a four-lane urban arterial here. It had been run over. I thought it was a goner. My wife forced me to divert to a vet (I forget where we were actually going) for an emergency operation and, $400 and an hour and a half later, he had super-glued the little thing back together. Over the next several years, she (yes, it was determined that she was a she) grew and grew (and I replaced aquarium after aquarium) until she was the diameter of a large dinner plate and I had one of those black polyethylene backyard ponds sitting in the corner of my living room. When the first kid arrived, I thought she a goner again because of the risk of the baby picking up salmonella and all that. But nooooooooo, we ended up putting up a chicken wire screen around the pond in my living room. Kid still managed to get past the screen and play in the water. But he lived. When we finally moved from Yakima to Kennewick, my wife decided it was "time for Marty to go be with her own kind." But there was no way my wife was going to just "dump" her at a golf course or park pond or anything like that (you must understand, my wife is the reincarnation of St. Francis of Assissi, and I mean that in the kindest way - 8 rabbits, a one-eyed cat, and a geriatric dog, each one a sob story in the acquisition). So I ended up spending about $200 to FedEx her to a "turtle rescue sanctuary" somewhere in the Florida panhandle. She now resides on the banks of some warm pond in 300 acres of her natural habitat, has a few boyfriends (or so I'm told), and I get to send $150 a year to the operators of this place as a "donation" for her continued upkeep. So Mel, you want to saddle your sister with a turtle for the next several years, eh? Who's gonna clean the aquarium every week? As it grows, the filtration system won't keep up - turtle shit is the worst, man. Where ya gonna put it when it outgrows the aquarium? In a pond in the living room? You do know it can't stay outside in the Willamette... it's too cold there in the winter. They're native to the Southeast, not the PNW. Not putting the kibosh on it, but just putting some things out there to consider... Remember, I been there, done that. But when it was all said and done, it *was* kinda cool to have a huge turtle living in your living room. We'd let her out of the pond every few days (if she didn't escape first, which she managed on several occasions) to wander around the house for a few hours. She seemed to really like it. The only pain about that was when she got stuck in the fireplace. All those ashes... The cat thought she was a h00t. The bunnies regarded her rather suspiciously. The dog hadn't arrived yet...

Met Fred and Joe already some years ago in more intimate environs than a pube club or crag. Saw Colin at RopeUp 2005, but wouldn't even think of interjecting myself into a group of his good friends that were yucking it up with him. Likewise with Lowell, Jim, and the other three guys you mention. They're just out of my league - I could never hope to stand in the same room with any of them. I'm the fat kid now.

Ya know, I'm surprised about that one too. But if you and Larry are gonna git all a-skeert about a little looseness on the Goose Egg-ness, then it serves ya right! And thanks for the birthday wishes!

Shit, you think YOU were confused? RuMR sends me a PM at lunch to go read this thread. I open it, and the first names I see are (what I think are supposed to be) mine and my wife's!!1 Seriously, nice work there Drew! BTW, whip that old tool every few days just to keep his lip zipped, will ya? Oh, and Rudy, this one's for you, pal...

You'll have to wait for the TR to find out! I'm not saying one... word... about... this... to... anyone...

Of course not. If you'd take the time to look around the TIT site (no pun intended), you'll find that Randy C. consistently supports, mentions, and links to snopes.com. And snopes is on my hotlinks so I can check/debunk all the BS glurge that peeps send my way every day. So there.

Thanks. I don't get the climbing rags anymore. Since "kiddin' up" a few years back, I just don't have much time left to peruse the climbing pr0n.

Thanks, minx, ya scornful tease...

Thanks, 'kirk. Sorry you missed the first brush at my list. Back on track: Would have liked to have met this one. She's been gone from here for a while now. I don't think we were her type.

Thanks kev. So are you the one with the orange helmet, or with the fancy hat?

Willy is a stand-up sorta guy...

are they one and the same? could be... You know who else I forgot? BoulderBoy! That's right, ol' distel32. Would love to share a pitcher with him and discuss his travels in Mongolia, et al.

Thank you, both of you. I'm tetched...

Yes, but if you knew me, you'd probably find yourself sorely tested to behave the same.

We all could hope to be so fortunate...

Thanks, OW, but I've been an old fart for quite awhile now. But at least now, I can ask my doc for a prostate exam without feeling guilty about it...

I've been following that one for quite a while. Lots more get reported and followed every week at this site. Sign up for the This Is True weekly e-newsletter and the True Stella Awards e-newsletter for the frivolous lawsuits.

Sa-weet news! Congrats. Hope Mom and Daughter are doing great.

CBS, I apologize utterly and completely. Looking back thru ancient PMs, I see where I attended my one and only pube club at the Nick back in January 2005, where we shared several pints. I stand humbly corrected. ANd later, whilst searching for a partner for Lightning Dome, you came forth to stand for me and even stated that I can hold my liquor, make decent conversation, and don't pick my nose, or somesuch...

Sobo, you had me on your list. We've met several times! I've met all the ones with x's but not the ones with o's. There's a chance I've met some of them and were not even aware of it. In addition, I'd like to meet all the PDX people, like Bill, Joe, John, Shelly, Iain, DFA (unless he really is Iain). I'd also like to meet crazy Polish Bob, Pope, and deskdriver. Technically, Brian, we really haven't met. I saw you at RopeUp 2005, as you were looking for someone to do CA with you. I overheard your name, and concluded that you were CBS. I wasn't up for that long of a route that day, as it looked pretty sure to rain (which it did), so went to Buckle Up Slabs and did Groundhog Day with DoxManDude. Someone mentioned selkirk. I'd add that one to my list of "like to meets" for this board. And billcoe, I'd put you and JosephH on it too. And just to remind you, both me and minx had iain/CC on our lists. Shite, minx started the thread and listed him in the OP. I chimed in on page 2.

The list is long, but distinguished. In no particular order ('cept the gurlz come first...): minx archenemy MWS carolyn icegirl rmncwrtr Sherri Kitergal/marie snugtop OW ryland moore RuMR pindude ivan rbw1966 wdietsch Bug CBS DeC John Frieh/NOLSe Dru/G-spotter layton iain/CC Doug clucK Freeman Ursa Eagle pu shapp spotly mccallboater ClimbingPanther still climbing Alasdair TTT Agree with OW on the arc/crampon/divot/icefall character.

It hasn't been cold enough nor wet enough around here to worry about F/T at Vantage. That choss falls down all by itself anyway.

OW indeed makes two very salient points. It's sad that any new female here is immediately thought of as some long-time user l00zr male poster looking to stir the pot. And anyone who's been around this board a while will note distinctly different styles of prose as regards the named avatars.

from the same movie - "by the way - i faked all those orgasms" and "it's enrico pallazi!" Gonna take a shot here... A lot of in Caddyshack...?? How about this one? Should be easy for this group... "We'll make it. " "I don't think so. But we shall continue with style. "

PM sent